| But I also
saw people going in and out of a small pasage that circled the square along
a wall. As I was walking up to it, I saw three teenagers go through the
passage so I followed and they ran into a girl on her bicycle. She didn't
have anything with her so they whipped her until she had to get off the
bike. She forced a smile and went along with the whole charade.
I think they were friends and the boys didn't appear to hurt her badly.
Maybe she didn't mind, but if she liked the tradition, she probably would
have been home waiting for them to come instead of riding around town on
a bicycle. For my part, I took a picture and continued walking up the street
where I found two of the girl's friends high-tailing it out of there on
one bike.
Everything
happened before 11am so I decided to go for a late breakfast/early lunch
- brunch - at a small tucked away cafe assessible from the main square
and there's a sign on the left when approaching the square from the south.
All they had to eat were crepes but I couldn't complain about the taste
of the borovky but they could have given me more blueberries.
Almost everything
in the cafe is wood, except for the plastic-covered couch and the metal
coffee table. A hooka rests in a window sill accompanied by a hanging cob
of corn. Ancient bottles nip the ceiling, lined up on a shelf that holds
small branches by their stems with dead leaves still very much attached.
Instead
of on the floor, the carpet covers one of the walls but it gives it
a cozier feel inside. With modest prices and this atmosphere, it shouldn't
be missed on a visit to Mikulov.
Now that I
felt rejuvenated, I decided it was time to go hiking. The town of Mikulov
is beautiful as I've mentioned but it's quite small so you won't be spending
that much time there. The Pavlovske Hills around have castle ruins and
great views of the surrounding region and were perfect for the sunny 50-degree
(10 C) weather I was enjoying. And the forecast called for rain! I lingered
in the square a bit longer, admiring the craftmanship of the Baroque church.
Facing the tourist information center, one can go left to the castle or
right to head out of town to Kozi Vrch (Goat Hill) and Pavlovske Hills.
I went left
through the black metal gates and had a quick peak at the castle but I
could explore it later because it's closer to the bus station. From the
west side of the castle wall, I walked down the stone stairs to the old
Jewish district, centered mostly on Husova Street. There is a small
gallery and a few sculptures on the roof easily noticeable from the
castle, one of which was a satellite dish with testicules. As I was snickering
at it, I saw a pack of teenage guys (maybe the same ones as before?) disappear
into an apartment building across the street from the gallery. From there
I walked north towards the Jewish cemetry.
I strolled
through the mini-park and up to the cemetry which had its white gate propped
open. There were more people there than I would have thought so it wasn't
so creepy. From there I walked up Goat Hill to a castle ruin where I enjoyed
a beautiful view of Mikulov and the surrounding Mikulovske region. There
wasn't much of a haze that day so I could see pretty far over the hills.
And by the time I reached the top, I was sweating like I haven't done outside
in the Czech Republic for months and enjoyed my time above in a t-shirt.
There was even more to hike up and see but I had just opted for a small
taste which could easily be enjoyed over the time span of three or four
days, especially since Mikulov is so close (5 - 10 km) to Valtice and Lednice,
all of which is included in a UNESCO biospheric reservation. Enjoy.
After I descended
the hill, I saw the last of the pomlazka ritual of the day in the resedential
area of Mikulov that was on the other side of Goat Hill. I walked back
through the square and it was not quite one o’clock so the sun drenched
the square and toddlers ran about with mini-pomlazky. Now it was time to
tackle the castle.
I walked along
the massive Baroque structure of the residence, first by the castle garden
which was still dead from winter and I can only imagine how pleasant they'll
look in the summer. However the grass was already well on its way to a
dark green. There's a fountain, sculptures, and even a botanic garden along
one of the lower walls. After the hike, it felt nicest just to enjoy the
castle from the comfort of a wooden bench, which line the inside of the
outer wall. There is a castle museum and a cellar that houses the
largest wine barrel in Central Europe but that doesn't open until May.
After remaining
idle for far too long, I said goodbye to the castle and its gate with arches
and pillars and I followed one of the gravel paths that winded its way
around the castle and emptied into various streets below. From the south
end of the castle grounds all the streets run into Piaristu which will
take you to the bus stops.
There’s a mini-square
with a statue and a few pubs across the street. Everything was lively with
people to celebrate the day and the beautiful weather. Eventually the bus
rounded the corner and swooped me back to Brno and my final thoughts for
the day drifted to the Easter traditions of the Czech Republic and I wondered
if maybe I should have tried participating myself. I had come to Mikulov
and saw what I wanted to see and was enchanted by an amazing town on top
of that. Maybe I would have felted better about the tradition if there
was a holiday where women got to spank men. What about Valentine’s
Day? That’s a holiday for women, right? Maybe some spanking could spice
it up a bit.
Finally, when
I was waiting for a bus back to Prague at the Brno station, I heard and
saw two Americans in probably their mid-20s waiting for a bus with pomlazky
taller than they were. That cemented my opinion that it was a tradition
better left for the Czechs.
The following
are the previous articles Matthew wrote for the magazine:
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