Hiking in Mikulov

Not only was yesterday the third anniversary of me moving to the Czech Republic, but also another team building event.  My IGA Project Office Team organized a trip to Mikulov for some hiking and a cave tour.

Turold Hill is located on the north side of town.  It is the largest Jurassic limestone cave in the ČR.  There's over 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) of passageways to explore.  It was incredibly hot yesterday so being inside of a cool cave felt really nice.

This cave doesn't have any stalactites.  Instead, there is what looks more like a coral reef.  During winter, this is home to lots of bats.  Fortunately, the bats weren't a factor yesterday.

The cave was interesting.  It probably would have been even more interesting if I hadn't twisted my ankle a bit within the first five minutes.  Damn!  Oh well, I just had to suck it up because, the start of our hike was next and, I didn't want to slow thing down for everyone else.


Mikulov was part of the strategic route between Brno and Vienna.  In the 15th century, a defensive tower was built on Kozí hrádek (Goat Hill) to help protect the town and this important trade route. 

From the top of the tower you get great views of the town and the hills.  On top of Svatý kopeček (Holy Hill) is the St. Sebastian pilgrimage church and a belfry.  On the way up to the top you come across 14 small chapels which is the Way of the Cross.

The hill is home to several protected plant species.  In 1946, the hill was officially announced as a botanical reserve.  In 1992, it became a natural reserve.

My ankle held up fine until we down at a restaurant for lunch.  Then it started to swell.  I was told to use the sure fire Romanian cure – green cabbage.  You take the cabbage and chop it up a bit until the juice comes out.  Then I was supposed to wrap the juicy cabbage leaves around my ankle.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a spare head of cabbage in my flat.  And I for sure wasn't about to hobble to the market for it.  On the bright side, I do have an ice pack which is working just fine.  I'm sure that it will be fine by tomorrow.