Flemming and I felt we got enough of the manicured Františkovy Lázně, and agreed to leave one day earlier than was originally planned. We were going to fly to Znojmo, a small medieval town in the winemaking region of South Moravia in Czechia. Flemming had been there before, and said he would love to revisit it. It was quite windy in Znojmo, and we therefore decided to departure first in the late afternoon.
We used our time for having a walk around the towm. The old buildings were so charming!
The Orthodox Church of Saint Olga in Františkovy Lázně is the work of the local architect Gustav Wiedermann, who was recognised for his work far beyond the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire:
The church was built within a mere 192 working days and was completed in May 1889. Saint Olga of Kiev (c. 890 – 869) was a princess, who was the first recorded female ruler in Russia, and the first member of the ruling family of Kiev to adopt Christianity. She is also known for being the history’s most vengeful saint, for her cruel and merciless massacres of enemies.
The healing effects of the local springs of Františkovy Lázně have been known since 15th century . The water from the springs was used not only by local residents, but was also sold throughout Germany. In 1700s, sales of Františkovy Lázně spa water in Germany exceeded the volume of water coming from all German spas!
When it was time to leave, we asked out hotel to call a taxi, and said goodbye to Františkovy Lázně. At the Cheb airport, a pilot from the flying club waited for us. Flemming and I pulled our Aeroprakt from the hangar, and prepared for the flight. In Cheb, they used a thick rubber mat for warming up the engine on (to avoid small stones from the asphalt):
Our next destination was Znojmo, around 2 hours flight:
Vitava river, the longest in Czechia – 430 km:
Soon we flew by Znojmo:
Louka monastery from air on the photo below. It was founded in 1190 by Prince Konrad Ota and his mother Maria. It was one of the most important monasteries in Central Europe and one of the largest monasteries in the Czech Republic, even though its entire complex was never completed:
Flemming tied down OY-9797, I cleaned it.
The were a couple of men in the airport, but they didn’t come to say hello. Later they waived to us, sat into their car and drove away. We were alone there and needed a taxi. When I tried to explain in Czech to the taxi operator we wanted to be picked up from the airport, she told me there wasn’t any airport in Znojmo! We agreed to communicate by text messages, and it worked perfectly. I sent her a picture and the address from google maps, and 15 minutes later a taxi was there.
The entrance and the building (from 19th century) to the place where Flemming and I stayed were beauitiful:
Don’t judge by the decay appearance, it was in the progress of being restored.
Inside, it was really nice. We had a spacious two-room apartment, with huge bathroom.
In the fridge, a bootle of white wine from the owners’ wine cellars waited for us. It tasted very good!