The beachfront along the shores of the Brno Dam are a favorite spot for sun lovers. The grass beaches are well-kept and maintained. In summer they are usually crowded even during days on which swimming is not recommended due to the bad water quality [high cyanobacteria content].
A huge sign on one of the benches says [translated]: Ales Dufek, J.D. Is A Cunt. Ales Dufek is the Deputy Presiding Judge of the Brno Municipal Criminal Court. And so, saying this about a judge is a criminal offense. The sign has been spray painted there for weeks, at least, and I am surprised none of the municipal police patrols that pass by once in a while have never noticed it…
Dufek must have sent dozens of people to jail, so I am guessing some pissed-off relative must have done that. I am thinking about filing a criminal complaint in re of an unknown suspect. Because I think somebody should….
The Red Crayfish is the oldest pharmacy in Central Europe. It can be found in downtown Brno - but now it is closed and the historical grisaille glass ornaments that were fitted in the window frames are now gone. The pharmacy is also known for its historical apothecary furniture that tourists liked to check out and take pictures of. They can’t now…
The pharmacy is located in a building that was subject to strange deals between the Municipality of the City of Brno and a certain businessman. In other words: the city wanted a certain building and the guy said okay, but I want other buildings in exchange, so he got this one. He immediately sold it. The new owner says he does want the pharmacy to stay but there will be new owners and new conditions under which they will operate it. We can say he made them leave because he had raised the rent from CZK 60,000 to CZK 200,000.
Kind of reminds me the plot of Two Weeks’ Notice with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. He is a businessman who wants to tear down the old docks [or similar building] to build a new glass-and-steel fun park while she fights for the genius loci of that particular part of Staten Island…
Saying the exact percentage would be guessing but I think it is safe to say that majority of Czechs living in cities live in buildings known as panelaky (it is plural, while singular being panelak) or assembled concrete block apartment buildings that used to represent the former Eastern Bloc architecture.
For many years Czech governments have been funding major reconstruction of these shitty buildings, especially new balconies, outer insulation (which also provides a new and nicer look) and new core units (separate bathrooms and toilets) the walls and ceilings of which are originally made of a very strange plastic material known as umakart [no English equivalent found yet, I am working on it...].
Living in a panelak has numerous negative aspects: the communist architects did not do much thinking about ”what the clients would need”, because the state was the client and people were silent, hoping they would be granted one of these apartments. And so the layout usually sucks: and so the door to the kids’ bedroom is often in the kitchen.
You can hear your neighbor do bodily noises while in the bathroom or on the toilet. On the other hand, there is one slightly positive issue: if your upstairs neighbor floods his bathroom, water will flow through yours (thanks to the plastic walls) and it should not do much damage…
In order to hang a picture on the wall, or just anything, you need special bolts that go into the concrete panel.
Bedroom windows often face to the west. When it gets hot during summer, try falling asleep…
And let’s not forget the damaged or destroyed doorbell panels and mailboxes, since the anonymity of a huge panelak seems to be saying the doorbells and mailboxes do not really belong to anyone, do they…
Today is another national holiday: May 8 is celebrated as the Liberation Day on which Czechoslovakia was liberated from the Nazi Germany by the Russian Red Army as well as by the U.S. Third Army led by General Patton. No celebrations are taking place with the exceptions of the town of Plzen which is the most famous town to be liberated by Americans. As the rest of the country [generally speaking] was liberated by the Russians who “came again” in 1968 and had occupied Czechoslovakia until 1989, people don’t really feel like it.
I saw this unbelievably low flyby over downtown Brno today where I have never seen a 737 before as the planes land and take off way off the historical downtown… Any ideas what this might have been? Fellow spotters?
The last week of April and the first two weeks of May are the last three weeks high school seniors are “students” of their schools. So it is the time for them to collect some money for their going away parties. These unofficial parties take place with A LOT of alcohol: Czechs can legally purchase and drink alcohol when they are 18, which high school seniors are… So where do the students get the money?
They dress up in funny, ridiculous, or otherwise unusual costumes and they walk through the streets and, well, they ask pedestrians for money. Some are more inventive and they organize all kinds of performances, while others regularly beg while holding hats. Most commonly you would see male students dressed up as female characters, like prostitutes or nurses, which includes high heels and makeup.
The bigger the town, the more they collect, of course, as most people are not willing to contribute. Most usually the argument is ”why should I give these kids money knowing they are going to use it on alcohol and get wasted?” Good point, I must say.
I must admit I am torn between two theories here. One, teachers are seriously underpaid. I am surprised they are doing this job for the lousy pay some of them earn even after a decade with no decent raise… But on the other hand, if you are frustrated with your work conditions for a longer period of time, you might as well find a better job. It is not like you must stay in your job forever and demand a raise via a strike anytime you feel like you deserve it. There are dozens of thousands of employees in private companies who might ask for a raise twice a year and who hear the same answer all the time: the company can not afford to pay you more. Teachers are strong interest group and governments must deal with them. Otherwise the organized strike can last for weeks and nobody could do a thing about it…
Repka repeatedly has problems controlling his temper. Everytime he does something stupid he apologizes and begs for forgiveness. But his behavior is detrimental to the reputation of soccer as such. Red card and a fine is not enough. He should have a restraining order for several weeks. Idiot. That is the only way he would learn.
When staying in Brno for several days, it pays off to rent a bike and make bike trips around the Brno Dam. There are comfortable bike paths that lead not only to the Veveri Castle [here is my photo gallery], but also to nearby villages that might give the foreigners a hint on how some Czechs live.
The Brno Dam is a cool place to relax, but it is not that cool when it comes to swimming. After several hot days the cyanobacteria that is found in the muds and sands makes the water green and unusable for most people. But still, some people to take a dip and they take shower immediately afterwards to minimize the risk. Plus, there is a huge nude beach there that gets crowded no matter how green the water is.
The Veveri Castle used to be one of the most devastated castles in the country and it has been undergoing major renovations now. It is one of the largest castles in Moravia and it was probably built at the end of 12th century for local aristocracy that used to hunt in the nearby woods. Now it offers tourists various events, like medieval re-enactments. There is a boat line that is a part of the Brno public transportation authority system. You can buy a combined ticket that is good for both the boat ride and for entering the castle…
Downtown Brno was partly paralyzed this afternoon by a series of races known as Brno Runs. I even saw some Kenyan and Moroccan runners but they disappeared before I could position myself for a decent photo… I hate to say that the crowd discipline sucked as always. People would cross the sections of the corridors that were only protected by a police tape (instead of portable fences) without paying any attention to runners who had just been passing by. Some, especially older and arrogant, pedestrians would even argue with cops, saying “I don’t give a shit about runners, I want to cross the street”….
When staying in Brno for several days, it pays off to rent a bike and make bike trips around the Brno Dam. There are comfortable bike paths that lead not only to the Veveri Castle [
