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A Time of Simple Holidays
Well, it’s hard to write anything without a computer, isn’t it? Fortunately I feel like I have an office again, a little home again, and my brain can sort of organize itself properly. (Note: Try to avoid ever having to purchase a new computer in mid-December. It is not the time.) Here we are in December, finally at the tail end of 2020. Funny about this year. As I’ve now been quite settled in České Budějovice for nearly eight years and counting, there isn’t a lot of expat stuff or cultural differences that I feel compelled to write about. Most of it is no longer so novel. Add to that…
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Is the Czech Republic the Dog-Friendliest Country in Europe?
When you live across the world from family and you have a dog, you can pretty much just plan on bringing your dog everywhere with you. Face it – you have little other choice. (I love my dog, but I’m not bringing him everywhere because I necessarily have to have him near me) This was the first consideration we had when deciding which breed – it had to be small and incredibly portable. Also, it helped that we knew from four years of experience living here just how dog friendly the Czech Republic really is. If we had to bring our dog everywhere, there is no better country to do…
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Late Spring / Early Summer
Happy happy summer! I’ve been celebrating the arrival of this ever joyous season with cafe days, double scoops of ice cream, trip planning and rediscovering the joy of reading outdoors in the warm, sun-filled evenings (above) when we are lucky enough to have them! It comes in such a short window every year that I sort of forget about it until it happens. There’s been a literal stack of books I’ve been trying to get through as a part of two book club (“reading circles”) I’ve been participating in… reminding me how nice it would just be to pluck a book from the shelf and read what I felt like.…
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Destinations
A directory of all places I have written about since this adventure (and blog) began in 2012, in order of their appearance. Please pardon the mess while all the new links are added! (Check the archives or search in the meantime) glasgow arisaig isle of eigg isle of skye oban farmlands isle of iona & mull isle of islay edinburgh best memories of scotland hello, londonthe bb bakery bus tourbrixtonlondon during the holidaysthe cotswoldshow to get your dog to the UK from the EU two weeks in paris one & two 9 day itinerary what to do in autumn in paris a montmartre story when travel is scary: return from…
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july, lately
at the beginning of the month, we returned from vary and i dove headlong into a one month yoga challenge with yoga glo* (#globlockparty !) with my newfound free time, as well as seeing what delicious meals i could cook up from our july vegetable box and visits to the farmer’s market. right now in south bohemia, apricots and cherries are still having their day, whereas it’s just starting to be berry season – bilberries have been sighted out in force and the season’s first blackberries, as well. i feel it’s a bit too early for blackberries – i’m holding out for some august washington berries, myself. they gonna be…
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small czech businesses & brands i love
my first installment in what i hope will be a series of wonderful czech brands that deserve recognition and customers. i’m not a big shopper but for my cosmetics, food products and other needs, i try to go local (if not DIY). here are some of the best i’ve come across… oli divisova– ceske budejovice’s own oli divisova is an artist and sculptor who makes absolutely beautiful minimalist and artist wares, especially pots, mugs and anything ceramic (above) ! you can check out her goods at her etsy store, oli’s cupboard. mcely bouquet – based in central czech republic north of prague, mcely makes gorgeous natural cosmetics (such as oils, balms…
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mamahood in the czech republic: Q&A
no, this isn’t a cheeky pregnancy reveal. i am so pleased to have had a great chat with my friend natalie, originally from england and living in české budějovice, who recently became a mum back in the autumn. i thought it would be really interesting to hear her thoughts on pregnancy and giving birth in her adopted country. at least compared to my home country, there are loads of differences between it and the czech republic in terms of maternity policies from the outset. you may not know that the czech republic has the most generous maternity leave in europe: the first six months are paid leave at 70% of your…
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a year of life & travels: 2017
today is new year’s day and it’s time for a recap of last year! it was another great year of being based in southwestern czech republic, feeling like home both here and back in my home country (and realizing that “home” is just a construct), and going to some magical places. let’s revisit them, shall we? i changed the title of this year’s post to “life & travel” because, as i learned last year, travel isn’t everything and it is also important to capture what else was going on in one’s life. although for this post, it still remains the focal point. (don’t worry) so without further ado…. in january, we…
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of czechs & germans (a short history)
lovers of european history, i’m calling on you today! the town i live in may be called czechimpossibletosay české budějovice, but it used to just be known as budějovice or budweis for decades, especially in the 19th century when czechs and germans lived side-by-side and it didn’t really matter who was a czech and who was a german. people here at that time just considered themselves “budweisers”.* although rifts were there at the end of the 19th century, it wasn’t until after the first world war which brought about the end of the austrian-hungarian empire and the creation of the czechoslovak state that the division started rapidly deepening, although from the…
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the art and balance of treating yourself
i’m still figuring this ish out. it may seem like i’ve got it all handled, but it’s been and continues to be a process. learning how to budget for two people on teacher’s salaries has been a slippery slope, but i’m finally grasping it. then add a dog into that mix (ohhh, so that’s where the extra cash for the past few months has been going…), and a five week trip back to the u.s. this summer (across four different states), and well, there can be complications. i think i’m getting the hang of it, though, and our “seasons of poor” have been less and less frequent as i learn…
