So, 2023 is over. The year has gone by so quickly traveling across 15 countries and starting law school. It has been quite a ride, but adjusting to the student life has gone well, and I’m content in this new pace and stage of life.

Beginning any new project means new friends and sharing my experience coming from a gap year, and makes many tell me they wished they had done the same. Therefore, I’m glad to be back after last year, but I’m also incredibly happy to still be traveling. After Saint Martin in November, I left for Austria for the holiday vacations with the family.

We were flying in to and out of Munich giving us the chance to discover some German countryside and Austrian towns. Our first night was spent in Salzburg, Austria where we visited its Christmas market and its hilltop castle. After thoroughly enjoying our first pretzel and glühwein, mulled wine, we meandered through the city’s historic streets thoroughly soaked by the cold rain and promptly went to bed shortly after.

The magic of Salzburg has to be its location right below the Alps, making for incredible views when we climbed up to the city’s castle.

Then, we were off to Sölden, a mountain ski resort situated in Austria’s Tyrol region. We skied throughout the whole week after, enjoyed the famous après-ski and the outdoors. After a busy December for all with finals and work, everyone was glad to have the time off!

After an incredible New Year’s celebration, our time was already over and we promptly made our way to Munich after a quick stop in the lovely Innsbruck. We were staying in Munich’s gay neighbourhood and we really enjoyed it. The vibes were pristine, we were a short walk from everything making it a convenient location too.

Dachau was a must on our visit list; a somber reminder to a dark reality. As my dad put it, “We must do our historical due diligence”. And thus it was added to the list among two castles and the Lego store, much needed respites after our visit.

With that our vacation was already over. Europe in its variety is an incredible place to visit. The mix of history and efficiency and nature is the summum for a nature-loving, nerd family like ours. We were glad to have spent that time together, and from my family to yours, happy holidays!