First day in Brno

We had a long but uneventful travel day and arrived fine in Brno this afternoon.

The biggest excitement of the trip was deciding to upgrade a car class after seeing our rental car at the Prague airport. I had reserved the smallest, cheapest option and we were given a 10 year old Fiat that was really small and we couldn't figure out how to lock the doors and it just didn't look very reliable. So we went back in and asked for the next category up. So we ended up with a Skoda Fabia which is very comfortable. Miran did great on the drive and it took just about two hours like we thought. We had no trouble finding our hotel.

After we checked in we just washed our faces and immediately left to go over to Miran's aunt's house. We decided to walk because we'd been sitting for two days and it took about 20 minutes. So we got a quick overview of the city center and it seems really nice.

We ate dinner and talked with Miran's family for a few hours. It was really nice listening to stories about when Miran was 8 and 9 years old as well as to stories about Milada and her friends from when she was younger as well.

Here is a picture of Miran with his first cousins Suzana and Jasmin:

Here is Milada with Miran's two aunts and their father:

And here is me in the Charlotte airport at the very beginning of the trip:

Fligth and Travel Itineraries

We are just about done packing and hope to be out the door by noon to get to the airport.

Here is our flight info if anyone is interested:

2 Mar - CLT to ATL - 3:30 to 4:40 - Delta 2133
2 Mar - ATL to AMS - 5:30-8:15am - Delta 604
3 Mar - AMS - PRG - 12:00-1:30 - Delta 9533

12 Mar - PRG - AMS - 2:05-3:50 - Delta 9693
12 Mar - AMS-ATL - 4:40-9:20 - Delta 9374
12 Mar - ATL-CLT - 10:50-11:58 - Delta 1441

The trip involve a lot of driving back and forth - at least in the first few days. After we arrive tomorrow we'll pick up the rent a car and drive to Brno, where we will be the first night. We'll go to the doctor in the morning and then head back to Prague for two nights. On the 6th we'll return to Brno in the afternoon and be there the rest of the trip.

Or more simply, here is where we'll be sleeping which nights:

3 Mar - Brno
4-5 Mar - Prague
6-12 Mar - Brno

Weather Forecast

Well as I've been working on my suitcase I just double checked the 10-day forecast for Brno and it looks  better than we were expecting. By next week end its going to be positively balmy! It will be a little colder for the two days we are in Prague (Sunday and Monday) but I'm just glad to see it will be in the mid-40s or above the whole time we are in Brno!

Final Pre-Trip Doctor Appointment

This morning I saw Dr. Taeff here in Charlotte for a last minute check of the status of the lining of my uterus before we take off. She said it was appropriately think and on track for implantation in a week. She took a screen shot for me to send to Dr. Machac in Brno and to give him when we see him Monday morning at 10:00 for our first appointment.

It just looks like shades of gray - but I'll include it as I have no other images to illustrate this post!

Brno Clinic and Hotel

The clinic we are going to in Brno is called Reprofit. The website is very informative, here is the link:  http://en.reprofit.cz/reprofit-international/about-us
If you make it to the "our team" page, our Doctor's name is Štěpán Machač. He looks very young, but has a MD and a PhD apparently.  Based on my limited knowledge of Czech diacritical marks, I think you pronounce his last name Makach, so its very similar to ours. I'm taking that as a good sign.

From the photos it looks basic, but with new equipment and I guess that is what matters. From the outside it is a pretty nice looking, recently renovated late 19th / early 20th century building.

We will be moving around a bit, but most of the time will be staying at a little hotel one block from the main square in the city center. Here is the link: http://www.penziondvorakova.cz/

I have requested one of the corner rooms, so I'm hoping that since its the off season  I'll get my request.  I'm really looking forward to sitting at the little table in the turret and looking over the street while I work or read. We will also have a little kitchenette, which will be great for breakfast and snacking. Hopefully we'll save a little on meals that way.

And finally, I will be visiting Dr. Helena Čutová in Brno a couple of times for acupuncture. Her website is mainly in Czech, but there are a few pictures of the building: her office is in an old monastery.