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October was a cozy month spent almost entirely in Prague. My one getaway was to the Traverse 26 conference in Hamburg.
But being at home gave me a chance to enjoy the city during one of its nicest months of the year — and gave me lots of cuddle time with my kiddies.
Let’s get to it!
Destinations Visited
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Hamburg, Germany
Highlights
A wonderful trip to Hamburg for Traverse 26. I absolutely love Hamburg, and nowadays I consider it my favorite city in Germany. It’s got tons of cool architecture, it’s easy to get around, there’s tons of Beatles history, and of course I love Miniatur Wonderland. All that and it tends to fly beneath the radar.
The conference was excellent, as always, and I loved getting to see my friends and learning lots of new things.
I’m back in personal training again! This month, I started working with a new fitness trainer who is very knowledgeable about women’s health and perimenopause, and we’re working on health- and strength-based goals.
(Honestly, my biggest health wake-up call was two years ago in Bhutan, when I stayed with a host family, we sat on the floor for hours, and I was so uncomfortable and had to keep shifting and it was so hard to avoid pointing my feet at anyone, because that’s an insult in a Buddhist country. We should ALL be able to comfortably sit on the floor for hours!)
When I lived in New York, I had an Equinox membership, I had a wonderful trainer, I went to tons of classes, and I was in the gym six or seven days a week. I’ve wanted to get back to that fitness routine ever since, but I couldn’t replicate my New York experience.
Honestly, I’ve been letting perfect be the enemy of good. There is no such thing as Equinox in Prague — a luxury gym that smells amazing, has all the best equipment, hosts a million awesome classes in English, and occasionally you’ll see David Duchovny working out on the floor — so I should stop looking for it.
But you know what? My new gym might be on the shabbier side, but it’s a five-minute walk from my house. That is a luxury, and so is having a trainer.
This month, Charlie’s dad visited for a few days, and we took the opportunity to do some cool things in Prague. We visited the Museum of Prague, which features Antonín Langweil’s paper model of 19th-century Prague, which he spent years constructing by hand.
We also had a fondue dinner party with friends at our place, we went to Prague’s quarterly Design Market (and bought lots more of our favorite salted caramel cashew butter), and we enjoyed Vietnamese coffees at the new Ca Phe Lab in our neighborhood.
We also took a ride on the historic tram. It’s funny because I’d never taken the tram until then — but we used it for transportation for our wedding guests, from the ceremony to the reception! We took a limo with the wedding party instead.
Amusingly, a movie was filmed in our neighborhood — which was supposed to take place in New York City. Our neighborhood has played Vienna and Paris in the past, which worked well enough when changing the signage, but New York?! Look at that ridiculous hot dog cart!
My father-in-law asked me if there was any particular neighborhood in New York that looked a bit like Karlín. I thought about it, and I told him, honestly, none of them. I hope those New York scenes are QUICK.
Also, Charlie and I got tickets to see U2 in Paris in May! He’s seen U2 three times, but this will be my first time seeing them live. And you know I’ll never turn down a trip to my beloved Paris.
(“Now that this is your second trip to Paris, we can do unusual things!” I told Charlie. “I just want to eat cheese and see U2,” he replied. We can definitely do that!)
Challenges
This month was pretty breezy, and for that I am thankful.
Christmas Markets Masterclass
The big news this month: I launched my first-ever live workshop, the Christmas Markets Masterclass!
I’ve been visiting Europe’s Christmas markets since 2013, and every year I get so many questions about planning these trips. So I’m putting my decade-plus of knowledge into one 75-minute class that will help you plan the Christmas market trip of your dreams.
When: This Sunday, November 15, at 3:00 PM Eastern, on Zoom
What I’ll cover:
- Which markets are actually worth it
- How to build a realistic itinerary
- My favorite hidden gems
- How to time your trip and dodge the crowds
- Your questions, answered live!
Plus:
- Unlimited replays, so it’s fine if you can’t make it live
- Mini guides to 35 Christmas markets around Europe
- Four sample itineraries, a planning guide, and a packing list
And here’s the truth — I set myself a sales goal, and as of today I just need ONE MORE SALE to get there. If you’re dreaming of a Christmas market trip someday, I’d love for you to be the one who gets me there.
Join the Christmas Markets Masterclass for $37.
Most Popular Reel on Instagram
This month’s top reel was about my (current) favorite Christmas market in Germany: Heidelberg! I absolutely love the vibe of Heidelberg.
For more reels, you can follow me on Instagram at @adventurouskate.
What I Watched This Month
The Hawk! This is a Netflix comedy starring Will Ferrell as a fading pro golfer coming back to glory, Fortune Feimster as his new caddy who knows nothing about golf, Jimmy Tatro as his hotshot golfer son, and Molly Shannon as his ex-wife desperate to make it as an entrepreneur.
It might not be one of the smartest comedies of the year, but there are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, and I love the cast.
And as someone who was in high school when Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon were dominating SNL (and when show co-creator Harper Steele was writing for SNL), I love the nostalgia factor.
What I Listened To This Month
Now that I’ve finished the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time, I think I’ll just go back to writing about new music or podcasts.
This month, I listened to Carly Rae Jepsen’s Day and Night, and it’s fantastic. This is a double album. The first album, Day, is happy, poppy tunes and ballads. The second album, Night, is all about the dance tracks.
And these songs are SO GOOD. Jepsen was newly married and was pregnant while recording, so the songs have a peaceful, happy, settledness to them. My favorite song is “Burning Heart.”
I know that pop aficionados REALLY love Carly Rae Jepsen, but even though she had the best pop song of this century with “Call Me Maybe,” she has really flown under the radar since.
Maybe that’s a good thing. She has hardcore fans that will always buy her music, and she can go grocery shopping with no issues. (I once heard someone say that Chappell Roan would be a lot happier with Carly Rae Jepsen’s career, and yes, that’s probably true.)
What I Read This Month
Long Division: A Novel by Kiese Laymon (2013, revised 2021) — In this novel, City is a teenager in 2013 who has a meltdown in a nationally televised competition and becomes a YouTube celebrity overnight. He is sent to live with his grandmother in Melahatchie, Mississippi, where a girl named Baize has recently disappeared.
He picks up a book called Long Division — a strange book without an author that also stars a City, and a Baize, and takes place in Melahatchie in 1985.
Then halfway through, you flip the book over and read the story of City from 1985, which goes in directions you’ll never imagine. (In the original 2013 book, chapters from each timeline alternate, so your reading experience may differ.)
The prose? Hilarious and unconventional. Reminds me a bit of Junot Diaz.
The themes? Black manhood, race, sexuality, religion, PTSD, Hurricane Katrina, the Ku Klux Klan, Jewish communities in the South, oh, and TIME TRAVEL.
The relationships? Heartfelt and surprisingly moving.
The realism? Magical.
I love books that leave me marveling afterward. If you want to read something like that, pick up Long Division.
In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood by Collin Gosselin (2026) — In this memoir, Collin, one of the Gosselin sextuplets on Jon & Kate Plus 8, details the years of alleged abuse he experienced at the hands of his mother Kate.
I believe Collin. What his mother did to him was unforgivable — especially leaving him in a facility designed to house older teens with severe behavioral issues for a few days, and she left him there for literal YEARS. She visited him ONCE. He hasn’t seen her since.
Some people say that this show was popular because Kate was Supermom. I don’t think so — we watched the show because the kids were cute and Kate was an absolute train wreck, verbally abusing everyone in her path.
My heart breaks that SO many adults knew something was wrong, and nobody did enough. The TLC gravy train was just too much.
Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work and Life by Emma Grede (2026) — A few months ago, I was looking for a specific kind of podcast: something about business and life advice for women, by a very successful self-made woman.
I found Aspire with Emma Grede, which really scratches the itch, especially the episodes of her solo, talking about her life experiences and advice. This book tells the story of her life, her rise into entrepreneurship, and then leaping into a completely different field, the apparel industry.
I love her voice, her honesty, and the way she shares lot of things that other women wouldn’t say out loud. A nice inspirational listen while out on my walks.
Coming Up in November 2026
I’m not traveling anywhere this month! It’s a joy to have another full month at home.
But there will be excitement. I have two concerts planned for the month — Jessie Ware and Pitbull! (Yes, Pitbull is coming to Prague TWICE IN ONE YEAR. I wasn’t going to pass up another chance to wear my bald cap!)
Once the Christmas markets open for the season, though, I think I’ll do a few day trips. Plzeň, most likely. I really like Plzeň, the Czech Republic’s beloved beer city, but I haven’t visited during Christmas yet.
I also need to re-visit Dresden’s Christmas markets, but that might wait until December.
What are you up to in November? Share away!