2018 year in review by the Wary Travelers

So, this year is coming to an end and time for a 2018 – Year in Review post. This marks one year since we had this crazy idea of starting a blog. We thought it might be a good time to reflect on 2018’s highlights.

We started in 2018 on a flight back from Kauai. Kauai is our happy place. We have been spending the Holiday Season there for the past few years but unfortunately, due to work commitments, that is not the case this year. Instead, we have been spending it at home with family and friends and cooking up some tasty treats.

Seattle

In March, to get away from the cold and snow, we booked a weekend getaway in Seattle. It’s just a short flight away from Calgary but we hadn’t been in about 10 years. We had a fantastic weekend.

The highlight of the weekend was seeing Hamilton at the Paramount Theater. Obviously we visited Pikes Place Market, took the TRAM to the Space Needle and spent some time visiting the Chihuly garden and glass.

This time, we discovered the Washington Park Arboretum where we spend a beautiful sunny afternoon exploring. And, we also ate some fantastic biscuits at Biscuit Bitch and great cocktails at Canon.

Alberta

This spring we decided to spend a bit more time visiting around us. We headed to Banff for a day trip. It is just a little over an hour drive from our home, but we rarely take the time to visit.

We also took time for a day trip south of the city. We stopped in Black Diamond, Turner Valley and had a chance to check out the Sheep River and the Bluerock Wildland Provincial Parks.

For the first time in several years, we partook in the yearly Calgary Stampede activities ten days in July, the city really does come alive.

New Brunswick and Maine

Our summer vacation was spent on the East coast. First we stopped in New Brunswick, Canada and then a road trip to Maine.

There was definitely more lobster and blueberries consumed than we thought possible. Our first stop was St. Andrews by-the-sea. This is a really cute and quaint Canadian summer town just on the boarder of Canada and the USA. We then made our way to Bar Harbor, which was magical. And Portland, was an unexpected surprise. A very pleasant one, that is. We only spent 3 day there but it feels like we didn’t see everything that there was to see. Also, we had the best pizza of our lives there, at Otto Pizza. We will definitely be visiting again.

Kauai

In September, we booked another trip to Kauai… we just can’t seem to get enough of this place. It was a last minute decision, but what a good one it was! The weather was perfect and hot. Hotter than any other visit on the island.

As always, we got to do some fun activities and eat some great food. Our best new discoveries were Poliohale State Park and The Beach House restaurant.

Nashville

In October, we visited Nashville for a long weekend. The main purpose of the trip was to see Ed Sheeran at Nissan Stadium. Luckily, it was a beautiful warm fall night and a stellar show. But, the highlight has to be the food. We got to experience Nashville Hot Chicken for the first time, which was outstanding. Other great discoveries were Bartaco and Five Daughters Bakery Nashville, we will definitely be back soon.

Five Daughters Bakery’s Hundred Layer Doughnut – Year in Review

Vancouver

In November, we headed to Vancouver for an extended weekend. Vancouver weather can be dicey at the best that time of year, but just like every other time that we have visited, mother nature cooperated. Our favorite activity was visiting the Capilano Bridge Park. It was great to spend some time outdoors!

We also spent some time exploring Granville Island and it’s great market in addition to renting bicycles and touring around Stanley Park.

In conclusion, 2018 was a pretty awesome year. We would also like to say a huge THANK YOU to all the readers of our blog. We hope that our content is inspiring you to travel and explore this beautiful planet.