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are we budweisers yet? & 30 ways you know you’re from south bohemia
it has happened: we’ve lived in české budějovice for five. whole. years. i don’t know what it means, but it must mean something. initially, i didn’t really think it’s necessarily any case for celebration because all i’ve been doing is, well, livin’. on the other hand, we managed to legally live here in the czech republic (through the multitude of bureaucratic hurdles) so i guess that is pretty celebratory after all! i ordered a moscow mule on the five year day at the fanciest cocktail bar in town. because. although i have mentioned before that four year increments are most significant to me, alex mentions that the five year mark…
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the first day
yesterday the three year anniversary of living here in české budějovice, a small city in southwest czech republic. like the country of the czech republic, i realize i have a lot of milestones. i acknowledge each new year in europe, each year in the czech republic, and each year in the city, which are all different dates and in different seasons. but this one resonates with me particularly in terms of expat life and the success of our time living abroad. all of the snow we’ve been having really brings me back to the day we arrived: thursday, january 24th, 2013. i’ve already written about being picked up at the…
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A Local’s Guide to České Budějovice
When I moved to Budějovice (international alias, Budweis) in 2013, there was almost no information online about this place, save for an extremely scant Lonely Planet blurb (and thank goodness for that!). Moving somewhere sight-unseen without knowing any information or what is actually there is a little unsettling, which is why I have for you this “visitor’s guide to České Budějovice” (pronounced chess-kay bood-yay-yo-vit-suh), written by a “new local”. As tourists have started to discover this city, more and more info is thankfully online, but I still present to you this guide I have written and keep updated. Whether you are looking into studying here, moving here, or maybe even making…
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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…
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cafe day
as we had no plans for most of friday, we deemed it a “cafe day”… this means that the main event of the entire day is going out to one of my favorite cafes in the afternoon, like le chat noir. and cafe days are just so special. for that hour (or two), it’s like i’m on holiday and i’ll order whatever beverage that tickles my fancy at the moment, like this foamy cappuccino, and just relax and take in the old world viennese style surroundings. cafe days are also excellent for having really important conversations about life. the conversations you can’t quite have at home because there’s always internetlaundrydinnerpreparationvideogames or some…
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local lore in south bohemia
near the samson fountain in české budějovice, where i currently live, there is a stone that is a little larger than the others and is oval shaped, whereas the others are square. it is also marked with a cross. legend has it that a traveler who steps on it will never find their way home again. there is also a variation that he who steps on it after 9pm will not find their way home again until morning. the stone symbolizes the straying from george of poděbrady (jiřího z poděbrad) of a ropemaker named fillip and eight others who were planning an uprising to overthrow the king. however, the plan…
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december, lately + travel tuesday
happy christmas week! it is another literal travel tuesday as i’m spending the morning heading to a tiny village in the salzkamergut (austria) where we are spending the christmas holidays this year. (if you can’t be at home with family and friends, go somewhere awesome and eat tons of schnitzel)so i thought i’d bring you a few moments and things going on from december. it’s been a good week: the last week before lessons end is always so much fun! i am continually surprised and amazed by the generosity and kindness of our students and family… it almost brings a tear to my eye. packages have rolled in from our…
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a few of my favorites from our first engagement shoot on friday morning, which took place in the pretty city center of the town where we live. it was two days after our third (dating) anniversary so it felt like a great morning to celebrate love. spring is love. (click on a photo to activate a larger slide show) all photos courtesy of the talented jan pirgl.
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three important places
hello friends. this week i’m sharing three important places with you all. funny thing about these choices is that i’ve lived in all three! the place i’ve been that i love the most? i have to say my “second home” of berlin, germany. i’ve written extensively about it and why i love it before, but in a nutshell, berlin is fascinating. i can be easily bored in one place, but there is always something new to discover in this city, not only because it is just so darn HUGE but because it’s ever-changing. it’s a place where you can feel free to do whatever you want without judgement. artists, entrepreneurs, immigrants,…
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springy
some photos above from last weekend’s “spring fest”: a 20C day that was spent taking strolls around the neighborhood, eating ice cream (and a delicious breakfast of apple oatmeal, as you can see above), and loving life. there is something about the first couple warm days of the year that really instills that life loving feeling in you. this week has generally been really exciting and busy. i bought my wedding dress on monday evening, and the entire dress process was so ridiculously painless that i thought i might be doing it wrong. many ladies go to bridal gown salons with all their best friends so they can help them…
