Typically, I don’t start my ‘monthly recaps’ until the aforementioned month is over and I remember I need to write a #Take12Trips post. Which, is why it feels strange to be penning this one on the last day of March- even though the month is almost over.
On this particular Saturday, I’m cruising in Norway from Bergen to Stavanger, and catching up on post writing.
March has been such an unexpectedly great month, the kind of month where you think you know what’s coming but things turn out even better than you could have ever imagined.
Mid-month, I headed to Riga on a city break after finding a flight for £40 return, and an Airbnb in Old Town for £24 night. I wouldn’t say Riga was high on my list of places to go, but on a deal like that, I found myself asking, why not? And, after two days there, I left feeling rested and invigorated.
Riga was my first Baltic country. It’s a brilliant mix of the old and new. Cobblestone streets, pastel buildings, narrow alleyways- Old Town Riga is serious heart eyes. And, Riga has almost 800 buildings in the art nouveau architecture style- more than any other city in Europe. All said, I didn’t go to Riga with too many expectations, which is probably why I left the trip feeling so elated.
The weekend after Riga, I headed to Whitstable for a day by the sea. Charming streets, cute facades, fresh oysters and a dog-friendly seaside pub serving outdoor pints? The best.
Closing out the month, I took advantage of the bank holiday (the UK had Good Friday and Easter Monday off) to head to a country that’s been high on my list for a long time- Norway. With 5.5 days to spend as much time in nature as possible, I decided to explore Bergen for three days, and then cruise to Stavanger for two days.
I’ll share more about the trip in coming weeks, but it blew every expectation I could have ever dreamed of for Norway away. To start, we’ve been blessed with some insanely good weather- 40s and blue skies every day. Normally, at this time of the year, I’m told sunshine is rare- usually it’s rain, snow or both. In fact, we hadn’t planned anything for Norway- expecting the weather to be grim.
We took full advantage of the blue sky gorgeousness in Bergen– spending a day exploring the city, another day hiking a mountain and our final day on a tour of other cities in Norway and fjords.
We decided to cruise to Stavanger (instead of flying) because tickets were £22 a person, and we figured it’d be a nice ride- we’ve only been on the boat for an hour, but it’s incredible. The scenery is next level, and the ship is so nice! Looking forward to rounding out our Norwegian adventure in Stavanger.
Favourite Moments from the Month
Riga
Whitstable
London
Bergen
Here’s what I’m thinking so far for #Take12Trips 2018:
- January: Weekend in Marrakesh, Morocco
- February: Weekend in Hamburg, Germany
- March: Weekend in Riga, Latvia; day trip to Whitstable; long weekend in Norway (Bergen & Stavanger)
- April: Weekend trips to Amsterdam to see tulips, and to Krakow, Poland
- May: Staying in England the first part of the month – a good friend has surprised me by buying a ticket to visit early May. At the end of the month, I’ll join other friends from the States on a road trip around Ireland
- June: TBD, but staying in the UK- likely a weekend in Cornwall, visiting St. Ives and Penzance
- July: Israel (Tel Aviv & Jerusalem) for a few days
- August: Weekend in Dublin mid-month for the Rock ‘n Roll half and considering adding a few days in Belfast onto that trip. And, and the end of the month, heading to Singapore + Bali for a week
- September: Finishing up Singapore + Bali beginning of the month, and nothing else confirmed but tossing around Tallinn, Helsinki or San Sebastian as options for a weekend trip mid/end of month
- October: Oxford for a race, and Indiana in the States mid-month for a wedding
- November: TBD- tossing around Lisbon, Madrid and Brugge as options for a weekend trip
- December: Hopefully making it to a few Christmas markets early in the month, and hoping to spend New Years in South Africa with friends
How about you? Are you planning any trips this year that you’re excited about?