Truthfully, I almost forgot we’ve been here a  year–luckily I have this blog to remind me ;). When we were living in Prague, I was practically counting down the days until I hit that big milestone, and here, it almost passed me by.

It’s interesting to read back and see the differences between my two years abroad. In Prague, I fell for the city instantly, while it took longer for me to feel as affectionate towards Budapest. I adored my job in Prague; and here, it took me a few more tries to find a job I really enjoyed. Living abroad was still a novelty in Prague, and I gushed about everything; in Budapest, the reality of living far away in a foreign culture caught up with me.

It’s also fun to go back and see the beginning of Budapest–from the gloomy days of last January, to a July spent entirely on the road, to one of the best Octobers on record, to a holiday season spent here in the city.

As it’s hit one year, I’ve decided to end the “By the Numbers” posts. While I do enjoy writing these, to help me keep track of whatever has happened in each month, I’m looking forward to finding new ways to recap my time here.

So, I give you my last By the Numbers post–and it’s a good one to end on, because it’s…

TWELVE MONTHS IN BUDAPEST: BY THE NUMBERS

THREE DAYS in Germany to see the Christmas markets–and see our friends, who were there for their honeymoon! We saw them in Frankfurt AND in Nuremberg. Spoiled!

TWO DAYS celebrating Christmas in Budapest–just the two of us, and with friends!

ONE NIGHT seeing the Christmas Carol in musical form. One of my students (a second-grader) was in it, and got me and E tickets to see him perform as a gift. Awesome, right? He did so well and I was so impressed–and gave him a free pass for all the times I had to ask him to stop singing for the love of all that is holy in the middle of class ;). I mean, he was practicing!

FOUR successful homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas. E said they were the best he’s ever had…but he may be slightly biased, no?

ONE EVENING at the Nutcracker in the Opera House! We snagged some super cheap tickets at the last minute. It was definitely the nose bleed section–we couldn’t even use the gorgeous marble steps and had to take a back entrance, haha–but it still a great night out! It doesn’t quite feel like the holidays without the Nutcracker.

ONE WEEK staycation in Budapest for Christmas! I was worried I would regret not traveling for Christmas and New Year’s…but I didn’t.

SEVERAL stunning sunsets snapped when I’m just getting home to our place after work.

LOTS OF TIME making our place even cozier. I’m obsessed with this random house decoration I found in Germany.

TWO HOURS meeting a fellow blogger, Natalie, for coffee! I love when I people I’ve connected with online visit my city…and vice versa. She definitely has me considering South Africa for my next big trip!

THREE HOURS having coffee at the beautiful New York Café, supposedly the “most beautiful café in the world.” It’s definitely fancy (and pricey!).

TEN freezing days. It’s been so cold here–the coldest it’s been in years–and I’m kind of loving it! The Danube even had ice floes…excuse my crappy photo but I couldn’t resist snapping one.

ONE big snowstorm–finally! Sadly after Christmas but…I’ll take it.

How was your month? 

Eleven Months in Budapest // Ten Months in Budapest // Nine Months in Budapest // Eight Months in Budapest // Seven Months in Budapest // Six Months in Budapest // Five Months in Budapest // Four Months in Budapest // Three Months in Budapest // Two Months in Budapest // One Month in Budapest // Three Months on the Road // Twelve Months in Prague

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The eleventh month has been a whirlwind, in the best kind of way–because it’s almost Christmas!

Eleven Months in Budapest: By the Numbers

ONE NIGHT in the little town of Eger, Hungary! We had to visit their little Christmas market while we were there, of course.

FIVE (ish) glasses of wine in the cellars Eger’s Valley of Beautiful Women, aka Hungary’s wine country. The cellars are right next to each other so you just walk in-between, sampling as you go.

FOUR visits to the local Christmas markets so far, not counting the smaller ones in parks I’ve randomly stumbled upon. And it’s just the beginning!!

TWO (very light) dustings of snow. Can you see it?

SEVERAL (more than I’d care to admit) hilariously awkward interactions with co-workers this month. I’m not sure what my deal is right now, but pretty much every time I’ve spoken with a Hungarian adult lately, and it’s turned weird quickly. This one made me laugh, mostly because it was in response to a long email of mine asking about fifteen questions.

THREE HOURS celebrating Friendsgiving with some friends and a co-worker of mine. Of course I only took a picture of the flowers our friend gifted us, but it was a great night and E, the main cook of the event, did a spectacular job!

LONG DAYS working at my job. In some ways, this is the best time of year to be a teacher: fun Christmas lessons, gifts from the kids, a decorated school, happy people. In other ways, it’s also the worst: kids are insanely hyped up with excitement and sugar, the schedule is a mess, a lot of teachers/students are sick, and there is so much going on that it begins to feel stressful.

This kid has some big wishes from Santa: including laser vision. 

MANY DAYS where the temperature is getting truly cold (cold enough, I think, for snow, so let me just ask: where is it?!??) but this also means the coziness is going off the charts.

THREE Christmas-themed donuts from our new favorite donut shop, the Donut Library (please excuse my horrid phone picture…).

ONE jury-rigged Christmas tree in our flat! (Aka a bunch of branches that we shoved into a bucket, that E wrapped to look festive).

TWO HOURS at a festive trivia night, which needed holiday outfits, of course (okay, I’m not particularly festive in plaid, but it was a Scottish bar so I still earned some points).

Ten Months in Budapest // Nine Months in Budapest // Eight Months in Budapest // Seven Months in Budapest // Six Months in Budapest // Five Months in Budapest // Four Months in Budapest // Three Months in Budapest // Two Months in Budapest // One Month in Budapest // Three Months on the Road // Twelve Months in Prague

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I have to say, and I might have said this before (but I don’t think so, I checked!) but month ten has been my favorite month of living here so far.

Why don’t I tell you all about it? I can tell you’re on the edge of your seat ;).

TEN MONTHS IN BUDAPEST: BY THE NUMBERS

48 HOURS in Slovakia. We drove four hours on a Friday after work to the town of Poprad. While Poprad is nice, the highlights of the trip were surely the mountains, the drive back through stunning leaves, and the awesome company!

SEVEN DAYS in Slovenia. I will never get over this country.

THREE DAYS at Lake Bled.

ONE MORNING at Lake Bohinj.

TWO DAYS in Ljubljana.

ONE AFTERNOON at Predjama Castle. This castle might win the award for my favorite, just like this month did.

ONE DAY TRIP to the Mediterranean coast at Piran!

ONE NIGHT at a lovely homestay in the Soča Valley.

SIX HOURS exploring the Brda wine region with an amazing local guide (who was also our host for the homestay).

ONE LAST BAKE for the Bake-Off Bake Along!

MANY MINUTES soaking up every bit of the most amazing fall I can remember.

COUNTLESS MOMENTS of hilarity and fun with my students. These moments, often few and far between in the chaos, make it all worth it.

Nine Months in Budapest // Eight Months in Budapest // Seven Months in Budapest // Six Months in Budapest // Five Months in Budapest // Four Months in Budapest // Three Months in Budapest // Two Months in Budapest // One Month in Budapest // Three Months on the Road // Twelve Months in Prague

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I am feeling more at home in Budapest than ever, despite continued challenges. I can’t believe that in a few short months, I’ll have been here for one year. Love it!

NINE MONTHS IN BUDAPEST: BY THE NUMBERS

ONE WEEKEND at Oktoberfest! I admit that I had never felt very motivated to get to Oktoberfest, but when several friends from overseas (and one of our friends who just moved to Frankfurt) decided to go, we couldn’t miss the chance. It was SO MUCH FUN although also a wild event.

A QUICK STOPOVER in the lovely Salzburg!

FOUR MORE BAKES for the Bake Off Bake Along. Most of these one didn’t go great, except for my beautiful cake. It’s still be a fun challenge!

MANY HOURS soaking up fall here in Pest.

ONE EVENING celebrating our first anniversary. Still can’t believe we’ve been married for one year.

ONE DAY at the zoo with the kids.

THREE DELIVERIES of groceries. I feel like it’s cheating to get groceries delivered but we recently discovered our nearby market does that here and it’s amazzzzing. It’s like Christmas every time it comes!

FIVE NIGHTS (at least) eating this awesome butternut squash soup made by my awesome husband.

ONE MORNING at the local farmer’s market. Obviously I had one item I was specifically looking for…all the gourds.

TWO HOURS at the chimney cake festival at the nearby castle in the park.

THREE HOURS at Sunday brunch with some girls! One of these days I’ll remember to take pictures of the actual people in my life. They exist. I swear.

ONE WORKING SATURDAY at my school’s Harvest Fest! One of Hungary’s worst customs, in my opinion, is working Saturdays. Working Saturdays are make-up days for holidays. I.e., if the holiday is a Tuesday and you also get that Monday off, you have to make it up on a Saturday. THE WORST. At least it didn’t feel like a real work day with the festival.

How was your month??

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I spoke of it briefly here, but I was concerned about returning to Budapest, and not feeling very excited. After a summer of glorious scenery and seeing dear family and friends back in the States, I was having second thoughts about living here.

Well, luckily, within a few days of coming back, and moving into our new flat, I was much happier than I anticipated. Even my job is going well, but most of all I’m excited to experience my first autumn in Budapest! But first, the last month of summer…

EIGHT MONTHS IN BUDAPEST: BY THE NUMBERS

SIX DAYS in Ireland! We tried to go there on my birthday but ended up getting delayed by two days…our trip was more rushed than planned but I am not complaining about getting a few more days to explore that magical island!

TWO DAYS on the Dingle Peninsula.

ONE DAY on the Ring of Kerry.

ONE DAY in Kinsale.

ONE DAY on the Hook Peninsula.

ONE DAY in Kilkenny.

TWENTY DAYS in our new flat. I love it so much!

THREE BAKES as part of the Bake Off Bake Along. Finding the ingredients in Hungarian has been…challenging.

A FEW Roman ruins discovered while running errands one week. Gotta love living in a city full of history!

SEVERAL EVENINGS exploring the new neighborhood.

THREE WEEKS of the new school year completed! These first days of school are always so overwhelming, and then when you add that it’s a new job…oy.

THE FIRST DAYS of fall weather!! Yessssss.

Has fall arrived for you??

Seven Months in Budapest // Six Months in Budapest // Five Months in Budapest // Four Months in Budapest // Three Months in Budapest // Two Months in Budapest // One Month in Budapest // Three Months On the Road // Twelve Months in Prague

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

I’m still exhausted from all the “making it count,” but it was so wonderful to see everyone and I miss you all already!

Besides seeing everyone we possibly could, we also squeezed in some amazing travel.

I need to go take a nap now.

SEVEN MONTHS IN BUDAPEST: BY THE NUMBERS

THREE DAYS in Norway.

THIRTY HOURS (or more) in the air. That’s too many, in case you were wondering.

SIX DAYS in California.

^^Be it Budapest or L.A., apparently my name is impossible to spell wherever I go

TWO DAYS at the lake soaking up family time.

ONE WEEK celebrating this couple with showers, parties, brunches, drinks and the wedding itself!

THIRTEEN DAYS in Montana with my parents–and one day visiting my brother in his little Montana town.

ONE HOUR flying above Montana in a tiny plane with the coolest pilot I know.

NOT ENOUGH time with my favorite pups.

THREE HOURS driving along the Oregon coast.

ONE NIGHT in Portland with some of our best friends.

SEVEN DAYS in Washington with my in-laws in their lovely corner of the world.

THIRTY-SIX HOURS with my sister. I’m so glad she made the long drive to spend one day with us before we left!

ONE BIRTHDAY (mine)…stuck in the airport. More on this later, but this summer will be remembered as one of the worst travel summers ever–canceled flights, missed connections, long delays…and ugh, so much more. Happy birthday?

A BELATED BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION…in Ireland! It’s my third time visiting Ireland and I’m still obsessed. Can someone find a way for me to live there? As a late birthday present, perhaps?

So, how was your month/summer? How do you keep track of your life?

Six Months in Budapest // Five Months in Budapest // Four Months in Budapest // Three Months in Budapest // Two Months in Budapest // One Month in Budapest // Three Months On the Road // Twelve Months in Prague

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This month, I finished my job, and then spent the rest of the month basically out of Budapest. Between the last day of school on June 15, I’ve been at a camp in a little Hungarian town, spent over two weeks in Romania, one day in Copenhagen, three days in Norway, six days in California, and am now in Montana! For the seventh month, I will not have spent any time in Hungary at all.

Still, I enjoy these posts because it’s a good way to keep track of my life abroad–and it’s a good way for me to look back on my previous days/weeks and practice my gratitude!

SIX MONTHS IN BUDAPEST: BY THE NUMBERS

MANY BEERS CONSUMED watching Hungary (and the Czech Republic, and Italy, and Iceland, etc etc) in EuroCup 2016 at various parks around Budapest.

TEN HOURS (or more) eating brunch/breakfast at outdoor cafes around the city.

ONE EVENING sending a friend off to a new city, while sitting on a bridge!

FIVE DAYS at a summer camp outside of the city. It was actually kind of fun, but I’m not sure I’ve ever subsisted on less sleep.

TWO DAYS in Sibiu, Romania.

FOUR DAYS and ONE BIRTHDAY (E’s!) at a cabin in the mountains of Transylvania.

THREE CASTLES visited in Romania.

MANY SPONTANEOUS STOPS on our Transylvanian road trip, including this gorge.

THREE DAYS in Brasov, Romania.

TWO DAYS soaking up the colorful city of Sighisoara, Romania.

TWELVE DAYS total in Romania!

TWENTY FOUR HOURS in Copenhagen. Just long enough for both of us to completely fall in love and plot ways to move there immediately.

ONE DAY in Bergen (so far!). Norway is stunning.

Okay, your turn! How was your July? Can you believe it’s already August? 

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FIVE MONTHS IN BUDAPEST: BY THE NUMBERS

ONE new flat found! I’m not sure if I’ve shared this on the blog yet, but we have decided to stay in Budapest for at least one more year. It probably won’t surprise you, however, to hear that I’ll be starting a different teaching job in the fall, at a new (to me) school. This means a new flat and a new neighborhood, as well!

NINE DAYS in Montana for my sister’s wedding! It was an insane week–I threw her a bachelorette party and a bridal shower, in addition to the all the wedding stuff–and to be honest, I think I’m still recovering. Two international flights in nine days is no joke! Of course, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

NOT ENOUGH TIME with my favorite pups. Luckily, we’ll be back for two weeks this summer!

HOURS OF PLANNING for our summer travels! I’ll share them with you soon–but they involve getting out of Hungary (for visa reasons), THREE road trips, and four countries!

TWO AND A HALF WEEKS finishing up classes. Since we returned from the States, my life has been consumed by my job.

ONE FIELD TRIP to a nearby town to visit wine cellars, hike around, and eat ice cream.

THREE HOURS watching Hungary beat Austria! I never thought I would care that much about sports (and okay, I still really don’t) Euro Cup 2016 is exciting. I never realized how fun it would be to actually be in the country whose football team is playing that day. Hungary hasn’t been in any international competitions for years, so this win was especially meaningful. It was wild to be there.

TWO NEW RUIN PUBS visited here in Budapest. Such a cool feature of the city!

ANY MINUTE I CAN SPARE soaking up the summer here in the city. It’s kind of the best!

How was your month? Do you like football (soccer)?

One Month in Budapest // Two Months in Budapest // Three Months in Budapest // Four Months in Budapest

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FOUR MONTHS IN BUDAPEST: BY THE NUMBERS

TWO DAYS in Bratislava, Slovakia! Considering I had pretty much never heard of Bratislava before moving to Europe, it is quite the charming little city.

ONE DAY TRIP to the Hungarian city of Eger!

SO MANY glasses of wine in the Valley of Beautiful Women, the wine valley near Eger. The most delicious wine and oh-so-cheap!

A CUP OF COFFEE with a very wrong name.

TWO HOURS of the annual May first air show in Budapest.

MANY HOURS enjoying the spring time here in Budapest!

ONE CUTE art project with the students in honor of Mother’s Day…where most of them misunderstood the assignment and wrote my name instead of theirs! Ha!

THREE HOURS in Paris–just long enough, after waiting in line for most of the time in immigration, to buy some macarons!

TWENTY-SEVEN HOURS in transit from Budapest to Montana for my sister’s wedding, including one extra flight and stopover in Seattle than expected. But we made it! At least we were on Air France which is a pretty nice airline.

How was your month??

One Month in Budapest By the Numbers // Two Months in Budapest By the Numbers // Three Months in Budapest By the Numbers 

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