Statistic – December 2013

These are the latest stats for December:

Posts – 15

Views – 1513 (a record high)

Comments – 13

The blog was busy last month, as it always feels at the end of the year. As far as travel plans for January it will be quiet. I have to pay for Christmas and dental work. (Ouch!) This does not mean I cannot plan for 2014 and I will be announcing my travel plans for 2014 shortly.

Until the next post have a safe, healthy and smiling 2014.

Steve

 

Photo of the Week – No.1 Hagley Road, Birmingham

This week's photo is my place of work, No.1 Hagley Road in Birmingham.

This building was the first place I worked in 1982. I returned here with my present employer in 2002. Tomorrow I will be working my last shift in this building. On Sunday I will be relocating along with my colleague to another office in Birmingham. I am going to miss the old place.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

2013 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,300 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Ten Things To Do In 2014

It is that time of year where we start looking forward towards the new year. With this I am going to list ten things I want to do in 2014. Some look similar to those who read my 2013 post.

  1. Purchase the domain name for the blog – this is one of those carried over from 2013. I have received plenty of encouragement from my fellow bloggers. They have advised that this is the next logical step to take. I have found out it is not as expensive as I thought.
  2. Take blogging more seriously – I am determined that 2014 will see me spend more time on the blog. With that I will become more professional. I will be concentrating not only on content but also the look of the blog. Of course any advice will be gratefully received.
  3. Sort out my social media – to be honest my social media is in a mess. It has become too cluttered and needs to be tidied up. Facebook is my biggest priority.
  4. Use independent coffee shops – Nothing wrong in using the chains but in my experience the better tasting coffee is found in the independent shops.
  5. Become fitter – What was clear on my last trip was how unfit I had become. Changes to my diet have been important. Also I have been on a exercise regime which I have lost some weight. Sadly, Christmas has seen me put some of it back on but I know that I am capable of becoming fitter.
  6. Reach out to more bloggers – I have been lucky that I have established some good relationships with some travel bloggers. In 2014 I want to extend that to more. I read a lot of travel blogs and I am looking to reply more to the posts.
  7. Be less fearful – Last year I wanted to introduce myself to the travel industry but held back. I explained in a previous post that this was down to fear of failure. In order to build the blog I need to get over this fear. After all, the worst thing that can happen is that they say no to me.
  8. Be more spontaneous – There is nothing wrong with planning but it can stop you doing things on the spur of the moments. What my travels in 2013 taught me was that I could be more spontaneous and not miss out on potential experiences.
  9. Learn a new skill – You are never too old to learn something new. I've always wanted to learn another language. Also I am exploring the possibility of taking TEFL course. We will see where this takes me.
  10. Upgrade Travel Tech – This may not happen but I am always on the lookout for a bargain.

These are not new year resolutions but targets that I've set for myself. I hope that you obtain your goals for 2014. I wish you all a Happy New Year.

Steve

 

The Highlights of 2013

In terms of travel 2013 was an excellent year for me. I felt that I had become a proper traveller. This gave me a sense of achievement which was added to the growth of the blog.

2013 saw me undertake two trips in Europe. In March I visited Vienna and Budapest. Despite the weather being cold I had an amazing time. While both cities had come up to my expectations, I was particually taken by Budapest. The city had a faded charm to it and I was left wanting more.

Zentralfriedhoff, Vienna
 
National Day, Budapest

However, the main highlight of 2013 was the trip to the Balkans in September. I was lucky that work allowed me to take three weeks off work. It was also my first multi-country trip too. I enjoyed the constant travelling and experiencing different hostels. The people I met along the way was also a bonus. For the first time I felt like a traveller. This trip changed me and the smile has still to leave my face.

Split
Dubrovnik

 

Mostar
Sarajevo
Belgrade
Ljubljana
Zagreb

I am looking forward to 2014. In my head I have more trips planned which I will announce soon in a future post. If it is half as good as 2013 I will be a happy man.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

Photos of the Week – My Christmas Dinner

This weeks photos are of my Christmas dinner.

Carrot & Coriander Soup

Traditional Turkey Dinner
 
Not so traditional cheesecake

Travel bloggers enjoy photographing their food and sharing it with everybody. I am no exception. Yesterday I spent a great day with my family. As for the meal itself, it was delicious.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

Photo Essay – London

These are some photos from my visits to London in 2013.

Statue of John Wesley
Liverpool Street Station

Brick Lane
Outside Buckingham Palace

As you can tell some of the photos are not of the obvious places you would see. I look forward to visiting London more in 2014.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

Photo Essay – Budapest

As 2013 comes to a close I would like to share some of my photos from my travels. The first photo essay is from Budapest.

The Chain Bridge
 
Beethoven was here
Inside the market

I hope that you have enjoyed some of my photos. Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

steverediscoversvinyl

The tales of a man who has fallen back in love with music.

musicfansteve

If music is the food of love, then I am overweight

Are you happy?®

Not all who wander are lost...

Casual Travelers

because the world is too interesting to stay home

theHoliDaze.com

Around The World In 800 Photos. C'mon, follow along!

Jet Set Chick

Manchester Travel, Food and Lifestyle blog

Lavi was here.

Chasing wanderlust across the globe

Bemused Backpacker

Gap year advice, information and inspiration.