Why Moldova? This was a question we were asked repeatedly. For me, it was a last minute trip as my Christmas plans and backup plans were canceled. I had seen this trip listed and was curious: wine cave? Cycling? Trains? Yup! I knew a couple of people in this group of eleven women and one man. We flew to Bucharest where we quickly made it thru customs, were picked up and taken to the train station. We had about 5 hours to kill before our trip, so we just hung out in a coffee store inside the station, occasionally harassed by a territorial / homeless man. The station was fine and decorated a bit for Christmas, but aside from a couple places, you need cash to pay for things, especially the toilet. Our train came a ... read more

On our last day, we decided to drive the 90 minutes even further north to explore the town of Abisko, one of the best places to see the Northern lights. I will warn you - it was gorgeous. My photos do not do it justice. We left around 9:30 am so we were driving throughout the peak of daylight. Essentially, it is a beautiful blur between sunrise and sunset, incredible colors the whole time. The ride itself was easy and beautiful (despite a bit of GPS confusion in the city of Kiruna and stopping for me to view the expansive mine operations in the distance). We stopped a couple of times for photos, including when we saw the large Lake Tometrask, more mountainous country, trains over bridges, and the snow covered landscape. We also stopped at ... read more

Before visiting my sisters for Thanksgiving, I decided to take an extra couple days of me time. I flew on Emirates in economy and it was okay, surprisingly crowded. Getting from the airport to the hotel was a breeze. I stayed at the very friendly CitizenM near the train station and Tivoli gardens. However, the Christmas markets at Tivoli would not open until the next day. So, after taking a nap, I wandered past the town hall plaza and down the pedestrian only shopping street, Stroget, to get my bearings. I was happy to see small Christmas markets along the way in two places before I even got to Nyhavn. The first looked to just be opening, so I wandered around, then the second market seemed to be a bit more hopping. I was able to ... read more

Another Trekkup trip for the books! A little drama before this one though, thank you Covid. The previous weekend I was supposed to do another trip but had to take a PCR test (a last minute change in requirements), and it came out positive. Based on Dubai restrictions, I was now to be in quarantine for 10 days, which meant no trip that weekend and it may also affect the following week's trip to Kazakhstan. I stayed home to work (no symptoms, and actually only got 6 hours of sleep a night no problem). By Wednesday, I took a home pcr test, then I called a testing company to do a home PCR test - two negatives in a row and I would be released. It worked and I was able to join my Kazakhstan trip! ... read more

The next day we were slept in a bit as our first plan of the day is Sunday roast!! yay! C made us reservations at the Ladbrooke Arms in Notting Hill, a highly recommended place she found. We met K there and enjoyed (well, I did) the delicious meal. It was quite heavy, but I was in heaven with my Yorkshire pudding. I think C and K don't really get Yorkshire pudding, but that just leaves more for me! Takes me back to some of the lovely roasts my grandmother made when we were young and it is the main dish that just really reminds me of England. After getting our fill, feeling so heavy, we walked through the beautiful streets of Notting Hill, stopping at an organic store, then on to the next spot: a ... read more