Day 11: On to Czech Republic

Hops Plantations

This morning we said goodbye to Krakow and boarded the bus for a four-hour drive through southern Poland and Moravia, the southern region of Czech Republic. We noticed the infrastructure becoming more modern, and the architecture and layout of towns becoming more familiar to our Western eyes as we crossed the border. We passed by several power plants (coal) and farmland cultivated and ready for spring planting. The Czechs are known for their expertise in brewing beer, and the trellises of hops were a familiar sight to some of us and not so familiar to others.

We ascended into rolling hills as we approached the city of Roznov Pod Radhostem, where we stopped for our first Czech meal before visiting the Wallachian Open Air Museum. Czech meals always have one thing in common – dumplings. Made from flour or potatoes, dumplings are a staple accompaniment to every meal. After our lunch of venison, dumplings and gravy, a local guide led us through the “Little Wooden Town”, which preserves the buildings and furniture of local life from as far back as the 13^th Century. 

For lunch venison, dumplings and gravy

A local craftsman demonstrated some of the traditional skills still used to create whetstones, knives, wooden toys, and items hewn from horn.

We boarded the bus for a second time and made our way to Brno, the capital of the Moravia region. Here we were fortunate to share dinner with guests that included American embassy staff Michael Henney, Agriculture Attaché for Central Europe and the Baltics; Jana Mikulasova, Agricultural Specialist; and Jolanta Figurska, Senior Marketing Specialist. We were also joined by California wine importer Chris Kohlwes and Czech financial consultant Jan Ecer.

Michael Henney shares his experiences with members of Class 41
Photo by Steve Knudsen

Our guests graciously answered our questions about agricultural markets, barriers to trade, immigration, land ownership, how each of the countries we have visited have responded differently to opportunities presented by the EU, and the challenges that come with these opportunities.

Matthew Fisher, Juan Guzman, Stephanie Tillman