OLOMOUC

We all drove to Olomouc - in Moravia, Czech Republic, about two hours from here. Autumn is well advanced here with the leaves coloured and beginning to fall. Olomouc is a beautiful small city with a lovely Old Town centre, as nice as any we've seen but on a smaller scale with fewer tourists - this might change in the next few years. We liked the astronomical clock in the town square, the pious saints who came out on the hour had been  replaced in the 1950s with pious workers instead thanks to the Communist Party. The buildings were incredibly well preserved and interesting. We came across St Michael's -a 13thC church with beautiful frescoes and architecture. We were the only ones there and I climbed the bell tower to find the four huge working bells ,and downstairs to the orginal chapel hewn in the rock. Unlike Prague, there was no charge to get in, simply a note on the wall asking us to turn the light off as we left. Once again we had the daily menu at a restaurant which consists of a soup and main course for less than $5 AUD. Since then we have learnt from Miro (whose house we're staying in) that it is legislated in Slovakia (and I'm guessing probably Czech) that employers provide all empoyees with a hot lunch, providing vouchers for such. Consequently, restaurants offer these daily set menus to attract business. we're making the most of it!
From Olomouc, Mum and Dad travelled to Prague and Cesky Krumov and we headed back to Bratislava. We are thinking of you all, hoping you're all well.