olomouc, czech republic
I have no idea how I heard about Olomouc, but I had read that it is similar to Prague in beauty and scale, but much less tourists. As far as I could tell this was pretty true, although as for a night life Prague is definitely the place to go. This town was much quieter but equally beautiful. I saw few tourists (a nice change from the square in Prague where I felt like it was Christmas at the mall), and the buildings and roads were incredible. All stone streets and churches everywhere. There was one huge gothic style church, incredible, yet I never understood why they would make a church, a place one is supposed to find refuge, so frightening.
I got on a bus in Prague headed for Olomouc and was simply hoping that my new host would pick me up. I had emailed a girl named Bojana who would host me while in town, and I had told her about when I should be arriving, but had never heard back. My concern grew with each mile, that when I arrived, I would be alone and completely lost. I hoped it would be like the city center of Prague and I could easily find an internet cafe (HA-HA).
I got off the bus and was in the middle of nowhere. It was cold and raining and I had no idea where the center was or how I would talk to anyone in attempts to find out (the people I asked spoke no English). I sat on the bench for 20 minutes and hoped (i hoped really hard) that a girl would arrive to meet me.
And-she did-thank god.
We got on the tram as we headed back for her dorm. All smiles and extremely welcoming, we walked up to her dorm where I met her roommate, another girl from Bosnia. The three of us spent three days and nights together. They had a lot of friends from Bosnia, so many conversations, me and their other non-bosnian friend would fight about smartphones.
Bojana has this strange habit of cooking an incredible dinner each night for herself and her roommate, which I was lucky enough to take part in. The three of us would set out on their desks and eat side by side. We went out a few nights, once for beer, once for tea, and during the day we would explore the town. We spent some time in the library so she could work and I could write and we went looking in churches and through parks. The weather was pretty terrible, so the outdoor activities were a bit out of the question, unfortunately.
I also got the best courses on Bosnian culture one could imagine-in the form of a performance.
The town was incredible, quiet, and inexpensive. Walking to the library would reveal a beautiful stone street, breath-taking churches, and spectacular buildings. Olomouc is underrated-but I think ‘ what makes it so wonderful, the fact that its still under the radar.
In appreciation for hosting me and being so wonderful, I thought I should cook them a dish. What “American” dish could I prepare these girls without an oven for dessert?
No Bakes? I had no idea if they were really American but no one in the dorm had ever heard of them so I figured that made them so.
From Olomouc, I grabbed a bus to Brno and then to Budapest, but I would be arriving in the middle of the night at an unfamiliar bus stop in a different country with a different language and currency and public transportation system… I was a bit concerned.
a really long flight later 