Checking Out the Sights

Brno is the capital of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The city contains many squares so on Sunday I decided to start with Moravské náměstí (Moravian Square). Moravské náměstí is on the northeast outskirts of the city center. There are a couple of parks. One has a Red Army memorial for the Soviet soldiers who liberated the city from the Germans during WWII. The other is just your basic park with a fountain and some modern art. All of the day's pictures, with descriptions, are on Flickr, so look to the right of the blog.
Moravské náměstí is where you’ll also find St. Thomas Church. A one-time Augustinian monastery, founded in 1350, it was damaged during the Thirty Years’ War. The new Baroque structure was built from 1665-1675.

Next to St. Thomas Church is the Moravian Gallery. As you can see there is a lot of renovation work going on in the city; not to mention lots of road improvement projects.

Down the road at Jakubské náměstí (Jacob Square) is St. James Church, which was completed in 1592. This church is the most important Late Gothic building in Brno. The church tower rises over 92 meters (~302 feet). You can really see the church tower from Náměstí Svobody (Freedom Square).

Náměstí Svobodý is the biggest and oldest square in Brno. The origin dates back to the 13th century. The square has its original triangular shape. Many of the buildings were rebuilt, in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, in the neo-Renaissance style. The main attractions in the square are the baroque Plague Column, built to commemorate the dead & honor the saints who protected the living, which dates from 1679, and the House of the Four Titans.

Czech Lesson 1: Some Basic Expressions

The Czech language is HARD!!! But here are a few basic expressions so everyone can get a small feel for the phrases that I do know.

Ano........................................Yes
Ne..........................................No
Prosím...................................Please
Dĕkuji....................................Thank you
Dobrý den..............................Hello; Good day
Ahoj.......................................Hi (informal). Think of a pirate's "ahoy".
Dobrý večer............................Good evening
Na shledanou.........................Goodbye
Já nemluvím český...............................I don't speak Czech.
Mluvíte anglický (německý)?................Do you speak English (German)?

Prádelna (Laundry)

There are only two laundromats in Brno and I found both of them this weekend. One is near Bratislavská street, which I was warned to be careful of because it is a Roma (gypsy) street. I have to admit that the area was very run down and seedy. Not my favorite part of town.

The other is much closer to where I'm staying right now. I stuffed my work clothes in to a backback, jumped on tram #1 and got off at the Hrnčířská stop and walked a block to the prádelna (laundry) at Skřivanova 1. The place is open every day from 2 PM until midnight. You can use their Wi-Fi or have a beer while waiting on your laundry. On Saturday, I opted for the 'leave your clothes' option and went back to pick them up on Sunday. It set me back 155 Kč (about $8.40) for two loads of laundry. But hey, at least I didn't have to wash my work clothes in the bathtub.

They basically take your clothes out of a dryer and throw them in a clothes basket for you to pick up. I stuffed my clean clothes in to my backpack and headed home for some serious ironing. Speaking of which, I found this groovy ironing board for about $30. You plug the iron directly in to the ironing board and the board plugs in to the outlet, kind of like an extension cord. It makes ironing much easier since you have more room to move. It's amazing how little things can make you so happy.

Czech Currency

Even though the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, the Euro won’t be used here until 2015, at the earliest. The local currency is the Czech Koruna (Crown) and it is abbreviated Kč. A single crown is made up of 100 hellar. The funny thing is that they no longer use the 50 hellar coin so it’s just crowns. The coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, & 50 CZKs and the bills come in denominations of 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, & 5000 CZKs. The money gets physically larger as its value increases. Therefore, a 2 Kč coin is larger than a 1 Kč coin and a 500 Kč bill is larger than a 100 Kč bill. Kind of cool. Why is a U.S. dime smaller, but worth more, than a nickel?

Not every place here takes plastic and Czechs don't write checks so you pretty much pay for everything with cash. Here’s where it gets a little tricky...because the folks in the shops do not like to make change! Especially at the smaller grocery stores. Don’t try to pay for a 235 Kč grocery tab with a 1000 Kč note. You get lots of attitude!!! Restaurants and some of the bigger stores seem to be OK about breaking larger bills.

I try to keep some change on me at all times but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. IBM did give me this nifty little chip thing for my key chain that you can prepay & then just swipe it for drinks at the office vending machines. That way you don’t go through so much change.

Since making change is clearly such an issue here I wonder if the ATMs give out small bills or just large ones? Hmmm…

Update:  The 50 Kč banknote has been retired.

Update October 2022:  The old banknotes have expired.

Jan Hus Day

So I've been here almost a week and I get a holiday before I even start work tomorrow at IBM. Today is July 6th - Jan Hus day - a Czech national holiday. It will be interesting to see just how much stuff is closed today.

Jan Hus was a Czech Catholic priest who introduced diacritics into Czech spelling so that a single letter represents each sound. That’s why there are over 40 letters in Czech! He also spoke out against indulgences and was a key contributor to the Protestant movement. His heretical views got him excommunicated in 1411 and burned at the stake in 1415.

The Czech Republic is one of the most atheistic countries, with Catholicism leading at like 24%. Nevertheless Jan Hus is a national hero and we get today off.

It will be good to start working tomorrow. I found my way to the IDC (IBM speak for the Integrated Delivery Center) yesterday. It's about a 20 minute walk from my temporary flat to the #53 bus stop. Then it's about a 10 minute ride. Or I could walk there but it is around 45 minutes uphill. I'm more prone to walk home downhill. Wish me luck tomorrow!

Božetěchova Studio

Here are some pics of where I'm staying while I look for a flat in Brno. The studio is located on Božetěchova street, pronouced "Bo-zhet-eh-kova". Look at the entrance, my room is the first ground-level balcony on the left.

The vast majority of studios are leased but the landlord keeps a few units available for short-term folks like me. It is very clean & secure, with motion lights, cameras, and the fact that it takes 3 keys to get to my room. One key to get to the lobby (unless some buzzes you in), then another key to get to the rooms on my floor (ground level), then my room key. Better safe than sorry.

When you first enter there is a small landing. On the left is a wardrobe (free-standing closet) and the bed is straight ahead. The bed converts to a couch but who wants to flip it back and forth every day? There is a desk and chair to the left of the bed.

To the left of the doorway is my bathroom. The toilet is kind of groovy because it has two buttons. Depending on how much 'flush' you need, press either the big silver button or the little silver button. As you can see...no shower. Here is the bathtub with a hand shower. Not completely terrible but I'm glad I'll only have to deal with this until I find my flat. And it will have a shower!

On the wall, next to the tub, is a heated towel bar. This I dig. When it's cold, it makes your towels nice and warm. And since I'll probably have to do some laundry in the sink, you can use it to help dry your clothes. I can not wait until I find a laundromat around here.

Here is the bed, nightstand and desk. I've gotten everything put away with the exception of the stuff on the desk. Czechs love their lace curtains so I'm lucky not to have them hanging up here. The door to the balcony is cool - it opens out like a door or it pulls down from the top so it is still secure but open enough to let in a small breeze.

Across from the bed is a dresser, a table and some chairs. Then to the right is the kitchenette.

I've got a 2-burner cooker and a refrigerator. That's the small cabinet on the right, below my iron.

Just your typical small European refrigerator. This is one reason why the big warehouse clubs like Sam's and Costco don't do well over here. There's just not enough space for big, bulky items. No freezer to speak of, but there is enough room so that I can make two trays worth of ice cubes.

I see folks here buy the 1/2 liter bottles of beer. What I don't get is how they fit more than 2 or 3 bottles in the fridge along with anything else? In another episode I'll describe my visits to the grocery store.

Foreign Police

The foreign police is basically Czech immigration. The relocation agent from IBS, Iva, who handled my work permits here, met me at the foreign police office yesterday. Thank goodness, I had someone there who could speak Czech because the place was very confusing. For a place that deals with foreigners I would think that things would be posted in other languages. Especially since most people there were applying for work visas. Nope. I saw lots of people holding Ukrainian and Vietnamese passports waiting to apply. Our appointment was for 9 AM but at about 9:05 we found out that as of July 1, the department we needed was at another building. We jumped in Iva's car, went in, walked right up to the window, presented my approved visa and that was it. Not quite sure what I expected. Iva said that it's really just a formality because my work permit/green card had already been approved by the government. I do have to update the police when I find a permanent place to live. In one year, I have to apply for a visa renewal. I can apply for a 1 or 2 year renewal but I have to show a lease that is for 1 or 2 years respectively.

Since the foreign police took so little time I decided to get a haircut. Again, I have got to learn Czech. The whole sign language thing really didn't work out too well. It's not a bad cut but it is very Euro short. My heart sank a bit at first but it will grow back out. Let's just say that my hair hasn't been this short since my Air Force days. Oh well...scalped for about $8.

Getting Around Town

Brno has a public transit system that, so far, seems very thorough. From my temporary studio at Božetěchova, in the Královo Pole district, it’s about a 5-minute walk to the Tylova stop for tram line #1. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the city center. Now that I’m getting the hang of the tram I think I will start experimenting with transferring between trams, city buses and trolley cars to really get around. In Czech, a tram is a tramvaj. However, in Brno, the local dialect for tram is šalina (pronounced shalina).

Here are some basics on getting around on the šalina…

A tram comes about every 8 minutes Monday to Friday during rush hours and then every 10 – 15 minutes thereafter. Buses run every 7 – 15 minutes during the week and every 10 – 30 minutes on the weekends. The buses operate 24 hours a day but the special night buses leave every 30 -60 minutes depending on the line. Hlavní nádraží is the main railway station and the central interchange point for all of the night trams & buses.

The length of time you travel and the number of zones you cross determines the price of a ticket. As long as you stay within your time limit you can transfer as many times as you like between trams, buses and trains.

You buy tickets at the railway station, at newsstands, tobacco shops, or at outdoor coin-op vending machines. You can also buy a ticket directly from the driver but there is a convenience charge when you do this.

When you get on the šalina you have to time stamp your ticket in the yellow box by the door. It prints the time, date, and zone you entered on. You do not stamp it again if you transfer but you must keep your ticket until your ride is over. Most of Brno is in zones 100 & 101 which all of the tickets cover. You have to buy pricier tickets in order to hit the suburbs.

So far, I have been using 10-minute and 60-minute tickets to get around. The prices are 14 kč and 22 kč (right now $1 USD = 18.5 kč) respectively. There are 3, 7, 14 & 30-day tickets but I do not know if I can get those at the newsstand. Once I know where I will be living at then I will go to the railway station to buy a long-term ticket. You need a passport-size photo and your identity card/passport but it is cheaper to buy a pass for 1, 3 or 12-months.

Apparently, there are plainclothes inspectors who can ask for your ticket at any time. If you do not have a valid ticket or a pass then they can fine you €33 (around $46) on the spot.

You have to listen for the name of the upcoming stop because not all of the trams/buses have the digital display board showing what the next stop is. When you hear your stop coming up you have to press the button to let the driver know you want to get off. Of course, during rush hour it’s really a moot point because there are people getting on & off. Nevertheless, during the slow times…push the button so that the doors will open.

People here always give up their seat for the elderly, handicapped and pregnant women. It seems to just be understood who gives up a seat to whom. I tried being chivalrous and offered my seat to a rather thin woman in her late twenties yesterday and through sign language she let me know that it wasn’t necessary because she isn’t pregnant. She kind of giggled so I don’t think I offended her. With a little more people watching I should get the hang of things.

Czechs Don't Write Checks

I now have a Czech bank account with Raiffeisenbank. I have my main debit account which IBM will set up for direct deposit and then a savings account that earns interest. But it's weird as an American to open a bank account without checking. If you set up direct deposit over 25.000 Kč (Czech crowns) then there are no monthly maintenance fees -- 25.000 Kč is about $1,200 USD. Europeans use periods for thousands and commas for decimals. 

A few things were kind of different about opening the account. Besides showing my passport and Czech work visa (green card), you have to have a cell phone to open an account because a temporary PIN code gets texted to you in order to activate the account. Good thing I still have service on my U.S. cell phone for a few more weeks. I was able to set up a dual currency account for both crowns and dollars. I'm getting a Visa debit card in 7 days but it's not mailed to you. You have to go back to the opening branch to pick it up. Extra security I guess. 

I get two free withdrawals from my bank's ATMs per month. Then it's 9,90 kč (about 50 cents) per transaction. It's also 9,90 Kč everytime you use another bank's ATM. 

Here's the kicker for my Equifax friends...despite having worked in the credit industry for the last nine years, I have no Czech credit history. LOL!!! Once I have collected 3 monthly pay statements from IBM then I'll go back to my branch to apply for a credit card. I'll need a Czech credit card over here because everytime I use a U.S. card, I get charged a 2%-3% foreign transaction fee by the U.S. banks. Bastards!

At least the bank agent had some basic English which helped. But it still took a couple of hours to get everything set up. When I go back to apply for a credit card I'll also open an investment account. Well enough about banking. Tomorrow's adventure begins with my 9 AM appointment at the foreign police (immigration control) and possibly a haircut.  More to follow later...

Finally in Brno

Well, I finally made it to Brno yesterday morning after three travel days. I got in to New York at 6 AM but my ČSA flight didn't leave until after 4 PM. But the kicker is that the ČSA ticket counter doesn't open until 12:24 PM. So I had all of my luggage (3 bags - 69 lbs, 67 lbs, & 45 lbs plus 2 carry-ons and a big wool coat) for almost 7 hours. Fortunately, I was in the elite lounge. Highly recommended!

Our plane sat on the runway at JFK for an hour before we took off. Eight hours later and I was in Prague. The flight to Brno is only 35 minutes but it is a real puddle jumper.

Yesterday's goals were to check in to my room, find something to eat, and get caught up on sleep. I did manage to make it to Tesco (a British version of Walmart) to buy an iron.

Here are my immediate impressions of Brno:
1. More humid than I expected but there is a nice breeze.
2. Very cool mix of new & old architecture but way too much graffiti in places.
3. I have to learn Czech. So far, no one speaks English, German, French or Spanish. A couple of cab drivers spoke Russian but they had an attitude about it.
4. People are very coridal on the trams and you always give up your seat to older people and pregnant women.
5. Smoking is everywhere. Even inside the mall at the food court. Good thing I quit.

6. There are some drop dead gorgeous women here. A lot of the men...not so much.
7. May guys here wear capri pants. I don't see myself adopting this trend to fit in.
8. Czech beer rocks!