A Photo Journal of My Year in Trips
Sharing some amazing travels from the U.S. and abroad
My travels this year took me from where I live in Wisconsin to New York, California, islands in the Carribean, Duluth, Minnesota, and the North Shore of Lake Superior, and finally, across “the pond” to cruise some of the oldest transport rivers in the world — the Danube, Main, and the Rhine — from Budapest, Hungary to Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
There is only one word for these trips — incredible!
Last February, my husband and I traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the first time. We needed somewhere warm to go to in the dead cold of a Northern Wisconsin winter.
We’ve been to Hawaii three times in December-January before and the dose of warmth in the winter months is incredibly uplifting. But, the long day of travel to get there is tiring. Just the thought of it made us re-think plans to go there — no matter how nice.
US Virgin Islands
And that is how I came up with St. Thomas, USVI. We stayed there for a week and went to St. John twice, by ferry, to hike, sunbathe, and snorkel on the incredible beaches within the US National Park.
Our villa was right on the beach on St. Thomas, which is somewhat unusual given the mountainous terrain. It was so incredible, we’re going back this year for a two-week stay.
St. Johns was amazing and the beaches there were among the prettiest we’ve seen — Honeymoon Beach, in particular, was beautiful and serene.
You can read more about our trip to St. Thomas, here, after you finish.
Northern California Beaches and the Redwood Forests
Last June, I traveled to California’s Northern coast to see the giant redwood trees. This was a bucket list destination for me and my eldest son.
We drove up the Pacific Coast Highway after two fabulous days in San Francisco, including some sightseeing of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Botanical Gardens.
Point Reyes National Seashore made an impression on us immediately as we started up the coast. It was an unplanned stop and I’m so glad we did it.
The hike to the lighthouse is along a beautiful path. It was unusual because this is an area where the prairie — where there are still working farms that are centuries old— meets the ocean.
When we got further along the coast, the terrain turned away from the ocean and became forested. The Redwoods began to appear.
After spending 15 years as a master gardener volunteer and educating our communities and youth about plants and awe-inspiring life forms from all over the country, I had to go see the Redwoods. They are incredible!
The sheer size and age of the trees were incredible.
We also saw some interesting wildlife on Muir Beach as we headed back towards San Francisco. California mussels were attached to the rocks on the beach everywhere you looked.
Besides mussels, we saw starfish (sea stars), crabs, snails, and green sea anemones.
In the fall, we were on to Europe, our first ever River Cruise taking us to Budapest, Vienna, multiple cities in Germany, and The Netherlands.
My husband and I have never been to Europe together before and this two-week Viking Cruise was exceptional.
Budapest was illuminated at night in such a beautiful way, from the bridges to Buda Castle, and the Parliament Building, we loved everything we saw.
Vienna was hot (82 degrees F) for October and very crowded. We elected to visit the Schonbrunn Zoo instead of the Hapsburg Palace after we toured the city — including St. Stephens, the stalls of the Lipezaner Stallions, the shopping district, and museum buildings.
When on the rivers we passed some amazing sights. And while we did not stop in Slovakia, we were intrigued by its coastline and what we could see of Bratislava, its capital city.
There are too many castles to mention or share in this article but you can check out most of what we saw in this other article I wrote on the subject.
One of our favorite stops was Wurzburg, Germany where we took a guided hike through a vineyard to a centuries-old chapel that remains part of a pilgrimage. The grapes had already been harvested but we were permitted to pick those left on the vine.
My husband grew up with grapes in Western New York, so he had a good eye for finding them — we shared with the other five people on the hike.
After our hike we had a glass of Silvaner — a local wine — on the “bridge” in Wurzburg — it’s “the thing to do” and we could see how popular it was. The wine was delicious as well!
Our last stop was Kinderdijk, The Netherlands. The grouping of windmills there is also quaint and filled with history. Although I’ve seen windmills before, I’ve never been in one, until this trip.
Our fall was quiet after we arrived home in mid-October, but we will fondly remember 2023 as a year of wonderful travel and exposure to new people, places, and cultures.
Next year will bring a return trip to St. Thomas and more adventures — yet to be planned! I hope you stay tuned for more of my travel stories!
Where did your travels take you in 2023?