Lakes & grapes

A beautiful drive today from Brno through towns such as Mikulov, in the South Moravian region of the Czech Republic, to discover well preserved towns, mile upon mile of grapes and picturesque lakes, then onto Valtice and then Vienna. Thank goodness the day was good because it started out with the worst breakfast I have ever had. I think Czechia has a lot to learn about tourism, but I guess that is what makes it so interesting!! Mikulov was one of the prettiest towns I have seen in eastern Europe. The chateau, which was burnt to the ground by the Nazis, has been rebuilt to its former glory. The town square was picturesque. The region is one of the main wine-producing centres of the Czech Republic. It is famed for producing white wines grown in the limestone soils, so the town was full of wine shops with plenty of tastings! It was another stinking hot day, as I made my way to the beautiful town of Valtice, which was part of Austria until after WW1 when it was given to the Czechoslovak Republic. It is hard to keep track of the history of the area, so I think I will have to come back with more time and have done a little more homework!. Off a side road right on the border was a magnificent structure called the Colonnade - a memorial for father and brothers (from 1823 - It took 11 years to build). It was initially built as a memorial to some archduke and his family, but it's believed it's main purpose was to provide some employment after the Napoleonic wars! During the Communist era, the Colonnade was a part of the Iron Curtain. It was used by the border guards and was not accessible to tourists. I then proceeded to "Nonseum" at Herrnbaumgarten which contains the world's largest collection of intentionally useless inventions such as a hat which opens at the top to let wearers cool their heads off and the semi-automatic nose picker. However it was closed. Next door was the museum of Kitchen. I then drove back to Vienna for my flight tomorrow back to the UK. My brief but interesting road trip through this part of Eastern Europe has been fascinating and so different to anywhere else I have been. It's been described as "A small continent with many countries." For a part of the world that invented the ball point pen, rubiks cube and Skype, I think the most impactful place I have ever been was Auschwitz. I can't wait to come back and explore more of this part of Europe - via Spain and France of course!