Paris1972-Versailles2003

So lets move back to the east of France in Europe shall we! And I take you back to one of my favorite countries in Europe, that is Luxembourg. Needless ,to say I have come here several times over the last 28 years and always lovely with great memories with the family.

In our walking endlessly routine in town we have come across many interesting buildings and many off the beaten path sites. This one is overshadow by its grander theater but we like it for the cosyness of and the old town feel all around it. In addition, we have parked here underground garage many times to start our walks of the city.

So ,therefore, let me tell you a bit more on the Theater of Capuchins. Briefly ok

The Theater of Capuchins or Thêatre des Capucins is located at 9, Place du Théâtre, (theater square), just around the corner where we have parked many times and therefore took a peek at this quant theater. The Capuchins theater is managed by the city of Luxembourg City. It puts on performances in German, French and Luxembourgish.

The theater of Capuchins has an Italian room of 270 seats. The Capucins theater is one of the witnesses of the eventful history of the city of Luxembourg. Successively was a Convent of Capuchin monks, grain store, theater, place without assignment, it was renovated in 1985.

Making a big part of the dramatic creation, it offers viewers the opportunity to discover artists from all over Europe. The Capuchins theater presents an eclectic programming, representative of what is sung, plays and dances on national and international plateaus, with a constant demand of quality, without exclusive, and always motivated by the desire to meet the expectations of a cosmopolitan audience.So claims their official city site.

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are

Tourist office of Luxembourg city on the theater

Advance ticket site for the theater and future events

Tourist office of Luxembourg on the theater

It is lovely to attend even briefly as we did and especially walk around this lovely part of the old town of Luxembourg city. Enjoy it and do stop by the Thêatre des Capucins!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!

Ok so let me bring my memories into my blog blossoms into the old eastern Europe. I have venture there with my eyes opened to see the differences in the changes of the guards. The young  may not remember, I do. I can tell the changes.  The trip was an eye opener of the positive changes encounter all over my road trip.

Oh I took a road trip thru the countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, (old Czechoslovakia). It was a cruising trip fast pace by car so not much to see just glimpses of the cities of Bratislava, Brno, Kurovice and Otrokovice.  I like to share for me and you, some of the things I would like to have seen if time there and the pictures I was able to take on the road!

Bratislava is the capital of independent Slovakia since 1993, located in the southwest of the country, just on the border with Austria, only 60 km from Vienna , with Hungary about 10 km and nearby also from the border with the Czech Republic. The Carpathians begin on the territory of the city Malé Karpaty, or small Carpathians. It is crossed by the Danube river . It includes universities, many museums, theatres and other cultural institutions including a famous philharmonica. The city was traditionally influenced by several nationalities such as Austrians, Hungarians, Slovaks etc. Throughout its history, the city has also been known as Pressburg.

The nice thing I heard about the city is its many theatres, museums, galleries, concert halls and cinemas. The best known are the Slovak National Theater. Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. Slovak National Museum. Slovak National Gallery. The Museum of Natural History, with two million exhibits, is one of the richest in Europe. The Mirbach Palace, built in 1768 and renovated in 1975, houses Baroque works from the 17-18C in a fascinating Rococo décor. The watchmaking Museum allows, meanwhile, to discover a superb collection of portable sundials, clocks and ornate gussets, made by the masters of the city in the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Grassalkovitch Palace b. 1760 and residence today of the President of the Slovak Republic; another site is the Gothic St. Martin Cathedral built between the 13C and 16C, where nearly nineteen Kings and Queens were crowned between 1563 and 1830. The major monument of the 20C is the Pont Neuf or new bridge over the Danube river with its panoramic restaurant in the form of a flying saucer. Bratislava also has two castles. The first simply called Bratislava castle overlooks the city and the Danube river. The second is completely ruined, it is the castle of Devin above the Morava River which forms the border between Austria and Slovakia. It was destroyed by Napoleon’s troops in 1809 and today still constitutes a strong Slovak national symbol.

Tourist office of Bratislava

Brno is a city in the Czech Republic and the capital of the South Moravia region. Brno was the capital of the historic region of Moravia. It is located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, 112 km north of Vienna, 123 km NNW of Bratislava, and 185 km SE of Prague.  Brno was founded in 1243 and remains a fortified town until the 19C. It became the capital of Moravia Margraviate from 1641. It is the political and cultural centre of the Southern Moravia region.

Some things I would love to see here are the City/Town hall , built in the 13C, is the oldest civil building in the city. In particular, it holds a high tower, topped by a Renaissance roof. Some parts of the city are underground labyrinths accessible by guided tour with master cellar corner , and ossuary under the Church of St. James (second largest in Europe), modern sewers, tunnels..etc.

St. Peter and St. Paul’s Cathedral; The Cathedral, built on the site of a former fortress, dominates Petrov Hill. It is a late Gothic building of the 13C, built on an older crypt, and reengineered in the Baroque style in 1743-1746 after the Swedes burned it during the siege of 1645. The façade and towers were completed at the beginning of the 20C.

The fortress of Spielberg was a State prison famous for its dungeons having enclosed protagonists of the Italian Risorgimento. It was also nicknamed “the prison of Nations”. During WWII, the Gestapo invested the fortress, which became a center of torture. This place of sinister memory now houses an exhibition on the history of the city and the Municipal Museum. In the Chartreuse of Parma of Stendhal, the young Fabrice twice expresses his fear of being sent there. The namesti svobody (central republic square) is emblematic of the city.

Tourist office of Brno

The town of Kurovice is in the Kroměříž district, Zlín region, Czechia. It is about 282 km by car from Prague, The first written mention of the village dates from 1276 I was cruising on the road 55 towards Otrokovice and saw this building, could not tell looks like a church but is not and not the fortress either, Anybody can tell me, but definitively needs to be in my blog on this post.

Otrokovice is a city in the district and the Zlín region of the Czech Republic. Otrokovice is located at the confluence of Morava and Dřevnice rivers , 10 km west of Zlín, 68 km east of Brno and 243 km SE of Prague.  The first written mention of the locality dates from 1141. In 1930, the shoe manufacturer Tomáš Baťa created the Baťov industrial zone, in which the subsidiaries of the Baťa company and the aircraft manufacturer Zlín settled. Otrokovice was named Baťov between 1938 and 1946 and Otrokovice-Kvítkovice between 1960 and 1964.

The Canal of Bata is the historical waterway on the Morava river. It is also possible to navigate there now. The canal is passable from Spytihněv to Strážnice. The castle Nový Světlov was built in Gothic style . Buchlovice castle from the end of 17C and the beginning of the 18C0 Brumov castle is from the year 1255 The castle opens from the beginnig of May, You can visit the Jewish cementary. Bucovice castle, this casle has 3 floors and arcades on 3 sides of the courtyard. The visitors of the castle can be surprised with the mannerism ornamentation of the room for Emperor and with the Bird Hall. The area is literally filled with many other castles I just mentioned the ones I would had love to visit.

City of Otrokovice on things to see

There you go ,another road warrior tour of yours truly ;of course I got first there by plane to Prague ::) and then the glorious car rides!! I would love to go back one day for an in depth look, done so at Prague (see previous posts on Prague in my blog). A bit of patient and will do it.

Hope you have enjoy it and take the chance tell me about it ok. Again, hope you enjoy this wonderful road warrior trip into Czech Republic and Slovakia as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!