adventurings- tales from urban bohemia

Welcome to Adventurings - A blog by Cynthia, an American living in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. travel / recipes / slow + minimalist lifestyle / musings

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Hello Tumblr-based readers! We have moved servers and this blog will no longer be updated on this platform.

Come visit us at adventurings.com to read the current version! (If you don’t see the new version, you may have to clear your cookies)

Thanks for 7+ years, Tumblr & Tumblr readers.

Love, Cynthia

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at summer’s end

it's time for the round-up of that season i hold so dear. watching summer fade at this time every year makes me feel like saying a sad goodbye to a best friend and a "see you next year!"

what did you do this summer?

i spent the first half in south bohemia, went to karlovy vary at the end of the school year, teaching barely over a week of summer camp, then flying to canada and the united states for the other half. we spent a full month in my home state of washington, over a week in michigan, and even a couple days exploring vancouver. it was just about everything i could've hoped for!

it was also my first summer as a gardener on my little plot - it was such a wonderful learning experience (post coming soon!). fortunately a friend of mine was able to look after it while i was gone, because like many of my hobbies which seem like oil and water, gardening and travel do not mix.

what was the one thing you were looking forward to this summer?

time at the sea, eating seafood, spending time with my family, enjoying the beautiful northwest summer.

what did you miss the most this summer?

i wasn't able to catch a couple of friends while in the united states which made me a bit bummed out, especially my friend nikki who was due to give birth from any day at that point and wasn't able to travel at all. i sometimes felt a bit overwhelmed with the social planning and had a bit of anxiety (will these people even want to see me after all this time?). mostly, i've found that this is a stupid thought and i am trying to be better about reaching out. there was a bit of discord with how to communicate with people this year, as i didn't have an american phone number and i've found that my friends back home aren't big on facebook since the whole cambridge analytica thing (even though it is basically essential to communication here in europe).

best breakfast of the summer?

i'm sure i said this last time i was in washington for the summer, but damn, the brunch at señor moose in seattle is always to die for. to say nothing of their horchata lattes.

song of the summer?

"whatever makes you mine", by john van deusen (a high school classmate of mine). we went to see his set at arts festival back in washington last month and hearing this and other songs of his as the sun set over the islands nearly brought me to tears. his new album is excellent.

any festivals, plays, art exhibitions?

i admit this summer wasn't heavy on art (aside from our fantastic film vacation to KVIFF which was great as always), but i had been CRAVING some theater, preferably performed at the community theater in my hometown and we made it to a show the day after i arrived! this is a theater i have spent probably weeks of my life at so it felt really like home being there. i miss theater so much and will have to make a better effort to see more in prague (or elsewhere) when i can.

best day?

there are so many, but one spent with old friends of mine, cruising around the islands, having a charcuterie picnic on the boat while drinking gin and tonics, crabbing and having a messy, smelly dungeness feast, getting to know my dear friend's littles better. perfect weather. this was my northwest day of my dreams.

best drink?

my friend julie introduced me to white claw in seattle as something i had to try. and she was right. if you love flavored seltzers, you're going to eat white claw right up. it was basically the drink of the summer, besides all of the regular flavored seltzers consumed. it sounds really basic to say, but i do miss the ubiquity of seltzer water in the states! (cucumber melon is my favorite) trying to recreate it with sparkling mineral water and add-ins. we’ll see how it goes.

what is something you wanted to accomplish this summer?

besides my first garden, i finally went paddle boarding and just adored it! i always thought i'd be one for water sports, despite having tried very many, but it was so incredibly peaceful and calming. i would really love to go regularly!

favorite garment?

as i was packing for the united states, alex was wondering why i was bringing my favorite slouchy white sweater (above), as it was summer time. well, a) we're going to the northwest and b) then we're going to michigan which has rampant air-conditioning. ...i wore that thing all the time.

best swimming?

we had a great hot summer day at the natural lake-pool in june with a friend and her little one. it was so cool and refreshing and i felt like the entire town of budejovice was there.

what do you wish for next summer?

i honestly don't know this one -- for once, i have no destination in mind and absolutely no inkling. i'd like to have another year of gardening, make at least one camping trip work, and go on a lovely trip with my partner and little dog.

other summer memories...

the time i made us go bowling (we've never bowled together before!). an impromptu slurpee stop at causland park just like being in high school. having to put on my eyeglasses to play mario kart (#washed). a friend traveling almost twelve hours by car (a wrong turn and an unnecessary ferry) to meet us in northern washington! watching the perfect sunset over the island from a rooftop with great company. the best arts festival weekend i've ever had. my favorite KJs (karaoke jockeys) both remembering me after two years. cheered on the mariners and ate crumpets at my favorite seattle cafe. camping two different times! voting in the local primary election “in person”. great meals, BBQs, hours spent chatting with old friends... my heart is so happy.

see ya next year, summer.

did we do any similar activities this year? how was your summer?

ps, past recaps: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

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the difficulty of switching gears

the other day i was running a few errands. picking up some brewing equipment (for what hopefully will be my new everlasting supply of kombucha), stopped at the shopping center to pick up some bottles, then headed back home. a few blocks from my door, we came across a new little hole-in-the-wall greengrocer's and i stopped in and got to chatting with the new owner who had just moved her shop in while i was in the states. she was so welcoming and gregarious, it just made me happy introducing myself to another friendly face in the neighborhood! it couldn’t have come on a more perfect day when i felt like i needed a boost.

as after every trip home, coming to my other home to the czech republic is always a little... funky. it's great to see people again after the long hot summer, and of course, i was so happy to bring myself and all my new home improvement goodies and american food stuffs back to make our home here feel even homier and just relax and cook my own meals again. but, there's a lot of thoughts. i haven't even had a moment to journal yet about all of them, but they are confusing. it would be a lie to say being home reminds me of what life could (sorta) be like for me. of weekly trivia nights that we already felt strongly a part of. singing tunes with my favorite KJs and buds. fifteen minute walks to the lake from my house (!!!). paddle boarding at the beach.

i have fallen out of my routine here, which is both good and bad. it's essential to have a break from such an intensive teaching job that i just would not have the energy to sustain all year round. and we love the travel opportunities that living in the heart of europe brings. but i can't help but think about last summer (in 2018 which i'm calling, "my academic, manic-productivity year") when my own personal studies mattered a lot to me. when i managed to 'vacation' while still studying intensive language and i came back to school feeling absolutely on the top of my game, both personally and professionally.

this past week, the week of supposed "getting back to normal", i feel like i could sink back into an inflatable lounger and keep summering on.

so, there are a few funks to be dealt with as i get back to my routine here - to refocus my brain, turn inward, and pour my energy into other pursuits that don't involve late nights outdoors, reality tv, slightly too frequent lie-ins. 

this past weekend though, things have been looking better; more normal. we took an outdoor excursion in the rain (more in upcoming post), i painstakingly cracked open the old dusty language textbooks and we made a day trip to prague today for an appointment. life has started to sort itself out, which i assumed it would with more responsibility. today’s rainy cool fall weather certainly helped put me in the mood, as well. 

summer, i love you, but here's hoping for a productive and fruitful yet enjoyable autumnal month. anyone else having a few struggles with getting back to things this year? 

ps, don’t forget to take my survey ! thanks, friends.

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the actual 500th post: a look back (& survey)

even though i already celebrated a bit with the wood watch giveaway going on right now (have you entered yet?), you know i have to do a little look back on the blog for my five hundredth post. which is this one. right here.

from the very first post to this one, adventurings has always been an output and record for what happens when two people quit their jobs in the united states, buy a one-way ticket for glasgow, scotland, go on a couple-month long vagabonding adventure (no address! no belongings!) until they wind up in prague, czech republic with no money and ready to study how to make more of that.

those two people who learned how to become teachers and discovered that they really loved it and wanted to keep doing it for longer than a year. who unexpectedly ended up in a small czech city, two hours south of prague and thought they’d stay for a year. maybe they’d like to move to warsaw or santiago and teach there afterwards? (and now they’ve stayed, got a dog and a garden and are going on year seven)

from learning all those peculiarities of moving to a country you don’t speak the language of (not even a bit), and moving to a new city, sight-unseen, there’s been a lot to talk about over the past seven years!

there was 2012-2013 when i dutifully recorded all of our trips and new circumstances....

when we got a visa in bratislava only by the skin of our teeth (and have been lucky ever since!) when we were unemployed in prague and did a scavenger hunt when our decision to move to europe was totally affirmed that several day power outage & all we had was each other

the 2013 is by far the most interesting archive to pick through because it is truly a full year of adjusting to a new country and continent....

to 2014 when i immersed myself in the beautiful expat blogging women community and got more serious about the blog.... and met some lovely friends in budejovice. this was the year we thought we might be leaving the czech republic to try our hand teaching somewhere else...

recording daily life things more often realizing how i’d already changed, or at least what i do differently struggles with budgeting + summer travel still feeling like i am adjusting to life here after how many years

...to 2015 when i think i hit some sort of writing stride and my old posts crack me up... this was the year when we decided we were going to give living in budejovice as a permanent base a big go.

every expat can relate: panic at the supermarket

thoughts before heading to the USA for the first time since the move thoughts after the USA trip and where to go from there the shock of returning from paris after the terrorist attacks

...to about 2016-2017 when i stopped caring about getting serious with the blog and just blog for the joy of it... (i feel like most of the bloggers who lost the original joy of blogging have long since burned out!)

on reacting to political criticism we received when i finally put all my prague recommendations in one spot the realization of achieving your dreams my first and only youtube video (one month in iceland) what i’d learned from years of language learning recreating a decade-old photo in bamberg, germany

...to 2018-2019 when life and social media began getting in the way of blogging, and i had less ‘living abroad’ topics to report on, so i began forging a different path..

navigating the unknown holiday that is the czech “name day”

remembering i’m still not a travel expert and not every trip goes to plan one of my many beloved recipe posts! this one for a wild garlic pesto. nailing down into 11 points why exactly i live in the czech republic having my first every language study holiday in my favorite city meeting my family in the middle of the atlantic for the best trip ever

my posts began to become fewer and further between, but i like to think, more substantial or at least higher quality both in writing and in photography.

this blog has seen me through phases. of being angry with berlin, of loving it again, of making new memories there...

of getting engaged, married, and already celebrating our fourth anniversary....

it's truly been the interaction and community i have found through this little space that has been my favorite part. i have no plans to stop blogging, although i could see in the future switching servers or taking on a new focus, but for now, adventurings is plodding on! the title of this blog really has been about this adventure, whatever shape of form it ended up taking on.

survey

i’d love to hear your voice and what you have liked (or not liked) about adventurings. if you wouldn’t mind taking this little survey (just a couple minutes) it would be really wonderful.

thank you for being there, my friends and readers.

.......

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quiet moments

you know summer holidays are inevitably drawing to a close when you start getting the usual e-mails from parents, inquiring when the first lesson of the school year will be! it’s happening, you guys.

i have had such a lovely summer back home in the united states, though. we’re currently in eastern michigan for our last days, but am already reflecting on what a time it’s been! above, i’m pictured at the american camp beach on san juan island (washington) with my natural camping hair, and i’m kind of digging that vibe. it doesn’t necessarily reflect the attitude of the rest of this post, but i just kind of love it and wanted to stick it here.

these trips home - they’re so much fun but yet so so exhausting. only the expat (or out-of-stater, or immigrant, etc) will know what it’s like to try to fit in a visit with every single person in your life who matters to you in a matter of weeks (or in some cases, days). as if i needed an excuse to read even more, i began taking even more solace in books and reading.

i usually share photos and memories from the entire summer in mid-september as sort of a seasonal wrap-up, but why not put a few here a little early. august has been incredible. we ended july and started august with a bit of camping in a beautiful big bell tent. although we had another stint of camping a couple weeks later, this was just quiet, two-person camping. i pored over a national geographic magazine for two hours sitting in the middle of dense woods by myself as daylight filtered in and out between the leaves and i listened to the birds. that is my idea of camping, these days! what bliss!

the campfire smells, herbal mosquito-repellent oil. combing the forest floor for trinkets, stones, feathers. sea smells at the beach, tide-pooling. getting so much sun my eyes even start to ache and my hands and feet turn brown. driving around, exploring an island i had last been to about a decade ago. animal visitors in the middle of the night (scaring the pee out of you!).

the dance of sun in the tent in the early morning, and wanting to get right outside as to not miss a single minute of that precious summer morning.

the sweet smell of cedar and berries walking through a forest. besides catching the smell of an ocean breeze, i think that is my favorite northwest smell. the smell of home. and who knew one could miss the caw of a gull so much! i did not. the sound of the ferry as the islands zip by on your way home... back to your own island for a reprieve from the sun.

laying on a paddle board, watching the shore go by, spotting jellyfish and kelp. clouds moving in and out.

these are some of the softer, quieter moments of the summer.

my summer has not been only quiet moments, of course. i think most of those moments were quite amplified, really! but it’s nice to come back to the quiet ones when the noise intensifies. 

it’s always tough to see the last days of august (a teacher’s favorite month!) pass by. but man, did we do it the best we knew how this time.

[djseaward]

my beachy summer with JORD watches (giveaway!)

hi friends, are you having a nice summer? truth be told, this was supposed to be my 500th post (it’s actually 498 if you wanna be picky) but life and this trip home sort of got in the way... and it’s not helping that random keys on the computer we brought with us aren’t working. but i digress-- i have a special giveaway for you in line with this big blog milestone. i started adventurings over seven years ago now (this is the first post from 2012!) in preparation for our big adventure -- moving to europe, and we had no idea where and for how long, and i needed a place to keep friends and family updated. and well, since ellen degeneres and all those talk show hosts get special 500 post shows, i figured i should as well. 

i am also so pleased to be collaborating with JORD watches for the occasion. but first-- let’s talk watches for a sec. when i moved to europe, i was sort of anti-watch. that is, until may third, two thousand and thirteen (this date is burned into my mind, for real) when i checked my phone just to see what time it was, then on the way back to my bag dropped it face-down on the pavement. from that point on, i was a watch believer. ain’t nobody need to look at their phone that much just for the time and there are so many watches out there that can really vibe with your personal style!

so, enter JORD watches -- (pronounced yode) a luxury wood watch company out of st. louis that makes their watches using only reclaimed wood in a variety of pretty natural styles and colors for men and women. i’ve been taking their cassia model (in ebony and sable) out for a spin for the past week or two to street festivals, the beach... it does not look bad against a northwest washington shoreline.

anyhow, i am so pleased to announce a $100 giveaway towards any watch in the JORD collection. this giveaway is open internationally (!!!) as they ship free all over the world. 

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED: Thank you & congrats to the winner, Astor K.!

the evening we walked along the beach, i had just heard one of my former high school classmates play an incredible set at a street fair. sitting with a beer, listening to a song he wrote about the time he was on tour in germany and missed fidalgo island. i was listening to this song with tears in my eyes looking out at the islands in the background and smelling that sea air. boy, can i relate! then it was time for a beach walk in the sunset.

i hope i have another washington summer post in store for you soon! (that seems pretty hopeful, doesn’t it?) meanwhile, waste no time in entering and win yourself a pretty wood watch. 

disclaimer: i was kindly gifted a JORD watch for the giveaway.

[djseaward]

isles of lavender

happy august! one of the best months, at least for those of us on a teacher’s school year. we saw in july at the karlovy vary film festival and saw it out sitting around a camp fire deep in the woods of western san juan island, washington.

this year, we’re spending our august in washington state and a bit of michigan near the end there. it has been such a nice and comfortable transition from prague to vancouver to here on fidalgo island (and many areas around the puget sound) for the next few weeks. a bit of a far cry from my study holiday last august (3+ weeks studying intensive german in berlin) to lounging around at the beach, no language books in sight, wondering where my yoga mat is here. (somewhere in the garage, yet to be found). trying instead to harness all of that big vacation energy and stop trying to be so productive all the damn time.

last week i spent a lot of time getting to know san juan island. as it’s a short ferry ride away from my hometown, i had been there loads as a child on school trip or summer sails with my family, but i haven’t yet got to know it on my own terms as an adult -- it’s part of my explore one island, every trip home self-imposed initiative. the first stop after lunch was pelindaba lavender farm -- wonderful to see when the little blooms are all in season and it smells like heaven!

did you know (as well as aroma-therapeutic) lavender is....

antiseptic

anti-inflammatory 

an oil remover (especially in the concentrated, essential oil form)

a potent insect repellent (bugs hate this stuff!)

carminative (gas relieving - drink buds in a tea)

a mild nervine sedative (soothes the nerves and helps put you in a restful state)

edible (but a little goes a long long way!)

at this particular farm, you can pick your own, enjoy lavender refreshments, purchase almost anything with lavender you could ever dream of having, have a picnic and of course, frolic in the fields. if you just stand quietly, you’d undoubtedly notice the hum of hundreds of bumble bees.

who knew that the san juan islands have a perfect climate for this plant? i left full of inspiration to use this potent and fragrant little herb in more of my every day life -- from washing to cleaning. 

i can’t help but be in a really herbie mood lately being here in the northwest for the first time since i started studying herbalism - i feel like a whole new world of plants is around me, even though most wild plants i’ve encountered so far also grow in the czech republic. maybe it’s something special about experiencing the difference in habitat and climate and how that affects the ideal growing conditions. 

on a different note, my 500th post is nearing and i do have a special post lined up for you in celebration, likely some time within the next week! watch this space, and i’ll see you soon.

[djseaward]

july, lately

at the beginning of the month, we returned from vary and i dove headlong into a one month yoga challenge with yoga glo* (#globlockparty !) with my newfound free time, as well as seeing what delicious meals i could cook up from our july vegetable box and visits to the farmer’s market.

right now in south bohemia, apricots and cherries are still having their day, whereas it’s just starting to be berry season -- bilberries have been sighted out in force and the season’s first blackberries, as well. i feel it’s a bit too early for blackberries -- i’m holding out for some august washington berries, myself. they gonna be good.

then summer camp started, and ohhh lordy, it was a year like never before. much less stressful than last year when we were in the thick of our visa troubles, but this year, we had different struggles. one by one, our campers were coming down with a mysterious stomach bug. by the end of the week, campers were falling away left and right (with a few unfortunate episodes involving transportation and mass sickness which i shall not regale you with in detail). the funny thing was, our theme this year was “survivor”. sometimes life is stranger than fiction.

the sunday before our next week of camp, i started coming down with the bug and had to sit out a bit of the next week to recover. i’m just so glad our plague never reached the week two campers and that i was the only instructor to fall ill. it could have been far worse.

even with illness hanging over the middle of july (fever + july heat = nope), we still had some beautiful times, especially on the river with the children in nearby český krumlov. we took these big wooden log rafts from voroplavba that come manned with oarsmen and guides. it was such a cool and unique way to see the town that made me kick myself for not having taken to the water there earlier! 

honestly, krumlov gets a bit of a bad rap these days for the amount of tourists snaking through its thoroughfares. however, if you know where to go and which streets to avoid (there are only a few!), you can still enjoy krumlov like a local and find some really beautiful, lesser-trampled places. it really made me think of it in a new way. 

(above -- not a bad place to sit and have a cappuccino, right?)

we are getting ready to head to north america here in a few days and will be home enjoying a washington and michigan summer until september, however fear not, i will have some posts and photos coming in the meantime, including, adventurings’ big 500 post... post! 

what am i looking forward to? revisiting vancouver (haven’t been in nearly a decade!), beach walks every day, forest bluff walks as the sun sets every evening, the smell of cedar, warm ripening berries, island life, that sea smell, street fairs, being with family and dear friends, all the seafood, lake swims, thrift-shopping, pints of ale with fish and chips... i couldn’t be more ready at this point.

have a beautiful rest of july and i’ll see you in august!

* if anyone wants to try a class of the challenge, please let me know and possibly i can send you one.

[djseaward]

festival magic + my top 5 films seen at this year’s KVIFF

ahoj all, i’ve been in the middle of summer camps (sotiredomg) just wanted to pop in after our annual trip to karlovy vary for the film festival. even if it took me all dang week to finish this post.

in case you’re new around here: hi, i’m cynthia and i like to have film festival vacations in beautiful hilly spa towns where we get up at 6am to go stand in box office queues!

joking aside, we're getting into a real routine when it comes to this festival, but the most notable change this year is when we arrived to the box office on thursday shortly after getting in, we bought our friday tickets and then were asked if we would like to also purchase saturday tickets as well. normally this does not happen, as you're only allowed to buy tickets for that day and the next, but thanks to this little change, we had only two early mornings of queuing! it was incredible. lots of sleep, a good amount of relaxation.

this year was a little different too as we both agreed to only see three films a day instead of four or even five. i know this might seem like crazy talk to anyone who has not attended a film festival, but when our vacation is solely based around going to the festival... you see movies. i have found, however, that more than three films a day is too much. even though you might have the time in your schedule, by the fourth movie you're just sort of ready to go home and also not very able to synthesize and think and discuss the films. (the same reason why i never binge-watch tv shows)

so, three films a day it was. another change that we just figured out and will implement next time is actually spreading those three films over the entire day rather than watching the films, for example: at 13:00, then 16:00, and finally 19:00. this was our schedule for about two days of the festival and even though we had the morning to relax, it was rather difficult finding the time to power-walk across town to the next theater or barely having time to even grab a sandwich on the way.

every year gets more and more laid-back, and learning these little tweaks make it all the more enjoyable. besides the films themselves, i enjoyed (as ever!) trying all the different waters from the various prameny (springs) with my little ceramic sippy-cup (very characteristic of the spa-triangle region of the czech republic). on the hottest day of the year so far, sunday the 30th, we took a lovely walk in the forest south of the city right after buying our tickets that morning and it was such a nice way to have a break from sitting in the kino. we walked along a trail called the goethova stezka, and it was just really lovely. there are just countless trails around karlovy vary and i love exploring a new area every year.

i also really enjoyed the photography exhibition on the first floor of hotel thermal, hanging out at the various pop-up lounges (like the mall.cz and ceska televize zones), and seeing my picture in the festival denik newspaper (above) one morning. who would've thunk. my biggest twitter moment since the time that michael b. jordan retweeted me. just let me bask in my fame... for one more minute. (megan rapinoe pose)

on the last night in vary after we got out of our last screening (a new german film, systemsprenger) at národní dům, we walked back from masaryka street towards our flat near karlovy vary theater and the sky was just the most beautiful rosy, peachy hue. it was like magic was blanketing the city - so romantic. we found a wine bar nestled in a little alley and toasted to the start of july with glasses of prosecco. it seemed like one of those "european magic" moments, the sort of moment i remember from before i moved to europe. the sort of situation that makes you want to live there. a great end to a great festival.

lunch of the festival: one of the bowls from lékárna (above), all the way up at masaryka 47 . after male bistro apparently closed earlier this year and baguette boulevard has long left the vary scene (sniffle), my tummy was aching for some veggie-friendly health food and lékárna certainly filled the void. the spicy chickpea bowl with their house tahini, veggies and other deliciousness kept me going through a long travel day.

without any further ado, my top five films seen! i can highly recommend any one of these films if you get the chance to see them in the next year...

5) jan palach (2018, czech republic)

i feel like this film is basically a must-see especially for foreigners living in the czech republic who require a bit more background to fully take in what happened with jan palach during the prague spring (soviet invasion) of 1968. was very cool to get to see the cast and crew of the film as well at this screening.

  4) a white, white day (2019, iceland)

if you have seen any icelandic films, you would know the brilliant ingvar sigurdsson (above) who kills it in this film like all the rest. the story takes place in a remote icelandic town - deals with love, loss, stages of grieving, pain manifesting in anger and destruction, and more. it’s got to be the best icelandic film of the  year. the little girl who plays the granddaughter really makes the film, as well.

3) stitches (2019, serbia)

did you know that between the 1970′s and now, serbia has been dealing with a newborn-kidnapping crisis?  this conspiracy (who is doing this?!) that the government would rather like to keep under wraps has been surfacing in recent years, and that’s generally what this movie is about: a mother (a seamstress) who will stop at nothing to find her kidnapped son, stolen from her at birth and sold to another couple by hospital personnel eighteen years before. it starts slow but certainly builds and has you hanging on every moment.

2) monos (2019, columbia)

i had a hunch this film would be good and it surpassed even my high expectations. basically, it’s a loose lord of the flies scenario: eight kids, conscripted into the military are holding court on a stunning mountaintop living a life virtually away from all adults and are expected to watch over one milk cow... and one hostage: a forty-something american doctor. i don’t know what else to tell you about this one besides just “see it”, it’s brilliant and nearly devoid of flaws.

1) parasite (2019, south korea)

another banger from bong joon-ho (did we actually expect anything else?) of previous films like the host, snowpiercer, and 2017′s okja. parasite somehow manages to be even more epic than those three. the director himself even stated that the less information you have going into the screening, the better and i’d have to agree, but prepare for what is a drama, thriller and comedy all in one. it premiered at cannes this year and won the palme d’or so that’s sort of saying something. look out for this one!

see you next year, karlovy vary! and see the rest of you next week.

ps, past KVIFF accounts can all be seen here! it’s a lifestyle.

[djseaward]

the villages of the drôme provençale

this summer heat has got me thinking about one year ago on our holiday in provence. i wrote a little bit about the stay at our cottage in the drôme region and a day in arles, but nothing much about the many, many provençal villages we visited.  the most known area of provence is perhaps the luberon, thanks to the popularity of a year in provence by peter mayle (a book which i highly, highly recommend if you’re going to provence at all), but we ended up staying in the northern drôme (southeastern france about halfway between marseilles and lyon) which was even more beautiful than i ever could have imagined.

every day we would visit one of the villages around us, once on foot but usually by car, as the only village close enough to walk to on foot was roussas. that was the first village we visited, and oh, what a beauty she is. on top of a hill, there isn't much in roussas except for residences but the views were absolutely fantastic -- lavender fields, vineyards and rolling hills as far as the eye could see.

then there was grignan -- the nearest town to us and even more of a beauty! on the approach, you can't help but notice the castle perched on a hill, surrounded by lavender fields. incredible. we hadn't even planned this, it's just that the northern drôme provençale is just that good. the first time we went into grignan, we drove right in to the town center. it was quite funny because this was alex's first real "european driving experience". by that i mean the real, old-world europe -- tiny, cobblestone streets, minuscule parking spots.

i read him the GPS instructions: "go straight, i guess". "like, straight into here?" [the most compact, cobblestone lane you could imagine] "...it seems that way".

we popped in just to ask for some tourist information at the TI, and were taken aback that we could barely communicate in english with them. i really am not being one those tourists that tries to get by with english everywhere, but you'd think... just maybe... at a tourist office? not really in the rural drôme! it was the first indication of many that this region was typically touristed by french only.

grignan is a delightful place to wander the streets and take in a lunch at a pizzeria. i can never forget the feeling of the bright hot heat, tucking into a table in the shadows, ferdie sleeping underneath the table, and repeat. very often, we prepared meals at our cottage, but i definitely wanted to have a few dining experiences out.

there were countless other villages that we popped into, parked at their square and strolled around a bit. i wouldn't even know their names, just that they looked nice from afar, so why not?

there was the morning we went to saint-paul-trois-châteaux because we were waiting for ferdie's procedure at the vet's. (more on that at this post) we hadn’t even intended to come here, but the fact that we had business there gave us a great reason to get gelato and wander the streets to the town center, as charming as any other.

later that same afternoon, we drove just a little to get to nyons, probably about 45 minutes east of where we were staying, and had a lovely time getting to know the olive oil capital of france! (and of course, a stop by the olive cooperative to pick up some very necessary souvenirs, like the most extra extra virgin olive oil you ever did taste and some soap, some olives for mum)

{salade niçoise, when in provence....}

nyons surprised me with its absolutely gorgeous river; the color, stunning, making me wish i had my swimsuit like the other more fortunate people on this broiling hot late june day. we walked around with our drugged dog, taking lunch at the most inviting cafe on a small square.

after awhile, a man leaned over and remarked about our dog: "he is very quiet, no?" "well, you see, he's a bit ...drugged....."

really great way to meet friends!

all in all, the feelings and sensations i remember the most about our summer in the drôme provençale: white hot heat. the joy of fresh apricot juice. the smell of rosemary in the evenings and early mornings. belgian beers. the clink of the pétanque balls. the sight of tiny but growing figs, which i had never seen before. cacti. orange poppies, swaying in the mistral breeze. cheese, bread, salami, SO MUCH BREAD. world cup matches on tv. sitting at a table on a light stone sidewalk, always with a dog under the table. icy cold rosé.

how does every stinking village look this stupidly beautiful?

it was simply one of the best vacations i've ever taken. i already can't wait to explore more of france! although the cities can be fun, the countryside is where i'll remain!

we’re about to go on a little film festival holiday ourselves -- catch you later next week! 

ps, more provence posts? check out the first post and our little cottage or one day in arles.

[djseaward]

prague | 24 hours in holešovice

last month we were in prague for a concert and ended up staying in holešovice, simply because the cheapest private accommodation available was there. and not only in holešovice (which is a large swath of prague 7 that sort of encircles prague's bubny train station), but east holešovice. i go there whenever i visit the DOX museum, but industrial east holešovice does not seem to be a favorite area of praguers. i asked a couple that i knew, "hey! where do you like to go in east holešovice?"  

"um........" "i mean, pražská tržnice is there. and so is cafe jedna. right?" "......can't you just go to letná?"

the letná side of holešovice (west holešovice), enjoying a much less isolated location west of bubny station is far more up-and-coming than the hard-to-reach east side. i received loads of recommendations there. but poor eastern holešovice....

it doesn't quite have the savoir-faire of its western counterpart, but aside from a mandatory visit to the fantastic DOX, there is still goodness to be found in eastern holešovice. brilliantly accessible thanks to the nádraží holešovice (train station), within a few blocks opens onto lovely ortenovo náměstí which has a park of european-capital caliber, enjoyable for both adults and kiddos with a great playground. the legendary sir toby's hostel is also in this neighborhood, and has a great bar and terrace area, popular with expats and travelers for its programs in english.

south of here if you want to stroll down komunardů (busy street running north-south), you can actually find a lot while feeling like you’re in a smaller czech town or neighborhood and not in the busy capital. phill’s cafe branches right around the corner of přístavní seem alive and well, and a little further down you'll find bistro lovely day, where we had brunch on their nice terrace the next morning. the perfect kind of fuel you need before getting on a train, and at a nice price point, to boot (highly recommended - i mean, look at this spread; it’s killer).

but as we arrived the day before, we needed some sort of quick and cheap refreshment. that led us down to the strange, almost military complex of barracks that make up prague's tržnice (market). as well as holding events (like the coffee festival we went to years ago), you can also find some pretty decent vietnamese food. 

after a bowl of bun chay at tràng an on their covered terrace, i was feeling far more refreshed and ready to get on with the beautiful afternoon. it’s funny that even sitting outside at a vietnamese restaurant, you are facing a world war one memorial. history is everywhere in prague, no matter how unlikely the location.

this past may had been quite cold and rainy -- very unlike may in central europe, but this weekend in the middle of the month we found beautiful temperatures around 20°C which simply demanded a park visit. we strolled around bubny to northern letná to the eastern-most entrance of stromovka park. we have a stromovka park (popular name) in budejovice as well, but this stromovka -- it is the park of prague. although there are plenty, none were as stunning as this park. we came to a vista looking down northwards to all that the park held -- man-made ponds, picnic and sport areas galore, ice cream trucks, brightly colored tropical flowers -- this was simply a pražký ráj (prague paradise), we dubbed it.

wandering this massive park was the perfect fair weather prague activity to do with pejsek in tow! and gosh, is there really anywhere else in prague you would rather be on a fantastic spring day such as that one?

after what seemed like hours, we crawled out in search of sustenance. although we met many tempting little cafes and bistros lining the letna outer boundaries of the park, we finally settled on a recommendation of a friend, salt n pepa cafe. choosing a non-ethnic restaurant in the czech republic in any given area is typically not the easiest task for us. as neither of us are going to order a meat dish, we need to make sure that the restaurant can offer some solid fare for all involved. although i probably won't go out of my way to come back, salt n pepa kitchen offered inventive fare that will please the meat-lovers as well as the veggie folks.  i had a roast aubergine, drizzled with a tahini sauce served with a tabouleh salad, which made for a satisfying light dinner.

there are countless other interesting restaurants and bistros in the area, though. it was a refreshing area of prague to hang in as it definitely wasn't very touristy, and still offered a vibe similar to a lot of prague 2, in my opinion. the church at strossmayerovo náměstí (called the church of st. anthony of padua) even gave me major týn church vibes (see top photo). who needs old town square when you've got letna/holesovice? really, now?

it is also worth a mention of a little tiny district called malý berlin (little berlin) which caught my eye on a map, so naturally, i had to go there and see just what made it berlinsich. it’s a pretty small area, actually -- about a two by four block area north of and around veletržní street, just west of bubny train station and just north of my favorite prague cafe.

i didn’t feel that it bore any physical resemblance to berlin, but later i’ve come to find out, malý berlin is named so as it was traditionally home to a large german population in the late 19th and early 20th century (before the second world war). there is a pretty interesting page about it from the city of prague (czech language only).

later, i realized we spent almost the whole weekend in holešovice without setting foot across the river. just goes to show you don't need to cross the vltava to have a great time in prague.

happy summer time to you all! i hope you enjoy these lightest days to the fullest - whatever that means for you. i’ll be seeking out all the outdoor time i can (in between the predicted thunderstorms and showers).

ps, you might like a winter holešovice day or cafes i love: kavárna liberál.

[djseaward]

a spring wander around brixton, london

what is it about blogging, lately? i have a theory that other forms of social media is slowly killing off blogging (do you agree?) and i am taking staunch measures to prevent this, at least for myself. in the past, if i haven’t written, it meant i couldn’t think of anything to say. nowadays, over six and a half years into my life abroad, if i don’t write, i’m too busy with life or my personal studies (language or herbalism). 

but! i can’t let spring fade sweetly into warm, sun-drenched summer without talking a little tiny bit more about our spring day out in brixton at the end of april. and boy, do i hate writing about things that happened over a month ago, but i will try to not let that happen again.

we started off that sunday morning wandering from clapham north where we’d stayed westward over into the colorful district of brixton (did you know it is the birthplace of david bowie?). apparently there is a pedestrian bridge there that we only discovered once we got there... but if we had found that, we wouldn’t have stumbled upon funchal bakery on stockwell road, this delightful portuguese cafe with the most delicious baked goods this side of porto. we munched on pastéis de nata and bolos de arroz while we noticed that we were the only ones in the cafe who ordered in english. while sipping our mochas, i was distracted by watching our american president on a portuguese news channel. london, man. that was a weird place to find oneself.

as soon as we’d passed the murals, we knew we were there. there was a lovely farmer’s market going on where i basically just strolled and felt like weeping for what glorious produce these londoners have access to. lots of families and locals were in their sunday best, perhaps ready for church.

we walked down to the charming square where ritzy cinema is. this cinema! what a beauty! apparently it was one of the first in london, and it sort of looks like it was. we were very charmed by it. if i were staying longer, i’d definitely want to catch a flick.

we found a tesco and waited until it opened at 10am with, like, twenty other people which i thought was a funny locals’ experience. but you know, i just really wanted to do some shopping.

eventually, we circled on back towards the center of brixton towards brixton market, which is just this huge, sprawling complex near electric avenue (you know, that one song -- welcome to electric avenue?). so many food stalls and shops - how could you ever choose? but i had one idea in mind: i wasn’t leaving brixton without some authentic jamaican food. we found all that and more at fish, wings and tings which i can highly recommend but spicy alert! 

although i don’t think you could go wrong with any of these eateries in brixton village, we thoroughly enjoyed the international flavor (and the jerk chicken) here! i mean, what’s supposed to be the most authentic food outside of the west indies, we couldn’t exactly pass that up.

then it was on with the rest of our day - the day of the london marathon and our last full day in the city. i had some more shopping to take care of, as much residential wandering as i could fit in (we saw plenty of foxes in clapham!), and people watching and a pint of ale at a pub. i definitely would say we made the most of that weekend, and i already look forward to returning. once again, it bears repeating: london is a fascinating city to wander around in, and i liked the colorful and very diverse local working-class color of these south london neighborhoods like clapham and brixton. it was so refreshing after being in the city of westminster, which of course, has its own merits, but you know.

have you ventured down to brixton? what is your favorite neighborhood in london?

[djseaward]

travel, living abroad, and a more ecological lifestyle.

travel + an ecological lifestyle -- can these two things belong together?

it's a hard thing to reconcile for any traveler - how to lessen your personal impact and be a more responsible traveler? there's carbon offsets you can purchase, either as you make your flight purchase or separately from a few different organizations. there’s booking a trip from a company with a ecologically-responsible policy. (in the past week, rick steves just announced all his tours will be certified carbon neutral) there's opting to take the bus or train more vs. flying. we live without a car here and do almost all of our errands on foot (including grocery shops, hoofing it over a mile there and back to the store) which i’m considering as my personal carbon offset.

but sometimes, the culture of the place you reach (whether to travel or live in) teaches you much more about living more ecologically-consciously.

living in the czech republic has been one such experience for me. 

there are uncountable ways that us americans have felt wasteful in the process of becoming more acclimated here. maybe the times alex had the lights on in his classroom during the afternoon and a teacher would come stick her head in, turn off the lights, and then leave again. (sends a message though, doesn't it?)

the insistence of my workplace on unplugging all appliances when not in use is something i have taken notice of. the reassurance from my students that, yes, it is actually light enough in here and we probably don't need to turn on the lights. (so halfway through the lesson i flip out because i can't deal with the darkness)

my biggest realization came last summer when alex told me that he was told by our landlords that our flat (one of maybe six or so in the building) uses the most water than any other flat. us -- we are only two people! what? how embarrassing.

i have long felt strongly about water conservation, but man, that was absolutely appalling. i had no idea how and why that had happened (alex has since cut back on twenty minute showers).

these days i'm as conservative with water as ever. some might say bordering on obsessive. but it’s such a precious resource that we don’t have finite amounts of, even though it may not seem that way. here's some little things i do personally....

- when running the tap waiting for the shower to heat up, catching all of that "waiting water" in a bucket and using it to water plants. - washing hair less frequently than in the past (cuts down on shower time). - giving the dog water from guests' undrunk glasses of water - when i remember, a bucket of water outside in the rain - a gutter/eavestrough / rain barrel system in the garden - an ingenious way to make use of rain water for plants! - saving unsalted, cooled pasta water for watering plants (apparently,  cooking water even adds valuable minerals) - doing fewer loads of laundry - re-wearing some clothing, such as shirts and trousers if possible (anything that smells "off" or is visibly dirty though, into the basket)

basically, when you pour any water down the drain, ask yourself - why? is there another option?

i am no stranger to five minute showers since college, so that isn't an issue, but it's amazing how many things you can do. living in a culture amongst friends, colleagues and neighbors that are also very conservative definitely helps. we’ve seen what people do and kept asking why? to keep asking about these things that are unknown for us, to take this knowledge with us into the future, no matter where we live.

adopting a new cultural perspective and seeing what the locals do in terms of conservation of resources has really been enriching. i think that’s what travel and living abroad are really about, in a sense -- to learn from your hosts and to continue this self-improvement.

has travel or life in another country ever prompted you to change a habit to become more environmental?

this post is a part of the june travel link-up.

[djseaward]

herbalist in training

i don't know what it is about herbalism that initially appealed to me. maybe it was the resourcefulness, learning about the plants already growing around you, what medicinal properties they have, how plants can help heal your body. maybe it's that i didn't have a garden and the idea of wildcrafting and foraging seemed really accessible (also, free!!!). i think a combination of all these things, but when a friend referred me to some local herbalism workshops, i got really into them.

so much so that i decided to enroll in my first herbalism course, which i took online from the herbal academy over the past year and have just recently earned my introductory certificate last month. i never grew up with anyone teaching me about gardening, cooking, plants, or anything like that (however, i do know how to knit a scarf and sew my own clothes, so there's that!). self-sufficiency, frugality and resourcefulness are all topics that heavily call to me... and i like a challenge. so even if i have to teach myself, i am on the road to herbal and plant knowledge. courses are also a great way to test the waters; just see how it goes and if it sparks anything deeper inside.

going to the workshops was a great companion and meeting my other "herbie homies" in the area.

an important area of my studies was creating a materia medica: essentially, a plant journal with extensive notes on each species to record my experiences with a plant as i get to know it more. i love that this sort of thing is so much a journey.

when you study herbs and plant life, you notice that when you go out on walks in the countryside, your eyes which used to be looking around you are now glued to the ground! but it's made walks so much more fun. like a treasure hunt every time.

i've made some cool crafts so far -- one tincture, two healing salves (with assistance) which i use all the time, several tea blends (sort of my jam), several infused oils, lots of dandelion leaf salads and nettle infusions. it's amazing the healthful plants you can find just growing out in the wild that you can gather (respectfully) instead of buy. that is something i absolutely love.

my newest creation -- this spring weedy tea blend contains all sorts of healthful herbs that is perfect for this time of year - very detoxifying and also helps with spring allergies thanks to the stinging nettle leaf and its antihistamine properties. this is my second herbal tea blend i've made, but already i feel like this may be my calling/side project. what do you think? would you ever considering purchasing tea (from moi) containing wild herbs from the czech countryside? (love how the red clover petals add a bit of color to the otherwise several shades of green mix)

but now, a new leaf has turned over (pun sort of intended) for my plant journey as this spring, i have use of my very own garden plot, as i mentioned in the last post. i told myself that, if i make it through all the visa stress from last year unscathed and get to continue to live here, i want to get an allotment or plot of some kind. although allotment hasn't worked out yet ('cause boy, those things are in large demand!), i've got my own little space nearby that i can go to and work on whenever i want. that is huge for me! after years and years of mostly unsuccessful container gardening (no thanks to a lack of sunlight and aphids), i'm in the slightly bigger leagues now.

we'll see how that pans out! after all, i have a lot to learn, but the best way to learn is simply to do it. no one learned anything just talking about it from the comfort of an armchair.

do you do any planting or gardening? would you like to see more content about herbs and plants on adventurings?

[djseaward]

may, lately

hey, it's may! may sure starts quiet slow and cool but boy does it ramp up quickly! especially when you live in the czech republic which has a holiday two weeks in a row. i don't know about you guys, but i can already feel the slowing of the school year and delighting in the approach of the second half of spring (the better half).

here are some things that have been making me smile lately...

our hiking holiday at the end of april really got the spring/warm weather mood going! i posted the above photo in that particular post but it’s just too darned cute not to share again.

london only a week later was a whirlwind of delicious food, city walking, top-notch music and all the makings of a perfectly memorable weekend. i have another london post in the works - there’s more i have to get off my mind before the memory starts slowly dissipating - you know how that is.

last week, i celebrated my birthday and it was pretty lush. i slept in, alex made me fluffy american-style pancakes, then we went to český krumlov to check out what was going on at the egon schiele centrum, my favorite art museum. we gazed at the interesting paintings, then went and had a picnic in the park behind the castle (below) which is extremely idyllic as well as quiet and devoid of tourists, and continued our talk about what we saw at the museum. later back in budejovice, we went out for a chill dinner and sat outside, watching the canal and some older gentlemen fishing from their bicycles (fascinating) and had a little party in the evening. i'm now in that post-birthday happy/grateful phase - it was a relaxed but such a nice day.

i've started gardening at my new garden plot! i spent a few hours this and last friday weeding half of the bed and planted some tomatoes and pumpkins, today some greens seedlings. i can't overstate how much having a garden (my first plot) means to me. i have balcony and windowsill gardened for a few years now and although it's been alright, i haven't done well outside of the herbs and flowers department. so now that i've got my permanent residence and worked up the resolve to make it happen (thanks in part to two lovely friends for making it possible!), i am ready to see what this first-time plot gardener bringing in loads of fresh can-do energy will yield come summer. i'll surely update you on the progress as the summer goes on.

(nothing much to see here -- the state of things as i left it day one, only tomatoes and pumpkins in the ground)

it’s also been fun watching my second eurovision - if you have never seen it, it’s a long-running europe-wide song contest: three minutes of the most over-the-top pop song performances you can think of. this year i am extra stoked as one of my favorite icelandic bands hatari is competing in the finals! i probably won’t be watching the finals live as i’ve got concert tickets for that very evening... but a belated watching will be necessary. 

also trying all the natural and herbal remedies as my several year old allergy meds kicking around are probably expired and i don’t yet feel like going to the lékárna for more. tried the extremely local honey method which may have worked... already allergies are far better than yesterday, so (shrug). also drinking a tea blend i mixed up containing stinging nettle leaf as that may also help.

and that’s about it for this friday! the weather should be great this weekend so we’re off to prague for some music, good eats, and spring in the big city vibes. hope all is well and happy weekend, friends.

[djseaward]

walking london + the afternoon tea bus tour

i don't really ever go on those "weekend away" trips everyone talks about when they move to europe. well at least, not of the kind with an airplane. flying is a much bigger "to-do" than the ever-convenient train, and when you live in the center of europe, it's easier to get almost everywhere by train... except great britain.

but a couple weekends ago, i did! it felt really fancy! 

i went to london, mainly with the intent of seeing a band i love so much i'd fly for-- which i could write a whole post about in and of itself as it was incredible--  but all the other in-between stuff was so much fun - it was the absolute perfect mix of touristy things and local things. the latter was helped a lot because we stayed in clapham in south london. when i thought about the concept of "south london" before, having been there only twice, i thought of some spot really quite far away from the thames and the city center, but that just isn't true! on our first morning, we were up early boosted by the one hour time difference and ready to go walking!

man, i love walking a city, especially one like london. and it was surprising to me that we walked from clapham north to victoria in less than an hour. bam. south london really isn't that... south. well, not in clapham, anyway. 

it was really important just to walk as much as possible that weekend because it's the single best way to help put together that city map in your head than if you just took the tube or other transport. i need to walk. i need to gape at all of the (exotic to me, living in the czech republic for six and a half years) adorable english houses. (really, i could walk for hours in london just up and down rows of houses) i need to smell the flowers, get tree particles stuck in my hair as i get ready to walk across the chelsea bridge. i need to poke my nose into a greggs and giggle at the name "ladbrokes" for a betting joint, because gosh, doesn't that seem just really ironic of a name?

our entire walk that day was clapham --> battersea --> chelsea --> victoria --> past westminster abbey --> up to soho and carnaby street. who says london is too big? i firmly now believe you don’t know big unless you’ve walked all day across berlin.

so now we're coming to the beef of this post which is the internet-famous brigit's bakery afternoon tea bus tour. i saw this on a blog years and years ago and mentally filed it away. it did not matter that i had ridden a red double-decker bus all over the city on both of my prior trips. no, this did not matter, because i had not yet done this while enjoying delicious sandwiches, cakes and tea.

so this post is also for those people out there who are like, "is it really worth it?" yes, the bbakery tour is expensive. yes, you may have already ridden a red double-decker bus around london. sure, it’s a tad touristy.

but you know what you also are doing? HAVING THE BEST HOUR AND A HALF IN LONDON, full stop.

the guides were so upbeat and fun, the music was good (the beatles! george michael! etc) the food offerings were absolutely delicious (still dreaming about some of those cakes, and my oh my, the scones!) and i thought it was a brilliant way to get reacquainted with this city after over six years since my last visit. and man, have i read a lot of travel blogs since then so boy, i was ready to go. i can highly, highly recommend this tour which would be perfect for a girls trip or get-together of any kind, even though it was also acceptable by the boys. would even do it again someday, probably.

one of my favorite moments actually occurred before the trip departed -- we were all waiting around at one gate at the victoria coach station where departures to other normal places were being announced on the intercom. but then -- "we're getting ready to board the AFTERNOON TEA BUS TOUR!" about ten women "woo"ed. it was so funny to have this situation amongst all the normies boarding their normcore buses to normal places.

for my london-based friends, it is my only regret that i didn’t have enough time this trip to meet with anyone or our schedules didn’t match up quite well, but i look forward to seeing you next time around!

another london-ish post coming soon, just because i feel like it and it was fabulous.

[djseaward]

find your spring bliss {south bohemia easter hiking weekend}

hi all, i hope you had a nice easter!

it's our tradition to go on a trip every easter (as here in the czech republic, we have a nice long four day weekend -- five if you're lucky!) and as this year it fell deliciously late into the season, we opted for another countryside hiking trip. last year's trip was much too cold and bleak, and this year, all i wanted was sun and relaxation with a bit of hiking, which led us to the czech/austrian borderlands, basing ourselves in vyšší brod, a kilometer or two from the border.

we had been to vyšší brod once before as we started our hike to rožmberk nad vltavou from there and it really is an ideal place to base yourself for a hiking or biking holiday... or even just to luxuriate in a sweet little czech town. one thing i didn't expect about the town, having been there and all,  was that although obviously in the czech republic, this town may as well be also austrian. i mean, it was one country about a hundred years ago! it felt like one of those international spaces, like an airport or something where you're not sure where you actually are. the majority of people we came across were austrians, and many restaurants come with "austrian prices" -- not so nice when you've come to a small czech town expecting czech town prices!

fortunately vyšší brod has everything going for it. it's incredibly romantic and idyllic, nestled in a little valley area so close to austria you can see the windmills in the distance -- something you'd never see on czech land. there's a running monastery to stroll around, picturesque pastures, a nice little square, a sweet little slice of the vltava river cutting through it (this town is sort of a mecca for boating) and gorgeous landscapes.

the first day we opted for a hike from lipno nad vltavou to vyšší brod -- a hike i thought was going to take 12 km until it ended up taking 18 km! it was a great way to really get back into hiking after the winter and really nice to cruise through the dry pine forests smelling deliciously woodsy, but we were woefully under prepared for 18km/11 miles of trail. there weren't any water sources until we were almost to our destination and we were thirsty! i forgot to bring a first-aid kit, which would've helped after being brutally shanked by a tree branch (nasty little suckers). let's just say there are a lot of things i'm writing down in my notebook for next time, but there were some great views, especially those above lipno lake. the area is remarkable for its rock formations, like vykle stilka, one of them which you can see below. also, you can always tell it’s austria because of the wind turbines!

on easter sunday after a grueling hike the day before, we just wanted to (mostly) chill. after breakfast, we took a light hike on the opatská stezka - a light trail extending from vyšší brod to the sv. wolfgang waterfall -- the whole trek which seemed utterly out of a fairy-tale, and the beautiful warm weather (but yet, the cooling refreshment of the forest and rushing water). i can highly recommend this short and sweet little hike.

i also remembered my bag, gloves and scissors this time (forager's toolkit) and gathered some nettles and dandelion leaves, and unexpectedly, some coltsfoot flowers.

my favorite moments of the whole weekend, to be real with you, were those spent in the little garden of our pension. i grew up with a giant backyard and it seemed strange not to spend at least a little time every fair-weather day out there. cut to now. i feel lucky to have a balcony at my flat (#balconylife, #tinygarden and all that) but i so relish anytime spent laying out or sitting in the sun, toes in the grass, birds singing, sun on my face, new freckles on my nose. i spent over two hours on easter afternoon soaking it up and it's funny but it really was my favorite moment of the whole weekend -- to be alone in this garden!  all the other pension guests had checked out, so this old czech estate and surrounding area was mine for that time. later after dinner we came back and opened a special bottle of wine from the winery down the road from our cottage last summer in provence. the vltava was rushing, the sky growing increasingly dusky but too early for any pesky insects.

spring bliss!

we're headed off to london this weekend for an ever-so-quick getaway, so the spring whirlwind of excitement continues. hope you have a beautiful weekend! will be a rainy one here in europe, but the plants and earth could use it, i have to admit.

ps, past easter trips throughout the year found here.