Despite the fact that we are well into 2017 now I still think we’re close enough to 2016 for me to take part in this tag and for this post to not be too late. Either way it was nice to look back at 2016 and kind of review the year I had. I was tagged by Kate at Reading Through Infinity. Thanks so much for the tag Kate, I had a lot of fun with this one and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much.
Rules:
- Mention the creator of the tag David at #The Guy Who Said Always No
- Use the image that you find in this article.
- Mention the blogger who has chosen you.
- Answer the questions.
- Mention 3 bloggers/friends and let them know through a comment on their blog.
Describe your 2016 in three words.
Better than expected.
Write the names of two people who characterised your 2016.
My sister and my best friend. Honestly though these are two people who are always going to characterise me years for me. Most of the best experiences I’ve had over 2016 are attached to either one of them.
Write about the most beautiful place you visited in 2016 and why you liked it so much.
Edinburgh. My friend and I booked a last minute weekend trip there for something to do over the long Easter weekend and Edinburgh was a city I ended up falling in love with. We travelled all over, climbing to the top of Arthur’s Seat and wandering around Edinburgh Castle. We even went on a day trip into the Highlands and saw Glen Coe, Ben Nevis and the Loch Ness, though sadly we didn’t catch a glimpse of the famous Loch Ness monster.
Scotland is a country I’d love to visit again someday, although next time I’d like to see more of the Highlands. For a trip we booked last minute it was an amazing one.
Write about the most delicious food you tasted in 2016.
Japanese food. Before I was always adamant that I would never like Japanese food, and never even bothered to try it. I’m still not sure how it happened but one day my friend managed to convince me to give it a go and I ended up loving it. From there it was an easy leap to me trying sushi for the first time, another dish I used to be adamant about not trying and not liking. Honestly I’m not sure why I put it off for so long.
Write about the event which marked you the most in 2016, even a global event.
YALC 2016. Before I started blogging I never knew there was a YA literary convention in London, and even after I started blogging I was only made aware of YALC a couple of months before the 2016 event. Of course I got tickets for the whole weekend and of course it turned out to be the best weekend of 2016 for me. I met so many amazing people, both other attendees and authors alike, and of course got plenty of amazing new books as well.
I’ve brought my tickets for YALC 2017 and I am already so excited.
Write about the finest purchase you made in 2016, and if you want include a photo.
I started buying the Fairy Loot boxes back in July, and ever since then they’ve remained one of the best purchases I’ve made each month. I always look forwards to my box being shipping and arriving, it’s like an extra present to myself every month. The people at Fairy Loot have already started off 2017 with a bang; the January and February boxes were amazing and I can’t wait to get my hands on the March box.
Write three good intentions for 2017.
- To be kind.
- To be more confident.
- To be helpful.
Write about one place you want to visit in 2017.
Budapest. My sister and I are actually planning a trip there, and Vienna, later this year but it’s somewhere I’ve been wanting to go for a while now. Even though nothing’s been booked yet it’s one holiday I really can’t wait for.
In 2018 we’ll be going to Dubai which I am even more excited for if you can believe it.
Write about one piece of food you want to try in 2017.
Macarons. Granted I have already tried macarons before, when I went to Paris with my friend a couple of years ago we brought some from one of the bakeries there, but this year I’m going to attempt to make them myself. I haven’t tried baking anything this difficult before so it could go horribly horribly wrong, but here’s hoping some of them turn out all right.
I’m not going to tag anyone in this as 2016 is over and we’re well into 2017 now. However if anyone else wants to complete this tag then go for it, just send me a link to your post in the comments so I can see what your answers are.
Love this tag and post! Edinburgh is simply amazing! It’s great that you managed to experience it’s beauty for yourself. I’d love to go back one day, too. Maybe we’ll see the Loch Ness monster next time we go back haha. And isn’t Japanese food the best? I’m simply obsessed with it, especially sushi, udon, and of course, ramen. I haven’t heard of Fairy Loot Boxes but I’ll definitely add it to one of the book subscriptions to consider! It seems they have some really cool themes. Those are great intentions and homemade macarons sounds amazing! I hope they turn out well for you! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Azia, and yeah Edinburgh was an amazing city, and I guess it’s no surprise it was my favourite place I visited in 2016 as well. I guess if we look hard enough we’ll catch a glimpse of something and we can call it Nessie! 😀
It is definitely the best, and oh god you’re kind of making me hungry right now talking about it.
Of the book subscriptions I’ve got and seen I think Fairy Loot is the best, it seems to be high in demand so you know they’re doing something right.
Thanks, I hope so as well! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lets hope so!
Haha, the food is just that good XD
And maybe I’ll look into it! I’m also considering OwlCrate and The Book(wish) Box. I’m actually doing a post on it, so hopefully y’all can help me choose which subscription sounds like the best choice!
:D!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t had sushi in so long. I think just mentioning it has made me realise how long it’s been.
Well I’ve never subscribed to The Book(Wish) Box but I did love Owl Create. I’m pretty sure whichever subscription box you got would be a good one, they all look amazing that’s for sure! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those photos are gorgeous ❤ I'm going to YALC too! It's so exciting 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much. And yep, I’m pretty much counting down the days until July and YALC! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really like your description of 2016 🙂 Very efficient! Thanks for sharing bits of your year with us 🙂 I lived in Japan for months and the hardest for me was the food! I only loved sushis, onigiris and those beef stuff whatever the translation is, I only have the Japanese name for it, damn xD I hate ramen and stuff. It was really hard for me not to get any French food! Macarons are so hard to make right, good luck!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Donna, and yeah it seemed like the most effective way to describe my year over 2016! 🙂
Ohh living in Japan must have been amazing, but it’s a shame about the food especially if there was only so much you actually enjoyed over there. I bet you were glad to get back to France after those few months.
Thanks, I feel like I’m definitely going to need that luck! 😀
LikeLike
Love this, Beth! Your photos are so lovely. I went to Edinburgh a few years ago and I fell in love with it, too. I’d love to explore more of Scotland, especially the Isle of Skye! I’m glad you had such a good 2016 and you’ve already got YALC 2017 sorted – you’re much more organised than me! Hopefully I’ll be able to go this year, too. 😀 x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Sammie, I didn’t manage to make it to the Isle of Skye but when I go back to Scotland that’s somewhere I really do want to go because it looks gorgeous.
Yep, overall a good 2016. I’m so excited for YALC I pretty much booked tickets ASAP, I hope you manage to get there again this year as well! 😀
LikeLike
Damn girl you’re just traveling away, like can I come with you? Your photos are so beautiful, and now I just want to go on vacation! It sounds like you had a pretty good 2016! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha, I love to see new places so any opportunity I have to go away I’m like ‘yes please!’ Thanks so much Meghan, and yeah overall a good 2016, here’s hoping 2017 is great for both of us right? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel you, if I didn’t have to work all the time, I’d be traveling.
You’re welcome & yes let’s hope 2017 is a great year! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Work just gets in the way of travelling but on the other hand works gives us money to travel. At least that’s what I think when my job is too much for me at times. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a good way of thinking; I never thought about it like that. I should do that from now on, as I sit and type this from my work desk! 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
I normally put a picture of the next place I’ll be travelling to as my desktop background, that helps when work gets too much at times. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Also a smart idea, I wish I could pick a destination 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Go for any destination to start off with, it can be something to aim for! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is such a beautiful post, Beth, and a nice way to look back on last year and positive things that happened 🙂 I DREAM of visiting Edinburgh, hopefully someday I will 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Marie, and yeah it was certainly interesting looking back through 2016 to try and find answers for this tag! 😀
Edinburgh is such a beautiful city, I’m sure when you get to visit it yourself you’ll fall in love with it as well. 🙂 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure I will! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful post. And beautiful photos. X
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG what the heck is YALC?! I’ve never heard of this before and I’ve been looking for an event in the UK to go to forever! I really want to go now omg 🙊
LikeLiked by 1 person
It stands for Young Adult Literary Convention (I think). It’s in London as part of Comic Con, I’ve included the link below if you want to check it out. If you’ve been looking for an event in London this is one I would highly highly recommend! 😀
http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/index.php/yalc
LikeLike
Dubai with them crazyyyyyy buildings and insane luxurious places/cars! And Budapest!! You’ve got some really awesome vacation plans yooo! 😀
P.S. How’s A Conjuring of Light?????? I know you’ve camped outside your bookstore for it!! Just kidding! Hope you’re enjoying it. 😉
– Lashaan
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so so excited for Dubai, I’ve been wanting to go for ages and it looks beyond amazing. Also Budapest sounds brilliant as well.
Not quite camped outside, I did manage to find a copy the day before it was released though. I just haven’t managed to start it yet. There are two other books I need to read first.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I absolutely LOVED Edinburgh…and Scotland is just an amazing country, I am going back there next year. This is such a lovely post 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that will be an amazing trip, I hope you have a brilliant time back there next year. Scotland is just an amazing country isn’t it? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely tag, Beth! I’ve been to Edinburgh as well and it was definitely very… historic. I wish I had caught a glimpse of the Loch Ness monster too – that’d have been fun. 😛
I hope you like Dubai! I was there a couple years ago and while it was FREAKIN’ HOT I really enjoyed the experience. It was quite a different country from anything else I’ve ever visited, all those riches and extravagance right in the middle of the desert. It was also very… sandy, as you could probably tell from the pictures.
And good luck making macarons! I’ve always wanted to try but chickened out because the process seems difficult and… effortful, I just got lazy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Reg! Oh yeah a lot of history in Edinburgh, but I love that about places I visit so I was really at home there I guess. Yeah unfortunately the Loch Ness monster eluded us that trip, still there’s always next time! 😀
I hope so as well, I’ve been wanting to visit Dubai for ages now so my expectations are high. Hopefully we won;t go when it’s too hot, I’m not good with extreme temperatures.
I’ll let you know how the macarons go then, maybe if I find them easy you may be tempted to give them a try (the recipes looks quite tricky so maybe these will be something I abandon as well closer to the time!)
LikeLike
I love that your three words for 2016 are better than expected. Mine was that way too. I don’t think I was expecting much because the beginning of the year was rocky then it turned out to be a pretty good year! And I’m so jealous that you’ve visited Edinburgh. I want to visit Scotland so bad! I need traveling to be cheaper. I especially want to see the Highlands too and I blame Outlander for that because ever since I watched the show all I want to do is be able to drop everything and travel there 😂. Funny you mention Macarons, my little sister tried to bake them recently and they turned out so bad. They really do seem like something that is tough to make. I bet you’ll figure it out though! You’ll have to post pictures or something when you do bake them 😁. Great answers for this, Beth! I enjoyed reading them. ♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel like that can describe most of my years actually, then again I am a bit of a pessimist so anything’s better than expected I guess. 🙂 Oh it’s a shame the beginning of your year was rocky but I’m glad to hear the rest of it got better, hopefully 2017 will be a better year overall for you! 😀
Edinburgh was gorgeous, and I can definitely understand your desire to visit the highlands after seeing them myself. Maybe one day you’ll be able to visit, it’s well worth a trip I can tell you now.
Mine may turn out just as bad. I dunno they’re something I want to try so why not. You never know how these things will turn out until you give them a go. And of course I’ll post some pictures once I’m done! 😀
Thanks so much Melissa! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m usually on the positive side but the beginning of 2016 was all down hill until I quit my previous job. Thing’s definitely looked up after that lol. 2017 is going a million times better so far, even with being busy! 😊
Yep, maybe one day! It’s high up on my travel bucket list for sure.
That’s true. You really never know until you try. I can’t wait to see the pictures.
You’re welcome, Beth!! 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that sucks but at least things got better when you quit your job, have you found something new you enjoy better then? Also that’s good to hear about 2017. 🙂
I will be posting pictures, and if it goes wrong you can commiserate with me! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep! I went from working with people who didn’t want to do the job, who I had to rely on, to only having to rely on myself. Way better lol.
Yay! I can’t wait. I bet you’ll do good though and then we can celebrate and I can wish I had Macarons. 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That does sound a lot better. I need to think about my next career move soon which is stressing me out a little, but here’s hoping something sorts itself out soon!
Here’s hoping a celebration will be needed then! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck! I hope it all works out for you. Making big decisions about work can definitely be stressful and scary.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, I’m definitely going to need that luck at some point. And yeah very scary but I’m sure it will be worth it eventually. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Edinburgh looks insanely beautiful, wow! Oh, you live in England? Lucky duck Here in the States, our own country is so big it’s impossible to visit any other country without egregious air fees. In fact, if you live near the centre of the country as I do, it’s nearly impossible to visit the U.S.’s own coasts!
Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s definitely a gorgeous city, and Scotland itself is a beautiful country as well. And yeah living where I do is great because there’s the rest of Europe pretty much right on my doorstep. That must suck about the US but I’m sure you’ve been to some amazing places yourself so far right? And if not there’s still time to go travelling places. 🙂
LikeLike
Oh my god Beth you’ve just made me so jealous (#WANDERLUST), haha Edinburgh looks amazing, I’m glad you had fun and Budapest and Dubai seem equally as great, I hope you enjoy those trips just as much. ❤️ (I’ll just kind of hide in your suitcase if you don’t mind… 😝) Also good luck on making macaroons! I’m sure they’ll be delicious.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Edinburgh is definitely amazing, and I am so so excited for both Dubai and Budapest because they are two places I’ve wanted to go for a while now. And hey if you can fit in my suitcase why not! 😀
I’m pretty sure I’ll need all the luck I can get when it comes to macarons so thanks Analee! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my poor heart! I miss Edinburgh so much. I totally agree with you, it’s one of the most beautiful places…well all of Scotland really. And Japanese food….so good! It really looks like you had a fabulous 2016. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Scotland in general is amazing isn’t it, and I actually miss Edinburgh myself sometimes which is insane because I was there for a total of three days, but it was so beautiful it just felt like home you know?
Japanese food is a new favourite now, and thanks Jacquie! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
You could be in Edinburgh for like a few hours and I would totally understand falling in love with it. The city just has the pull. It grabs your heart and won’t let go.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah by plane it’s not too long a trip at all. I’ll definitely be going back there one day, hopefully soon! 😀
LikeLike