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what’s in a name?
and now, for a post particularly about czech culture! specifically, the “name day”, or as they call it here, svátek. this is a day celebrating the saint that you are named for, or rather that also shares your name. like some other european countries with similar traditions, each day on the czech calendar has one or two names assigned to it. this day is celebrated as your name day. apparently, this day is like your second birthday. it is more often celebrated with children – perhaps some special treats, like a cake or pastries, maybe candy or small presents are given to celebrate this day. you can see in the photo…
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chilled to the bone in třeboň
i have rarely felt as cold in my life as i did today. ohhh, that brutal winter temperature chilled me right to the bone, i’m sure.it seemed like a good idea to go to třeboň for the afternoon to go swimming at one of the famous spas, but when you go back into those freezing temperatures with damp hair and not the proper under(or over) garments, perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea after all. it was nice, at least, to have a wintry walk through trebon before stopping for chlebíčky (open-face sandwiches) at a café. after returning back to budějovice, i pretty much felt like i might die. just the…
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winter, lately
so, it’s barely february, but i wanted to pop in and say “hi”! how are you faring this winter? it’s such a mild, washington-style winter this year – high-ish temps, grey sky for days (which is very un-south bohemian, really), fog here and there. i’ve just been focusing on forgetting my phone and spending less time with social media, taking zero photos, and honestly, it’s been really lovely. today was a “cafe day” – our halfway through the school year (pololetní prázdniny) day off tradition. we went to my absolute favorite cafe here in budejovice. unfortunately, they don’t allow dogs so we don’t go as often anymore. the coffee is good…
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christmas in the bavarian alps
i hope you had a wonderful christmas and are still enjoying the holiday season! as i mentioned in my last post, we zipped away for five days to enjoy christmas in berchtesgaden, germany which is nestled literally between bavarian alps on every side and has a lovely and historical downtown. i’ve wanted to visit this town for years… really only a couple train rides from our little budejovice. berchtesgaden is only about fifteen kilometers from salzburg (really, just over the austrian border). you can take a regional bus from salzburg to get to berchtesgaden in fifty minutes, which is what we decided to do on the way there – it was…
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ten years later, in bamberg
for the occasion of my mother in law’s visit, a little bit of travel was in order. not only was it her first time in the czech republic, but her first time in europe, so she was really eager to travel west to neighboring germany (a country of her ancestry) to set foot in the vaterland. even though we are really close to austria here, nope! germany it must be. but if you know me, you know that i had no problem with that. i also knew that she isn’t a big fan of major metropolises, and because bavaria is the closest region of germany to us, a specific city…
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friday things: february
hi all, i’m at you for the monthly ‘friday things’ on the last friday of february! this has been such a busy (yet good) week full of hardcore language studies, teaching, chatting at a čajovna drinking the freshest japanese green tea, and thinking about some great books and stories i’ve read over the past week (and one terrible one, haha). onward with some happy things & a piece of news! i suppose the news part is… 1) summer plans! i can say now that we are officially heading back to the united states for over a month this summer – it will be our “big trip” this year! we’ll be…
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valentine’s day (& why i’ll always love it)
valentine’s day is the zenith in an otherwise cold and dark season. it’s nice to feel excited when february rolls around to celebrate this day of love. something i don’t get, however, is why people are so darn stanky about it. i mean, i see why a little bit on social media where everyone is posting photos of their significant other with mushy declarations of love. to me, valentine’s day is not about just one person and has never been. i will always remember how my parents would surprise me with chocolates and other lovely treats on valentine’s morning every year growing up. or the time that my dad and…
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winter weekending
i’m having the best, most relaxing weekend. i don’t know how winter weekends are managing to be this good, but they are. and since i haven’t done many “hey! this is what i did today” kinds of posts, i’m feeling it today. friday was the semester break for the public schools here, officially over the halfway point in the year! we always like to go out to a leisurely coffee at a beloved cafe this year every day, since my last lesson of the day is cancelled and have a (generally) free afternoon. as i mentioned in a post about this day from a year or two ago, cafe days…
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a real winter
this month has been quite the opposite of last year’s super mild, almost spring weather. no, it’s even colder and snowier than the first winter we lived here in czechland (2013). this winter is frigid, the kind with a constant layer of snow and ice on the ground. (wasn’t it a great time to get a dog and have to take him outside all the time?) we’ve been experiencing regular temperatures of between -8°C and -14°C, with one today about a week and a half ago even getting as cold as -17°C (1°F!). i can say, undoubtedly, that these are the coldest temperatures i have ever been in in my…
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friday things: hello, 2017
maybe i am just one of those perpetually upbeat people. even when things are going kind of rough or i’m wearing an all black ensemble, i can’t really help but be a bit peppy. even in january. the change to the new year always puts me in a great mood of new beginnings and usually brings icy wintery weather to budejovice. (a view from this morning, above) so! i thought i’d put in motion the first ‘friday things’ of the year! just some things that i’ve been into lately or have been making me happy. 1. this coat i’ve decided this year i stop worrying about trying to blend in…
