Archives for June 2015

Blog Design Giveaway!

June 16, 2015

Hello and happy Tuesday! In honor of the new season, I have a great giveaway for you today–a FREE customized theme from The Lady Errant!

Last month’s winner was Tyler from An Aspiring Heroine – check out her new look! Plus, here are a few more for your viewing pleasure :).

The prize

1 free customized theme for self-hosted WP sites from the shop (up to $80 value). Includes favicon, custom fonts/colors/formatting, and 1 coding add-on (such as a custom homepage).

Brought to you by

Enter to win a FREE customized theme for your self-hosted WP blog!

Enter the Giveaway

Croatia

Hello there! Today I have another guest post coming at you for the Around the World series, this time from the lovely Sarah. I’m especially excited about this post as I’ll be in Croatia myself at the end of July! I hope you enjoy Sarah’s perspective of Dubrovnik and please let me know if you’re interested in contributing to the series, too!

Hello Amy and the Great World readers! My name is Sarah and I write over at Daydreams of Summertime which is a lifestyle blog with lots of travel adventures thrown in for good measure! Travel is a big passion of mine and today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite European destinations – Dubrovnik! My boyfriend Carl, and I fell in love with this pretty Croatian town almost as soon as we stepped off the plane and have spent our last two summer holidays there! There are so many things to love about Dubrovnik and I always recommend it to people as a great place to go for a relaxing summer holiday. Here are some reasons why…

“Those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik” -George Bernard Shaw

The Old Town

The Old Town is gorgeous; it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it is easy to understand why with its history and stunning architecture.

The town gets super busy throughout the day as it has a major cruise ship port nearby but, in the evening things quieten down significantly and you can really soak in the atmosphere (and the heat!) along the Stradan with a nice glass of Croatian wine and people watch to your hearts content! It is a walled town and you can pay to walk along these walls although I would recommend doing this in the morning before it gets really hot!

The Atmosphere

As I mentioned above the Old Town has a wonderful atmosphere, so much so that it needs it’s an entire section of it’s own here! During the summer months when it is the height of the tourist season, there is so much going on throughout Dubrovnik. There is the Summer Festival which runs throughout July and August and provides lots of different concerts in various venues. Even when there aren’t any festivals there are always buskers or street artists to keep you entertained.

The Neighbouring Islands

Dubrovnik is small so if you are there for more than a few days you will probably want to explore a bit further afield. Luckily there are lots of day trips you can take to nearby islands and even to other countries! The closest island is Lokrum which is a fifteen minute boat ride away and is great for escaping the crowds during the day, doing a bit of sunbathing and maybe even having a cheeky (but very expensive) mojito. There are also some nice walks to be had there as well as a botanical garden and lots of peacocks roaming the island to be admired.

Slightly further away are the Elafiti Islands of Kolocepo, äipan and Lopud which are a must see. Many companies run day trips to see all three islands but you can also jump on a boat from Port Gruz and explore them individually. Our favourite Island is Lopud, but really they are all beautiful and worth visiting to take in the scenery and enjoy the sunshine!

Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

It’s Proximity to Other Countries

If you fancy going even further afield you can take day trips from Dubrovnik to different countries! There are a few companies that run tours to both Mostar and Montenegro that are worth considering. We did these the first time we visited Dubrovnik as we were there for nearly two weeks so had plenty of time to kill. They were both excellent day trips but I think I preferred the Mostar trip as it was a little bit less rushed!

The Food

For me, when I go to a new country it really is all about the food and Dubrovnik has so many wonderful restaurants to suit every taste! My particular favourites are Azur which serves Asian fusion cuisine, Nishta which serves Vegan and Gluten free food, and Taj Mahal which serves Bosnian dishes (I recommend the Cevapi). This list could actually go on forever and if you are looking for some tips on where to eat feel free to drop me a line and I will be happy to recommend some more.

The Wine

Before visiting Dubrovnik I had no idea that Croatia has some really nice wine. I don’t think it is widely available in the UK but if you can get your hands on it, I would recommend giving it a try! The Old Town has a famous wine bar called D’vino’s which everyone goes to when visiting and I have to say it does live up to the hype! There are also some wine tours available, we went on this one run by Mario, which although a little on the pricey side was excellent and worth every penny!

It is so difficult to describe just how beautiful Dubrovnik and the surrounding area is and my words and photos don’t really do it justice. I really recommend that you take a trip there if you ever get the chance as you won’t regret it!

Have you ever been to Dubrovnik? What did you think of it?

You can follow more of my travel adventures here: Bloglovin’ || Instagram || Twitter || Facebook

Czech Republic

Ten Months in Prague (By the Numbers)

June 10, 2015

As usual when I realize how many months I’ve been in Prague, I have an instant “pinch-me” moment. We’ve been living in Europe for ten months?!? That’s basically a year at this point! I think the worst part about the ten-month mark is the alarming realization that we only have two months left in Prague now. I remember my two months in Prague post, where it seemed like we would never adjust to the life here. It’s a bit funny looking back at that post–grocery shopping still can stress me out, and I still don’t understand the postal system–but Prague feels so easy. Prague feels like home.

TEN MONTHS IN PRAGUE: BY THE NUMBERS

THREE DAYS in Ireland, exploring a beautiful country with two of our best friends.

A GUINNESS A DAY…to keep the doctor away?

TWO VISITS to Queen of Tarts, the most delicious cafe/bakery in Dublin.

MANY TRIPS past the lovely St. Patrick’s cathedral walking to and from our AirBnB flat…and not one trip inside, oops!

TWO HOURS in Ireland’s oldest pub…because why not? And supposedly Robin Hood darkened the doorway and I have a secret Robin Hood obsession. (I spent most of my childhood infatuated with Robin Hood, the Disney fox).

30 MINUTES being awestruck in the Trinity College library after seeing the Book of Kells.

ONE DAY in Northern Ireland.

THREE WINDY HOURS driving along the Causeway Coast.

TWO SLIGHTLY TERRIFYING WALKS across the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

COUNTLESS hexagon stones hopped on while visiting Giant’s Causeway.

45 MINUTES in a very rainy Belfast taking refuge in the beautiful City Hall.

ONE LAST Bailey’s coffee in the Dublin airport.

FIFTEEN bowls (at least) of Irish porridge. Both in Ireland AND in Prague since now I’m obsessed and must have it often. Not the best breakfast in hot weather but I can’t help it.

TEN florists visited in Prague for “wedding research.” Can you tell what color scheme we’re leaning towards by the flower pictures I took?

TWO churches visited at Prague’s “Night of the Churches,” an evening once a year where there is free admission to all the churches in the city.

20 MINUTES listening to Mozart played on an organ in Prague Castle’s own St. Vitus Cathedral…again, for free!

ONE salad place discovered with a lovely view…only a few blocks from our flat!

ABOUT 56 more lessons. I still enjoy teaching a lot (see my Tales from the ESL Classroom to see some reasons why) and I can’t believe the school year is ending in just two short weeks! I took a picture of this boy’s self-portrait because it was hilarious.

A FEW MORE glorious sunny days in Prague. My love for Praha knows no bounds when the sun is shining.

ONE lovely flower from my fiancé that symbolizes four months until our wedding!

See months one through nine HERE.

Linking up with Travel Tuesday.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« May				Jul »
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30