Mind.Wanders

JANUARY

GRANADA, SPAIN WITH FAMILY

I was sort of in a bit of a rut during the past month or so, so I wasn't feeling my best and was feeling a little homesick. Well, Allah swt knows best and he sent my family over here during the perfect timing. We made some trips within the UK and then went off to Spain. I had always wanted to bring my dad on a holiday, you know, as a thank-you-for-everything kinda trip, but have never really been able to afford to pay the full holiday yet, haha, so I organised the trip and chipped in on what I could. :p


Us with the view of the Alhambra Palace in the background.

I gotta say, Spain has never really made it into my bucket list, but I somehow enjoyed it so much! We went to Granada and it was remarkably beautiful! We also snuck in a day trip to Mount Sierra Nevada, though we didn't do any snow activities, we enjoyed the cold mountain breeze, the snow and colourful skiers against the white background view.
More on my trip to Spain here.

MARCH

FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT

This was a very shocking new to Fizal and I, but of course, the best unexpected news ever! I would say that my pregnancy journey had been smooth, Alhamdulillah. I didn't have any morning sickness (hence why it was very unexpected) and I wasn't really craving for anything - well, except keropok lekor (but then again, I've always loved keropok lekor and it was unable to be identified whether it was pregnancy craving or just 'Hannah's normal craving', hahaha). We went for our routine appointment at University Health Service at the University of Sheffield and scans at Jessop Wing Hospital, Sheffield. Everything went well, Alhamdulillah. 

JUNE

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

Went for a short trip to Edinburgh with a few friends. We rented a car and drove up north. It was a refreshing couple of days, and I guess you could call it our 'summer holiday', since I never really went anywhere else since we found out I was pregnant (and was also busy with PhD stuff). We had a great time just leisurely walking through the city, had coffees at some nice cafés, went to the street markets, (and also into some cool Harry Potter shops!), had some nice food with a nice group of friends. You know what they say, its not about where you travel to, but who you travel with!

In front of Edinburgh Castle.

JULY

FOUND OUT BABY'S GENDER

I never really minded whether the baby was a boy or a girl, but we were so excited to find out the gender so we can buy some baby clothes already! And yes, it was a girl! We were ecstatic and more importantly she was healthy! And obviously, we started hunting for cute baby girls clothing! (and now she has toooo many clothes! (-.-)

NOVEMBER

BABY MARYAM'S ARRIVAL

Aw, look at those tiny little hands!

The biggest highlight of the year, and probably my life too - where Allah swt has granted what we prayed for; a beautiful, well and healthy baby MashaAllah. The delivery went smoothly too and I was in labour for only about 2 hours I think. Maryam was born in Jessop Wing Hospital, Sheffield, and the feeling was indescribable. And with that, 2018 ended with me becoming a mother :')

We didn't go for many trips this year like we had in previous years, but this the journey of our lifetime. One we look forward to very much, and so far, it's been amazing. :)

JANUARY 

ROVANIEMI, FINLAND

I always say this, but I really love winter trips. I love going to countries where I can enjoy the bitter cold winter weather but with magical snowy landscape scenery. And Alhamdulillah, it was no exception this year, we had the rezeki to enjoy Finland's snowy scenes.

Of course, our initial plan was to observe the aurora (third attempt already!) but again - no luck. Read about our experience here. But we did enjoy some husky-sledding experience though, which has been on my bucket list for the longest time, and it was a fantastic experience! Just exactly how amazing I imagined it would be, actually, better! 

APRIL

ORVIETO, ITALY

I have to say, and I've been to quite a few countries, I think Italy tops it on being one of my favourite countries that I have visited. I was in Orvieto for a conference and we were there for 3 days and 2 nights. I honestly fell in love with Italy because of Orvieto right here. It was a beautiful hilltop town, very peaceful with stunning landscape around it. We enjoyed walking through the town and taking photos at random beautiful corners and had delicious Italian pizza and gelatos every now and then (read my post about it here).

ROME, ITALY

We were supposed to go on a trip to Morocco. We had already booked out flights and accommodation for the end of April, but had to cancel due to some PhD work and time limitation issues. We were really frustrated as I had planned all the where-to-gos and what-to-dos in Morocco and camel-riding in the Sahara has been in my bucket list for a longggg time. Hopefully, there will be rezeki for us to visit Morocco in the future. :)

MAY

SOUTH ENGLAND (SEVEN SISTERS COUNTRY PARK, BRIGHTON, EAST SUSSEX, DORSET)

My older sister and her family came to visit us from Malaysia so we took the opportunity for a road trip down south. I had always wanted to go to a few places in the South of England especially the Seven Sisters Country Park and visit Brighton town. With this opportunity, we managed to witnessed the beautiful coastal English landscape that I can only imagine and had only seen on the internet and in books, and yet, here we are, with that exact landscape in the background. Alhamdulillah... :)



AUGUST

HITCHIN LAVENDER AND SUNFLOWER FARM

Lavender farm had been the talk of the town recently, (well at least among my friends). So we had to jump into the bandwagon and join in the hype. It was a really nice experience - we get to enjoy the scent of lavender and had lavender flavoured ice cream and had some fun getting lost in the tall sunflowers. Read more about it here. 

SEPTEMBER

LUND, SWEDEN

I never planned to visit Sweden nor Denmark, but there was a landscape conference that I wanted to attend because one of the speakers was my lecturer at the University of Sheffield (who also encouraged us to go) and many other great speakers in our field. So I thought we'd take this opportunity to attend the conference while also sight-seeing Lund. Lund is a very small town (I'd never even heard of it before this conference), so there really wasn't much to see. However, I was amazed and very impressed at how 'green' and sustainable it was; a lot of the streets and corners were filled with green walls. We also enjoyed a peaceful walk around a pretty Scandinavian neighbourhood. Read more about what we did in Lund here.

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

To get to Lund, it was easier and closer to land in Copenhagen Airport. So of course, we had to visit the famous Nyhavn Harbour, which was stunningly beautiful and colourful, and straight away lifts up your mood while walking along the waterfront - totally photos-worthy! Check them out here. But it was very unfortunate that we didn't get to go many places in Copenhagen as I'm sure it has a lot to offer, and I would love to observe more of the Danish culture, as they are known to be the happiest people in the world. 

Alhamdulillah, this year, we are blessed again with the opportunity to see Allah's creations in other parts of the world. Although we didn't travel as much this year, we did manage to squeeze in a very meaningful trip this year, which was going back home (Malaysia) for Eid to spend with our beloved families and friends that became one of the main highlight of this year.

JANUARY

ICELAND

This year feels like its gone so fast, and yet I feel like its been ages since our trip to Iceland. Like the previous year, we started our new year with a winter trip to this country near the Arctic Circle, in hope to see the northern lights. Alas, luck just wasn't on our side as we didn't manage to see any during our 5 nights stay in Iceland. Nonetheless, we enjoyed some amazing adventures and witnessed  some of the most majestic landscapes I have ever seen. Iceland is indeed one of the most beautiful country I've been to!

Read my Iceland post here: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

In front of Seljalandsfoss.

JULY

BACK HOME FOR EID 

Precious moment spent with families during the final week of the Holy month of Ramadan, and the celebration of hari raya Aidilfitri with the relatives is always the best kind of break. Throughout the whole year, this is the moment that I long for family and Malaysian food the most, and this year, I get to fulfil all those food cravings and meet the people that I miss most!

Sparkling the Raya with our bunga api. :)

With some of my relative at my 'kampung' in Pahang.

PERHENTIAN ISLAND, TERENGGANU

And while we're at it, my girl friends and I went on a very relaxing island retreat at Perhentian Island. Spent some precious and quality times with them (gadgets-free!), on a very beautiful island - couldn't ask for a better way to catch up on each others lives.

Story on my Perhentian trip here.

The perfect getaway with my favourite people.

KUCHING, SARAWAK

Of course, we also went to Kuching to Fizal's hometown, and visited my in-laws. Since by brother-in-law was getting married, my family also flew from KL for the wedding, and for sightseeing in Kuching. We had such a great time, and not forgetting, eating and hunting for the food that we've missed so much whilst in the UK. I kid you not, Kuching have some of the most delicious, exotic delicacies! And a big thanks to my in-laws for accommodating my family with such great hospitality.

Homeland to my husband - see how he's smiling there. :P

My family in front of Mount Santubong, Kuching.

DUBAI, UAE

From KL en route to Manchester, we purposely booked a 2-day transit in Abu Dhabi, and from there, we went to Dubai for some spontaneous adventure. Man, it was hot in Dubai (warning - do not visit Dubai/Abu Dhabi in summer!), but we managed to squeeze in some activities on our short stay.

Travel Tales on Dubai Part 1 and Part 2.
Breaking the silence of the desert during our dune-bashing activity.


ABU DHABI, UAE

From Dubai, we also went to Abu Dhabi to witness this exquisite piece of architecture, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Words can't really describe us being there, but here are some photos of the mosque, and its compound - Photo diary of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Mesmerising architecture, enough said.

AUGUST

CAMPING IN DERBYSHIRE

We arrived in Sheffield in late summer, but we still wanted to make the most of this so-called British summer. So we planned a short camping trip nearby, and made our way to Derbyshire, Peak District. We spent a very relaxing weekend with some close friends, out of the city to refresh our minds before we start facing only computers and collecting datas again. :P

Read about my camping trip here.
Postcard-like background of the valleys in Castleton.

DECEMBER

LINCOLN CHRISTMAS MARKET

I've heard about Lincoln Christmas Market being the biggest one in Europe, but I've never actually been there. Since I enjoyed walking around Sheffield's small but very festive Christmas Market, I had suggested we make a trip to see what the rave was all about. It was indeed huge, but to be honest, because it was too big to walk around in, some parts of the market were kind of dull and dreary. But we did manage to see some festive vibes here and there.


Loving the festivity on this one!
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And that concludes this year's adventure summary. Looking forward to more fun next year!

Psssst - will be going on a new winter adventure soon, InsyaAllah. Wait for it! :P

Until then. Happy new year everyone!

Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah s.w.t. for all that we've been through this year; the ups and the downs, and any hardships that we faced were nothing compared to the blessings, rizq (wealth & health) and happiness that we gained. 2015 has been kind to both Fizal and I, despite the fact that we've been away from home and families for over a year now, we managed to create many precious memories and travel experiences. Here are the summary and highlight of our 2015 trips and travels.

For our first wedding anniversary we decided to take a winter trip to the alps, so we went to Chamonix, France. We tried things we've never tried before, we explored a beautiful grotto (ice cave) and skied (or tried skiing) on the mountain of the French Alps. It was such a beautiful place; a winter wonderland because we were surrounded by snowy mountains everywhere we go, and the experience is one of the best I've had in this year's trip. 

From Chamonix, we also made a stop at another small town; Annecy, which, on the other hand, is a more quiet, laid-back and a lovely typical French town. We walked leisurely around the colourful buildings in the Old Town and tried some cheese-based French cuisine which tastes so delicious! While we were there, the weather was a little gloomy and cloudy so it didn't really do justice to the beautiful clear water of Lake Annecy.

On our way from Chamonix-Annecy back to London, we spent our last night in Geneva, Switzerland. Since we did not do any activities nor did we intend to do any shopping, so one day spent strolling around Geneva city was good enough for us since we were there for literally 24 hours.

From Brussels, we took a train to Amsterdam and decided to stay for 3 days in Amsterdam. I think Amsterdam offers more attractions just because the city is larger and they have more interesting nightlife given the fact that the famous Red Light District is situated within the city itself. Amsterdam is a beautiful city based around canals and boats, pedestrian (and definitely cyclists) friendly and has a rich tradition & culture even until today - although you might not see that much in Amsterdam.

PARIS, FRANCE

My brother and sister came over to visit us in the summer, hence this trip to Paris. Isn't a trip to Paris in summer always a good idea? It was typical summer warm weather and we had some nice sunny days to stroll around Paris's iconic landmarks and monuments. We also had the best view of this 'City of Love' and just in time to see the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower at sunset.



CORNWALL, ENGLAND

While my sibling were in the UK, we took the advantage and gather another family member (my cousin) and took a road trip from London to Cornwall for 2 days and 1 night. The journey was a long boring summer-day drive through the highway but Cornwall made it all worth it. The Minack Theatre is my favourite although other attractions such as the Land's End, St. Michael's Mount and the overall southeast coast also offers beautiful coastal views.

OSLO, NORWAY

Due to celebrating Eid abroad, Fizal and I decided to take this trip for the sake of cheering ourselves up for not being with our families on this festive time of year. haha (yes, it is a big deal for us). We set out bound for Norway. The trip kicked off with some city strolling around Oslo on a (really) hot sunny day. Oslo is a modern Scandinavian city with modern architecture and infrastructure (at least that's where I see they're going), nice for you architecture freaks out there, haha.




The main reason why we decided to go to Norway was this! To hike up Preikestolen or Pulpit Rock and we did! The climb was a great one, it was foggy at first and then it was all nice and sunny up there which provided us with the magnificent views of fjords, mountains and passing boats and cruise. The experience was fantastic!



BERGEN, NORWAY

We ended this trip by staying one night in Bergen where we got to enjoy some fresh seafood from the Norwegian Sea and visited the UNESCO heritage site of Bryggen. Despite a grey cloudy day in Bergen, it was still a nice place to chill and relax and wander around this beautiful city after our Pulpit Rock hike.

AUGUST

SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK, WALES

On one summer weekend, Fizal and I decided to go camping to 2 of UK's national parks; Lake District National Park and Snowdonia National Park with 2 of our good friends. It started with one night in Lake District and a second night in Snowdonia. The drive throughout this journey was a beautiful one as we drove through the English countryside and were fed with views of fresh green hills, colourful moorlands (and hundreds of sheep that comes with it) and serene lake views. We stayed up until late night chatting and eating dinner by the fire we lit next to our tents. Though we couldn't make the hike up to Snowdonia's peak due to non-stop rain the next morning, it was still a nice relaxing camping trip.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Our last trip in 2015 was to Turkey. We managed to spend few nights in Istanbul and I kid you not, this city is so full of colors, cultures and traditions and I loved every bit of it! We wandered around this beautiful city and explored their ancient historical monuments and cultural attractions including the Hagia Sophia Museum, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar. We had a limited time to spend so we didn't manage to explore the Asian side of Istanbul - what a pity! But all in all, it was a lovely trip and I fell in love with Turkey right away.



CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY

We managed to squeeze in Cappadocia in our short trip and took a flight from Istanbul to Kayseri and stayed in Cappadocia for 3 days and 2 nights. We sure are glad we did because Cappadocia is surreal! Beautiful natural landscape added with man-made leisure - such a pleasure to the eye those hot air balloons are! Apart from the hot air balloons sunrise view, other attractions of Cappadocia such as the many fairy chimneys and valleys and the Goreme Open Air Museum were also spectacular!

2015 has indeed been an amazing and adventurous year for me, there isn't anything that I am not thankful for or that I'm upset about and I thank Allah s.w.t for taking such good care of us here. I pray and hope that 2016 will be as amazing or a better year for us in many aspects of our lives.

I look forward to sharing my next Travel Tales. May 2016 bring us more to discoveries, exploration and travel experiences. Happy New Year!