My 2018 travel round up is my travel year in review featuring a summary of all my travel adventures this year, near and far, along with lots of travel inspiration in case you’re looking for some 🙂
This year, I have decided to not end with that cliché line – OMG I can’t believe how quickly the year went by! Instead I want to thank my stars and reflect on all the beautiful moments that kept me busy enough to think that the year passed in a blink of an eye. The new places I travelled to make a big part of these moments and that’s what I want to talk about in my last post of the year.
2018 Travel Round Up – An Year in Review
January – Munich, Neuschwanstein Castle, Hallstatt, Salzburg
The year began with a bang with my first visit to Germany and Austria. Guess what, it was also a surprise holiday booked by Mr AW to celebrate our wedding anniversary week! By surprise, I don’t mean I got to know of it a day or two before leaving. That’s a tad bit brutal for an over-planner like moi 😛 There was enough time to chalk out the detailed itinerary but he had the tickets and the hotels all sorted out.
A quick city break in Munich involved visiting its boisterous beer halls and watching the almost hypnotisingly (yes, I made up that word) rhythmic river surfing.
This was followed by a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle. In Instagram language, the castle could only be described in two words – magical and dreamy 😉 Some also call it the Disney Castle!
The next day we left for Hallstatt in Austria. A quiet lakeside Alpine village nestled amidst the mountains, trust me, Hallstatt will blow your mind. We spent the next two days waking up to snow covered rooftops, walking its streets, hand in hand, at dawn and dusk when all the day-trippers left and simply enjoying each other’s company in nature’s stunning landscape.
Our final stop was Salzburg; the city of Mozart and Sound of Music. We spent one day in Salzburg, exploring its Old Town while it snowed lightly. Such a lovely place to ring in our anniversary 🙂
March – Lisbon, São Miguel
Next up was a trip to Portugal, my 3rd visit to the country. It was time to spend 5 days in the Azores, a pinch-me-it’s-real category place! The Azores is an archipelago of 9 islands with sub-tropical, volcanic landscape which is quite unexpected in Europe. An absolutely incredible place of unparalleled scenic beauty, slow island life and warm friendly people, visiting the Azores was truly the highlight of the year.
We also managed to squeeze in some time and make the most of our layover in Lisbon. Sometimes, indirect flights have their benefits too 😉 Now that I have the taste of Lisbon, I cannot wait to go back and spend more time there.
July – Montenegro, Dubrovnik
Next up was Montenegro, a beautiful country that’s quite underrated on the touristic radar. We spent the next few days road-tripping in Montenegro, visiting the charming towns of Kotor and Perast, hiking the walls of St John’s fortress and exploring the stunning Durmitor National Park.
Dubrovnik is pretty much a stone’s throw away from Montenegro and, being Game of thrones fans, we couldn’t miss the opportunity of visiting it. Over the next 2 days in Dubrovnik, we got familiar with its history, saw the GoT filming locations, walked the city walls and took boat trips on the Adriatic while losing and finding our way through its myriad cobbled lanes.
October – Ostuni, Alberobello
A lovely last-minute trip and our shortest getaway abroad, we spent 2 days in Puglia, Italy in October exploring the little towns of Ostuni and Alberobello that are full of that quintessential Italian charm. Yes, I am completely aware that mere 2 days do no justice to Puglia region and undoubtedly we will go back sometime again to spend more time.
December – Berlin
Coincidentally, I wrapped up the year where I started from, Germany. Having just returned from Berlin, my bag is waiting to be unpacked while I write this post. I celebrated Christmas in Berlin with my friends, visiting the famous German Christmas markets, revelling in the festive cheer and drinking hot mulled wines on cold, cold nights!
Did you enjoy my 2018 Travel round up? I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store for me and the new countries that it will take me to. I hope you follow me along on my journeys and continue to support me like you’ve done till now 🙂
Wish you a very happy and a prosperous new year!
Cheers,
Ameeta xx
