Changing Horizons

"Sick of London, sick of life", or so the saying goes. However, after 5 years living and working in the capital, I found that inhabiting this concrete jungle was making me feel increasingly aggravated. Don't get me wrong, London has a lot to offer culturally and socially, but the daily commute to Westminster and the dirt, deprivation and noise in my East End neighbourhood, were getting me down.

View from my desk, Victoria, London

I found myself longing for outdoor space, greenery and above all, peace and quiet. Something inside me just couldn't put up with the grit of urban living any more. We tried to move, but it was just as the UK housing market crashed, so we were forced to stay in our one bed flat with no outdoor space.

After some months planning, we left our jobs, cleared the flat and both moved to France in search of a better  quality of life. Everyone thought we were totally mad, but also brave. Mainly mad, though. We didn't have any jobs, after all and didn't really know the new city we were moving to: Strasbourg. "Le Carrefour de l'Europe"* as it is called locally, is a much quieter and certainly more beautiful location than the East End of London.

View from our balcony. Sunset over Strasbourg.

One of the things I noticed when we first moved to Strasbourg, was the difference in noise levels. On a Sunday it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. From time to time the faint clang of the bell could be heard as the tram trundled past our apartment. In France, nobody dashes around on Sunday in their cars, going to the supermarket or the DIY shop. This is because absolutely every shop is closed. Sundays are family days spent walking in the park or having long lunches together. The only other sounds to be heard were the swallows swooping past chirruping and occasionally, from its nest upon a rooftop, the "clack, clack, clack" of a stork's beak.

After a year and a half in Alsace, we moved to the Czech Republic for new work opportunities. This time to a city we had never even visited before! We weren't sure what we would make of the place and moreover we couldn't speak the language (unlike in France). It's 5 months since we arrived and although Brno hasn't got the picture postcard elements of Strasbourg, it has a pleasing, rolling green countryside.

View from the balcony. Brno, Czech Republic

I was hanging out my washing on the balcony this morning. The sun was shining brightly and the bell from the village church was chiming. Underneath that, birds were chattering and the lazy buzz of insects quietly filled the sonic spaces between. A neighbour walked past and I called out "Dobrý den!". He looked up and waved. I felt content. There is nothing awe-inspiring about the view from our flat, but it is so much nicer than what I was faced with every day in London, that I feel very pleased to have landed in this little corner of the world.

*Crossroads of Europe

Discovering South Moravia

Znojmo is not a place I had heard of before going there. The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide only deems it worthy of a few lines and doesn't go into any detail about what you will find when you get there. However, I am really glad that I made the trip. One of the 3 most important Moravian towns along with Brno and Olomouc, Znojmo has a wealth of baroque buildings, squares and churches along with what has to be one of the most breathtaking valley views I have seen in a long time.

We booked on to a day trip run by the Brno Expat Centre. The day didn't go according to plan, as 4 people dropped out of the tour at the last minute, meaning that the mini bus hire was no longer viable. Undeterred, 6 of us, lead by our Czech organiser and guide, decided to take the public bus. We just managed to get on board before it reached full capacity. We spent the scorching hot day enjoying the sights of the ancient town.

Before reaching the old town, there is a Parisian style roundabout with grandiose buildings dating from the mid-19th century.

Old Town Hall

Inside the underground labyrinth, dating from medieval times.
Fine if you are small like me, not so good if you are tall like him! It was interesting to go down,
but the tour was a little naff what with fake skeletons and goblins!

The intrepid day-trippers head through the back streets 

Inside the Gothic Cathedral of St Nicholas lies St. Boniface in all his finery

Incredible globe pulpit

Cathedral of St. Nicholas with neighbouring two-tier chapel

Dyje river

Viennese whirl

I thought I would share with you my walk through the Naschmarkt last Saturday morning in Vienna, Austria, in photos.

This market has everything from trendy cafes and traditional restaurants at one end, food from around the world and up the nearest mountain in the middle and bric-a-brac and antiques at the other end. Enjoy!

Wiener breakfast - fortification for the day ahead

Julius Meinl coffee with the usual mini water on the side

Pfingstrosen - beautiful even in the rain

Not just cheese at Kaeseland!

I so wanted this, but resisted

An oddly French-style public convenience

Familie Michael - great local cheeses

A lady checks out the giant mushrooms

Shot glasses

A colourful parrot hides amongst the bric-a-brac

Lederhosen! Of course

Thanks for taking the tour!

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes...

...language is all around me and so the feeling grows.

As a non-native speaker of a language, how do you know if what you are saying or writing is correct or not? Do you base it simply on what your text or grammar book says or does it go beyond that into the realms of instinct or gut feeling?

Ever since I first started learning languages at the age of 11, I have relied heavily on gut instinct. I think this is mainly out of laziness. I have never been keen on learning grammar and I was lucky enough to be able to feel what was right. After 20 years of learning French and German, (I am always learning, it didn't stop when my BA did) I find myself wondering how much of what I now say and write is based on instinct. 

At the moment I am writing a lot of German, perhaps more than I ever have. My grammar is somewhat rusty, as I haven't used it in a business context for 5 years, but when I write a sentence I can often feel whether it is right or not. If I am unsure, I google it, but more often than not my initial feeling was correct. Where does this come from? Is it some long lost grammar memory tucked at the back of my brain or is it an inbuilt sense of the language and how it should be?

I find that French is easier to use based on gut feeling. Perhaps because the grammar is less complex than German - no cases, fewer genders, no declension. French has a lyricism to it, a musical quality that I can feel. German is more rigid, harsher, but also more amusing. I wrote in a previous post about how comedy can play a role in language learning.

How can instinct come into play in a brand new language, where the grammar is unknown? It has been interesting for me to learn Czech. I can rely somewhat on the German grammar I know, but as for the vocabulary, that is completely different. Interestingly, my teacher gave me a list of adjectives and asked me to guess what they might mean. The first one I guessed correctly. Now, this could have been sheer coincidence, but when I looked at the word, something inside me told me what it meant. It felt right - the sound of the word somehow resonated with me.

I believe it is possible to have an instinct about language use, even if it is not your native tongue. Too many learners get caught up in all the grammar and rules. Language is constantly moving, flowing, adapting. If you bind it too tight it suffocates and you constrict and freeze with it. I encourage everyone to open their minds and start feeling, breathing, absorbing the language. You might just surprise yourself.

The simple things in life are the best

I was walking up Česká in the centre of Brno this afternoon and saw a lady selling bunches of these beautiful Lily of the Valley. They smell fabulous. When I went over and asked "Kolik stojí?", to my surprise, she only wanted 30 Kč. It is such a simple, yet pretty posy. I have put it in an Irish Coffee glass that I found at the back of the kitchen cupboard and put it in my bedroom. Simply lovely.

Food, drink, more food and drink and naked saunas

On Sunday I turned 32 *blows party horn* - hurrah! And what better way to celebrate than to head down to the local "Wellness" (sorry, I can't bare that word and do not accept it as proper English, so have to put it in inverted commas) Centre and get naked with lots of unknown Czech men and women!

Well, that wasn't my ultimate plan. I shall start from the beginning. Having been away for a couple of weekends, I decided it would be nice to spend my birthday weekend in Brno. On Saturday we went to the Špilberk Food Festival. Sadly, the weather was chilly, windy and rainy so I couldn't take the sort of photos I had wanted to. Instead, I decided to tuck into all the fabulous food that I could and try a good selection of wines. You will just have to take my word for it that it all looked and tasted delicious! This was the first Food Festival in Brno and I hope they put it on again next year, as it was a great opportunity to try small, yet excellent dishes from some top-notch restaurants in Brno.

On Sunday, we had a lovely birthday brunch at home. My OH bought me a nice bottle of Mucha Sekt, which we made Buck's Fizz out of and drank with sweet things to start off with: yoghurt, raisin brioche and melon and later had scrambled eggs with sausages and baguette. Scrumptious.

Fortified with food and wine, we set off on the tram to Hotel Santon. It is situated next to the Lake in Bystrc. From the outside it doesn't look like much (a bit communist-era), but once inside the "Wellness" area is very modern and has clearly been recently refurbished. I decided to book in for a 30 minute massage (bliss), a 20 minute private jacuzzi session (invigorating) followed by 90 minutes in the sauna and pool area (aaah and argh!).

Before we went there, I had of course shaved my legs in preparation. However, it suddenly occurred to me, that it might be customary to be naked in the sauna in the Czech Republic. This only sprung to mind, as I had once had a funny experience in Germany with a friend where we both turned up at the spa only to be told that we could not possibly wear our swimming costumes, "as this would offend others". Sure enough, when we went to the saunas at Hotel Santon (of which there are 4) there was a little "no swimming costumes" sign on the door. You are expected to remove your swimwear and wrap a sheet around yourself, which they provide. Once inside the sauna, you sit naked upon your sheet.

Beautiful private jacuzzi. Image via: Hotel Santon

The saunas are mixed, but personally I don't have a problem with this. Many Brits, and I think Americans, would find it unthinkable to sit naked in a sauna with unknown chaps and chapettes, but you soon realise that there is nothing sexual or seedy about the environment. It is a normal and healthy thing in Germany and the Czech Republic to be naked and have no qualms about it when relaxing and enjoying health treatments.

The saunas were very good: one very hot and very dry one (Finská), one less hot and dry one, one very humid one (Tropická) and another one outside with a big dish of lavender oil in the middle. This one was opposite the ice cold plunge pool, so I braved it and jumped straight in afterwards. Gasp, gasp!

We both had a really nice afternoon at the spa and I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for somewhere quieter and reasonably priced. I was worn out from all this relaxation and promptly fell asleep when I got home - a sleepy but happy birthday girl.

Out and About in Olomouc

With fabulous weather predicted, we decided to make the most of the sunshine this weekend and head to Olomouc in North Moravia for the day. Olomouc is only an hour away from Brno and we opted for the Student Agency bus, which at only CZK 210 return for 2 people, was excellent value.

We got off the bus at Olomouc hlavní nádraží (main station), which looks like it has recently been renovated. It certainly is much nicer than the sight that meets your eyes when you arrive in Brno.

Olomouc hlavní nádraží bus terminal and tram stops

As it was a lovely sunny day we walked into the centre of town, over the river and towards the main square, Horní náměstí. The photos in our Eyewitness guidebook really didn't do the centre of Olomouc justice. When you arrive in Horní náměstí it is a stunning sight.

Old Town Hall and Holy Trinity Column

As we were there on a Saturday morning, we had the added bonus of a nice little market selling local produce including cheeses, coffee and beer.

Saturday market in Olomouc

The main sights in Olomouc are ancient churches, decorated in the baroque style. Unfortunately, photos of the interiors are not allowed, but after a long, twisty and somewhat scary climb (chunks of stone missing from the spiral staircase!) to the belfry of St Michael's church, we were rewarded with this view through the shutters. Even better, this tower is free to go up, whereas the others you have to pay for.

Olomouc panorama

After all this climbing we were ready for lunch. We wandered back across the main square and came across a fortified part of town, which now has restaurants, cafes and bars in the vaulted spaces in the wall.

Water Fortress with cafe

We stopped for lunch at Nepal restaurant which is inside The Crack Irish pub. The food was excellent, which is saying something, as we lived for many years in Whitechapel, the curry hub of London. I would definitely recommend Nepal if you fancy a break from standard Czech fayre. I had the saffron chicken, which was a quarter roast chicken in a tasty sauce with rice, chips (interesting but nice) and salad on the side for only CZK 160.

In the afternoon we walked over to Olomouc Cathedral, which is decorated inside with a mix of ornate baroque marble and gilt and 19th century floral patterns.

We were offered a free, very detailed guided tour of the choir and transepts in English. The guide was very keen to tell us all about the history of the cathedral and its architecture and even took us up into the gallery where the kings used to sit. There was another helpful guide down in the crypt who, not being able to speak English, pointed us towards the various relics on display and the recently restored sarcophagi of bishops from the 1600s with explanatory texts in English and German. I found that everyone in Olomouc was very friendly and eager to promote their tourist attractions to visitors. It makes a refreshing change from more well-known towns where they treat toursists like people to just make money out of.

Next stop on the Olomouc tourist trail was the Archbishop's Palace. The entry fee is CZK 60 and you can take photos inside for an extra CZK 50, so I decided to take advantage of that.

Before you trot round, in true Czech style, you have to put on your giant over-shoe felt slippers!

Again, the staff at the palace were really nice and welcoming. We had missed the last tour of the day by 15 minutes, but as the guide was still there, he took us round anyway.

We rounded our day off with a stop-off at a bar we had spotted on the way into town: Black Stuff. This place has an amazing array of whiskeys and other spirits and a really good cocktail menu.

Bronx

Dark and Stormy

Black Stuff bar

We stopped for a quick pizza at a restaurant at the station before making our way to the coach stop. The last yellow bus of the day pulled up and whisked us back to Brno as the sun started to set.