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best commute
honestly the best commute to work i ever had and probably will ever have. i worked in nearby český krumlov this week (like last year– summer camp!). all the czech food and bus ride combination is starting to make me really nauseous (very easily car-sick) but my days are full and good. and the walk to work is pinch-me beautiful. oh, south bohemia, you’re so lovely.it’s the end of week three (my last week at camp) and i’m starting to seriously lose my mind. i love kids and playing with them, and i’m a bit convinced that there aren’t very many better jobs than hanging out with some kiddos, but the…
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krumlov-ing it, pt II
there’s something about tiny český krumlov that makes me really happy. of course it’s beautiful and a unesco world heritage site (also the second most visited town in the czech republic) and its geography is quite unique (the vltava river makes an “S” curve through the compact center), but it could be other reasons. it was the first place i ever visited in the czech republic, way back in 2006. it was one of the reasons we moved to budějovice, because i knew how great south bohemia was already. or that i’ve taught kids there. but maybe it’s just that it’s a laid-back place to be with relaxed people and a…
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Bohemia Autumn
when you move to sobo (southern bohemia), the first thing everyone tells you to do is go to the top of klet’ mountain. at 1,084m (3,556ft) it is the tallest mountain of the blanksý forest, southwest of ĈB and northwest of ĉesky krumlov. to put it in comparison, mt. erie in anacortes is about a third of the height at 388m (1,273ft). they say on a clear day you can see the austrian alps! so, it wasn’t exactly a clear day…. but we finally made it there. we took the train 35 minutes south to holubov, a hamlet popular with outdoor enthusiasts and mushroom collectors (ie, pretty much all czechs). on the…
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The Five-Petaled Rose Festival in Český Krumlov
one of the biggest festivals of the year in this region, held in little ĉesky krumlov. it’s a city-wide renaissance fair with many stages and areas of interest for acts like juggling, snake-charming, renaissance songs, sword fighting, falconry… and a band that claims the genre “castle rock” (awesome). many festival goers wander around in traditional medieval dress– especially since free admission with a costume as an incentive. what is not to love about wandering around a cobblestoney old town drinking a mojito? as well as this, we ate at the ever lovely vegetarian joint laibon, snacked on ice cream cones, watched the canoers wipe out at rougher points in the river…
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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…
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cesky krumlov-ing it
we took a day trip seeing as we both have the week off from lessons– half hour bus ride away to beautiful quaint little cesky krumlov. it is basically what would happen if prague was tiny and only old town with winding streets and plenty of cobblestones. alex is lucky enough to have the opportunity to work here, teaching the local primary school kids english once a week! the people are friendly and being there in february on a wednesday morning, it was practically deserted. (off-peak travel really ain’t that bad!) i had visited here six and a half years ago during my first “eastern/central europe” trip– it was the…
