Reporting on alleged corruption in the locality of Olomouc (147Cong.Rec.S13143)

The one metaphorical and literal detour on our road trip occurred as we departed Dresden and headed toward the Czech Republic. At a rest stop right before the border, we noticed drivers lining up to buy vignette stickers that allow you use toll roads. We stopped to buy one, but we had used up all our euros, and the kiosk didn't accept credit cards. We decided to take our chances and cross into Moravia, where we got off at the first exit to seek out said vignette. We stopped at three gas stations, to no avail, so we ended up circling back to Germany, where we got euros out of an ATM and returned to the original rest-stop kiosk.

This entire process set us back a good two hours, so the uncorrupted charm of Olomouc was a welcome sight indeed. After we checked into Hotel Flora, we headed straight to the nearby old center, home of the Holy Trinity Column, a UNESCO World Heritage site (top left). Just like in Dresden, the Christmas market had just concluded, so plenty of lights were still strung near the Town Hall, which features a unique Astronomical Clock (top right). Due to our debacle, we skipped lunch, so we way over-ordered at Hanacka Hospoda, whose hearty fare was clearly popular among the many manly male diners (bottom left). Despite our meat-packed meal, we managed to find room for some liquid dessert right around the corner at Bernard Bar (bottom right).

Olomouc's quaintness didn't require a huge time commitment to explore, so for the day, we took off to visit some nearby towns. We started with Zlin, a planned shoe-factory town whose brick modernism seemed even more drearily functional in the day's rain (top left). The baroque stylings of the Archbishop's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, began to clear the fog (top right). But the nearby central square of Kromeriz did the best job of chasing away the gray (middle), especially within the cozy, cave-like confines of Cerny Orel Brewery (bottom left). Particularly invigorating was the fact that the restaurant's set menu came with a chance to serve yourself from a communal bowl of kapustinica (bottom right).

 

Back in Olomouc, we sampled two more breweries -- and struck out with a third. We took a bus out to the suburban Chomout Brewery, but it was closed, presumably because of the holidays. Perhaps because of its namesake, St. Wenceslas Brewery was still holding strong to the Christmas spirit (left). There, we snacked on some appetizers that made use of the city's famous stinky cheese, tvaruzky. Unfortunately, we did not get to try the establishment's beer spa, which is exactly what it sounds like: soaking in a hot tub full of brew. We waited quite a while to try to the lager at Moritz Brewery because it took some time to fill mugs from the old-fashioned, barely-dripping taps (right). 

As we set off for Slovakia the next day, we made one more stop in the Czech Republic, in the postcard-perfect village of Stramberk (top). Sage frolicked in the fresh snow as we climbed up to the 13th-century castle (middle left). As we scaled the steps down to the central square (middle right), we stopped at a small shop to buy some Stramberk Ears. The local Mestsky Brewery was kind enough to let Sage join us inside as we had some post-hike refreshments (bottom left). A gate, however, prevented dog and man from entering the cellars, which is home to another beer spa (bottom right).