I Went Out of My Way to Visit Small Town, Central Europe

Destination: Želiv, Czechia

It was early morning. Our Uber was arriving in 5 minutes, and we were still packing the last bits and bobs into our suitcases. Scrambling down 2 flights of stairs with toothbrushes and restaurant leftovers in hand, we greeted our driver and waved goodbye to the Airbnb.

We were leaving the capital city of Prague, Czechia and traveling somewhere completely off the beaten path, somewhere that we had no business knowing about.

An hour later we found ourselves in the quiet charm of a tiny village, far from train stations and the frenetic bustle of city life. In fact, the only thing bustling was the little stream outside our window ~ we were at Hotel Klášter Želiv, a monastery-turned-mini-spa resort. No one spoke more than a few words of English, phone service was spotty, and there were almost 0 things to do around the area.

the view from our window at Želiv's wellness spa resort

I didn’t realize it was exactly what I needed until I was there.

I had 2 days of relaxation and drawing. 2 days of not thinking about where we’d go next or trying to book last-minute tickets to tourist attractions. 2 hours of rowing on a little lake near the monastery. 2 long walks through the small town, crossing a cute little bridge at the end and walking past lots of quaint homes with real locals - no Airbnbs or souvenir shops in sight.

my husband stayed on the shore and took photos as we rowed around the small lake. Not bad, huh?

In fact, I don’t think there was even a grocery store in town - the only one we saw was closed every time we passed it, although signs declared that it was open 24/7.

After experiencing the deliberate calm and slowness of Želiv, I felt my soul reset. Honestly, it felt like the first time I took ADHD meds - all the noise in my brain melted away, along with the pressure to be 100% productive all the time. With so little to do, I could finally allow myself to do so little and feel good about it.

an oil pastel sketch of Trčkův hrad that I did on-site during our stay in Želiv

After experiencing Želiv, I can wholeheartedly say that the best gift anyone can give themselves on a long trip (8 days+) is the gift of getting away from the tourist rush for a couple days and enjoying the quieter parts of wherever you’re visiting. Heck, open up Google Maps, pick a random spot that looks pretty, and go! And when you do that, message me because I want to hear all about your trip. :)

an oil pastel sketch I did on-site of the grounds near Želiv's wellness resort