Prague’s Housing Unaffordability

When we first began spending time in Czechia in 2021, I envisioned that a possibility would be to purchase an apartment in Prague to use while in town and then maybe rent out while elsewhere. For various reasons this is no longer realistic for me, including the huge price increases which continue every year. In […]

Czech Hiking Trail Markers

As many readers know, I really love to hike. It’s relaxing and connects me to nature. I particular enjoy mountainous, or at least hilly, routes to get the legs stronger and the heart pumping. Sometimes I hike solo, but I particularly like to hike with a group for the socialization. And hikes and walks help […]

Bohemian Rhapsodies – Part 2

This is Part 2 of a series of collections of Czech tidbits. In Part 1, I highlighted Anglo-American University (AAU), WWII memorial plaques, and the Czech Mycological Society with their mushroom box. In this Part 2, I provide insights into Prague public transport, particularly for the mobile app, and I tell about my first driving […]

The Fellowship of the Cancelled Ports

Other blog post title suggestions from ChatGPT:– New Zealand: The Cruise We Planned vs. The Cruise We Got– Sailing Past Our Vacation– When the Captain Says “Due to Weather…”– The Cruise Itinerary That Became a Suggestion– Our New Zealand Cruise: Now with 70% More Sea– Collecting Seasickness Instead of Souvenirs– We Came for Fjords, Stayed […]

Czech, Please

I’m back in Prague, and things are the same but different in this dynamic place. After having been in Asheville for a few months, Prague feels more crowded and hectic than I recalled, and I suppose it might just be, as it continues its huge growth as a very popular city both to move to […]

Czech Account and Bank ID

In 2010 the US enacted FATCA (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) to combat tax evasion by US taxpayers holding financial assets outside the United States. This act requires, among other things, that foreign financial institutions report information about financial accounts held by US taxpayers. Banks outside the US must identify and report US account […]

Czech phone number and mobile apps

When spending so much time in Czechia, it is helpful to have a Czech phone number and to be able to access apps available only in Czechia (or at least for non-US Google accounts). I didn’t want a landline, of course, but I needed a solution for my mobile phone. For many of the running […]

Czech visa

Now that I’ve been back in the US for almost two months, I have confirmed that I do indeed enjoy dividing my time between Asheville and Prague, with each offering various highlights and advantages. Why choose just one?? It’s the best of both worlds. I admittedly at times feel a bit discombobulated from living two […]

Ways Iceland Can Kill You

In preparing for this trip, I read Rick Steves’ Iceland guidebook, and in it he has a two-page section covering various ways that Iceland is deadly. Here’s how he starts out: Several times a year, Iceland is captivated by a full-scale land and helicopter search for travelers sucked out to sea by a wave, separated […]

Fire-breathing dragon

I had a mentally and physically draining day across the board. Time in a medical facility (I’ll be fine) and slamming my finger in the door (unrelated to the medical center visit) were some of the easier things. Anyway, that’s life! Here are some photos for your enjoyment. Today’s dad joke: When a lady from […]