Show the Media Your Middle Finger: Happiness is Free

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In a world where politicians and media conspire to overwhelm us with the blues, I turn off the news and find happiness by chasing a little adventure. It’s my way of rebelling… that and writing this blog (where you will always find good vibes).

Here’s a great example of how we escaped the heaviness of Big Media without spending a whole lot of money. And you can do the same thing! Maybe your style of adventure – your ‘weapon of choice’ – will be different; we use road trips to ‘kill the blues’, but you’re free to adventure however you choose.

Karpacz

The Sudeten Mountains straddle the border of the Czech Republic and Poland. I feel at home there because they remind me of the Rockies back in Idaho. And since Ela and I like physical activity, it’s a great place to spend a few days.

We’re not senior citizens (and will NEVER admit to being so), but we’re not youngsters, either; our days of climbing and camping are behind us. When we visit the mountains now, we look for something more comfortable than sleeping in a tent, but not too much more expensive. We found a real cool place in the Karkonosze Mountains called Karpacz where we can hike to the Giant Mountain, enjoy the great restaurants and nightlife, and take a day to visit (what I think is) the coolest thing in town…

Wang Church

The Wang Church is a stave church built in the 13^th century in Norway. But in 1842, it was relocated to Karpacz and rebuilt halfway up the high peak overlooking the valley below. The story of its rescue and relocation is fascinating, and you understand the motivation behind the incredible effort when you visit this monument to Man’s handiwork. I’ve been around the world few times but have never seen anything like it.

The tower, the church (which is constructed entirely of wood), and the graveyard inspire a silent awe. We walked around it together… then separately… and enjoyed it from every angle and perspective.

Hiking up the seemingly endless hill to the attraction made me wonder who thought the mountainside was the best place to put the structure. When we got to the church, we could look down over the town, across the valley… and we felt the magic of the location.

Walking in Karpacz

While working our way up the mountain, we passed several small shops, souvenir stands, and restaurants. There is nothing like a long day hiking to build up a great appetite!

And eating while traveling is one of life’s great pleasures. Ela and I tend to cook everything we need at home; we’re not fast food people anymore… except when we get on the road. Even then it’s not fast food, but something cool we spy at a local restaurant. Today it was this latticed pizza pie.

Dude! I’ve never seen anything like it, nor have I tasted anything as unique as this venison pie. I wanted to put one in my pocket, but it was way too big to pack. So we took our time, ate it all, and chased it down with warm spiced wine… one of my favorite treats in the European mountains.

We went back to our hotel and rested; it’s easy to do in Karpacz. The bed-and-breakfast place was nestled at the foot of the mountains… a fine accommodation that was clean and reasonably priced (about USD 60/night including breakfast).

More Food and Fun

The next day, Ela took me on a walk through the National Park. The homes we passed gave me a peek into the local culture. People around the world are pretty much the same, but we all have our own special way of doing things…

Human beings amaze me. Living and traveling in a country where I can barely speak the language only confirms the generally good nature of people. I am treated well and my smile is almost always reciprocated. When I shut out the politics and the media, and pay attention to the real life going on around, it’s easy to see the good in the world.

Give Good Things Your Attention

I have a friend that recently took his family on a short trip to the Palo Duro Canyon. It was a long weekend adventure; something different for him and his family but not too difficult to organize. And I know it was worthwhile because of the pictures he posted on Facebook. I won’t share them, of course; they’re personal and private. But I can tell you that his new profile picture is one of him sitting on a horse watching the sunset over the Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. And I can empathize; for a minute or two he felt completely removed from all problems in the world. And in the middle of any bad day, my friend will be able to look at that picture and remember for a moment how good it was to be alive.

Here at Daily Adventures, we talk about the good things in life… about how to find those things and how to embrace them in your style. Simple adventures are the ones everyone can enjoy and I can tell you from my own personal experience that those simple pleasures are the best. That’s why I write these articles; to share what we’ve learned about happiness. Stick around and join us in our rebellion against the blues.

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