czech republic part 3: brno

While we were in Trebic, we took a day trip to Brno, where my mom worked and went to university. Here is the church where my parents were married. The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul located on Petrov Hill; a Gothic church rebuilt in the Baroque style during the 18th century, later partially reconstructed in the Neo-Gothic style, it has two characteristic towers (81 m high) since 1905; cathedral since 1777. You definitely get a sense of awe and a healthy dose of humiliy from the architecture and history of European cathedrals.

Here's a little information fact sheet on the university my mom went to, probably too small to read, but maybe you can zoom in (?) The Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry. She left the country in 1968 just short of finishing her Master's degree, but (bless her!) never looked back. My mom likes to live life in a "no regrets" way that I would love to emulate.

Here's a map of the place:

One of my cousins, Ivo, works at the university, but unfortunately we missed him because when we visited, he was vacationing in Mexico, we'll have to catch him next time!

I liked Brno and the stories my mom told...like about how she and her friend would receive 5 or 10 minutes notice from another friend to get ready to go see an opera because cheap tickets were only available at the very last minute...and also about the places my mom lived near the university, and the people she knew...she visited her old lab and talked with a former student's daughter who works there now. I loved the added insights into my mom's pre-Canadian life. As a mom myself now, I can appreciate that she had a life before my brothers and I came along!