Early morning just outside of Limbricht.
I took this photo to remember how good the morning felt.
One of those you know you’ll want to come back to later.
I rode my mountain bike into the nearby woods, set up a small camp, made a cup of fresh coffee, and just sat there for a bit.
Quiet.
Cold air.
Nothing else going on.
After that, I continued on to Born and took a few more photos around the dyke.
Just moving, stopping, and letting the morning unfold.
One of my favourite mornings.
I’ve found riding MTB to be one of the best wake-me-up exercises there is.
I hate going to the gym.
Never liked the atmosphere.
Always felt like I was missing something big… and yeah — fresh air. You just can’t beat it.
You’re outside.
You’re moving.
You’re focused on the trail.
For a while, nothing matters except the next turn, the next climb, the next descent. Your legs burn, your lungs work, and somehow your mind goes quiet.
That’s why I keep coming back to it.
In the gym, on the other hand…
I feel like a monkey in a zoo — constantly being watched.
But anyway…
This photo from Kollenberg is as peaceful as it gets.
No one around.
Just how I like it.
The Beskydy Mountains should be a top priority if you ever visit the Czech Republic.
Most people go to Prague, Český Krumlov… maybe Brno.
Very few make it to the northeast corner of the country — and that’s a shame.
Up here, hiking is part of everyday life.
So is eating great food and drinking what’s probably the best beer in the world.
It’s just normal for the locals.
And the second best thing?
It’s cheap.
Good trails, good food, good beer — without the crowds or the tourist prices.
You’re welcome.
This shot is from a hike to Prasivá.
One of those mountains you don’t really need to introduce if you’re from this area.
Nothing extreme.
Just a solid, good hike that works in every season.
We went up after fresh snow fell overnight.
The trail was quiet… not a single person in sight. Just me and my mate, walking and having good, old conversations.
What I like about Prasivá is the way it resets you. You don’t come here to conquer anything. You come here to hike, talk, think, and let the day unfold on its own.
And then there’s the reward at the top.
A proper Czech beer.
Cold.
Earned.
Perfect after a snowy climb.
This shot is from Bukovec, Mosty u Jablunkova.
Heavy snow… actually, super heavy snow.
It came down all day — nonstop.
But once we made it to the hut, the reward was worth every step.
Czech beer and a bowl of garlic soup.
Perfect way to end a snowy hike.
Hiking to Skalka…
It’s an easy hike — until it isn’t.
I’ve done it plenty of times, and every time I forget how steep that first part actually is.
You start walking thinking, “Yeah, this will be chill,”
and after ten minutes you’re out of breath, second-guessing your choices.
But that’s the thing about this trail… it’s straight up, with a couple of viewpoints that force you to stop and enjoy the moment.
I love it out there.
What makes it even better is the reward waiting at the top.
A small mountain hut, cold Czech beer, and proper food.
My favourite?
Garlic soup — every time.
Anyway…
Great trail, good company, fresh air, beer, and a warm bowl of soup at the top.
Sometimes that’s all you need.
Over the next few days — over Christmas — I’m going to share a few photos from the Czech Republic.
While visiting my family, catching up with old friends, and walking through the places I grew up in, I took a couple of shots worth sharing.
This one is from a hike me, my sister, and my cousins did to Skalka.
One of my favourite hikes in the area.
I must have walked it a million times, but every time I’m on that trail, it just feels good.
This time wasn’t any different.
A simple, perfect way to catch up with family.
And what would it be for a hike without a good prep 🙂
Snow.
And lots of it.
Winter is in full swing in the Czech Republic.
This was taken in the mountains up north… just a short hike from the Polish border.
A quiet, beautiful day.
There’s a line I read the other night that sucker-punched me right in the gut.
It said:
“How can I make sure I squeeze everything out of life instead of having life squeeze everything out of me?”
Boom.
Read that again.
That one question stopped me cold.
Made me think about all the years, all the places, all the near misses, and bold calls that shaped this wild thing I call my life.
See, when I was 24 — young, dumb, and allergic to ordinary — I looked around and realized my whole future was already planned for me.
Finish school.
Get a job.
Marry.
Have kids.
Grow old.
Die.
The classic slow death dressed up as a “normal life.”
My parents thought I’d follow the script.
Everyone did.
But something in me snapped.
I wasn’t going to wake up one day and realize that I hadn’t lived.
No… no way!
And so… I started squeezing the juice out of my life.
Lived in Africa.
Hitched across Spain.
Got lost in New Zealand.
Enjoyed rum from a coconut in Samoa.
Ditched everything and moved to the UK.
Traveled across South Africa to Cape Town.
Ended up in the Netherlands — still chasing sunrises and sunsets, still figuring it out, still learning new ways to live.
And here’s what I’ve learned…
You don’t find yourself by staying comfortable.
You find yourself by chasing your wildest dreams — by choosing the road that might fall apart halfway through and taking it anyway.
If I’d listened to the plan, I’d still be in Karviná, Czech Republic — working for some random company, talking to the same people, probably married, kids and all… pretending to be happy.
Instead, I’ve got stories that beat stuff any day of the week.
So yeah… reading that line hit home.
I’ve squeezed a hell of a lot out of life already… and I’m not done yet.
Neither are you.
We get one life.
One shot.
Don’t wait for the world to hand it to you.
Go take it.
Go see the damn world.
Go squeeze it dry.
Let’s go.
This one’s special.
My 100th shot upload.
And it’s Monday!
So… here I was… no crowd.
Just me, a headlamp, and about 10 km of pure hiking trail ahead.
I needed it to unwind. I needed to get lost in nature.
Each shot is a quiet reminder that progress doesn’t happen overnight. It happens when you show up… even when it’s dark and no one’s watching.
I’m printing this one as a milestone… personal micro-achievement.
What’s one thing you’ve kept doing long enough to finally feel the change?
The path bends, but it doesn’t end.
You can’t see what’s around the corner… but that’s where the magic usually hides.
This shot’s a reminder: keep going, even when you don’t see the destination yet.
I turned it into a print for that exact reason — so I don’t forget what it feels like to trust the road.
What’s one thing you’re walking toward?
It happened in New Zealand.
Fog rolling over the hills. Golden light sneaking through like smoke. It was one of those mornings I’d dreamt about for years.
I jumped out of the van, grabbed my camera, and ran toward the ridge. There I saw a deer poking his head through the most beautiful light I’d ever seen.
I stood there, heart racing, ready to take the shot…
I switched on the camera and almost had a heart attack.
The worst nightmare… one that’s happened more times than I’d like to admit. I realized my SD card was still plugged into my laptop.
Cursing myself.
Then the grass under my boots started glowing as the sun made its way through the fog. Tiny drops of dew catching the light.
I wanted to cry.
A deer above the fog, in the most amazing landscape, with perfect light and my fucking card sitting in my laptop, on the table.
I wanted to kill myself.
Nothing I could do other than rush back to the van and grab the card… so I did.
By the time I got back, the deer had enough time to smoke a whole cigar… gone 100 times over and when it comes to that beautiful light I saw?
Don’t even get me started…
Pissed to the core!
I then took some shots that day but it wasn’t the same.
Anyway…
I’m sharing this with you because I don’t want you to make the same mistake.
Simply, check your camera before you go. Or carry extra SD cards in your pocket at all times. You never know when you’ll make such a detrimental mistake.
It’s worse than being a smoker on a hike and forgetting your lighter.
Fuck, that happened to me too.
Luckily, I don’t smoke anymore.
Anyway…
Here ends the lesson.
“Getting lost is not a waste of time. Staying where nothing moves you is.”
Woke up on a winding road somewhere in the Corsican mountains.
Didn’t know exactly where I was. Didn’t care.
The view was ridiculous… the kind that makes you forget time. Made myself a cup of super strong coffee, watched the sun crawl over the peaks, and thought…
…this right here… this is what most people trade away for comfort.
Fuck comfort!
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that hit the hardest.
Like catching sunrise from a mountaintop… watching the first light crawl over the horizon while everything around you stands still.
No noise. No phone. No Wi-Fi.
Just the smell of pine, cold air, and silence that feels like medicine.
It’s funny… the best sleep I’ve ever had wasn’t in a bed. It was in a tent — no signals, no screens, just earth beneath me and stars above.
We weren’t built to live in boxes or chase notifications.
We were meant to move, breathe, feel the dirt, climb for the view, and remember what being alive actually feels like.
This one’s from Col de Funtanella, south Corsica.
One of those mornings that remind you… less really is more.
Spent the morning giving my bike some love… wiped off the mud, swapped the chain, tightened what rattled loose on the trails.
There’s something about clean gear, smooth spin that doesn’t rattle and makes you want to hit the trail again.