Travel in Review 2016
Another week of lock down, another week of nostalgia and feeling hopeful that we’ll make our mid-autumn trip. Until then, here is our travel in review for 2016.
In 2016, we had yet another round of house project, this time – a loft and garden room conversion. One of the previous owners put in a shoddily constructed loft attic, sacrificing a single room to put in an ill-fitted staircase to the loft. It was all DIY, and it was awful. We were eager to turn the loft into livable space where it would eventually be the ensuite master bedroom.
Then there was what I called the “torture room” – a brick garage at the rear end of our garden with dark tinted windows. It turns out that many decades ago, there was a small road running parallel along the rear of the gardens where many homeowners had small garages. Inside the “torture room” was lots of rubbish and creepy crawlies. It was an eye-sore and needed a drastic make-over. Since we have a mid-terraced house, we were only able to landscape the garden when and only when we did something either get rid of it or renovate this hideous garage. So it was another summer of renovation. Thankfully, this time we didn’t have to move out for the renovation work. A big renovation does mean that we weren’t able to go on a big international trip but we were able to get some memorable adventures in 2016.
Peak District
Over the Easter bank holiday weekend, we took a road trip to the Peak District with another couple friend. We took along with us, of course, our fur born Buddy on his first UK roadtrip. My friends and I rented a 2 bedroom cottage in the quaint town of Tideswell about 15 minutes away from the Peak District’s main town of Bakewell. On the agenda was for some serious walking through the Peak District’s rolling hills.
However, the inclement weather made us abort our plans and retreat to the cosy pubs instead, not that we were complaining. We didn’t enjoy the British countryside in its full glory. Thanks to the fog and mist, we could barely see in front of us, let alone any vistas or views. We managed to visit Bakewell on Easter Day for a pub roast and no other than the famous Bakewell tart. We had a lovely time, happy to escape to the countryside for a weekend with friends even if the weather was less than ideal.
Roadtrip to Normandy & Loire Valley
Being a WWII history buff, visiting the D-Day beaches in Normandy has always been high on Kenz’ bucket list. How could it be possible that we’ve lived in London for eight years and have not made a trip to Normandy?
Given that Buddy was joining us to France meant that we had to do some pre-planning. This would involve a trip to the vet on the French side for tapeworm treatment before returning to the UK. A road trip anything less than a week was not worth it, we thought. So we carefully mapped out an epic 10-day road trip through Normandy and the Loire Valley. Specific towns on the agenda include: Honfleur, Deauville, Bayeux, D-Day Beaches of Omaha and Nebraska, Mont St. Michel, Loire Valley (Saumur and Vouvray), and Rouen before returning to Dieppe to catch our ferry back to the UK.
This trip was a perfect mix of our interest: history, food, and wine, plus France is very dog-friendly – a win! Kenz and I visited several calvados distilleries, tasting the fine apple brandy for which Normandy was famous for alongside apple cider and camembert cheese. We marvelled at the opulent chateaus dotting all across the Loire River, including the grand chateaus of Amboise and Chenonceau. Being a history buff, we paid tribute to the WWII veterans who sacrifice their lives in the name of democracy at the American cemetery on Memorial Day. We feasted on oysters and seafood galore in the genteel town of Deauville and explored market days at the picturesque harbour town of Honfleur. Kenz and I tasted the amazing wines after wines along the Loire Valley. We laughed with friends who joined us at the tail end of our trip over steak frites.
Of course, no road trip would be complete without getting lost a few times or missing yet another roundabout along the French countryside. But the three of us – me, Kenz, and Buddy – relished the slower pace of travel. This was one of our favourite trips yet in 2016.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In June 2016, I met up with one of my dear friends from graduate schools for a girls’ weekend trip in Amsterdam. I travelled on the eve the Brexit Referendum when my fellow British compatriots voted to leave the European Union.
Having earned her B.A. in architecture, my friend loves all things architectural history related. Naturally, our itinerary included a lot of walking tours to see the stunning Dutch architecture in hip neighbourhoods such as Jordaan, De Pijp, and the Museum Quarter. There were many hours spent getting lost along the canals, meandering through the massive Vondelpark, and catching up on life. We flew back to London together where she stayed with us for a week, playing tourist by day and visiting relatives by night and in between lots of wine and girl talk.
Oktoberfest, Munich
We had a 70th birthday trip for my father-in-law to Oktoberfest which is held annually in Munich, Germany in late September. Oktoberfest has long been on Kenz’ bucket list. He missed the opportunity to go to Oktoberfest with his friends a few years ago because he double booked himself on a family trip to Croatia. Sad to say that he had to miss that Oktoberfest.
At Oktoberfest, we were joined by one of Kenz’ best friends from high school who was on a grand tour of Eastern Europe and my father-in-law’s ex-colleague who grew up outside of Munich. If you have never been to Oktoberfest, it is truly a spectacle with some 6 million visitors every year dressed in traditional Bavarian outfits – lederhosen for men and classy dirndls for the ladies – and iconic blue and white lozenge-style Bavarian flags adorning the numerous beer tents. The beverage of choice of course: beer brewed according to the strict German Reinheitsgebot standard.
Munich is a wonderful place to stroll especially around the central square known as Marienplatz and the popular Englischer Garten where you can find surfers (yes river surfing!), Chinese pagodas, and of course a delightful beer garden.
I highly recommend Oktoberfest with a group of friends for a weekend of jovial bantering and fun Bavarian style!
Salzburg, Austria
From Munich, it was onwards to the fabled town of Salzburg, Austria most famous for the birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart and the backdrop to the 1965 musical The Sound of Music. Nasty weather greeted us unfortunately so we spent most of our time indoors at beer halls or back at the flat. To my father-in-law’s delight, we got tickets to see a classical music concert at the Mirabelle Palace.
It was a memorable 70th birthday trip indeed, and we look forward to organising another trip to mark his three-quarter century birthday.
Palma, Mallorca, Spain
A fortnight later after Munich, e flew to Mallorca which was a somewhat last-minute trip. We met up with Kenz’ best friend on his last leg of his European Grand Tour. Kenz and I arrived two night prior and stayed on the northern part of the island near Pollenca before meeting up with Kenz’ friend back in Palma. In hindsight, I wished we stayed in the gorgeous town of Deia or Sollers but accommodations were slim pickings for such a last-minute trip.
We had nothing on the agenda other than to chill out on the beach and enjoyed the laid-back vibe of Palma. Unlike Salzburg, we got lucky with the weather; it was balmy enough to sunbathe and dine alfresco.
Touted as Mallorca’s answer to the Caribbean, we drove to the unspoilt beach of Es Trenc on the south coast. Es Trenc is the complete opposite of the infamous Magaluf — undeveloped, remote, and natural. I had not been to the Caribbean at that time but if you didn’t know better, the crystal-clear blue waters rival the Caribbean. I look forward to visiting the Balearic Islands as a possible family destination with the little ones in the near future.
San Francisco, California
It had been a while since our last trip to California, May 2015 to be exact. It was time to make a trip to visit the parents so we flew back to California to spend the festive season with family. We made our usual rounds to see extended family dotted all around the Bay Area and their kids getting taller and taller each year. As usual, there were numerous lunch and dinner dates with friends if they weren’t busy with their respective families.
We watched a Sacramento Kings game in their brand new downtown area and celebrated my sister and brother-in-law’s 10th wedding anniversary at a trendy downtown restaurant called Ella. It was more low-key than the previous Christmas in Bali, but it was a nice homecoming. Spending time with family and old friends is always gratifying and keeps us grounded, reminding us that life’s best gifts are those dear to you.
And that’s a wrap for 2016!
