Adventurous Kate comprises affiliate hyperlinks. If you happen to make a purchase order by these hyperlinks, I’ll earn a fee at no further value to you. Thanks!
The month began with per week in Sicily and ended with a model new, fully unexpected product launch. Fabulous!
Let’s check out what made February nice.
Locations Visited
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Palermo, Monreale, Castellammare del Golfo, Mazara del Vallo, Marsala, Erice, San Vito Lo Capo, Scopello, Calatafimi, and Balestrate, Italy
Highlights
Launching Passport to Assured Solo Feminine Journey was an unimaginable experience! I’m going to put in writing about this within the “Facet Tasks Replace” part additional down.
A enjoyable journey to Western Sicily. This was going to be our winter 2023 escape — 10 days in Sicily, based mostly in Palermo for more often than not, then some driving round and exploring!
First off — the climate sadly was not on our aspect, which I’ll go into within the “Challenges” part, and sadly that put a damper on a lot of the journey. However there was loads of nice stuff, too.
Palermo is certainly one of my new favourite locations in Italy. It’s such a cool metropolis — energetic and pleasant but surprisingly chilled (and much more low-key than I anticipated — I assumed it might be like Naples). It’s additionally FANTASTIC worth for cash, the place you possibly can eat extraordinarily nicely for underneath 10 euros and get a large, filling arancini for a euro.
We dove into Sicilian meals, hardcore. Palermo has loads of uncommon dishes that you just received’t discover elsewhere in Sicily, and we labored our manner by an extended listing I had put collectively. Count on the massive Sicilian meals publish quickly!
Past Palermo, we acquired to go to a number of cool cities. Erice was a spotlight — a good looking hill city perched up within the clouds, with spectacular views from above. And San Vito Lo Capo is a spot I wish to return to in summer season — a North African-flavored city with beautiful cliffs alongside the seashore and sq. whitewashed buildings on the town.
The Segesta ruins had been fairly cool, too, and I’m not an enormous ruins individual ordinarily. The view from the amphitheater on high of the hill is spectacular!
Lastly making it to Lumina Park. You may recall that final month Charlie and I had been supposed to fulfill our buddies at an Alice in Wonderland-themed outside gentle present — then we acquired trapped within the snow behind a fence!
We made it right here this monthand it was enjoyable strolling round at midnight round gentle sculptures of enjoying playing cards, mushrooms, and the Cheshire Cat.
Discovering a pair of wedding ceremony sneakers I really love. I can’t put on most heels resulting from arch points in my proper foot, so formal sneakers are all the time a ache. This month I discovered a pair of low gold peep-toe heels from French model Jonak. On sale, too!
They’ve a beautiful retro look and can work for the authorized Prague wedding ceremony and the massive Prague wedding ceremony. (I’ll nonetheless preserve the gold wedges I purchased in Massachusetts for the Boston wedding ceremony, because the ceremony might be on grass.)
Challenges
Sicily was SO MUCH COLDER THAN I EXPECTED. As we deliberate our journey, it regarded like temperatures had been going to be round 55 F (13 C). And it WAS like that the primary day and a half. And the final day.
However in between the climate turned chilly and wet. It was across the low 40s F (5 C). And buildings in Sicily are BARELY insulated in any respect — every day, Charlie and I went to work in our eating room, carrying layers of sweaters and piles of blankets!
You’d assume it might be higher if we went out to a restaurant or cafe. Nope! Freezing chilly air got here in between the home windows and partitions! Bars and cafes left their doorways open all day and simply stayed as chilly as potential!
The one time I used to be heat on that journey was after we had been in our automobile. At the very least we might flip the warmth up in there!
However this serves as a invaluable lesson — to me, and to you. The Mediterranean could also be “good” in winter — however will probably be a lot colder than you assume will probably be. Deliver all of your layers and put on all of them. And keep in a metropolis, not a village, as a result of there may be one bar open and that’s it.
Murray has stopped pooping within the litter field. This has been exhausting to take care of so I’d like to solicit my cat house owners for ideas, in case you have any. Murray has all the time peed within the litter field wonderful, however he’s not all the time been nice about pooping — he would usually stand within the litter and poop off the aspect, or often poop on the bathtub mat.
However now he’s began pooping in entrance of the entrance door on a regular basis (man, that’s enjoyable to come back house to). We acquired him a further litter field subsequent to the entrance door, and he managed to make use of it as soon as…whereas pooping off the aspect. Ah, Murray. Any tricks to repair this??
The US Embassy tousled my marriage paperwork. They listed Charlie as a Czech citizen quite than a British citizen.
That originally led me into an unlimited freak-out, as you possibly can solely get Embassy notary appointments a month upfront and Czechs want worldwide marriage paperwork lengthy earlier than the marriage date — however I contacted the Embassy they usually simply let me pop in and acquired me new paperwork at no cost. How about that.
Weblog Posts of the Month
23 Fabulous Issues to Do in Palermo, Italy, Sicily’s Scorching Capital — I actually liked my time in Palermo! It’s certainly one of my new favourite Italian cities, and it wasn’t very like I anticipated to be.
40 Italy Landmarks To Expertise As soon as in Your Lifetime — My blogger colleagues helped me with this collab publish, highlighting among the coolest spots in Italy.
This Month on Patreon
On the Adventurous Kate Patreon, I publish unique content material and never-told tales that you may entry for $6 per 30 days. We even have a personal Fb group and members get free entry to the E book Membership every month.
This month on Patreon my lengthy kind publish was about Sicily within the chilly — and the realities you face when visiting the Mediterranean in winter, as a result of the climate isn’t all the time pretty much as good as you anticipate!
I additionally revealed a preview of a BIG BIG BIG journey I booked for August — a solo journey to what might be some of the adventurous locations I’ve ever visited. This journey goes to be NUTS, in a great way!
I additionally gave my patrons a free copy of my new $5 Mexico information that I’ll be promoting shortly.
They usually acquired a further 50% off Passport to Assured Solo Feminine Journey.
E book Membership This Month
Our subsequent ebook membership will happen on Sunday, April 16, at 1:00 PM Jap Time. (FYI, at the present time occurs to be Orthodox Easter.) We might be studying The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Different Tales by Afghan-American creator Jamil Jan Kochai.
“Pen/Hemingway finalist Jamil Jan Kochai breathes life into his up to date Afghan characters, transferring between modern-day Afghanistan and the Afghan diaspora in America. In these arresting tales verging on each comedy and tragedy, usually starring younger characters whose bravado is matched by their tenderness, Kochai as soon as once more captures “a singular, resonant voice, an American teenager raised by Outdated World Afghan storytellers.”
In “Enjoying Metallic Gear Stable V: The Phantom Ache,” a younger man’s online game expertise turns right into a surreal exploration on his personal father’s recollections of struggle and occupation. Set in Kabul, “Return to Sender” follows two married docs pushed by guilt to depart the US and care for his or her fellow Afghans, even when their very own son disappears. A university scholar within the US in “Hungry Ricky Daddy” starves himself in protest of Israeli violence towards Palestine. And within the title story, “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak,” we be taught the story of a person codenamed Hajji, from the attitude of a authorities surveillance employee, who turns into entrenched within the immigrant household’s life.
The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Different Tales is a transferring exploration of characters grappling with the ghosts of struggle and displacement—and one which speaks to the instant political panorama we reckon with in the present day.”
You possibly can join the ebook membership right here. Patreon members have their very own sign-up within the Patreon.
Facet Tasks Replace
This month I got here up with the thought for a brand new product from scratch — Passport to Assured Solo Feminine Journey — and did a full launch. Think about ranging from zero and going to a completely created, bought, and launched product — and promoting greater than 70 copies!
How I used to be really in a position to try this is one thing I’m going to debrief within the Patreon.
However now I’m wanting towards the longer term. Individuals who purchase this product get lifetime entry and all updates, and I’m already planning how will probably be up to date for the following launch.
That took up many of the month, although I did publish Issues to Do in Hanover, NH and Issues to Do in Harmony, NH on New Hampshire Approach, my New Hampshire web site.
Issues have been a bit extra quiet on my new area of interest web site that I haven’t revealed but — simply persevering with to publish content material. We’ve got 18 posts dwell and some are already rating on the primary web page of Google!
What I Watched This Month
At this level, I’m endlessly hooked on Beneath Deck. How is that this present SO ENTERTAINING?! I can’t consider I didn’t comprehend it existed till after a dozen seasons had come and gone!
We’re at present on Season 8 of authentic Beneath Deck, the place the blackout drunk visitor Delores jumped overboard at evening towards the Captain’s orders, needed to be baby-sat by the crew all evening, and was kicked off the following day. FUN TIMES!
This month we’re additionally working our manner by lots of the Oscar films. I particularly liked All the things All over the place All at As soon as and might be rooting for it on Oscar evening! I loved Tár too; I like films that dive right into a morally compromised fictional character so deeply. The Banshees of Inisherin began out so lovely however turned SO darkish — I didn’t prefer it after its grotesque flip.
What I Learn This Month
The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley (2023) — Aretha is a success-chasing Black lawyer at a high agency in New York. When she falls for espresso entrepreneur Aaron, she’s captivated with his brownstone in Brooklyn. Quickly she strikes in — and realizes that his roommates are hardcore survivalists, stocking weapons and constructing bunkers and consuming nothing however nutrition-optimized soy.
This was a enjoyable learn. Whereas it was just a little long-winded in instances, I liked that this was a journey right into a group that places stereotypes on its head — as an alternative of older white dudes in a rural space, these are Black New Yorkers planning for the apocalypse.
One factor that I liked most about Cauley’s writing is how playful it’s. One cater-waiter strikes to Arizona and Cauley imagines her serving tiny items of cactus with the spikes nonetheless in it. Two folks ill-advisedly hook up and Cauley compares them to trekkers efficiently summiting Mount Everest and instantly breaking their very own legs to ensure it by no means, ever occurs once more. Simply actually enjoyable stuff.
Scatterlings by Resoketswe Manenzhe (2022) — This novel tells the story of an interracial household in South Africa in 1927 whose lives disintegrate after the Immorality Act is handed, criminalizing interracial marriage. The mom, Jamaica-born Alisa, poisons herself and makes an attempt to kill each youngsters to spare them from this life; one survives and takes off along with her father as they seek for security.
This was this month’s ebook membership decide, and to be fully trustworthy, none of us had been feeling this ebook. It felt prefer it had such audacious ambitions, however ended up dropping itself in such long-winded passages that didn’t transfer the plot ahead. I made positive to decide on one thing a bit extra constructive for this coming month.
Coming Up in March 2023
This month, Charlie and I are heading to Paris for 4 days! It’s Charlie’s birthday and that is what he recommended we do. It’s really his first journey there, ever, so I’m feeling a lot of strain to make him fall in love with town!
We have already got a couple of actions booked (a day cheese tasting in a cellar, a market tour and charcuterie hunt), however for essentially the most half, we’ll be exploring, chilling, and consuming good meals.
When you have any particular suggestions for Paris — particularly in the event that they’re comparatively new locations — I’d love to listen to them.
What are your plans for March? Share away!
