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home improvement
upgrades, upgrades. moving on up. i could call this post “living without stuff pt IV: cynthia decides to scrap the whole minimalism thing”, but that’s not entirely true. you see… by athens (the last couple days of a two month american/grecian travel whirlwind), i was so excited to get back to my own flat and just do normal life things. cook, read, hang out on the balcony… but since we’ve decided to stay at least one more year here in budejovice, we realized our living situation needed a little overhaul.maybe this is because of the “luxurious” american living we’ve experienced… or perhaps it’s more closely related to our renewed determination…
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summer of love
hi friends, thank you for your comments and wishes regarding the wedding and recent photo posts! i’ve been hanging out in my hometown for over a month now on a mini-adventure before heading eventually eastward again. my northwest summer, in a word, has been spectacular. i came here to get married, have a big party, reconnect with friends, eat and drink allthethings, and reconnect with the northwest; i feel like i’ve really done it… perhaps even a little too much on the food and drink– our waistbands are feeling slightly tighter than before, and as we are now headed to michigan, the end is not near. not only all these good…
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best monday
about two weeks ago, i had one of the best mondays ever. i can’t say the best monday because one monday in scotland i visited the oban distillery at 10am. and another monday in scotland i went to the isle of eigg for the day, which was one of my all-time favorite days, period. but two mondays ago in berlin… that comes relatively close. finally got out of bed about 10:00 after lazing around reading for a bit. breakfast time. about 11:30, walked to volkspark hasenheide to play mini-golf! one of my absolutely favorite vacation activities: nothing says “i’m on holiday” quite like mini-golf. the weather was nice and sunny, with only…
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září/september
september is here again in south bohemia. all the little kiddos are scrambling around with their new backpacks and school supplies and the leaves on the trees in na sadech park are just beginning to turn the slightest hint of orange. just like my hair has! this may be a fluke and i may need a couple more weeks to correctly prove this, but people here in budĕjovice seem to be friendlier lately. i cannot for sure tell if this is czech republic smiling upon me after my grand return from summer trips abroad (reason one), everyone has been in a good mood these days (reason two), my own good mood…
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the season of poor
i’ve arrived back home and it’s the end of august: the unofficial ending of my favorite season. school is right around the corner for the kiddos (which means our jobs start up again) and budějovice is putting on a lovely show for us: sunny 22°C weather and the annual end of august festivities that are to occur this weekend. it seems like czech republic is welcoming us back with a sheepish smile. today alone we’ve run into two different nice ladies, the weather is good, the groceries (and really, everything) is cheap again, the stores are overflowing with delicious produce (and squash!!!). i feel like forgiving it for any way…
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berlin’s new favorite park
i was going to talk about poland for today’s travel tuesday. but i am in berlin and my mind is hopelessly submerged in all that is a berlin summer extended weekend. my trip to poland is finished and i had a wonderful time, but…. berlin is on the mind today. as well as trying to forget the polish i learned and try to transition to my german which has sat in a state of decay since my language classes wrapped up for the summer in late june. i actually had a situation where i said, “tak! er… ano! er… ja!” awkward central europe language problems. lord help me. but i…
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The Beginning of a Massive Poland Trip: Krakow
kraków was the first stop on my polish odyssey, just a mere hour or two over the czech border. i visited eight years ago, but it feels like an eternity. back then, i remember thinking at the time how polish was the most incomprehensible language i’ve ever seen or heard and that it was nearly impossible to pronounce or decipher any of it. but after living in the czech republic for almost two years, i was pleased to see that many words and phrases are similar and communicating hasn’t been a problem. it feels good to have this slavic language knowledge, although i am still an amateur… a learned…
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summertime, pt II
happy august, friends. this week off for me has been so necessary have a enough trip research time for my big backpacking trip around poland… which i leave for in a couple days! although it wasn’t the dazzling sunny summer week i had been hoping for (more like humid, cloudy, and scattered showers) i have enjoyed it immensely. for the past two years august has been my month to play! (never for the life of me could i ever figure out what lana del ray sings about in “summertime sadness”) it’s always been an optimistic and exciting season full of fun and possibility. to support alex while he’s still working,…
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best commute
honestly the best commute to work i ever had and probably will ever have. i worked in nearby český krumlov this week (like last year– summer camp!). all the czech food and bus ride combination is starting to make me really nauseous (very easily car-sick) but my days are full and good. and the walk to work is pinch-me beautiful. oh, south bohemia, you’re so lovely.it’s the end of week three (my last week at camp) and i’m starting to seriously lose my mind. i love kids and playing with them, and i’m a bit convinced that there aren’t very many better jobs than hanging out with some kiddos, but the…
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summertime
it’s past the halfway point of my favorite month of the year. (okay, actually that’s december but this takes a close second) that means it’s time to step back and think about how i best want to enjoy my summer. really, i want things to sloooooowww down a little bit, but between hanging out with czech kids for ten hours a day every day for three weeks (i’ve just finished week two!) it’s kind of hard for that to happen. on one hand, it’s inspirational since kids are all about just enjoying a simple moment. on the other hand, i often come home exhausted, but doing something simple like eating…
