The Savage Traveler: Gateway to the Black Sea--#14: Brno and Prague

Fri. June 18--Brno & Prague: After getting our bags packed and in the hallway by 7:45 and the full buffet breakfast, we were on our way by 9:00. Our new guide explained that she was born in Slovakia with a Hungarian mother and therefore had a Hungarian name. She went to Prague for schooling in the 90s. While there, the politicians split Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Like others had told us, she said it was purely political and the people had no say in it. When asked if she wanted to be Czech or Slovak for her passport she told them, "No, I want to be Czechoslovakian!" But she had no choice. We drove mostly on a freeway to Brno. Around Bratislava the signs and even the pavement were marked with CZ if they went to Czech Republic, H for Hungary, A for Austria, or left plain for Slovakia. It was a good indication of how close together the countries are in this area. It took us about 2 hours to drive to Brno, an industrial, drab looking town in the Czech Republic. It has a handsome Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter and St. Paul that the residents call St. Petroff. Nearby and of the same vintage is a protestant church that was finished just after the Catholic Church. In spite, the architect added a small figure above the window facing St. Petroff who has dropped his pants and is mooning the Catholics. Brno also has Spilas, which was built as a fortification then turned into an inhumane prison. It became even worse during WWII when the Nazis turned it into a Concentration Camp for the local Jews. We stopped first at the International Hotel for an early, big lunch of onion-pork soup with bread, roast beef in gravy with big french fries, and creme brulee with ice cream and caramel sauce on top. I skipped the bread, most of the french fries and the creme brulee and was still full. Afterwards we took about an hour walking tour of the limited old town including two squares, neither of which was square and a few interesting Art Nouveau buildings. Our guide told us some of the local lore and legends. Brno is the capital of the region called Moldavia and the locals consider themselves Moldavians and NOT Czechs. Their language is only a little different with a few words of their own but mostly as related as London English and New Zealand English.

The cloudy day made the main square in Brno look even more drab

The Protestant Church in Brno

Small figure mooning St. Petroff's

St. Petroff's Church

We circled back to the hotel and got back on the buses to drive the rest of the way to Prague (or Praha, as they say). The Prague Hilton Old Town is just about a block and a half from The Powder Gate into the Old Town area. After checking in Slava took the group for a short orientation walk to Old Town, arriving in time for the 6:00 chiming of the intricate astronomical clock on the no longer used City Hall. Afterwards the Dunns and Macks walked back to the hotel on our own with a stop to buy groceries at the Billa grocery store across the street and had a light supper, similar to last night's.