Brno

Brno is a city in the eastern Czech Republic in an area known as Moravia. (See, you learn something new everyday). Moravia is also know as wine country, and if I had been awake on the way here, I would have been able to tell you about the acres upon acres of vineyards that we passed.

We are staying at the nicest hotel that we have stayed at yet, despite the fact that if you look at it from the outside you would think we were walking into one of Stalin's original projects that hasn't been touched since. Whereas I would describe the other cities that I have visited as picturesque, the best way to describe this city is communist.

Yesterday we had a fun day. We visited a cloister from 1233 which had a BEAUTIFUL church with it. This is probably one of the most beautiful churches that I have ever been in, and part of it might have been the scenery around it, as it was situated in a small village amongst the rolling hills and vineyards. Unfortunately, we were unable to take pictures inside the church so the ammazing-ness will not be shared.

After that tour we continued on to the hotel where we checked in and hung out for a bit. Then it was back on the bus for an hour drive to a vineyard. This vineyard was one of the most interesting dinners of my life. We ate dinner at a restaurant that was underground. We were in the wine cellars of this vineyard so the ceilings were low and it was all made out of brick. The lighting was low so everything had a pretty glow to it. We had been given three options for dinner ahead of time since the program was paying, and I had elected the trout. That made for an interesting experience as it arrived on my plate head, scales, tail, and all. It was really good minus that detail. We also had the wine from the vineyard that we were at so that was pretty cool. After dinner we toured the wine cellars which have barrels that are hundreds of years old. It was a great experience.

Now we're getting set to head out for a day in the actual city of Brno, so I'll keep you posted!