Lednice and Kobyli - South of Moravia

2 June - 3 June

* Road Trip South *

Our last few days in Czech Republic were spent in south Moravia, not far from the Austrian border.  Petr's father let us use his van to make the trip which was great because we had a fair amount of stuff with us.  (Read: bringing a baby means a lot of gear.)

We went south for two things: Lednice Chateau and wine cellars.  

We stopped at a shopping center to pick up a few grocery items.  While Kamila and I ran in to shop Devin captured a few notable items in the parking lot.

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- Lednice Chateau -  

This was the summer residence of the Liechtenstein family from 1582 until 1945.  The architecture is amazing and the grounds are HUGE and stunning.  Tours were offered but we opted to stay outside and wander around ourselves.  

Running in a swathe along the Austrian border, much of this low-lying rural and light industrial area was owned by the Liechtenstein family from the the Middle Ages to 1945.  Forced to leave during the mass German expulsions after WWII, they retreated to their tiny alpine principality sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, leaving behind a diverse legacy of castles, estates, and churches. 

- Lonely Planet

Emily action shot - there aren't many of these so I added it - it's not a good picture.

The detail is incredible!  They don't build 'em like this anymore.

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- The Wine Cellars of Kobyli -  

Earlier this year, when George first emailed me about going to "wine cellars" I thought something had been lost in translation and that he meant checking out a winery and doing some tasting.  I was wrong.   George knows English...

We visited (and stayed with) Petr's friend Antonin Kovarik and his family and their wine cellars.  This was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip, and the most fun I've ever had drinking wine.  (It's hard to compete with the setting and having a wine maker as your host.)      

Antonin Kovarik

Homemade walnut liquor - delicious.

Second wine cellar.

We had such a fantastic night!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to our hosts.

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- Kobyli, the next morning - 

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 - the fire department - 

Me and Tonda, who volunteers for the Koybli fire department.

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- around town / more wine cellars -

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Absolutely Wonderful.  And yes.  We brought some wine home...

Olomouc ("Oh-la-moats")

25 May - 5 June

This is what the Lonely Planet says about Olomouc:

As countless tourists embrace the overt charms of Prague and Cesky Krumlov, Olomouc exudes a subdued appeal, emerging as the travelers' equivalent of a special restaurant this is your own little secret.  An old town square rivaling that in Prague for scale and beauty combines with the youthful vivacity of a modern student town amid the graceful campus of the country's second-oldest university.  Some of Moravia's most impressive religious structures play host to a thrilling history, and on the country's best museums...

We really loved our time in and around Olomouc.  The architecture is amazing and varied, the people are friendly and generous, the city has a lovely walkable feel, the beer and wine is great, and our friends there are some of the best!  It was so good to see our China buddies again - I can't stress that enough!

This is George and Kamila.

This is Tomas.  Or, as Devin and I call him: Tomaaaaaash.

We got into town in the afternoon and walk to a brewery (Moritz) for lunch.

This is my beer - it was lovely and had a cherry at the bottom of the glass.

Devin and George shared a knee.  A pig knee.  That's all I have to say.

Tomaaaaaash, and me.

Super Tomas... and the guys' GIANT beers!

So happy!

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After lunch, the 4 of us walked, and Tomas rolled, around the city center.

We peaked into a lot of churches, which was fascinating because each was very unique. 

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George has a special bond with this particular church.

As part of his Engineering Degree he had to measure every square inch...ah, centimeter.

It took months to complete.

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Me pointing out the Marian Plague Column - I had been looking for it.

Town hall and the astronomical clock.

The clock was remodeled during the communist era to show workers rather than saints.

Devin and the city.

Yay!  Our first, but definitely not last, Czech beer with Petr!

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George and Kamila's apartment...

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Bath time!

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On our first full day in town, Devin, Petr, George and I took a bike ride to Litovel brewery in the town of Litovel, roughly 15km from Olomouc.  Petr and George had arranged for us to join a tour group through the brewery, but they started an hour early and we, unfortunately,  were not there an hour early.  So...

We had our own private tour with a friend of Petr's who works at the brewery!  It was fantastic!    

Early morning shot of slivovice - to get into biking mode of course.

The Brewmaster

A taste of wort, or as Devin explains it: unfermented beer juice.

Of course we needed to taste the beers!

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There are places to drink beer just about everywhere you go in the Czech Republic - including at an old mill along a bike path in the middle of nowhere.  

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Along the bike route.

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Another beer stop before biking home...

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George, Kamila, Devin, Tomas, and I took a drive east and stepped over the border into Slovakia.

I'm pretty sure Devin and I got a bigger kick out of this than Tomas did!

I think that's Slovakia.

Me?  Or Captain Morgan?  Regardless, that is one cool person.

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Upon our return to Olomouc, we hit up the Olomouc Beer Festival.

That's George...hiding.

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A few random shots:

Double helix stairway all the way.

The End...of this one.