Moving Day - Back to the Czech Republic

It’s moving day again, but our train wasn’t until 10:55 a.m., so we had time to relax and pack up this morning.

Visiting Bratislava has been well worth the side trip. Plenty to see and a good city for walking — also not very expensive. We had thought about going to Vienna from here, either as a day trip or a multi-night stop. But it’s much more expensive and doesn’t fit the MO of this trip. A day trip would have saved money but wouldn’t have done it justice. We’ll save Austria for a future trip when we can see it properly.

Instead, we’re heading back into the Czech Republic to a smaller city called Olomouc. The “c” is pronounced like a “ts.” It’s less touristy, and some say it’s a mini Prague, so hopefully it’s worthy of a four-night visit.

There’s no direct train option today, so we’re traveling to a place called Přerov and then switching to another train to Olomouc. Hopefully that’s simple enough.

We decided not to turn up and wait an hour at the station, so we only left the apartment at 9:55 a.m. — one hour before departure. But the street layout and Google Maps immediately confused me. Although we walked to where the tram dropped us off, it turned out to be the wrong place to pick it up today. We actually needed the Centrum stop, about 400 m in the other direction. Fortunately, trams run every 15 minutes or so, not every hour. We still made it to the station with a 20-minute wait, which became 30 as the train was delayed.

This train was running all the way to Warsaw, Poland, but we were only going as far as Přerov in the Czech Republic. It was a nice train with 6-person compartments. The trip to Přerov took about 1.5 hours. We had expected to wait there for 60 minutes for our next train, but thanks to the delay, the connection was only a 20-minute wait.

Our next train was a short 30-minute ride to Olomouc. Trams stop right outside the station, so we took one to get closer to our apartment and then walked the last 10 minutes. 

The apartment didn’t have the best view (quite industrial, right next to the train line), but it had good reviews, and the trains don’t use this line very often. 🤞The remote check-in process was easy enough, and the apartment itself is modern, clean, and comfortable — one of many in a block. We’re on the 4th of 5 floors. 

After settling in quickly, it was time to find a supermarket. Luckily, there’s a Lidl just 400 m away, and it was perfect for the basics we needed — plus a bottle of Czech Cabernet Sauvignon for only $6. There were Marlborough Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc wines on the shelf too but they were twice the price of buying local. 

Dinner was simple but nice: chicken with salad and potatoes, fresh bread, and the wine — which turned out to be very good.