While sitting in front of the cabin and enjoying our lunch, a thought came to me. Do you know how we usually talk about our age in years?

Anyway—today, we checked out the ruins of Brníčko Castle and spent almost an hour there. The place is magical, and the views… jeeesh. Then we grabbed coffee at Pikola in Šumperk, headed back to Olomouc, and wrapped up the day with an evening walk through the city. That’s it, that’s all.

We head out from home in thick fog, feeling a little bummed that we won’t get to see much. But I tell myself, quietly, that it’s fine—it’ll still be awesome.

weekend stroll volume three

weekend stroll volume two

hiking before cycling

Why do I run at night (in the dark)?
It kind of tricks my mind, making it feel like everything around me slows down. You don’t see distractions like streetlights, passing cars, or lights in the windows that would mess up the trick. It’s just me, total darkness, and my headlamp—because breaking your ankle isn’t fun.

The Jeseníky Mountains are dotted with old hunting cabins and huts. They’re easy to find on maps, but some are tucked away in very remote spots. Yes, you guessed it—I prefer the remote ones. Unfortunately, unlike bothies in Scotland, these cabins in the Czech Republic usually belong to forest services or other organizations, so they can only be explored from the outside. Today, we’re visiting one that’s over 100 years old.

After yesterday’s snow-wading madness, we treated ourselves to a nice, slow morning. Later, we went for a short hike in the sun — just a chill day.

We have been training for this hike for the last two days. On the first day, we endured cold winds and low temperatures. On the second day, we waded through deep snow at high altitudes above a thousand meters. So, we should be well-prepared for this particular hike.

We often aim for places where there’s little to no chance of running into fellow hikers. That’s why we tend to visit spots that are remote or not very popular. They’re usually just as good—if not better—than the more crowded ones.

Spending this festive season differently, no cycling, no crashing on icy roads and no hike-a-bike along the snowy fields. My mom’s more of a walker and hiker anyway, so I figured, why not switch it up? Instead of cycling, we’d just hit the Jeseníky mountains on foot.