A very quick stop, and a very honest impressions from Lago di Como

We were driving from Turin to Lake Garda on our way back to Prague and decided to make a spontaneous pit‑stop at Como (the town at the southern tip of Lake Como). Van parked, bikes out, and we coasted down into town in that furnace‑hot July air. It was packed–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠like festival‑day packed. The lakeside lawns shimmered, but the only “beach” in front of the Tempio Voltiano had no‑swimming signs (which many people were ignoring). We didn’t. We surrendered to carbs instead: tiny pizzette and still‑warm pastries from a local shop that absolutely saved our mood.

Was Como pretty? Yes–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠arched lanes, flashy boats, mountain backdrop. Was I smitten at first sight? Not really. But that’s on me: zero research, peak season, wrong spot to swim. Next time I’d do it differently (plan below).

Why no swimming right there? The little beach by the Tempio Voltiano sits at the mouth of the Cosia stream, a spot with posted bathing bans due to pollution and safety; local police fine swimmers in summer, and regional eco groups flag this stretch every year. If you want to swim in town, look for designated spots like Lido di Villa Olmo or Lido di Villa Geno instead. 

Some places just hit different.

 And for me, Japan is one of those soul places.
I’ve already been twice — once in the winter (brrr ❄️), once in the beginning of summer — but both times, I left feeling like I barely scratched the surface. And I’ve been thinking about going back... a lot. So here’s a little breakdown of why my heart (and suitcases) are ready to head back to Japan — maybe even soon?

 Happy Sunday! It finally snowed here in Prague this week, yayy! - So we decided to make a little day trip to our favorite village that is only about 35 minutes by a train. 🚂 I was dreaming of walking in the snow for months now, but we'd only get a few centimetres and it would just vanish in a few hours (because the temperature wasn't below zero). But this time, we actually got about 5-10 centimetres of snow and the temperature was around -2°C at night, so there was even a little layer of ice on the ponds and rivers. 🧊 So many people were enjoying the outside, walking with their families, pulling their kids on the sled behind them, making a good use of the snow and simply appreciating this wonderful day! 🛷 It was so lovely - sun & snow are oficially the best combination for a good day. 🤩 I honestly always thought that I need to get out far away, into the mountains, to enjoy the snow and feel the true Winter magic (when I was a kid, there was no other way to get the best Winter experience) - BUT I found out, I can get a nice nostalgia anywhere, all I need is snow, warm clothes and a good company. (Currently, you can't sadly book any accommodation in the Czech Republic when travelling, hotels are closed due to Covid so you either make a day trip (morning go there, evening go back) or you manage by visiting friends and family - which you are not really supposed to do either 😬.) We walked 10 kilometers and got a proper exhaustion afterwards. Maybe too much fresh air for the inhabitants of Prague? LOL. I was done. I couldn't even move afterwards, my face was red, I just hopped into the warm shower, put my feet up (oh, they hurt... it was a first longer walk in my Garmont shoes since my Tatras trip in October), watched Game of Thrones while eating lots of ice cream, then passed out and slept 10 hours. What a great weekend it was! Now let's get ready for the new week! I hope it's a good one! We're getting -6°C starting tomorrow, so fingers crossed!⛄🥶💪 

PS: I will be still posting some of my Summer adventures here on the blog, so stay tuned if you miss the Summer. I have never been more excited for the Spring to come ... I simply can't wait to go camping and exploring the outdoors again! 🏕️

 'Don't rush something you want to last forever.' - I read this quote on my Pinterest today when I refreshed my feed. I thought I would share it here, since we all are sometimes going through this unclear period of time, when we just don't know how it's gonna happen in the end, but we know it will! Nobody likes waiting but we all have to face it, once in a while. Don't we all need this friendly reminder, that everything will ALWAYS come together, that things will sort themselves out just in time, exactly when they are supposed to ... ? Just trust the process! 🔮

Hello, my friends, how have you been? Today, I'm about to share some photos and a few words about one of my latest Krkonoše trip. I will remember this one until the end of my life. It hit me too deep, mostly because I returned back there after, oh well, almost 20 years! Let's just start this story by saying that for many years, I've wanted to return to this area to refresh and revive my memories (sooo much snow, skiing and hiking...). I wished to come back there for this reason - As a child, my family used to drive to Vitkovice in Krkonoše (close to Benecko) for mine and my brother's Spring break. It's where I learned to ski as a 3 year old girl! So we would go to the ski slopes to ski, we had snowball fights, and me and my dad always went for our traditional walk from Vitkovice to Benecko and then we sledged back down the hill! 😃🛷 We always stayed in the same hotel, always, never elsewhere. And I kept thinking about this place throughout my life, wondering how it looks like nowadays. When I had a chance, not so long ago, to camp around this gorgeous area, I didn't hesitate to make a short trip down to Vitkovice again, to check it out. It was only a few kilometres from Benecko. No locals seemed to be outside at first, a quiet walk. Even though it was such a perfect sunny day. So we walked and I experienced these roads and paths the very first time in the summertime. It looked so different, almost like if I was somewhere else. Walked a bit, and there it was, the hotel! The hotel I wanted to see one more time in my life! The one I made so many memories in! Ahh... It looked close to ramshackle! Totally abandoned, grass nearly growing outta windows. It was clear that nobody was inside, no guests. No life. And my heart broke. I never wanted to see this! It was my bright and colorful childhood! How quickly can the loveliest memories be shattered in million pieces. I had this urge and need to come back for years! And as I was standing there with my mouth open, I realized things are just never the same. It's not the same river you're standing in. I shouldn't have come, I thought. Not to see this. I should have kept the good old days in my head and let the memories rest in peace in my mind like that. Oh well, now I know, don't I? Maybe I will be able to make new memories around that place, in another hotel, with my own family one day (👫🐶) but I honestly feel like I want to find another place like that, with a new aura and fresh vibe, and never see this ruin again. I want to devote this post to the memory of my childhood and make peace with it.

Why do we feel the need to travel abroad in order to have a 'proper vacation'? Why do we think the grass is greener once we step over the borders? Why can't we appreciate what we have around the corner? Why most of us automatically book a sea getaway without wanting to explore our own mountains? So many interesting questions. Do you know the answers?

This is an interesting mindfuck (pardon my French). I've thought it over and over. The lockdown made us appreciate what we have and made us kind of 'okay-ish' with the fact we can't have more at the moment. We simply have to accept it. It made us realize that what we had before, was actually a bit beyond. So many options! We took it for granted, haven't we? We were so free! Unstoppable! We could buy a ticket today and wake up in our dream destination like tomorrow. I really felt like that before the coronavirus when it came to travelling. Now it seems like it was too good to be true. Will it ever return back to what it used to be? We all sure HOPE so. I don't want to talk politics here, but imagine how people felt like in the past regime here. They had no chance to travel. The borders were closed. And then, after so many years, when they finally opened again, people were so used to not being able to get out of here that they didn't even have the need afterwards. It felt like they could do ANYTHING all of a sudden yet they kept kind of reserved anyways (and some of them do till this day). My parents were always very supportive of me travelling across the Globe, but visiting me in Florida was like a sci-fi movie for them to be completely honest. They never been farther than in our neighborhood - Germany, Croatia tops. Hmmm... The whole lockdown order is sinking in slowly. And the mind process reminds us so much of our history.



But - to get to my original story, after the first lockdown - when they let us out finally - I was so hungry for the outdoors, for ANY kind of nature! Any trip, anything green! And when I got out of the train in Špičák and smelled the fresh air, I felt like finding out what life is about again. It was like learning to enjoy life again. Like if someone erased all the bad and I had a new chance to start over. Amazing feeling. I came out of quarantine fresh and clear of all bullshit. Like if I possibly could (MUST?) start over and better? It felt like jail March through May and now I did see the sun again. I noticed the goosebumps on my skin when the cool wind surprised me wearing just a tank top. I will never forget these emotions. Thank you Covid? On this trip, while walking the hills, I took my time and thought about my life, asked myself questions. 'What do I wanna do with the time that was given to me?' - I did that while inspecting every single plant, every flower, every little detail on the tree, - how beautiful are tree cones? Have you ever noticed? The soil, it smells so good! You can smell the mushrooms! Butterflies, bees - living their best lives. Gorgeous stones! Oh my god! All shapes, all colors. But colors didn't even matter. It was the smell, the smell of nature. The smell of what I came from. Ahhh. Last time I visited Šumava I can't even really remember. It was probably a school trip in the 90's when I was a little peanut. I have to say, after this trip, which was spent in a lovely hotel, the idea was born to buy a tent and experience nature on even a deeper level. So then my feet led to Decathlon for the first time in my life. I bought proper hiking shoes for the first time in my life (these - thanks to my friend's recommendation) ... And that's how it all started - maybe. Maybe it started long before that and now it only continues. The only thing I know is, I'm going in the right direction.