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!