I’ve been traveling with holiday makers to the Czech Republic for a number of years now, my first visit was when it was known as Czechoslovakia, it was such a new destination that on the day I departed with the group, BBC local radio did a live broadcast!.I remember getting to the Border and having everybody’s Passport checked and stamped at an extremely slow pace, once in the country I then looked around at the very few cars, all Skoda, and hardly any street lighting, and told the passengers that there was a time difference and to alter their watches, the difference 50 years backwards! However since that first encounter, the country has really moved forwards.

Moravsky Kras was, and is, a great place to visit. My first visit here was in 1991, situated close to Brno and just outside Blansko, it was only a short drive away from our hotel. We went to the Punkva caves and took a boat ride inside along the subterranean Punkva stream. We reached the bottom of the Macocha Abyss, at 138.4 metres, it is the best known of the Moravsky Kras.
The experience was unforgettable, getting into the small boats, taking the journey inside, and finally when we emereged back into the daylight and got out of the boats, having a group photo taken, with an old fashioned camers, to remind us of the atmosphere and enjoyment of the day.
We also had lunch on the top of the hill, which came with dumplings, what we didn’t realize was that every meal we had after that in other restaurants would also come with dumplings.