I was planning to put up this post a month ago already, but at first it was the Greetings from Afar project that was posted every day and later I started Blogging 101.. But better late than never, so here comes our story of a trip to Brno with Tiny Expats.

We wanted to take our kids to Brno during the Christmas Market time, so we packed up and went for a weekend in Brno last December. It’s about 130km and takes a bit more than 2 hours to drive there from Pardubice. I guess, it could’ve taken much less than that, if it wasn’t for the fact that there’s no high way between these two cities. Most of the time it’s a one lane road going through all the villages and towns on the way. Here’s what I snapped from a car window:

I think, 2 hours is still about our travel limit by car – the little one can’t sleep much longer and the older one starts asking ‘are we there yet?’ every minute during the last half an hour. It’s a good thing that you can get to a lot of interesting places around Czech Republic, all within short distances from each other! By the way, lately we discovered what could help our older daughter with car travel – audio books! We downloaded some tales she likes and never heard a word from her on our last trip ;)

In Brno we stayed, as we usually do, in an apartment. A very nice and clean studio flat, which looks very fresh and newly refurbished. You can check out Bermoni Apartment here. From there it’s just a short walk to the old city centre.

As soon as we arrived on Saturday afternoon, we dressed the kids for a long walk in the cold and ventured out. I really like that Brno is hilly – I always liked such places, I think, it makes them look cosy somehow :) However, navigating with a stroller in such conditions (especially up the hill) needs some getting used to. In a way, I even liked Brno more than Prague as its beautiful streets don’t have that many tourists around. Don’t get me wrong, Prague is amazing, but if I chose where I would like to live, I’d choose Brno any day. It also has all those beautiful buildings, streets with character, green hills, history, but feels less hectic by far.

I snapped this beauty salon for its name – Edward Scissorhands in Czech :)

Our main goal was to reach the Christmas Market, but (of course) it was sooo crowded that we didn’t want to stay there long. I mean, if it was just my husband and I, we would’ve definitely enjoyed all it had to offer, but have you tried navigating a stroller in a crowd, making sure the 5-year old doesn’t run away and get lost (she is known for doing that), trying to make some photos on the phone (I’m not even talking about bringing my Nikon), waiting for at least some tasty treats in a long queue, while a baby gets restless and the kid is suspiciously looking around for an escape route, AND trying to appreciate the Christmas atmosphere in a new town? Let me tell you, it’s a bit tough.

For Brno Christmas Market 2014, please, visit BeyondPrague – a post written by a fellow expat, who had a better chance of making some beautiful photos to help you appreciate what it was all about.

We were walking around the town for a bit more than two hours and came back to the apartment freezing and tired. Early evenings are often a must, when travelling with small kids, so it was some time for laying down, cartoons and takeaway pizza.

The next day we drove for a brunch to a local shopping centre, which also had a play area and off we went, back home. Both of the girls and I came down with a cold the same day (note to self – it’s better to explore new cities when it is a bit warmer). Nevertheless, I really liked Brno and would love to go there again, for a bit longer, to see more of what it has to offer.