Bratislava, Trnava, and Trakovice, Slovakia: A Tour of Public Transit

Today we left our snoring biker friends sound asleep in their little beds to catch the tram and then the early train to Bratislava (this was only the start of our public transport tour...read on for more details).  When we got here, we dropped our luggage, then decided to climb the hill to the highest point in the city, upon which is naturally situated a castle.  We had a look around, took some pictures, and then headed down to explore the city.

As one can obviously see from the picture above, our explorations yielded deliciously wheaty results...Sound of Music, anyone?!

On our way to start our public transit tour, Kathryn also found the very-photo-worthy Slovak National Theater...and I photographed the both of them.

This picture may not look like much, but it really is the story of the day.  My very dear friend and traveling companion Kathryn's grandfather is Slovakian, and since were within 50km of his parents' hometowns, we decided to brave the Slovak Public Transport system and go pay a visit to Grandpa Cepko's origins.  By the travel combination of a bus to Trnava-taxi to Trakovice (thank goodness Kathryn speaks German, because I certainly don't speak Slovak and people here aren't so keen on English!), we made it to the very small town of Trakovice!  We wandered around this 1km-long town and even found some Cepkos in the cemetery.  Getting back, however, was the real challenge.  We ended up, after lots of gesticulating and quite a wait, getting on a bus to Trnava-train to Bratislava, and making it back...but there were some anxious moments.  Needless to say, it was a worthwhile and fun adventure!

Brno, Czech Republic: Dead People and the Father of Genetics

In our wanderings of Brno today, we saw the Capuchin Crypts and the Gregor Mendel Museum, amongst other things.  The Capuchin Crypts are where various noblemen and the Capuchin friars were buried from the 17th through the 19th centuries.  What makes them unique is that because of an advanced airflow system, all of the bodies were mummified, and are still very well preserved...and we know this because they are in glass cases.  Since we couldn't take pictures, I can't quite rely the creepy coolness, but 'visible recent mummies' gives the general idea.  Our other big stop--and one of the main reasons Kathryn and I decided to visit Brno--was the Gregor Mendel Museum!  We are standing in front of the wall commemorating his peas in the picture above...

...and here we are in front of the begonias that demonstrate the discoveries he made about genetics and inherited traits back in the 1850s and 1860s.  For those of you who are a bit rusty on your high school biology, Gregor Mendel was the Augustinian monk who discovered that traits are carried in pairs called alleles, that there are dominant and recessive traits, and that what something looks like (phenotype) does not necessarily tell the observer what its genetic code is (genotype).  Does traveling to a tiny town in the south of the Czech Republic to see this make us a bit dorky?  Perhaps.  Was it still awesome?  Absolutely.

After exploring the wonderful world of Gregor Mendel, we climbed to the top of a very tall hill to see the town castle and the panoramic view of Brno.

As I mentioned yesterday, we are in the town hosting the Czech Grand Prix.  Though we spent the entire evening in the main square, this was unfortunately (or luckily?) the closest we got to any bikes or bikers.  It did make the town square quite lively, however, and made our last night in Brno one to remember.

Czech Republic: Czech Motorcycle Grand Prix?

Kathryn and I took the train to south-central Czech Republic this morning, and ended up in a small town called Brno.  Brno also happens to be the host of the Czech Republic Motorcycle Grand Prix, which just happens to be the weekend we are here.  For those of you who are familiar with Muskegon Bike Time, imagine a Czech version, and you have the general idea.  Motorcycles and their riders everywhere, tents and beer, live music, and a random patch of sand transported to city center...more details will follow as we figure out exactly what is going on here!

One of our first stops in Brno was for desert, since we are apparently back in the land of gelato...yay!

A view of one of the streets of Brno as the sun is setting.  We're excited to explore the quaint (and motorcycle-overrun) town tomorrow!

Prague, Czech Republic: The Jewish Quarter and Other Wanderings

Kathryn and I spent our final day in Prague wrapping up loose ends--seeing the churches, monuments, and museums that we didn't see in the past three days.  Our favorite thing that we saw today (and likely our favorite historical piece in Prague) was the Jewish Quarter: four synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery, and the Ceremonial Hall.  All six of these sites were packed with history and exhibits on Judaism in the Czech Republic throughout the centuries.  Since we weren't allowed to take pictures, the picture above is simply a happy picture of us on a random street in Prague after we left the Jewish Quarter.

After we left the Jewish Quarter, we went in search of the aptly named 'Piss Statue', pictured above, which is outside the Franz Kafka Museum.

Kathryn and I in Wenceslaus Square, near the turn off to our hostel.  I include this picture because we have been waiting three days to take it when it wasn't super cloudy...and even though the sky isn't clear blue, at least one can see the whole length of the Square!

On our last night out, we decided to hit the town and experience a bit of the nightlife.  We met up with a friend of a friend, Isaac, at his bar, then checked out the local dance scene.  It was a nice way to round out and finish up our Prague experience.

Prague, Czech Republic: A Happy Historical Day

Kathryn and I spent the day exploring the museums and towers and other buildings of historical importances.  We kicked our day off with a (free!) tour of the important communist and communist revolt places in Prague.  Our guide was a man in his early 40s whose father spoke out against the communists, so his personal story was a fascinating addition to the historical facts.  After that, we climbed to the top of Old Tower, which offered us a splendiferous view of the Old Town Square.

Attached to the Old Town Tower was the Old Town Hall, a building that has been used and expanded since 973.  This room, which is currently under renovation, is actually still used for town hall meetings until this day.

Amidst our wanderings, we stepped off the beaten path for some delicious traditional Czech food.  Kathryn finally got her goulash! 

One of our final stops of the day was St. Agnes's Convent, which houses the remains of St. Agnes and her brother, St. Wenceslaus, who was also the first Bohemian king in the early 900s.  I am standing on his grave in the picture above.

Prague, Czech Republic: The Land of Royalty

Kathryn and I had one goal today: explore the Prague Castle--and all of the many buildings that reside within its walls--as fully as possible.  That being said, we got up, got some breakfast near the Old Square (see above), and headed across the river to the castle.

Our first stop within the castle walls was St. Vitus, a Gothic cathedral continuously built from the 900s until 1929, when the last piece was finished to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of St. Wenceslaus, patron saint of the Czech Republic.  The cathedral was the focal point within the medieval castle, and still casts a commanding shadow over the complex, which is now the seat of presidential affairs of the Czech Republic.  My favorite parts of the cathedral were the beautiful stained glass windows, one of which is pictured above.

Our next stop within the castle walls was Golden Lane, a very famous Czech street featuring medieval houses (which are now shops that reflect the trades of the original homeowners) and lots of tourists.  Kathryn and I posed in front of No. 22, which is where Franz Kafka wrote Metamorphosis.  The house has since been turned into (poetically enough) a bookshop.

After our day of exploring the the castle, we headed back across the Charles Bridge for dinner and a discount classical music concert, which was actually quite good.  Before we went back to the hostel, we stepped back on the bridge to view the castle by night...and what a view it was!  Prague by night is truly spectacular.

Prague, Czech Republic: A Lovely Intro

Today, Kathryn and I thought we were boarding a train to Prague...turns out it was a bus!  It was very comfortable, however, and we got to see a whole new side of the Bavarian countryside.  A coffee and a smoothie and we were set for the journey.

Given that our arrival in Prague marked the start of a four-day sojourn in this epic city, we elected to spend our first day orienting ourselves and taking in the sights from the streets.  We managed to spend a delightful seven hours wandering around the touristy and non-touristy places.  The picture above is the Old Square in the Old Town of Prague.

Amongst all this wandering, we managed to find a delightful little treat...chocolate!  Kathryn had dark chocolate with Curacao, and I had milk chocolate with raspberries.  The day was a wonderful start to our Prague adventures.