Amy & Adam's European Highlights

I just finished my ginger-orange Bionade soda and am sitting at Mondpalast, the hostel/ cafe, located a short walk from our apartment. I am getting quite melancholy thinking about what to write in this entry as it marks two "finals" of my time here.

We spent four wonderful days with friends Sara and Jason--my final visitors. Also, these photos depict my final trip to Praha of the year. Although I'm quite sad that my time here is coming to a close--I leave on May 31--I am choosing not to dwell too much on my impending departure. Instead, this entry is a celebration of our time with Sarah and Jason and my host parents, Lenka and Zdenek. I must also note that an important aspect of our time together in Dresden and Prague was our breathtakingly beautiful, sunny and warm weather. This was Adam's first time experiencing Prague in the sun and warmth (and the first time for me since studying here in '99). Also, as we were in Prague during the week, we weren't too inundated with tourists. It was absolutely delightful.

We spent a day showing off our favorite Dresden sights with Sara & Jason. As they also love to walk, we took them from old town along our Elbe river path to the Blue Wonder bridge and the Schiller Beergarten:

We spent two days in lovely Praha:

While Sara, Jason and Adam toured Prague's Jewish quarter (which I explored with Amanda last month), I went for a walk and stumbled across The Czech Senate gardens. I was blown away with the beauty of these gardens situated beneath Prague Castle. Needless to say, I've added this location to my list of favorites in the city. I'm surprised that I didn't know about this treasure before but it was refreshing and uplifting for me since it reminded me I still have places to explore in the city. I found the wildlife particularly engaging (it's mating season, after all):

My favorite Czech beer. (Yes, I admit that I had already had a beer when I took this photo):

A cute picture of Sara and Jason on the Charles Bridge with a new landmark - a balloon with tourists suspended. Interestingly, the balloon is connected to the ground so it has little to no lateral movement.

Adam insisted upon trying the "traditional Bohemian" pastry:

Walking back up past the castle to a monastery brew-pub for dinner:

Sara and Jason left early on Saturday morning. We spent a fabulous day with my host parents. Our first stop was to an incredible hunting lodge where my host-sister's friend serves as the caretaker!

The view from the hunting lodge's terrace. The beautiful yellow flowers (which sadly I don't know the name of) are grown for biofuel:

My fabulous Czech host parents, Lenka and Zdenek:

On the way back, we stopped at a tree monument on the side of the road. (Here I am trying to figure out what it is commemorating):

In the town square of the village:

Apple blossoms...ah, spring!

On our final evening together, Lenka and Zdenek treated us to dinner at The Hotel Diana, an upscale restaurant in their neighborhood specializing in Bohemian cuisine. I enjoyed a plate of lamb, spinach and dumplings while Adam had duck, sauerkraut and dumplings. It was, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable dining experience of my time in Prague. We sat outside on the enclosed porch satiating ourselves with incredible food and wine and chatted with my parents in a mix of simple English and German. Although it would be wonderful to more fluently share a language with my host parents, we all try very hard to communicate in simple words and with many gestures so the things we are able to share are incredibly satisfying. It's been really nice to live close to my host family this year. Hopefully, they will travel to the U.S. one day, but if not, we'll certainly be back to Prague.

Adam with our starter: pear liquor and the front of The Hotel Diana, nestled into their Prague neighborhood: