2013 in Review and Plans for 2014

2013 was really my first adventurous year. In summary:

• In January I hitchhiked from Stirling to Prague - by car, lorry, ferry, foot and finally train. 
• During the spring semester I spent two weekends hiking around the Scottish Highlands and Trossachs
• In June I volunteered in Skyros again, via Athens
• In July I flew to Romania (via Italy..!) and taught for a month in the east
• From the end of July I visited (with an Interrail Pass) Cluj-Napoca, Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Bordeaux, Lyon and Grenoble
• At the end of August I lived in an airbnb flat in Como for a week before spending a week (respectively) with one family in Sardinia (brief stop in Milan) and another in Chef-Boutonne.
• After working hard during the Christmas semester (earning, not studying, of course) I flew to Australia via Beijing, and spent Christmas in Melbourne and New Year at Point Lonsdale. 

And the highlights include but are not limited to:

• Finally fulfilling a childhood dream - visiting the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
• Learning to drive a horse-drawn cart in Romania
• Lying out in the field with the horses under a full moon in Skyros
• Enjoying the music of Grail in the Old Town Square, Prague
• Reaching the summit of 'Le Dent' in the Alps
• And finishing off the year by swimming with seals and dolphins in Australia.

Grail in full swing

There were low points too...

• Stubbing my toe so many times while wearing sandals that the nail turned black
• Cooking overnight in a Budapest bedroom without air conditioning
• And worst of all, learning of the death of a close friend.

The bad experiences, however, couldn't outweigh the value that travelling has held for me over the past year. And that's why I'm planning for another big adventure in 2014.

Plan #0.5: Improve this blog
As you can already see, I've given the blog a bit of a makeover, and in 2014 I hope to improve my travel writing skills and develop the blog further.

Plan #1: Driving tour of Scotland

In the second part of the university's spring vacation, Lachy and I are planning an epic voyage by car around the Highlands and Islands. Definite stops will include Inversnaid, Tomintoul and the Isle of Skye.

Plan #2: Purchase ticket to Iceland (complete)

On August 19th I will be flying from Edinburgh over to Reykjavik to spend a few days in and around the capital before heading to the far north to volunteer on a dairy farm with many horses, where I'll also be lucky enough to be taking part in the biggest Icelandic horse roundup in the country. If I can get a few days off, I wouldn't mind attending Iceland Airwaves, either; a big music festival in Reykjavik.

Plan #3: Return to Skyros (part two)

Sometime in October I will head back to my favourite Greek island to spend six weeks or so working with the world's greatest breed of tiny pony. And for the first time, I'll be working in weather my body can understand, and I might actually be quite productive!

Plan #4: Christmas in Cumbria and Hogmanay

Since the last Christmas season was spent with another family in another hemisphere, I promised my parents (well, my mum) that this year I'd be at home. And I am determined to attend Hogmanay for my birthday this year, something I've always wanted to do but - despite living so close to Edinburgh for so long - I've never done it yet.

Plan #5: (technically, this one is for 2015) Move to Australia

That's right. Lachy is transferring and I'm moving to Melbourne with him. Much adventure awaits. Much excitement, much excitement indeed. 

Hello Melbourne.