Czech Autumn XP Wallpaper Hunt

📸BLISS 2.0? The OG Windows XP wallpaper “Bliss” was shot in 1996 by Charles O’Rear on Sonoma County hills —but THIS autumn set was captured 8,000 km away, deep in the Rolling Hills of South Moravia, Czech Republic—a place so it doesn’t even have a ticket booth. 📍 WHERE EXACTLY? Region: South Moravia (Jihomoravský kraj) – patch-work of vineyards, poplar wind-breaks & canola-yellow fields. Nearest BIG city: Brno (45 min drive) Nearest train town: Kyjov (R56 from Brno, 35 min) Famous-neighbour distance: Vienna 140 km / 1 h 45 m by car 🚗 Pin-drop: Google “Rolling Hills Viewpoint (Unnamed Road, Svatobořice-Mistřín, Czechia)” – a dirt pull-off appears, that’s your goldmine. 🗺️ HOW TO ROAM 🚗 SELF-DRIVE (fastest) From Brno → D2 motorway → Exit 26 → follow signs toward Kyjov → GPS above. 2-hour slow-loop on farm roads (gravel but sedan-friendly) – every crest gives a new angle. 🚞 PUBLIC TRANSPORT Train Brno → Kyjov (R56, hourly). Walk 5 min to Kyjov Tourist Info – pick up free Rolling Hills route map 🗺️ + ask about: – Same-day e-bike rental 🚲 – Local driver-for-hire (≈ CZK 600 / 2 hrs) if you want car-comfort without car-rental. ⏰ WHEN TO SHOOT Peak gold: mid-October – poplars turn butter-yellow, vineyards rust-red, canola stubble adds ochre. Golden hour: 07:00 – 08:30 (mist pockets) & 17:30 – 19:00 (side-light rolls across waves). Week-day bonus: zero tourist vans, only tractors & distant church bells. 📷 SONY A6000 SETTINGS I USED Lens: 16-50 kit (light, stabilised) + 35 mm f/1.8 for creamy bokeh rows. Profile: Velvia-ish custom, +1 sat, +1 contrast. Landscape tripod: 100 ISO, f/8, 1/125 s, 24 mm (equiv) for sweeping curves. Drone note: Czech rules allow <250 g micro-drones here; I flew Mini 2 at 50 m for curved-row top-downs. Shot list: Low-angle poplar line against cobalt sky → XP nostalgia. Crest silhouette – human on ridge-line for scale. Top-down drone – rolling “S” curves = Windows wallpaper energy. Macro leaf detail – back-light shows vein network (breaks the sea of green). 🧺 WHAT TO BRING Layered clothing – 10 °C swing morning → noon. Coins for farm-honesty boxes (fresh-pressed apple juice CZK 25). Power-bank – no cafés in the fields. Wide-brim hat – rows are long, shade is short. 🌱 LEAVE NO TRACE Stay on tractor paths – vines are private. No picking grapes without asking; farmers sell on contract. Pack out coffee cups – fields are unfenced, cows are curious. 🎞️ POST-PROCESS PRESET (free) Lift orange luminance +10, push yellow saturation +8 = instant Moravian gold. Subtle teal-blue split-tone in shadows → film-feel without screaming “filter.” 🚌 HALF-DAY LOOP (copy-paste) 09:00 Kyjov coffee 09:30 Drive unnamed road, shoot sunrise side-light 11:00 Drone top-downs (calm air) 12:00 Farm-honesty apple juice + sandwich on tailgate 13:00 Second loop opposite light 14:00 Back to Kyjov, catch train to Brno Bottom line: rolling hills, zero entry fee, infinite angles. You won’t get exact California blue, but you will get golden Moravian waves that make your desktop look like a painting — and your memories smell of fresh hay and distant church bells. #Czech #Rolling Hills