-
spring stories (from our czechpat life)
a big ol’ smattering of a spring update is here, now that it’s suddenly may and things are really happening! starting out freezing, peaking mid-month with warm temps, and ending on a cold rainy note, april in budějovice came and went. we postponed our “cabin in the nature” trip until the end of summer due to this, below left, from alex’s birthday. (second out of three birthdays of his spent in czechland that have snowed!) spring definitely got a slow start here in europe this year. funny that now spring has sprung, everything has exploded with greenery and you’d never know it was like that at all. (see photos, at right)…
-
expat’s dream: the dutch pub, prague
this is the land of beer. czech republic makes it’s famous claim as both home to pilsner (from plzeň) and the original budweiser (from here in budějovice, international name budweis). so don’t hate me for going to prague’s new dutch gastropub near národní třída . it’s just…. i love belgian beer way too much. czech beer is wonderful, but since the last time i was in the benelux region was about eight years ago, i am really missing my favorite belgians right now. (i’m talking about the beer) the dutch pub is a huge complex, yet somehow manages to feel really homey with its wooden round tables, football playing on…
-
biking bohemia
after getting my bike back in ship-shape just in time for the nice weather, i decided to take a first pedal of the year last weekend. the weather was supposed to be around 23°C and mostly sunny, and with alex busy, it was time for me to finally take the pedal to hluboká nad vltavou, the next town of any repute to the north, on what has been called the busiest cycle path in the entire country! it is an easy 12km from my house to hluboká, riding along the river vltava most of the time before veering off into the adorable village of bavorovice, then on along some ponds…
-
wedding planning from abroad: 7 weeks to go
this is the point in the “wedding having” process where people are asking you, “how do you feel?!?!” and when your wedding party seem far more concerned about certain issues than you are yourself (thanks everyone!). but there’s no doubt in my mind i’m feeling cool and calm with less than two months to go before the big day. waiting a year and a half to have the wedding has turned out to be a really great decision: it really has allowed us to plan at a comfortable pace and only one thing so far has even felt close to rushed. some of my students asked me the other day,…
-
so, you’re listing your space on airbnb
chances are that by now, you’ve definitely heard of the uber-popular apartment and room rental service, airbnb. (and if not, why?! you can find much nicer properties at a fraction of the price of a hotel) maybe you’re even considering dipping your toe in the hosting pool, or perhaps you are already a host! way to go, you! but during my extensive, exhaustive, and still on-going searching process to find the perfect rental for my mother and i in paris, i’ve noticed some serious airbnb crimes. alright, not so serious, but there are so many things that hosts do that lessen the chances someone will want to book with you.…
-
on being a foreigner
like many of you i’m sure, the feeling of being in a foreign place feels so completely thrilling. but, there are times when that general excitement for life in a foreign place can turn downright tiresome. i have a weird hang-up and i suppose i will be honest and divulge it to you, my friends: sometimes i feel as though i don’t deserve as much (in general) as the local people do just because i don’t speak their language. take for example, a few days ago at a pizzeria. i had a few slices of pizza yet i wanted to take home, but i almost didn’t feel like asking for…
-
of markets & museums, prague
i finally got to see those famous prague easter markets the day before easter sunday after missing them by chance for a few years, and i have to say, i don’t know what i was expecting (perhaps something more low key like budějovice’s easter market?) but they completely surpassed any expectation. i am well familiar by now with the extravaganza that is the prague old town square christmas market, and the easter market was basically the spring version of this. same viewing platform that you can climb to get a good view. same kingswood cider tent, only decorated for spring this time. i loved the (fake) cherry blossom trees that…
-
třeboň + april weekends
how odd it was to go from a full day of snow to sunny and 18°C in one week! from winter coat to bare legs and sandals. but that’s april for you. (shrug) in case you haven’t yet guessed, we had to postpone our lovely little cabin trip ‘til august… ‘cause when the proprietor contacts you the day before to tell you “it’s like winter here!”, you listen. (we just took off for prague instead, which i’ll post about on tuesday) so with the forecast looking wonderful this weekend, we spent the afternoon in třeboň, only about a half-hour away. třeboň is one of my sobo (south bohemia) happy places. i love to…
-
a tree blooms in žižkov
žižkov is one area of prague that i never really got to know on a personal level. it’s supposedly got the most pubs per capita of anywhere in the world and is well known as a place where expats congregate and live because of cheaper rents and um, said pubs. my prague expat existence never included ol’ žižkov as i was swept from crumbling kolbenova to plush malá strana in one day (and ohhh, what a day it was). but a part of me can’t help like i missed out on the experience, with our schmancy st. nicholas cathedral and trdelník on demand (well, we were pretty broke then; i…
-
where i’m from & why i left
before i got my ire up to buy a one-way ticket to the european continent in may 2012, i knew deep inside that living in seattle was not a permanent situation; at least not at the moment. i spent eight years trying to find my own path there while slowly discovering and eventually learning to love washington state’s largest city. staying was never exactly part of my plan, but it seemed like what i was resigned to. i took a job there after college in 2008 as a barista that i knew i could easily quit when my plans to live abroad started to materialize…. but the thing is, they…
