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Remember back when turning 40 was about being over the hill? Back when I was a kid, I remember that 40th birthday parties were about those black OVER THE HILL balloons, and joke “you’re old now” gifts like canes with a blowhorn attached to them.
That seems to have been phased out with the Boomer generation, because I can’t remember the last time I saw those balloons anywhere.
Nowadays, turning 40 is about being better than ever, at the top of your game, with even more exciting days ahead. And the celebrations I’ve seen my peers doing have been reflective of that mindset.
This month I turned 40. And it was better than I ever imagined.
Destinations Visited
- Korčula, Croatia
- Prague, Mikulov, Nový Přerov, and Pasohlávky, Czech Republic
Highlights
The best 40th birthday I ever could have asked for. When we last left off, we were halfway through my birthday trip to Korčula with eight of my friends.
On the first, we took everyone on a wine tour of the island with our friend Lea, which I’ve written about in my Korčula guide.
Half of us got on bikes, half of us hopped in a golf cart, and we rode down to Lumbarda to go wine tasting at Bire Winery! And we picked up an actual crate of Grk, my favorite white wine in the world.
This wine varietal is so hard to find (and so expensive everywhere outside Korčula) so it felt SO indulgent to actually buy a crate of it directly from the winery for the lowest price you’ll ever find!
We finished the evening with a Moreška sword dance performance.
The next day was my actual birthday, and we had an all-day boat trip! What a way to spend the day!! We snorkeled a shipwreck, visited tiny islands and coves, had a nice lunch, drank a ton of Grk, did jumps off the boat.
We finished the day with a peka (a Croatian specialty where meat or octopus and vegetables are cooked “under the bell”) and a pistachio raspberry cake.
I’m so grateful to my friends for making the journey to Croatia. It was really one of the highlights of my life.
A fun mini getaway to South Moravia. In my efforts to visit one new place in the Czech Republic each month of 2024, this month Charlie and I headed to Mikulov, a small town south of Brno, a stone’s throw from the Austrian border.
I LOVED MIKULOV. It’s a small, adorable wine town topped with a gorgeous castle. It has a lot of the appeal of Český Krumlov, only with a fraction of the tourists, nearly all of whom are Czech.
If you’re looking for a nice place to stop in between Prague and Vienna, I’d highly recommend Mikulov. From there you can easily visit Valtice (I’d recommend taking an inexpensive cab there and back if you’re tasting their 100 wines) and Lednice Chateau. We also visited a nearby lake and a goat farm.
Good times in Prague. What else went on this month? A little bit of restaurant-hopping, a little bit of festivaling. Summer is a great time to be here.
Challenges
Nothing super rocky this month, but a few challenges:
Our washer broke. Turns out the culprit was a single coin that, over time, ended up gathering debris and blocking the hose. This is really why you should empty your pockets! On the plus side, we finally got to check out our local laundromat.
Malfunctioning A/C at the worst time. The end of the month got quite hot in Prague, and as we planned our road trip to Moravia, we planned on listening to podcasts for the whole 2.5-hour journey each way.
A few minutes into the drive, we realized the car’s A/C was only blowing hot air. And it was 90 degrees out (32 C). So we cranked down the windows, cranked up the podcast volume, and sweat our whole way there and back!
A bait and switch. I won’t go into the specifics here, but a company wanted to work with me, I agreed to it because it was an event for a group of local content creators and I want to meet new people in Prague, they confirmed there would be five of us taking part, I showed up, and SURPRISE! I was the only one there.
They claim it was a “technical mistake” and honestly, I don’t see how that is even possible when you’re emailing five people individually and confirming plans. Nobody was a no-show — the person hosting me was told it was going to be just one person all along.
So yes. I’m feeling particularly salty about this.
Blog Posts of the Month
Most Popular Reel on Instagram
Only one reel out this month, but it was a GOOD one — the video about my birthday trip! This will have you wanting to plan a trip to Korčula just to jump into that clear turquoise water!
You can watch it here, as well as above. Follow me on Instagram at @adventurouskate for more fun videos from my travels!
Fashion Moment of the Month
I am a huge fan of buying my favorite French fashion brands secondhand, and I came across this Sandro top on Vinted! Perfect hot pink ruffled magic, and perfect to wear with my beloved Maje black satin cargo pants!
It’s juuuuust a little bit too small, but okay to wear in small doses!
What I Watched This Month
This month Charlie and I finally caught up on Season 4 of Abbott Elementary, which I think is one of the two funniest shows on television right now (the other being What We Do in the Shadows). I love how fresh and funny it is despite being a typical sitcom.
And it made me think a lot about why I’m irked that The Bear keeps winning awards in the comedy category, even though it’s really much more of a drama with occasional comedic moments.
Abbott should be winning everything comedy. Instead, The Bear keeps picking up trophies for what are clearly dramatic performances, dramatic writing, etc.
I hope Abbott gets its Best Comedy flowers within the next few years. And I’m thrilled that Matt Berry FINALLY got nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Laszlo on Shadows.
Below Deck update: this month Charlie and I watched Below Deck Mediterranean: Season 7. Also known as the Malta season. And they had no business yachting there, as the weather was awful so much of the time, and it was nearly impossible to bring large yachts into that small harbor!
This, my friends, was a fairly miserable season of Below Deck, with so much ugly drama between the cast members. Captain Sandy, though, got a REALLY positive edit, and it’s sticking much more than it did last season.
The best seasons are when the crew is competent, they get along, and the drama comes from guests and outside forces. That’s why Sailing Yacht Season 2 and 3 are my favorite seasons yet.
Coming Up in September 2024
The month began with more explorations of South Moravia, Czech Republic, including Lednice and Valtice. But my big trip will begin in the middle of the month.
Charlie and two friends and I are heading to Northern Spain for a wine-cation! We will be spending most of our time in San Sebastián and Logroño, with a bit of time in Bilbao and the seaside town of Lekeitio.
This part of Spain is totally new to me — I’ve yearned to visit the Basque Country and La Rioja for the longest time!
The four of us are hardcore foodies, and I’m especially looking forward to the culinary treasures of this trip. Especially all the pintxos bars.
What are you up to in September? Share away!
