New year, and review of my first year as a blogger

Happy New Year, while leaving 2022 behind, I want to review my first year as a blogger. Did I achieve some of my goals? In this post, I will go through the trips I did this year and wrote about, among others. 

Happy New Year from Vietnam

I spent the last week of 2022 in Vietnam, and I prepared this post before I left Norway, and I will come back with several posts from Vietnam in the New Year. I hope all my followers had a lovely Christmas for those that celebrated that, and the entrance to the new year is pleasant.

Tromsø and Svalbard early in the year

The plan of starting a blog started six months before the first one came out. But, somehow, it was in the library in Tromsø that I got down to it and started to write. I took a winter break in January. I wanted to see the Northern light, aurora borealis, and also experience the dark period in the north. At the same time, I set off time in the library both in Tromsø and Svalbard to do some writing. Unfortunately, I only saw the Northern Light for a few minutes outside Tromsø. And not at all in Svalbard.

Warsaw

At easter time, I was heading for Albania for two weeks. My flight was via Warsaw; unfortunately, there had been a snowstorm in Warsaw, so my flight from Oslo were too late to catch the connection to Tirana. The air company sorted out my accommodation and new flight the following day. Luckely for me, I have a friend living in Warsaw, and I wrote to him saying I would spend the evening in his city. He picked me up at the hotel and was a brilliant guide for me, so I got a small glimpse of what Warsaw has to offer. There is no doubt, I have to go back one day.

Albania

I arrived in Albania one day too late, but it did not make much difference to my plans. And after all, I had got an extra evening in Warsaw. Now it was Tirana that was my first stop. After that, I went on to Berat, Girokaster, Sarande, then the ancient Butrint. Afterward, I had to go back via Tirana to Korçë. I was fortunate with the mild good weather. And the Albanian people were accommodating and helpful. Still, there should be many places to see in that small country, but two weeks sets its limitations.

Singapore

The first ten days of my summer holiday went to Singapore. It may not be a typical summer destination for Europeans, but July is the colder season there. Therefore this suited me perfectly. And even though Singapore is a large city but a small country, it is very urban, but I also managed to visit the more rural part of the island.

Georgia

After Singapore, I went on to Georgia. A country I have wanted to visit for a very long time. The combination I did with one week with Hvitserk and one week on my own was perfect for me. That gave me a proper hike up in the Kakasus mountains with the group. Later I could look more into the cultural sights of the country. I might return to this country; I hope they get a government that is not so Russian-friendly because the people are not.

Berlin

I spent a long weekend in Berlin in August. This was a nice break, and I saw some things I had not done before. I had booked for the Bundestag in advance, so I visited the large glass dome on the roof.

Jordan

The autumn break was one of my life highlights. The hike to Petra and the days in Wadi Rum. What a wonderful experience, a perfect group, and a pleasant country to visit. In my opinion less hassle than in other Arabian countries. I recommend this destination to anyone who likes to see some of the world’s wonders.

Postdam

In November, I went on a second trip to Berlin this year, but the trip’s primary purpose was to go to Postdam. This little town with up to 16 castles or palaces. Not all of them were open in the winter, but I still saw many things. I like to point out the stone floor in the New Palace; it is one of the most fantastic floors I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I cannot give it full credit with my picture.

The New Year

This was a list of my adventures in 2022; I think I had a terrific year. I have already booked my first five trips for 2023, but I will not divulge the destinations yet, but they include Peru and a trip with a travel planner that I have dreamed of traveling with for a long time Against the compass.

Did I achieve what I was hoping for by starting blogging? I do not know; I have to say I enjoyed doing the posts, but it took some time. Before I go to new places, I try to read some literature from the county I am going to, not just travel books. It is a bit like making a photo album with some stories. It is nice to show them to interested people, and I have got some followers that I do not know. I can also see from which country the readers come, and also countries I hardly have heard about before. Therefore, if I carry on, in 10 years it will be a photo album with many memories.

Since February, I have made 47 posts.