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the books of 2015
i read eighteen books in 2015, but it still wasn’t good enough to complete my goodreads goal of twenty books. i was on pace most of the year, but the end of the year really snuck up on me and even with reading obsessively the last few days of the year, i couldn’t pull it off. however, third time’s a charm, the twenty books goal is happening in 2016. i want to cite the excuse that “i was busy”, but it’s true that i did read a lot…. of internet and blogs! i’m hoping to shift that focus more towards books over internet this year. as aziz ansari once said,…
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a new year
happy new year! this year i didn’t feel much pressure to ring in the new year in any particular style. we went to our friend (and czech teacher’s) house in a nearby village on the afternoon of the thirty-first and had a frosty walk before we made it back to the house for punch, snacks, and chatting. in my memory, i cannot remember trying slivovice before (i know) until that day and i quite liked it. after many drinks and coming back home at a reasonable hour, i just couldn’t summon the ire to go out “on the town”, and even better that we could see loads of fireworks from…
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home vibes
the dark days have me wanting to be surrounded by blankets, flannels and slippers. i actually totally forgot i had slippers (you might remember my post about them earlier this year when i gave a pair away!) and a big smile came across my face– “I HAVE SLIPPERS!” sure enough, at the back of my closet shoved away, there they were. when you forget you own things, it’s like second christmas. (further proof that i am settling into life here more and more) loads of tea lights and advent candles a glowin’ nightly… so much darkness has caused me to retreat to bed wayyy too early a couple nights this…
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the october spooky movie series
i love movies that get you in the halloween mood, so much that last year, alex (pictured above in our paris studio, 2012) and i started a spooky movie series every october sunday evening. i get to pick two, and he gets to pick two. (you can see what movies we chose for our first incarnation here)i love doing this because we get to see new films that we’ve been meaning to for awhile, it gets you in the halloween mood, and it’s such a nice way to enjoy a sunday night instead of those usual stressed “oh no, weekend is ending” feelings. here is what our series has been…
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říjen / rambles
goodness, i needed a day like today. when half of your classes cancel and so does your czech class, it was a godsend on a day like today when i just couldn’t wake up for several hours. i got in some good paris research (so excited to head there soon!) as well as research for day-trips and slight updates here on the blog, like the destinations page updated with all of the greece pages! you may have caught that i said czech lessons. yep, finally cynthia (and alex) have enrolled in private czech lessons. let’s hope this experience goes better than the first one, but i have every reason to…
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the bake off bake along, week 10 (finals)
you guys. it’s been a long road these past ten weeks, but the great british bake off bake along has come to an end. i went from a completely novice baker who only made cookies to a person who made biscotti, creme brulee, a frickin’ seven layer czech cake with no sugar in it, and so many more. i learned so many baking terms. i made custard at least three different times. i would say i am no longer afraid to attempt those recipes that seem a little out there; that this baking challenge has made me realize that i can do it. i mean, if i can do a…
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the bake off bake along, week 9
how funny– we all started bake off in the beginning of august and now instead of sundresses, i’m wearing hoodies to bake! i was pretty thrilled about chocolate week, because guys, i think that alternative ingredients week killed my baking mojo. i was such an ambitious, chipper little squirrel that first week with my madeira cake, but every week especially after that turning point, i have rarely liked my bakes. then i almost quit during victorian week, so it’s been a bumpy ride. and perhaps you noticed… i didn’t even post a bake last week! i really wanted to, but with a weekend in the city planned, i only had…
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hello, october + a woodland walk
hi friends, i was just reading an article in the local budejovice rag, milk and honey, about the lazy days of summer (it was an old issue!) that got me seriously jonesin’ for summer’s return already. no! not happening!so i am turning my face away from the hot, everlasting summer of two thousand fifteen that was to the pleasant autumn, recounting all of my favorite autumn things. first thing that comes to mind: pumpkin everything. along with the ubiquitous (or perhaps here, not so much) pumpkin spice lattes, it means pumpkin soup! pumpkin cookies from my absolute favorite recipe. pumpkin coconut curry.lighting a pumpkin-scented candle and a bubble bath. reading…
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prague autumn magic
i am totally down with visitors, man. i think if i was in a bigger or more well-known city, i would probably have more friends passing through, so i am pretty much ecstatic when someone comes to visit. enter, long-lost college buddy, monica, who happens to be a fellow seattle to europe expat living in luxembourg! we had so much fun taking her to all of the tasty nom-nom places, wandering old town at night just waiting for that fifteen second “morality play” at the beautiful astronomical clock. climbing major hills for some of the best views over the city. buying halloween costume implements at the costume shop. drinking our…
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the european grocery shopping experience
it all started in berlin, schlepping the goods back from my local kaiser’s at annenstrasse (which i later learned is generally regarded as one of the more fancier, spendier supermarkets in the city) in my canvas tote bag, feeling all so proud of myself for having shopped for myself and able to walk to the store whenever needed every so often to get those weekly or twice weekly groceries for dinner making. and oh, i do have fond memories of those cold, dark autumn months cooking away in my berlin kitchen, making chicken and dumping soup or maybe one of those dr. oetker mozzarella frozen pizzas when i felt lazy…
