My year 2014 in review

One of my resolutions for the year 2014 was to travel more often and now that I look back and add up all my trips, I can see that it was not so bad in the end. I travelled to 6 different countries: Sweden, UK, Egypt, USA, France, Morocco and visited a few local places in Ireland where I live! It was a year full of adventures and I managed to visit all these places while some holidays or weekend getaways. This is a true example that even if you work full time, you can still manage to travel as long as you plan it in advance. It’s just a matter of organisation.

February 2014

Stockholm, Sweden

I visited Stockholm while a 3 day weekend getaway in mid-February. The weather was not the best, very cold and rainy, so I had to do a lot of indoor activities: visit of museums, ice hockey match, shopping and restaurants.

It was very easy to travel around the city using the transports and see the metro station decorations that is a MUST SEE in Stockholm. I also really enjoyed walking in the narrow streets of the old town full of history. I am thinking to go back, but this time while summer to enjoy fully every attractions the city has to offer and maybe go to Finland at the same occasion. 

                           Ice Bar, Stockholm, 2014

March 2014

London, United Kingdom

What to say about London… I lived there for 2 years while I was a student and I just love that city. Full of history, multi-cultural, full of events, you can NOT be bored as there is always something to do or to discover. Also visiting the city while on holiday and while living there are two different experiences, and this time I was able to see it with a tourist eye although knowing how to get around the fastest way, that is pretty handy! 

Picadilly Circus, London, 2014

Glendalough National Park, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Glendalough, national park located in the Wicklow mountains near Dublin in Ireland is a great place for a day out on a weekend to reconnect with mother nature at just an hour drive from Dublin city centre.

Glendalough, Dublin, 2014

April 2014

Waterford, Ireland

I had the opportunity to go to Waterford while a weekend on a family trip located 2 hours away South from Dublin. I went there with no expectation and was pleasantly surprised. We staid in a very modern cottage house near the Waterford castle that is located on an small island reachable by a 5 minutes ferry journey. We spent most of the time indoor due to the poor weather, but as soon as it stopped, we enjoyed a stroll in the park and the visit of the Crystal museum.

Waterford Castle, Ireland, 2014

May 2014

Cairo, Egypt

A dream come true. I have always been and still is fascinated by the Egypt history and always dreamt to go there. Despite the last events that happened the past months (Arab spring) I had the opportunity to go there after one of my colleagues invited me to his wedding. I seized the opportunity without thinking twice and had absolutely no regrets. Everything was amazing: the sunny weather, the warm temperature, the food, the people, the pyramids and temples. I am looking forward to going back one day.

Cairo, Egypt, May 2015. All rights reserved to jst1photography

August 2014

Limerick

Located in the Mid-West Region and also part of the province of Munster in Ireland, Limerick is the fourth most populous city in the country. I went there for a weekend and made a small road trip along the Wild Atlantic Way  down to the small village of Ballybunion. The landscape there was beautiful and passing by some places, it was hard to believe that I was still in Ireland. Ireland has some hidden gems worth discovering.

Ballybunion, Ireland, 2014

September 2014

Time Square, New York, 2014

New York, USA

I went to the US in September 2014 to join one of my friends from Dublin in Orlando and make a road trip in Florida. On the way I stopped by New York for 36 hours! Arrived in the Friday evening, visited Manatthan on Saturday and took the plane to Orlando on Sunday morning. It was very cool to see this city for real and walked down the streets I only saw on TV. It was fast but a great experience. I am looking forward to going back there for at least a week to visit everything I would like to see.

Florida, USA

Florida, just one word: wow! I met one of my friends from Dublin in Orlando and we rented a car to make a road trip from Orlando down to Key West, the southern continental point of the US. It was just amazing, the sun was shining between thunderstorms, it was hot, the beaches were amazing, the emerald sea, the palm trees, the sunsets. We did the road trip in seven days and is definitely one of my best summer holidays so far.

Miami Beach, Florida, 2014

November 2014

Paris, France

I went to France in November to visit my family that still lives there in the center of France. As I passed by Paris and visited some friends, one of them happened to live near the Catacombs of Paris that are underground ossuaries and offered me to go visit it. How to say...the first part of the visit from the historical and geological point of view was very interesting but when it comes to the second part of the visit, I would not recommend it as a familly attraction or for sensitive souls. The meaning of what is written in the photo below is: "Stop!Here lies the Empire of Death", just to give you an idea.

Paris Catacombes, Paris, 2014

December 2014

Agadir, Morocco

Tired from the grey and cold weather in Dublin, I went to Agadir in the South of Morocco to enjoy a winter sun getaway. It was a great trip. I staid there for a full week and had time to experience many things, like a full body moroccan massage for the first time in my life, visited the Atlas mountains, saw a Fantasia dinner, spent a night in the Sahara and of course the sunsets which were so colourful.

Agadir, Morocco, 2014

Hopefully the year 2015 will be as much full of adventures than 2014. More details about these trips are coming up soon.