Sofia and I hadn’t taken a father-daughter trip, just the two of us, in several years. That had to be remedied! So we booked budget flights and headed to Málaga for sun, sand, sea, flamenco, Picasso, and tapas!
This was actually my third time to Málaga, but Sofia’s first to Spain in general, so she had suggested Spain as where she wanted to visit next. We were thinking of Valencia, but Málaga as a destination offered the best combination of flight timing and prices. I hadn’t been to Spain since gap year back in 2022 – here are some earlier blog posts from Spain, including about Málaga.
This was the most fun I’d had in Málaga, and we did some different things like take a guided group tapas and wine tour, where we walked to various restaurants and a winery to enjoy local food and drink. While the tapas were pretty good, Sofia and I particularly enjoyed two non-Spanish restaurants in the city (not part of the tour), with one offering flavorful Italian focaccia sandwiches, and the other selling tasty Argentinian empanadas. We went to each multiple times! 😋
We explored Roman ruins and hiked up to a couple of Moorish sites as well. This city has 2000-year-old Roman remains and 1000-year old Islamic influence as well. Picasso is from Málaga, and we visited a museum there dedicated to his life and works, but I was rather underwhelmed. Instead, we preferred the temporarily-displayed art pieces from Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos! The best was a room filled with strange decorated and lit drops hung from the ceiling in an otherwise dark room. Music played in the space, and the lights were synced to this music. See an example photo below.
Of course we went to the beach every day, and as Málaga is a sunny place, we tanned, swam, and napped. All very relaxing activities, haha.
It was such a delightful weekend, and we’re both ready to take another father-daughter excursion!! We need to make it an annual tradition. 😁🙏
Back in Prague, all’s well. I’ve completed the residency application process. I decided to move forward with that in order to hedge my bets — it provides ample time to decide what the next steps will be. If I’m only going to stay about 6 months per year in Prague, I actually don’t need residency! (Tourist permissions allow for 90 days per any 180-day period.) My 12-month visa is already expired; time flies, eh? So because I filed for residency, I have a 100-day “bridge visa” while the residency application is reviewed, and then in August I’ll provide biometrics and get the residency card. I’ll decide before the end of this year whether to close out and not have residency in 2027 onward, or to continue for now. We shall see — with my single status in 2027, I am pondering some other concepts… I’m having such a delightful time in Prague, I definitely want to spend a lot of time here, regardless.
That said, I do feel burned out on learning the Czech language, oops. I’ve met many Americans and Brits who say they spent years learning Czech and who often even have Czech spouses, and yet they eventually stopped trying to learn anymore because they could never reach the level they wanted, even for those who reached level B1 (basically 3 out of 6) to obtain citizenship. Even smart Europeans (non-Slavic language speakers) who know multiple languages say it took them 10 years to feel fluent, and yet I hear even them fall back to English when speaking with a Czech person for more than five minutes. Yes, the Slovaks and Ukrainians and other Slavic peoples can do it, but they had a huge head start. And some Americans and Brits can too, normally when they have a Czech partner and/or have to use the language at work, but they certainly seem to be the exception rather than the norm.
Anyway, two fun English-speaking activities that contribute to making time in Prague so desirable are that I’m running with friends 2-3 times per week, and I’m averaging one group hike every couple of weeks as well. I feel like I’m getting into better cardio shape now that I’m running half marathons. I finally achieved a sub-two-hour half marathon recently, which was my goal. I was pleased, but then surprised that I wasn’t even in the top 50% of men aged 50-59 — these Czechs are such good athletes, wow!
One of the most interesting things I’ve done in Czechia was back in May when I participated in an annual “march” from Prague to the small town of Prčice. It was 74 kilometers (46 miles), and it took all day. There are other, shorter distance options, but the 74-km route is the full deal. I went with a couple of Slovak friends, and we were joined by thousands of other people! It provided a great sense of comradery and challenge. Again, many Czechs are in such good shape, I must say. Yes, there were people who didn’t make it all the way, but most did, even if they were limping and bloody by the end. It was such a feeling of accomplishment to make it to Prčice! They give finishers a small plastic piece shaped like a boot, with a different surprise color each year. Along the route one must check into various stations, with the location of one station being secret. Locals throughout the countryside set up ad hoc stands, selling foods and drinks, especially beer of course. Hmmm, I wonder if all this beer drinking keeps the Czechs in such good form? 😂🍻 One of the motivating factors that drew me into joining the march was that my organizing friend told me that he walked over 100,000 steps when he did the march the year before, in 2025! I wanted to reach that milestone as well, but when I got back to my apartment building after 11pm that night after getting back from Prčice, I was at “only” 98,000 steps. Therefore I walked around the neighborhood for a while until I obtained 2,000 more! I now have a purple toenail from all the walking, I guess where my shoe was a bit ill-fitting, but I retain this nail so far. Would I do it again? Certainly not anytime soon, but maybe by next year the discomfort will be sufficiently forgotten. Here’s a good video summary to give you some sense of what it’s like (turn on English subtitles to follow along):
There’s a classic Czech song about this march to motivate us:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ3pz8lV_kE
Today’s dad joke:
In the attic my mother found a stuffed animal toy I had carried around as a toddler, but that was so long ago… Looking back, it’s still a bit fuzzy.
Today’s fun music video:
This year’s Eurovision winner! She’s from Bulgaria, and this song is so catchy. And what amazing dancers! I challenge you to not start singing “Bangaranga”, at least in your head, after watching.
Today’s funny video:
Here’s another Big train video. Was this the inspiration for the concept and format of the show The Office??
Today’s Stoic quote:
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
Major Meander 