2013: An Instagram Flashback

There’s nothing like a little nostalgia of the year gone by. I’ve always loved looking back at old photos and reliving the memories. It’s almost like you get to experience them all over again. I know I’ve already told you my top travel moments of 2013 but since I’m such a sucker for visuals I want to share some with you some photos that may not have made it to this site or Facebook.

My travel started off in March with a trip to South Korea, where I set up shop for 5 weeks and drank Angry Birds soda. I slept through my flight but I finally arrived just 24 hours later than planned. This was my first time spending more than a few weeks outside of Canada at one time. It was really nice to develop a routine and feel like I was living somewhere rather than just passing through. I found a favourite coffee shop, a favourite walking trail and shopped for groceries.

I ate my fair share of restaurant meals as well. I was surprised by how much I liked Korean food, like this galbitang (갈비탕), even though it was a bit of a DIY meal where I had to cut the meat from the bone myself. This seems to be a theme with a number of meals. They make you work for you supper.

And one of my favourites: dolsot bulgogi bibimbap (mixed rice with beef bulgogi). Oddly enough I never Instagramed my fav meal of all: Korean bbq. I guess I was too busy shoving kimchi (김치) and samgyeopsal (삼겹살) into my face to get my phone out.

I spent Easter weekend in Yeosu where I tried noraebang for the first time. Another first was getting to see cherry trees in full bloom. Gorgeous! I tripped over the sidewalk more than once because I was staring up at the trees. I’m that coordinated.

In June I attended TBEX, my first travel blogging conference, in Toronto. This was the event where I started to feel like I was part of a larger community rather than just a lonesome newbie blogger sending words and photos out into the digital abyss hoping someone will find them. Thanks to BlogHouse I learned so much practical information and came away completely enthused and motivated.

I got to see my beloved Blue Jays play three times this summer, including an epic 18 inning game. The team was still doing relatively well at this point in the season… then the arse fell out of ‘er. Oh well, there’s always next year boys.

Oh yeah, I hung off the CN Tower while I was there too. No big deal.

In July I ventured to Eastport, a new part of Newfoundland for me, to attend the annual accordion festival. A surprisingly cool festival that brought me right back to my roots. I spent some time discovering sandy beaches and freezing my toes off in the North Atlantic.

Of course, I stuffed my face full of toutons. Mmm…toutons.

October saw me in Alberta. Yay for new provinces! I ventured into my first corn maze, sampled the wares from many food trucks, lived long and prospered in Vulcan, rode a horse through the mountains, and attended my first fashion show.

I hung out in over Calgary.

And felt a surge of Canadian pride at Lake Louise. Awful view, eh?

I spent Thanksgiving weekend on a roadtrip down the Cape Shore and around the Irish Loop back in Newfoundland. Can’t believe I’d never been to Cape St. Mary’s before. I saw caribou, a whale, lots of birds and almost no people. Here’s a tip for you: if you’re travelling this area outside of peak tourist season, pack a lunch. There may not be many places left open that serve food. Lesson learned.

I laid low in November and then took off in a teeny tiny plane to spend Christmas with my dad in New Brunswick. I’ve dubbed this plane the Giant Lawn Dart. I’m not a fan.

But the Saint John City Market sure was pretty.

And I got to hang out with some deer. One day, I watched my dad hand feed crackers to one of them he’d nicknamed Duncan (though I think Duncan is a girl). He’s like Snow White or something.

All in all, a pretty solid year.

If you like what you see, don’t wait for new year’s round-up, be sure to follow me on Instagram.