Hoping the links work proper. Again, apologies but I'm nowhere near a professional photographer. For those who are, this is a gorgeous region of Europe and during the spring/summer would be a great time to go. I was ther about 1-2 weeks too early and very little was in bloom.
Moravia describes the region of the Czech Republic (Bohemia to the northwest and Siliesia to the northeast). The area sits on the border of Austria and Slovakia.
The cities I went to on this trip were Breclav, Lednice, Valtice, and Mikulov.
Transportation
Trains go to Breclav. It's about 3 hours to Prague, 3 hours to Budapest, and 1 hour to Bratislava. I can't comment on public transportation within the cities but a bus would be your best bet. Might be a touch difficult if you don't speak Czech though. I was fortunate enough to have a car to drive.
Language
It's not like the big cities where so many people speak English. You'll get a smattering of understanding here and there but not too much. Czech (and Slovak) would be the primary language(s) followed by German. The cities border Austria. In fact, the majority of tourists you see will either be Czech, Slovakian, or Austrian.
(I was there visiting a local who did all the talking)
Money
The Czech Koruna is the currency and you currently get about 20 CZK to one USD. Luckily for you, things are real cheap. Lunches especially. During the work week, by Czech law, restaurants must offer a menicko (pronounced men-eech-ko) which is a reduced price meal. Because employees only get 30 minute lunch breaks, restaurants have a set number of meals basically prepared at each lunch. So they can run out. Most Czechs eat dinner at home, so restaurants are not as popular at dinner time.
Drinking Culture
Czech Republic has a big, everyday drinking culture. Slivovice (Slivovitz) is a very common drink from this region. It's essentially a plum brandy, though it can be made from any fruit. The locals will make their own using the fruit from their gardens. If somebody offers some and it's from their own fruit, it would be extremely rude to refuse. Also, beware. This stuff is potent.
Moravia is also a big wine region with a ton of wineries and vineyards around. You can do bicycle tours of the wineries, that's a common activity.
Sights to See
Lednice and Valtice are completely manmade areas. The wealthy Liechtenstein family essentially 'created' these cities and the surrounding areas, including the lakes, forests, etc. But they did a great job, it's a beautiful area. I really wish I could have seen it in the spring/summer though.
There are also some hidden gems that you will never find without a local. I guess the Liechtenstein family liked to do things a little differently... but they built structures from around the world. There is a Muslim minaret, a temple to Apollo, churches, etc. Many of these buildings are "hidden" in forests that the typical tourist would never stumble upon.
Apollo's Temple. I wanted to zoom out more but there was a fence behind me.
The Minaret. At the time, it was the largest built outside of the Muslim world. I believe it is still the only of its kind without having an associated Mosque.
Stairs to the top of the Minaret
The Liechtenstein winter chateau in Valtice
The Liechtenstein summer chateau in Lednice
Greenhouse at the summer chateau
Holy Hill in Mikulov
Mikulov Castle
EDIT: Couple of tries to figure out the right image size.
[This message has been edited by texasaggie04 (edited 4/16/2012 8:03p).]
Moravia describes the region of the Czech Republic (Bohemia to the northwest and Siliesia to the northeast). The area sits on the border of Austria and Slovakia.
The cities I went to on this trip were Breclav, Lednice, Valtice, and Mikulov.
Transportation
Trains go to Breclav. It's about 3 hours to Prague, 3 hours to Budapest, and 1 hour to Bratislava. I can't comment on public transportation within the cities but a bus would be your best bet. Might be a touch difficult if you don't speak Czech though. I was fortunate enough to have a car to drive.
Language
It's not like the big cities where so many people speak English. You'll get a smattering of understanding here and there but not too much. Czech (and Slovak) would be the primary language(s) followed by German. The cities border Austria. In fact, the majority of tourists you see will either be Czech, Slovakian, or Austrian.
(I was there visiting a local who did all the talking)
Money
The Czech Koruna is the currency and you currently get about 20 CZK to one USD. Luckily for you, things are real cheap. Lunches especially. During the work week, by Czech law, restaurants must offer a menicko (pronounced men-eech-ko) which is a reduced price meal. Because employees only get 30 minute lunch breaks, restaurants have a set number of meals basically prepared at each lunch. So they can run out. Most Czechs eat dinner at home, so restaurants are not as popular at dinner time.
Drinking Culture
Czech Republic has a big, everyday drinking culture. Slivovice (Slivovitz) is a very common drink from this region. It's essentially a plum brandy, though it can be made from any fruit. The locals will make their own using the fruit from their gardens. If somebody offers some and it's from their own fruit, it would be extremely rude to refuse. Also, beware. This stuff is potent.
Moravia is also a big wine region with a ton of wineries and vineyards around. You can do bicycle tours of the wineries, that's a common activity.
Sights to See
Lednice and Valtice are completely manmade areas. The wealthy Liechtenstein family essentially 'created' these cities and the surrounding areas, including the lakes, forests, etc. But they did a great job, it's a beautiful area. I really wish I could have seen it in the spring/summer though.
There are also some hidden gems that you will never find without a local. I guess the Liechtenstein family liked to do things a little differently... but they built structures from around the world. There is a Muslim minaret, a temple to Apollo, churches, etc. Many of these buildings are "hidden" in forests that the typical tourist would never stumble upon.
Apollo's Temple. I wanted to zoom out more but there was a fence behind me.
The Minaret. At the time, it was the largest built outside of the Muslim world. I believe it is still the only of its kind without having an associated Mosque.
Stairs to the top of the Minaret
The Liechtenstein winter chateau in Valtice
The Liechtenstein summer chateau in Lednice
Greenhouse at the summer chateau
Holy Hill in Mikulov
Mikulov Castle
EDIT: Couple of tries to figure out the right image size.
[This message has been edited by texasaggie04 (edited 4/16/2012 8:03p).]