So, that’s that then… The last of the decorations have been packed away, the loyal and beautiful (it (almost) didn’t drop a single needle!) Christmas tree has been consigned to the patio to await its tree mulching fate (in the strange and balmy current temperatures we are experiencing in this part of the world, I like to imagine that if you squint ever so slightly, it looks like a palm tree!), and with the last of the guests having left yesterday morning (*sob*), the Yuletide season is well and truly over…
Not only that, but school re-started again this morning, so right now it’s all a little bit too quiet. Actually, it’s positively deafening! So, whilst I get on with my hausfrau-erly catching up of boring old chores, what better way to keep my mind occupied, than to look forward to the year ahead and contemplate where in the world we might visit in 2014??
Last year we were exceptionally lucky to visit places on our doorstep (in the form of Austria, Italy and France to name but a few!), and also a selection of places a little further afield as well, including the US, Sarajevo, and Japan. We already have a few little 2014 trips lined up, and some arrangements to finalise for our bigger trip later in the year (it seems that we are both struggling with a long-term addiction to South East Asia!), but in case I might inspire some of you with your 2014 travels, in the next few posts (amongst others!) I thought I might cover a few of the other places we visited last year, but that I was far too disorganised to write about at the time…
You might also notice a few extra food posts popping up over the year too! I always try to theme any food posts around the last places we have visited. Others are usually based on what I call “extreme Expat essentials” (such as the Mincemeat post recently) – basically foods that we Expats NEED from home occasionally, but usually have to learn how to recreate to sate any cravings… Yes, it’s true. I might not have picked up much in terms of language skills whilst being away from the UK, but my culinary skills have been given a much-needed kick in the backside. Give me a pack of (smuggled in) English bacon and a sudden hankering for English Muffins to eat them with, or a hot summer’s day and a longing for Pimms, and I will now have a blinking good go at making those things I cannot find… And that’s my explanation – in case you’re wondering why a few of this year’s food posts will include a few more recipes for basic things that some of you lucky lot take for granted – now you know!..
So, now I have finished updating you (aka. talking about myself!) tell me (she says as she sits down with a cup of tea in one hand, and one of the last slices of Christmas cake in the other), how about you? How’s 2014 treating you so far, and where in the world will it take you??
My plans aren’t completely focussed yet.
I would like some kind of magic time generating machine thing, as I never have enough time.
I SO hope I will see you again this year.
Love your food posts, love your travel posts but mostly I love the last paragraph minor disasters.
Thank you Gemma, those paragraphs come naturally to me it seems! :) I will see you in June, hopefully! xx
Very jealous of all your travelling, reminds me of life BC (before children), unfortunately we just can’t do it these days. I’d love to go back to SE Asia. Nowadays I enjoy travelling longhaul vicariously through places like your blog. I get very itchy feet if we don’t get to use our passports at least once a year though so it’s off to Brittany for us this summer as well as a cheeky trip to Cornwall to see rellies and do a festival (Leopallooza).
Thank you! I love the sound of your trips, Brittany is gorgeous and I am a sucker for both festivals and Cornwall! Have fun! :)
Extra food posts? I like the sound of that! ;)
Coming soon. When I finally sort myself out! :D
Happy travels to you in 2014! May the road rise up to meet you…
And to you m’dear! Happy New Year! :) xx
We’re only going as far as Teignmouth this year but it’ll do for us!
And that’s the secret! It’s not about how far you travel, but whether you enjoy it when you get there! Have fun, I like Teignmouth! :)
We haven’t got any abroad plans yet but I turn 40 in June and am hoping that hubby springs a surprise holiday for us…..if any of you want to drop a few sledgehammer type hints I would be very grateful lol
Do you want me to send him an anonymous email? It can easily be arranged!! Thanks Kara! :)
I rarely travel, and went on my first ever proper holiday only last year. I do love to live vichariously, and hearing of others travel adventures does thrill me. Can’t wait to read more :-)
There’s a lot to be said for staying at home and exploring your own vicinity! I still feel bad that I have two little globe trotters that have yet to set foot on an English beach!! :O Thank you!
Wow, sounds like a busy 2013 and a busy 2014 to look forward to as well :)
We weren’t able to go anywhere in 2013 (other than London for BritMums) and so this year we are really hoping to make it to Glastonbury to meet up with Little Man’s (fairy) Godmother who lives in Switzerland and comes over once a year. We’re hoping to be there for Beltane, it is such a beautiful time of year to visit the gardens and abbey. I’ll also hopefully head to London for BritMums but probably only the Saturday this year as Glastonbury will eat our budget and I won’t have money for an overnight stay.
Thank you! I love Glastonbury,and Beltane must be a really lovely time to visit! Enjoy! :)
I do love a good english muffin, I’ve never actually baked one though.
I can’t wait to hear more about your travel plans for 2014. xxx
Thank you Emma. Looking forward to your adventures too! :) xxx
I’m right with you about the deafening silence in the house when the kids go back to school – it is nice to get back to normality though isnt it x
Thanks Cass! So nice, but it seems to be taking forever!! :D x
Sounds to me like you have another exciting year ahead of you planned… I also happen to think your culinary skills are rather impressive, puts mine to shame anyway. New Year so far has got off to a big writing start…. as well as the novel, I am also working on a little booklet of reedited versions of some of my favourite posts, I’ve entitled it, Seasons of Motherhood. X.
Thanks so much! And I happen to think your writing skills are rather impressive, and put mine to shame! Your booklet sounds fabulous, let me know when it’s available… :) xx
Oooh, you had my mouth watering at ‘Christmas cake”! I hate the bare, deflated feel after the decorations come down and the family return to work and school, but I appreciate the structure of my old timetable.
Where will 2014 take us? I try not to think about it too much. There will be decisions to make, choices to take and then we’ll have to stand by them. The Middle East beckons, threatening to dash my dreams of a cozy Canadian home by the lake, but we shall have to wait and see. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” is my mantra these days…
I think crossing that bridge when you come to it sounds like a very good mantra indeed… Good luck, some things happen for a reason and all that! Another good expat mantra I find! :D
Have enjoyed your web site. Yes, it is quiet when the children return to school…..
Thanks so much Carmen! :)
Wow loving all the places you visited last year. We’re booking in a few more trips this year as we went virtually nowhere in 2013. So 2014 is the year of travel for us x
Thanks Lori! Here’s to 2014! :)
What seasoned travellers you are! I’ve never been to Asia at all but we are determined, now that our kids are a bit older, to travel further afield in the future. This year, we are plumping for 1 week in Turkey during May, a long weekend in Wales at Easter and 10 days on the North West coast of Scotland – the Hebrides to be precise. What extremes!
I love the sound of all the places you will visit in 2014, it all sounds fabulous! Thanks Suzanne! :)
Happy new year :)
Looking forward to the food posts! We dont have any firm plans yet for travel in 2014 but definitely hope we do get the chance to go on a few trips
Thanks Anna, Happy New Year to you too! :)
looking forward to your food posts, I always find it really interesting what other countries and cultures eat! x
Thanks Fritha! Me too, funny how we always hanker after our own when we have been away for a long time though! :D x
Lovely post, I am dreaming about Pimm’s now! This year plans are afoot to sail down to the Channel Islands – it will be our first overnight sail as a family so it will be quite an adventure!
That sounds just brilliant Chris, I love your boat, so beautiful! Can’t wait to read all about it! :)
I’m way behind on the holiday organising front but do have one idea for the summer which I’m mulling over.
Looking forward to reading all your 2014 posts. Will you be BritMum – ing this year?
Bavaria?!?!? Yes, I will be there, I do hope you will be too? xx
It sounds like you have some lovely trips planned. We’ve booked to go to Sicily in the summer and I’m working out some other trips too.
Sicily is somewhere I would love to go Gretta, looking forward to reading about it! :)
What a fabulous post, sounds like you’ve got lots of exciting things in the pipeline. I will keep my beadies out for your trips and recipes of course. Here’s to a great 2014 :)
Thank you Charly! Here’s to a great 2014 for you too! :)
Oh pants.. you hvae reminded me that I still have some Christmas stuff to pack away.. slinks off to do it.. sigh
Off you go Maggy! :D
I look forward to reading your travel posts! This year we have a holiday booked to Ibiza (a family holiday that is, not a mad clubbing one!) and a Florida holiday with cruise later in the year. We are still firmly in the family package holiday band at the moment, not quite like the more adventurous holidays that my husband and I took before children!
Thanks Jennifer! They will come back soon enough, but in the meantime enjoy, those holidays sound pretty lovely too! :)
Look forward to reading about your travels. I also love travelling, and visited Japan last year, I loved it.
Thanks Natalie, Japan is amazing isn’t it?
I love your foodie and travel posts Emma.You gave us a snapshot of Europe and Asia last year, and brought them closer to the U.K. I’m looking forward to seeing more about your family travels and the food you replicate in 2014.I’m pushing for more vegetarian and vegan offerings this year as it’s such a wide genre of food people don’t try.
That is such a lovely comment Aly, thank you! :) I am looking forward to more vegetarian and vegan inspiration from you too! :)
Sounds like you’ve got an intriguing year ahead of you already. I know what you mean about the quietness of the house after the business of Christmas, I bet it doesn’t last though!
No Janie, it won’t last! Thank you! :)
Looking forward to hearing all about your travels in 2014.
Thank you Hellie! :)
Lovely post! I have been floundering in the post Xmas silence too. I am hoping this year may take us to Canada to meet a new niece/nephew who is currently cooking nicely!
Now that does sound exciting! Thank you! :) x
OH MY GOD the amount of places you went to last year – wow wow wow!
Phenomenal.
Liska xxx
Thank you Liska! :)
think I live vicariously through your wonderful travel tales! You pack so much into every trip – always look forward to catching up on your adventures. We didn’t go far in 2013 – there’ll be more France in 2014 and maybe a journey a bit further afield towards the end of the year. Had hoped to go to Melbourne next Christmas to stay with my sister, but she’s struggling being so far away from family and is heading home for good some time this year.
Thank you so much! Sorry you won’t get to go to Melbourne, but how lovely you will get your sister back! :) Looking forward to following your adventures in 2014 too! :)
Oh my gosh, I soooo hear you about all the expat needs! All the very best for 2014 and if you are ever near us, please feel free to visit.
Thanks so much Ruth! My father in law lives very close to you, so you never know! :)
I am looking forward to your food posts! xxx
Thanks Keri Anne! :)
I am hoping to go back to Singapore to visit my family!
I also went to Japan and love their culture and arts! The photo of the temple door is stunning! Fab!
Another place I would love to visit! One day! Thanks Eileen! :)
Can’t wait to find out where you are off to next! I have never been to South East Asia (Taiwan is the closest – I know a fair bit about that crazy country). We won’t be going abroad again this year but have some lovely trips planned. This feels like the time of year for planning and getting sorted out, ready to take on the year when it finally stop raining (it has been pouring with rain here).
I would LOVE to go to Taiwan, Mr R has been, and it’s now on my list, parts of it sounds so beautiful. I will be questioning you when we get to go!! I love the sound of your year. Travel is kind of my compensation for being away from the UK, and the sacrifices we have made to live this life. One day when we finally put some roots down, I will look forward to planning and getting sorted years! :) xx
So envious of your warmer weather, we are cold but not freezing (yet) but with the wind and rain it is truly miserable.
It looks like snow is not too far off for us now!… I hope the rain stops for you, it looks truly horrendous at home… :/
2014 has started off in a flurry of excitement for us with contracts being exchanged, boxes being packed and a completion date being set. We’ve been in a rented house for the past 10 years and never imagined we would ever own our own house so when the opportunity arose, we grabbed at it and decided to forego a holiday this year and spend all our spare money on our new house :)
This means that I’m going to be looking to reading about your travels seeing as we won’t be having any of own!
Happy new year xx
That’s so exciting Shell! As someone who has rented abroad for far too long, I cannot wait until we own our own house again! Thank you! :) xx
I know not where this year will take me but I do know one thing – I’ll be here keeping an eye out for your home from home recipes! x
Sometimes they are the best years though aren’t they? Not having anything planned, just seeing what happens! :) Thanks Annie! x
Struggling to decide at the moment to be honest. HWMBO is booked for Prague and Austrlia. I’m booked for Switzerland but what to do together? We are considering Sweden at the moment.
PS woul dyou like me to post marmite?! There’s no way you can make your own marmite!
I love Switzerland so beautiful, and Sweden too, it is a lovely country (can’t understand a word they are saying though!)… Speak to Trish (MumsGoneto…), she has travelled there more extensively than I have! Thanks for the Marmite offer, that is very kind! I buy one big jar each time I am home, and that keeps us going (you can get it here, but I think gold might be cheaper!)… :)
The beginning of your post reminded me that I have yet to take the decorations off the tree if we are to dispose of it on Saturday!!
Looking forward to reading your posts this year.
There are a few things lined up already too, the first of them on the blog soon… xx
Do they have the same taking down decs tradition here? I have just noticed a lot of trees still up, and lights still on etc. But then again I am guessing a lot of people might still be away! Thank you. I look forward to your adventures too! :) xx
I know that everything tends to stay up/lit until January 6th. I think it also depends on when a Christmas tree collection is organised. :) xx
I think they just like their Christmas trees down here too! :D Thank you xx
Happy New Year! We got back late on Sunday night so blogging has recommenced as of yesterday. : )
Happy New Year to you too! I hope you had a brilliant time! Speak soon! :)
MORE FOOD POSTS! YIPPEEE!!
I’m very envious of all your travels – although to be fair, we did make it to California and Crete last year, so I should’ complain. I suppose I just can’t wait to some day be booking flights to Japan ;) We’re thinking of escaping to somewhere near you for a few days next month – somewhere baby-friendly up a mountain, not requiring a car – any ideas?!!
Happy New Year!!! Thank you! I think your travelling is most impressive considering you were with child at the time! :) As for places to go, Garmisch?? I think you can train it there, the town is lovely, and the mountains are on your doorstep! Lots of lovely places to visit, a couple of good restaurants, and good skiing to boot! If you are near Munich though, do let me know, we should have lunch!! xxx
I will investigate Garmisch, thank you, and if we venture anywhere near you, I shall absolutely give you a tinkle :D …And if there’s a next time, I certainly won’t be planning a food trip to San Francisco with morning sickness. Or an 11 hour flight ;)
No, I am not liking the sound of that flight at all…. :/ Yes, do give me a shout if you are nearby, we could ask Rachel to meet us too! :)
So you’ve been having this incredibly mild weather too? We arrived back into Bilbao on Monday night at 10pm and it was 17 degrees. Quite a contrast to the weather we had over Christmas in the UK #notcomplaining. I’m already salivating over your 2014 post schedule. Your blog is an inspiration in so many ways! x
We have, so strange isn’t it? Not right at all, but I will admit to loving the snow free roads, and not having to de-ice the car in the morning… My glee may be short lived however, as the snow looks like it’s arriving next week! Thanks so much, likewise! Hope to see you in June?? xx
West Wales. Not Westy Wales.
I have heard West(y) Wales is just as nice (and has equally great gastronomy) to Spain and France! Thanks Sally, and thanks for your comments and support in 2013! Here’s to 2014, hope it’s a good one for you too! :)
Lovely post! Well, 2014 is taking us to Westy Wales, but we’ll be heading to the French & Spanish Pyrenees to see friends and family and revisit old haunts in the summer. Can’t wait!
That all sounds lovely Sally! :) x