Me, the Book-worm

I've been reading like crazy this summer!
Truth is, my summer plans changed quite a bit. Originally, I was planning on spending my summer in China, Vietnam, maybe Australia and then in Japan where I would work in Beppu (southern Japan) with a friend of mine. Unfortunately, that didn't happen so I've been lazily hanging around Prague. Many of my friends left for the summer or are doing their internships so I've been spending a lot of time wandering around the city, reading books and sipping on iced lattes. I won't complain as it's nice to relax before writing a bachelor's thesis but....I'm a type of person who loves to be busy all the time. So, in order to make use of my endless reading, I figured I would share with fellow wanderlusters who are book-worms like me:

1. Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami (my favourite author)
2. Norweigan Wood by Haruki Murakami
3. 19Q4 by Haruki Murakami
4. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
5. The General's Son by Miko Peled
6. Wild by Cheryl Strand
7. The Little Book of Mindfulness by Patricia Collard

Read on wanderlusters!

The Travels of 2015

There have been quite a few destinations explored this year...some planned and some very spontaneous.

So far, and posts will follow focusing on each location, this year I've been lucky enough to explore around:
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague- Netherlands
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Oita, Beppu- Japan
Dublin and the Cliffs of Moher- Ireland
Rio de Janeiro- Brazil

& tomorrow we are off to explore Athens, Mykonos and Santorini, Greece!

By the end of this year, I'm hoping to make it Dubai and Abu Dhabi- United Arab Emirates; Istanbul- Turkey; Venice- Italy and head back to South America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru) for two or three months before I need to present my bachelor's thesis and take my state exams in February. Has anyone been to these places and give me some recommendations? I'm always trying to find the best coffee shops in any new city I travel to as I am an extreme caffeine addict...or maybe it's just that I love latte art from around the world!


A few of my favourite travel quotes, which I like to remember right before going on an adventure:

"Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." – Ibn Battuta

"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls." – Anais Nin

"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted." – Bill Bryson


This one is especially important:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

Yes, I'm a student and money is usually tight but if you REALLY want to travel, you will make it happen someway. I'm a firm believer in that. I have worked numerous jobs or gone to the United States for my summer holidays to work as a nanny for two wonderful girls in order to save some money and be able to travel to these places. I've spent countless hours in my university lectures with my mind wandering and thinking 'why the hell am I sitting here when I could be out there somewhere exploring?'

I told myself long ago that I will not be one those people to sit in an office job for the next 30-40 years of my life, from 9-5pm, Monday-Friday. No matter what happens, I will find a way to travel around the world and live a life full of adventure, happiness and bring back wonderful stories and have unforgettable experiences. That being said, this quote is spot-on: "I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." – Caskie Stinnett

Travel on wanderlusters!

Whoa...New Name?

So...you may have noticed a slight change (okay, a big change! in TWW: the NAME. Yes, I decided to change the name to La Vie Bohème, seeing as now it won't only be a travel blog but a travel and lifestyle blog. I felt that the name would be a little deceiving to new readers. Plus, changes with TWW mean it's okay to change the name, right?

I'm working on getting the URL changed so it will be lavboheme.com instead of travelingwithwanderlust.blogspot.cz.

The name was inspired by the fact that I mostly reside in the Bohemia region of Czech Republic and life truly is quite 'Bohemian' there. A little ironic that the name is French and the region is in Czech Republic, eh?

I hope the new name and newness of everything else won't retract old readers and if so, drop me an email at travelingwithwanderlust@gmail.com and we will see what can be done :)

Have a lovely evening wanderlusters (yes, I will still call you all that) and travel on!

It's Monday!

Good morning and happy Monday!
Now, I know that Monday is probably one of the worst words out there but you can either:
a) Be grumpy and sour all day
OR
b) Make this Monday the start of something new; see it as a 'fresh beginning', so to speak.

Today, instead of choosing choice a)- which I usually do- I decided to go with choice b).
So, just what does choice b) entail?
Well, this morning I woke up feeling productive. I honestly have not felt productive since mid-May, so the last several months were spent just being lazy and not doing much at all except sleeping and catching up on TV shows. Today, however, I decided I am going to begin posting regularly on TWW again.

I guess it's a good day, eh?

Also, some friends and I are going to explore a park outside of Prague called 'Velka Amerika', which in English translates to 'Big America'. Why is it called this? Apparently, from what I have heard, it is because the park resembles the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I suppose we shall see, hmmm.

Of course I will post pictures and write about it, so expect that post tomorrow morning (well, morning in Europe).

I'm off to explore, travel on wanderlusters!

TWW- Under Construction + BIG Changes

Traveling with Wanderlust is about to become more of a personal blog with a little bit of fashion, a lot of travel, some opinions on various subjects/current events, along with random writing pieces and what not...a little bit of everything!

So, with that said, the TWW site will be under construction for the next few days but when it goes live again, I will make sure to inform everyone via a new post and there will also be several exciting posts which will follow!

I'm really looking forward to sharing my latest wanderlust adventures (and some other stuff) with fellow wanderlusters + anyone who wants to read about my life...good luck with that...I'm actually laughing out loud right now so I guess it's appropriate to write "lol".

Travel on wanderlusters!

HRADEC KRáLOVé

This weekend I took a trip with some friends to visit two friends who live in Hradec Králové  a small city in Moravia about 1.5 hours away from Prague. We arrived on Saturday afternoon (which was sunny and beautiful, yay!) then went to lunch at a restaurant called Satlava. The restaurant was started in 1538, I believe that was the year, and have been restored over the years to what it is today. I can honestly say it was the most phenomenal place I have ever eaten- the food was incredible, service was good, prices were cheap and the interior and exterior (outdoor seating with beautiful) was lovely. I lunched on a full plate of trout, green...mashed potatoes, veggies, a cappuccino and for dessert I devoured a caramel mascarpone biscuit dessert dish. Amazing.

After lunch we explored Old Town and then headed back to the flat to get ready for the house-warming party. The night was spent meeting medical students, sipping cocktails and snacking on delicious mini pizzas. After a few hours of schmoozing and what not, we headed back out to Old Town to go to Xtreme, a popular bar among students in the city. Spent a few hours there and then around 3 am it was finally time to hit the hay. It was amazing walking home because it was so silent, something you don't get here in Prague. It was incredible that no other living things were out at this hour, especially in a "college town/city". The next morning we enjoyed a great breakfast (well, not me for I drank too much the night before) and then in the afternoon, we walked through Hradec and to the bus station to catch the bus back to Prague.

Even though it was a very short trip, the city is beautiful and definitely a "hidden treasure" of the Czech Republic. We will be returning- and for a longer period of time. If you ever come to the Czech Republic, make sure to stop in Hradec Kralove, even if it's just for an afternoon. You won't regret it! A round-trip Student Agency bus from Prague is 200 korunas all together, that's about $10.

YAY, FRIDAY!

Loving these inspirational articles lately, makes my day a little brighter than it already is- despite Prague's notoriously gray, depressing fall and winters.

This article is one of my favorites so far, it's ''22 Things Happy People Do Differently":

1. Don't hold grudges.
2. Treat everyone with kindness.
3. See problems as challenges.
4. Express gratitude for what they already have.
5. Dream big.
6. Don't sweat the small stuff.
7. Speak well of others.
8. Never make excuses.
9. Get absorbed into the present.
10. Wake up at the same time every morning.
11. Avoid social comparison.
12. Choose friends wisely.
13. Never seek approval from others.
14. Take the time to listen.
15. Meditate.
16. Eat well.
17. Exercise.
18. Live minimally.
19. Tell the truth.
20. Establish personal control.
21. Accept what cannot be changed.
22. Nuture social relationships.

Most importantly, happy Friday and have a lovely weekend! I'm off to Hradec Králové for the better half of the weekend to celebrate life with some friends!
Travel on wanderlusters!

MY DREAM IS COMING TRUE

Ever since I was a little girl I have dreamed of someday interning with a big name fashion magazine. Well, that dream is finally coming true on Tuesday! I am going for an interview with InStyle magazine and just in time for Mercedes Benz Prague Fashion Week!

Eeeeeep! My excitement cannot be contained :)

More to come but in the meantime, travel on wanderlusters!

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Yay, my favorite holiday of the year! I hope you guys are all celebrating too!

I get to spend the day with my lovely, wonderful friends at a picnic in a beer garden then we are getting drinks by the river followed by a night out. So excited! Plus my friend made a delicious carrot cake that I am so excited to dig into tomorrow. There's no other place in the world I would rather spend my birthday than right here in Prague.

I hope everyone's day is lovely and that you enjoy this beautiful Saturday!

Travel on wanderlusters!

INTERIOR DESIGN FAVORITES OF THE WEEK

Here are some of my interior (and exterior) design favorites of the week:

Happy almost June and travel on wanderlusters!

MY DOWN-TO-EARTH INSPIRATIONS

With all the various social media platforms out there, we often come across Internet celebrities, popular Instagrammers, Youtube sensations, Hollywood celebrities, models, etc., etc. The sad thing is: they are often pretty damn conceited and self-absorbed.

However, there are some out there that are down-to-earth and quite humble. Those are the ones I love! They are a rare kind and deserve to be thanked every once in a while.

Here is my list of 12 down-to-earth inspirational Internet or Hollywood celebrities/models:

1. Cara Delevingne

Beauty, brains, silliness and fun all in one. What's not to love about this gorg model? Her Instagram is raw and real, filled with goofy pics with her fellow model friends and her pigging out on massive plates of food.

2. Karissa Pukas of the Youtube channel Satnightalrite

She broadcasts her life to others without ever talking herself up or bragging about herself; She encourages hers fans to bring others up and not down; Plus she has realistic and relatable views on life. Love her! 

3. Michelle Obama

Even if you aren't a fan of her husband, President Obama, I think it's universally known that the first lady has a spectacular sense of style, advocates a healthy lifestyle and even though she is one of the world's most empowering and important women, she does not flaunt it like many others would. Michelle Obama for America's president 2016?

4. Julianne Hough

She's beautiful, dated Ryan Seacrest, who is down-to-earth himself and loves family time aside from being a celebrity. I follow her on Instagram and she uploads make-up-free and silly face photos all the time, showing her fans she's just your average joe. 

5. Diego Boneta

Are you a Pretty Little Liars fan? You probably remember him as Alex from the first few seasons, where he grabbed our hearts as the adorable employee at the golf club. He mysteriously disappeared from the show but turned up again in the movie Rock of Ages (with Julianne Hough) and captured our hearts again. His Instagram is filled with pictures of him hanging out with his younger siblings and making visits to hospitals and the less forunate. How cute!

6. Chelsea Handler

Everyone's favorite funny girl, she has a gut-wrenching book, she's been in several movies and has her own talk show. We love her sarcasm and quirky jokes which make her fearless when it comes to what she says. It's hard to come by that in Hollywood, since everyone is so worried about their reputation and image. However, she just doesn't seem to give a f**k. Love it. 

7. Hugh Jackman

The pictures says it all. This native Australian loves his family and doesn't let his super good looks and amazing acting skills go to his head. He brings his wife to the red carpet and is always all smiles and laughs. Where are all the Hugh Jackman-like men in the world?

8. Amanda Seyfried

The world was introduced to this actress when Mean Girls came out back in, what was it, 2004? Anyways, she played the stereotypical airhead which made us doubt her, or maybe it showed us just how good of an actress she is. Since then, she has appeared in several other great movies and her humbleness during interviews made all of us love her even more. 

9. Aimee Song of the blog Song of Style

I love fashion and street style, so if you love fashion and street style too, then you have probably come across the blog, Song of Style. I have watched some of her Youtube videos and she just gives off this incredibly down-to-earth vibe even though her closet is the size of a studio apartment and her clothes, shoes, accessories cost just around the average person's monthly paycheck. How can you not love a person like that?

10. Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy)

If you have seen Pitch Perfect then you know just how great Fat Amy is. It's also probably when you fell in love with the outrageousness and hilarious persona she gives off; even though it was just a movie, her character in the movie is quite similar to her real-life personality. On her Twitter she reels in followers by being her hilarious self and posting funny pics with all of Hollywood's A-list celebrities. 

11. Jonah Hill

He's hilarious regardless of his body size. He recently went from being a heavier dude to a skinny-minny but that hasn't upped his ego one bit. He still remains the goofy and hilarious guy we all love to see in the new comedy movies. 

12. Morgan Freeman

Probably one of Hollywood's best actors and has proved that in every single movie he has played in. His fans love him for his humbleness and friendliness. I love him because of that and well, he's just a bad ass. 

Now, if everybody could be like these 12 people, the world would be a better place...don't you think? Of course there are SO many more down-to-earth celebrities/models/etc., that I did not list but these are just a few of my favorites. Who are your favorite down-to-earth inspirations?

Got love all the down-to-earth-ers out there!

Travel on wanderlusters!

THE PRAGUE GUIDE (WELL, A COLLEGE STUDENT/TRAVEL-ENTHUSIASTS)

As promised in the Czech Republic post on Saturday, here is the Prague exclusive guide!

You already know that the Czech Republic is the #1 beer drinking country in the world, home to one of the world's best Christmas markets and all that other good stuff. You may also be surprised, when coming to Prague, to see that one second you will see someone driving a Bentley, Maserati, Rolls Royce, Maybach, Audi sport cars or some other mind-blowingly expensive car and then in the next second you will see someone digging in a trash can for food.

So let's get to it!

There are 3 metro lines: a yellow, green and red line; probably one of the easiest metro systems in all of Europe. The main stops are: Karlovo Namesti,, Mustek, Staroměstská, Malostranská, Namesti Republiky and Florenc is the bus station. If you are coming from the airport, take bus 100 (that's the one I take) to the Zlicin bus/metro station and you can take the yellow line to any of the above yellow. Prague is also split up into different districts, so to speak, so expect addresses to be located in say Prague 5 or Prague 3 or Prague 7 or Prague 2. The main tourist area is located in Prague 1 and Prague 2; Old Town (Staroměstská) and New Town (Nové Město). The closer you are to the center and main tourist destinations, the more expensive you will pay for accommodation, even though Prague is pretty stinkin' cheap compared to other travel destinations throughout the Europe and well, the world.

Just a quick note, try to learn how to properly say where you are staying when it comes time to hail a taxi because usually if you speak English/sound like a tourist, they WILL rip you off BIG TIME.


The national language is Czech; there ARE English speakers but mainly only in the tourist areas and amongst the younger generation or the 100,000+ expats living in Prague.

The currency is Ceska Koruna (Kc). Bills come in 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000. Coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50). In terms of US dollars, 20 kc is about $1.

It would help to know a few basic words before coming to Prague, so you can feel somewhat immersed in the culture (I like to think that makes the whole travel experience that much better).

So, let's start with the basics:

Hello= Ahoj--- ah-hoy

Good day= Dobry den--- duoh-brie-den

Thank you= Dekuji---deck-wee-you.

Please= Prosim--- pro-seam

No= Ne

Yes= Ano--- ah-no

My name is= Me jmeno je--- meh-neh-mo-je

I am from= Jsem z--- je-sem-z

Where is__= Kde je--- grey-je

How much= kolik--- koh-lick

Places to eat in Prague:

1. U Vejvodů
Jilska 4
110 00 Praha 1

2. The Globe
Pštrossova 6
110 00 Praha 1

3. Cafe Louvre

Národní 22

110 00 Praha 1

4. Cross Cafe

5. Mama Coffee

6. Loving Hut
7. Lehka Hlava
Boršov 2/280
110 00 Praha 1

8. Orange Moon or Yam Yam
9. Cafe Slavia
Smetanovo nábřeží 1012/2
110 00 Praha 1

10. Triton Restaurant
Václavské Námesti 26
110 00 Praha 1

11. Buddha Bar
Jakubska 8
110 00 Praha 1

12. Můj šálek kávy
Křižíkova 105
Praha 8

13. Francouzska Restaurant

Náměstí Republiky 5 

110 00 Praha 1

14. Dobrá čajovna
15. Celeste Restaurant

Tančící dům, Rašínovo nábřeží 80

Praha 2, 120 00 

Nightlife in Prague...ladies and gentlemen, please, please don't go to Karlovy Lazne every night. It's okay to go one night or not even at all but broaden your horizons and go elsewhere. Also, the pub-crawls are fun but quite expensive when it comes down to it; you will meet tons more people and even the bar-crawlers if you go to these places, which I highly recommend: 

1. Deja Vu
Jakubská 6
110 00 Praha 1

2. Chapeau Rouge
Jakubská 2
110 00 Praha 1

3. Drunken Monkey

4. Propaganda-Vodka Bar
Michalska 12 
110 00 Praha 1 

5. Harley's
Dlouha 18
110 00 Praha 1

6. James Dean
V Kolkovně 1
110 00 Praha 1

7. Zlaty Strom
Kaprova 52/6
110 00 Praha 1

8. Lavka
Novotného lávka 1 
110 00 Praha 1

9. M1
Masna 1
110 00 Praha 1

10. Duplex
Wenceslas Square 21
Praha 1

11. SaSaZu
Bubenské Nábřeží 306
170 04 Praha 7

12. Mecca
U Pruhonu 3
Prague 7

13. Cross Club
Plynární 23
170 00 Praha 7

14. Retro Music Hall
Francouzská 75/4
120 00 Praha 2

15. Roxy
Dlouha 33
110 00 Praha 1

16. Radost FX

Bělehradská 120
120 00 Prague 2

Some other things to do/places to see in Prague include: 

1. Of course, walk across the Charles Bridge and take hundreds of pictures.
2. Climb up to the Prague Castle.
3. Go up to Petrin and look out from the Petrin tower for spectacular views of Prague.
4. Spend a day shopping in the 4 story mall, Palladium.
5. Grab a beer and relax at one of the many beer gardens, Letna is one my friends and I go to.
6. Walk through the tourist-filled streets of Old Town until you reach Old Town Square. Make sure to see the astronomical clock and the little puppet show in the tower at the ring of every new hour.
7. Walk on the main street before Charles Bridge at Malostranska Namesti. Walk down and around Charles Bridge as well.
8. Take a paddle boat ride on the river for an hour with a cold beer in hand and happiness in your heart.
9. Have a picnic at Kampa Park and view the various statues/art they have there.
10. Take a thumbs up (or thumbs down) picture with the Kafka Statue.
11. Wander over to the Jewish Quarters.
12. Get holy at the Spanish Synagogue.
13. Sit on the wall of the Vysehrad Castle and hope you don't fall.
14. Aimlessly wander around the beautiful Vinohrady neighborhood.
15. Go vintage, go second-hand at one of Prague's many vintage and thrift stores.
16. Ride on Europe's (well, for the countries in the EU) longest metro escalator at Namesti Miru.
17. Smell the beautiful Czech nature at Stromovka park.
18. Visit a strip club...Prague loves these.
19. Spend a few hours Antonin Dvorak Museum or the National Gallery.
20. Shop a little, grab a coffee, sit in a tram cafe, take some pictures at Wenceslas Square.

Hope this helps all you wanderlusters coming to Prague anytime soon. Enjoy my city for it's the Golden City aka one of the world's most beautiful! 

Travel on wanderlusters!