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What expats in Brno say: when I saw a panelak painted in colors, i was amazed
Carles Querol is a 31 Spanish man from Valencia, in the eastern coast of Spain. He came to Brno in September 2008 as an Erasmus student of Masaryk University and then he found an interesting job at IBM - so he decided to stay in this city.
Mr. Querol has some interesting opinions about the quality of transportation and services in Brno - his answers are worth reading.
What do you like and what don't you like in Brno?
Without any doubt, the public transportation system is the best I ever used. It's incredible how punctual buses and trams are, and also the 24/7 availability of them.
In the other hand, Czech character is still very rude, especially when you are foreigner and you don't know very well people here. This is even worse in some bars or restaurants, where waiters looks at you like "be thankful I get your order" and not like "customer is always right". Fortunately, this is changing, and when you try to communicate with basic Czech words, you can see how they faces change to good.
Do you know some best practices from living in other cities which could be of use in Brno, too?
Not so much, I just lived in other big city for three years, Valencia. I have been living mostly in my small village, and comparing Brno with both, I have the impression that it is not a city; it's more like a big town, where everybody knows everybody, which I like the most.
The only point I think can be helpful for the city is the creation of a "bike lane" which would, at least, link the city center with the faculties, schools and the working areas like Technologic park and Business park. Many of us would like to come to work by bicycle, but having so much traffic makes it very dangerous.
What do you think is its advantage compared with other cities?
The advantage of Brno is the excellent quality of life. You can enjoy lot of restaurants, clubs and cafes for cheap prices and relatively low rents. Brno has also a lot of job opportunities for foreigners, as many international companies are being established here. And finally, the wonderful geographic situation of the city, halfway among Prague, Vienna, Krakow, Bratislava and Budapest gives you a wonderful
opportunity to spend a weekend.
Where do you see the way to make Brno more open and attractive for foreigners?
From my point of view, the city is not attractive from the first sight to the traveler, and the first impression is usually the most important. For example, the entry point to the city is the "Hlavní nadraží". This place is ugly and dirty, and even after the reconstruction of the station's tower, the façade was painted with a depressing gray color. For me, Brno needs to be attractive for the sight (first time I saw a panelak (a block of flats built in the socialist era) painted in colors, i was amazed).
What is your favorite place in Brno which is really unique?
Without any doubt, any table in any hospoda with a starobrno accompanied by "nakladny hermelin" :)
12 komentářů:
Joder como la flipa el carles!!! ya esta hecho un checo, pero no ha dicho nada de las checas....jajajajja
I don't agree with Carles about the rude waitress, I've been in many restaurants in Brno and the service is good, but of course it always depends on where are you going.Moreover, Valencian people are not the "nicest" people in the world (own experience) so I think you should see more of what you have at home.
Una salutació amics
Xavi
Carles qué envidia por favor!!!! yo también quiero vivir en Brno. Tus respuestas son vyborne, de hecho, me he sentido muy identificada en todas ellas, sobre todo en la última... Sólo un apunte, creo que has olvidado algo: los palacinkys son esenciales para sobrellevar el frío invierno.
Con todas tus magíficas ideas acerca de la imagen de la ciudad te vas a acabar postulando como favorito a alcalde en la ciudad checa, ya lo verás.
Besitos
I agree especially in the point of the waiters' behavior, many of them are really rude even to us, Czech people.
Totally agree.Brno is anti-tourist city,has insufficient touristic attractions,bad touristic marketing,and not very friendly manners. But it has at the same time most of university density in czech republic, very capable medical and trabnsport service. but the spirit of the city is rude, rude manners dominate the city. This is because of Brno suffers from the complex of inferiority because of domination of Prague and is at the same time unable to be better than Prague, although Brno has a good location.
Brno is rude and ugly to all people which differ from others, while in Prague you have to differentiate from others to survive, in Brno you have to be like the others to survive. In Brno, most of people act in groups, never alone, in Prague, you can act as and individual and you are welcome, in Brno you act as individual and you are driven out. It is Brno´s complex of inferiority which dominates the behaviour of these "villagers".
Xavi, you are wrong. Valencians are nice and friendly people in general (speaking from lifelong experience) and if a Valencian says that some waiters in Brno are rude then you can bet it's true. Moreover, I know the Spanish crowd id Brno, those people are very nice and I've experienced rude behavior of Brno waiters and waitresses for no reason myself. Alex
In Brno you can't show your individual face - your difference fro other . otherwise you don 't survive. Brno is a city but with small mind, villager's mind. Brno 's people suffer from being viewed by people of Prague as minor. And their complex of being minor drives Brno 's people to anti-tourist behaviour as they see in every newcomer a Prague's newcomer who tells them their own mistakes,.For this, Brno 's small mind wants to take revenge - Brno ' s mind is so small and a villarers like,
To the previous comment: Such a stupid prejudice...people in Brno are the same like in Prague and other Czech cities, towns and villages. You think you don't find a rude waiter in Prague? You do and pretty many. Most of the people from Brno don't have anything against people from Prague, there are just few stupids who support the hatred between these cities.
mmm I'm so sorry for this guy, but if you want to do a GOOD REAL INTERVIEW take a person between 28 and 32 years old, that has experiences in university plus different years of work in big companies and around the world. In this way you can make a realistic interview!
I'm living in Brno from about 1year and half and I'm working in a big IT company and I'm so sorry to say that czech rep. is not for foreign! Who said "Brno is full of works for foreign"??? Is a big lie, if you don't speak czech you don't have any opportunities, only in IBM, AT&T or Motorola, and the salary start from 20.000czk bruto, that mean less than 1.000euro bruto per month!!! C'mon, it's a f*cking business village still under the comunism!!! People that work here must be THANKFUL to the people that are going in their shop, and they are, yes, but only if you give them BIG tips!!! in another way they are even able to kick you out!!! Czech people are rude, like villains, they have something called "xenophobia" they never had foreign, and after the "fake end" of the comunism they start to have them, and they look at them only like MONEY nothing more! Girls think to find the stupid guy that will give her a better life, guys treat the girls as "object" and never, i repeat NEVER, try to argue about something, somebody will shut you up, because "YOU CANNOT ARGUE!".
Price are going up, for everything, houses, flats, clothes, food, everything, just because of all of the foreign and because czech look at them as $$$ nothing else!
Make a serious interview please!
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE COMMENT BELOW! ECXACT DESCRIPTION OF HOW SMALL TOWN MENTALITY OF BRNO IS ! EXACTLY ! GOOD JOB !
mm I'm so sorry for this guy, but if you want to do a GOOD REAL INTERVIEW take a person between 28 and 32 years old, that has experiences in university plus different years of work in big companies and around the world. In this way you can make a realistic interview!
I'm living in Brno from about 1year and half and I'm working in a big IT company and I'm so sorry to say that czech rep. is not for foreign! Who said "Brno is full of works for foreign"??? Is a big lie, if you don't speak czech you don't have any opportunities, only in IBM, AT&T or Motorola, and the salary start from 20.000czk bruto, that mean less than 1.000euro bruto per month!!! C'mon, it's a f*cking business village still under the comunism!!! People that work here must be THANKFUL to the people that are going in their shop, and they are, yes, but only if you give them BIG tips!!! in another way they are even able to kick you out!!! Czech people are rude, like villains, they have something called "xenophobia" they never had foreign, and after the "fake end" of the comunism they start to have them, and they look at them only like MONEY nothing more! Girls think to find the stupid guy that will give her a better life, guys treat the girls as "object" and never, i repeat NEVER, try to argue about something, somebody will shut you up, because "YOU CANNOT ARGUE!".
Price are going up, for everything, houses, flats, clothes, food, everything, just because of all of the foreign and because czech look at them as $$$ nothing else!
Make a serious interview please!
Yeah, I see that most people here are actually from Prague and act like they are foreign citizens. Come on guys that's what really irritates me, stupid people from Prague always slandering Brno. Brno has many ugly places like any city has and of course also many beautiful places as well. And if there is no inferiority complex, that's just another Prague insult, Brno has tradition of being the capital city of the March of Moravia until the communism come, Brno was official capital city. So there is of course some pride in that and shallow minded people mostly from Prague just cannot recognize that, that's why I don't like them and they don't like us. There is inferiority complex or anything like that at all.
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