Is it a cliche if I say “man, where has 2018 gone?’. Well, I’m going to say it anyway. 2018 has been a biggie, full of ups and downs and laughs, lots of laughs.
2018 saw us move to London and visit six new countries and four return visits. January feels a very long time ago, but this second half of the year has flown by.
I would also like to mention I am very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had this year. I am very lucky to be in the position I am. I have also worked incredibly hard to be here and quite literally stay here. The beginning of this year was a bit rough, as we were still recovering from our losses of 2017 and building ourselves from the ground up on a single income. But we rocked it, and ended up moving to the big smoke of London and haven’t looked back since. City life is something that was always a little foreign for me. Growing up, a city in my eyes was Christchurch at a population of 350,000, so 8+ million people living in one city, is a bit ridiculous, but I’m loving London and really don’t want to leave anytime soon.
If you’re wanting to read more about the adventures in this blog post, be sure to click on the links that will take you to the full entry or click on the photos for a closer look. If you have any questions about any of the destinations or activities, ask away in the comments at the bottom. And, I hope you enjoy this little recap of my 2018.
Ireland
Jenny and I lived out our dream of travelling together in May when we booked a week long road trip of Ireland with our boyfriends. We had a blast, we drove Dublin -> Galway -> Cliffs of Moher -> tiny village in the country -> Kilkenny -> Dublin. We spent time cruising through national parks, checking out the cliffs, drinking Guinness, enjoying Irish dancing and having plenty of laughs. Highlights for me were the Cliffs of Moher and watching a Hurling match. For more on the trip click here.
Portugal
After not seeing our buds Emma and Matt for over a year, it was very exciting to finally meet up with them again in Lisbon, Portugal. Once again an awesome week away with friends, enjoying the warmth, watching football, learning about the history, drinking beer and even sneaking in a trip to Sintra for the wicked castle. They’ve been great travel buds throughout the year, can’t wait for more trips planned with these guys.
Vikki’s trip
Vikki and I had been counting down her trip to the UK for ages, it was so exciting for her to finally come. It meant I got to be a tour guide and tourist in London and also go on a girls weekend to Barcelona with her. As any time spent with Vikki there was infinite laughter and so much fun. Highlights of her trip (for me) were Barcelona, Harry Potter studios (a highly anticipated trip for both of us and James), and Thames cruise to Greenwich. Such an awesome couple of weeks.
The Baltics
One of my favourite trips that James and I took together this year was to Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia. I’d been trying to convince James to go there for a while so it was fun to actually go visit. I loved being in a place not overrun with tourists, but also just as beautiful and rich in history as anywhere else. Although it was freezing cold, we had beautiful sunny days and meet some lovely people. We also enjoyed an ice hockey match, walking around national parks and ruins, checking out the old towns of the cities and of course testing out the local beer. I would recommend these spots for somewhere slightly off the beaten track.
Budapest
Another trip with our mates Matt and Emma, this was a fun weekend trip to hang out in a city we’d all been itchy to go to. Budapest is a city full of interesting history, beautiful buildings, delicious foods and thermal baths, what more could you want? Definitely a highlight trip for me!
Rome for the All Blacks
We had a fleeting trip back to one of our favourite spots in November for the All Blacks vs Italy rugby match. We were among a few of the large groups of kiwis that flew from London to Rome for the weekend for the game. The atmosphere was unreal, the game was great, the beer was good, the pasta cheesy and the weather was terrible. Such a fun weekend, even if a rain poncho was required.
Christmas Markets
We were lucky enough to go to over five Christmas markets this year in four different countries. We ticked off Budapest, Brussels and Bruges early on in the season, all with colourful lights, lovely decorations and delicious smells. Once Mum and Dad arrived (see below) we had many more to see in Germany and England. Particular favourites were Ludwigsburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Erfurt. There’s just something so special about the German markets, they are so traditional, friendly, with amazing handmade gifts and fantastic food. Of course, we had to make a deal of getting mulled wine at each market, it’s so cold, how else do you warm up? More about the markets in future posts.
Mum and Dad’s trip
Finally, the last but definitely not least highlight for the year was the much-anticipated visit from Mum and Dad. It was so great to see them after over 18 months away. We had many laughs, many mulled wines and many beers for that matter. We were hosted in Germany by Jenny and her family, who were such fantastic hosts and organised a mystery bus trip for us to Rothenburg and Erfurt. It was such awesome fun! As you can see from the photos we took more selfies than ever on this trip and no regrets. We had a wonderful Christmas with them, singing German and English Christmas carols, German food and kiwi pavlova, and always with heaps of laughs. Once back in London, I again got to be the wee tour guide around the city but also doing lots of new London-y things too. It was fantastic to have Mum and Dad visit, thank you so much for coming, it was a blast!
Well, that’s it for 2018, I think you might find the buzzwords throughout this piece were laughs and beer and I think that’s a fair summary of the year. Looking into 2019 here are some goals.
Bucket list/goals for 2019
- Shred some serious snow in Bulgaria (ski trip booked for February)
- European cities to see before we leave: Amsterdam, Prague, Copenhagen
- Epic springtime campervan adventure through central Europe
- Move to a new country
- Hike some sick nature trails when we’re back in New Zealand
So stick around, 2019 is going to be another big’n. I’ve got lots of plans and lots of work to do. I’ll be documenting as much as possible so stay tuned.
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