Brno - Czech's hamlet

I had just gotten married and was all set to visit different countries in Europe. My husband had to attend a conference in Brno, so we decided to spend our honeymoon in Czech Republic.

Tram stop at Liberty square

Brno is a small city near Prague, Czech Republic. We went there in February 2016 during winter. It was really cold for me as I come from a tropical country. Leather jacket did not satiate the purpose. On the way to Liberty Square from my hotel, there were several show rooms and restaurants and bars. We managed to buy a winter coat from Mango, at a very economical price, economical compared to Luxembourg. Since we were converting Euros to Koruna, everything seemed a little cheaper in Czech, especially Brno.

When my husband was at his conference, I explored the city on my own a little. I visited Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul and took a 30 Kc ticket to the terrace. A panoramic view of the city under the sun from the lonely terrace filled my eyes completely. It was peaceful to look at a somewhat busy city in silence. We did a short walking tour the previous night so the way to the church wasn't that hard to find.

Gothic Revival Architecture

There was a museum at the Cathedral managed by a Russian lady from the church. She didn't speak English but I think she tried to explain to me that the ticket to the terrace was also the entry ticket to the museum. I couldn't enjoy the artifacts at the museum as everything was written in Russian or Czech/Slovak language.

View from the terrace of the Cathedral

Brno basking under the sun

The other side of Brno

Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul

St. Thomas Church at Moravske nam. had a very unique statue in front of it. This was also close to the Liberty square.

Church of St. Thomas

Czech seemed to be in no shortage of astronomical clocks whether big or small, famous or not. We spotted the one in Brno too.

Astronomical Clock, Brno

Way to go: We took a flight out to Prague via Amsterdam. From Prague, there are buses that go to Brno every half hour. It is a two hour journey from Praha Florenc to Brno bus stop near Hotel Grand. We enjoyed the Tiramisu in coffee day at Praha Florenc bus stop while we were waiting to board the bus.

Place to rest: We stayed at Hotel Continental which is a stone throw away from the Brno bus stop. We took a cab from the bus stop to the hotel. The hotel is at the center of the city, easily accessible to the markets and Liberty square by walk.

Eat out: Czech Republic (and most parts of Eastern Europe) doesn't seem to have the concept of vegetarianism in itself so we found it difficult to fill our tummy three times a day. The hotel we stayed in provided us with corn flakes and milk and fruits as vegetarian option. When we asked for veg burger, we were offered chicken. Apparently, "meat" means "red meat" there. In McDonald's or Subway, we removed the chicken and had the rest of it until we found a small vegan restaurant near the hotel we stayed. For the following three days I ended up having Indian food named and spiced differently in Russian.

Vegalite is very close to Hotel Continental but very easy to miss. Search in google maps if you really don't want to miss this place. They pass off roti and chenna with minimal/no spice as some Russian/Czech dish and we have no choice but to pay thrice the cost. But it was still delicious. The most amusing part of the menu was they listed potato wedges with three separate varieties in increasing order of price: Potato wedges, Potato Wedges with salt, potato wedges with salt and pepper; potato wedges with salt and pepper with sauce on the side. I cannot imagine anyone eating anything without salt and it was explicit item in the menu! Naturally, we ordered for the most flavoured one to please our taste buds.

Little Things: Do take a ticket to the top of the cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. If you are the only visitor there you will enjoy the solitary view even better. Also, shopping in Liberty square, Brno, is more economical than shopping in Prague.

Tip from the trip: Even if you are not a vegetarian it will be difficult for you to cope with the kind of meat they eat. So be prepared. Don't forget to taste the juicy strawberries sold in Liberty square market. Very tasty and very cheap.

Street market

Souvenir: The best souvenir you can bring back from Brno is the 10 Koruna coin which has the city's emblem and the name etched on it.

Photo Credits: Srivathsan Ravi & Me

Visit: 15.02.2016 to 17.02.2016