Last Updated on October 27, 2014 by
Last weekend, our group went on our first excursion to Brno and Southern Moravia. This area of the Czech Republic is in stark contrast to Prague. The bus ride was three hours of farm land and hills until we reached the famous Moravian countryside. On the way we visited a 12th century monastery, the grounds and memorial for the Battle of Austerlitz, and the Gregor Mendel Museum.
We then stayed at this small, beautiful hotel surrounded by vineyards. We ate at the wine cellar next to our hotel for dinner. Despite consuming my weight in Burčák and brie, it was a surreal and unbelievably fun experience.
On Sunday, we went to the city of Brno where Z, our resident guide/encyclopedia on all things Europe, showed us around. We then visited the Pilgrimage Church of the Virgin Mary – a Cathedral dubbed the “Pearl of Moravia.” Since I’ve been to Prague I think I’ve been to more churches than I have in the past 5 years, however this church was absolutely breathtaking and worth the drive out of our way. The last stop before returning to Prague was the Moravian Karst. We went through this national park and toured the caves, both by foot and by boat. The sites were absolutely unreal, all photos pale in comparison.
Living in Prague, it’s easy to forget the majority of the country is rural. The Moravia trip was an awesome opportunity to get out and see the diversity, both geographically and culturally, of the Czech Republic.
