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kutná hora + remarkable czech churches
i’ve been meaning to go to kutná hora to visit the creepy sedlec ossuary just as long as i’ve been living here in the czech republic, but a foot injury prevented me, and plans were put on indefinite hold after we moved from prague; in the opposite direction as kutná hora. however, i am happy that we finally made it and spent a balmy spring day in this memorable little czech town about one hour east of prague. day trippin’, got to get away.. first, we ended up in sedlec, a cute little village only a kilometer or two from kutná hora, which is the sight of the famous sedlec…
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embracing czech holidays in tábor
december weekends in europe are one of my (new) favorite things. there’s always something going on somewhere that accomplishes my usual goal of doing something festive. so when i heard about a killer one-day-only vanoční trh (christmas market) in tábor, a smaller south bohemian town situated on the rail line between české budějovice and prague, it was decided. i had no prior reason to go to tábor as i just assumed it was another small bohemian town. it’s actually got an important load of history behind it. the name of the town translates to ‘camp’ and is famous as the medieval hussite stronghold of bohemia, lead by jan žižka. if you…
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the american old west… in germany
a week ago, i popped into germany for a day to visit a nice little town called pullman city. the name doesn’t exactly sound very german because it’s actually an american westernstadt theme park, located in south-east bavaria just north of passau. the theme of an old-western american city from the 18th and 19th centuries is very strictly kept to. needless to say, i was really looking forward to this trip. i have been to the bavarian-themed village leavenworth in washington state many times, but this was actually the very opposite: an old american village in bavaria! (mind explosion) and a very popular one at that. if you’ve spent any time in…
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june prague festing
another thing i love about living in czech republic: days in prague. because i’ve lived in prague for two months and been there dozens of other times, the activities i find most enjoyable these days involve taking advantage of festivals and trying out new cafes and restaurants. and yesterday it feels like we did it all. after the exotic food festival got moved back a day (booooo), we hit up the italian food festival happening in havlíčkovy sady, a large park south of namesti miru in vršovice (prague 10). i have to say, i wasn’t expecting to find such a beautiful parisian style park with lovely views from the top…
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from the church to the palace
on sunday, we took an excursion for the day to the south-south-south of south-west czech republic near the border of austria to a little town called vyšši brod with the intention of hiking 10km to rožmberk nad vltavou. both of these towns are situated on the vltava river, both are meccas for rafting and canoeing enthusiasts, and both have tourist value, so it seemed like a perfect idea, especially at under an hour and a half by train from české budějovice.we landed in vyšši brod around 9:30am and headed up to the monastery. you can visit the monastery complex and go on a tour every day except sundays, so instead we lingered…
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café i love: kavárna liberál, prague
i’ve not yet spent a good chunk of time in prague in the spring, so i was overjoyed to find myself there on a warm sunny day with all flowers fragrant and in bloom. we were in holešovice (a district north of the river) to go to the annual holešovice fashion market at the pražská tržnice hall near the river, which was fantastic and super hip– there was bahn mi sandwiches on offer, fancy juice drinks, liquor, single-origin coffees, anything you could hope for. lots of czech fashionistas sitting around smoking, drinking, and people watching… but, we were craving a calmer atmosphere so we took off for heřmanova street to…
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rainy wachau valley
phewww, still out of breath from the weekend. mainly, because i said YES to everything. yes, i will go to a concert of a legendary 1980’s czech punk rock band! yes, i will go to the easter market in the square and eat all the food! and when my tour-guide landlord came and knocked on my door at 8:30pm saturday night and asked if i wanted to go to the wachau valley in north-central austria at 7:00am the next morning… well, of course i did! so we set off bright and early, crossing the border into austria about forty-five minutes into the car ride. as soon as you cross the border,…
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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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brno
if someone told me earlier “in a week, you’ll travel to brno for the day”, i would’ve wondered whaaaaat would ever compel me to undertake that. but my father (whom i haven’t seen in 3+ years) was on business from singapore, so it would be almost criminal not to meet up after being so close! brno, the second largest city in the czech republic, is almost four hours away by bus which isn’t exactly day trip material. but you know what? brno it is! because sometimes plans change! as my mind surely did as i stepped off the bus and was greeted by the warmest sun on my face i’ve felt…
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Jindřichův Hradec (or as we call it, Henry Castle)
i haven’t even begun to write and i’m getting distracted by czech kids singing “we wish you a merry christmas”, echoing in the hallway. adorable. CHRISTMAS IS COMING, PEOPLE! HOOBOY! it shows in the amount of lessons i’ve been having lately (ehhh…. 10 out of the normal 15 per week) because of cancellations galore. but that’s alright since it gives me ample time to do what’s important in life, like bake cookies! make homemade decorations! write this blog post! cook dinner! and visit the town square, which is an absolute hot-spot of yuletide activity right now. i can’t walk by it without wanting a glorious vanoci punč– the aroma always…
