BRNO

I had though the name of this town was odd, until I though about the beauties in Canada of Swift Current, Moose Jaw and Wawa. Here are some funny Canadian City Names,  you're welcome.

Brno was the change that I wanted after the madness of Prague. Sure, there was the now standard colorful town square filled with cafes. Historic side streets, filled with cafes, a huge church, with a cafe and a castle high on a hill that gave excellent views of the town and surrounding countryside. The castle was much the same design for the region and era, much like Prague.

Brno was calm and there was room to walk and breathe. Now, no place is perfect  and it took me very short time to understand the the city trams rule and that was just a fact. Tracks ran through the heart of the downtown and market squares and the trams are new, sleek and quiet. You only need to hear the tell tale "ding ding" once when one is bearing down on you are touristing and not paying attention. You learn fast her in Brno.

Calmer than Prague, just watch out for the Trams.

The FlixBus ride from Prague took just over two hours. The bus terminal is at the edge of the Old Town which made my walk to the hostel an easy 20 minutes, which would have been 15 if I stopped arguing with google maps. Hostel Eleven was central which is a nice change for me. I was too early for check-in so I dropped off my bag and headed out in the direction of the Brno Špilberk Castle which was a very manageable 20 minute walk. 

The castle grounds were quiet and there were just a few people milling about. The uphill walk, as it goes with these dam castles was easy enough. I walked around and enjoyed the views of Brno and the surrounding area then found a bench to just sit for a while and take in take a long breathe. I put on my earbuds, found a random mix of 70s rock and drank my iced coffee that appeared magically around a bend in the path. In all the places I have been, there are coffee carts powered by pedal bikes, and there are good quality setups. I keep forgetting to take a photo. Anyways, I had music, iced coffee and very few people around me and the next 30 minutes would be a mindless wonder.

The last notes of Running on Empty by Jackson Browne faded and I figured it was time to get moving along. There was a clock tower in town that you could climb and so off I went, with Running on Empty now an earworm that was going to stick with me for a while.

View from the Clock Tower

"Clang, clang, clang" went the trolley "Ding, ding, ding" went the bell. In keeping with the now music theme of this post, and with a shout out to Judy Garland, my education on the Brno Trams was now short and complete. I in no way was standing on any tracks and it was not even a close experience, but it was an alert that was sure enough to keep me on my toes. These tracks are real and not some ancient relic to blend into the old town.

I found my way back to the hostel, and got set up in my room. A six bed beauty and each set of two bed has their own privacy curtain, much like a hospital room with four beds. It is amazing what luxury becomes when you are spending $25 a night for a bed in a dorm. As it turned out, nobody stayed on the top bunk with me so I had a bit of privacy for a few days. Magic times in Europe indeed.

Just a cool warrior statue

Entrance to the Castle

The days were sunny and warm so off I went exploring again. The Church of St James in Brno was first mentioned in writing in 1228 so I had to see what this was all about. It was as ornate as expected and I took a seat to just hang out and look around. Artwork is consistently gratifying in so many churches around the world. As I sat a tour group walked in of about 40 worshippers let my a woman with a long stick and flag. They all pewed up, did a little prayer and a walk around and then off they went to the next site they were promised. There was a very nice little setup for the Pope who had just passed away. People could sign the book and offer up some words which is a nice little touch for the masses.

You did a good job Francis

Now for a sad tale. There is a highly recommended brewery here, so "exit stage left" I was on my way. Pivovar Stern Brewery was about a 30 minute walk, so as it was a nice sunny day I figured I would work up a thirst. 

The impressive old red brick building came into sight and my heart gave a flutter, although a hint of dispair filled my mood. There were only a few cars in the parking lot and that is never a good sign. I found the tap room door and gave it a hearty pull almost pulling my shoulder out of place, Closed!

There was activity around the corner and there was a very active retail shop connected to a part of the working brewery  the challange was there was no where to sit if I bought a beer. Normally not an issue, but this was a fairly busy industrial area and being that lone guy, sitting on a curb sucking on a large beer bottle did not appeal to me. I hustled back to town, found a cafe, ordered a large cold draft and said "fuck you Pivovar Stern." Probably a little louder than I should have. 

Fuck it. Na Zdravia

Then there is how to tell time in Brno.

What Time Is Is?

What Time Is It.

The picture above on the left is the Brno Astronomical Clock but because it looks phallic the locals call it the Cock Clock. It is really easy to tell time with it. All you do is step back across the Tram Tracks, then turn to your left and look up at the white clock tower just down the street, which is the picture above on the right. Look  at the analog clock and there you have the time.