Moravia, Czech Republic

Before we moved to the Czech Republic, I assumed it was all about the beer. Bohemia, the region of the country that holds Prague, the Czech Republic’s most famous city, is certainly all about that beer, so it makes sense that many a tourist doesn’t know much about Czech wine. Or that even such a thing exists, as I mentioned above!

Well, I’m here to tell you, Czech wine certainly shouldn’t be forgotten when visiting the country. Even better, if you have the time, a visit to Mikulov, the capital of Moravia, the primary Czech wine region, is delightful. If you go in the autumn, make sure to try some burčak, Czech “young wine” that is delicious and deceivingly strong.

Eger, Hungary

Eger is a must for any wine-lover when visiting Hungary. Only about two hours away from Budapest via train, Eger has a wine valley, known in English as the “Valley of Beautiful Women.” We visited Eger a few times because the valley has over a dozen little family wineries built into the hillside. So, you walk around, hopping from wine cellar to wine cellar and tasting some of the most delicious wine I’ve ever had–at insane prices. Wine tasting in Eger is one of my favorite experiences in all of Europe!

Tokaj, Hungary

Excuse me for the bit of last-place-I-lived favoritism, but the wine in Hungary is just that amazing! While Eger wins my favorite thanks to its red bulls-blood and I am all about the reds, Tokaj produces the best dessert wine around. The Tokaj region also happens to be on Lake Balaton, the largest inland lake in Europe and a gorgeous little spot! I mostly drank Tokaj in Budapest but the region itself is worth a visit.

Santorini, Greece

The wind is so strong in Santorini that they have different ways of growing the vines, which looks weird but helps produce amazing grapes, helped along by the famously volcanic soil. Like all of the other produce we tried on the island, the grapes are slightly sweeter. Make sure to get the local moussaka with your glass of wine, as well–Santorini eggplant is the best in the world, I’m telling ya!

Central & South Dalmatia, Croatia

Croatia is full of great wine regions, or so I’ve heard, but the only one I’ve personally experienced is in the south, on the islands of Korčula and Hvar. We tried so many bottles of wine on Korčula our host asked if we were having a party! Cue shame face…

Brda Region, Slovenia

We were privileged enough to tour the Brda region in Slovenia with Slocally after a night in their Herbal Rooms Homestay. It was bliss! We visited small, family run wineries and tried the new “hipster” wine–an orange wine! We wandered among the many colorful, autumn-themed vineyards. It was a foggy day but that just added to the atmosphere. The region is also full of cute little towns, like Šmartno, and well-worth a visit. This region is on the border of Slovenia and Italy, so it feels sort of like a mini-Tuscany, but with its own Slovene flavor.

Pelagonia-Polog, Macedonia

We didn’t tour this region of Macedonia while there (partly because I was pregnant at the time) but were able to taste several wines from this region. I knew nothing about Macedonia or its wine before we went, and I was pleasantly surprised!

Do you have some favorite off-the-beaten path wine regions? Share in the comments! 

The post 7 Unique Wine Countries in Europe appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Christmas in Europe, however, doesn’t have this rule. In addition, in case you haven’t heard, Christmas in Europe is completely magical. The only thing missing tends to be snow, depending on where you are (my hometown in Montana definitely wins on the snow front!). But, Europe has Christmas markets so…maybe it still wins ;).

I’ve been lucky enough to spend several Christmases in Europe, and very spoiled to visit quite a few markets over those years. Here are a few of my favorites!

Budapest

I had to give a shout out to my former home, of course! There are markets all over the city, some catered more to tourists, and some catered more to locals.

Cologne

Cologne, and Germany in general, might be the king of Christmas markets. There are no less than seven markets scattered throughout the city, each with a different theme. My favorite was the gnome-themed market, but the one by the famous Cologne Cathedral is a must-see, too!

Bruges

Bruges is wonderful any time of year, but Christmas is especially wonderful! The market there is tiny, but the whole city really feels like a Christmas market.

Prague

I couldn’t make this list without including Prague, of course! Prague is even more fairy tale-esque at Christmas, if you can imagine. There are a few Christmas markets scattered across the city, but my favorite is the one in Old Town Square, because you just can’t beat that ambiance!

Frankfurt  

We met our friends last year in Frankfurt and I didn’t have very high hopes for some reason–but the Christmas market we went to there, in the old square, was delightful!

Nuremberg

Nuremberg might be one of Germany’s most famous, and while it isn’t my favorite, the city is pretty much taken over by Christmas and it’s so fun to visit!

Brussels

Brussels also has quite a few markets scattered over the city, but really the best part is the light show in the Grand-Place, if you ask me! And watching with a waffle in hand…even better.

This week was also the final week of the Bake Along Bake Off with Amanda! I used this chance to….make more bread. Surprise! I didn’t have a really good bread bake this year, although this week was okay, and the signature challenge for the final week was three different types of rolls.

I’m going to play the pregnancy card (again) and let you know that I only made one type of roll. I mean, I’m nine months pregnant here!

The rolls I did make, though, using this recipe, Braided Brioche Rolls, were amazing!

And absolutely, totally informal, as Mary Berry would say.

I think it was cold in our house because they didn’t rise very much–until they exploded in the oven that is!

One (out of six…) of the rolls turned out fairly neatly, and became the star of the show. Still, the rest were equally delicious!

I can’t believe it’s my last bake for this year! And that this is my second year in a row participating. Some of my best bakes over the past two years: these cream puffs, this pizza, these tiny chocolate cakes, my first spun sugar, this amazing bread, and my pumpkin cake!

The best thing about the baking challenge is getting back in the kitchen–baking is so relaxing and creative. Also, it’s been my major form of nesting–our freezer is stuffed with baked goods for after baby ;).

Here’s to more baking the rest of this year, and next year!

The post Top Christmas Markets in Europe + Bake Off Bake Along Week 10 appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

My love for Prague is well-documented, but have I convinced you for my love for the greater Czech Republic?!

There are so many little gems of the Czech Republic–many that are overshadowed by the stunning, famous Prague. Most tourists overlook the rest of the country as they focus on Prague or push through to another bigger city, such as Budapest or Vienna. However! There are several places to visit within in a day’s trip from Prague, so you can have your cake and eat it too (i.e. visit Prague but also get a taste of the rest of this charming, lovely country!).

Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary, or Carlsbad, is a famous little spa town about two hours away by bus or car from Prague. Karlovy Vary, once most famous for attracting German visitors, now is a hit with Russians and has a distinctly different flavor than Prague. Most of the signs are in Czech and Russian, and sometimes English. In addition to the water, known for having health properties when you drink it, Karlovy Vary is a gorgeous little city on its own. Make sure to taste the water, visit the many colonnades (where you find the water spouts), “splurge” for a fancier hotel (at such a bargain it won’t feel like a splurge) and if you really want to fancy it up, book some of the famous spa treatments while you’re there. If you have a car and can drive to Karlovy Vary, you MUST stop at Loket, with its gorgeous medieval center and majestic castle, only about fifteen minutes away!

Česky Krumlov

If another city in the Czech Republic could gain as much fame as Prague, that could be the absolutely charming, adorable town of Česky Krumlov. This fame means you might have to occasionally battle some crowds, but they’re easy to escape and plan around. See my posts Going Medieval in Česky Krumlov and Boating in Česky Krumlov for ideas on how to keep busy in this cute little place. This little city is about three hours away from Prague, not too bad for a long day trip, or, since it’s so amazing, worth a night or two.

Plzen (Pilsen)

If you go to Prague, chances are you’ll try the country’s most famous export, Pilsner Urquell. Pilsner Urquell also makes my favorite (and less famous) beer, Kozel! The factory tour, located in the town of Plzen (Pilsen) is about an hour from Prague on a train. The tour is really fascinating and includes a visit to the cellars, cellars that have been storing beer for hundreds of years. The town itself is also worth a visit, just a short walk from the factory and with a beautiful cathedral and historic square.

Karlštejn Castle

Just forty-five minutes away from Prague, through the Czech countryside, you’ll find the awesome, medieval castle, Karlštejn, and its accompanying little village. You can see the castle looming from the train station, and a twenty-minute walk through the village and a short hike up will get you inside it’s walls. It’s quite touristy, but also quite cool. You’ll find traditional mead to sample, and an old-timey blacksmith to watch, and several different types of (delicious) sausages to try! Plus, gorgeous views from an amazing castle.

Kutna Hora

Another short train ride away from Prague lies another famous day trip: the town of Kutna Hora, famous as the sight of the “Bone Church,” the Sedlec Ossuary. That’s right, a church built out of bones! While that church is worth a visit, if you continue walking into the town afterwards, you’ll find the glorious St. Barbara’s Cathedral. It was built by the same architect as the cathedral in Prague and it’s massive, amazing, and, like all good cathedrals, boasts some killer flying buttresses. After you’re churched out, make sure to visit the adorable little center of Kutna Hora itself, handily located on your way back to the train station.

Have you been to the Czech Republic? What else would you add to this list?

The post Five Day Trips from Prague appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Ever since I moved to Prague–and really, ever since I announced we were moving–I’ve received many emails asking about my experience teaching there, how I decided on Prague, the visa process, and more. I can’t blame all of you for wanting to go to teach in Prague–who wouldn’t want to try living in my beloved Praha?!–so I put together a list for those of you considering making the move.

Before we start, take note that this is just my personal experience and in no way the only path you can take. There are more ways to become a teacher or to live in Prague, although my story is a common one, I found.

Also, as per the visa regulations, it of course depends on your citizenship. This is my experience as an American with an American passport–so make sure you check the regulations for your own country!

1. Why Prague?

I chose Prague because of its location in Europe, its cost of living, the ability for a non-EU citizen to get a job there, and because it looked like a beautiful, fun place to live. I was really pleased with my choice and grew to love both Prague and teaching. If you’re anxious to spend a year in Europe, Prague is a great choice–fairly central with transportation to anywhere you can think of, almost! Plus, it really is pretty cheap–say, beer is about $1–and that can help you save up to explore more of the Czech Republic and Europe.

2. Pick a school to get TEFL-certified.

I chose Oxford House because I had spoken to several people who had attended this school and gone on to become teachers, both in Prague and elsewhere in the world. It’s one of the few schools in Prague to hold international accreditation, which isn’t necessary to teach in many countries but is a bonus. Although I do recommend Oxford House, there are many other TEFL schools in Prague. I’ve also heard good things about TEFL Worldwide, for example. Just make sure to thoroughly research the school you are attending: ask a lot of questions during your interview, and contact graduates of the program to make sure you will be able to teach afterwards! In Prague, it is necessary for English teachers to have the TEFL certification, or equivalent, unless you have an Education degree from an English-speaking country. I knew several teachers that were elementary or high school teachers in the United States that came over to Prague to teach without getting TEFL-certified. However, if you don’t have this, and don’t want to get TEFL-certified, Prague is not the place for you, nor is most of Europe (although there are exceptions to this rule–such as Spain or Hungary). That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to teach–much of Asia only requires that you have a college degree and are a native speaker.

3. Before going to Prague, get in touch with a visa handler to make sure you understand the visa requirements and options.

For most English teachers in Prague, as an American, the primary visa you are able to get at the moment is the Freelance Visa, or Zivnostinkylist (Zivno for short–sounds like “jivno”). Unless you are lucky enough to get sponsored by a school–then good luck for you! This is a rare event nowadays, even teachers that are brought over for a specific job are tending to get the Zivno, to my knowledge. I won’t list the requirements here, but if you want to know more–please feel free to email me: amy [at] amyandthegreatworld.com. We found our visa handler through Oxford House, and if you are going through another TEFL program, they are likely to have a connection for you, as well.

4. Decide when to go.

Language schools tend to hire year-round, but the peak hiring times seem to be in the fall, around August/September, and in January. If you take a TEFL class in the summer, it can be very difficult to find a job then, as many of the language schools take summer vacations.

5. Save money.

It will take you awhile to start making money in Prague, and you will need money for your visa, for health insurance, for first month/last month’s rent on your flat, for beer, etc! So, it’s best to have a cushion when you arrive.

6. During your certification class, get in touch with your visa handler again, begin to look for apartments and scope out the job market.

A visa handler was key for our experience in Prague. She answered so many of our questions and held our hand through the complicated process. We loved our visa handler and asked her so many questions throughout the year on any legal or visa issue we had, even if it didn’t pertain to our Zivno. She even helped us with our taxes!

As you need an address before you can officially apply for the Zivno, I would start looking for a place right away. Often, you may not get paid at your job until your Zivno comes through–so it’s best to get it as soon as possible! Our school had some connections, but we ended up finding a place through the website: www.seznam.cz. We also didn’t want to use a realtor, which many people do, as we wanted to save the hefty fee. However, a realtor can help with the process a lot–especially with the translation and the signing of the lease!

7. Find a job–and keep the visa process rolling!

Now I wouldn’t say that it was absolute cake to find a teaching job in Prague–mostly because it is certainly easy to find a job but not as easy to find the right job. There are many language schools that charge their students a ton of money but only give the teachers a small percentage of this. This is a good way to get into the job market in Prague, though.

One thing with the Zivno, however, since it is a freelance visa, you are required to have more than one source of income. I worked primarily at an elementary school, but I also had a least one other business that I could invoice. One perk of Oxford House was their network–near the end of our course, we handed the business manager our updated CVs and she sent them to jobs all over Prague. We interviewed for a lot of jobs right away, and were offered them all–but we were picky!

8. Learn to say no.

You’ll soon discover that teaching in Prague is a kind of patchwork–you will probably have several different jobs and a lot of private clients! If you are lucky, that is. I found that I had too many offers of private clients to say yes to–although I made the mistake of saying YES! to almost everyone who asked right away, and ended up completely stressed out and swamped. One thing I did to eliminate this over-scheduling was to raise my rates–and learn to say no. It’s not feasible to have THAT many teaching lessons in one day, it wears you out!

9. Be flexible & creative.

Between private lessons, curriculum-focused lessons in the classroom, and lessons at businesses, I had to spend a lot of time thinking of interesting, creative things to do with my students. The internet is a gold mine for this sort of thing–use it! If you’re interested in the specific sites I use, let me know and we can discuss :).

Flexibility is important when it comes to your lessons and your schedule. I rarely had one week where a student didn’t cancel, and my schedule was never the typical 9-5, even at a school. It’s common for teachers in Prague, especially if you’re teaching at businesses, to have early morning lessons or late evening lessons.

10. Work your schedule so you can enjoy Prague and take advantage of the fantastic travel opportunities!

I was lucky to be working primarily at an elementary school with quite a bit of time off. E was able to arrange his time off when I had my time off–and I never took a sick day or travel day from my job, except when I had to travel to Berlin to pick up my visa. I didn’t feel the need to take extra days when I had a fairly decent schedule and so many built-in vacation days! I tried to take advantage of every holiday we had: we went to Austria during my fall break, had an epic Christmas vacation during my winter holidays, got engaged in Venice during my spring break, visited Karlovy Vary over Easter, went to Telc over one long weekend, Budapest over another holiday, and then Dublin over yet another, and arranged family visits during the summer, when school was out. Of course I had other lessons that I had to rearrange for these times off, but with private lessons I found that rescheduling or canceling was generally a possibility. One nice thing about private clients is that they often want a vacation during the national holidays, too!

So what do you think–are you ready to start teaching in Prague?! You won’t regret it

The post So You Want to Teach in Prague (A Guide) appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Of course, this year I learned that guidebooks can take you only so far, and that it’s much, much better to go and see the place for yourself before you let someone else tell you if it’s worthwhile. But most of the time, I find guidebooks so helpful, and they’ve introduced so many places that would have remained under my radar.

Such is the case with the tiny town of Loket, Czech Republic. Loket is so tiny it doesn’t even have its own section in my giant Lonely Planet Europe book–just a little blurb in the section of Karlovy Vary. We attempted to visit Loket on our first trip from Karlovy Vary, as it’s just near there (hence being a blurb in that section), but we happened to be visiting on Easter and all of the buses were shut down.

So, I added Loket to our travel itinerary when my parents’ visited. It was more ideal because we had a car, and I’m so glad we stopped (although by that time we were all tired and ready to be back in Prague). It was about twenty minutes away from Karlovy Vary, but so peaceful, and like many Czech towns, on a windy river. Loket had a beautiful view of green hills, a tiny, perfectly preserved medieval center, baby goats (I mean, baby goats!) and of course, the requisite castle.

Not only is Loket one of the more gorgeous castles of my beloved CZ, but a James Bond movie (Casino Royale) was actually filmed here, and some in nearby Karlovy Vary.

While we only made a very quick stop here, I would have loved to come back for a full day and even a night to soak up the atmosphere of the little village…and to keep playing with the baby goats, of course.

Question:

What do you think of guidebooks? Love ’em or hate ’em or a little bit of both? Have you discovered any great places from a guidebook?

Linking up with Travel Tuesday. 

The post Little Loket appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Sometimes I think that Prague is just waking up from a long, deep magical spell. Many say it is the most beautiful city in Europe, and most of the time I agree with that. But Prague is more than the beautiful castle overlooking the river and the perfectly charming Old Town alleys. It’s also crumbling buildings and scrawling graffiti. It’s grey Communist blocs and houses that used to be beautiful. It’s train stations where you don’t want to set down your bag on the floor and old trams that are full of scratches and black markers and hard, sticky seats.

Prague is fully in the height of a shiny summer, and it is beautiful. But it was a long, gray winter, and even in the summer, Prague feels like it’s just waking up.

The energy in the air is positive and bright, like a bouncy red ball. The city is buzzing with tour groups crowding around the lovely vistas and pushing down the narrow alleys. The natives have fled for the cooler mountains or are taking advantage of the booming industry.

Praha is a fairy tale for me. It helped make a lifelong dream come true–and it was a privilege to watch this city wake up from its own, sometimes darker fairy tale. Sometimes it seems like it is still stuck in that fairy tale, but I have faith that it will work its way out.

I have a feeling Prague will only get better, and it’s been an honor to spend a year of my life here.

I love this city, and it was never more evident when we had our four sets of visitors and I felt defensive if someone didn’t immediately gush about Prague. If it wasn’t their favorite. I feel possessive and proud of this place that holds such a fierce corner of my heart.

I can’t always explain why, or what to see, or what to do here. I often felt at a loss when asked to be a tour guide. “What else is there to see here?” I was asked, several times.

For me, the answer was a pause. I didn’t know what to say, because for me, Prague is what you see. Around every corner there is a new surprise–especially if you happen to look up. There are always new paths to discover or new routes to take to the same destination. I see streets as I ride the tram that I still ache to explore.

Prague has been around for a while–it has fought through a lot and lived through a lot and in some ways, continues to fight–and you can feel that life in the air. My love for Prague has not always been easy–there have been many challenges this year!–but I think my love is true. Like all great affairs, my love for Prague has not always been simple. While E and I both say this has been the best year of our lives, it’s certainly been the most challenging as well. But, I learned to overlook the occasional sewer smells, dodge the dog poop, ignore the graffiti and look up.

In Prague, you’ve never felt the need more to “keep your feet on the ground…and your eyes on the stars.” (Theodore Roosevelt).

Linking up with Travel Tuesday. 

The post A Love Affair with Praha appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Looking back at my other “By the Numbers” posts, I am so happy at what I have accomplished this year, and proud of how much I’ve grown. I really love going back through the old posts to see what has changed! And also, what hasn’t. The second month, I was sure I would never figure out the mailing system…and I never really did! Just before we left Prague for our trip I tried to send some postcards and for some reason they were much more expensive than ever before. However, this is a great example of the fact that even though I was flustered by this, I wasn’t as stressed out by the whole situation as I had been previously. Growth!

I had so many expectations about moving to Prague. Some came true, and some things were much easier than I had thought–or much, much harder. While I was so happy to find a regular job, I didn’t know how demanding and time-consuming it would be for us to eke out a living in Prague. I didn’t realize how much I would love teaching and how hard it would be to say goodbye to my co-workers and students. I didn’t know that this year would be the hardest I have ever worked. I didn’t know that keeping this blog alive would be such a challenge with all of my other priorities–and that it would become such a part of my experience. I didn’t know that it would be difficult for me to make friends, and I didn’t know that this year would bring me and E closer together than ever. I especially didn’t know that this year abroad would awaken a passion in me to continue to see the world on my terms, and to hopefully live life as a nomad! I  thought I might want to stay in Prague forever when we first moved here. While circumstances outside of my control changed this idea (for now), I’m really excited to see what’s next. On that note…this won’t be the final “By the Numbers” post, although it is the final one for Prague, excuse me while I weep. Since I’ll be living everywhere for a while, I will be on writing “On the Road: By the Numbers” posts next!

I could go on and on about what this year has meant to me, and I will in another post. But for now, I want to recap my final month in Prague, because it was a fantastic one–even though much of it was spent outside of Prague and the Czech Republic!

TWELVE MONTHS IN PRAGUE: BY THE NUMBERS 

TEN DAYS spent showing E’s family around Prague and the area.

TWO DRINKS and an ice-cream with the best view in Prague (finally!) at the Hotel U Prince terrace. Celebrating the birthday girl, too–E’s sister!

ONE LAST STOP at all of our favorite spots in Prague–Cafe Louvre, Choco Cafe, La Terrassa, Olympia Restaurant, and more.

ONE AFTERNOON visiting Kutna Hora’s churches, including the famous Bone Church and the incredible St. Barbara’s Cathedral.

TWELVE HOURS visiting Rathen, Germany and Dresden, Germany. Both places I wish we’d had more time to explore!

FIFTEEN HOURS squeezing in one last trip to the charming and unforgettable Český Krumlov.

A FEW MORE ITEMS checked off my Czech Republic and Prague bucket lists. I almost completed them…I guess I will just have to come back again soon to finish!

^^Karlštejn Castle

FIVE DAYS cleaning out, packing, re-packing, re-organizing, and otherwise moving out of our adorable little Czech flat. It was so hard to say goodbye! There was also drama with our landlord until the very last second…but his translator friend gave us a free ride to the airport so, we left feeling much better about things. It’s also freeing to have almost everything you own (except everything in your parents’ basement…) on your back.

FIFTEEN KG/THIRTY POUNDS carried on my back these past few weeks. Ouch. Freeing, but painful.

EIGHTEEN DAYS in Croatia and Montenegro.

SIXTEEN sunsets enjoyed on this trip! These Mediterranean sunsets are something to write home to Mom about.

COUNTLESS adorable, steep, flowered, stone alleys explored, both in Croatia and Montenegro. Alley game strong!

ONE incredible meal at Galion in Kotor. The setting alone!

TWO HOURS visiting these two special islands and the nearby picturesque village, Perast, Montenegro.

TOO MANY steps up to the top of the fortress in Kotor. Worth (almost) every step!

ALMOST DAILY bottles of Croatian wine.

FIVE HOURS kayaking, swimming and snorkeling in the waters around Dubrovnik.

THREE DAYS relaxing, swimming and wandering the gem of an island, Korčula.

^^we swam every day at “our beach” aka the one right by our place!

ONE FAVORITE MEAL in Korčula at Adio Mare.

FOUR DRINKS at Maksmilijan Garden Bar with these killer views.

TWO NIGHTS at the best AirBnB ever in a small village, Brusje, on Hvar Island. A dramatic statement, I know, but look at the pictures and you will understand!

TWO HOURS eating this amazing fish prepared for us by our AirBnB host. I told you it was the best ever!

FOUR DAYS scooting around Hvar Island, stopping for locally made olive oil, lavender, fish, wine, limoncello (!!), stopping to swim in various hidden coves, and stopping to explore the adorable towns, such as Stari Grad.

TWO FINAL DAYS on this patio in Dubrovnik, getting our fill of the fascinating city one last time.

FIFTEEN buses, taxis, boats, or ferries that took us all over the south of Croatia and Montenegro. Not to mention the other free car rides, the scooters, the kayaks, and the power of our own two feet!

ONE RETURN to the Czech Republic to wrap up our life here…stay tuned!

Eleven Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Ten Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Nine Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Eight Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Seven Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Six Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Five Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Four Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Three Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
Two Months in Prague (By the Numbers)
One Month in Prague (By the Numbers)

Tell me: 

How is your summer shaping up so far? Can you believe it’s already August?

The post Twelve Months in Prague (By the Numbers) appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Time is absolutely flying by and it’s starting to give me panicky feelings about leaving Prague in just one month. Luckily we’ve had a lot of visitors (my cousin, briefly my aunt, my parents, and currently E’s parents, his sister and her guy) to help me soak up my time here and even explore new areas of the city. I am not the best at living in the moment, but I am determined to make the most out of every second we have left in Praha. I think I did a good job–June was absolutely packed! June was also particularly bittersweet–I was so, so excited for our visitors, but it was so, so difficult to finish out the school year and say goodbye to so many people I’ve come to love. I miss my little kindergarteners so much! Besides the sadness of the goodbyes, the end of the year is a great time to be a teacher–so many fun gifts from my students, and now it’s onto summer break!

ELEVEN MONTHS IN PRAGUE: BY THE NUMBERS

THREE EVENINGS at one of my favorite spots in Prague, the Letna Beer Garden. A view, fries and lots of good beer–what could be better?

TWO VISITS to a newly discovered restaurant in Prague that brings your drinks on a train.

TWO BEERS (or rather some kind of “nectar”) tasted in the caves–right out of the cask!–at the Pilsner Urquell factory in Plzen, Czech Republic–the best brewery tour I’ve been on!

ONE TUREEN OF WINE at another new discovery in Prague–St. Wenceslas Vineyard.

FIVE WALKS across the Charles Bridge with my parents. Somehow we kept going over that bridge!

TOO MANY goodbyes to my school students as the school year wrapped up. I will miss them so much, and miss everyone at my school. It makes me so sad to think about still!

^^one student gave me a droopy little rose that he’d been holding onto all day…I loved it!

ONE and a HALF WEEKS with my cousin!

SIX HOURS in a car on our way to Salzburg with my parents, which should have taken four…because we got stuck stuck in traffic, decided to avoid said traffic by taking  “detour” that lost us another hour, all before we got a ticket…that’s travel, folks!

FOUR HOURS on a Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, fulfilling a dream of my mom’s since her childhood! The tour took us through Salzburg and into the gorgeous surrounding countryside.

ONE INCREDIBLE SUNSET in Salzburg.

THREE NIGHTS in Salzburg, staying at an amazing bed and breakfast just outside of the city.

FOURTEEN DAYS hanging out my with parents in Europe. Priceless. We visited three countries, eight towns/cities, drove about twenty hours, and saw five castles!

TWO BALCONIES with views of a castle or a fortress.

NINETY MINUTES stopping for a coffee/car break in the amazing little gem of a Bavarian town, Mittenwald.

FIVE baby swans! Swanlets?

HALF A DAY exploring the fairy tale castle with a spectacular setting, Neuschwanstein (and it’s neighbor castle, Hohenschwangau!)

THREE and a half HOURS taking our first walking tour, in Munich. I don’t know why I’ve been avoiding walking tours, they’re the best, and this Third Reich one was top-notch.

HALF A SIP from the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets fountain in Karlovy Vary.

ONE HUNDRED and FIFTY MINUTES exploring Loket and its awesome castle. So many little gems to be discovered in the Czech Republic!

COUNTLESS amazing meals enjoyed with our visitors!

^^yes I ordered a mouse shaped ice cream, because I’m six and all I want are sprinkles and cute animal-shaped things.

NINETY-NINE DEGREES on the day E’s family arrived. Is this heat wave over yet, Europe?

^^trying to escape the heat!

SIX segways rented in a dorky and completely awesome tour around Prague.

^^I’m kind of a grandma on a segway but I was able to take a few pictures without falling off, so success, right?

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS celebrating my fantastic fiancé!

See months one through ten HERE.

The post Eleven Months in Prague (By the Numbers) appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Marveling…at the fact that it is my last week of school, and at this time next week I will be vacationing with my parents in Austria and Germany!

Loving…all the love I am feeling from my students and their families during my last week of school. I have been so lucky to have found this job, and I will miss these kids like crazy.

Instagramming…the fun things I am doing with my cousin! Did I mention she’s in town and that I’m over the moon about it? And not just because we’ve had beer in caves on two separate occasions?

Trying…to keep up. The last few weeks have been so busy, I’ve forgotten birthdays, I’ve barely returned any emails, I’m barely getting two posts up a week and not even commenting on my favorite blogs, sleeping less, and nobody has done a dish in our house in at least three days.

Craving…pina coladas. Time for a beach trip, maybe?

Reading…a very funny series by chick-lit (oh how I hate that term) queen Meg Cabot about Heather Wells and her job at Death Dorm. Funny, light, and honest–just what I need when I have ten minutes to spare for reading each night before I pass out!

Watching…not much these days, but I’ve been occasionally sneaking in episodes of an old favorite, Psych. We also just finished watching Green Wing, introduced to us by our British friend (and fellow teacher). I admit at times I was flummoxed by that English sense of humor–especially the ending of the show–but mostly it was really fun.

Missing…my summer closet. I packed quite well for the winter/cold season here in Europe, but my summer clothes are severely lacking, so most of the time, I’m way over dressed and sweaty. #professional and #attractive.

Looking forward to…my parents’ arrival! In just a few hours!! It’s such a bittersweet week for me–I’m so excited for them to arrive, but so sad to end classes, yet also relieved to be less busy.

Hoping…to enjoy every moment we have left in Prague.

Recovering…from so much beer consumption this past week. Between brewery tours and monasteries and beer gardens, I have consumed more than I should. It’s just so hard to care sometimes…

Confessing…that I’ve really been in a busy daze these last few weeks, like a hamster on the wheel, and have not been living in the moment at all.

Wondering…when was the last time I washed my hair. Don’t worry–I’m still showering, I haven’t given up hygiene completely–but my hair is so dry it’s best to only wash it about twice a week. Since I can’t quite remember when I last did that probably means I should do it again, eh?

Planning…so many things, as always, but the main things on my mind are, you guessed it, travels! Primarily our trip to Croatia in July/August (hopefully adding Slovenia and Montenegro to our itinerary…is this just crazy?) and trying to decide where to honeymoon. My life is tough right now ;).

Thinking about…how lucky I am that so much family and friends are visiting us in Prague, giving me a chance to show off my city!

Avoiding thinking about…leaving Prague way too soon and saying farewell to my fellow teachers and my amazing students. Cue tears.

p.s. Don’t forget to enter The Lady Errant‘s Blog Design Giveaway!

The post Currently, June appeared first on Amy and the Great World.