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summer reclaimed (& this month’s travels)
i have a lot to say lately, it seems! so far, this has been, by and large, a good summer. but the day after the solstice, i found out some immigration news that has made me become an incredibly stressed person for the next month. i was able to mitigate this stress while on vacation in france by just sort of hitting pause and enjoying the holiday we had planned for so, so many months. that’s the thing about worry: it’s stupid. either you can either do something about it, or you can’t. if you can do something, do that thing. if you can’t, don’t worry. especially when you spend…
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cardamom oatmeal with roasted plums (recipe!)
we had a particularly dreary winter this year. it was long. it was neon grey (am i in seattle?). it was cold. it was a bit lonely. so upon the first of april, the earth woke up. immediately we were launched into one of the warmest and sunniest springs i’ve ever experienced. because of how warm and dry it has been for the past four months, our growing season here in south bohemia was accelerated and everything started ripening extremely early. my tomatoes were ready to eat in early july! squash is already in season, for example. one fruit that i always associate with autumn here in bohemia is plums.…
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postcards from arles
bonjour… from the czech republic. i wanted to share with you a little more of our recent trip to provence, and then i realized that i had so many photos of arles in particular. this picturesque city really seemed to merit a post itself. we started our trip by renting a car* at the marseille provence airport and heading straight to arles. i had originally hoped to see a handful of little towns on the way up north to our cottage in the drôme but arles turned out to be enough as it was. this lovely and very historical city (a great stop if you are into roman ruins sites in southern…
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10 reasons why i (still!) live in the czech republic
in the midst of on-going visa strife, i thought i would talk a little about the reasons why i like living in the czech republic. it’s bittersweet to post this today because i’m having a pretty low day in terms of my optimism. when no one can give you any definitive answers whether or not what you’ve submitted in your visa reapplication is good enough, it makes my mind do crazy things. i’m feeling a little numb, to be quite honest. what i wouldn’t give to have another visa card like the one (above) from a couple years ago. that funny time that i was given a large box of…
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provencal vacation + our cottage
why, hello there. i think this is the longest i’ve gone without a post in the six year history of this blog. that’s owing to a culmination of a very busy june calendar, finishing the end of the school year and the fêtes that go along with it + visa stuff + a long-planned ten day vacation to provence! believe it or not, i was on the computer, only ten minutes until we had to go trying to get a post out, but it would’ve been all rushed and harried and no one wants that. plus, we didn’t bring any computers with us! so there you go. i know i…
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running down a dream
now we’re fully into june! but here’s a little ol’ post i wrote about the beautiful month of may. from the very first day of the month spent with our lovely neighbors and friends at at our garden party, to the middle very high highs and low lows, to the last day of the month where i rose much too early after five hours of sleep from an all out rock party the night before to cook breakfast for our visiting family from chicago before sending them on their way to ljubljana to finish off their european tour… then crawling back into bed and getting a few more hours rest…
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bureaucracy woes & overcoming hurdles
as i walked to the financial office one morning last month, i swung alex’s fancy umbrella with the wooden handle around like an extra in ‘singing in the rain’, feeling like a baller. ohhh yeah, they’re totally going to know exactly what i want. that i mean biznis, especially when they see me with this! we get there, ride on up to the security guy at the front desk (vratnice) all like “yo – we’re here looking for mrs. piksova.” him: “so, how do you spell that? like pixsova? or piksova with a k?” us: “errrrrrrr………….” him: “OH, you’re foreigners. what are your names?” me: “cynthia & alex.” him: nonplussed,…
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chateau birthday
there’s a place about an hour northeast of prague in the middle of central bohemia where there stands a hill that has had both christian and pagan significance for hundreds and hundreds of years. finally a chateau was built on this spot, overlooking the valley below and a family lived there until 1948. it sat unoccupied until the early-aughts when a czech woman bought the decrepit chateau and fixed it up, meanwhile happening to fall in love with an american man who had entrepreneurial visions of what this space could one day become. today that place is called chateau mcely, and it’s exactly where i spent a few completely relaxing…
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spring awakening + wild garlic pesto recipe
hi all! we have just had a glorious month of april here in the czech republic and the constant warm weather and sunshine just seems never-ending! sometimes there are rumors of a thunderstorm but they always seem to pass our sunny little corner of bohemia by. oh, i have been busy! with all good things. as many people, i’ve been taking full advantage of the beautiful days and weekends with plenty of trips to the forest and the annual malše river trip. we didn’t bring our little dog as he pretty much hates water and the idea of him hanging out in a raft that has been splashed with water…
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the shores of bohemia
last month, i was hit by the annual spring homesickness wave and could think of nothing but the ocean. whether in washington or in iceland, i just wanted to walk along a beach, to smell saltwater, to feel waves lapping against my feet. i spoke to a couple of people about this great wanting to be near the sea – something that i feel has been deeply embedded in my soul, if i want to get sappy. one person i talked to (a dane) mentioned they do not share my need for the ocean. somebody else mentioned – well – here in czech republic, we are river people! fortunately my…
