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After a quiet March, it was time to hit the highway once more! This month I loved the advantages of dwelling in Europe with straightforward journey to 2 totally different international locations: Italy and Germany.
Trying again, it’s been so weird to reach in a brand new nation to stay in, then to be locked down for a lot of it. I nonetheless really feel like I’m simply beginning to discover Prague in depth. However now that issues are beginning to really feel extra regular (consider me, I’m knocking on wooden HARD as I sort this), I’m beginning to benefit from hopping to totally different international locations in Europe.
Naples was a fast funds flight from Prague. However Hamburg was a way more pleasing 6.5-hour journey by practice, the second weekend getaway I’ve carried out by practice (Budapest final November was the primary). No cease crucial; trains run direct from Prague to Hamburg!
I actually wish to do extra getaways by practice this yr. I’m beginning to assume a bit about exploring the lake-studded Salzkammergut area in Austria for a weekend this summer time. Possibly Wroclaw in Poland for one more weekend. And perhaps even a return to Hamburg in August. Apparently there’s a cool pageant the place folks gown up like birds.
Locations Visited
Prague, Czech Republic
Naples, Procida, Amalfi, Bomerano, Nocelle, and Positano, Italy
Hamburg, Lüneburg, and Hanstedt, Germany
Highlights
A unbelievable weekend in Southern Italy. Earlier than this journey, my solely time within the Campania area had been a memorable weekend journey to Capri throughout my semester overseas in 2004. It was time for extra of the Bay of Naples.
We kicked off our weekend in Naples and straight away, I used to be hooked. Was it the very best pizza on this planet for 5 euros a pie? Was it the chaotic streets, the layers upon layers of historical past, the tiny handmade collectible figurines, the boys singing from a balcony to folks ready in line for pizza, the gregarious and no-nonsense folks? I may also see why folks dislike Naples (chaos and dirtiness), however I couldn’t get sufficient of it!
Naples is splendidly unpretentious and it’s now certainly one of my favourite locations in Italy. I can’t consider it took me so lengthy to go to. It’s a vital place in Italy.
A day stuffed with surprises in Procida. We determined to go to the island of Procida for a day, and it turned out to be the day Procida was being topped Italy’s 2022 Capital of Tradition! The island was scrubbed clear, pink flags have been hanging from balconies, and even the Italian president came over! Within the night, the waterfront was a parade. It was a delight.
Some good time on Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. We spent two days based mostly in Sorrento, which is handy for exploring the area transportation-wise, however I didn’t find it irresistible as a vacation spot. It’s very watered down and geared towards worldwide vacationers, significantly Brits. We did a lemon expertise and has a few of the finest limoncello of our life.
Lastly seeing the Amalfi Coast. We took a spectacularly attractive boat journey from Sorrento to Positano to Amalfi, however we weren’t staying for lengthy. We grabbed a fast lunch and hopped on a cliff-clinging bus journey to the city of Bomerano to start the Path of the Gods hike.
The Path of the Gods hike might be essentially the most lovely hike I’ve ever carried out. You’ll be able to’t high the surroundings of the Amalfi Coast’s cliffs, and also you get to benefit from the views (and occasional bleating goats!) for hours. The hike ended with a FUCKLOAD of stairs into Positano, which was hell on my knees for the subsequent few days, however it was so price it.
I extremely advocate this hike, together with for solo ladies, because it’s a decently trafficked path and also you received’t be remoted. Know that it’s a average hike with a couple of technical sections the place you’ll have to make use of your fingers. Path runners have been ok footwear.
I will say that early April is a bit early for the Amalfi Coast — too chilly within the shade, although nice climate for mountaineering. Should you needed to expertise the very best of the Amalfi Coast, I might go from Might to October.
A beautiful time in Hamburg on the Reboot Convention. That is the primary convention I’ve attended in particular person for the reason that pandemic started, and it was such a therapeutic balm to see my mates and spend a lot time with them. This convention was about creativity and mindfulness and it was good to hang around and be taught issues with out being so hardcore business-focused on a regular basis.
And Hamburg is a FANTASTIC metropolis. Cool structure, an actual bohemian really feel in St. Pauli, an actual London really feel in Winterhude, Miniatur Wunderland, enjoyable riverboat cruises, Beatles historical past, the very best crimson gentle district in London, and the occasional curler disco!
I additionally bought to go to the stunning little metropolis of Lüneburg, simply 35 minutes by practice from Hamburg and residential to a few of the finest structure I’ve seen in Germany. It’s cute and an exquisite facet journey from Hamburg.
Stunning spring climate in Prague. I feel spring is the very best time of yr right here. It’s an exquisite time to stroll round city and luxuriate in all of the flowers in bloom, together with plump cherry blossoms in entrance of my house. (And in contrast to New England spring, it really lasts an honest period of time!)
My first Witches’ Day in Prague. April 30 is Witches’ Day, and effigies of witches are burned everywhere in the metropolis.
I FINALLY bought a dresser. After a yr and a half in Prague, I used to be nonetheless utilizing one normal-sized drawer and three tiny drawers and every thing was full to bursting. After a protracted and fruitless search, I concluded that I couldn’t discover any first rate and reasonably priced non-IKEA furnishings that will ship to the Czech Republic and not using a trouble, so I gave in and bought the nicest IKEA dresser: the IDANÄS. Charlie bought one too, in order that they match. The drawers shut gently so it feels nicer than their different dressers.
It feels so luxurious to have a dresser that may match all of my garments. And the occasional cat.
Challenges
We virtually missed our flight out of Naples. Are any of you in a combined airport arrival time relationship? By that, I imply one companion stresses out and likes to get there further early, and the opposite likes to push it to the final minute? I’m the previous and Charlie is the latter.
We’ve tried to accommodate one another a bit extra over the previous few years. I attempt to calm down extra. He provides in a bit extra time. But it surely’s all the time a dance. And once we discovered a shuttle bus that will get us to Naples 90 minutes earlier than our flight to Prague, I advised myself, “Loosen up a bit, that needs to be superb.”
Nicely. Do you know that every thing in Southern Italy typically takes for much longer than it ought to? That bus was late, we arrived to a super-long RyanAir check-in line, the airline folks wouldn’t allow us to skip to the entrance till it grew to become clear that we have been, in reality, minutes from lacking the flight.
My advice? At all times anticipate transportation in Southern Italy to take 50% longer than you assume.
A comedy of errors in Sorrento. It was our final evening in Italy and I actually needed to eat some spaghetti al limone, pasta with lemons and cheese. We discovered a wine bar that had it on the menu and sat down.
Our first warning ought to have been when the toilet was a multitude, door handles unscrewed, the cleaning soap a neon orange Dial in an industrial dimension container. Our second warning ought to have been when the waiter mentioned they have been out of Franciacorta however had an awesome glowing various, however he couldn’t even say which area it got here from. In a wine bar.
Clearly there have been staffing points within the restaurant that evening (cooks in full garb delivering plates, the only waiter additionally tending bar) — and as a former server I’m delicate to that. However whereas the pasta was first rate, the remainder of the meals was terrible.
After I went to go pay, he charged me in USD at a extremely inflated fee. I advised him to void the transaction as a result of it was inflated. He advised me it was the identical. Nope, it’s NEVER the identical. I pulled up my forex app to indicate him that it had overcharged me, and he simply threw a ten EUR invoice at me. Okay then!
We thought Lewis the cat is perhaps sick. He began drooling a ton this month — like, sleeping on the mattress and there’s an enormous moist spot beneath his mouth. He by no means drools, ever. Drooling is usually a signal of mouth bother, so we introduced each cats to the vet to get examined. And each have been superb with good enamel! Lewis’s drooling stopped a day later.
The nice? Examinations of two cats value simply 360 crowns, or $16. The dangerous? Murray cried the entire method to the vet, and it almost made me cry.
Weblog Posts of the Month
18 Fabulous Places to Visit in Cuba — Should you’re inquisitive about Cuba however don’t know the place to transcend Havana, this submit is for you!
5 Stunning, Offbeat National Parks of Québec — There’s a LOT extra to Québec than simply Montréal and Québec Metropolis. Should you’re a nationwide park fan, I wager you’d actually love these cool parks.
This Month on Patreon
On the Adventurous Kate Patreon, I publish unique content material and never-told tales which you can entry for $6 per thirty days. We even have a non-public Fb group and members get free entry to the E-book Membership every month.
I’ve a brand new and thrilling journey arising — however I’m not able to announce something to most of the people till it’s finalized. BUT my patrons know all about it, and we’ve had some nice conversations about recommendation and what to do!
I additionally employed an illustrator for the facet challenge I’ve been engaged on for months, they usually bought to see the ultimate product this month! It’s a map, due to course it’s.
Lastly, there’s a long-form essay on Germany this month — a rustic I go to so typically however I used to assume wasn’t very attention-grabbing. Germany is an attention-grabbing nut to crack.
E-book Membership This Month
Our subsequent guide membership will happen on Sunday, June 5, at 1:00 PM Jap Time. We will likely be studying Sankofa by Nigerian British author Chibundu Onuzo.
“A lady questioning who she actually is goes in the hunt for a father she by no means knew–solely to seek out one thing much more sophisticated than she ever anticipated–on this “stirring narrative about household, our capability to vary and the necessity to belong” (Time).
“Anna is at a stage of her life when she’s starting to surprise who she actually is. In her 40s, she has separated from her husband, her daughter is all grown up, and her mom–the one mother or father who raised her–is useless.
Looking out by way of her mom’s belongings sooner or later, Anna finds clues in regards to the African father she by no means knew. His pupil diaries chronicle his involvement in radical politics in Nineteen Seventies London. Anna discovers that he ultimately grew to become the president–some would say dictator–of a small nation in West Africa. And he’s nonetheless alive…
When Anna decides to trace her father down, a journey begins that’s disarmingly shifting, humorous, and interesting. Just like the metaphorical fowl that offers the novel its identify, Sankofa expresses the significance of reaching again to data gained up to now and bringing it into the current to handle common questions of race and belonging, the abroad expertise for the African diaspora, and the seek for a household’s hidden roots.
Inspecting freedom, prejudice, and private and public inheritance, Sankofa is a narrative for anybody who has ever gone on the lookout for a transparent identification or residence, and located one thing extra complicated as a substitute.”
You can sign up for the book club here. Patreon members get entry within the Patreon.
Most Well-liked Photograph on Instagram
My first true Neapolitan pizza ever, served at Da Michele in Naples! Sure, that enormous pie is all for me, and it value 5 euros.
For extra stay updates from my travels, follow me on Instagram at @adventurouskate.
What I Listened To This Month
I’m so behind in music, so by no means anticipate me to be present, and this month I used to be listening nonstop to Silk Sonic’s album An Night with Silk Sonic. How did I not know that Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, two artists I like, made an album of 70s R&B, certainly one of my all-time favourite genres?!
So sure. Individuals know this album exist. It received one million Grammys (have you learnt Bruno hasn’t LOST a Grammy since 2014? Dude is unstoppable!). And I like love loooove it.
What I Watched This Month
Why did I watch The Ultimatum? This can be essentially the most horrific relationship present I’ve ever seen. Do your self a favor and don’t begin. You’ll hate everybody and your self.
I completed The Dropout, which was glorious. I’ve eagerly consumed every bit of Theranos content material I can discover, however this sequence was the one one to deal with Elizabeth and Sunny’s relationship. And Amanda Seyfried was superb. She performs a weirdo so properly.
I’m inhaling the ultimate episodes of That is Us the second they change into obtainable on Hulu because the tear-filled finale season continues.
Nonetheless engaged on Ozark, Pachinko, and Russian Doll.
What I Learn This Month
A Biography of a Chance Miracle by Tanya Maljartschuk (2018) — This novel tells the story of Lena, a younger girl rising up in Ukraine. She is a little bit of an outcast and ceaselessly a crusader for the much less lucky. The story follows Lena by way of her life in a constantly altering Ukraine, making an attempt to carve out her personal place for herself.
This was our guide membership alternative this month, and I needed us to learn a Ukrainian writer. What an attention-grabbing guide this was! I really feel prefer it was a great introduction to the Ukrainian humorousness — good, outlandish, and regularly fairly darkish. It’s the sort of guide that makes you wince quite a bit.
And whereas there’s nothing that may present you what Ukrainians are going by way of proper now, I feel this guide will get you a bit nearer to understanding what life was like there.
Group: How One Therapist and a Group of Strangers Saved My Life by Christie Tate (2020) — When Christie Tate was attending regulation faculty in Chicago, she was consumed with want for dying. She discovered a therapist, then group remedy — weekly classes with a bunch of strangers sharing the darkest issues about their lives. This guide follows years upon years of group remedy as Christie takes a LONG time to get herself to a great place.
This guide was an absolute shitshow, a practice wreck, and I couldn’t flip away from the horrific scene earlier than me. I devoured it as quick as I might. Then I felt like I needed to go take a bathe.
First off, I’m shocked on the idea — that individuals in Group usually are not sure by confidentiality and inform one another all these secrets and techniques in regards to the folks of their lives, after which go on to inform different random folks at any time when they really feel prefer it. And Christie goes by way of a protracted string of appalling relationships that was robust to witness, and she or he additionally shared a few of her worst moments.
The writer appears to be the sort of one who likes to hold all her worst qualities out for the world to see. Not stunning contemplating she does that in Group THREE TIMES A WEEK. She was additionally within the information for writing that piece about how her daughter wanted her to stop writing about her online and she refused.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (2021) — Hannah’s world is rocked when her husband’s firm goes below and he disappears, then the FBI and US Mmarshals present up at her door. Along with her husband’s teenage daughter in tow, Hannah takes off throughout the nation making an attempt to determine what’s really happening.
This was a mediocre thriller that I stored anticipating to get higher and by no means did. Don’t waste your time.
In different information, I’ve observed I’m studying numerous Reese Witherspoon’s guide membership picks recently, together with Group and The Final Factor He Informed Me. It’s not intentional; I are inclined to go for what’s obtainable on the library. Possibly her staff superstocked libraries together with her books.
Coming Up in Might 2022
Two extra European journeys are deliberate for this month! One continues to be within the works, so I’m solely sharing it with the Patreon for now, however I can speak in regards to the different one. In mid-Might, Charlie and I are going to Calabria, Italy, for the weekend!
Calabria is the toe of the boot. Charlie has already been, however for me it is going to be my nineteenth of Italy’s 20 areas! We’re flying into Lamezia Terme and exploring the area for 4 nights: two at an agriturismo close to the Ionian coast, and two in Tropea, Calabria’s most well-known resort city.
Calabria is a beautiful, offbeat, and low-cost a part of Italy to go to. (It additionally has some painful issues, like poverty and arranged crime, and for those who’re in my Patreon I wrote about that lately.) I’m wanting ahead to discovering what Calabria has to supply. We will likely be highway tripping across the coast, mountaineering a bit, and consuming numerous ‘nduja, Calabrian chilis, and Tropea onions.
Additionally, Might brings SAUSAGE FEST in Prague, which occurs to be my Prague mates’ favourite meals pageant of the yr. We’ve bought our desk booked already. In 2009 they have been on the pageant for 12 hours straight.
Any plans for Might? Share away!
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