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! 

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In addition, despite the fact that I try to find something positive about every place I visit, there are a lot of places I just didn’t connect with for whatever reason, or didn’t have enough time to visit. I think everywhere deserves more than once chance–so here are ten places I need to visit again!

Cambodia

Some real talk here: I kind of, um, hated most of my time in Cambodia (except for moments at Angkor Wat and in the Ratanakiri Province). Awful, right? After an amazing, action-packed month exploring Thailand, my cousin and I went to Cambodia and so many things went wrong. We were both really sick; we’d left our friends behind in Thailand and missed them (and their traveling skills); the endless heat and oppressive humidity was getting to me; we were there over Thanksgiving and the homesickness was out of control; and honestly, the locals seemed to harass us, hate us, lecture us, or be annoyed that we weren’t acting the way they wanted. I feel like all of these things combined together to make me hate it, and I couldn’t wait to leave. When we crossed to border into Vietnam–via a boat on the Mekong, on a visa that our couch surfing host had done incorrectly which would make us get detained later (but that’s a different story)–I let out a breath of relief. I know Cambodia is a beautiful, complicated, impoverished country, and I think I need to give it another chance.

Read more about Cambodia here. 

China

China is one of those places that, while I was there, I didn’t love it–but now that I look back, I think “WOW! What a great country!” China, partially because of the situation I was in while there (an internship working with earthquake survivors in Sichuan province) pushed my boundaries like no other, and therefore wasn’t exactly a comfortable experience. I witnessed tragedy, heartbreak, corruption, illness, confusing cultural norms–and was struck by the resilience and joy of the people, and the country itself. Oh yeah, I need to go back.

Read more about China here. 

Thailand

Unlike the Cambodia saga above, I just adored Thailand. The smiling people! The food. The diverse, gorgeous landscape. The sweaty, chaotic cities. The idyllic islands. Thailand pretty much has everything, and even though I spent a month there, I have so much left to see! Plus, E has never been, which is reason enough to return.

Read more about Thailand here. 

South America

Is it cheating to put an entire continent on here? I haven’t been to South America since I studied abroad in Peru and Ecuador in 2009. That study abroad trip was my first real time away from home, and my first solo travel, which means that a lot of my memories are overshadowed by my homesickness, my parasite (yep), my idiocy (even more yep), the reasons I left in the first place (struggles in school and relationships), and my sky-high expectations slowly crumbling beneath me. That being said, now that I’m more comfortable traveling–and (slightly) more comfortable in my skin–I would love to go back to South America. I mean, there is so much more of that giant continent to explore.

Read more about Peru here and more about Ecuador here. 

Panama

We spent only three days there on our honeymoon in 2015, on the island chain of Bocas del Toro. I…did not like it. I don’t know why. I found it overcrowded, dirty, and rather stressful. So maybe I do know why–but I have been to a lot of places that fit those criteria, and that didn’t necessarily bother me. I think the Bocas are exploding with tourism and are not equipped to handle it, and the environment is starting to suffer. It really is a beautiful corner of the world, though!

Read more about Panama here. 

Iceland

Two 17-hour layovers were not enough! Iceland has simply exploded onto the international travel scene, for good reason. I’d love to spend more time there!

Read more about Iceland here. 

Vietnam

Although I would go back to every country I visited during my tour of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea & Vietnam) the one that pulls me the most is probably Vietnam. I can’t quite put my finger on the why. It stands out in my mind as the most beautiful, but it’s also the place where, as we were traveling so quickly, my cousin and I missed a lot of gems, or just stayed for a day or two. It’s funny, because we had some visa issues and did not leave the country on good terms–but I’m still dying to go back. Or maybe that’s why, and I’m just contrary.

Read more about Vietnam here. 

Italy

Okay, I know Italy is on everyone’s bucket list or return-to list. There’s a reason Italy is one of the most visited spots in the world–and I’ve only seen a few little corners! I haven’t even been to Rome or Florence. I think I haven’t been in a rush because a) Italy is expensive; b) Italy is crowded; c) I will always want to go to Italy and d) Italy is a place I can travel to when I’m older, too. Now, this is usually the opposite of my travel philosophy–I always want to see it now, rather than later, because you just never know if you’ll get another chance, do you? Italy has been creeping higher up my list after our visit to Venice, and the fact that we have friends living all over the country. Not that Italy needs a reason to creep up anyone’s list–it is Italy, after all.

Read more about Italy here. 

Greece

I’ve told you (maybe too much) how even though it was a crazy trip, I completely loved Greece. And I’ve only been to Santorini and Athens–there is so much more to see! The combination of relaxed (sometimes too relaxed, admittedly) attitude, delicious food, ancient history, and beautiful scenery just hooks me in.

Read more about Greece here. 

France

I’ve been to Paris, and Lille, but I would love to get out of the cities and explore more of France. I’m particularly intrigued by Normandy. Truthfully, I didn’t “fall in love” with either Lille or Paris, and I think France deserves another chance! And I didn’t just choose it because it rhymed with chance! I also am part French, and like any true American, I’m eager to learn more about one of my self-assigned homelands.

Read more about France here. 

Do you have places you need to give another chance?

Linking up with Wanderful Wednesday and Faraway Files. 

The post Ten Places I Need to Visit Again appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Here’s what our one day in Athens ended up looking like:

6 a.m.: Our flight arrived only four hours ago, but I am awake and ready to go! Unfortunately, E isn’t, but I drag him out. While he’s in the shower, I fall back asleep accidentally.

8 a.m.: Our first introduction to Greek food (in Greece) is our breakfast. I taste my first Greek yogurt and my life will never be the same.

8:30 a.m.: We climb to the roof of our hotel to get our first daylight view of the Acropolis.

9 a.m.: We grab a map from our hotel, who informs us that due to the holiday (that I thought was happening the next day…) and a transit strike, the only form of transportation is buses, taxis, and our own two feet.

9:15 a.m.: After sussing out our options, we decide to buy a fare for a Hop-on-Hop-off tour, since we only have one day and Athens is hugely sprawling.

9:30 a.m.: Tickets bought! Success!

9:45 a.m.: We get lost looking for the nearest stop.

9:55 a.m.: We find the stop. We also find a parade.

9:57 a.m.: The woman with a walkie-talkie at our stop says our bus is stuck in traffic due to the parade, and that potentially the road might be closing, anyway.

10:15 a.m.: The bus arrives! We climb up and start listening. We drive past some favorite sites, but I have one in mind, that’s at the end of the line–the Archaeological Museum.

11:45 a.m.: We have just arrived at the Archaeological Museum. We realize if we stop, we can’t make anything else.

12:30 p.m.: Our bus seems to be seriously stuck in traffic. We get off at the next stop, thinking it looks walkable to the Acropolis from there.

12:32 p.m.: We immediately get lost.

12:40 p.m.: We stumble upon the Ancient Agora, and I realize we are on the right track.

1:00 p.m.: After a long hike, we reach the line for the Acropolis. It’s massive–we decide to hit the museum up first. We get distracted by Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the way.

I’m a little embarrassed with how badly I needed a haircut…

2:30p.m.: We are taking our time in the museum when we overhear someone saying the Acropolis itself is closing at 3:30 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. like we thought.

2:35 p.m.: We book it to the Acropolis. The line is still long, but E gets in while I grab us some drinks–we haven’t eaten or had anything to drink since breakfast, oops.

2:37 p.m.: I spontaneously buy ridiculous frozen lemonades (and a water, thankfully). Luckily it gives us something to do in line.

2:45 p.m.: Tickets are in hand! We immediately begin the climb up.

3:30 p.m.: We take a million photos and try to see every corner and every possible view before we get kicked out.

3:37 p.m.: I slip on the crazy-slippery rock steps and nearly die. But my camera survives, so that’s important.

3:40 p.m: We decide to walk to see if we can still get into see the Temple of Zeus, spotted quickly on the bus this morning.

4:00 p.m.: Sadly the temple is already closed, but I act obnoxious and get some pictures through the fence. We stare at it through the fence for a bit.

4:15 p.m.: We pass Hadrian’s Arch and walk back through the Plaka, where our hotel is and where we’re planning on getting dinner.

4:20 p.m.: We get distracted by the adorableness that is the Plaka district. We end up wandering much longer than planned–and shopping. I buy wooden spoons that are supposed to be a wedding present, but end up keeping them.

5:00 p.m.: We realize we have no idea where we are.

5:15 p.m.: We are inadvertently close to our hotel. We stop to freshen up, and can’t resist getting a drink at the rooftop bar.

6:00 p.m.: We are both starving at this point, so we decide to get an early (especially for Greece) dinner in the Plaka.

6:20 p.m.: We randomly choose a restaurant with outdoor seating.

6:25 p.m.: E immediately bonds with our waiter (he tends to do this with many strangers) who gives us some free ouzo to taste.

6:45 p.m.: Our food arrives! My souvlaki is absolute perfection.

7:15 p.m.: Our waiter convinces us to try dessert–which he then comps. He really liked us (or E, at least).

7:45 p.m.: We pay, and head up to the top of the restaurant for more views, as recommended by our waiter.

8:15 p.m.: We arrive back at our hotel, after getting a little lost again.

8:30 p.m.: We head up to the rooftop bar to watch the sun finish setting, and watch the stars come out above the Acropolis!My hair was definitely a little unorganized in Athens… 

10:30 p.m.: We head to bed early, as we have a ridiculously early flight to Santorini the next day.

And there it is! Our very unorganized day in Athens, which, while chaotic, isn’t actually that different from a typical day when we travel elsewhere…although we haven’t encountered that much transit striking (but oddly, a lot of parades).

Have you been to Athens? What did you think? 

Linking up with Wanderlust Wednesday. 

The post An Unorganized Day in Athens appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Oh what can I say about that wonderful country except that, surprisingly (from my point of view, but maybe not from yours) I fell head-over-heels.

I could wax poetic about the views, the history, the food, the people…and I most surely will.

But first, let’s discuss everything that went wrong on our trip–and why it was still wonderful.

One. I spent hours carefully planning our scant one day in Athens (because the first mistake was thinking that two nights = two days). The first thing that went wrong? Our flight was quite delayed so we didn’t even arrive in Athens until after one in the morning, much less to our hotel. This put a damper on my wake-early-to-see-it-all plan, especially as it was already near the end of an exhausting week.

Two. On our arrival, we found out that there was a metro/transit strike so all of my careful planning went out the window. After purchasing hop-on/hop-off bus tickets, we headed out, slightly later than planned but still ready to stick to the plan.

Three. March 25, the day after our arrival, is Greek Independence Day. Now, this had not completely escaped my notice–I had stumbled across this fact when looking up Easter closures in the country, of which there were none because the Orthodox Greeks don’t celebrate Easter until later–but did not think this would impact anything the day before. How wrong I was! Nearly everything closed early that day, meaning that the late start had effectively ruined our plans. This also meant that there was an insane amount of traffic due to parades, and to the transit strike.

Four. After to being stuck in traffic for much longer than anticipated (albeit at the top of an open-air bus, so at least we were kind of sight-seeing), we arrived at the National Archaeological Museum in the early afternoon. Since I knew we should spend at least several hours in this museum, and the traffic just seemed to be worsening, we decided to scrap this activity (WAH) and head to the Acropolis instead.

Five. We got lost on the way to the Acropolis. Not a bad thing, but it did mess up our timing even more!

Six. I really didn’t think Athens would be that crowded in March–it is the off-season after all, Google assured me!–but off-season in Greece is still in Greece, one of the most visited places in the world, so there were still really long lines. We decided to wait until nearer to closing time for the Acropolis (which we were told was 4) and head to the Acropolis Museum instead, in an attempt to avoid the long line.

Seven. Our exhaustion completely caught up with us at the museum, and we knew if we didn’t go to the Acropolis we might not make it. So we did…luckily, because it was actually closing at THREE! We scrambled up to the top at 2.30 on the dot.

Eight. I had really wanted to see the Temple of Zeus, so after the Acropolis we headed straight there. Of course, even though it was supposed to close at 5, it had also closed at 3, so I had to make do with peering through the gates with about fifty other tourists.

Nine. Santorini’s off-season really is off. We stayed in two small villages and nearly everything was closed. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing unless you want to eat. Which we did, a lot, because Greek cuisine might be the best ever.

Ten. Santorini is windy and it can be freezing. I had looked up the weather ahead of time–and decent 60-70 degrees fahrenheit the whole time!–but the wind dropped it to much colder than that. I was not prepared.

After reading this, you probably think I’m the worst traveler in the world–but it just goes to show, that even if you think you are preparing well, you can never plan for everything that could go wrong. It’s an important lesson for a type-A planner like myself.

The best lesson?

Even with everything that did go wrong in Greece, I still really loved that country. I can’t explain why–especially with how difficult it was to navigate–but there is just something about Greece that pulled me in and left me wanting more. I can’t wait to tell you everything! Until then, here are a few more teaser shots–the first of many since I only took about 300 pictures per day…

Did you get a break for Easter? What did you do?

Linking up with Travel Tuesday.

The post All About Greece! appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

MYKONOS
Mykonos | Sailing in Mykonos
SANTORINI
Santorini, Greece | Beaches of Santorini
ATHENS
Short Stay in Athens

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