James Funfer

Although Brno’s downtown is picturesque and historic, it’s also bustling with ordinary (non-touristy) activity. I ordered an espresso from a café and people-watched urban professionals, young families, and university students going about their business. Not a lot of tourists.

My first destination was: you guessed it, another ossuary. One may accuse me of being morbid, but there are a couple of reasons for my visit. First and foremost, it was mere steps away from my hostel. While the Sv. Jakuba (St. James) ossuary was still semi-decorative, it was set up as something of a small museum, providing me with historical context so that I didn’t have to rely on Wikipedia. The ossuary is also located in the very heart of town. Since the entire burial site had been forgotten about until 2001, the history of its restoration (without disturbing the surrounding streets and buildings) was fascinating.

Within, I learned about not only the history of the church and graveyard, but also about Catholic burial traditions, in general. Fun fact: deaths from suicide or the unbaptised still had to be buried within the cemetery, but it was sacrosanct to pass those bodies through the gate, so they were thrown unceremoniously over the wall.

The ossuary exhibit was deliberately creepy. Dark catacombs summoned to mind a scene from an Indiana Jones film, accompanied by spooky but beautiful music by a Czech composer. It was cool and dank, and in more than one place groundwater was seeping through the mortar.

Having had not quite enough of bones, I made plans to see the bones of a castle on my way up to Trstená. My next stop in Brno, however, was the monastery where Gregor Mendel carried out his groundbreaking work on genetics.

It was about a half-hour walk to the abbey from the historic core, and the entrance was so tiny that I passed right by it (also confused by the restoration work going on) and walked around the entire grounds before finding my way in.

Most of the abbey is now filled with medical and professional offices, though there are still a few exterior plaques that talk about Mendel’s work. The entrance to the museum was through the ‘Mendel Cafe’ so I almost missed it.

What the museum lacked in size, it more than made up for in use of space. Glass exhibits containing Mendel’s tools, notes, and other relics filled the rooms, as well as some really high-tech screens displaying visually stunning videos about genetics. The couches were also made in super cute little X and Y shapes.

I made friends with Lenča, one of the employees at the museum, who is studying genetics and gave me some great insight into Mendel. We also chatted about travelling and I promised to get her some recommendations for what to do in Washington, D.C. from my friend Charlotte. Knocked two goals off my list: made a Czech friend, and got the warm fuzzies from feeling like a part of a global community.

My next stop was Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. In order to cross the border, I not only had to pay a surcharge to the rental company, I also had to buy a 10-day pass at the border. It’s all done electronically by licence plate, however. No border guards, no searches, just a fee and the magic of the Eurozone.

Bratislava was only a two-hour drive from Brno. I arrived at the Hostel Possonium (you have to go up on the curb to park) and was greeted by a friendly and engaging receptionist who gave me some excellent recommendations for both Bratislava and the rest of Slovakia.

Then I was greeted by fellow travellers, kittens (sorry, no pictures! I was overwhelmed and tired by that point) and a shot of Borovička (made from juniper, like gin).

This was my first real hostel experience (the other two were nearly vacant), and I’d have to say that it isn’t for everyone. For the extrovert who wants to make connections, the seasoned traveller who doesn’t mind sharing a room with seven to nine other people, or the person who will sacrifice privacy to save 2/3 of their money, hostels are a great choice.

I met people from all over: Sao Paulo, Sheffield, Lyons, Barcelona, Canberra, New Zealand, Finland, and even a honeymooning couple from Edmonton. The highlight, however, was that there was a bar within the hostel. I stayed up until three with Ingmar, the bartender, discussing music, literature, and travel. Wish I had asked for his contact info. If you read this, Ingmar, leave a comment!

Tomorrow: Getaways and Legends