happy czech birthday

turns out, czech republic is a wonderful place to celebrate my birthday, as it is a public holiday!  whoop whoop! that called for a day trip to good ‘ol ĉesky krumlov, UNESCO heritage site small town cuteness as well as being only a half hour away with much quaint winding streets, cobbestones, and a castle. it has truly sprang back to life since i visited in february. with enough asian tourists to prove that it is indeed high season again. (i’m just saying!)

first off, horse-back riding was in order. alex has never been on a horse before! this had to be remedied. so we went to ol’ slupenec riding club, where  i had once before rode the czech horsies. the trail ride was a little low-key and a teensy lackluster for my taste, but it made for a great introductory ride. and the scenery was pretty amazing as at one point, we rode to the top of a hill over looking the whole city. it smelled of fresh grass and flowers. spring at its finest.

next up, segway tour. one of my students owns a segway company in krumlov and we got to ride for free! alex was a bit hesitant about segways, mostly because before this day we both just kind of thought people who rode segways were kind of tools. i was so wrong! segways are magical. it’s like floating quickly all over the city by just standing. SO FUN! i cannot recommend this experience enough if you are down to try something new and different. and for me, birthdays are all about something new or different.

the guide was great and nobody fell off or was injured. and i found a few new spots i’d never been to yet. the weather was lovely and sunny, and it really was a great thing to do. (later, alex said the segway tour was his favorite event of the day, whoa!)

had a short chat with some americans who were curious about the segway experience. oh, you’re speaking american english to me? i will gladly talk with you about anything! i don’t even care if you’re from arkansas or alabama. i haven’t talked with an american in over three and a half months! god bless the red white and blue!

after hunting for a guitar store (no luck), cafe break, lazing around in the sun, and ice cream cones, we went to dinner at papa’s living restaurant. quite a fun dinner and delicious food. my favorite parts were my birthday mojito and alex making ridiculous faces at this baby that was just giggling and making her parents wonder what she is giggling at. it was so funny i was crying.

alex pizza face

happy mojito face

tagliatelle al salmone with sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan shavings, roasted cherry tomatoes, arugula/rocket, and handmade pasta.

there! now it’s like you were there with me! it was fun to have a birthday on a public holiday in 74 degrees F, i could definitely get used to it. and now…. almost weekend! after five epic hours of teaching today, i am ready to relax…..i did make some breakthroughs: a student no longer saying “i go to prague” and now saying “i am going to prague”! another student pronouncing it mature instead of mature! other students learning lots of vocabulary! little breakthroughs are all we can ask for.