Travels of 2016

Hello and welcome to a brand new year full of opportunities, promises, resolutions and hopefully travels! First of all I want to thank you for sticking around last year and reading this simple blog of mine – it means a lot! From a blogging point of view, 2016 has been the worst of all. Because even though I travelled the most I’ve ever done in a year’s time, I only managed to put together 27 blog posts (disappointing, I know). So before we get into all that “new year, new me” crap, I wanted to summarize my travels from last year (some you already know about, some are yet to be covered on CitoftheWeek).

So without further ado, here are my travels of 2016:

JANUARY

On the 7th of the month we managed to have a one-day outing with RP’s family to the nearby mountains. It was a day of snowy fun filled with sledding, mulled wine and quality family time. I’ve actually written a bit about it in my post Bucin Top, Harghita Mountains Photo Diary.

FEBRUARY

I guess the 7th officially marks the day of family outings, because we managed to escape the city for a day with my parents this time. We enjoyed eachother’s company while exploring the Must-see fortified Saxon churches near Sighisoara.

Between the 27th and 28th we headed towards the nearest medieval city for a quick team building. We got together for an event we were organizing in our hometown. It was from there that we admired the best view of Sighisoara.

MARCH

Between the 5th and 6th we drove South to meet up with Vlad from Eff it I’m on Holiday and John from Continental Breakfast Travel to wander around Peles Castle, the Royal Estate of Sinaia. We also enjoyed a weekend getaway to Busteni, Romania.

The next weekend we headed towards the mountains for an epic 3-day hiking adventure in the Eastern Carpathians. The trip wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as I told you in How I almost missed out on my best winter hike ever, but it was definitely filled with beautiful views!

APRIL

On the first weekend on the month my girlfriends and I set out on a little roadtrip, visiting Sibiu and the UNESCO-protected Biertan fortified church of Transylvania.

On the 17th we enjoyed a relaxing day of fishing in a nearby village. It was one of two fishing trips in 2016, the second occuring merely two weeks after our first fishing experience in a long time.

MAY

Between the 16th and 22nd a long-time dream of mine finally came true: we explored the magical Danube Delta from a canoe! It was not only a beautiful place of sightseeing, but also a challenging adventure, as we got to know the region by riding canoes – a first for me. I think this is a perfect destination for 2017, but before you start the planning process, read about the 10 things you must know before visiting the Danube Delta.

On the weekend of the 26th and 29th we managed to travel once again with my parents to the beautiful Ghimes region of Romania filled with rolling hills and exciting traditions. The post about it is not ready yet, but until it is, here’s a little teaser of the area:

JUNE

Between the 5th and 9th of June I participated in an entrepreneurship program in a small town in Hungary together with two friends. From there I travelled to Budapest where I was joined by RP as we embarked on a 10-day adventure to Portugal.

During our Portuguese trip we explored the capital of Lisbon, admired the mighty Pena Palace of Sintra and spend 6 blissful days on some of the best beaches in the country. Posts to be followed but until then here’s what you can expect:

JULY

On the second weekend of July we travelled to the Calimani Mountains. Together with the same group we explored Sighisoara, we spent a day hiking and one cooking camp food and drinking beer.

Between the 22nd and 24th we finally managed to travel with our godson! Together with his parents we visited Colibita, the lake of summer escapades. I also managed to put together a photo diary of Colibita Lake Mornings.

AUGUST

A short break from travel – see how I avoid the peak season? 🙂

SEPTEMBER

Between the 4th and 6th of September we embarked on a small road trip towards a mountain destination. We were joined by two friends and ended up hiking in the stunning Hasmas Mountains all weekend. It was a very fun trip and I finally managed to cross this mountain range off my bucket list! Post to follow soon!

From the 17th to the 20th my parents drove us down to the Cazan Gorge, a popular attraction in Romania. Although the drive was long, the scenery was definitely worth it! We went on a boat trip, a short hike and revisited the most beautiful waterfall in the country, the famous Bigar Falls. I wrote a post about it for Just a Pack, entitled Traveling Romania – The Complete Guide to Portile de Fier Natural Park.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER

Short break from travel during the rainy season

DECEMBER

We ended the year with a bang by traveling to the Harghita Madaras ski center. Although we didn’t actually ski, we went sledding with our godson and did a bit of hiking. The view was phenomenal and the effort was totally worth it!

IN SUMMARY

• Total days of traveling: 59
• Plane rides: 2
• Train rides: 5
• Kilometers driven: approx. 7,000
• Number of people we traveled with: 36
• Number of days spent hiking: 8
• Trips with the family: 8
• Fishing trips: 2
• New experiences: canoeing
• Number of trips cancelled: 2

Although we had two cancelled trips this year, I can’t argue that it’s been a rockin’ 365 days of traveling for me. I am lucky to say that I am healthy and eager to explore this world of ours in 2017. For me the most important thing is sharing experiences with loved ones. That’s why my only goal for this year is to travel together with them. No plans are set and no flight tickets are booked yet. So I am basically open to any kind of trips the new year offers. Bring it on, 2017!

Related posts:

How my Travels began Agape Resort – more than just a simple lodging Must-See Fortified Saxon Churches near Sighisoara Must-See Fortified Saxon Churches near Brasov