Our year in Europe: Part 5 Prague, Czech Republic

Prague was one of the last places that Kyle & I went to stay in during our year in Europe. I think it was the start of April, so it was still a bit chilly in Hungary where we were living, but it ended up being perfect weather in Prague and we were stoked to be able to enjoy the first patio of the season in such a neat little place! Prague has the most interesting architecture and art, and as an art lover, I fell head over heels for this place. In my books its a must visit!

 This is a view of the gothic bridge which we ended up walking across and is so busy and amazing in and of itself!

This moving statue is hilarious. The penises of these fine two men move back and forth while water trickles out to make it look like they are urinating and it spells poetic quotes. Too funny!

                   First patio of the season equipped with pretzels and dark beer!

We had lunch on the restaurant in the background that looks like a boat and it was so tasty and that's when we spotted the swans and walked here to take some pictures!

           This is the John Lennon wall which I just love, so fun and free spirited!

Aydah, our puppy, and I hanging out downtown Prague



Our Year in Europe: Part 4 Rome

My husbands parents, his sister, and her boyfriend came to visit Kyle & I at Christmas in Hungary and we decided to take the short flight to Rome and see all its great wonders. Kyle couldn't come because he had hockey, so we left him behind to take care of Aydah and off we went! There is so much to see in Rome, so we got two day passes for a Hop on Hop off bus and stopped at each spot. The Coliseum was a lot bigger than I had ever imagined and so cool to see and I loved the Trevi fountain, especially at night. The only annoying part is how crowded everything is and how many people are trying to sell you roses, purses, paintings.. you name it.

Our Year in Europe: Part 2 Venice Italy

From where we were living in Hungary, Venice Italy was only a six hour drive away. So, one on of Kyle's breaks we hopped into our little Skoda with our puppy and rain boots (Venice was flooding at that time) and off we went!

 

We found the most amazing quaint little restaurant that had been passed down by many generations of Italians and discovered the most amazing lasagna ever made, so we went back the next day to have more!

 

 

 

 

We had been told that the best thing to do in Venice is to walk around and stop in every little café to try their wine and pastries so that's exactly what we did and these are some of the things we found on our way...

 

 

 

 

Our Year in Europe: Part 1 Hungary

Last year my husband and I packed up our condo, loaded our car, and spent three days driving 17 hours a day across Canada from New Brunswick to Alberta with only our most sacred possessions (aka my shoe collection, our puppy, bags of clothes, and some life memorabilia). Oh, and my little sister who we brought along for the adventure! We were about to embark on a life journey we will never forget and before I start to I thought I'd better blog about it! We were moving to Hungary for 8 months for Kyle to play professional hockey from August 2012 until April 2013 and this is what we did...

Szekesfehervar, a small town half an hour from Budapest, was about to be our home and we were in for a few surprises and a lot of fun. I was so pumped to be able to pick up a new language, but it didn't take long to realize it was a battle I would lose.. (although I did learn to order drinks & count to ten, what else do you need?)

Our little town was filled with gypsy's, cobblestone streets, very little English, an awesome Italian restaurant called Lorenzos; where I went weekly for spaghetti, merlot, and tiramisu, and endless celebrations. Some days I would walk down to the square and to my delightful surprise the whole town would be shut down with a huge market, concerts, mojito stands, and food vendors.. I guess that's what happens when you can't read their language, or listen to the radio!

 

 

The first time we went to Budapest was for their national holiday and blew our minds with the coolest buildings & castles, the most intense show of fireworks, hot weather, and relaxed attitudes of everyone, beers in hand, wandering the streets.

 

 

 

My husband loves zoos, so obviously when we heard that Budapest has a huge open concept zoo with animals running amuck we had to go. There was every animal you can imagine and bats flying all around and hanging by our heads and sloths by your feet, or on a building by your head.. all I could think of was Kristen Bell on Ellen crying over sloths thinking she would be oh so jealous!

 

 

We made the amazing friends from Canada, the US, and Hungary and together we took advantage of ridiculously cheap food & drinks, enjoyed endless days and nights at the Turkish Spa, and explored Castles and churches built in the 17th Century, and the best part was having our puppy Aydah with us along for all the adventures and to keep me company in our tiny Hungarian flat when Kyle was away playing hockey. Oh, and you can't go to Hungary and not try their national "welcome" shot of Palinka, whether homemade, or store bought that stuff is terrible, but they sure do love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, it was the start of a year we will always remember!