Brno, Day 1

March 30, 2012 ... Our Adventure in Brno, Day 1

A group of us decided to venture out on our own for the weekend.  We decided to go somewhere close to give us a chance to spread our wings without any seasoned guides with us.  I had no fear that we would find our way with no problems. 

We left Olomouc in the afternoon and took the train to Brno.  It was about an hour and half train ride, not really far at all.  

Lisa sound asleep on our train ride to Brno ... Caleb's finger making an appearance in the picture as well.

Elin asleep as well.

Karen couldn't stay awake either!

Thea studying up on where we were going and 

figuring out fun points of interest we should see on our visit to Brno.

Enjoying our ride over, well, I was at least ... Caleb doesn't look too thrilled.

Ann was our hero when she brought out the beef jerky, 

oh how a little taste of home makes everyone happy!

When we arrived, we did have reservations at the Ruta 80 hostel and had some directions on how to get there via tram.  The first hiccup we had was actually finding the right tram.  After some running around and some confusion (did I mention it was raining too?)  someone who spoke English helped us out without us asking, I love it when that happens!

YAY! We made it to Brno!

We did 2 group pictures to make sure we all were in one.

Figuring out where we were going next.

Brno train station.

We finally found our little hostel, it looked a little bit iffy from the outside but once we got inside it was very nice.  It had an 1980's theme to the place...movie posters, music posters, albums, and even a jaws toilet cover, pretty much awesome!  We settled in and decided to find somewhere for dinner, thank you to Rick Steves for the suggestion!

Dinner out our first night in Brno!

The group of us:  Karen, Ann, Caleb, Thea, Elin, Lisa and myself ventured out and discovered how to navigate Brno via the tram system.  Brno is a lot hillier and curvier than Olomouc is and you really need to hold on for the ride or make sure you are sitting down because if you are an experienced rider of public transportation, you will still fall on your butt!  We found the restaurant and the food was amazing!  It was also a fun atmosphere as there was a hockey game on and there were lots of tables full of locals watching the game.

I think this is a great way to serve silverware.  It is rare that we have silverware actually on the table when we sit down, they usually bring it out right before your food is served and after you have your drink.

Adventurous eating is always fun here ... Caleb and Thea decided to order the appetizer that was tongue with an apple salsa.  Of course I had to have a taste as well.  It was soooooooo good!  It tasted like roast beef with apples, yum!  Lisa even tried it, she doesn't eat much that she is not familiar with, so we were so proud of her even though she had psyched herself out about it because she knew what she was eating.  

  

Mmmmmmm .... Tongue! 

 My pumpkin soup, it was delicious.

 Caleb and Thea were HUNGRY!

Ribs, ribs, and more ribs!!!

Lisa enjoying her fish. 

 My chicken, spinach, and potatoes.

 Elin and her veggies.

 Karen pausing for a photo.

Ann looks happy with her choice.

We made our way back to our hostel (in the dark) and settled in for the night.  So far, it was a successful trip to Brno.  There is something exciting about going out on our own after having someone familiar with us who speaks the language and we get to figure it out on our own.