Brno, etc.

Yesterday was our scheduled trip to Brno. We got up and to the station with plenty of time, and didn’t see our train time anywhere. “I wonder if it’s that one?” I said. Kyle went to talk to information, and it turns out that it was the one (we had misread the schedule we had gotten the day before) and it was leaving…now! We rushed to the platform just in time to see it leave. There was a man on the platform who was very sympathetic and showed us the next train time. It was only later that we realized that we never told him that we had been going to Brno. Don’t know how he knew (Cue Twilight Zone music).

            Since we had a few hours to kill, we got a vending machine breakfast (me: candy, he: chocolate-filled croissant in a bag) and decided to see the Slavin Monument up on the hill. Now, I had chosen the shoes that I had felt would be best for my rash, cuts, and blisters. Making that climb, my feet quickly informed me that I had chosen wrongly. I ended up making most of the climb up and down the hill barefoot. After making the decent, we rested in front of the Presidential Palace, where we saw some official personage enter (Kyle swore it was the president. George would later tell him that it wasn’t).

            We went back to the hostel; I took a nap and changed my shoes. We made the next train to Brno easily.

            Since we had gotten a late start, and we didn’t want to miss the next train, we did an “Amazing Race” tour of Brno. In a little more than an hour, we located a souvenir shop to get a map and saw: Petrov Cathedral with the Capuchin monastery next to it, Spielberg Castle on the hill, St. James Church, the vegetable market, Freedom Square (which was having a sand sculpting contest), St. Thomas in Moravian Square, and Konecneho Namesti ( or the Red Church). The weirdest site I personally saw was someone wandering around with a surf board (where did he think he was going to surf?). We also saw the Old Town Hall, which houses the famous “dragon” and wagon wheel.

            The story of the dragon is as such. Once, a dragon was spotted in town. He terrorized the townspeople until one resourceful individual decided to kill a deer and stuff it with lime and leave it as dragon bait. Not able to resist such a tasty snack, the dragon consumed the deer and promptly died. Rejoicing, the townspeople stuffed the dragon and hung it in the town hall as a warning to other dragons, where it hangs to this very day. Modern visitors often mistake it for a large crocodile, but don’t be fooled.

            Our 2^nd tale is that of the wagon wheel. Once, a young man who was renowned for his skill in woodworking was bet that he could not make a wagon wheel from tree to finished product in one day. Working tirelessly, the man wheeled the wagon wheel into town in the allotted time. He was accused of witchcraft on the spot, killed, and the wheel was hung in the town hall, I suppose as a warning to all to not do anything spectacular, or we will kill you and take your things.

            Unfortunately, we could not see these magical objects, as the Old Town Hall was under construction, though we did wander through their offices before giving up the vain attempt.

            We got on the train back to Bratislava, and even made our connection, which had been cutting it close because it hadn’t given us much time. On the last train back, we sit next to two very talkative fellows. At one point, after dismissing a few nudges as accidental on his part, I realize that the one next to me is trying to get my attention. He does this in a very subtle way: by blowing a long stream of hot air into my face. He then spent the rest of the train ride talking at me/about me, leaing over my shoulder, making comments, including about my journal, even though he spoke little to no English. Creeper guy was creepy.

            We made it back to Bratislava in good time, so we decided to go up to the Hrad, or castle, to see it and a great view of the city. We do so, take a few pics, and make our gradual way down. I make the decent backwards, as it is easier on my knees. Kyle pretends not to know me (which he also does when I chase pigeons shouting “Mwah!” I don’t know why).

            After the Castle, we went to Slovak Pub and tried to order food. As this was apparently not possible, we stay for awhile, before getting sandwiches to eat in the hostel dining room.

            Today, we got up, packed, checked out, went and saw the Blue Church, and then boarded a train for Spis where Jana’s mother will supposedly pick us up and we’ll eventually meet Neil. Neil had some trouble with the airline as well. He missed his connecting flight from Munich to Prague, as his 1^st flight was delayed for 4 hours. And they lost his bag, for which he is still waiting. Oh, airline, you scamp you.