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may, lately
hey, it’s may! may sure starts quiet slow and cool but boy does it ramp up quickly! especially when you live in the czech republic which has a holiday two weeks in a row. i don’t know about you guys, but i can already feel the slowing of the school year and delighting in the approach of the second half of spring (the better half). here are some things that have been making me smile lately… our hiking holiday at the end of april really got the spring/warm weather mood going! i posted the above photo in that particular post but it’s just too darned cute not to share again.…
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walking london + the afternoon tea bus tour
i don’t really ever go on those “weekend away” trips everyone talks about when they move to europe. well at least, not of the kind with an airplane. flying is a much bigger “to-do” than the ever-convenient train, and when you live in the center of europe, it’s easier to get almost everywhere by train… except great britain. but a couple weekends ago, i did! it felt really fancy! i went to london, mainly with the intent of seeing a band i love so much i’d fly for– which i could write a whole post about in and of itself as it was incredible– but all the other in-between stuff…
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find your spring bliss {south bohemia easter hiking weekend}
hi all, i hope you had a nice easter! it’s our tradition to go on a trip every easter (as here in the czech republic, we have a nice long four day weekend – five if you’re lucky!) and as this year it fell deliciously late into the season, we opted for another countryside hiking trip. last year’s trip was much too cold and bleak, and this year, all i wanted was sun and relaxation with a bit of hiking, which led us to the czech/austrian borderlands, basing ourselves in vyšší brod, a kilometer or two from the border. we had been to vyšší brod once before as we started…
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april, lately
i’m writing this from a place of calm. something about the weather lately, maybe. every day, noticing new buds, green leaves unfurling, cherry blossoms starting to make themselves known. or possibly it’s because these april weeks have felt really nice and slow – it’s that strange and unexplainable cancellation time of year that many language teachers seem to be feeling right now. life is starting to feel lighter again. it has meant a lot more leisurely time spent with a nose in the book on cushy sofas, hiding under blankets, nestled between pillows. i’ve been reading michelle obama’s ’becoming’ (after being on the library wait list for months) and the…
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the first spring days
i think many people feel the need after a long winter cooped up at home to seize those first beautiful warm early spring days and do something to make the most out of them! i sure do. last weekend, we had our annual garden day which involved me carrying some new plants and pots home in a big red basket and alex hauling a gigantic bag of soil over his shoulder, walking home from the garden center. (side note: we are still perfectly happy not having a car here in europe, even after trips like this! really.) i still haven’t planted my seedlings but with the lighter evenings and daylight…
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running down a dream
now we’re fully into june! but here’s a little ol’ post i wrote about the beautiful month of may. from the very first day of the month spent with our lovely neighbors and friends at at our garden party, to the middle very high highs and low lows, to the last day of the month where i rose much too early after five hours of sleep from an all out rock party the night before to cook breakfast for our visiting family from chicago before sending them on their way to ljubljana to finish off their european tour… then crawling back into bed and getting a few more hours rest…
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chateau birthday
there’s a place about an hour northeast of prague in the middle of central bohemia where there stands a hill that has had both christian and pagan significance for hundreds and hundreds of years. finally a chateau was built on this spot, overlooking the valley below and a family lived there until 1948. it sat unoccupied until the early-aughts when a czech woman bought the decrepit chateau and fixed it up, meanwhile happening to fall in love with an american man who had entrepreneurial visions of what this space could one day become. today that place is called chateau mcely, and it’s exactly where i spent a few completely relaxing…
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spring awakening + wild garlic pesto recipe
hi all! we have just had a glorious month of april here in the czech republic and the constant warm weather and sunshine just seems never-ending! sometimes there are rumors of a thunderstorm but they always seem to pass our sunny little corner of bohemia by. oh, i have been busy! with all good things. as many people, i’ve been taking full advantage of the beautiful days and weekends with plenty of trips to the forest and the annual malše river trip. we didn’t bring our little dog as he pretty much hates water and the idea of him hanging out in a raft that has been splashed with water…
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a snowy getaway in the bohemian forest
i haven’t yet had the opportunity to write about this year’s trip to the šumava for the long easter weekend! as we have four official days (or five school days) off for easter, it is our tradition to go on some kind of trip. if easter falls earlier in the year, we typically like to head to a city. if it falls later – some after about the 10th of april– we like to head to the natural wonderland in our backyard that is šumava national park. this year, everything was set and booked to head to a city we both enjoy to get to know it a bit better……
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spring prague staycation
our spring prázdniny (holidays) last week were so nice! after recovering from brno, we had some great days at home (i actually had a few lessons) and finally had time to do around-the-house stuff and some social visits before heading to prague for a day or two. the reason i was so excited to go there was to stay in the gorgeous nicholas hotel which happens to be in our old hood of malá strana (i can highly recommend it if you’re looking for somewhere a bit nicer in this area, also equipped with kitchenette). but before we checked in… a bit of shopping. alex’s birthday is coming up very…
