It is mole.

The year that my fellow Fulbrighters and I were in the UK, we decided to go to Prague for a bank holiday weekend.  I had been once before and fallen in love with the city and was eager to go back.  We toured the castle, shopped on the bridge, had a sunset cruise and laughed more than I can remember laughing.  On our last day there, once again in the small market, we happened upon a giant stuffed animal.  He was short, round, fat, grey and black with a big red nose.  We enquired about the creature from the woman at the shop.  She responded simply, "It is mole.  It is Czech."  Her simple response still makes us all laugh as we share in the collective memory.



In our drive today, we would spend much of the seven hour drive in the Czech Republic, sadly many hours away from the the beloved Prague, but still enough of our time to ensure that we stop and visit the country that has already brought us joy.  Of course, on our final moments in Austria, we enjoyed a few more Sound of Music sing-a-longs, in particular, "So Long, Farewell."

I had done a little research on southern Czech Republic, in hopes of finding a place that we could possibly break our journey and also take in a few sites.  Brno (pronounced Bruno), described as a small Prague with a dragon legend, seemed like the perfect spot!  Of course, finding a parking spot while driving a manual in an unknown city is always a bit more of an adventure than I anticipate, but nevertheless we were able to wander the city.



In my research, I happened upon the word “dragon” several times, which of course piqued my interest.  There were stories about a ferocious dragon who tormented the citizens of the city, making merchants no longer want to visit the town and residents fearful to leave their homes.  Finally, a butcher devised a plan to deceive the dragon and kill it.  His plan worked and now the dragon is stuffed and hangs in the town hall.  Of course, when presented with a great legend, in particular about a dragon, with evidence that mere mortals can still see, well, you must go see it.  So, we did. 



I don't know about you, but the dragon does seem to look a bit like another, more familiar creature, but who doesn't love a good legend?

During our short visit in Brno, Jessica excitedly punched me in the arm and pointed at a shop across the street. "It is mole.  It is Czech." was ALL over the small toy store.  We found pillows, puzzles, books, games, pencils, toddler toys, stuffed animals, key chains and even little magnets to share with our fellow travelers.  Apparently, this little creature is some sort of a cartoon celebrity here, and sadly, we know nothing about him.  But, he still managed to bring us joy!

The drive was otherwise, seemingly and thankfully, uneventful.  Crossing borders from Austria into Czech Republic and then into Poland was little more than seeing a sign on the side of the road.  After leaving the mountains of Austria, much of our drive today was flat, or gentle rolling hills through expansive countrysides.  I know that trains may have been a more economical form of travel, but oh how I love the freedom of a road trip!  We might have missed out on seeing our mole friend!