Now that we are a group of only 11 we are travelling in an 18 seater mini bus thing....a Mercedes.....pulling a luggage trailer. It's quite comfortable with a good recline option on the seats.....which is wonderful as we have about a 5 hour trip to Brno, in the Czech Republic.
I have decided to write a little during the day instead of leaving it until last thing at night. Sometimes by then my mind is so muddled as to where we've been and what we've seen, my 'bergs' and 'burgs' are all muddled and I don't know if we've been in castles, palaces or cathedrals!
So it's mid morning and we've been on the road awhile.....looking forward to our first coffee stop sometime soon :-). Speaking of coffee.....I've had all sorts I can tell you. I figured 'when in Rome'! Sometimes in restaurants at the end of the meal you are served short blacks.....they're always good for giving you a kick.....must be designed to spur you onto the next tourist attraction...Ha! Another reason to go with the coffee is that to get a nice cup of tea has proved a challenge in some places so I've pretty much given up on that. Every now and then I think of my teapot and leaf tea in my kitchen back home......hmmm......that can wait though.....all too soon this trip will be over and I don't want to regret not trying new things!
I mentioned in a previous blog how green and lush the countryside is.....and that continues as we motor through Hungary. One obvious thing is the lack of fences - apart from along the motorways - this is because there are no animals!! No cows, no sheep, no goats, no pigs......nothing! So don't know where they all are?
Just had our first coffee break at a very busy truck stop with an awesome cafe/restaurant/bakery/restroom....you name it - it had it! Good coffee with some amazing apple thing.....which I didn't need....and met some kiwi girls from Christchurch. Kiwis are everywhere you find.
Just passed the border into Slovakia, so goodbye to Hungary.....I'm going to see more countries than I thought! The border between Hungary and Slovakia.....
Driving through Bratislava ........... we were supposed to come into here on the cruise but some photos from the bus window will have to do!
Just had a lunch stop in another truck stop......so many huge trucks on the roads! Challenging to order off the menu in a strange language ....ended up with a very large home made sausage with mustard and horse radish.....actually tasted not too bad!
Just crossed into the Czech Republic.....is that some hills in the distance??
It's now nearly 10pm.....just had a fabulous dinner!
But to back track....we arrived in Brno mid afternoon. This city is the second largest in the Czech Republic with 400,000 residents, and is located in the area of Moravia. We are staying in the most fabulous hotel, probably one of the flashest I've ever been in....not that I've been in that many...ha!
It used to be a palace and was so tastefully turned into a hotel some years back, evidently it's the best hotel in the city! This is the interior courtyard which is the reception area.
My room......
After a quick check in we headed out with a guide for a walking tour of the inner city. Another fascinating city.....with the usual beautiful old architecture.
The main church in the city is called St Peter and St Paul cathedral, built in baroque style that is seen so much through this part of the world.
Walked past the Green market - or cabbage market....did you know that cabbage, dumplings and pork is the national food here?
We climbed to a roof top restaurant/bar and gazed over the city.....
But the highlight - along with staying in a palace - was wandering around the main city square.
There were people everywhere......it had a real buzz. There was live music playing on a stage outdoors....so a few of us sat and listened for awhile....try and keep me away! A brass band was playing jazz.....so good......the there were young people dressed in national costume playing in a small string orchestra.
We also found a free concert happening not far from the square with more traditional song and dance....it was all so enjoyable.....loved it!
Dinner was in the hotel in a beautiful dining room full of mirrors and chandeliers.....a perfect end to a long but interesting day. This is taken from a glass lift that looks down on the internal courtyard...the furniture is all lit up at night!
Tomorrow we head to Prague.
Till next time.....
No comments:
Post a Comment