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Week 27 & 28 of 2024 (In Review) – Karlovy Vary Film Festival with a Two-Year-Old & Dog
A few weeks ago the 58th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival that takes place every year at the beginning of July, always encompassing the July 5th and 6th holidays here in the Czech Republic. We first went to this festival over ten years ago and this time was our seventh festival! Most years we make it into a little end-of-school-year holiday in the most beautiful place in the entire Czech Republic. A film festival holiday may not appeal to some but as I have a long history of working with SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival), there is almost nothing better to me than getting totally immersed in…
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the vary many ways that i love you
at some point, going to the karlovy vary international film festival year became more than just a one year thing. now, after four years, it has become basically mandatory for us and one of my most favorite summer getaways. since i’ve never been to karlovy vary while the festival hasn’t been on (except for the day before and after which are always a bit sad, really), i am honestly not sure if i’d like to visit during the rest of the year. i’m not sure i’d like one without the other. what is the festival without vary, and what is vary without the festival? i love the buzzing streets, how…
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dispatches from vary
karlovy vary film festival – the stretch of days that threatens to consume and swallow you whole, deep in the mire of film viewing where you might never crawl back out again! in the best way possible. in any case, it was our third year at our favorite annual festival and we both had so much fun over the past week. some days were pretty lovely, some days were a little nuts, but all were good. in the past when i visited karlovy vary, i posted a lot about the hilly spa town that is certainly one of the most beautiful places in the country. however this year, i’m not…
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lost in vary
we interrupt this slovenia post barrage to bring you dispatches from the 49th annual karlovy vary international film festival in beautiful karlovy vary, czech republic. today is the final day of this year’s fabulous festival, and i felt like talking about it. so here we go. after figuring out how things are done last year, alex and i came in ready to conquer the festival. we got in the secret “good line” at the box office an hour early and were first to get our tickets! we definitely learned that the key to film festival success is GET THERE EARLY, and we aced it so hard. this year, we spent…
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Vary Good Times
hello friends. i’ve just been to karlovy vary for one of my most anticipated trips of this summer– the karlovy vary international film festival! i am a film festival addict. from the very first summer i lived in seattle (2005) i have been involved with SIFF; first as a patron, then volunteered, and finally interned for three years in guest relations. i count down the days until the film festival catalog comes out every year, and then spend hours poring over the films and making a detailed color-coded google calendar. this year was the most special because: i’m not working!!! no job to go to, just as many films as i…
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Week 29 & 30 of 2024 (Year in Review)
It’s time to go on vacation! I haven’t been on a vacation or holiday really since last summer in the USA so I am so looking forward to heading to Germany and Denmark for the next two weeks. Boy, would I benefit from a change of scenery, as nice as summer is in South Bohemia. It’s funny: when you tell a Czech, American or most anyone that you’re headed to Germany’s North Sea coast for your summer holiday, you’re met with shrugs or polite interest. When you tell a German that you’re headed there? Totally different – they are really excited for you! I think that’s how I know I…
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Weeks 23-26 of 2024 (In Review) – The Month of June
Happy summer, (Northern hemisphere) friends! I’m lumping the update together into a nice and tidy June bundle so I get on track with the seemingly impossible-to-complete Year in Review challenge. June has been lovely this year, with Alex off work, things are just going nice and slow. Lots of time for playing in the park, naps, cooking, visiting and just all the good things in life. But first, let’s get to the important thing as our little one turned two a couple weeks ago! We went to the zoo to celebrate and some friends of ours met us there on that completely rainy June Monday, still a perfect way to…
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A Year of Life & Travels: 2023
Here we are at the beginning of another bright new year! These yearly recap posts are my absolute favorites to read (on other blogs) so I hope you will enjoy catching up with my year and seeing little Mouse grow before your eyes! It was a big year for our little family and we are so lucky to have had the travel opportunities we did! If you’re on the fence, I cannot recommend traveling with a baby this age enough, truly. New Year’s Day, January 1st, 2023 was unbelievably warm – we’re talking 18°C (64°F)! We took a long walk with friends & no coats with our six month old…
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Postcards from Summer
Well folks, it’s already the middle of October and the mornings have officially veered into “crispy” territory. The longer between posts, the harder it is to write because I feel like I have to catch the reader up on everything, but I also know that just writing is better than nothing at all, so here I am, talking about the summer our baby was one year old and what a special summer it was. July started off beautifully with our first visit to KVIFF (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival) as a family, complete with dog and baby. It was also our first festival after the pandemic, mostly because Alex wisely…
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Summer, Lately: Celebrations & Life With a 12 Month Old
We had a beautiful month of June here in South Bohemia. I have to say that I feel like I was so tired for at least half the month and had no idea why… until I realized that the allergy meds I am taking every other day for hay fever make me terribly drowsy. I am quite ready for allergy season to be over (still sneezing) but at least June was spent in a dreamy sort of daze. It started with a beautiful choir concert performed at a little festival in an apple orchard near Lišov. What an amazing setting and reminder (just when I really needed it) of how…
