2022

Finally, another travel year to my liking, without the coronavirus, as it were. Or at least it was possible to choose a destination where there were no big restrictions. One big JUCH! As for our personal life, it was a bit hectic. Sometime at the beginning of the year, I got the impression that even with Kobliha, the blog, and hours at the gym, I was still catching up on too many Netflix episodes of everything. Somehow I felt sorry for the lost time, so I applied for a job as a producer for the cultural magazine Žurnal in Pilsen. And it worked! :) Of course, many people were knocking on my forehead if I was crazy, but I was very happy for this opportunity. The second big thing that was a big deal this year was moving, accompanied by a very lengthy bureaucracy. Thank goodness that's behind us now. Anyway, we are still loyal to Pilsen, we just changed the neighborhood and the size of the apartment. So, that's our changes in a nutshell, and now what we managed to see during the year...

Chichén Itzá & Valladolid

After a few days spent in Mérida (see Mérida and trips in the area) we slowly started to move back to Cancún, but from the remaining two nights I made these great excursions, to which I dedicate my last Mexican article. 

Mérida and trips in the area

Mérida is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, which in itself may not be a reason to visit. But the fact that the centre of this city of about a million people is literally bustling with life is worth a trip. Believe me, Mérida really does have a lot to offer, with concerts, theatre, dance performances or classes, parades, workshops all taking place every night. TIP: on Facebook, click on the "Events" box, enter Mérida as your location and you'll get a huge amount of stuff. 

Yucatan inland: our BEST places

From Laguna Bacalar we decided to continue more into the Yucatan interior to get to know a bit of the not-so-touristy Mexico. Originally I wanted to see the Mayan ruins of Calakmul, but in the end I had to admit that an X hour drive through the jungle on unpaved roads would be unnecessarily demanding. Both energetically and, most importantly, time-wise. So I incorporated completely different ruins into plan 2, plus a few more interesting places on top, so in the end a much more convenient version, and mostly to the satisfaction of everyone involved :)

5 tips for having fun at Bacalar Lagoon

In my previous article I focused on the most touristy area of the whole Yucatán - the Mayan Riviera, where the two days we spent here were (for many reasons) just right. On the other hand, we could have easily stayed longer in the much less famous and slightly more remote Bacalar area. Bacalar is a town located about 2.5 hours drive south of Tulum, and at the same time the lagoon on its eastern side is so named. It is the Bacalar Lagoon that has become the biggest local attraction and I would say is attracting more and more attention.

What's worth seeing on the Riviera Maya?

To the south of Cancún is the popular tourist destination Riviera Maya, including the famous cities of Playa del Carmen and Tulum, as well as the much-visited island paradise of Cozumel. It's in this area that you'll find dozens, actually hundreds, of luxury hotel resorts where you can lounge on a private beach and sip margaritas. And this is also where the vast majority of tourists flying into the Yucatán Peninsula, Cancún, stay.

Yucatán, Mexico: practical info + itinerary

I knew I wanted to take Donut somewhere further, outside Europe, but somehow there was still no time for that this year. But at the same time, it seemed ideal to me if this "bigger" trip could be done before she turned two, when we still don't have to pay for her full-fare ticket. I spent X hours comparing flights, entry conditions, weather and prices in the destinations until Vietnam made the shortlist and... Mexico, which won out in the end thanks to relatively cheap airfare and a great deal of swimming options. If we were going alone as a couple, our priority would definitely not be water :) and quite possibly not Mexico, or at least not that part. But with an almost 23 month old Nina, I have to say it was a great choice and we all really enjoyed it to the max. And where did we actually go?

What not to miss at Lake Königsee

Berchtesgaden is one of the few places we decided to go to for the second time. You know it, right? "It's beautiful here, we'll definitely be back!" And then fart, because you usually want to discover something else... and more. We first visited these parts in September 2020 (see article here) between waves of coronavirus when I was eight months pregnant. There were no exaggerated hikes back then, the Eagle's Nest was under renovation and there was a line halfway down the village to get on the boat. So it's decided - we have places left to explore + it's beautiful + it's not far from home => we're coming back!!

Our TOP 6 Madeira walks

As I have already outlined in my previous and quite extensive article, I have decided to split the Madeira report into two halves. The first one contains general information such as flights, car rental and accommodation, plus of course a complete list of places visited. If you haven't read it, be sure to remedy that - link here. The second article I would like to dedicate more to trekking and walking, in short places where it is not enough to just stop, take a picture and move on :)

How to spend a week in Madeira

What to write in the introduction? Perhaps just - FINALLY!!! A long time ago, I wrote Madeira on my travel wish list and now I can only say that it absolutely fulfilled all my expectations and fantasies. It has even climbed pretty damn high on my list of top destinations, just like the whole of Portugal <3. I'll skip the crap you read everywhere => Madeira island of eternal spring, European Hawaii blah blah blah, changeable weather, short runway blah blah... Let's take a practical point of view, one step at a time, as you are used to:

3 places not to miss in Ticino

If you have read the articles from our Italian roadtrip, you probably noticed that our return trip was through Switzerland. We only stayed for a short time, but I did incorporate a few interesting places into the itinerary. And since I think it's a shame to keep the splendor to myself, I decided to write one more short article. 

Long weekend in Bordeaux

I don't know about you, but for me the winter is always sooo long! I'm not really the type to indulge in winter sports, I've always pulled out my snowboard more just "to use it since I bought it" and walking in the winter is kind of faster than usual. The sun doesn't shine much, my hands (or feet, really) don't get numb and I'm just cold as fuck! 

Manchester vs. Liverpool

That was me buying plane tickets again as a Christmas present... You see, Pepa's favourite foreign team is Arsenal, so I thought I'd surprise him and take him to a football match somewhere near the source. So I dove into googling Arsenal's schedule of games while trying to match the dates with the tickets. Taking it round and round, the best and logistically easiest option seemed to be a two-day trip to Manchester, sacrificing one evening for Pep's love - football. Specifically the eeny, breathtaking and ultra thrilling Manchester City vs. Arsenal match. But...

Lago di Garda TOP 10 places

The very first stop of our Italian roadtrip was Lago di Garda, which is the largest lake in Italy with its more than 50 km long and 17 km wide. It's right under the Italian Alps, and if it weren't largely surrounded by high mountains, you'd feel like you were at the seaside here - mild climate, beaches, clear water and services of all kinds. So it's not entirely surprising that Lake Garda has become a favourite holiday destination not only for Italians, but also for many Czechs. 

It is especially attractive for sports-minded individuals, as it provides ideal conditions and facilities for many activities - cycling, windsurfing, hiking, climbing, rollerblading and paragliding. But you certainly don't have to cycle or walk dozens of kilometres a day to enjoy the place. For some, the lake itself will be enough to relax, while others will prefer to hike around the area, in short, there is something for everyone.

How to plan Cinque Terre in one day

Everyone must have seen these colourful houses stuck on the cliffs in the picture. Maybe you didn't know where it was or what it was called, but you've probably come across them somewhere. So let's take a quick geographical window. Cinque Terre is located on the east coast of Italy - in the region of Liguria, on the Ligurian Sea. The literal name means "Five Lands", in practice it is 5 colorful and incredibly photogenic towns - Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore. Since 1997 they have even been part of the UNESCO cultural heritage, and a few years later the Cinque Terre National Park was declared in these places, including not only the terraced villages but also the adjacent mountains, forests, fields, vineyards and part of the sea.