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Week 38 & 39 of 2034 (Year in Review)
The middle weeks of September were challenging, to say the least. I first saw some inklings that there was a very severe weather event blowing our way mid-week 38 and when the rains came, they came. They arrived. It started raining sometime on Thursday and didn’t stop until later on Monday. Not only does that seem like a downer, everyone was predicting it would flood and there were warnings to prepare for floods at the level of 2002 or 2012. We filled all fillable containers in our house, made sure all bathing and washing of anything was done and felt nervous the entire weekend as I anxiously monitored the situation…
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Week 33, 34 & 35 of 2024 (Year in Review)
August was hot! To my surprise upon returning from our trip to Germany and Denmark on August 11th, I kind of assumed, you know that this whole “heat thing” would be done; probably because I’m used to returning here in September. But haha no, of course there was plenty more heat left of the summer. The first week back (Week 33) was slightly but despairing until I found my stride and realized it won’t actually last forever. Now, even though it’s still very hot in September, I’ve learned some things about heatwaves and want to share some heatwave tips! Tips for Surviving a Heatwave (when you have no AC) First…
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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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Week 19 & 20 of 2024 (In Review)
I can’t complain about early May – my spring fatigue and illness were over and it was birthday week! My early May birthday fell on a Wednesday this year but we were still able to make a one night getaway trip to Cesky Krumlov – the obvious choice for a fairytale experience within a thirty-minute drive. The actual day was pretty overcast but still did all the things such as plenty of outdoor time, coffees, playgrounds for the little one, sushi for a celebration dinner — it’s always what I request. This year I treated myself to a stay at the Zamecka Apartments at the very foot of the castle…
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Week 13, 14 & 15 of 2024 (In Review) – Easter & April Heatwave
The weeks have flown by and I dropped the ball a little bit, so reviewing the past three weeks: Easter week and the first gorgeous weeks of our current month, April. Truly hope to be on time in about a week from now bringing us current. Man, besides this cold snap Central Europe is undergoing at the moment, haven’t we been so spoiled this year? Easter week was generally uneventful and wholly relaxing – even more so than spring break. I was so pleased that it was our little one’s first time participating in Easter traditions like an Easter egg hunt around the living room on Easter Sunday and his…
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Life, Lately: Autumn With a One-Year-Old
Happy autumn! I thought a catch-up was overdue, so here’s what’s been going on with us lately here in South Bohemia – life on maternity leave with a seventeen-month old toddler. THINKING… When I get free time, my mind is just a jumble of the hundred things I have been wanting to do. Writing it down in my planner, a series of random papers or a Google Doc has been saving me. Right now, Mouse is have an unusually long midday nap and I’ve been frenetically choosing activities: have lunch, pay bills/life admin, weekend plans… but then “which learning tower should I buy?”, I need to plan Christmas things already!,…
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Can Český Krumlov Survive the Pandemic?
Not sure if I was just in a Really Good Mood or if the pandemic is (kinda, sorta, maybe) winding down enough to actually ponder these thoughts, but two years out, I was just thinking about those early days of the pandemic and, dare I say it, even feeling a little nostalgic? I know it’s kind of terrible and it all happened because of a contagious virus, but there are some things about that spring 2020 that for some reason, I look fondly upon. The initial figuring out how you’re still going to do your job remotely thing and that, like, four days of not working I had. The eerie…
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When You Miss the Country Right Outside Your Window (+ Holiday Plans)
Hello friends, hope you’ve been well. It’s another strange holiday season, thankfully a bit less strange than last year. They thought they could cancel all Christmas markets in the Czech Republic: the ordinance came out on Thanksgiving Day and we all scrambled to enjoy it properly one last time even though I forgot to even look at the stalls or buy anything! However, what ended up happening at least in Budejovice is that everything else remained open: the skating rink, the rides (yes, we have rides!) and even some beverage stands! It’s the Christmas market minus the market part, which is still being heartily enjoyed by everyone here in South…
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Summer, Lately + Prague Eats!
You know it’s summer when it’s stormy and the reality TV shows are back on! I wish I could write here more often, and I hope I will, but writing a post takes so, so many hours of editing and perfecting. Maybe I’ll do more but “imperfect” posts? (says the perfectionist) Ah well. July, one of my absolute favorite months is now fully under way and things are in a much better place for us here. Coming out of May was rough (as you might’ve inferred from the title of this post) but the wrapping up of a school year always makes me so happy, as do celebratory post-school-year trips…