It is this time of the year… time to reflect back on 2014. What a busy year in terms of change, travel and blogging! Here are the travel and blogging highlights of this past year. And I would love to read yours in the comments below!
A BUSY YEAR
I had not really realized but now that stop and think back what a busy year.
January - March - Australia and New Zealand
It started with 2 months in Australia during which I helped our design and manufacturing site there prepare for a big inspection. Then, to recover from it, I enjoyed a 2 week vacation through New Zealand. During this whole time I really wondered if it was time for me to quit my job and travel full time. Some work on myself made me decide I was not thinking of doing that for the right reason and I decided not to quit everything just yet. My trip to New Zealand included a lot of soul searching and I did not enjoy it to the fullest. I think I will have to go back 🙂
April - July - Munich
Next the same inspection was announced at our Munich site. So I moved there for 3 months. Munich is a city that I really loved. I was able to go to the mountains every weekend as they are just a short road trip away. Garmisch-Partenkirchen was my favorite getaway.
August - Moving back to France
After that I was offered a new role in my company that could be based anywhere. I decided to move back to France and settle in Paris for a while. I still travel a lot for work but that allows me to go see my family on the weekends especially as my Mum was having a hard time with the succession over the family business. She is retiring tonight and I am glad she will not have to suffer the meanness and lies of other family members after all she has done for them.
September - Iceland
September was a fantastic month: I traveled 16 days through Iceland and was blown away by the scenery every 10 minutes. This is a very special place where you can connect deeply with nature. This is what helped me turn my blog around and find my voice. See the section below on the blogging highlights
December - Guadeloupe
Beginning of December I added one other trip to this very full year. It was the first time I traveled with a friend and I loved it. We had a great time discovering the islands of Guadeloupe: beautiful beaches, rainforest, abundant sea life and stunning cliffs. One week was not enough… I will share those with you soon.
TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS
2014 has been rich in experiences, it is hard to pick just a few favorites. But going back through all that I have done, here are my 5 top ones:
SWIMMING WITH WILD DOLPHINS IN NEW ZEALAND
I was scared on the boat right before jumping into the water but I am so glad I did. In Kaikoura, it took us several hours to find a pod of wild dolphins in the ocean but we did and we enjoyed 30 minutes in the water with them.
It is impressive and tiring as they swim very fast past you. A once in a lifetime experience!
ADMIRING THE ALPS FROM THE ZUGSPITZE IN GERMANY
While in Munich I enjoyed spending my weekends exploring the nearby mountains. Garmisch Partenkirchen is my favorite spots with many cable cars around. You can even easily reach the top of the Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany.
As I went early, right at the opening, we were only 3 tourists and I enjoyed the views all by myself. Lucky I went early because as I left the clouds were covering the peaks everywhere and the mass of tourists arriving after me did not see that much.
DISCOVERING BY CHANCE A HIDDEN CANYON IN ICELAND
During my first trip in Iceland, I was on a photography tour run by 3 amazing photographers: Patrick Di Fruscia, Elia Locardi and Ken Kaminesky. As we were heading to Landmannalaugar we stopped for lunch and wondered around. This is when some of us spotted an incredible canyon with beautiful waterfalls.
After a lot of research I found out its name is Sigöldugljúfur. It is very little known as it lays off the path of a 4WD road. I am so glad we stumbled on it!
FEELING LIKE THE LONE SURVIVOR AFTER AN ARMAGEDDON IN ICELAND
After the photo tour, I hired a car and explored Iceland by myself. My favorite part of Iceland was the North, especially around Lake Myvatn. The landscape there looks like the apocalypse happened.
In the geothermal area of Leirhnjukur, I was walking along this steaming lava field and I really felt like the lone survivor after an armageddon. So strange but awesome at the same time!
SWIMMING WITH A WILD TURTLE IN GUADELOUPE
I have spent one week in Guadeloupe at the beginning of December with a very good friend. This is not yet on my blog, I still have so much to write about Iceland! We discovered a lot of beautiful places but were both really touched by the same moment:
We went to Petite-Terre in Catamaran and enjoyed some free time to swim along the coral barrier. We were told there were large wild turtles so we kept our eyes opened and we spotted one under us in the water. It was feeding at the bottom in the sand and then it swam elegantly to the surface. Sadly I have no picture as none of my cameras are waterproof.
BLOGGING HIGHLIGHTS
It has also been a big year for the blog.
I have finally stopped trying to be like the bloggers I follow and love. I have admitted that I am not a story teller and I am definitively not funny. What I am good at is planning trips, sorting out information and simplifying it. Therefore I changed my site from travel blogging to writing detailed destination guide to help other make the most of their trips. I started with my guide to Iceland and I am reworking all my older posts about other destination.
I really hope to be useful !
THE IDEAS FOR 2015
At the moment 3 things are planned for 2015:
- a work trip to Australia in January
- A 2 week trip to Kyrgyzstan with Wandering Earl tour
- A few days in Dubai in December. My father is an international badminton head referee (as a hobby). His last year is 2015 and his last tournament in Dubai. I will try to be there so we can have a few days to discover the place.
And you what were the highlights of your year?
Any plans for 2015?
Leave a comment below
I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST FOR 2015!
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