Olomouc Part 1

Days 79-82
A comfy corner in one of the Czech Republic’s most beautiful cities

In an ideal world, the trip from Prague to Olomouc (pronounced Olomutz) would have been a simple (3 hour) drive. It should have been motorways, a healthy break, more motorway and straight to a hostel. Things are never that simple though and an hour into the drive the road takes us past some beautiful snowy mountains. Normally these are things the English traveller longs to see. If the sun is setting, and you’re driving, it is a far less appealing prospect. Now as it got darker we became very aware that our headlamps weren’t illuminating our way as other driver’s. ‘Maybe the beam converters had something to do with the low beams’ we thought, or ‘the headlamps just need a clean’. For an hour we drove on without discussing it further out of genuine fear. Then, as the sun had set and we were replying on the headlamps of the Czech car in front, a beacon of hope appeared on the horizon. It was an Ikea.

We had arrived in Brno and only an hour away from our destination. With that we stopped for a pile of meatballs and all the coffee we could drink. When we returned to the van, we discovered that the bulbs in both head lamps had blown, and we’d been driving for an hour relying solely on our sidelights. It was minus three and we had to replace them by torch light. Hands got cold and dirty and swear words were said. In the end we succeeded, and the lord said let there be light. Thus we made it safely to Olomouc, where we were met by Jared at Poet’s Corner Hostel. Here nothing was a drama and we were encouraged to relax with a cup of tea, on a comfy sofa, before we collapsed into bed.

Olomouc has been described as ‘a city as beautiful and historical as Prague, but without the tourists’. This is true and for many reasons, Olomouc was a magical place. Perhaps because it was unplanned and unexpected, or maybe it was to do with the great hostel and the people we met (which always helps). It could have been the balance of a picturesque city and a great student based nightlife. Whatever it was we stayed in this city for four nights and enjoyed every single one of them. The thing about this hostel is that they give good specific advice about what you can see in the city, as well as where to eat and drink, so you make the most of your time there. Once again we did so much in this place that a step by step account would bore you to death. Instead here are the highlights.

Our first full day was all about museums for us, and free ones at that. By the power of the Olomouc tourist board there are certain days when they allow you to visit the Archdiocese museum and the modern art museum on the same free ticket. The Archdiocese museum is particularly worth a mention, not just for its religious artefacts. This building itself is the star of the show. This is amazing because it is the first site to have been settled in the city and dates back nearly 1000 years. The temporary exhibition at the modern art museum was also of interest, with an exhibition of the famous Czech illustrator, Josef Lada, as well as being the home of Olomouc’s chocolate pie. This desert was in no other words heavenly. Toj nursed the same slice for the best part of half an hour. If you’ve even eaten a Gu chocolate pot you’ll know the feeling.

That evening, Greg (the hostel’s ‘Dad’) took us, along with the other guests to watch the local ice hockey. His beloved team were playing and in the end conquered their opponents. For us ice hockey was a new and enjoyable experience, albeit cold. There was manly shouting, beer and sticks. Also with us and Greg on this sporting adventure was the Jared, Harrison & Alex (brother and sister from Australia), Chris & Lisa (a couple who had been working in the Slovakian mountains) and Daniel & Anushka (travelling Aussie couple). After the hockey, Jarred kindly showed us some of Olomouc by night. He took us first to one of the city’s microbreweries, which served good food and amazing beer (brewed on site). This place was a highlight by itself. After this we went to a bar, which for us has become synonymous with Olomouc. Vertigo was an underground student hangout, which opened late, served cheap beer. On this occasion we danced on the tables til after 4am.

During the following days, we took in some more of the beautiful sights the city had to offer. It’s Main Square, with astronomical clock that provides an interesting alternative to the one in Prague. We walked along the city walls on a cold, frosty morning and into Olomouc’s many churches. We ate hearty Czech meals in the Hospoda, which were cheap and left us unable to move.

One evening we arrived back at the homely hostel lounge where we joined in celebrations for Justin’s (a French traveller) birthday. Francie (the hostel’s ‘Mum’) had made a birthday cake and we all sat around for a slice and a chat. This was another moment when you realised you were in a special hostel. They genuinely cared and were interested in their guests and that was certainly our experience. At the end of most of these days came the inevitable trip to Vertigo and more good times, including one night spent on you tube watching Phil’s Back Crack & Sack video, as well as filming Jared & Harrison watching that infamous internet video as mentioned in our Bremen blog.

During our four days with Francie & Greg, we made plans, again, to go to Krakow. This time by train and our hosts had very kindly offered to take care of the van whilst we were gone. So we could lock it in the safety of their garage and go to Poland knowing our pride and joy was in safe hands. We had decided to spend 5 days in Krakow and return to Olomouc in time for the festival celebrating the start of Christmas. Sadly we left behind the wonderful people we had met, the beautiful city we had found and our beloved van and went to Poland via ‘The Death Train’. (A special mention must go to Jared as well as the other hostel staff – Jess & Nikki. He looked after us whilst we were there and by the time we returned, he had moved back home to Australia).

Travelled = 2194 Miles



Thank you to Francie, Greg & The Poets for their support and donation to our campaign to support breast cancer awareness.