Working Overseas: Leaving Brno

There were no meetings on my last day in Brno, so the client was okay with me getting in to the office a little later. I took the opportunity to visit the Capuchin Crypt.  The crypt was interesting, if morbid.  Due to the type of soil and the accidental design of the crypt which allowed air to leave the bodies were naturally mummified.  Inside were several people who had provided assistance to the order as well as the remains of several monks.  The monks took a vow of poverty so severe, that for their funeral they reused a single coffin with a false bottom and once the funeral was complete, they were taken down to the crypt and the body dropped out.

In the first room was the relics of St. Clement the Martyr, she had a wax mask affixed over her face which was pretty unnerving.  Another body of interest was that of a woman who was likely buried alive during a plague.  While most of the bodies were placed in a state of rest, her head was at an extreme angle, and her arms were stretched against the sides of the coffin.  This was apparently a common occurrence before the advent of modern medicine.




Since I couldn't take any pictures inside the crypt, here is a picture of the entrance.

After work, I started the drive to Vienna.  On the way I stopped at the quaint town of Mikulově, which sits on the border of the Czech Republic and Austria. Mikulově is the site of the castle Mikulově which overlooked the road between Brno and Vienna and was controlled by the Lichenstein family.
 


The view of the town below was pretty spectacular, but I couldn't linger too long, I had to get to Vienna at a reasonable time to return my car.



I made one final stop on the way out at a Chateau of the Lichenstein family in Austria, unfortunately though it was closed, so it was a bit of a bust.



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Working Overseas: Brno Days Two and Three

Day 2

Yesterday I was able to get into the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul.  The inside of the cathedral was ornate, though less so than I expected from the outside.

On the way back I ran into a strange art installation with a number of pig mannequins and students playing music on a small stage.  I have no idea what was happening, but it sure was interesting.

I also managed to snap a quick photo of the Brno train station outside the hotel before dinner, it's actually really neat looking with bronze roof and figures.

Day 3

Today I was able to leave the office a little early and tried to visit the Capuchin Crypt, unfortunately it closed at 4:30.  Then, I tried to visit the Brno Museum, but unfortunately it was also closed.

After regrouping at the hotel, I walked to the Špilberk castle, which is on a hill overlooking Brno.  When I first set out, I walked up the hill to the ramparts and looked out over the city to the actual castle sitting on the next hill over.



Oops... so I started out again for the castle.  The walk was steep, but luckily not too far.  The castle grounds are actually a park and are completely open to the public.





The view from the castle of the city below was pretty spectacular.



After walking down from the castle, I had some great beer at a small pub and a kebab before heading home for the night.

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Working Overseas: Brno at Night

After work, I went out to dinner with another consultant from Adobe.  We shared stories from the field and generally talked over surprisingly good steaks.

I forgot my camera when we went out, so after we got back to the hotel, I grabbed my camera and went out to get some pictures as night was closing in.



Here's the hotel I'm staying at, the Grandhotel Brno


The contrast of old and new buildings in Brno can be pretty shocking.


The Freedom Square or Lower Market, the largest and oldest square (ironically it's actually triangular) in Brno, we went to dinner at a restaurant just off here.


The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul the seat of the diocese of Brno. It sits over the city on the top of the hill and can been seen from nearly any point.

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Working Overseas: Vienna

When I arrived in Vienna Sunday morning, I was pretty tired from the trip, but I really wanted to make the most of my chance to see the city.  I was able to delay picking up my rental car and foisted by bags off on the rental agency with a promise that there was nothing ticking in them.

After some checking I got a ticket for the S7 train into Wien Mitte (Vienna Center), the country coming into Vienna was picturesque.



Once into Vienna proper, I got off the train and promptly wandered into a food festival called Genuss Festival in the Stadtpark, one of the larger parks in the city. There I bought myself a traditional Viennese meal, roasted pork with potatoes, mustard & fennel sauerkraut and dark bread, and of course a beer. The food was really good and having the experience of eating it in this picturesque park was quite something.



After I finished my meal, I wandered up through the narrow streets to St. Stephen's Cathedral the main cathedral in Vienna. The square around the cathedral was quite busy and inside there was a mass going on.



Unfortunately, right as I was leaving the cathedral, it started to rain, leaving me to huddle under the awning of a closed store until it let up a bit and I set off to the Hofburg, the imperial palace of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and residence of the President of Austria.



There I walked the grounds and visited the amazing State Hall of the Austrian National Library. The sheer number of books there and their obvious age was just astounding.



After leaving the State Hall, I found a nearby cafe and got my kafee and apfelstrudel.



I walked around the Hofburg and it's grounds and was about to leave, when I stumbled onto Café Central, which I had been trying to find before. The Cafe had been a central meeting house for many notable figures of the 19th and 20th centuries and I could not give up the chance to go in, plus I really needed another cup of coffee.



After I finished the coffee, I really needed to get to Brno, the drive there was interesting to say the least as it was raining pretty heavily and the sun was starting to set. I made it safely, and pretty much promptly crashed.

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