I can’t quite believe that another year has passed us by and that the end of the decade is upon us. How crazy is it that we’re soon to be in the ‘roaring twenties!?’ But before we celebrate the arrival of 2020 here’s a look back at all of the Kiwi Globetrotteuse adventures from the past year.
This year I made it to 6 new European countries; the Vatican City, Wales, Poland, Finland, Estonia and Northern Ireland. That brings my official tally to country number 43! You can read more about me and my crazy travel goal here.
I also made it back to some old favourites- visiting Italy (twice,) France (also twice) and making it to Ireland, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, and Switzerland once each!
January
We kicked off the New Year by moving house, right after I had just changed jobs in mid-December. Talk about stressful transitions! Good thing we booked in a much needed short break to Rome and the Vatican City to see all the sights and to indulge in winter comfort food (i.e. pasta) to our hearts content.
February
At the end of February we made the most of some sweet Eurostar deals and jumped on the train to Paris where we visited the Louvre, the slightly ghoulish underground catacombs and gazed up at the beautiful dome (of the much less ghoulish) Galeries Lafayette department store.
March
March was a busy month of tripping around! Not one to miss a party, I headed back to County Galway in Ireland to celebrate St Patrick’s as only the Irish can.
Then my brother Tim came to Londontown again and we took the opportunity to do a road trip around southern Wales, ending up on the beautiful and surprising Pembrokeshire coast.
April
In April Ben & I made the most of a longer break over Easter to explore the highlights of Poland, ticking off Gdansk in the north of Poland, Warsaw in the centre and Krakow in the south. Poland was definitely one of the most affordable European destinations we’ve been to so far.
May
May was another exciting month travel-wise with two trips on the cards! Our first jaunt was over to Sweden to catch up with Lara, a good friend from University who is living in the beautiful park-filled city of Stockholm.
Our second trip later in May was to the lively coastal city of Valencia, Spain, which we explored with a bunch of good friends from London & Auckland. Many glasses of sangria , plates of paella & tapas were consumed! Happy days.
June
In June I headed off for another quick getaway with friends in Finland and Estonia, visiting Helsinki where we had a most Finnish of saunas before catching the ferry to the beautiful Estonian capital Tallinn.
July
In July it was time for our longer annual summer holiday. This time Ben and I headed to Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, for a sun filled road trip in a little Fiat 500 through the cactus studded countryside and the narrow streets of many white washed seaside towns. Check out the destination guide here.
August
In August it was time for a well deserved break from all the travelling, and I took some time to prepare my visa application to ensure that we can stay in the UK for a few more years (and keep on travelling to Europe with ease!)
September
In September we said goodbye (for now) to our good friend Leah, who has moved back to Australasia. Before she went we had a last hurrah in Belfast where we received a warm northern Irish welcome.
October
In October Ben and I headed to Copenhagen, where we enjoyed some late Autumn sunshine and hygge in the Danish capital and celebrated our 7 year anniversary with some scrummy nordic food.
November
In November we flew into Geneva in Switzerland and caught up with a French friend over a cheese fondue (good life decision am I right!) We then crossed the border into France where we explored another lakeside city – Annecy – otherwise known as the ‘Venice of the Alps’ – I’m sure you can see why.
December
So here we are in December! This year we’ve forgone our annual wintry Christmas market adventure in Europe, because we’re heading home to New Zealand for the holidays instead. Bring on those much needed long sunny days before we head back to London in January.
So that’s my 2019 for you- and hell it’s been a magical wanderlustful end to the decade! I’m so very grateful for all the globetrotting I’ve been able to do and all the friends and family I’ve been able to enjoy travelling with. If this recap makes me realise anything it is that there are so many destinations that I haven’t even had a chance to write about yet. So here’s to a 2020 filled with many more travel adventures and much more time to share them all on the blog!
Post edit note: Little did we know 2020 would turn out to be the year that changed everything…
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas with you and yours, and a safe, happy and adventure-filled New Year to come! Xx Kiwi Globetrotteuse