Hello, I'm writing from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In October I'll be travelling across the C.R. for a month. Since Bohemia seems to be more expensive, I thought it would be better to start my trip from Moravia (after all, there's where my Mum's from). My idea is to stay in some fix place for 7-10 day sand make day trips to other places in Moravia. Brno looks beautiful but Olomouc seems to be a pretty cozy place with its woods and history and it's difficult for me to decide where to fix my headquartersduring my staying in Moravia. So, first question is: which one would you reccomend?
And second but not less important item: money. I will try to have some korouny before leaving Buenos Aires, just to move around on arrival. Are US dollars as well accepted as Euros?
This is a very important journey for me, since I'm half-Czech, and though I don't speak the language I feel that country has a lot of things to tell me beyond words.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Brno looks beautiful but Olomouc seems to be a pretty cozy place with its woods and history
Aesthetically, I'd have to say that Olomouc wins hands-down over Brno...one of the finest cities of its size in Europe, I would suggest...Brno isn't exactly beautiful but more stately and quietly cosmopolitan in its architecture and feel...
It might also boil down to what kind of day-trips you intend to take from either city...actually, 7-10 days is quite a lot of time in either place so you could always sample both in that timescale...
Good luck with this, whatever you decide...
Thank you, WaterhazardJack! Aesthetically, I'd have to say that Olomouc wins hands-down over Brno...one of the finest cities of its size in Europe, so I will follow your advice and stay in Olomouc. And yes, maybe 7-10 days is a lot of time for a small region, but wherever I go I like to feel the pulse of the place, so I take my time... specially in the C.R., the land of my ancestors.
Thank you again!
I will try to have some korouny before leaving Buenos Aires
If you have a plastic card that functions in ATMs internationally, use that instead. There are ATMs at the airports which will allow to you get koruna at the airport. If the financial restrictions of Argentina means that you can't have a functioning ATM card and have to bring some cash, bring some Euros, as they are used in most of the countries bordering CzR. I expect that the exchange rate you'd get for koruna in BsAs is so terrible that changing twice could well be cheaper.
>Are US dollars as well accepted as Euros
Only koruna are commonly used in CzR. You'll have to convert anything else to koruna. There is more volume/competition for the conversion of Euros than anything else, so if you do have cash I expect you'll get the best rate for that.
Olomouc is certainly the single nicest place to visit in Moravia, but there are plenty of places worth visiting which are a bit too far to make a day trip very pleasant, so think of having some time moving on from place to place too.
Good advice from the previous posters. The Czech Republic is not a big country so it won't be a problem for you to travel around. I would recommend, as #4 mentioned, a couple of days on the Czech/ Austrian border. You can visit Znojmo, Vranov nad Dyje, Mikulov as well as Valtice and Lednice.
Jeremy
http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/category/photos/by-country/czech-republic-photos/
This Forum is wicked! Now I've got a lot of suggestions... Iviehoff, thanks a lot for your ideas about the money subject. I will discuss them with someone who is aware of the financial stuff in Argentina to take the more convenient option, because to me it's Chinese - and I don't even speak Czech!.
Wildroo and Jeremy, a lot of thanks to you too! My idea is to visit as many places as possible - my Czech 50 % is 100 % Czech since my ancestors are from both Bohemia and Moravia -. Wildroo suggestions are fantastic. I had thought about all the places he mentions, but I couldn't realise where to reach them from. However, as I said before, I will take my time in each place I visit. I won't be visiting my relatives, because I don't know them, and also because I want to come and go freely without ties for me or anybody else. The Moravian question is solved. When I have finished planning my itinerary in Bohemia I will write again for your advice. You all have been most helpful. Have a nice day wherever you are!
Your photos are terrific, Jeremy, thanks a lot for sharing. I 'm thinking about staying there for 2 days, it looks so beautiful and quiet. Same for Znojmo. I can't wait to be there! I'm planning the Bohemian part of my journey now and I'll write again as soon as I have a list of places for you to enhance it and make suggestions. Thanks for your time and your help.
Same for Znojmo.
Just to let you know, there's a fine hostel in Znojmo (The Travellers) in a historic quarter of the city which overlooks a great vista of the river and landscape beyond...
This is a very important journey for me, since I'm half-Czech...I won't be visiting my relatives, because I don't know them, and also because I want to come and go freely without ties for me or anybody else.
It seems a bit of a shame that if you're spending an entire month in the country (travelling alone?) that you can't allocate some time to meet some of your relatives...I'm sure you'd get a great reception, particularly in Moravia where the people are so warm-hearted...I understand your philosophy as I also hate to have any kind of restriction when travelling but I also know it's the people I encounter on the road that I remember long after the memory of the places have faded...
I realise I'm speaking like an old travel bore here but I think you should keep an open mind about this as I'm guessing this is possibly a once in a lifetime trip, coming over from South America and all that?...
I see your point, Waterhazard, now I feel I expressed mine rather carelessly. Let me explain myself. My mother came here short before WWII. She's very old (92) and all the relatives she knew are dead and after her parents died she lost contact with the younger generations. She doesn't even know if they are still living there. Besides, I'm travelling with one of my best friends and I think that, except your family is Italian, 2 unknown people (one of them totally unconnected) is too much, even for the kind and cheerful Moravians.
I'll let locals know I'm half-Czech and give them my Czech family names if they ask me. It could happen someone knows people having the same name... it's not a big country. So, if any family encounter is produced, it will be more enjoyable for both parties since it would be spontaneous and I wouldn't avoid it . And of course, I hope I will find very kind people both in Moravia and Bohemia whom I'll always remember with affection, and so much the better if we have family ties, but that's not a necessary condition.
Since we can't see into the future this could be, as you say, a lifetime trip, and I'll try to make the most of it, but I expect I will go back in a not very distant future. I can't find the words to explain what my feelings are about the Czechlands. I only know I have to go there for something is calling me and I don't know what it is. Let's see what the future brings. ('If we could see tomorrow, what of your plans?').
Hey, you're not an 'old travel bore' at alI! I really appreciate your concern as well as your useful info about the hostel in Znojmo.
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