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This month was the calm between the storms. With our Prague marriage ceremony ending on the finish of May and our Boston marriage ceremony beginning initially of July, June can be a time to relaxation, regroup, and take off to Italy for just a few days.
Nah, I’m kidding. It can be a time to panic, stress out over the Boston marriage ceremony preparations…and take off to Italy for just a few days.
Here’s what I obtained as much as in June!
Destinations Visited
- Prague, Čerčany, and Týnec nad Sázavou, Czech Republic
- Naples and Ischia (together with Ischia Porto, Forio, Serrara Fontana, and Lacco Ameno), Italy
- Boston and Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
Highlights
A beautiful mini-moon to Ischia. Charlie and I are saving the large honeymoon for the tip of the yr (Chile and Argentina), however we needed to take a brief getaway in Italy first. Enter Ischia!
Ischia is an island off the coast of Naples, and it’s shortly turn into one in all my favourite islands in Italy! Ischia primarily attracts Italians, and Neapolitans specifically, so the island caters to locals slightly than far-afield guests. For instance, you gained’t discover memento retailers on each nook — however you WILL discover tons of mid-range clothes retailers!
Ischia has lots to do for just a few days. Sure, there are seashores, however there are additionally thermal scorching springs, mountains to climb, a stunning fort set on the ocean, agriturismi dishing up stewed rabbit, and loads of fabulous pizza. One of our favourite actions was taking a personal boat journey across the island, which was much more inexpensive than you may anticipate.
I’m excited to jot down about Ischia. It deserves to be a serious a part of your go to to southern Italy. Don’t simply go to the Amalfi Coast and transfer on — Ischia is absolutely value spending just a few days.
Going rafting within the Czech Republic. Czechs LOVE rafting, and I’ve been wanting ahead to doing this for a very long time. Four of us headed out to the city of Čerčany, rented a raft, and paddled all the best way to Týnec nad Sázavou, a 14-kilometer journey. A enjoyable day trip, even when we needed to drag the raft throughout just a few weirs!
Lots of Prague enjoyable. We are in meals competition season and obtained to go to Žižkov Beer Festival, a pop-up Bubbles Festival, Latin American Festival, and Prague Ice Cream Fest. We had a barbecue on the container bar by the river, hit up some cocktail bars, and went to Tuscany Wine Night.
Strawberry season! Peak strawberry season hits Prague in June, and this yr we gorged on extra scrumptious native berries. This yr I made the NYT recipe for Strawberry Spoon Cake, which was fabulous and buttery and disappeared INSTANTLY.
Flying enterprise class to Boston. We splurged on enterprise class flights to Boston for our marriage ceremony and this was the primary time I’ve flown British Airways Club World (long-haul enterprise class). SO good. Flying is definitely enjoyable that approach.
Enjoying our time in Boston. I’ve taken Charlie to Boston just a few occasions, however just for day journeys. It was good to truly keep in a single day — and within the coronary heart of Beacon Hill! I’ve by no means really stayed in Beacon Hill earlier than, however it’s a stunning place and good and quiet at evening. (Don’t keep there within the winter, although — these steep hills are harmful when icy.)
We took a experience on the Swan Boats, ate at outside eating places within the South End, I visited the Sézane popup on Newbury Street, I took Charlie and his dad across the Freedom Trail (enhanced with tales from my early-to-mid-twenties, in fact), and my mother and her companion Tom took us on a enjoyable boat experience round Boston Harbor. It’s fairly cool parking your boat on the Barking Crab and strolling on up!
Challenges
Credit card fraud hell. One of my bank cards obtained compromised final month — however once I obtained the brand new one, as quickly as I obtained it, the identical fraudulent transaction occurred AGAIN. Then it occurred on Charlie’s licensed card on my account as properly!
It seems that some companies are routinely despatched your new bank card quantity when it updates. I had NO thought this was a factor. Sure, it’s handy once you’re switching fee strategies, but when it’s fraud, you will get charged once more!
Anyway — it took a while with the cardboard firm, however they have been capable of forestall the brand new quantity from being despatched to anybody. What a problem.
Murray swallowed a rubber band. After some preliminary panic, we realized that we simply needed to play the ready sport and dig by way of his poop to verify it made its approach out (FUN!). It took about 55 hours. Oh, Murray Bear!
Getting caught within the final hailstorm. Charlie and I made a decision to spend a Saturday out gallivanting across the metropolis, and it shortly changed into dodging rainstorms. And lastly after we obtained to an outside pub, the anticipated brief drizzle changed into a HAILSTORM with huge icy hailstones as we shrank beneath an umbrella!
(I turned it right into a humorous Reel. I need to make extra stuff like this.)
Not having good pillows in Boston. The older I get, the extra I would like good pillows with a purpose to sleep. But I solely keep in mind to deliver my journey contour pillow 50% of the time, and I foolishly didn’t deliver it to Boston.
Those Boston pillows have been terrible — the type of down pillows the place your head simply falls into them and your neck has no assist. I didn’t notice how unhealthy it was till 4 days in when my total physique was hurting. Get journey pillow, folks!
Blog Posts of the Month
Best 14-Day Croatia Itinerary — Wow, was this submit overdue! I’m so glad I lastly wrote it — and made it pretty much as good a bit as I may, even together with little extensions in Istria and Montenegro.
28 Fabulous Things to Do in Naples, Italy — Naples could be my new favourite metropolis in Italy. What an unimaginable place!! Too many individuals falsely see it as harmful (sadly Facebook feedback obtained out of hand on this one…), however those that have hung out there not too long ago know what it’s really like.
This Month on Patreon
On the Adventurous Kate Patreon, I publish unique content material and never-told tales you could entry for $6 per thirty days. We even have a personal Facebook group and members get free entry to the Book Club every month.
This month, I shared two items of content material — my downloadable 36-page information towards touring in Croatia for 2 weeks, which is on the market on the weblog submit they usually obtained totally free, in addition to one other downloadable Croatia information I made as a lead magnet, and a marriage images preview.
This month goes to be a heavier month to make up for final month being on the lighter facet. I really feel like breaking down the very best seaside locations in Italy and which of them are finest for which individuals.
Book Club This Month
Our subsequent guide membership will happen in August — on Sunday, August 13, at 7:00 PM ET. We will probably be studying In the Shadow of the Mountain by Peruvian writer and adventurer Silvia Vasquez-Lavado.
“Endless ice. Thin air. The risk of dropping into nothingness hundreds of ft under. This is the climb Silvia Vasquez-Lavado braves in her page-turning, pulse-raising memoir chronicling her journey to Mount Everest.
A Latina hero within the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. Deep within the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality from her household, and repressing the abuse she’d suffered as a toddler, she began climbing. Something in regards to the brute drive required for the ascent—the danger and spirit and sheer dimension of the mountains and dying’s shut proximity—woke her up. She then took her largest ache as a survivor to the most important mountain: Everest.
‘The Mother of the World,’ because it’s identified in Nepal, permits few to succeed in her summit, however Silvia didn’t go alone. She gathered a bunch of younger feminine survivors and led them to base camp alongside her. It was by no means straightforward. At occasions hair-raising, nerve-racking, and all the time difficult, Silvia remembers the acute anxiousness of main a bunch of novice climbers to Everest’s base, all of the whereas coping along with her personal nerves of summiting. But, there have been additionally moments of peace, pleasure, and therapeutic with the power of her fellow survivors and neighborhood propelling her ahead.
In the Shadow of the Mountain is a exceptional story of heroism, one which awakens in all of us a lust for journey, an urge for food for threat, and religion in our personal resilience.”
You can be taught extra in regards to the guide and purchase it right here.
You can signal as much as attend the guide membership right here. Hope to see you there!
Fashion Find of the Month
I jumped by way of 1,000,000 hoops for an outfit this month — and it was value it! I’m an enormous fan of the French model Maje, and for months I’ve been eyeing this matching pink openwork high and shorts combo. This month, it went on sale. HUGE sale. FINAL sale.
Here’s the factor — regardless of the actual fact that there’s a Maje retailer actually in Prague, nearly nothing goes on sale there. And regardless of THAT, they don’t ship wherever within the Czech Republic (!!). Yes, they’ve an EU web site, however it solely ships to the Netherlands, Portugal, and Luxembourg. (They additionally ship to Germany, France, and the US on country-specific websites.)
I went by way of EVERY possibility. I may ship to the US, as I used to be about to move there, however US costs have been way more costly. I may order the outfit from Farfetch, which ships Maje garments to the Czech Republic, however there was no sale there.
I really thought-about taking the bus to the subsequent retailer — Leipzig, Germany — for the day, however they didn’t have the outfit in inventory.
Then just a few buddies in several nations kindly provided to obtain the bundle and ship it on to me. I took my good friend Ali in Berlin up on her supply. I shipped it in a single day to her, and had FedEx decide it up and ship it to me the subsequent day.
It matches, it’s fabulous, and I’m READY for the Barbie film!! But I in all probability gained’t go to this a lot hassle for an outfit once more!
Side Projects Update
This is the month that New Hampshire Way, my New Hampshire web site, went from making a not-quite-enough-to-live-on-income to a yeah-I-could-live-on-that-income. How? High season, child!
This is the primary time I’ve had Mediavine adverts operating throughout excessive season, and the distinction is STARK. New Hampshire may technically be a year-round vacation spot (properly, aside from mud season within the spring), however I’m realizing the sheer distinction in numbers for summer season journey.
The excellent news is that this site visitors surge ought to proceed by way of mid-October for fall foliage season earlier than quieting down once more. I would like to determine easy methods to maximize it within the meantime.
Most Popular Reel on Instagram
I would like you to know that I’ve been making main modifications on Instagram these days, posting a lot of enjoyable Reels about totally different journey and life content material. I might like to have you ever comply with me at @adventurouskate! And sure, I’m on Threads too!
This month’s hottest Reel is in regards to the Peter Pan Afternoon Tea I did final summer season at Aqua Shard in London. This is a superb afternoon tea — the meals is scrumptious, the theme is on level, and the placement is magical, making you are feeling such as you’re flying above London.
You can watch it right here. Put it in your checklist in your subsequent London go to!
What I Watched This Month
Okay everybody — Somebody Somewhere is my new favourite present. You will LOVE THIS SHOW, which airs on HBO.
This present is about Sam, a forty-something girl who returned to her Kansas hometown to deal with her dying sister. The present begins six months after her passing and opens with Sam assembly a brand new good friend, Joel. The two of them are misfits who hit it off immediately, and he introduces her to a brand new neighborhood.
Some folks name this a “coming of middle age story.” More than something, it’s about discovered household and constructing an unconventional life in a midwestern small city. It’s created by comic Bridget Everett, who stars as Sam.
This present is light, small-towny, and wickedly humorous. It’s filling the outlet that Parks & Rec left in my coronary heart. And I really like that it stars a 50-something plus-sized girl and a forged of average-looking folks (together with queer characters which can be really well-rounded). I can’t advocate it sufficient. There are solely 14 25-minute episodes.
Below Deck replace: This month, Charlie and I completed Below Deck: Sailing Yacht Season Two — and I can now say that is THE BEST SEASON OF BELOW DECK EVER. Don’t watch it in your first season ever — put it aside.
This season has EVERYTHING — a reliable crew that may deal with a real emergency! A scary boat crash! An really nice chief stew! Some actually bizarre visitors! A hookup between a boss and his worker on the FIRST NIGHT! Chaotic bisexuals! An STI scare! Hilarious cuts to Captain Glenn watching alien documentaries! AND A SCANDAL THAT YOU DON’T FIND OUT UNTIL THE REUNION!
Charlie and I’ve now had sufficient time away from Captain Sandy and Malia after the MARITIME LAW scandal of season 5 that we’re prepared to return to the Med. We’ve began Below Deck Med: Season Six and I’ll report extra on it subsequent month.
What I Read This Month
Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu (2021) — Nadia grew up residing between cultures — daughter of a Ghanian father who died when she was 13 and an Armenian American mom who deserted her when she was two; residing her life between Italy, Ethiopia, Tanzania, ending in New York; a stepmother who weaponized a secret; looking for her approach on this planet. Her life’s largest moments are characterised as earthquakes — therefore aftershocks.
This guide is heavy — however should you give it the time and house it deserves, it is going to be rewarding for you. You get so deep into Owusu’s head that if I met her on the road in New York, I might flip and stroll away as a result of I felt like I knew too many private issues about her.
On the floor, her life story is so unhappy. But it’s genuinely, superbly informed, and he or she has a novel voice that I’d like to listen to way more of. (And actually, it type of jogged my memory of how a lot better Matthew Perry’s memoir may have been if he had had an honest editor.)
The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe (2021) — The most well-known couple on the Titanic was the Astors — John Jacob Astor, 47, who perished within the wreck, and Madeleine, his pregnant 18-year-old spouse, who survived. This fictionalized novel tells the story of their courtship and all-too-short marriage.
First off — I swear I began this guide earlier than the entire Titanic submersible factor occurred! Total coincidence. I used to be actually to dive into the story of this 17-year-old who married an extremely rich 46-year-old, particularly because it was billed as an epic romance.
Ultimately, although, I really feel like this guide didn’t have a plot. It was very “this happened, then this happened, then this happened,” with none narrative arc. Madeleine and Jack had an ideal, flawless relationship on this guide with out a lot as a disagreement or second of uncertainty (actually? She was 17 and he was 46! Was she REALLY that mature?!). And then they obtained married. And then they have been blissful. And then they obtained on the Titanic. Okay.
Coming Up in July 2023
I’m posting this one third of the best way into the month. The starting of the month was all about our Boston marriage ceremony! After the marriage and every week within the Boston space, we headed to London for just a few days to see Charlie’s household earlier than heading again to Prague.
Beyond that, that is gearing as much as be a really busy summer season (I’m seeing I didn’t be taught my lesson from my packed-to-the-gills summer season of 2022). Charlie and I’ve two brief journeys — first, a drive down into Salzburg and Tirol for an appointment that we’re turning right into a mini getaway, then a fast journey to Copenhagen.
At the tip of July, we head to Dubrovnik to start a Croatia and Montenegro journey for my thirty ninth birthday. You know I’m all the time blissful to return to those two great nations, and this time I’m wanting ahead to visiting some new locations — together with Durmitor National Park and Perast in Montenegro, and Cavtat and the Elafiti Islands in Croatia.
What are you as much as this summer season? Share away!
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