Day 133: We Don’t Talk About Brno

Brno, the second largest city in Czechia, is in the heart of the Moravian wine region and considered a UNESCO Creative City. Quirky might be a better adjective because we definitely got weird and explored it’s more unique attributes, thanks to Kieran and his research.

We started our day at the “vegetables only” market in the town square, which sold fruits, veggies, and plants. The lines were long as strawberry season hit the region and each person walked away with a basket. Eventually found a food truck that served crispy chicken sandwiches the Czechian way (pickled lettuce / mustard) while blasting American 90s hip hop and some Czechian rap songs.

Next, we hit an old air raid/nuclear fallout bunker 10-Z which opened its doors in 2016 for public tours. It had been classified top secret up until 1993. The tour allowed you to wear old coats and gas masks, and people could actually book it as a hotel accommodation. We loved watching museum videos explain each room and how it worked to sustain 600 people. Mary lived her best “Chernobyl” life and we accidentally scared some middle schoolers who turned the corner while we had the old clothes on.

Next we visited the St. James Ossuary which is the second largest catacomb in the world behind the catacombs in Paris. They discovered the ossuary in 2001 and left one portion completely intact so visitors could see how many bones were stacked up when discovered. Only 15-20% of the original contents remain after they cleaned the catacombs, buried the remains, and opened it for viewing. It was absolutely insane to be amongst so many bones and the government did a wonderful job respecting the dead while educating visitors to the ossuary. 10/10 experience.

While walking downtown, we found a craft brew store / tasting room and planned to hit it in the evening. The owner quickly noticed we loved craft beer and walked us through his collection, offering recommendations and giving great history on the creators. He had beers from Romania, Poland, Estonia, and local to Czechia. He also loved barrel aged stouts so Kieran hit it off with him naturally. He convinced us to buy 6 beers after our long conversations and each one was excellent. Our favorite was a Polish Brew Master who traveled around the world to find old barrels to bring them back and brew very small batches.

On the way home we passed a spontaneous nighttime sea themed event. It added more evidence that Brno was truly an individualized and quirky city.

Restaurants:
Būcheck
CRAFTBEER Bar & Bottle Shop Solniční
New Era Restaurant

Food:
Crispy Chicken Sandwhiches
Traditional Chinese Food (we needed a break from European food)

Spots:
Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul
Brno Vegetable Market
Bunker 10-Z
St. James OssuaryRead more