thewholeworldisaplayground launched in November 2013 after a busy year with a wedding, a honeymoon and a marathon.  Here’s the lowdown on 2013 at thewholeworldisaplayground…

A Wedding

2013 started with a bang when I got married at the end of December (OK, not technically 2013 but it was only 3 days out so I’m claiming it!). There was a castle, champagne, wonderful family and friends, dancing and laughter. And my lovely groom, of course, the other half of thewholeworldisaplayground. The celebrations were immense! I do love a good party and I definitely had one that day! Pic is by the amazing Poppies&Me who were our photographers on the day.

A Honeymoon

Then began our year of travel!

We set off with our backpacks, a few long haul  flight tickets and a head full of ideas.

After freezing our bottoms off in China (I assumed the rest of the world would be sunny, oops!), we hit New Zealand for some camper van shenanigans where we sang, danced and laughed our way around the North and South Island. I jumped off a bridge, kayaked in a choppy ocean, partied in Hobbiton and had my mind blown by some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve ever seen. And we survived together in a tiny campervan! Bonus!

The next stop was sunny Sydney, some old friends and some more tall bridges! We climbed Sydney Harbour Bridge, drank cocktails overlooking the opera house, munched on some of the infamous Harry’s pies (a pie with mushy peas, mash and gravy on top. Inspired!) and hung out on Bondi beach.

We hit Asia and my travel bucket list (I love lists, I’m a list kind of girl) saw a lot of action. Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam all welcomed us with open arms. I’ll never forget watching the sunrise at Angkor Watt, sailing through Halong Bay in a junk boat, crossing the Thailand/Cambodia border (an epic 12 hour journey involving tuk tuks, trains and taxis and some ransom notes demanding we pay extra $25 to get through!), riding a motorbike through Ho Chi Minh… there were too many incredible experiences to mention them all.

We arrived home just in time for the Irish summer, our first in years, and we picked a good one.  There were lovely afternoons spent sipping cocktails and indulging in some afternoon tea, my new favourite treat! Long sunny days were filled with road trips across the country checking out what Ireland has to offer. Sometimes it’s easy to forget what’s on your doorstep and the beauty of Ireland shone through. Being a lady of leisure has its advantages! Even our little dog got in on the action!

With some time left on our year out, we had a few more honeymoon stops to make and decided on the Middle East. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul won out in the end and we were blown away by another part of the world.

Our final stop was our old stomping ground, New York City, which we left at the end of 2012 to go travelling. It was a week of fun with old friends, strong cocktails, amazing food and a beautiful city. And the small matter of the New York City Marathon…

A marathon

We ran and ran and ran. I’ve never seen so many country roads. I’m not sure I ever want to see as many country roads again! We collected medals from 10ks, half marathons and even a 3/4 (I do love a nice medal!). A last-minute injury ruled me out of the New York marathon but I assumed the role of number 1 cheerleader and was immensely proud of my 4 hour marathoner! And I enjoyed a girly brunch while he pounded out the miles so it wasn’t all bad! 

Launching thewholeworldisaplayground was the icing on the cake of an amazing year!

I love travelling. I swear my first book must have been an atlas.  I also love running. And needless to say I love eating good food and drinking lovely cocktails. And I love thewholeworldisaplayground, a mix of all my other loves!

The response to thewholeworldisaplayground has been amazing and I’m overwhelmed with the number of people who visited the site since I launched it in November 2013. There have been visitors from 76 countries across the globe and I almost passed out with excitement the first day I had over 500 visitors!

Thank you to everyone who has visited the site, read my posts, connected on Facebook and Twitter and have gotten in touch with thewholeworldisaplayground.

Here’s to a wonderful 2014!