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Prague photo diary #2

Prague, Czech Republic




The start of my weekend in Prague did not quite go to plan. Due to a series of mishaps I found myself in the middle of Prague at 10pm on a Friday night with no idea where I was going or how to get in touch with my friend. 

We had agreed to meet in the centre because he lives on the opposite side of the town to the airport, and I was meant to text him when I landed so he would know what time to be there. I did text him, and found my way to where we were meant to meet just fine. After waiting for a while with no reply from him I started to wonder. I was feeling a little uncomfortable in standing there on a dark square in central Prague with my bags, looking like a lost puppy. I decided to call my friend, only to find out then that he had given me a wrong number by accident. Well fuck.

I figured it was fine, though, since I had given him my number, too. Surely he was going to call me in a bit considering I had told him what time my flight was meant to land. I paced around a while longer, and tried to get Facebook to work so I could get in touch with him, impatient as ever. There was no wifi and although I tried to turn data roaming on, it wasn't working either. I was still able to open our conversion from earlier that day, however, and I scrolled to check the number he had given me in case I had missed something. That's when I also double-checked my number and found I had missed a zero in the middle. Fuck. 

There I stood, on a square in a dark, completely unfamiliar city and country with literally no idea where to go or how to get in touch with my friend. I mean I wasn't panicking or anything, but I was really having to work my brain trying to figure out how to solve my little dilemma. That's when I realised there was a McDonald's around the corner, and thank God for their free wifi. Saved my day. There was even a group of British guys, drunk of course, in front of me in the queue when I went to order some fries to eat while I waited my friend to get there after getting in touch with him. Made me feel strangely contented to hear the familiar accent and loud, drunken conversations of a bunch of lads on tour.

I definitely learned a travel lesson, the first of two on this trip, from the whole mishap. From now on, I will always double check phone numbers, and more importantly find out the address of the place where I'm going. You know, just in case. Although I have to admit I did enjoy the sense of minor adventure in being lost in an unfamiliar city. 






Newfound addiction to running

Lahti, Finland



I made a decision towards the end of December last year to make running a more consistent part of my workout routine. I've never been a big fan of going on runs, I've always preferred playing sports like floorball or tennis, where I just focus on the game and don't even realise how much I'm actually running back and forth.

To avoid setting my goals and expectations too high, I set myself a goal to go for just one 5k run per week. I've been running on and off for a few years but never managed to make it a consistent habit. Now, nearly 4 months into the year, I'm pretty amazed to find I've stuck with my plan. I even did my weekly run in Thailand when I was on holiday and swallowed my million excuses and did my 5k in -22 degrees Celsius at the end of January. Old me used to run only in the summer when it was nice and warm outside. 

I did run on a treadmill all of February and March, though, thanks to the icy roads and the fact that my favourite running track in the nearby forest turns into a cross country skiing track in the winter. I'm not a fan of running on the treadmill and never have been. I find it boring and all too easy to quit whenever I start feeling the slightest bit tired. Running outside, on the other hand, I've slowly grown to enjoy. The change of scenery and the fact that I need to run back home anyway make me much less likely to stop half-way through. I was therefore excited when the snow and ice finally melted away and I could start running outside again. I even invested in a new pair of trainers to motivate myself.

I was expecting to enjoy running more now that I can run outside again and have some new gear, but I was definitely not expecting to get absolutely addicted to it. I received my new shoes in the mail on Wednesday, and was outside testing them within a half an hour of getting home from work. I ran my fastest ever mile straight away. I was so excited about the shoes and how much fun it was to run that the next morning I got up extra early and went for a run before work, which is something I never imagined doing. I ran my fastest 5k that morning. Yesterday, I set out to go run 10k (a distance I've only ever run twice before) and ended up running 12k, my farthest ever. It also ended up being my personal best for 10k. I never thought a pair of new running shoes could make that big of a difference.

I'm literally so excited about it all. I mean I'm still a rather slow runner and my personal bests are not impressive, but to me they prove I'm moving to the right direction and getting better. They motivate me and as a naturally competitive person, I can't wait to try to beat my own records. The most amazing thing is how much I find myself loving going on runs. I feel so accomplished when I'm done with a run that I've got addicted to that feeling of achievement.

Now I just hope I can keep up the habit and stay motivated. Any great tips and tricks on how to do that are more than welcome!

Prague photo diary #1

Prague, Czech Republic


I was incredibly lucky and fortunate to get to live abroad and go to an international school when I was a teenager thanks to my dad working abroad. It's definitely had a massive impact on who I am today. Anyway, one of the (if not the) best thing about going to an international school was making friends from a bunch of different countries who now live all around world. I love catching up with them, and it's always amazing to meet up with them somewhere. Earlier this month I got to visit one of my old school friends in Prague for a long weekend, and it was the most fun I've had in a long time. 

I had heard a lot of great things about Prague and I had been meaning to visit my friend for years, but somehow never got around to it. In early March I spotted a great deal for flights, though, and just went ahead and booked them without thinking it over much more than that. I did not regret my spur of the moment decision, either: Prague as a city was absolutely lovely. Full of tourists, but not in a horrible way. Can't blame them, either, it was definitely worth visiting. Beautiful buildings, friendly people and relatively inexpensive, so I definitely fell in love with the place. I was there on the first weekend of April, and the weather was amazing, too. Here are a few snaps from the trip, more to come in another post :) 








Starting over

Lahti, Finland


Where should I start? I've been gone for over a year and a lot has changed. I've been meaning to get back into this for a long, long time, but somehow I kept putting it off. Now I'm finally back though, and more determined than ever to post regularly. Anyway, a little catch up is in order.
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