Day Trip to Olomouc

Sunday, Aug. 3, 2014--Brno to Olomouc and Back

Olomouc (pronounced "Olla-moats") is described by my guidebook as a city with the charm of Prague, but without the tourists.  It describes it as like a favorite restaurant that is your own little secret. 

This morning, we decided to make our side trip to there so that we could be back here in Brno tomorrow when the town is awake again after this quiet weekend.  I discovered problems as I researched transportation, though.  Apparently a part of the train line is being repaired.  And when I researched buses, some of them required up to 2 changes.  We went to a travel agency that supposedly had through buses--Student Agency.  We got the bus we wanted to take to there, but the return bus we had selected was sold out.  We had to buy tickets for another bus company and extend our stay in the city for an extra hour.

Olomouc was nice.  It was clean and most of its buildings were restored.  What is amazing about it is the number of old squares filled with very old columns and fountains and surrounded by beautiful old buildings. 

Our first stop was St. Wenceslas Cathedral.  It sets off to the side of everything else probably because it also has a Benedictine Monastery who residents at one time wanted privacy.  The cathedral is beautiful and huge with very elaborate stained glass windows, alters, side chapels, etc.

From there, we walked through the area where the university, the second oldest in the Czech Republic, is housed.  It was very quiet, since school is out for the summer.  And much restoration work was being done on the buildings.

From there, we entered Horni namestri, the largest of the squares in the city.  The beautiful old Town Hall is located is centered in the square.  The massive Holy Trinity Column which is a World Heritage Site is located there.  A smaller Hercules fountain was off to the side.  A fantastic astronomical clock with moving figures (changed from saints to workers by the communists) is on the facade of the Town Hall. 

Next, we came to Dolni namestri, the next largest square in the old city.  It has a large column commemorating The Plague and Jupiter and Neptune fountains.

It was a HOT day, so from there, we went to nearby Vystaviste Flora Olomouc, a large park just outside some of the existing old walls of the city--probably in the area that was once a moat.  We sat in the shade to watch skaters, walkers, etc.

As we re-entered the old city, we headed to Mercury's Fountain and then to St. Maurice's Church.  The latter is the darkest, dreariest church I have ever seen.  Being inside is like going back in time about 500 years.

Unfortunately, we began to hear thunder and could see a dark line of clouds in the distance.  If we had gotten the earlier bus we wanted, it would have been the perfect time to head for home, but we still had at least another hour to spend somehow.  Amazingly, the rain skirted us as we wandered back down some of the streets we had followed and veered off onto some others, slowly making our way to the bus station.  It wasn't until we were on the bus that the rain hit.  And then it was barely sprinkling when we got back to Brno.  By then, it was so late that we just returned to the room.  The dinner we had planned to have will have to wait until tomorrow night.