After being repeatedly thwarted during our trip to Norway, I became even more determined to find a way to see the aurora borealis in person. Lapland, Finland’s northernmost region, is one of the best places for aurora activity at the later end of the season. It's also known for its ski resorts and a ski season that lasts well into May, which made it even more ideal for convincing Andy to give the northern lights another chance.
We spent Christmas in London with Andy's mother, which was the perfect way to relax and recharge before making our way up to Bodø for our final trip of 2022. Bodø is a small city just past the Arctic Circle in northwestern Norway, making it an ideal place to see the aurora borealis during the winter when the sun barely rises above the horizon. The lack of sunlight combined with insane wind, absolutely frigid temperatures, and heavy snowfall nearly every day made for an incredibly unique experience — it was truly one of the most starkly beautiful places we've ever visited.
After having to cancel the weeklong trip we were planning to take to Ireland for New Year's 2022 due to the Omicron variant, we were so excited to finally make our way to Dublin this August for a long-overdue weekend getaway in Ireland. The trip was made even better because we went with one of Andy's friends from high school, who planned the majority of the (flawless) weekend for us—and I must say, it was really nice to just be along for the ride for once.
One of my travel-related goals while we are living in the UK is to try to visit smaller cities and other places that would be challenging and/or less of a priority to visit from the United States. This well-intentioned mindset is how we ended up spending a weekend in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania and a place I had barely even heard of, last November.
Lindsey in London 