Hiiiiiii
I know you all have been on the edge of your seats anxiously awaiting the next blog post. Well, you can all take a deep breath because I’m backkkkk, baby.
Here is a nice lil wrap up of Prague. On day 5, we ventured to the National Museum of Prague. It was hot hot hot outside, and we needed a reprieve from the swelter. I most definitely learned a few things, but to be honest, museums can quickly drain my battery. The architecture was exquisite though. See pics. My favorite part was either the espresso I bought halfway through, the religious music in the basement (watch video for a good time), or an immersive video exhibit in the basement that showcased Prague throughout time.
After our education time, we trekked to a coffee shop and bakery (the tough life) and then to an impeccable outdoor hangout/river swim area called Baden Baden. There we played cards, drank some good drinks, and literally just chilled. Kinda my dream. Shoutout to Coni for finding it. Also, people watching on this trip has been my main hobby, and this place didn’t disappoint.
After, we found a local restaurant and indulged in some delicacies.
The next morning the rest of the fam went to a local farmers market, but I decided to have some nice introverted time. I treated myself to a fancy breakfast and wandered the streets.
After meeting up, we all agreed to return to Baden Baden, and much of the same ensued.
And that sums it up. Coni cooked us a banger dinner and made fresh cherry cheesecake bars (cherries secured from the farmers market).
The next morning, we headed out on our 6-ish hour journey to Austria in our cute blue Skoda (a Czech car manufacturer) hatchback. Shoutout Mom and Stef for riding in the back the entire time. To be fair, my only pass to sit up front is my motion sickness tendencies, and I tried my best. Gabe had to lean to the side in the back, and we didn’t even attempt to shove Coni into the rear seats.
Can I just say I am OBSESSED with Austria!!!! The landscape is picturesque. One of our car breaks was in a lake town where I could see myself holing up for several weeks in the summer. Crystal clear lake, cheery people, bountiful ice cream cones. Yes, I’m in.
Our accommodation in Austria is a cabin/house Stefan grew up vacationing at as a child. His oldest brother Bernd has held onto it —and done some of his own impressive and beautiful renovations. See below for our breakfast view from the cabin.
Yesterday we ventured out to a gorge where there is hiking, but also these climbs called Klettersteige. I asked Coni how he would describe them, as he’s done several in the past. He stated, “A pre-planned route fixed with metal cords, foot holds, and hand holds to make a vertical hiking route where previously it would be unwieldy to go.” For these, you need to have a harness and clips to fasten to the metal cord.
Mom and I did a little section, but it freaked me out arm strength-wise as I’m not in climbing shape at the moment and any time I looked down there was a sheer drop. Stefan, Gabe, and Bert ventured upward, but the real champion was Coni. He literally scaled the side of a mountain. Sadly, nobody captured any pictures, but I will give some reference below.
To finish the night, Stefan chefed up a dish called Dampfnudel, which is a traditional German and Austrian yeast dumpling and we watched the Austrian vs Argentina World Cup game. OOHHHHH we also played a game called Malefiz, which is basically just a chaotic race to the finish where you block other players from advancing or send them home. See below.
Anyways, that’s all I have for now. Thanks for tuning in once again!!!!!
See you soon,
Mahala
Mahala Goes Abroad 