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This month, I visited a model new nation — Panama — and made a pleasant go to residence to the states. Earlier than that, it was all about having fun with the month of November in Prague, seeing the final of the brightly coloured leaves and feeling the primary chilly temperatures of winter.
And that’s what I’ll be speaking about. Not the election. As a result of I don’t really feel prefer it.
Let’s check out November 2024!
Locations Visited
- Prague, Nymburk, and Poděbrady, Czech Republic
- Panama Metropolis and the San Blas Islands (together with Flamingo Island, Aroma Island, Nugnudub, Isla Perro, and Isla Diablo, amongst others), Panama
- Beverly, Danvers, Gloucester, and Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Kennebunkport and Wells, Maine, USA
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
Highlights
A enjoyable pre-Thanksgiving journey to Panama. Charlie and I made a decision to throw in an additional vacation spot within the Americas — why not Panama? I’ve visited a lot of Central America in any other case!
We began our journey in Panama Metropolis and splurged on a keep on the Sofitel in Panama Metropolis, which we completely beloved. I can’t advocate the lodge extremely sufficient!
In Panama Metropolis, we did a visit to the Panama Canal (so fascinating to be taught the historical past and seeing the massive ships journey via the locks!), strolled via the Casco Viejo previous city neighborhood, ate conventional Panamanian meals (a lot ceviche, and we beloved their tackle arroz con pollo), and drank a LOT of fantastic espresso.
Then got here the San Blas Islands — and THAT is an distinctive vacation spot. These islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama are in an autonomous zone run by the Guna Indigenous folks.
We booked a three-day, two-night itinerary that included nights on two completely different islands. When you arrive, the boat captains herd you round expertly; everybody goes someplace completely different!
These islands actually are the sort you fantasize about as slightly child — tiny islets topped with a bunch of tall, wild palm bushes, a couple of huts on shore. Simply getting that have is effective — as is getting away from the world and having fun with a digital detox (islands have various levels of telephone sign and wifi availability).
I additionally beloved getting to purchase some Guna artwork — brightly embroidered items of material known as molas — straight from the Guna group, and significantly better high quality for decrease costs than in Panama Metropolis. Like, $20 for a stupendous piece of paintings the scale of a placemat. I can’t wait to border ours.
For the document, I’d advocate visiting Panama throughout excessive season when you can (mid-December via mid-March). It was so humid, grey, and wet throughout a lot of our November go to. Panama Metropolis was particularly brutal. It felt like our garments might by no means get utterly dry.
Good instances with household and buddies in New England. We flew residence to rejoice Thanksgiving with my household, and it was good to see everybody and benefit from the time collectively.
We obtained to spend some high quality time with my dad, and we had an ideal meal at a new-to-me place, Seaport Grille in Gloucester — go there for a large lobster roll at an incredibly low value!
Charlie and I additionally went to dinner at No. 9 Park, a legendary Boston restaurant that can be closing within the New 12 months, and I wished to expertise it one final time. WELL — seems somebody purchased it and can be holding the entire workers! They should barely alter the restaurant title, although.
If you wish to go, you have to get their signature dish — the prune-stuffed gnocchi. It’s well-known for a motive.
We additionally went to Kennebunkport to hang around with my Maine buddies, and spent an evening on the Nonantum Resort, the place my buddy’s dad works and kindly provided us a friends-and-family charge. Now THAT is a pleasant place — so cozy, a tremendous workers, and doubtless the perfect lodge breakfast that I’ve had within the US.
Kennebunkport is a spot I all the time drive via however not often spend time in, however it’s such a pleasant city, particularly through the Christmas season as a result of they go all out on decorations! We had nice meals on the Batson River Brewery in Kennebunkport and the Bitter Finish, a beautiful little pub in close by Wells.
And as is turning into traditional, my buddies and I met up for brunch in Portsmouth, New Hampshire — a metropolis magically equidistant from the place we’re all based mostly nowadays. The Pleasant Toast is all the time a enjoyable meal out.
And a fast remaining notice — I’m a bit embarrassed to say this as a traveler from the Boston space, however I took Logan Specific this month for the primary time ever. I ought to have been doing this for YEARS. $9 per ticket, and a fast, direct trip from the suburbs to Logan Airport.
In the event you’re based mostly within the Boston suburbs, take it! I ought to have been taking it from Woburn once I lived in Studying, however a minimum of now I can take it from Danvers once I’m visiting my dad in Beverly.
Good instances in Prague and past! We had a pleasant month in Prague. Charlie and I went to our annual Shakespeare efficiency — The Service provider of Venice by the Prague Shakespeare Firm.
This month’s journey to a brand new Czech vacation spot was really to 2 cities shut to one another — Nymburk, which has an fascinating metropolis wall, and Poděbrady, which is a small spa city with a fort and a pleasant park.
Each of these cities are beautiful to go to when you reside in Prague, however I don’t suppose I’d advocate them to guests from abroad. There are so many higher day journeys from Prague.
Additionally — I discovered a brand new Czech instructor this month! I’m going again into classes, and this time it’s one-on-one tutoring. And I’m thrilled that I retained an honest quantity of Czech from the teachings I had years in the past!
Challenges
This month I mentioned goodbye to a kitty I beloved. You would possibly bear in mind Balíček, our buddies’ cat, who got here to reside with us for a couple of monthlong stints and had enjoyable hanging out with Lewis and Murray. We noticed him on a regular basis and infrequently took care of him when his household was touring.
Balíček had been residing with most cancers and kidney failure the final yr, and although remedies prolonged his life and stored him snug, he took a flip for the worst in November. I’m grateful that our buddies invited us over to say goodbye to him.
I’ve by no means met a cat as loving as Balíček! He was continuously snuggling as much as folks, sitting in everybody’s laps, climbing on you once you had been working at your laptop computer. When Charlie and I labored at our desks, he would come as much as us and faucet our arms till we gave him sufficient room to leap into our laps.
Listed here are a couple of of my favourite images:
Miss you eternally, buddy. You had been one in all a form.
Weblog Posts of the Month
Trend Second of the Month
I’ve been attempting to put on extra pure fibers recently — extra wool, linen, silk, and cotton. Much less plastic — which means much less polyester and polyamide-blend sweaters.
This has made a huge impact on my purchasing, as I now begin label-first. I put on numerous Sézane, and although their high quality has gone down in recent times, they nonetheless have some 100% pure sweaters — I like the 100% merino wool Betty, and the merino wool-cotton mix Sami. Each really feel SO good.
However one in all my absolute favourite issues I’ve purchased in pure fibers is just not one thing I by no means thought I’d purchase — a cashmere sweatsuit.
It’s a cashmere hoodie and cashmere straight leg pants from the reasonably priced high quality model Quince. Maybe a bit dear for loungewear, however CHEAP for cashmere, and contemplating how typically I’m carrying them, they’ll be all the way down to $1 per put on by spring.
I’ve LIVED IN THESE at residence each single day since I’ve gotten them. I sleep in them. I work in them. They’re so heat however so mild, and really feel SO DAMN GOOD. If you wish to deal with your self, these are superior.
What I Listened To This…12 months!
I hearken to a lot lo-fi throughout my working hours that it generally throws my total Spotify Wrapped out of whack — however this yr, it’s filled with precise music that I listened to!
My high music was the standard mixture of pop and hip-hop, with a giant of other thrown in from Smashing Pumpkins, whom I noticed in live performance in Prague this yr.
2024 was an unimaginable yr for ladies in pop, and I particularly listened to numerous Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish (whom I began listening to for the primary time this yr, and now understand that sure, she completely deserves her ridiculous variety of awards at such a younger age), and Sabrina Carpenter.
I hope to see any of these women in live performance someday! At the moment hoping Sabrina extends her Europe live performance dates this spring, as a result of she has nothing in Germany or Austria or Czech Republic but — certainly she’d add a couple of dates there, wouldn’t she??
And naturally… “Not Like Us” was the tune of the yr, to zero shock on my finish.
What I Watched This Month
First off — I noticed Depraved, and it was EVERYTHING. Regardless of being a Broadway fan, I by no means obtained into Depraved, however the film is SO, SO, SO well-done. Fantastically solid, with a completely spellbinding manufacturing design (with minimal CGI, yay!!).
And as a lot as I flinched on the Boq-and-Glinda moments (if you already know, you already know), there is no such thing as a query that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande had been the very best selections to star in these roles. They had been each exceptional and embodied the characters so superbly.
I’m wanting ahead to seeing Depraved a second time as soon as it involves Prague!
Gladiator II, nonetheless? Entertaining at instances…however did this film have to be made? I don’t suppose it did! The CGI baboons had been ridiculous, and Denzel having an American accent amongst all of the British accents was simply too jarring.
And as a lot as I like Paul Mescal, I feel he was miscast. His power is softness, like in Aftersun, and this position was written as testosterone personified. Each time Denzel informed him how a lot rage he had inside himself, I assumed to myself, Actually? Rage is what you see? And you actually suppose this dude might rally 1000’s of troopers to do his bidding?
One other film I actually loved was Emily the Felony, which is obtainable to look at on HBO Max. This film stars Aubrey Plaza as a younger girl in pupil debt as much as her eyeballs who decides to do a little bit of bank card fraud to get forward — then finally ends up in the midst of a sinister legal enterprise. Positively value watching, female-gazey in all the fitting methods, and an ideal showcase for her appearing!
What I Learn This Month
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (2020) — I rewatched the Starvation Video games films this month (actually, you’ll by no means guess what gave me the urge), and realized that I had by no means ended up studying the newest e book, the prequel about President Snow as a young person.
What I like concerning the Starvation Video games collection is the extremely detailed world-building of Panem, but the way it’s a sobering and life like take a look at the results of warfare and fascism. This e book takes you again to the tenth Starvation Video games (Katniss’s first video games was the 74th), when the Capitol is barely steady after years of warfare.
Coriolanus Snow is the son of a distinguished Panem household — however behind closed doorways, they’re secretly ravenous. His solely hope is to ingratiate himself among the many most privileged of Panem, ace his research, and carve out a greater life for his household.
And this yr, he turns into one of many 24 first-time Starvation Video games mentors. He’s assigned the lady from District 12 — a charming singer named Lucy Grey.
If you wish to be taught up shut about how a decent-seeming teenage boy will get radicalized, this e book is an excellent instance.
Inside Out by Demi Moore (2019) — I grabbed this e book as an off-the-cuff pay attention whereas out on my walks, and WOW. I had no concept that Demi Moore is a type of celebrities, not not like Minka Kelly, who had such a wild childhood that it’s a miracle that she made it to maturity.
In the event you bear in mind her romance and eventual marriage with Ashton Kutcher within the early 2000s, you bear in mind the tabloids going nuts over their age distinction. She was 40 and he was 25 after they obtained collectively. BLOODY HELL. I’m 40 now! She was handled like she was historic!!
Additionally, Ashton sucks. Although you most likely knew that.
There have been some elements that appeared purposefully reticent (like a time when her entire household lower her off for a couple of years — they’ve since reconciled). However general, it was an excellent learn, and I loved spending a couple of hours inside her head.
And it made me wish to watch extra of her movies! There are such a lot of I haven’t seen, like St. Elmo’s Hearth and G.I. Jane, and I’ve one way or the other by no means seen A Few Good Males…
Coming Up in December 2024
It’s formally Christmas market season in Europe! After lacking all of the markets final yr as a result of being in South America, I’m wanting ahead to indulging within the markets this yr.
Charlie and I can be doing a four-day street journey to go to some markets we haven’t visited earlier than. Day one will take us to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Heidelberg, two German cities I’ve lengthy wished to go to.
Days two and three will take us to the Alsace area of France, which I’ve visited earlier than, however by no means throughout Christmas. We’ll be first visiting Obernai and Strasbourg, then heading to Colmar for 2 nights. From Colmar we’ll be taking the Christmas shuttle to go to the small cities of Kayserberg, Riquewihr, and Ribeauvillé.
On the lengthy drive again, we’ll be breaking it up with a cease round Stuttgart — possibly Ludwigsburg.
I’d attempt to squeeze in some day journeys to the Christmas markets in Dresden and Nuremberg, each of which I’ve visited earlier than, however I’d like to get some video.
And for my remaining new Czech vacation spot of 2024, Charlie and I can be visiting Ceské Budejovice, a enjoyable metropolis in South Bohemia that additionally places on a pleasant Christmas market.
What are you getting as much as in December? Share away!