Lucidor and Arabella

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Brno has got a great cultural scene going on here.  The ballets and operas that I've seen here rival any that I've seen before.  Every time there is a performance at the Janáčkovo divadlo (Jancek theater) you see tour buses from Austria.  It makes sense that people come here because the performances are just as good as in Vienna and at a fraction of the cost.

I only wish that my Czech was good enough so that I could see some of the dramas and comedies at of the local theaters.  I've heard good things about those too. 

Tonight, I joined Claudia, and her friend Yvonne, who is visiting from Berlin, at the ballet.  Last night was the premier of Lucidor a Arabella so we saw the second performance.  It was amazing!  The performers danced with such passion and the costumes and stage settings were just great.  This is one that I wouldn't mind seeing again.

Back at the Gun Range Again

Jiří, the organizer

One of our colleagues, Jiří, organized some time for a few of us at the gun range after work today.

After a long day it is a nice way to blow off some steam.


Since I served in the U.S. military everyone here thinks that I must be some sort of marksman.  I was in the Air Force, and while I did have to qualify with an M-16, it's not like I was always out shooting.  In fact, I probably only ever had to fire my a weapon maybe 7 or 8 times and that's been almost 20 years ago.

I honestly can't remember the last time I was at a gun range in the USA.  And it's not like I go all the time here.  This was third time I've even been to the range here in Brno.  It is fun to compete with everyone else.


We had a little challenge this time.  With a 9mm Glock we all had three bullets and, using the same target, the goal was to get a head shot.  Either I got real lucky, or my training came back to me, because I put one right between the eyes.  Probably luck, but I'll at least claim that it was skill.  The only problem is then I have to deliver next time too.

Expat Blog Award Nomination

I've been nominated for a 2012 Expat Blog Award.  In late December, there will be a Gold, Silver and Bronze award for the best Expat Blog in Czech Republic.

This is not the same contest which, thanks to all of my loyal readers, I won last year.  That was a one-time deal looking for the best blogger in all of Central and Eastern Europe.  I still can't believe that I won that by only 3 votes.

This new competition is by country so I am only competing with other bloggers in ČR.  Of course I have a lot more competition this year.

One of the judging criteria will be based on reviews left on my listing.  Of course, this isn't the only judging method but a few well chosen words from my readers surely can't hurt.  So please go show some love for this blog by leaving a comment at http://www.expatsblog.com/blogs/60/christophers-expat-adventure

Thanks and wish me luck!

Kroměříž, Czech Republic

Kroměříž is a beautiful little town in Moravia.  It's only 30 km (~19 miles) from Zlín.  By bus, it takes about 1¼ hours to get there from Brno.  With that, Nat and I took off for a day's adventure.

The town was founded in 1260 by the Bishop of Olomouc.  Kroměříž has had some hard times over the years.  In 1643 and 1645 it was ransacked by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War.  Today, the population is around 30,000.

The most famous site in Kroměříž is the Archbishop's Château.  It had to be rebuilt after the Thirty Years' War.  It is quite impressive.  The chateau was used for some scenes in the films Amadeus and Immortal Beloved.  I can understand why Tomáš and Annie chose this place for their wedding.

Apollo and Mars

This is also home to a great collection of 15th to 18th century Central European paintings.  One of the most famous pieces is "Apollo and Mars" by Tiziano Vecelli.  During the guided tour there is a strict no photography rule in place.

Me and my shoe covers

Aside from the no photography bit, in order to take the guided tour everyone had to wear shoe covers.  OK, this seems logical to me.  Except that the guide didn't have to wear them.  What I could not wrap my head around was that I had to cover my shoes but then someone was allowed to bring their dog on the tour.  Mind you, not a seeing eye dog, just a big dog on a leash.  Loczech in action.

The chateau garden sits on 64 hectares (158 acres).  The Baroque style garden is open to the public all year round.  It's a great place to go for a nice long walk.  There is even a small wild life corner with peacocks, canaries, and baboons.


On the other side of town is the Flower Garden which was once called "The Orchard of Delights".  The garden was built by Italian architects.



The colonnade contains statues of Greek gods.  It's possible to walk along the top as well to get a nice view of the gardens.  I'm sure it looks great in spring.




In 1998, the Archbishop's Chateau and the Flower Garden were added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Velké náměstí is the Large Square in the center of town.  It's about 1 hectare (~2.5 acres).

The Town Hall was built from 1550 to 1611.  The clock on the tower is from the 17th century with the upper face showing hours and the lower face showing minutes.

The town's Plague Column was built from 1715 to 1716.

The Church of St. John the Baptist was consecrated in 1768.  It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful 18th century churches in Moravia.  Unfortunately, the door was locked so I guess another visit is in order to properly check it out.

Katka's Birthday

Last night we had a get together for Katka's birthday. 


She invited several of us out to Bistro Franz to celebrate. 

It was great seeing everyone.  Gízá was the chief photographer so these are actually his photos.

Absentee Ballot

There's a big election coming up on November 6th.  When I was back in the USA on holiday several people asked me if I planned to vote.  I think the question was often more meant to be not if I will vote but how do I get to vote?

A U.S. citizen who lives overseas gets to vote via absentee ballot.  The first thing you need to do is go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website to complete the Federal Post Card Application which allows you to participate in elections as an absentee voter.

There are new absentee voting laws which went in to effect for the 2012 elections.  All U.S. citizens outside of the USA must complete a new Federal Post Card Application every year if he or she wants to vote from overseas.  You no longer receive ballots automatically based on previous requests.

Citizens who don't want to deal with foreign postage can take their ballots to the U.S. Embassy.  You can't vote there but it will go in to the diplomatic mail system and you don't have to pay overseas postage.   The closest American embassies to me are in Vienna and Bratislava, both of which are 1.5 hours away.  The Prague Embassy is 3 hours away so it was just easier to print out my ballot online and mail it in via Česká Pošta. 

I had thought about just mailing it from the USA while I was home but you can't do that.  If the postmark is from any location inside the USA, the local election official may or may not count the ballot.
You have to make sure you get your ballot in early.  Overseas absentee ballots are accepted up to 3 days after an election as long as it is postmarked by Election Day.  

For voting purposes, I am still considered a Georgia resident.  However, since I live overseas and no longer have legal residence in Georgia I am not allowed to vote in local and state elections.  I only get to vote in federal elections.  Atlanta can be described as a big blue dot in a red state.  As a whole, Georgia is very conservative.  Atlanta however, is very liberal.  Despite the fact that Georgia's electoral votes will most likely go Republican in the upcoming election I still believe that every vote counts.

Mushroom Hunting

It took me more than three years but I finally went mushrooming.  It's something that has been on my Czech "bucket list" for quite some time as hunting for mushrooms is almost a national past time here in ČR.   

I love mushrooms but I always get mine at the market.  One in seven Czechs go mushrooming at least once per year.  It is also very popular in Slovakia, Poland and eastern Germany.

Claudia teaching right from wrong

Mushroom season is between July and November, especially after a good rain.  Czechs normally harvest around 25 million kilos (~55 billion lbs) from forests each year.  They say that in order to get the best mushrooms you have to get up with the sun.  If you try to go later in the day you will be foraging around for what others have left behind.  Most Czechs have their favorite spots where they like to go hunt but tend to keep the locations top secret.

Yesterday, I finally got my chance.  Claudia and I joined Helena and Fero out in the woods near Domašov, a small village 22 km (14 miles) west of Brno.

The joke goes that all mushrooms are edible...at least once.  But with around 1,500 varieties you really need to know the good ones from the bad ones.  Thankfully, my three guides all seem to know which are the good ones.  Czechs, and East Germans, all grew up picking mushrooms. 

After a few pointers I did have a bit of luck.  Of course that was after Claudia went through my basket and threw out all of the bad ones.  In other words, the majority of what I had found.  It sucks that often the bad ones grow right next to the good ones.  But I did improve and found a respectable amount for my first time.

Czechs love their mushrooming.  It is a really nice way to relax and spend some time out in the forest.  Of course, the best part about mushrooming is cooking them up for dinner.

You can find lots of different guides to mushrooming, and even mushroom calendars, in any bookshop over here.

Prohibition

While I was in the USA in September, I got a Facebook message from a friend that said I got out of Czech Republic in time because prohibition was imposed.  Actually, prohibition only on alcohol over 20%.  Of course beer and wine were OK.  And most people have home-made slivovice anyway.  But, for weeks, you could not buy any hard liquor in shops, bars or restaurants.

The government took action because people were getting methanol poisoning from drinking bootleg vodka and rum.  Around 80 people in ČR suffered methanol poisoning.  Some of these people have gone blind and others have been put in to induced comas by their doctors.  Almost 30 people have died.  Cases were also reported in Poland and Slovakia.

Methanol is not manufactured in ČR so it qualifies as for a tax exemption so it is cheaper than ethanol (normal drinking alcohol).  Bootleggers have been known to mix methanol with ethanol in order to increase their profits.  So far, police in Moravia have two main suspects, a dozen other accomplices and have seized more than 5,000 liters of spirits plus counterfeit labels.

In addition to the human tragedy, this has cost the government a lot of money.  Monthly tax revenues from liquor sales are about 750 million Kč ($40.4 million).

I did get another Facebook message at the end of September which said prohibition was over and I could come back.

Another thing I missed out on was that the Prague airport has been renamed.  It is now the Václav Havel Airport.  The former dissident, and Czech President, died last year.

It seems that the pipe work made good progress while I was gone.  While not completely finished it does now look a lot better in front of my building.

Back in Euroland

I had an absolutely great time with my family and friends back in the USA.  I can't believe how fast the last 28 days passed by.  But after 30 hours of traveling I am now home in Brno, all safe and sound.  Tired and worn out, but still safe and sound none the less.

I have to try to get some sleep because I need to be in the office tomorrow morning.  I hope that the jet lag doesn't beat me down too much.  Wish me luck!

Disneyland Park, California

On Saturday we spent the day at Disneyland - the happiest place on earth.  It was a long day but it was so much fun.  I haven't been to Disneyland since 1987.  My niece doesn't understand how it has been so long.

Disneyland Park is in Anaheim, California.  The park opened on July 17, 1955.  Since the grand opening, more than 600 million people have visited the theme park.


Well, a few things have changed since I last visited the Magic Kingdom.  First of all, they have opened a second park.  Disney California Adventure opened in June 1998.  The 67 acre (27 ha) park is a lot of fun and with better roller coasters, which my niece me dragged on.  It also has the new Cars Land which my nephew just loved.

The big shock was the ticket price.  In 1987, a single day ticket to Disneyland was $21.50.  And there was a small discount if you had a driver's license from Southern California.  Those days are long gone.  Today, a ticket to Disneyland is $87.  For children ages 3 to 9, then it is only $81.  Good grief!!

3 Generations

Since we were going to both parks, we needed the one-day park hopper ticket which cost $125.  There were 6 of us.  The ticket price just covers admission to the park(s).  Sooner or later you will want something to eat or drink, and don't forget about the souvenirs.  I don't see how the average family does it.  Fortunately, my sister and brother-in-law have a friend who works there and scored us passes and a discount so all of us got in for only $100.  

On the Hollywood Tower of Terror

We had such a great day!!

Hanging out in Cars Land

1st corn dog in 4 years

Exhausted!