Whether we had the all clear to enter the Czech Republic was a bit of a gray area and something we scratched our heads over for a little while when figuring out our next move from Vienna. We actually only booked a single night of accommodation in the country in case there was something we missed on the entry requirements documentation and were turned back into Austria. The Czech Republic, after initially having very good success suppressing COVD, had an extraordinarily unsavory experience with the virus over the European winter when they had to setup field hospitals and call in the military to deal with its effects. So understandably the country’s politicians remain a little on edge with respect to COVID. The Czech Republic, however, is a member of the Schengen Area, one of the central tenets of which is the provision of free movement within the 26 countries that make up the zone. The Czech Republic was not allowing travelers from the US at the time of writing, but given we were traveling from Austria – an “orange” COVID risk country at the time – we figured we were in the all clear. With Lisa and I vaccinated it seemed like our carriage wouldn’t be a problem according to all the official rules we could decipher. The kids, however, had been in Slovenia during the prior 14 days – which was a “red” risk country according to the Czech Republic – so we weren’t sure if they’d have to take a PCR test upon arrival. We had a valid antigen test for them from Vienna in our back pockets anyway, figuring we could flash that at anyone who asked. As our train rolled across the border, leaving the beautiful villages of northern Austria and their surrounding hills covered in a picturesque patchwork of crops behind, we stopped at the sleepy Czech village of Šatov. Lisa and I somewhat nervously looked at each other, wondering if an official would waltz down the train aisle asking for our COVID statuses and passenger locator forms. Nothing. Then we were expecting it again in Znojmo. Again, nothing. If anyone would like to try to interpret the Czech Republic’s 16 page dossier on entry requirements, please have at it. I put a link to download it below. (I will note that Austria turned “red” risk according to the Czech government on midnight of the day we entered the country, roughly nine hours after we disembarked the train in Znojmo. Not sure if our experience would have been different had we entered Czech Republic one day later, but I have no desire to find out!)
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The Moravian wine region in the southeastern portion of the Czech Republic produces 95% of the country’s wine, most of which is made with white varietals such as Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The train ride from Vienna to Prague was going to take us a significant chunk of a day, so we figured a stop in wine country in the quaint medieval village of Znojmo was a good way to break up the trip. It was a beautiful village, the walled old town with its castle and picturesque cathedral sitting atop a hill overlooking the Thaya River. Lisa wasn’t about to waste any time with wine bars and wineries on offer, so had a handful of stops for us to visit mapped out by the time we arrived. Enotéka Znojemských Vín was a fantastic tasting room where one could sample more than 120 local wines in one spot, their automated dispensers pouring tases for about US$0.50 and glasses for US$1-2. The Boss was like a kid in a candy store with so many wines at her fingertips, and the kids enjoyed the task of operating the computerized dispensers at Mum’s direction. Some very nice Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling on offer. Unlike Croatia, Slovenia and Vienna, where everyone spoke at least some marginal English, the instruction of English in Czech schools is only a recent phenomenon so I had to rely quite heavily on my little translation app in Znojmo (unless we could find a university of high school student somewhere nearby!). In the same building as Enotéka Znojemských Vín was the town of Znojmo’s brewery (yes, run by the town with tax dollars!) as well as a museum dedicated to the history of brewing in the Moravian region.
There were vineyards dotted throughout the town of Znojmo on the steep slopes leading down to the Thaya River, and even a winery or two in the center of town. The wine bar operated by Chatka Winery was another spot where Lisa and I enjoyed a tasting coupled with some delectable local cheeses and meats. The newly renovated tasting room was in a beautiful building just off Znojmo’s main square around Morový Sloup, and came with the added benefit of a huge playground next door where the kids could blow off some steam.
A landmark of central Znojmo is the Kaple Svatý Václava cathedral that towers above the old town. We wandered into the church on our way between tasting rooms, stumbling on an amazing harvest offering displayed in the cavernous central hall. Everything from fruits and vegetables to dried flowers were used for the display, it must have taken an army of churchgoers to put it all together.
While Lisa very much enjoyed sampling all the local wines in Znojmo, a collective highlight for the entire family was our visit to Hospůdka Maxwilliam after the day’s wine adventures were over. The brewpub was tucked into a nondescript doorway off Znojmo’s main square – had me almost feeling like we were entering some kind of Fog and Smog mixology bar – and maintained a clear focus on two things: beer and meat. The brewpub’s walls were littered with trophies from Czech beer competitions, the brews certainly did not disappoint. The lovely waitress was a local university student and was exceedingly welcoming, chatting to us in quite good English about the beers and town of Znojmo. The beers on offer were simply numbered – 11, 12 or 13 – and it took me a little digging to discover after the fact that beers in the Czech Republic generally all follow a numbering system that indicates their degrees Plato (which is the ratio of fermentable sugars to water in the beer and is based on the specific gravity of the brew). Yes, they’re serious about beer in the Czech Republic (more reading here about halfway down if anyone’s interested…). On the meat side of the equation, I asked our waitress if she had a menu, to which she replied in the negative and told us we could order three things: venison sausage (killed and butchered by the brewmaster), pork ribs or pork knuckles. She suggested a pork knuckle would feed the four of us, but we couldn’t leave without sampling the ribs so strapped on the feed bags and ponied up for both. It was incredible. While we were waiting for our food we were all discussing what our favorite meal had been so far on the trip, but after our pork knuckle I think one or two of us would have to put it at the top of our list of best meals in Europe. It was served with house made pickled peppers, mustard, horseradish and a basket of light rye. Oh my, what a meal! We left Maxwilliam with a total bill of US$22. Czech Republic, where have you been all my life!
