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Croatia in a Pandemic Summer
Hi, friends. How have you been enjoying the summer? It’s funny that the biggest hindrance to writing new posts these days involves the photo part — uploading them from my finicky phone (or rather, from my new phone to my finicky old computer), editing them, rounding other random snaps from Google Photo. It’s 2020 – you’ve got to think there’s a better way? (or likely there is, and I’m far too stubborn) But regardless, here we are! We spent much of August in Croatia this year. Like many who were able to travel this summer, I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to post about it on social media. In…
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The Saturday of Summer
July, my favorite month of all – the Saturday of summer! It blew in with a flurry of gatherings, barbecues and a spot of camping at a lake (Lipno, naturally) at the beginning of the month. Camping in Europe has been… interesting. This was our third camping trip here in Central Europe and I have to say, I really prefer American camping a bit better! Usually for tent campers, you get literally just a patch of grass on which to pitch your tent and nothing else. No picnic table or fire pit unless you go to a campground with a bit more of a bougie situation. Also, we don’t have…
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at summer’s end
it’s time for the round-up of that season i hold so dear. watching summer fade at this time every year makes me feel like saying a sad goodbye to a best friend and a “see you next year!” what did you do this summer? i spent the first half in south bohemia, went to karlovy vary at the end of the school year, teaching barely over a week of summer camp, then flying to canada and the united states for the other half. we spent a full month in my home state of washington, over a week in michigan, and even a couple days exploring vancouver. it was just about…
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the difficulty of switching gears
the other day i was running a few errands. picking up some brewing equipment (for what hopefully will be my new everlasting supply of kombucha), stopped at the shopping center to pick up some bottles, then headed back home. a few blocks from my door, we came across a new little hole-in-the-wall greengrocer’s and i stopped in and got to chatting with the new owner who had just moved her shop in while i was in the states. she was so welcoming and gregarious, it just made me happy introducing myself to another friendly face in the neighborhood! it couldn’t have come on a more perfect day when i felt…
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quiet moments
you know summer holidays are inevitably drawing to a close when you start getting the usual e-mails from parents, inquiring when the first lesson of the school year will be! it’s happening, you guys. i have had such a lovely summer back home in the united states, though. we’re currently in eastern michigan for our last days, but am already reflecting on what a time it’s been! above, i’m pictured at the american camp beach on san juan island (washington) with my natural camping hair, and i’m kind of digging that vibe. it doesn’t necessarily reflect the attitude of the rest of this post, but i just kind of love…
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my beachy summer with JORD watches (giveaway!)
hi friends, are you having a nice summer? truth be told, this was supposed to be my 500th post (it’s actually 498 if you wanna be picky) but life and this trip home sort of got in the way… and it’s not helping that random keys on the computer we brought with us aren’t working. but i digress– i have a special giveaway for you in line with this big blog milestone. i started adventurings over seven years ago now (this is the first post from 2012!) in preparation for our big adventure – moving to europe, and we had no idea where and for how long, and i needed a…
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isles of lavender
happy august! one of the best months, at least for those of us on a teacher’s school year. we saw in july at the karlovy vary film festival and saw it out sitting around a camp fire deep in the woods of western san juan island, washington. this year, we’re spending our august in washington state and a bit of michigan near the end there. it has been such a nice and comfortable transition from prague to vancouver to here on fidalgo island (and many areas around the puget sound) for the next few weeks. a bit of a far cry from my study holiday last august (3+ weeks studying…
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july, lately
at the beginning of the month, we returned from vary and i dove headlong into a one month yoga challenge with yoga glo* (#globlockparty !) with my newfound free time, as well as seeing what delicious meals i could cook up from our july vegetable box and visits to the farmer’s market. right now in south bohemia, apricots and cherries are still having their day, whereas it’s just starting to be berry season – bilberries have been sighted out in force and the season’s first blackberries, as well. i feel it’s a bit too early for blackberries – i’m holding out for some august washington berries, myself. they gonna be…
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the villages of the drôme provençale
this summer heat has got me thinking about one year ago on our holiday in provence. i wrote a little bit about the stay at our cottage in the drôme region and a day in arles, but nothing much about the many, many provençal villages we visited. the most known area of provence is perhaps the luberon, thanks to the popularity of a year in provence by peter mayle (a book which i highly, highly recommend if you’re going to provence at all), but we ended up staying in the northern drôme (southeastern france about halfway between marseilles and lyon) which was even more beautiful than i ever could have imagined. every day we would…
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in berlin: teufelsberg
have you ever heard about a place that so captures your interest and imagination that you end up thinking about it all the time and even dreaming about it? that’s how teufelsberg in berlin was for me for years (similar to seljavallalaug, which i finally went to in 2016!) and as today’s beautiful, crisp sunny autumn weather seemed like a perfect sort of day to go to grünewald (the large swath of forest to the southwest of the city where teufelsberg is located), i thought of it today. and writing about it. but you might be wondering – what is teufelsberg? those who don’t have a knowledge of german language…
