indian summer

babí léto. altweibersommer. (both names relating to old people!) whatever you want to call it, we are experiencing one heck of an indian summer in central europe. it is now the perfect temperature for things like hiking! it occurred to me last week that i was not in a rut, per se, but forgetting that i live in europe and how much there is to explore around here. i promptly planned two local trips to celebrate st. wenceslaus day holidays that grace the end of september here in czechland.

 the first was finally climbing klet’ hill (last time, we took the chair-lift!) and hiking down into krumlov for some folklore festivities. what i did not plan: we ended up hiking about 20km (11 mi!) that day and boyyyy could i feel it everywhere as soon as that evening. the schnitzel at the restaurant on the hill was good, the sun was shining, the mood was jovial, it was a fantastic (but exhausting) day.

{please notice the ceramic cups hanging on the sign for the spring! how sweet}

{sandals + fallen leaves = pure babí léto!}

on actual st. wenceslaus day (public holiday), we enjoyed a free day in prague. started out with a picnic at an unassuming square, got my PSL of the season and then noticed–by george–that the city of prague has transformed m malostranské náměstí

from a parking lot to a functional, living square! i haven’t been there since they made the switch in july, but it looks brilliant now that the cars are gone and new tables and chairs are in its place. it’s amazing how stark the difference is after it had been reclaimed from cars – it truly is now a people’s space for us all to enjoy. really makes you realize how much cars really muck up a place – i didn’t even notice before! must have just been blocking them out.

strolls around petřín hill, deliberately stepping on those first crunchy leaves to fall on the path, dodging falling chestnuts. luxuriating at the st. wenceslaus vineyard, as villa richter was throwing a wine festival or vinobraní

– the mood was jovial as a goofy trio entertained all of us, sitting under a giant chestnut tree in the sun, looking out at all of prague (wondering… where are those skyscrapers exactly, way over there?). sipping the first burčák of the year – young wine that tastes startlingly like apple juice, life was (and is) real, real good.

{graffiti is better when someone else does it for you! can you spot “our graffiti”?}

i love autumn, but it’s sometimes tough to turn from the outward of summer towards the inward of winter. i am in my last “transitional week” which means the last week i will have a great abundance of free time as lessons really start ramping up the first week of october. to go from a week full of non-stop parties to more quieter, reflective weeks is a little unsettling, but fortunately this indian summer is easing me into the transition well enough.

this fall, we have some trips lined up, but also we will be focusing more on the health of our home. usually, almost every koruna around here goes to travel, and i am still happy to go on as many excursions as i can, but you’ve got
to strike a balance. we have a pile of clothing about sky-high in dire need of repair, not to mention even jewelry to get fixed and shoes to take to the cobbler – one of total chores you put off forever, in addition to other home improvements. we are also putting ourselves in the mindset to welcome a new dog into our home and are in the process of looking for him or her and making sure any accommodations we’ve booked are pet friendly, just in case – you never know when we will meet this one!

i’m surprised how okay it feels not to have loads of trips planned and booked – just a handful, leaving ourselves lots of wiggle-room to just be.

the most important thing we will do this autumn: vote! i’m in the process of registering as an absentee voter, finally– registration, sent!  four years ago, we were vagabonding at this time and i didn’t know how to vote. in fact, i just marched up to the united states embassy on election day, thinking i could vote there! (uhhh, i guess it doesn’t work like that – although it should, shouldn’t it? also – try even getting near the u.s. embassy in paris) file under “sorting my life out”.

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is there an indian summer where you live? what are you focused on this season? happy autumn, all! xo

ps, if you’re an american abroad and don’t know how to go about voting, this helpful page will get you going in no time.

this post is a part of wanderful wednesday.