We will leave Austria and drive to Brno, Czech Republic, today. I would be happy to stay in Graz longer, both because this Airbnb is insanely comfortable and because this city is suits us. It’s a great size with good food and a cool vibe.

We all sleep in until almost 9 this morning! Wow. We weren’t up that late, but I think the shorter days, cooler air and the beginnings of a cold are encouraging additional sleep.

Lillian wants to get out of the house, so once I’m finished working a bit, the two of us take Oliver for a walk. We go into the main square where an orchestra is playing! There are many more people than yesterday already. I bet tonight will be insane. The stalls are all open now, selling local products, beer and food. We get a couple local pastries to take to coffee.

We walk back to Buno for a latte and kids steamer. Lillian loves it and drinks her in one minute. We stroll down the street and back up the main, busier street. Here are all the main shops. We stop in a store to select a new, Fall nail polish. It’s a tedious task which Lillian blames me for. I shouldn’t give her my opinion, or it makes the deciding too difficult. Good to know.

We stop in another store for me to buy a little sweater. It’s getting chilly! I can’t believe we were on a beach a week ago, but honestly I’m happy to welcome autumn and the coziness that accompanies it.

Back home at 12, we pack up. We really settled in here, even in just 3 days, so it takes some time. I think Oly is really going to miss the toy selection here, too.

The drive north feels very long, probably because we have had the luxury of shorter drives lately. We make only one stop for gas… and hot dogs, of course. Oly can’t get enough hot dogs. It’s Saturday, which is candy day in Sweden, so we let the kids pick a treat. They only get five pieces, then we throw the bag away.

As we approach the border to the Czeck Republic, an officer signals for us to pull to the side. Oh great. He’s clearly looking very carefully at the ridiculous duct tape on the side of our front window. He asks Stefan to get out and explain what’s going on. Then he checks our lights and finds the front right not working. I’m not sure if this is just our blinker or our headlights. He asks for Stefan’s driver’s license and then is exasperated that it’s American. I think he doesn’t quite know what to do with us.He doesn’t like the car, but he says “okay you can go”. Phew!

//Stefan Note: Crossin borders like we have never done it before!

We arrive to our apartment building in Brno, which doesn’t seem to be in the best neighborhood. We are able to park in the secure parking underneath the building though. And it’s free. That’s a first for this trip. Our host shows us into the apartment, which is strange but clean. There’s a small kitchen in the entryway and two bedrooms off of it. One bedroom (the one the kids will sleep in) has a dining table and a couch. Ours has two extra twin beds. This place easily sleeps 6! I booked this place with booking.com, not Airbnb because there wasn’t much available here. The difference is clear.

We walk the 5 minutes into the old town. It’s up a hill past a beautiful old church. The main streets are very wide, but we find small alleyways that wind through the buildings. It’s very odd. Our first stop was mandatory once we saw the poster of a train carrying a beer.

Vytopna is a bar with train tracks throughout, and your beer arrives in a trail car behind a locomotive. Oly is beside himself. We order two small beers. Oly is angry with every train that comes by without our beers. Finally our train comes!

We down our beers fairly quickly because we need to run to our restaurant reservation.

Pavillon sits on the edge of a park, and it’s beautiful. Obviously a very fancy place. The service is great, and the menu looks impressive. So why are there only 4 other people here and dozens of empty tables? It’s sad. Stefan and I order one plate of gnocchi for the kids to share and get the 5 course tasting menu for us. It’s not the best meal of my life, but it’s exceptional. They even make a special amuse bouche for the kids! I’ve never seen anyone do that before. Lillian tries each of my dishes and would gladly eat it all if I let her, including the smoked deer tongue and the pigeon. Love that about her. The regional white wine is special.

We walk, or rather skip, home on this perfect first evening in Brno.