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It’s Summer! Pt. I
backyard in the city shots of lazy beginning of summer days! lounging in the backyard, on the balcony in the warm evenings, fresh juice and berries at farmer’s markets… and yesterday’s brilliant discovery of the outdoor swimming pool complex here in town! the pool is the nicest i have been in, on par with the most luxury of hotels. surrounded by a lovely grassy lawn for lounging, also with a restaurant and did i mention… right above the vltava river! so it reminds you of one of those “infinity pools”. i know where i’ll be this season! my lessons are dwindling with the summer holidays approaching, and alex has begun…
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Mrhal Pond Days & Kofola
sunny warm day at mrhal rybnik (pond, also known to us as small lake) lounging about after a short hike and drinking kofola, everyone’s favorite communist era beverage! actually, kofola was czechoslovakia’s answer to coca-cola, which wasn’t available here until the revolution in 1989. it tastes like coke but much more herbal. really delicious. summer weather is now upon us after that heinous flooding period. feels like a NW summer already, except i have already been witness to a handful of thunderstorms. nothing like walking in the countryside and hearing that booming thunder! and hoping that the skies don’t open up and drench you in the next ten minutes, but…
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Blustery June
june came in all blustery-like. i can’t remember the last time the rain started in the day and rained all night into the morning without stopping. reminds me of my favorite, “winnie the pooh and the blustery day”. south bohemia really isn’t well equipped to handle this quantity of rainfall. in cesky krumlov the river is starting to flood into the city and transportation problems abound all over the country and in austria. i don’t really bat an eye when thinking about all the rain but then i realize i’m in a place with very different geography, and the water can’t just flow to the sound. i don’t expect it will…
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an april week
i have determined that i like very much living in europe. the one thing i do not like is that friends and family aren’t here. also in no particular order i miss: fresh seafood, abundance of health foods and fresh veg, good karaoke, and the beach. and a few smaller things… but really, those are the only downsides! so friends: feel free to come visit! won’t you come inside? house tour can be found here. looking down the stairs from the door to our flat. we live on the first floor and there is currently no one living in the flat next door due to renovations. no noise! this building…
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every day is a holiday
weekends like these are reminders of why i chose to come try my hand at living, working, and traveling in europe. so i can go take hikes, eat at czech restaurants, stroll around castles, and lay in the grass in the spring sunshine. explore new areas! eat dinners on the balcony, listen to birds tweeting. life in budêjovice is so chill. walking to work, which barely feels like work takes seven minutes and on the way i walk over a canal, walk down a beautiful street (my favorite in the city: česka) and pass some old churches. the other half of my lessons i actually go to the homes and the places of…
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snowy sundays
awoke this morning with the intention of creating an amazing mexican brunch a la señor moose, my favorite ballard mexican joint. created chilaquiles with ingredients i had already– basically fried tortilla squares under variety of diced vegetables, two eggs topped with sour cream (erm… plain yogurt) and jalapeños, served with horchata lattes. this yielded a big thumbs up from alex, who could not believe he was enjoying eating a mushroom, a pepper, and an onion in a single bite (three vegetables he used to dislike). it’s near impossible to get food mexican food here, and they barely even sell mexican spices. at nicer grocery stores you can pick up…
