Dear 2020, ...
For all of us, 2020 is coming to an end. I guess, like most of us, I have mixed feelings about the year that has passed. Please notice I said “mixed” feelings. Because not everything has been bad. And while I know we tend to focus on the negative aspects of all the happenings of this year, I wanted to pick something positive that occurred in every single month of this unusual year. So come along with me, on a trip to the (not so bad) past.
January
My 2020 started off pretty decent. Already on 1st of January, I flew to Scotland with a friend to visit another friend, and we had the most fantastic week on the Isle of Skye. I was a great start into the new year, and I definitely didn’t anticipate this would be my only proper trip this year.
February
February started off really normal as well. It consisted of lots of snowboarding and splitboarding. February also marked the break between semesters, so I had lots of time to do so. For me, it was not only the break between semesters, I also managed to finish my Bachelor’s degree. Even though the whole process of completing my studies took a few weeks, I felt the biggest relief when I received my final grade.
March
Therefore, March marked a new beginning for me. The start of my Master’s programme. Sadly, after one week of courses, uni closed, and one week later, the first lockdown started. I was really sad about all that, but I think I eventually adapted to the situation. I was supposed to head to an event in Switzerland in the middle of March, but that didn’t happen as well.
April
I honestly do not know if there has happened anything else besides the lockdown in April. But this was the time where I really started appreciating my friends. The friends close to me, and the ones living far away. That’s really something that has improved over the year: keeping contact via the internet. From writing on WhatsApp, over Zoom meetings and Facetime calls - it was the only way to keep contact, and I think I managed to make the most of it. Also, I started really appreciating the memories I’ve made over the past years.
May
Slowly life was getting a bit more normal. We were allowed to meet each other again, so I made a few trips to waterfalls or gorges with my friends. It was really great getting out into nature again and most of all, seeing my friends again, even when it was just for short trips. This quality time was much needed.
June
In June, ski resorts were allowed to open again, so I went skiing one last time for this season, and I think it was the first time ever, that I went skiing in June. It felt a bit like coming home. As the situation became more and more stable, we decided on a little road trip as a small group of friends within our country. We managed to visit Krimml waterfalls, Hallstatt, Salzburg and a few lakes and had an amazing time.
July
ly was filled with even more trips to lakes, mostly mountain lakes but to enjoy a bit more summer vibes, I also went on a trip to Lake Garda. After many many years, I finally managed to visit Verona again, and I loved it. Life at home was great, and I met my friends as much as I could, trying to make up for the time together we were not able to enjoy in the past.
August
In August, I tried stand up paddling for the first time, and as I loved it that much, I did it another few times. Then I went on another trip to Lake Garda with friends and then on to Venice. It’s been a lot of years since my last visit, and due to everything that has happened this year and the fact that people from far away were still not able to go to Italy, it was way less busy than in the past.
September
My birthday month started with a little trip to the west of Austria, to Lake Constance. It was really nice getting to know another part of Austria I have never been to. Then, after my birthday, I managed to visit friends who recently moved to Switzerland. As the situation became more and more unclear, I did not stay for along time, but I enjoyed every minute.
October
October is the month uni starts after the summer break. This year, the return to uni has been different. From the beginning on, the plan was some kind of ‘hybrid teaching’. One part of the classes was at uni, one part at home online. I really liked this system and was pretty sad when it had to be dismissed after a few weeks. I used all the free time I had to my hand to go snowboarding and enjoy the perks of living in the centre of the Alps. I really learned to appreciate the place I live in.
November
For Austria, November marked the start of the second ‘hard’ lockdown. We were allowed to be outside for physical and mental relief, and I used that for lots of short trips to surrounding lakes and hikes. While I did not manage to complete my goal of 30 minutes outside each day, I think I handled it all much better than in March/April.
December
Let’s arrive at the present. This month has been filled with joy. Even though the 3rd lockdown is in action, I got to do lots of things. Just before Christmas, lot’s of friends made it home over the holidays and I got to spend a lot of quality time with them. Additionally, I went splitboarding a few times, snowboarding as well, and Christmas was a bit different, but filled with great memories as well.
I know this has been quite an unusual blog post for me. Usually, I do not get that personal, but I guess this year everything is different and while it’s been a hard year for travel blogs (who wants to read about travelling when no one can actually travel), it’s been a pretty decent year on a personal level. Let’s all agree that 2020 has been one of a kind, and let’s hope for an awesome 2021, full of great memories that makes up for all the things that have been bad in 2020.
I hope you have a great start into the new year!
Love,
Natascha