maverickbirdI took a three-year gap before posting about my yearly highlights. The reason is that the last three years have been tough on a personal level and apart from losing my father, nothing life-changing happened. 2023 brought equal joy, hope, success, and pain. I learned to stop being in denial and despite the heartache, accept the vacuum left by my father´s death. My career in Germany finally started flourishing and I am a proud mistress of my home. At the same time, I dealt with the insanely twisted German bureaucratic system without screaming in frustration at their massive obsession with a letter trail. My language skills improved by leaps and bounds and I can successfully file my taxes in Germany (which is an achievement in itself). This year, our little family welcomed Amora, a Main Coon and Persian mix kitten and she is adorable. My limited circle of friends is as good as gold – reliable, trustworthy people for whom I can put my hands in the fire – and I am surrounded by well-wishers. My boss is a kind, helpful gentleman and I have wonderful colleagues. Can anyone ask for more? Perhaps, travel-wise, I have explored less, and haven´t been to any offbeat destinations, but I have managed to spend quality time with myself, and been steady with my finances. Overall, 2023 was a life-changing year that taught me a lot and left me with the hope of a brighter, more peaceful future. It reminds me of Shakespeare´s famous lines in As You Like It, “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.”
Say hi to Amora, our newest family member
Table of Contents
India, the best of my yearly life highlights
When I say that I travelled less, I mean less than I used to do before. That still meant that I visited India twice and explored two of its most beautiful destinations: Kashmir and the Sunderbans. Although I have been to both before, these two places never fail to mesmerize me. Both are magnificent. One is about mountains and valleys and the other is about islands and mangrove jungles teeming with wildlife including the tiger. I also visited my favourite city in the world, Delhi, twice and met up with my close friends. Delhi always pulls at my heartstrings and I am happy whenever I am there.
Our favourite tea vendor in India
A bit of Germany
This year, I explored different parts of Germany and did a lot of local activities like autumn mushroom hunting. We went to Frankfurt to enjoy its magnificent museums and to the Black Forest region for some nature. Charlemagne´s city of Aachen happened sometimes in summer and during the year, I visited Ulm, Eisenach, and Wartburg (of Martin Luther King´s fame), and the Swabian Jura region. Somewhere during the year, we even spent a relaxing week in Goa. That was my year in a nutshell.
Aachen
Blautopf, one of the loveliest spots in Germany
Idstein Tanaus, one of the most gorgeous half-timbered villages in Germany
Ulm
Frankfurt
Aachen
Black Forest in Germany
Michelstadt
Wiblingen Abbey
Mushroom hunting in Bonn
Delhi
Kashmir
Srinagar in Kashmir
A rare sunset
Sunderbans
Sunderbans cruise
Delhi
Ranthambore National Park
Goa
Jaipur
Have a great new year
Have a great new 2024 folks. Wishing you all lots of love, peace, and happiness. See you soon in 2024 and stay tuned for lots of brand new travel experiences. Now you can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for your daily dose of exciting travel experiences.
RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE