August 2025 Travel Adventures

To escape the heat in southern Spain we decided to head to Czechia and Austria for a month! Czytaj więcej

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1 sierpnia 2025
August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 1 Malaga to Prague
1 sierpnia 2025, Republika Czeska ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
To escape the heat on the southern coast of Spain we decided to spend a month in Czechia and Austria. Sarah will still work part-time during 3 of these weeks so we planned ahead and found “bases” to settle in while she’s online.

It was an easy three-hour flight from Malaga and we immediately welcomed the cooler temperatures. An evening stroll along the Vltava River was the perfect way to kick off this new adventure!

We use FindPenguins to blog our travels for one simple reason: at the end of the trip, all these posts and photos turn into a gorgeous photo journal (they’ve made it ridiculously easy.) Otherwise, these pictures would languish on our phones, forgotten between grocery lists and screenshots. Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 2 Sightseeing in Prague
2 sierpnia 2025, Republika Czeska ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Today we explored Prague, the capital of Czechia. This city has a long and fascinating history. What began as a settlement of Slavic tribes grew into a powerful medieval city, especially under the rule of Charles IV in the 14th century. During his reign, Prague became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and saw the construction of some of its most iconic landmarks—like Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral, and Charles University (1348) which was the first university in central Europe!

In the 19th century, Prague experienced a cultural awakening as Czechs began to reclaim their language and identity. After World War I, it became the capital of newly independent Czechoslovakia, but the 20th century brought more upheaval—first with Nazi occupation, then with decades of communist rule. The 1968 Prague Spring offered a glimpse of reform before being crushed by Soviet tanks. It wasn’t until the peaceful Velvet Revolution in 1989 that Prague fully emerged from behind the Iron Curtain. Since then, it has grown into a vibrant, modern city known for its fairytale architecture, rich cultural life, and deep sense of history. Okay, history lesson finished—now for what we got up to in this great city.

We bailed on our walking tour as the group was way too large which made it difficult to hear the guide. Instead, we decided to “drift” and used ChatGPT to learn about the romantic, historic buildings dotted throughout the old town —snapping a photo, asking Chat to—“tell me more about this building”, and then listening. It worked well.

The architecture here is incredible and was spared during WW2. The downside of Prague is the graffiti—it’s been kept from the main tourist areas in the old town but is everywhere on the perimeter (see photo collage).

Our old town drift included a stop for lunch along the river and then we got caught in a downpour (we’re not inclined to drag an umbrella or raincoats when the sun is shining—I guess we’ve been in southern Spain too long.) After the 12-minute walk back to our hotel we looked like two drowned “nutria” (aquatic rats that can be found here!)

We had wanted to see some art (especially Josef Manes) but were tired after the 8-mile drift… we are returning here at the end of the month and will definitely make time for this! Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 3 Prague to Cesky Krumlov
3 sierpnia 2025, Republika Czeska ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
The fine print indicating the need for the AAA international drivers license escaped our notice so our original rental car from a local company wasn’t an option at the rental desk this morning. Without going into any further painful details we can happily report that we were underway an hour later thanks to Hertz.

We stopped for lunch in Tábor and found a cute restaurant on Zizka Square. We don’t have much to say about the food but this was a charming spot to pause and stretch our legs—and thankfully it had stopped raining for a spell.

We arrived in Český Krumlov and checked into the “pension” we’re using as a base for 4 days.

This town, set on a serpentine river bend has a well-preserved medieval core—it’s very Disneyesque. Thankfully, by the time we’d unpacked and strolled into town, most of the day-trippers from Prague had departed.

The castle, which dominates the skyline, and the winding cobbled streets feel like something out of a film set. We’re happy to be staying on one of the far bends of the river where things feel more grounded.

We hope that staying for four days will give us the opportunity to discover this town’s treasures beyond the typical tourist loop! Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 4 (Morning) Exploring Cesky Krumlov
4 sierpnia 2025, Republika Czeska ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
Since Sarah works in the afternoon we took advantage of the morning to explore!

First stop, a walk around Český Krumlov Castle gardens and grounds. This castle is an important monument here in South Bohemia. Its rambling buildings have been well-preserved and there were many places where it felt as if we’d stumbled onto the set of Game of Thrones. We did not see any dragons though and the three brown bears that live in the moat must have been still been in bed.

Bears you ask? Yes! The first documented bears were housed in the moat starting in 1707. Recently though, the National Heritage Institute has announced plans to phase out bear keeping at all Czech castles by 2030. Český Krumlov has applied for an exemption given the centuries‑old tradition and potential to serve as a rescue‑style site (and tourist draw??) Stay tuned!

We were very curious about the decorative walls on many buildings here—something called sgraffito (see photo). Here’s what ChatGPT tells us about it: Sgraffito (skrah-FEE-toh) is an old-school art trick. Artists layer colors—think clay, paint, or plaster—then scratch through the top to reveal the color underneath. It’s like reverse coloring! The technique has been around forever—Romans used it on pottery, Renaissance Italians carved it into walls, and today’s artists use it in ceramics and murals. What makes it unique? It’s all about contrast. Dark over light, smooth over rough.

We couldn’t get a reservation at the restaurant we wanted to try (stay tuned) but pizza followed by cocktails and cribbage in a cozy bar was great fun! Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Days 5-6 More Cesky Adventures
6 sierpnia 2025, Republika Czeska ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
The light was magical on an early stroll along the river Tuesday morning! After breakfast we visited two boutique museums. Our favorite was the Seidel Photo Museum set in the restored home of Josef Seidel https://www.ckrumlov.info/en/sights-and-culture… The exhibit features collections of period photographs and postcards of the surrounding area (he was mainly a portrait photographer). Original glass plate negatives, cameras, and darkroom equipment were all on display with art deco furniture and other original furnishings on three floors to give you a feel for this time period. The wooden skis, travel chests, and antique dolls in the attic were particularly fun.

We waited two days to get a reservation at Restaurant Satlavske Tuesday evening—the grilled meat feast was an obscene amount of food for two people but made Paul happy! Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
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Day 7 Cesky Krumlov to Gmunden, Austri
7 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
It was a lovely drive down to Gmunden—we passed through farmland, deep dark woods, and drove along the Danube at one point. We stopped in the cute town of Wesenufer (set right on the Danube) and split a wiener schnitzel lunch platter…yes, we’re now in Austria!

We have seen onion shaped domes on church spires everywhere since we landed. They’re eye-catching, whimsical spheres (some spires have two) found on churches, castles, and towers across Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Austria, Czechia, and the Ukraine. These domes aren’t just decorative; they evolved to help shed snow and became iconic features of Baroque and Orthodox architecture. Blending form, function, and flair, they are thought to symbolize the heavens, adding a touch of drama and spirituality to the skyline. They make us smile every time we spot one!

After eating out for a week it was nice to relax and enjoy a home-cooked dinner. The view wasn’t bad either!

Center stage in this view is Schloss Ort (Lake Castle Ort), a castle perched on a tiny island with a onion-domed towers and wooden footbridge leading out to a chapel. You’ll see that this building plays the staring role in the majority of our photos from this area!! We’re excited to explore the rest of Lake Traunsee tomorrow. Czytaj więcej
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Podróżnik Looks like a story book scene!
08.08.2025OdpowiedzTłumaczyć
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 8 Traunsee Lake & Gmunden
8 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Today was all about ferry hopping on Traunsee Lake. We almost got off the ferry at Gasthof Housin, the first stop. It was a tiny stop—one hotel, a couple houses, nothing else. When we realized how small it was we decided to bail and returned to our table on the upper deck of the ferry, and thank goodness we did—we’d left our backpack! Dodging the stress and tedium of hunting down our bathing suits, towels, and cribbage board, we celebrated this small victory with a glass of prosecco!

After a quick lunch in Altmünster (2nd stop) we made our way to Traunkirchen—and instantly fell in love! This is a postcard-worthy village with a square set in the shadow of a church looking across to the dramatic peak of Traunstein (5,548 ft) and…it was blissfully uncrowded.

We found a secluded little spot by the water and went for a swim—freezing cold, crystal clear, and totally worth it.

There’s not much to do in this town, and that’s exactly the point. We could park here for a month—don’t tell anyone!! Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
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Day 9 Gmunden to Fuschl
9 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F
Travel: Reality Check Edition 🤪

Travel blogs often make it look like every moment is a postcard— photos from sun-dappled cafés, effortless adventures, romantic sunsets, and unexpected gems. And sometimes, it really is like that. This morning, for instance, we walked out to the Lake Castle Ort and explored this tiny idyllic island (see all the pictures—maybe future paintings?!?) Then we wandered into town for breakfast and stumbled onto an antique market. Those of you who know us, know that this is one of our absolute favorite things! And we walked away with a charming lake print that will forever remind us of this Austrian lake adventure—definitely a travel gem!

But here’s the other side of the suitcase (all of which occurred today):
   •   Wrestling with the Skoda’s technology to display Google maps on the large screen on the dashboard.
   •   Remembering to turn off “lane assist” every time we restart the car —this feature seems determined drive us insane (pun intended!)
   •   Struggling to ask for two spoons (in German) to eat the yogurts we bought for lunch at a supermarket (Paul was using both phones to try to get the car navigation to work so Sarah was without Google translate in the supermarket.)
   •   Arriving in Hallstatt to find hoards and every parking lot full with long queues… think Disney World over Easter break😩 . We looked at each other and just shook our heads. (We had skipped this famous spot back in 2006 when we were in Salzburg with the boys due to time constraints and had been really looking forward to it.)

So the truth is, travel isn’t all roses. Sometimes it’s roses mixed with a tangle of thorns. But that’s what makes the stories worth telling later and we had no complaints after arriving in Fuschl—the opposite in fact. Our base for the next week is definitely coming up roses! (Walks, swimming, gourmet food, and other nearby lakes to explore.) Czytaj więcej
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Podróżnik Stunning!
11.08.2025Odpowiedz
Hi Sarah, do you remember me? My name is Marta. I meet you at the swimmingpol in Palafrugell. If you want we can get in touch. My phonenumber/WhatsApp is 607 97 41 27. I still live in Palafrugell but I spend part of the summer at my house in Asturias. Have a nice summer [Marta]
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PodróżnikHi Marta, yes, I remember you! I hope you will visit Estepona sometime!!
16.08.2025OdpowiedzTłumaczyć
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
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Days 10-14 Highlights @ Lake Fuschl
10 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
We spent these five days enjoying the food at the Landhotel Schützenhof https://www.schuetzenhof.com/?lang=en and exploring the Salzkammergut, Austria's Lake District. The Lake District is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring 76 lakes and dramatic mountain peaks (of course we didn’t explore all 76 lakes—just the large, nearby ones including the famous Lake Attersee.)

Each lakeside village had its own personality and “feel” and we agreed that our favorite was St Gilgen set on Lake Wolfgang https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Gilgen

Of course we also fell in love with Fuschl, our base for the week. Our hotel has been in the same family for several generations and here waitresses still wear traditional Austrian costumes, because heritage never goes out of fashion… and dirndl pockets are unbeatable for stashing strudel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirndl

Speaking of strudel—the meals here didn’t just live up to the reviews—they staged a full culinary coup. We’d never tried a half-board option before, but the nightly five-course menu with matching table settings (see photo) quickly convinced us this is a habit worth forming. The only downside? Our waistlines are now submitting formal complaints!

As in any new environment, there’s a certain amount of cultural adjustment. We quickly learned about lakeside seating. At sunrise, the lakeside deck of our hotel transformed into a silent battlefield, where savvy guests deployed towels with military precision, staking out prime lounge chairs by clipping their towels to the headrest (see the photo collage of the clips!) By 7:00 a.m., the frontline would be completely secured, and the victors would retreat to breakfast, smug in the knowledge that their chairs await. Did we partake once or twice? Of course!

The lakeshore offered its own quiet theatre: men confidently sporting uncomfortable-looking bikini bottoms, safety-conscious swimmers venturing out with trusty floats in tow, and—most intriguingly—everyone emerging from the water only to vanish into a well-rehearsed quick-change act, swapping damp suits for dry ones in record time, then laying their wet suits out to dry and be ready for the next swap. #WetSwimwearProblems #SoakedSeatSquad #BeachBumBlues #DripDryLife #BanTheSog

Our noncompliance didn’t stop lakeside. There’s a spa on the property and we broke the rules by wearing our bathing suits in the sauna, luckily there was no one following the rules to point this out to us. Czytaj więcej
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Podróżnik Love this! I always like to know what my next meal is going to be!
15.08.2025OdpowiedzTłumaczyć
PodróżnikThis was so much fun! And the food was excellent—though not great for the waistline🤣
16.08.2025OdpowiedzTłumaczyć
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Days 15-16 Fuschl to Gmund
16 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
We had perfect weather during our seven days in Fuschl (and feel very lucky about this 🙏🏻). When we weren’t exploring small lakeside villages, we were reading, swimming, sunning or playing cribbage/Rummy-O. It was such a wonderful break! To counteract the five-course dinners we used the small gym several times and Paul even ran around the lake twice. We’re sad to say goodbye, but it feels like it’s time to explore other parts of this beautiful country.

The drive down to Gmund from Fuschl took us through alpine ski villages and through mountain passes—beautiful. We have rented a small apartment just outside the town center and are excited to explore this artsy medieval town https://www.visitcarinthia.at/destinations/plac… tomorrow! Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 17 Exploring Gmund en Kärnten
17 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
Carinthia is Austria’s southernmost state, it’s known for its alpine lakes and dramatic mountain scenery. Nestled in the heart of Carinthia, Gmünd in Kärnten is a small but vibrant town—one of Austria’s oldest. Running alongside a river, it offers medieval cobble-stoned streets, pastel colored buildings, a church, and a castle that has seen better days.

Yet, Gmünd is far from a relic. Its unique art scene is the main draw—there’s an abundance of art galleries scattered throughout the old town. We love towns that offer both art and nature and this is why we chose this as our base (Sarah is working M-W this week). Today we woke early to explore the town (stumbling into an arts and crafts exhibition—crocheted animals, Christmas ornaments, etc.) After a memorable lunch at the castle cafe (the one part of the castle that is not in disrepair), we took a long walk through the surrounding woods, returning along the river. Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Days 18 - 20 Notes from Gmund
19 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
We were working M-W so not much to report (having seen most of Gmund on Sunday). Early Tuesday morning we had a nice walk up to a nearby waterfall!!

And of course, we were way overdue for laundry—(Fuschl didn’t have any viable options!) and we had mistakenly thought that this rental had a washing machine. Finding a nearby place that would do two loads of laundry was much harder than we thought (we succeeded but didn’t opt for drying and folding—see photo collage!) Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 21 Gmund to Vienna
21 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
It ended up being a 5-hour drive from Gmünd to the Vienna airport to pick up Curtis and Alex (construction and some navigational challenges 🤪).

The first part of the drive was beautiful—see the Hohenwerfen Castle perched on a dramatic cliff in the photos. It literally popped out of the clouds as we rounded a bend in the highway!

We stopped to stretch our legs at the St. Florian Monastery and chanced upon an orchestra practice—the acoustics were incredible. Founded nearly a thousand years ago this Augustinian monastery with lavish baroque decor is in excellent condition—it feels like a palace. Today, 21 monks keep the tradition alive proving that monastic life and a flair for dramatic architecture can coexist.

We picked up the boys and checked into our historic AirB&B. Our surprise for them was Stiles-Con V shirts to celebrate the anniversary of our move to Spain twenty years ago and a memory book. https://www.canva.com/design/DAGqbQllN_c/QPAuzc…

We wandered out for a preview of the city then had a traditional meal (including schnitzel and potato salad, of course) at an off-the-beaten-path family-owned restaurant (Kolonitz Beisl)—delicious! Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Days 21 - 23 Stiles-Con V in Vienna
23 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
Friday morning we took a 2-hour guided walking tour of the old town (District 1). It gave us a great overview of the history of this capital city and better understanding of why there is such a concentrated collection of impressive buildings (it was the capital of the Habsburg Empire for over 600 years). An afternoon tour of the Austrian Parliament building was super interesting.

On Saturday morning we headed across town to the famous Kutschkermarkt and encountered an antiques market! And of course we had to stop and have coffee and cake at a Viennese coffeehouse!

☕ 10 Fun Facts About Viennese Coffeehouses
1. Water with your coffee isn’t an accident—it’s a palette cleanser and was a way to showcase the pure mountain water (the tradition continues today).
2. Cake is practically mandatory. The Viennese didn’t invent cake, but they did perfect the art of pairing it with coffee—Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel are the two of the most popular options.
3. It’s a UNESCO-protected pastime.
Since 2011, Vienna’s coffeehouse culture has been listed as “intangible cultural heritage.” In other words: the act of sipping slowly and reading newspapers is officially historic behavior. Love this!
4. Your waiter might out-elegance you.
Expect bow ties, long aprons, and a touch of aloofness—Viennese waiters act as if the coffee is royalty.
5. The furniture tells a story. Expect marble tables, velvet banquettes, and ornate decor from different eras.
6. The coffee house is a democratic club in disguise. Writers, philosophers, and chess players have shared tables here—everyone from Freud to Trotsky once nursed a cup in these establishments. Equal opportunity caffeine!
7. One coffee = unlimited time.
Unlike modern cafés that side-eye your laptop after 40 minutes, Viennese houses let you camp out all day.
8. The names of the drinks are stories themselves. From the Einspänner (cream-capped espresso for one-horse carriage drivers) to the Melange (the Viennese cousin of the cappuccino), each coffee has a backstory.
9. Some coffee houses are cultural landmarks (with lines of tourists way too long for us). Café Central and Café Sacher (birthplace of the Sachertorte) are two that we passed on.
10. It’s the slowest fast food on earth.

We decided on the Upper Belevedere Museum as our one art museum option. The Klimt exhibit was definitely the highlight! Seeing “The Kiss” up close was amazing. Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 24 - @Vienna
24 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
After two days of visiting historic sites in the old town we decided to head out to Danube Island—created by dredged dirt from a flood protection project back in the 70’s.

Highlights from today:
-City skyline
-A pink pig ATM!?!
-Talented water boarders
-Creative river floating
-River-side beach bar
-Cribbage (Alex & Paul)
-Right Guard moments (if you know, you know!)
-5-mile walk
-St Francis Assisi Church
-Dinner @ Lolo and Lola’s Filipino restaurant

The topic of teeth brushing came up as we were wandering through old Vienna and we were wondering about the state of dental care during the early days of the Hapsburg Empire. That led to some AI research and here’s what we found:

Teeth brushing has been around way longer than your minty-fresh toothpaste tube suggests. Ancient Egyptians were scrubbing away with twigs and ground-up eggshells around 3000 BCE, which sounds more like a failed recipe than dental care. The Chinese upped the game in the 600s by strapping hog bristles to bamboo, basically inventing the first toothbrush. Fast-forward to 1780, when a Brit named William Addis thought, “Why not drill holes in a bone and stick bristles in it?”—and toothbrush mass production was born. But it wasn’t until nylon bristles hit the scene in the 1930s, and soldiers in WWII were ordered to brush daily, that the rest of us finally caught on. Czytaj więcej
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Day 25 - Vienna to Krems
25 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
The boys had early flights so we headed out early as well. The Wachau Valley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wachau is considered one of the most beautiful river valleys in Europe and we are staying in Krems on the Danube (Donau) for 5 days.

Krems is basically Austria’s “old soul.” People were hanging out here in the Stone Age — one local left behind the Venus of Galgenberg, a tiny Ice Age figurine that’s older than many countries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Galgenberg The Romans showed up later, guarding the Danube for trade reasons and probably enjoying the view as well. By the Middle Ages, Krems was booming and considered just as important as Vienna, thriving on river trade and good vineyards. Fast forward: Renaissance mansions, Baroque churches, and a few centuries of drama (religious conflicts, prison uprisings, you name it) have left their mark.

Today? Krems is a UNESCO World Heritage darling, beloved for its wine and cobblestone streets with suspended flower orbs (see photos).

What we hadn’t realized when we planned this trip back in January was the coincidence of Volkfest week—German for "people's festival"—a large event which combines a beer and wine festival with a travelling fun-fair. Czytaj więcej
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Podróżnik I’m down with the liverwurst salad!!🤣🤣🤣
27.08.2025OdpowiedzTłumaczyć
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Days 26 - 28 Krems Highlights
26 sierpnia 2025, Austria ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
Tuesday morning we enjoyed a 3-mile walk along the river just outside Krems; Wednesday morning we hopped in the car for an early (8:00 am) visit to the nearby Gottweig Abbey.https://www.stiftgoettweig.at/portal/en/home The early hours, pre-work excursions were definitely worth it.

Sitting in a lovely outdoor cafe here in Austria should mean breathing fresh air, right? Think again—and this was a surprise for Sarah, and not the good kind. One cigarette a few tables over, and suddenly your cappuccino tastes like an ash tray, ugh! Why do so many people still practice this disgusting habit here in Europe? Okay, okay, rant over!

This is a wine region, but we couldn’t pass on sampling a flight of Austrian draft beer with dinner Wednesday night.

The highlight of our time in Krems was the 45-kilometer bike ride on Thursday to Melk. We rented E-bikes to go easy on the ‘ol knees and rode a beautiful bike path through vineyards and idyllic towns along the Danube. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade by a water sculpture at Melk Abbey then took a ferry back to Krems. The photos speak for themselves!

Here’s a fun fact …the “blue” in Blue Danube is a misnomer, it’s a muddy sage green! But that didn’t stop Johann Strauss from naming his famous waltz after it. https://open.spotify.com/track/4TAIJ3Z6vDok9a6f… Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 29 - Krems to Prague
29 sierpnia 2025, Republika Czeska ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We had no expectations for our drive back to Prague and took a scenic route sticking to country roads. At one wooded stop (to see a castle ruin) we encountered a huge black snake (unmoving, mouth open) in the middle of the road near the parking lot. Paul is an ophiophilist and had to investigate! It didn’t even flinch as he approached or when he picked it up with a branch and placed it in the bushes (upside down—pale yellow belly facing upwards). Was it dead? There was no sign of injury—so we asked ChatGPT and here’s what we learned: when threatened, the harmless European grass snake doesn’t rely on speed or strength. Instead, it pretends to be dead—this is called thanatosis and involves not moving, hanging out its tongue, and sometimes giving off a foul scent (Sarah was no where near close enough to detect any odor—no photos either!)

When we got back to the car and checked on the snake, it was still in the same spot in the bushes but clearly still in character, but it had decided to right itself for Act II (no belly showing)!

To break up the journey we stopped for lunch in České Budějovice. Prague and České Krumlov might get all the attention, but this small town is now a favorite—we could have easily spent a week here and used this as a base. The town name is hard to pronounce unless you make the connection to a certain US beer. The famous Bohemian lagers made here were in fact inspiration for "Budweiser" made by Anheuser-Busch in the States.

The old town pedestrian zone was charming. The main square, Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II, is colorful and in great condition. Forty-eight Baroque and Renaissance townhouses ring the square and have beautiful facades (see video). The rooflines reminded us of the distinct Dutch gables and left us wondering about this connection. The city’s end-of-summer street festival was just opening with food trucks, crafts, and other interesting stalls—we were sorry we couldn’t stay longer.

By 5:00pm we had said “Auf Wiedersehen” to the Skoda and settled into our last accommodation, a slightly OTT cow-themed apartment just below the Prague Castle. Czytaj więcej
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August 2025 Travel Adventures Podróżnik
Day 30 Stomping @ Prague (again)
30 sierpnia 2025, Republika Czeska ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
Our last day involved a leisurely stroll through the National Gallery
(favorites in the photos), lamb kebabs for lunch (a welcome break from the typical menu options this month), and a visit to the castle grounds. In the old stables, we enjoyed a featured exhibit on war told through propaganda posters. It was interesting to see how many were targeted at women to make them feel more included in the war effort.

We stumbled upon the 4:00pm changing of the guard which was very cool.

Homeward bound tomorrow—it’s hard to believe our August in Austria and Czechia is wrapping up—what a wonderful adventure! Czytaj więcej
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30 sierpnia 2025