Hey guys – I cannot believe 2016 is about to be over! How time has flown! Whilst I feel like I didn’t do nearly as much travel this year as I would have liked, remembering back on travels done makes me realise how much that was accomplished. For instance…
Australia
The Hunk and I rang the new year in on the streets of Melbourne, Australia! As Melbourne is where I am from, it was so good to be around ‘my people’ this year!
Italy
Luckily, one of my favourite cities in the world, Rome, was a destination for me via my work not once but twice! The 2nd time my hunk was able to come along (and our 2 pals) for 4 days of banter and tastebud heaven! We also climbed St Peter’s Basilica which was awesome and a must-do activity while visiting the Vatican!
Spain
For Valentine’s weekend, the hunk and I took a long weekend to Spain. We first went to Madrid where we enjoyed amazing food and flamenco, before heading south to the darling ‘city’ of Seville. The two cities contrasted greatly which made for a wonderful & culturally rich winter escape to the sun!
Romania
Over Easter, the Hunk and I managed to score cheap flights to Romania for 5 days of exploring not only the city of Bucharest, which was a real gem, but also Transylvania! From Dracula’s castle, the old fort Rasnov, the stunning Carpathian mountains, and having an up close visit with the saved Brown Bears, Romania was a fantastic trip! Perhaps my favourite trip this year!
New Expat Life
This year, I freakin moved to Amsterdam! That has been a wild ride of ups (living with my Hunk) and downs (struggling to find employment and the language barrier) but it has been amazing and I wouldn’t change it for the world!
France
In May we stayed in an old country farmhouse in the south of France, near Toulouse! I absolutely loved this understated vacation where we visited medieval Carcassonne and hiked to the summit of Montsegur. The delicious food in France and wine-tasting was also a big highlight!
United Kingdom
After having left London for Amsterdam, during the months since moving I did take a couple of trips back to London to visit friends and family. Going to London is like going home, as I know the city so well! I always manage to make sure I eat at one of my favourite restaurants, but being with friends is the real winner!
Germany
Late in the Summer when the hunk had a long weekend off of work, we took the opportunity to drive across the border into Germany and visit Cologne. The Dome is magnificent, and as the city is set along the Rhine, we were able tick off a bucket list item of going on a boat ride on the river!
Belgium
Recently, two of our friends in London travelled to Belgium, so we went and met up with them in Bruges for a weekend! We drove down from Amsterdam, a 3 hour drive and stopped in Antwerp for a few hours on the drive down, too!
Plenty of Visitors
This year, whilst it is not travel related, I had many friends and family visit me in my new home of the Netherlands! This has given us more motivation to sight-see our own city, which in turn helps us know the place better and feel more at home! And, I absolutely love being photographed inside a giant clog!
This year, the plan had included going to Spain, Romania, France, Budapest, Switzerland, Greece, Scotland, Oktoberfest, Slovenia and Sweden! Yes, only 3 of the 10 trips were accomplished from the ‘plan’ but, things change and life changed so this year’s amount of travel was actually quite a lot and it has been a great year of travel and life!
Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!
2 thoughts on “A Travel Year in Review: 2016”
From Highlight to Highlight, what a journey!
It’s been a GOOD year!