2015 has been a fantastic year for me and I must say that I’m feeling a little sad at the prospect of waving it goodbye on the thirty-first. However I am optimistic that the New Year will bring new challenges and adventures along with it, so I’m itching to get started!
But first, and before the New Year arrives, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate my year of travel by sharing my 2015 review with all of you lovely people.
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Looking Back At 2015
In travel terms, the first half of 2015 was somewhat quiet; I was busy working away on my final-year university work, reading and reading my revision notes and crazily trying to piece together my dreaded dissertation. At long last June arrived, exams were over and I was free. With plenty of time on my hands, I looked for a worthwhile project and a few weeks later The Girl On The Move was born!
At the end of June my jet-setting summer began and my first stop was Madeira, a Portuguese island off the western coast of Africa. I spent a week with my boyfriend in the capital Funchal, exploring its quaint and colourful streets, riding up and down the steep hills on cable cars and buses (quite an experience!), and setting off to visit the island’s villages and mountainous terrain; not to mention sampling the various specialties on offer, notably the local firewater!
After our week in Madeira, we headed back to the UK, only to re-board a plane in Heathrow a day or so later. We were bound for Istanbul. Five super days were spent in the cultural melting pot that is Istanbul – it was my first experience of being anywhere remotely eastern and I absolutely loved it! From haggling in the Grand Bazaar, making the crossing to Asia by boat, climbing the colourful Rainbow Steps, visiting the ancient Aya Sofia and seeing the breath-taking interior of the Blue Mosque with my own eyes, we certainly managed to fit a lot into our short stay. I know one thing for certain and that’s that Istanbul (and Turkey) has not seen the last of me!
Having returned from Istanbul, I had a few days respite before I was on the move again. This time our destination was slightly closer to home – the medieval city of York in northern England. Having won this particular trip in a competition, it was a massive treat, especially due to the fact that for the weekend we were treated like VIPs. First class train tickets, accommodation in Hotel du Vin’s finest suite, Afternoon Tea at world-famous Betty’s plus other amazing goodies. I could certainly get used to such luxury! We made the most of our weekend in the beautiful city, crossing off many of the sights including the Minister, the picture perfect Shambles and also travelled back in time at the Jorvik Museum, which recounts York’s Viking past.
In July, I proudly graduated from university with First Class Honours – which was a huge surprise – and despite the drab English weather, had a wonderful day with my friends and course-mates celebrating our respective four years of hard work.
Then the travelling kicked off again as I boarded the Eurostar in London, bound for the continent and ready to explore three (new) European countries – the Scandinavian trio of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. On the way we stopped off in Brussels and the Hanseatic city of Lübeck in Germany, before the journey continued and we crossed the Fehmarn Belt by train (which was on a ferry) to Denmark.
First on the list was 48 hours in Copenhagen and we made great use of them – the highlight of our stay was most definitely our evening visit to Tivoli, where we were greeted with the magical sight of twinkling fairy lights, exhilarating amusement rides and assorted themed areas, all ablaze in a multitude of colours.
From Copenhagen, we crossed the Øresund Bridge and into Sweden and then headed further north until we reached Stockholm. Even as we arrived in the city by train, I knew I was going to love the place. It was just like a northern Venice – multiple islands separated by expanses of water and with majestic colourful buildings edging the waterline. On our first evening we made for the old town, Gamla Stan. The narrow cobbled streets wind past the warm golden-coloured buildings of all shapes and sizes, providing plenty of photo opportunities for people like me! If you haven’t visited Stockholm yet, you must!
After Stockholm, Oslo was our next stop and I was keen to see how the Norwegian capital compared to the traditional appearance of its Scandinavian sisters. I must admit that despite the fact that Oslo is not quite as picturesque as Stockholm or Copenhagen, what it lacked in pretty buildings it made up for in flair and atmosphere. I was also pleasantly surprised by the amount of things to do in Oslo – there are plenty of interesting museums, boat trips to take and of course the beautiful scenery and parks to enjoy. I also really enjoyed exploring Grünerløkka – urban Oslo – and photographing its many weird and wonderful works of art.
Our time in Oslo was soon over and we were back on the train, crossing the border back into Sweden. Our last Scandinavian stop was Gothenburg where we spent twenty four hours. Our time in the city was a pleasant one and we were able to see just about all there was to see (minus the museums). Gothenburg impressed me as it was a very cosmopolitan place, with plenty going on culturally, historically and socially.
Back in Germany, there was still time to stop off in Hamburg, where I couldn’t resist a trip to the scandalous district of St Pauli to check out their funky street art, a day trip to Bremen and much to my delight a reunion with friends back in Düsseldorf, where you all know I spent my year abroad!
After two busy weeks Inter-railing, it was nice to be back at home but at the end of August, my boyfriend and I couldn’t resist one last trip. And so we hastily booked ourselves a long weekend in Dublin. Despite disappointing weather, we had a fab time and I was able to tick another country off my list of places travelled to, plus ‘have a Guinness in Dublin’, off my bucket list!
It had certainly been a busy and eventful summer! Sadly as September arrived, life returned to normal and I sought to find a job and some direction as to what to do next in life. Three months down the line, I can’t say that I’m any the wiser but I like to think that I’m getting there slowly!
To end the year on a high note, my Mum and I booked ourselves on a last minute trip to Vienna, partly to visit the popular Christmas Markets, but also to see my lovely ex-flatmate from university who calls the Austrian capital home (lucky her, I know!) From travelling out in style in Business Class, a ‘suite’ upgrade at the Intercontinental and beautiful weather, luck was certainly on our side. We visited the Christmas Markets, big and small, strolled around the imperial palace gardens, ate plenty of cake and consumed countless mugs of Glühwein – it was Christmas after all.
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As I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s been quite a year for me and I’ve enjoyed every single second of it. Hopefully 2016 will be just as kind to me and give me the opportunity to discover new places, meet new people and make new friends from across the globe, whilst at the same time sharing my adventures with you guys.
Thank you all for joining me on my travels this year, I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride and here’s to another fabulous year!
