Travel Link-Up: A Year In Travel

Happy New Year! This New Year's Day, I'd love to take a trip down memory lane with you and to revisit my travel diary from 2016.

In February, worn down by the slog of London life, coupled with cold and dark weather (still!), we decided to catch some winter sun in the most unexpected of places: Tenerife. Well, it actually made total sense: temperatures were in the mid to upper 20s (Celsius) and because it's in the same time zone, travelling there also meant zero jet lag.

We chose a quiet resort in the more grown-up (read: retirement age) province of Costa Adeje, Vincci Seleccion La Plantacion Del Sur. It was beautiful. Blue skies, gorgeous pools, a stunning spa, and a 10-minute walk to the beach. Perfect. 

If you're considering an escape from the English weather early next year, you can read more about our trip here.

In April, we jetted off for a city/spa break in the beautiful region of Aquitaine, France. 

We began our trip at the magical Les Sources de Caudalie, where we enjoyed Michelin-starred dining, before making a quick stop in Saint Emilion for more gastronomic delights at the Hostellerie de Plaisance.

From there, we drove to Bordeaux, where we stayed in a spectacular Airbnb, and climbed the tallest sand dune in Europe in Arcachon Bay.

Are you planning a trip to Bordeaux next year? You can read more about our trip here, including my antique-hunting tips, if you're into that kind of thing. 

In May, I'd resigned myself to not travelling for a while, but a bout of homesickness saw John book round-trip tickets for me to see my family in Seattle. 

We took a little side trip to Snoqualmie Falls while I was there, where I had an amazing stay at Salish Lodge (which you might recognize from David Lynch's TV series, Twin Peaks!).

If you've never been to Seattle or the Pacific Northwest, I'd highly suggest a visit in the spring/summer. I'm a little biased because I grew up there, but I definitely appreciate the scenery a lot more now as an adult: snow-capped mountain peaks, forests of evergreen trees jutting out to greet you as you touchdown at SeaTac airport, fresh seafood - it's all there. I wrote more about it here, if you're interested!

By June, work had started on our gardens ... and by "work", I mean serious excavations and a total transformation that ended up taking more than nearly four months to finish. But when it was done (and even while it was in progress), John and I ate every single meal outside - and took advantage of our new, beautiful space. I can't wait to share it with you this spring, when the flowers bloom. 

On a balmy, late-summer's day in August, we were chatting to my best friend, Udita, who mentioned that she'd be going to Bangalore, India for her cousin's wedding in November. "You guys should come too!" she said, like she has for the past 12 years I've known her. 

Suddenly, an idea struck us: why not? Was it crazy to go to India for five days? We wouldn't be able to see too much, but we'd be with locals and could get flights using the points John's racked up from all the travel he does for work. 

And, you guys - five days in India is worth it. Granted, Bangalore isn't Jaipur or Rajasthan or Mumbai, but it was raw and real and crazy and so much fun. Blog posts will be up in a couple weeks' time. Until then, here's a photo of the beautiful grounds at The Taj West End.

This week, I just returned from a trip to Amsterdam and Cologne with my parents, which was so much fun. I can't wait to blog about it in the next few days!

Amsterdam looked incredibly festive in December - I loved seeing Christmas trees in nearly every window that lined the canals, not to mention the beautiful Amsterdam Light Festival.

We took a quick day trip to Cologne to visit the Christmas markets there - have you been? So, so pretty. We browsed the stalls with a mug of hot chocolate (for me) and gluhwein (for everyone else), before climbing 533 steps up to the top of the Cologne Cathedral.

Here's wishing you a wonderful 2017. Are you heading to anywhere fun? So far, we've got trips planned to Morocco and Cornwall - we're also hoping to fit in a trip to Asia, the US, and Scotland somewhere in between!

xo

This post is part of this month's Travel Link-Up series, hosted by Emma, Polly, and Angie. Head over to their blogs to read more about their travel wishlists for 2017 and travel highlights from 2016!