April to June – Things I’ve Been Doing While Abandoning This Blog

It’s that time again to look back on all the awesome and slightly less awesome things I’ve seen and done in Q2 of 2018.

BEEN THERE
Croatia: Slunj
Bosnia: Home
Georgia: Kutaisi and Tbilisi and surroundings
Wales: Caerphilly Castle and Blaenavon

DONE THAT
Quick visit to the Motherland (Bosnia)
Where I saw family, stuffed my face with loads of carbs and helped with sowing potatoes and other vegetables. You know, so I can justify eating everything potato related during my next visit – invest in your future (meals)!

A pit stop in Croatia
A little stop in the very quant city of Slunj, Croatia – if you are going on a Balkan roadtrip and heading to Plitvice Lakes, keep Slunj in mind for your overnight stay as accommodation is much cheaper and you get to visit the historic town centre known as little Plitvice.

Cheeseland Visits
When I think about my Netherlands trips I only remember the cheese and corn bread I had for breakfast and lunch, but there are so many things to visit there. Oh and I almost forgoet, I saw probably the prettiest Dutch Starbucks in the world – located in a beautiful former waiting hall in Groningen train station.

Ups and downs in Georgia
Georgia (former USSR, not USA) was an interesting experience to say the least. Everything was against me, but so much of the country is gorgeous, so I’m trying not to get the negative emotions take over when I write, but soon I’ll share some posts telling all.

Daytrip to Wales
I loved seeing the medieval wonders of Caerphilly Castle as well as the deep dark mining pit and the ironworks in Blaenavon. It reminds me to go out and explore more of the UK, but then I check the cost of train tickets and try to convince myself I don’t need to leave zone 6.

In and around London
I finally explored the fantastic Hampton Court Palace, was disappointed by almost everything I saw at Kew Gardens, discovered ruins in zone 4 South East London, saw what I only can imagine is Rapunzels Tower near Greenwich, walked a section of the rather long Thamespath, enjoyed the food glory of Mercado Metropolitano, saw a spooky Macbeth in the National Theatre, went to an out-of-this-world exhibition at Hayward Gallery, had a delightful afternoon tea at the Dorchester and saw so many movies I might be sick of popcorn.

BUCKET LIST
Kew Gardens is on my London list but it didn’t live up to the expectations, the Wales trip is on my 2018 list and it was everything I wanted it to be and I’ve crossed off the Shakespeare play and afternoon tea from my updated London list (that I need to share) so hooray!!

LOWLIGHTS
I hate taking the last flight of the day as the last few I took were delayed. So why not take the very first one I thought, because WHAT could go wrong? Well…there could be fog at the destination and you can end up circling Southend Airport for eternity.

Let’s stay on the flying theme: I was supposed to fly to Georgia via Milan. But less than 24 hours before departure my flight to got cancelled due to strikes in Italy. I ended up booking a direct flight, but lost around £100 AND 2 full days that I could have spend in Georgia. So much for a budget holiday…

LESSONS LEARNED
Avoid travelling on Bank Holiday and/or don’t book flights via/to Italy/France during high season as there seem to be strikes every summer. I mean…why not avoid flying altogether?

In Georgia I learned the travel style I had in my early 20s might not be for me anymore: everything from my bed time to my accommodation and food preference has changed. Ten years that free beer at the hostel would have been the highlight of the day, now I just want my bed and for everyone to shut up so I can have my 7 hours of sleep.

How was your Q2?

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