Maybe it’s just because we had just left Cologne and it’s themed, artisan-filled, glorious Christmas markets, but the markets in the caves were somewhat lacking. However, the caves themselves were cool and showcased the history of the area. The highlight of the stop, though, was the adorable little town itself. The walking streets are lined with sidewalk cafes, all full of little fires and heaters for warmth, and I can’t imagine visiting when all of the lights aren’t there. Christmas in Europe, guys! Even the serious gloomy skies couldn’t dim the holiday atmosphere.

Linking up with Travel Tuesday. 

The post Charming Little Valkenburg (The Netherlands): A Photo Essay appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

I admit I’m feeling very good about Prague right now, and I’m looking forward to seeing what month six has in store!

But first…

(please excuse the length, this month was a big one!)

FIVE MONTHS IN PRAGUE: BY THE NUMBERS

TWELVE Christmas-themed English lessons. If you have to work, might as well continue to be festive, right?

ONE EVENING at the National Theatre for the Nutcracker!

THREE HOURS of chocolate overload with Andrea at the Choco Cafe.

2.5 WEEKS (and counting…) of the cold that won’t go away.

NINE Christmas movies watched to fully embrace the season.

FOUR Christmas packages received! Thanks to all of our fantastic family and friends for those, they are so appreciated! I love it all so much I’m hoarding it in one spot so I can look at it all…

ELEVEN Christmas Markets in total. Two in Prague, one in Valkenburg, one in Bruges, one in Brussels, one in Ghent, one in Paris, and FOUR in Germany. They all had their charms, but the markets in Cologne, Germany were certainly my favorite. Especially the Heinzelmännchen market, or the “Gnome Market” as known to us.

SEVERAL HOURS in Cologne hanging out with Jessi & crew and Sara & her Dan! I love spontaneous blogger meet-ups. (how did I not take any pictures of this??)

THOUSANDS of festive lights seen–on Christmas trees, adorning streets, in light shows, sparkling on the Eiffel Tower.

ONE water bottle full of champagne for New Year’s Eve in Paris. Nothing but class up in here.

SEVEN incredible, busy, overwhelming, crazy, confusing, beautiful, wonderful days in Paris.

400 STEPS up the Tours de Notre-Dame for my favorite view of Paris, and to visit the Chimera gallery, where I learned that the statues I actually thought were gargoyles are actually called chimeras. Gargoyles are actually the ornamental rain drains. Who knew? We had to wait in line for two hours, and we were supposed to be heading to the airport any minute, but I am so glad we made it up into the towers. I cried when I saw the chimeras and the incredible view of Paris.

45 MINUTES in a Christmas market cave.

SIXTEEN DAYS traveling through Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

EIGHT cities/towns visited during these sixteen days–Charleroi (Belgium), Cologne, Valkenburg (the Netherlands), Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Paris and Versailles (which is also a city, not just a palace).

SEVENTEEN PEOPLE talked to via FaceTime in Texas on December 27…I missed a family reunion on my mother’s side, but I was happy to be able to see everyone this way!

THREE Christmas phone calls. We missed our families and friends but it was great to see their faces on the holiday.

FIVE NIGHTS with a view of the Eiffel Tower from our flat (since it was a studio, we had a view from the table, bed and kitchen! #winning #smug).

TWO NIGHTS in a horrible flat in Paris with no heat and a moldy shower…we earned those five nights with a view and that smugness!

TOO MANY STAIRS to count. Paris especially seems to be the land of stairs–we walked up and down in the Louvre, up three spiral staircases to our flat, up and down in Versailles, up and down the Arc de Triomphe, up and down the Tours de Notre-Dame, up and down to the river…

POSSIBLY ONE MILLION MILES walked on our Christmas trip. Despite the amount of food and beverages we consumed (see below), E and I both lost weight because we were on the move so much!

A RETURN VISIT to our favorite bar in Belgium, Café Terrastje, for some of my favorite beer, Kasteel Donker, and some ham & cheese pasta.

EIGHT HOURS in the Louvre.

ENDLESS amounts of good food consumed, from potato fritters to waffles to fries (oh I love my Belgian fries!) to crepes to raclette to croissants to chips to macarons to salmon to steak to duck to lasagna to pasta to na’an to curry.

TOO MUCH glühwein, wine, champagne, coffee, cocoa and beer to count. Not that I’m complaining…

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QUESTION:

Even though it’s halfway through January, how was your December??

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Linking up with Nicole. 

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