Summer Summer Summertime

You may want to listen to this summertime tune while reading...

Yes, that is DJ Jazzy Jeff... we're takin' it back to summer 1991

With temps reaching the mid to high 30's (celsius my friends, celsius), Czechs are rushing to what I lovingly call the Czech-version-of-a-beach to cool off.  Rivers, reservoirs, pools, ponds, plastic baby pools ...anything cool and wet and refreshing during these dog days of summer.  

(For those of you wondering, here's an easy way to convert celsius to fahrenheit:  multiply by 9, divide by 5, then add 32). 

I happen to like math.  

I feel your eyes shooting daggers at me right now.

Czechs at Divoká Šárka, a natural reserve, just outside of Prague.  

There is a public pool (water from the Šárka spring creek that passes through) in the middle of this natural reserve.  

Quite nice, don't you agree?  

But wait!  

Did you really think that a fable (or, err...a truth) would not be attached to a mere watering hole?  Silly, reader!  Divoká Šárka contains a gorge that is named after the warrior Šárka, who, according to mythology, threw herself to her death from its cliffs.  

And if you're lucky, you may spot the Black Woodpecker... this area is the closest to the city of Prague where they live

Read the full article at Radio Prague HERE

A Stroll Through Praha...Part I

Any day is a good day for a stroll through Prague, but a Friday that happens to be a holiday means the city empties out, which in turn makes for a perfect day to walk around.

Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square)

Hotel Ambassador Zlata Husa (Wenceslas Square) was built in 1920

As the name suggests, the hotel consists of two parts - the history of the first is quite straightforward in comparison to the history of the second, which is a bit funny...


The owner of the hotel was a rich widow, who had a young yet extremely unattractive and silly daughter.  The daughter was already of marrying age, but despite her assets she remained single. She never married and for that she was known in Prague by the nickname "Golden Goose" (Zlata Husa).

In 1964 both hotels were joined together and their modern history begins...

The National Museum ...founded on April 15, 1818

 View of Wenceslas Square from in front of the National Museum

One of the many stops I had to make was to this charming shop, located through a pasáž (passage) off Wenceslas Square

Can it be any cuter?  I think not!

 Surround me with fountains and I'll be a very happy girl

Ovocný trh - an outdoor market selling everything from fruits & vegetables to souvenirs, artwork, and leather goods.  I discovered my new favorite handbag maker. Made by hand, no less.  Um, yes, of course I made a purchase, and I'm contemplating deciding on another one.  

My new Kubat.  Love.

 I also couldn't resist a new one of these:

Gorgeous flowers caught my eye

Never even knew there was a tearoom in this courtyard...

That's another thing I love about Prague - all the nooks and crannies waiting to be discovered

Things I Love About Summer: Thunderstorms

If I didn't know better I'd say this looks like a wall cloud...

...and this a tail cloud

Add some of this... 

(not my photo, as unlike this guy I failed miserably at capturing the lightning)

Oh, and hail

Yeah, you can guess what I was thinking

But thankfully all we got was this...

With a reminder of what the winter months look like

But thankfully Daisy and her friends survived

Things I Love About Summer: Wild Strawberries

 There are so many reasons that I love the Czech Republic during the summer - 

this is just one of them...

 Happiness is picking wild strawberries...