Another year of fantastic trips has come to an end. I honestly cannot believe how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to travel as much as I have in the past few years, and 2014 was no exception.
Me by the Brighton Royal Pavilion, August 2014
Year in (Travel!) Review:
My year in 2014 started in my “new,” current home, London, England. Right away I started the travel trend that would follow for the rest of the year, by going on my first trip out of the UK since moving here, with a four-day trip to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain, in January.
I stayed in London through February and March, but with visits by my friends Timothy from Belgium, and Vanessa from Canada, I got to see a lot of London as a tourist, including a visit to the Tower of London, checking out some museums, lunch at the Shard, and going to the Harry Potter Studios!
In April I got to go on two separate trips: a four-day getaway to Paris, France to visit my friend Loic, and a six-day trip to Portugal, in which I visited the stunning town of Porto, and the country’s lively capital city, Lisbon.
May saw my first big trip of the year, with an eleven-day exploration of Germany. I tried to maximize my time there by seeing as much as I could, and I managed to visit a few cities: Cologne, Munich, Nuremberg, Dresden, and Berlin; as well as take some day trips to see the stunning Neuschwanstein Castle, and the beautiful Medieval town Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
June through August I stayed in the UK, enjoying the summer sunshine… I did however manage to visit three Pride Events: Pride in London, Brighton and Hove Pride, and Pride Cymru (in Cardiff, Wales). I even took another day trip to Brighton at the end of August to explore the lovely seaside town in more detail.
In September, I was sent by my work on a week-long holiday to Florida, on a trip sponsored by British Airways, and the tourism boards for Tampa Bay and St Petersburg / Clearwater. The trip included a bit of everything, from cycling around the cosmopolitan city of Tampa and a visit to the Busch Gardens amusement park, to laying on beautiful white-sand beaches in Clearwater, taking a boat to the beachy Caladesi Island State Park, and exploring Art museums in St. Petersburg. And of course there were visits to lots of amazing restaurants and bars, where I got wined and dined like there was no tomorrow!
October was once again spent back in London, in preparation of my biggest trip of 2014: November’s three-week exploration of South Africa, a trip that I took from Cape Town to Durban, stopping at various points along the Garden Route and the Wild Coast, as well as a quick stop in Port Elizabeth, and my very first African safari in Addo Elephant National Park.
December has flown much too fast with all the Christmas events going on, but I did manage to sneak in one last trip, when I went up to Northern Ireland to spend Christmas with my boyfriend Eamonn’s family. Most of the three-day trip was Christmas related, but I did spend a wonderful 24 hours in Belfast, a beautiful little city that has a lot to offer!
What’s Next?:
So far, 2015 is looking quiet on the travel front, but I am excited to have my first trip already planned, a trip in March 2015 to Rome, Italy, with Eamonn and his parents. This will be my third time going to Rome, but it is a city I love, so I am really looking forward to it!
Now for my New Years Resolutions:
1. Keep on traveling. I need to visit at least five new countries in 2015!
2. Write more… 2014 saw me slacking on my blog, but I promise to write more posts in 2015! (Should be easy as long as I make the time… I am so behind, I have a lot of material to write about!).
Hope everyone has had an amazing 2014 doing whatever it is that makes you happy. Best wishes for the new year, and happy travels in 2015!
-CG
Filed under: •Addo NP, •Belfast, •Brighton, •Canary Islands, •FL: St. Pete / Clearwater, •London, •Paris, •Porto, •Rothenburg
