Settling into Brno: My First Two Weeks

I’ve been in Brno for the better part of two weeks, and it has been a hectic transition going from a comfortable life in the United States, one that I’ve been used to for all my life, to coming into a place that I’m not so familiar with and have only seen through pictures and heard stories about from other students alike. Although I’ve been fighting jet lag, I’ve kept myself busy with more than simply sleeping by doing some fun things around Brno, so let’s talk about those things.

Introducing… me!

Hi there! My name is Ahad Khan, a twenty-year old Media Studies and Production student originally from Atlanta, GA, USA, and study at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, USA. For the next few months, I’m calling Brno home, taking courses at Masaryk University, working this fun PR job, and immersing myself in the wonderful culture that Brno has to offer, from its many cafes and bars, restaurants, etc.

So far, I’ve done a lot in Brno in the (over) two weeks that I’ve been here. By no means have I done everything, in fact I’m taking a break from planning all the fun stuff I want to do in Brno and in Europe to write this blog, but I do want to talk about the fun things I’ve done so far during my time here.

The journey: Atlanta to Brno

Getting to Brno from Atlanta was a journey that I honestly do not want to go through again (though in a few months, I’ll be doing it in the inverse). I took four flights and a train just to make my way over here, carrying what is practically my whole life in two very heavy suitcases and a backpack. Luckily, I had some friends from my home university travelling with me so we all shared the struggle (hopefully never again). By the time I made it to Brno, I wanted to sleep for days, but there’s no fun in taking a nap when there’s a beautiful city to traverse.

Exploring Brno for the first time

My first full day in Brno, I was incredibly jetlagged, but that’s besides the point. We went on a guided tour of the city, checking out some really cool things. The main thing we saw was Náměstí Svobody, or Freedom Square in English, which is the biggest square in Brno, home to many different shops, art pieces, restaurants, and bars. Our tour guide explained that this was where he would regularly meet up with his friends, and I’m pretty sure that since I’ve been here, I’ve been to Náměstí Svobody every single day with friends and even alone. I even set up a meeting place there with people one day after I finished up with class to get food.

Aside from Náměstí Svobody, we checked out other historical sites, like the Stará radnice, or Old Town Hall, which is known for having the Brno Dragon, which was made very clear was a Dragon and not a Crocodile, so don’t call it a Crocodile, as well as some ornate sculptures which depict deep meaning for the city of Brno

Bars

The Czech Republic is known to have many bars, and Brno is no different. Although I’m not the biggest drinker (I know, crazy), I have been to a fair share of bars and had a few drinks (don’t tell my mom). Because I’m only 20, I’ve never actually stepped foot into a bar in the United States as you’ll get asked for ID to even be let in regardless of if you want to drink or not, something that I’ve noticed isn’t too big of a thing here in Europe, atleast in Brno.

Considering the fact that there are WAY too many bars in this city, I doubt I’ll be able to go to all of them, but of the bars I have been to, I have went back to a few. I still have yet to drink a European beer, but it’s on my bucket list.

Cafes

Similarly to bars, Brno has very many cafes littered throughout the city, and I most definitely will not be able to check out all of them, but of the ones I’ve been to, I’ve enjoyed and even frequent now. I’ve only been to a few, but the one I keep going back to is Café Mezzanine. The vibe in that cafe is so calming and I feel like I could do my work without getting distracted easily (which happens regularly). Their chocolate croissants are amazing, so much so that when I went in one day asking for one, they said they ran out for the day, so I’m obviously not the only one who enjoys their chocolate croissants. As my time in Brno passes, I will branch out to check out some more cafes, so if anyone has recommendations, let me know!

 

What’s next?

Brno is a city full of rich culture and a lot of beer, so I will definitely be exploring a lot more of the city as time passes. When the weather warms up, I’d love to check out some of the parks around Brno as well as the zoo and reservoir. I’d also like to see more of the Old Town Hall, considering my guided tour on day one only scratched the surface of the history that Brno has.

Aside from Brno, I’m going to be taking advantage of my time in Europe by travelling around to other cities, both in the Czech Republic and out of it, so stay tuned for what’s to come, because if these last two weeks have been nothing but amazing, then I’m looking forward to what the rest of my time entails.