A Home in Brno
In over two months of travel in Europe, the place we ended up staying the longest at was Brno, capital of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The Masaryk University dorm room became a home to return to after days of intense travelling -- a place where we could take it easy for a short while and put ourselves in order before moving to the next stop. My favourite part of the city was the tea house, Dobra Chajovna, which we visited at every opportunity in our few weeks in the city.
This particular tea house was the first one we visited. Although we had intended to try a few others in the city, our experience at Dobra Chajovna was so pleasant that we never felt the need to search further. The place consisted of five rooms, each decorated with a different style – Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, Middle Eastern and “Asian.” The first time at the tea house, our group sat in the Japanese style room. We were offered an extensive tea menu, as well as some small snacks, such as tea infused chocolate.
The next few times, we sat in the Chinese style room. My personal favourite tea offered was the Maté Carnival, which I bought a bag of before we left for good. The calming tea house environment, so different from most of the hangout spots frequented by my age group, made for a perfect restorative evening between spurts of adventuring.
Between drinking tea and doing groceries, we were also able to spend a few afternoons enjoying what the city had to offer. This included a visit and tour of the castle, which featured an extensive display of the Brno's history.
Towards the end of the trip, we also paid a visit to the nearby high ropes course -- one of my absolute favourite activities.
Finally, on one of our last nights there, we were able to experience Brno's monthly fireworks festival.
Known for its fireworks, Brno puts on an elaborate display every month, right by the lake. For that night only, booths and rides are erected, and the area is transformed into a fairly large carnival. After watching the fireworks, we got some tornado potatoes from a food stand, then went on bumper cars and rides until they were shut down at midnight
Although Brno is not the first city I would pick to stay in, it was the only place that began to feel routine. I knew which cafés made great lattes and sandwiches, or where I could count on getting a croissant before class. We were familiar with the public transit system, the post office with the scary doorless elevator, the mall with the cheap dried fruit, and the best burekas in the city. When time finally came to pack everything up for good, it really did feel like leaving home again.
Photos by Julie Zhang, Linh Nguyen, and Benson Cheung.
