Some year the 2022’s been!! For the travelling. For us.
It started slow, with Covid restrictions still mostly in
place, but easing off. We still wondered if we would finally get to see E in Larkhall, Scotland as planned, after *33 months*.
Our March booking didn’t have to be cancelled though and it was just fabulous
to see her, T and the boys. All well, and preps for the wedding were on schedule…
by all accounts. J turning up was a lovely wee extra surprise for all and of
course there were tears. We met up with old pals too and even ‘long lost’
family of J in Edinburgh, sadly, just
to say goodbye. A lovely six days though. The diet had to start on return.
End of March, beginning of April we flew to Athens (Pireaus) in Greece for a week
of stuffing our faces with great food and our heads with culture. We took in
the island of Hydra for a day too.
All very lovely.
End of April, beginning of May we had ten days in the South
of France in Toulouse (day trip to Carcasonne) and Montpelier (day trip to Arles).
All just fabulous, such lovely places - and the diet went to pot.
In June we actually stayed at home the whole month and as I
was determined to fit into my outfit for the wedding, that was a good plan. I got
down to 66Kg… didn’t quite hit the magic 65 but things fitted!
July was so great with the wedding smack in the middle - a
week in Larkhall/Edinburgh. The
wedding was a total triumph in E&T’s beautifully finished garden. It was
touch and go but they pulled it off admirably with everything ready on time. L’s
T missed the whole affair because of Covid and had to stay in his hotel room, but all the boys, J (and T) wore the kilt and E
looked fabulous… as did her sister/best maid L. We met up with loads of old
pals before coming home and just had the best time.
August, we had a week in Italy around our anniversary in Lucca (evening trip to Torre del Lago Puccini (for the opera)
and a day trip to Barga (where many Scots-Italians
came from), immediately followed by a week in Rome (day trip to Tivoli).
Been to both main places before but so worth it. This took us into September.
Later that month I had to be in Austria, Vienna for Med-El so J joined me making
it four nights there (day trip to Bratislava). So much to see in Vienna where we've also been before, and Bratislava was a nice little place.
The year’s not over yet! October, next week in fact, we’ve
a week in Paris and Nancy to take in a Dylan concert
(Paris) and lots of art nouveau (Nancy). Again, been in Paris lots, but always worth a trip. Nancy is stuffed with art nouveau so we should be well catered for.
November sees me in Larkhall
for F’s birthday - on my own this time. He will be 11... time does fly.
December there’s a whole two weeks in Spain booked – one week
in Barcelona and one week in Tarragona, both places we have been before
and love (especially B). It won't be hot but we're hoping on mild, for December :)
All in all our busiest year of travel, ever and it has been
fabulous all round. Seen so much and done so much (and ate so much and drunk so much). We actually walked a full
300 Km over our two weeks in Italy! France and Austria were up there with the
daily steps too. Spain, we aim to dial it down a notch, but don’t quote me. The
walking doesn’t help keep the weight down at
all, but that might also be to do with all the extra calories scarfed,
including wine. How can you not when you are continually in nice places to eat
and drink delicious stuff. So many special occasions too! Never had one bad
wine all year.
Next year… who knows? It will be our 50th
wedding anniversary year so there will be something happening (barring any new
Covid restrictions) but there is nothing in the pipeline for now. All very
exciting really. So many places to go, see and do stuff (and eat stuff!). Watch
this space for news… or suggest somewhere we perhaps haven’t been.
Addendum: From Barcelona, we also visited the lovely Girona, and from Tarragona we had daytrips to Reus and Cambrils.
