A Poem Long Time Coming

**Heavy post and trigger warning for victims of gun violence**

This is not something I've done here before, sharing poetry or my opinion on an issue other than butter. But I couldn't think of another forum in which to share this so here goes.

I wrote this back in March, it was for a class and I picked the topic before a mass shooting took place which almost made me feel the subject I chose was even more poignant than intended. I didn't want to share it beyond my class though. Since the world was temporarily reeling after the shooting, I thought it wouldn't be the right time and it made me nervous to share my writing and in doing so, potentially spark a debate I didn't want to have on gun control.

But it also felt like something that needed to be shared eventually and I had a moment where I thought "it's okay, I can publish it later after the next mass shooting". And I realized that I've accepted that there will be another one. And another one. And another one until we do something about it. Not just offer our prayers, our thoughts, our condolences. This is our reality until we act to change it.

I'm not looking to start a debate and I'm not saying I have the answer. I'm saying that I can map my life in mass shootings. I can remember where I was, what I was wearing, just like with 9/11. I remember when we stopped doing school drills for natural disasters and started doing them for active shooter scenarios. For awhile, it felt like these tragedies were inching closer and closer to me, that inevitably they would hit my life full force. But I've realized that it's not that it's getting closer, it's that it's getting bigger -- it's spreading. And unless we change something, it will indeed be a reality, not just an inevitability.

Untitled

Touch me. Feel me. My edges, my grooves, my curves. Push through my resistance, one
last obstacle -- are you sure you want to do this?

I am cold. I am heavy. Laden with guilt and power and regret.

My burden is easily discharged but that leaves me heavier than before. My purpose, my destiny, is only to tear apart, to destroy. To end.

I try to stop, to resist, but I cannot -- one, two, twenty, fifty. They fall. I see them all before me and see no difference -- a can, a deer, a human. A child, a son, a mother. Black. White. They fall the same.

And they all look the same when we meet. Indifference becomes disbelief becomes alarm becomes fear becomes nothing. I see brightness. I feel heat. I smell metal.

I do not hear them though. My own anguished cry deafening to the point of nothingness, a vacuum, void of sound.

And when all is said and done, there is a twisted peace. It is quiet. It feels cold. It smells metallic.

I leave in silence, heavier than before.

On Adulting

Did you ever have a chore chart? I didn't, we just did the chores and that was our "contribution to the family" (I wish I were kidding but that is still a phrase used today by me and my now grown-ass adult siblings when we do something for our parents or pay for something). But we had a chore chart at camp so we would keep the cabin clean and while we were at activities, the 'cleaning fairy' would inspect the cabins and give a sticker for clean bunks. If you got a week straight of stickers, the whole cabin went for ice cream. Incentive. I should also note I was not a camper, I was a counsellor. So I was the 'adult' encouraging the children to clean so I could also get free ice cream. Win-win.

Well now I'm an adult and I pay my own bills (I buy my own diamonds -jokes- and I buy my own rings), get myself to work, clean my flat, wash my clothes, cook my meals: where is my gold star?! Where is my reward for adulting?! My sister gave me a sign for Christmas that reads "I can't adult today" which is something I will sometimes text her (I also text her gold star emojis for myself when I do things like pay my bills or save money).

I think the simple answer is the reward for adulting is life or rather, control of one's life. "Adulting" wasn't even a thing before we millennials made it a verb. Adult was a stage of life. So far as I know, and maybe I'm just uncool, there's no term for "teenagering" when they have an emo tantrum or storm off in the middle of dinner, they're just "being a teenager". Well this is called just being an adult. The issue I think we millennials have with it is it's permanent: for a generation that is all about 'follow your own path', work-life balance, gap years, living abroad, an overall transient and experience-based lifestyle, being an adult is terrifying because it's FOREVER. We will from now on be an ADULT.

I read this article that talked about part of why we have created this term for just being a certain age and independent is because we are actually just burning ourselves out. It's not 'adulting' it's another fun buzz word: 'millennial burnout'. We have been given the pressure, by ourselves and/or society, to 'make it'. Make it where?? Make it hoooow?? Apparently to adulting.

So we've gone from Peter Pan-syndrome to Adulting to Millennial Burnout. Are these official diagnoses yet?

 

If I had a dollar (or 1.30 pounds) for every time I've thought to myself (or directly been told) "you have to make it worthwhile", I could stop adulting altogether and just retire to a small island. We are stereotypically a spoiled generation where our parents' investment (because yes, we were their beloved children but we were also expensive to send to school when tuition was on the rise and more kids were competing for fewer slots so we had to have a leg up in the form of SAT prep class or private school or lessons in some obscure activity that would set us apart) in us must be returned in the form of 'worthwhile'. But we also have more flexibility and opportunity than our parents to work crazy (or not) hours, to take as much vacation as we want (or at least more than our parents did) and have less formal relationships with our coworkers which goes against previous generational definitions of success and therefore 'worthwhile'.

So whatever you're doing, gold star! You got yourself to your friend's birthday on time: gold star! You remembered to bring a card for said friend: two gold stars! You even remembered said friend's birthday before Facebook told you: get yourself some boozy ice cream because you my friend, are a bonafide adult.

Expectations vs. Hopes

I'm a planner, if you've ever met me, this is quickly apparent. If you haven't met me--trust me, I'm the planner. I love hosting a good theme party or dinner. Friendsgiving? Check. Royal Wedding? I've got your tea sandwiches and bunting right here. Valentine's Day? Okay I might one day invest in a black heart pinata and baseball bat but for now settle for a solid girls' night dinner. Mind you, most of this never made it on the blog, oops! But I've roasted a turkey and made wedding cupcakes with Harry & Meghan's faces on them like the best of 'em.

Recently I had a couple people comment that I shouldn't set my expectations too high for these parties/plans so I'm not disappointed if they don't turn out the way I envisioned. Valid. But it got me thinking about the difference between expectations and hope. I posed this to my sister who unfortunately misinterpreted the question, sent via text, to be a frustrated rant/cry for help (which to be fair, is usually what I'm doing). But she wrote this post quickly to answer my question and then I clarified that it was really a musing about how we are encouraged to hope and dream while simultaneously told not to set expectations.

So how do you have hope and dream for something without setting expectations? Isn't a dream an expectation? No no, a dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep, duh! Couldn't resist a Disney plug. But seriously, we don't say "don't dream" or "don't hope" but we do say "be mindful of your expectations" and my personal favorite as a singleton getting unsolicited advice from people in long term relationships that suddenly makes them experts on dating: "maybe your expectations are too high".

(or Philosopher's Stone for the Brits)

Are my dreams too high?? Is there too much hope in the world?? Doubtful. If anything, I don't like to hope for things because that leads to disappointment (did I just answer my own question?). Expectations feel more concrete, black and white achievements. They are met or they aren't. But hopes and dreams have a spectrum, it's more emotional to me. Your expectations could be a 10 and you hit an 8, that's not failure. That's an 8/10! That's above average! So double rainbows didn't spontaneously shine down on you (that would be an 11) and Bradley Cooper didn't buy you coffee (dreamzzz--but that would be like a 25) but things were still great!

So from one hopeful dreamer masquerading as a black-hearted pessimist, have hope and courage to dream. Just don't expect them to come true (kiddinggggg...sort of...).

 

WTF, January

Pardon my language but what the actual frick, January?! I thought it was just me who felt like this month dragged on and on and on but given the number of memes popping up about how January lasted for 5 months, "30 days has September, April --- all the rest have 31 except January which has 95", companies offering promotions for "surviving January" --it's not just me!! Also, man, 30 Rock was a great show.

 

So why did January feel so awful and long? Yes, it has a bonus day, a few actually if you compare it to February. And yes it's dark and cold but we're past the shortest day of the year and on the up and up! January had New Year's, returns from the holiday and therefore short work weeks. It had routines and ambitions and resolutions. And it also had over-estimation, over-commitment and over-work written all over it.

Maybe we get so focused on improving ourselves and changing ourselves, doing all these new things, we get lost along the way. In trying to start the year off well, we actually start it off overwhelming ourselves. And even if we're past the shortest day of the year, it's still dark most of the time and when it's not, we're stuck at work. And it's still cold and rainy in London or the US (well, dark and snowy and cold af). We didn't have to fix it all in 31 days but it certainly felt like it sometimes. 

 

So as we enter February where we have a groundhog tell us whether winter will be longer than usual, another set-expectations-too-high-holiday (Valentine's Day), and loads of chocolate to comfort us as a result, just remember that in a short bit we'll be in March (#birthdaymonth) and that much closer to spring (and a holiday devoted to drinking which is far better than devoted to cheesy romance). So what did we learn from January? Be kind to yourself, don't over-commit (I say this as I currently have 0 free nights for two weeks), and remember you've got people to lift you up who also feel like January lasted forever.

Of course there were moments of joy last month but if I were to Marie Kondo it and pick up the month of January and ask myself "do you spark joy?" it would be a hard pass from me. Thank you for your service, bring on February.

Waffles for One

A few years ago, I read a book called Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, a collection of essays and stories about the crazy meals we make when we're just cooking for ourselves. Cereal, beans and rice, ramen, Oreo cookies, popcorn! Often my dinner alone is whatever snack food I have around--or cheese. While I'm really good about meal prepping my lunches, something about cooking dinner just for myself is unappealing. And when it comes to breakfast, weekdays it's typically a smoothie or cereal but the weekends, I like to take a little more time to myself and usually make eggs (and I don't even really like eggs but it feels lush to spend extra time making breakfast for myself).

Maybe it's because recipes are made for large quantities that it deters us solo diners from putting in the effort. Lunch meal prep typically means eating the same thing for lunch every day of the week, something I don't mind doing but I know some people get bored and want to mix it up. And while Joy the Baker has cracked the Single Lady Pancake, which at one point I could make from memory bleary eyed pre-coffee, I'm a big fan of waffles.

Growing up, my dad would make waffles on Sunday mornings, a tradition we maintain to this day when we are together. So when he came to London a couple years ago for Christmas, a waffle iron went straight into my Amazon cart to carry on this time-honored breakfast tradition (and because it also meant bacon). And since I have the waffle iron, naturally I want to make waffles! But do you realize how many waffles you end up with, even if you halve a recipe?? A lot. You get a lot of waffles.

 

On the slightly more philosophical side of things, maybe it's not about recipe yield/quantity at all but that we're more open to putting in effort for others than for ourselves. We'll make a cake for a friend's birthday but not for ourselves. We'll host large meals but not make one solo. Put the effort into yourself because no one deserves it more! And not to be a pessimist but if I don't do it, who will? (No one, see note on solo/alone)

So now, I bring you: Waffles for One. Because #treatyourself and #selfcare definitely applies here. Spend that extra time on yourself preparing a delicious breakfast and some fresh coffee (preferably pumpkin spice). Oh and bacon. Which I didn't do here but do on my birthday.

In retrospect, you can also make a normal batch of waffles and freeze the ones you don't eat, to be toasted at a later date. But let's not ruin the magic of single portion waffles with logic...

Recipe
Yields 4 waffle squares or one giant waffle and sense of satisfaction 

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1.5 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Cinnamon and nutmeg to your liking (optional) 
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 egg

1. Heat up your waffle iron and lightly grease
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices
3. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter and egg until smooth. You can also add vanilla here if you prefer
4. Stir together the wet and dry ingredients until combined. Some lumps is okay
5. Pour the batter into the hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown (usually there's an indicator light on the waffle iron)
6. Smother in syrup, berries and whipped cream. Enjoy with hot coffee or bacon while jamming out to Carly Rae Jepsen's "Party for One" and dancing around the kitchen in your pajamas

2019 Resolutions: Presence

This isn't the first time (or likely the last time) there has been a dark age for this blog. When something, anything, starts to feel more like an obligation than a choice: red flag. If something doesn't bring you joy: red flag. If no one notices your blog has been taken down for months until your sister starts her own blog and suddenly everyone remembers you did that thing once too: just lol and move on.

I've posted on resolutions before (see 2018 and 2016 -- guess I skipped out on 2017) and there are mixed opinions about resolutions, especially as we get older. Some people think that it's a good way to set an unachievable goal and sets you up for failure in the first quarter of the year. Others feel if you really want something or to try something new or change a habit, just do it when you think of it rather than waiting for January 1st. But I think New Year's is a chance to look back on your year, how far you've come, who has been there along the way and think about what the next year holds.

Social media can be challenging at the best of times but do you really need it to tell you what your year was like through things like Best Nine (the top Instagram photos solely based on number of likes received) or Facebook video (similar premise, how much interaction you had online)? I'm a hypocrite, I love the Best Nine but I'm also a data person so love the numbers. Regardless, take a minute to see what sticks out about this year: football almost came home! It was a long, hot summer to remember! I can do crow pose in yoga! New countries were explored! The governments of the world went cray!

 

For 2019, my resolution, in a word: Presence. Remain in the present, in the moment. Check my phone less, ignore the tick to scroll mindlessly through Instagram when someone gets up from the table. Focus less on the future and more on the here and now.

 

I have a tendency to worry which is really just a kind way to say I get anxious. I've worked hard to get past the 'should' thinking: where I 'should' be in life, what I 'should' be doing based on someone else's expectations but I still [over]think about what my future holds. Am I doing what I need to be doing? (See how I just replaced "should" with "need"? Work in progress). Am I on the right path? (Right path meaning right path for me, not society's appointed path but if it's my path, why do I need to know what it is rather than just be on it?).

That's not to say I don't also have a [short] list of things I'm looking to do in 2019 but they will just add to the adventure, not define it.

Happy New Year!

Weekend Wanderings: Split, Croatia

So after a quick stick/manual lesson with the rental car people in Rovinj, we were off to Split! Jk, I didn't actually manage to learn to drive manual, they found an automatic for little old me. But we did end up in Split! It's a small but very old town and we stuck to the historic harbor area to enjoy some sea views and tons of sea food.

1) Dionyse's Palace - If you're a Game of Thrones fan, this is a lesser known filming location for the show. Dubrovnik gets the most credit for the show as it's the setting for King's Landing but Split was also used for dungeon scenes and palace shots. The palace itself remains the center of life in the old town. We didn't wander far from here but the walls of the palace shelter a number of small shops and restaurants within the structure and the basement catacombs have more artists and local merchants. Much like how it used to be back in the good old days.

2) Konoba Fetivi - This little seafood restaurant shares a kitchen with the restaurant across the street (really across the alleyway). We were able to walk up right when they opened around 5pm to request a table for later in the evening. By the time we went back for our reservation time, they were fully booked! Like most restaurants in the area, they have a selection of seafood dishes as well as catch of the day. The food was very good although we had no idea how to debone a fish and they didn't offer so we just kinda struggled through that process.

3) Konoba Marjan - Similar to Konoba Fetivia, 'konoba' means kitchen, this restaurant was small and fishy--in a great way. We made a reservation early in the evening, went for a walk and a drink before heading back for dinner. The waiter here was very informative, sharing the fish of the day (which we'd never heard of) and recommending wine to accompany our dinner. He also offered to debone the fish for us which was much better than us trying to do it ourselves. 

4) Bacvice Beach - A short walk from the harbor is a secluded beach with a small restaurant overlooking the sea. You can rent lounge chairs (someone will come around and charge you) or just enjoy the sandy beach. The sea itself is very calm and shallow for quite a distance so you can slowly wade in or float around on a nice day. There are also bathrooms in the cafe where you could order drinks to take down to the beach. And according to Google, has a great nightlife but we left to go get lunch.

5) Day Trips - We spent two nights in Split before taking a boat to Dubrovnik but there are plenty of oportunities to do day trips from Split. The ferries will take you to a variety of islands along the way to Dubrovnik including Hvar and you can also take a trip out to Plitvice which is a beautiful park full of waterfalls. We actually stopped at Plitvice on our way to Split and it was a great decision! I felt like I was transported to another planet and the trails are all easy to hike. You can also take boats around the park if you don't want to do too much walking. 

Weekend Wanderings: Rovinj, Croatia

Remember how I said I thought Venice was too romantic to visit without a partner? Well, Rovinj is actually the most romantic place I have ever been. Like serious sunsets on the rocks. After the hustle and bustle of Venice, Rovinj was a much-welcome break. There are a couple of main sites to see but otherwise, it's very small and very relaxing.

We ate SO well in Croatia overall but our host in Rovinj was particularly spot-on in her recommendations to us. Also, she had a big cat she held out the window to say goodbye to us (sorry, kitty!).

1) Segutra - This place is in one of the many alley-ways in Rovinj. You can sit inside or at tables in the alley outside (recommended). Like most places in Istria (the northern area of Croatia which was once part of Italy), seafood and pasta reign supreme here. So why not combine the two? My friend and I shared some seafood pasta and black risotto. Yes, the black ink of the risotto will turn your teeth black but just drink more wine. The waiter here was so happy with us because we cleaned our plates. How could anyone leave food behind??

2) Kantinon Tavern - Another favorite of our host, this restaurant is right on the harbor and has a great view of the old part of Rovinj. Sitting out here on a Monday, not being at work, with some wine and a giant cheese platter was pretty divine. The restaurant is also located right along a stretch of other restaurants and gelato shops which didn't hurt.

3) La Puntulina - If you want to eat at this restaurant or some of the other places on the rocks, you would be best served to get a reservation. However, if like us, you really just want to watch the sunset on the water as boats slowly go by, you can just walk up for drinks. We got a spot right on the edge of the rocks next to a swimming hole which gave us serious regret for not having our suits on. I half expected to witness a proposal here but alas, everyone was relaxing and watching the sunset. A German couple behind us took a picture of my friend and I being served our wine and they kindly AirDropped the photos to us (because technology).

4) Punta Corrente - We heard about this park and decided to go for a walk in here but again regretted not having our bathing suits as it was a great, quiet spot to go swimming or just lay out. We had some drinks from a bar mid-park which turned out to be very overpriced but worth it for sipping a pina colada on the Adriatic Sea while looking at the old city from afar. There were a couple hotels next to the park and people were riding bikes they presumably rented in town so is a good way to spend an afternoon.

5) Brist Olive Oil -  If you've rented a car, I would highly recommend visiting the small town of Vodnjan. We went to an olive oil tasting at Brist which sounds really strange because why would you drink olive oil but holy guacamole, you have not had olive oil before. We walked way with 7 bottles of olive oil between the two of us, it was that good (and makes good gifts!). The host there was Irish which was amusing but had married into this olive family. He recommended a restaurant for lunch, Vodnjanka, which had delicious truffle gnocchi and traditional fusi, a type of beef stew. Oh and truffle cheese because you can never have too much truffle oil -- or cheese.

Weekend Wanderings: Venice

Ah Venice! For some reason, I had in my head that Venice was this super romantic place and I should wait to go there until I was in a relationship and we could take a gondola ride together because romance. But alas, I skipped out on going to Venice when I visited Verona (a mere train ride away) and am tired of waiting. YOLO!!

Now don't get me wrong, Venice is amazing! But if you're being dumb like me and waiting for a partner, don't. Just go. You can make anywhere romantic or not (okay, maybe not aaaaanywhere), you'll enjoy Venice either way.

Outside of the usual sites like Rialto Bridge, Bridge of Sighs and taking a Gondola ride, here are some places we stumbled upon (via actual walking or Instagram) that would be worth a wander. Oh and some fun tips in case you arrive at like midnight and are getting lost on water buses like us...

1) Water Buses: Venice - the city of water, land of canals. It seems so exotic to travel by boat instead of bus! But if you're doing so late at night, like after 10pm, make sure you check the schedule at your particular stop. Even though we asked the ticket lady and she directed us to stop C, our little map told us that stop C closes after 10pm. But the lady told us to go there! Well, she was wrong and we should have just read the schedule and not waited half an hour at the wrong stop. So yeah, trust your instincts and double check stations after dark.

 

2) Mercati di Rialto - Obviously you should go to the Rialto Bridge, lined with shops and offering great views of the grand canal. But through the square, there is a large market that has locals and tourists alike shopping for goods. Seafood, flowers, meat, vegetables, fruit-- everything you could think of! Really made me want a kitchen for our trip so we could cook up some fresh food.

 

 

3) Libreria Acqua Alta- This was an Instagram discovery. You know how sometimes you're like "why do I have 500 Facebook friends, I definitely don't know half these people". I feel that way about Instagram sometimes where I've clearly followed someone because we met at a blogger event and I don't remember their real name. But if you stay following them, you get trip inspiration. Like my blogger friend Amy, who actually redesigned this site for me a few years back, who went to Venice the week before me! Cue making a list of destinations based on her Instagram, most notably this book store which is a) amazing and b) has a cool book staircase in the back overlooking a canal. Clearly a popular spot for photo shoots as we had to wait in a little bit of a line. Instagram-husbands/boyfriends were in full force.

4) Osteria Alla Staffa - There's probably not a bad place to get pasta or seafood but this little restaurant was very close to the bookstore and our hostel so in we went! The restaurant is cozy but they were able to seat us right away and although you are close to the other tables, it doesn't feel crowded. The staff were attentive and gave us recommendations on wine and local cuisine. 

5) I Tre Mercanti - Among the many tiny bridges that span the canals, was this little shop. Blink and you'll miss it! It's right on a corner going over a bridge so you can easily get swept up in the tourist groups walking across. Mini cannolis, chocolates and tiramisu, oh my! The woman working there was Scottish and greeted a seasonal English visitor by name when she came in having just arrived from the UK! Such a great feeling to know there are still regulars and people who know your name even now with all the digital clutter.

Weekend Wanderings: Prague - Food

Part II! In case you missed Part I, the focus of the last post was on activities in Prague. And now we move onto the reward for all that walking and biking: food! And beverages because Prague is a serious beer town.

We stumbled upon a small beer cafe on our way to a hypothetical beer garden (we never found it) that only served pickled cheese, pickled sausage and two beers. Made choosing easy. There were also a bunch of dogs around and the weather was sunny so helped make this oasis feel like paradise. There is also a beer garden in the large park on the north side of the river which will undoubtedly provide a great view! We passed it on the bike tour but didn't stop for a beer there (we stopped for one at the Castle instead).

Although this is a chain, Bakeshop is worth it! I couldn't say if these are traditional but it had the feeling of an old cafe and there are some just off the Old Town square if it's too hectic there. They have a great assortment of pastries but also egg dishes. They are also super fast, we had a sit down breakfast in about 20 minutes.

And if Bakeshop is full, there's a cafe across the street called Au Gormand that has a back garden area which is lovely for breakfast as well. They seemed to have additional lunch offerings beyond take-away pastries.

On the recommendation of a foodie friend, we went to dinner at Lokal. Although it also has multiple locations, they have traditional food and I couldn't even make it through the goulash and bread dumplings. It was extremely good but also so filling.

You will see a lot of vendors selling chimney cakes with ice cream in them. They look amazing and are delicious but our tour guide told us these are traditional as of about 2014 when they caught on from a Hungarian tradition. And although strudel is usually associated with Austria or Germany, their Czech neighbors adopted the tradition too. I've heard hot chocolate is great in Prague too but it was pretty warm so stuck with strudel for dessert. So go ahead, treat yo'self.

Weekend Wanderings: Prague - Activities

This is one time when I wish I had digital photos from my youth. It would mean instant access to some strong #tbt photos but at the same time, I looooved the whole printing photo process. Waiting for the prints, then flipping through them and hoping your pictures came out as intended and you hadn't blinked or stuck your finger over the lens. The struggle was real.

If I had those pictures readily available and not in storage, I would throw some up here of Prague circa 2005. I'm pretty sure I had a really good hair year at that time (more reasons to find those photos and be like "hairdresser, make this happen again") so I'm not even worried about embarrassing teen style. Okay, we were on a class trip and we had to wear the same bright blue jacket as all the other students and when we weren't, we had to wear our designated color which for me was 'silver' aka grey aka I'm super pale and that is not a good look.

At any rate, I don't mind visiting a place twice, especially with a fresh perspective and Prague was no exception. A friend of mine was in nearby Germany for work so away we went to Praha.

Smetana Hall / Municipal House

The first time I was in Prague was for a choir tour and we sang in the Municipal Hall, also called Smetana Hall. It was the first time I was travelling sans parents/family and our choir director was intense. People were paying money to see us! It wasn't just our parents in the audience or other kids forced to sit through a school assembly. No. Pressure. But it was also an amazing experience to be in a real concert hall so convinced my travel companions to attend a classical music concert there during our trip. The hall was pretty empty which made me wonder if it had been that way for our concert all those years ago. I'm going to tell myself it was full, just like my hazy memory remembers it.

The interior

This time around though, did a few more things, starting with a bike tour! I'm terrified of biking, mostly because cars crush bicycles (real-life rock, paper, scissors here) but it was worth the fear to take a bike tour of Prague.

Safety first!

We started in the Old Town and crossed the river to go up to the giant park and rode over to the castle. One thing from my travels the first time around that stuck out: the Metronome statue. At one point this was a giant statue of Stalin which they destroyed after the fall of communism. It was then temporarily replaced by a statue of Michael Jackson (no joke!) before the current Metronome was installed. To signify the sway of time? The delicate balance of life? Something nifty?? All of the above.

We then pedaled over to the Castle where we stopped for a bit and walked around. The castle was built over time so has a number of different architectural styles. As with most palaces, they have a royal garden and changing of the guard ceremony. There is also a cathedral you can visit, rumor has it the lines are shorter towards the end of the day but probably depends on the day.

St. Vitus Cathedral

The Castle is up on a hill, as you do, so while we had to work to get up there, we got to cruise downhill on our way back into town. And I do mean cruise, it's pretty steep and I rode the break pretty hard but ultimately my mass and inner child won out and away we went! Next stop was the Lennon Wall which started as a memorial to John Lennon when communism was still sort of a thing so kept getting painted over. But the wall is part of the embassy of Malta who were like "it's cool, we dig it" and so the wall remained. Now you can tag it to your heart's content. But it will most likely be promptly painted over.

Lennon Wall (sorry kids, graffiti isn't censored)

We then took a brief pedal past the Charles Bridge which was a relief because it was packed with people! Definitely worth a visit but perhaps on foot. You get great views of the castle from down below.

Charles Bridge with Castle in the background

The tour ended back near Old Town which is also a great place to visit. If you go to Prague now, you will see a lot of construction and the famed Astronomical Clock is closed for refurbishment. This is all in preparation for the big celebrations this fall for 100 years of Czech independence. Check back in October for all the sites to be open and shiny!

Further out, more towards the Castle on the north/west side of the river, you will find the Kafka House with the Pissing Statue out front (not sure what this is about, it showed up on Google maps and how can you not check it out...). The Infant Jesus is also an attraction on this side of the river, housed in the Church of Our Lady Victorious.

Sweet baby Jesus

This post started as one really long post including food recommendations but it just became a novel (it might still be too long...). So keep an eye out for part II: Food!!