Amazing Places in 2024

The past year has been a pretty fabulous one in terms of my continuing adventures in retirement! One big difference from earlier years is that I didn't use my van (usually loaded with kayaks, bikes, and hiking gear) nearly as much. Instead, I flew to places that were farther away, and then explored those places by train, boat, or bus, on foot, by bike, or in rented vehicles. My destinations also changed: More foreign countries, more cities, more museums and cultural sites, and fewer remote wilderness locations, fewer hard rivers, and fewer multi day hikes and paddling trips. Partly a concession to aging and partly an embrace of a more complex set of interests than I had in my earlier years of tripping and traveling.

So here's the overview: Five weeks in Central America in January and February, four weeks in Florida in March, most of the summer with friends and family around my home in Pennsylvania, about nine weeks in Nordic countries from Iceland to Finland from mid August to mid October, and a couple of weeks in Ontario near the end of the year. These experiences left me eager for more time in amazing places outside of North America. There is so much to see, do, and learn in other parts of the world!

CENTRAL AMERICA

The fun began in January, when I headed down to Belize to explore this small central American country. There was a lot to see and do, including highlights such as snorkeling with exotic fish in the Meso American Reef (the second longest coral reef system in the world).

...and kayaking through a long cave system in Nohoc Chen Park

Then I met up with my dear friend and adventure buddy Linda in Costa Rica. We spent about three weeks exploring four of Costa Rica's National Parks, whitewater rafting down two of its many fabulous rivers...

...spotting wildlife, zip lining through a rainforest, and para sailing over a National Park. Costa Rica is spectacular. Pura Vida!

At the end of our Costa Rican trip, Linda returned home and I went on to Panama, where I spent a week in Panama City. While there, I visited the world-famous canal, looked for wildlife in a national park, and traveled by riverboat to an indigenous village, .

Here's a view of Panama City, a fun and interesting place to visit, from the nearby Metropolitan Natural Park. Natives call this park "The Lungs of Panama City."

More about Central America here:

https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2024/02/amazing-places-in-central-america.html

FLORIDA

After the Central American trip, I joined a group of mostly Pennsylvanian friends for what by now is an annual tradition of paddling sub-tropical rivers and streams in Florida. This year was as interesting and enjoyable as previous years, with breathtaking scenery, plenty of wildlife sightings, and a lot of fun with old friends!

Linda paddles alongside an alligator on the Hillsborough River

Johanna and I watch a manatee in the Silver River

More about Florida:

https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2024/04/florida-2024.html

MID-ATLANTIC USA

The summer was filled with mostly local trips to nearby cities and rivers, including the Valley Forge National Historical Park near Philadelphia...

...the Great Falls of the Potomac near Washington, DC...,

...trips along the Wild and Scenic Delaware River in my inflatable boat (pictured here: the Delaware Water Gap)...

...and along most of the Susquehanna River, including through the Conowingo Islands, pictured here

There were a couple of trips to Boston, the birthplace of the American Revolution. Pictured here: A statue of Paul Revere and the steeple of the Old North Church ("One if by Land; Two if by Sea")

This is the North Bridge, part of the Minuteman National Historical Park. The first shot in the Revolutionary War, "the shot heard 'round the world" was fired here

The USS Constitution sails into the Boston Harbor every Fourth of July and fires a celebratory 21 gun salute there. Linda's son Chris arranged for us to have an awesome boat tour in the harbor for the occasion

More about the summer in the mid-Atlantic States:

https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2024/08/spring-and-early-summer-2024.html

THE NORDIC COUNTRIES

Then there were the Nordics: Six countries in about nine weeks. Norway was spectacular, with dramatic fjords like the Geiranger...

Scenic coastal towns like Svolvær...

Invigorating mountain hikes like this one at Honningsvåg...

...stunning mountain towns like Flam...

...and gorgeous valleys like Nærøydalen

Iceland was otherworldly. Here is a rift valley in Thingvellir National Park. The park is a geological wonderland; it is also the place where the earliest known form of democratic self-government first happened in the tenth century CE

There was an abundance of waterfalls, including large ones like Selfoss, pictured here, as we traveled around the country....

There were smaller gems like Svartifoss, which we reached after a stout little hike in Vatnajökull National Park. Notice the columnar basalt around the falls...

There were also many out of the way waterfalls like this one, which we had to ourselves in the Westfjords

An unexpected trip bonus was this Aurora sighting on a clear, cold night in Suðureyri, in northwestern Iceland

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, had lots of cool architecture (old and new), including this section of Nyhavn

...and this very modern residential complex which was nearby

In Sweden, I was lucky enough to stay practically next door to a royal palace and the parliament in Gamla Stan, the oldest part of Stockholm, for about five days

...and I managed to get a couple of good hikes in at Tyresta National Park, an hour long bus ride away from downtown Stockholm

One of my favorite places in Helsinki, Finland, was the central library, called Oodi. The planners wanted it to function as a "family living room" for the city. I think they succeeded. It was popular and busy!

Protecting the Helsinki waterfront is a set of fortified islands called Suomenlinna, now an interesting UNESCO site and a beautiful city park

While in Helsinki, I took a two day detour into Estonia, a two hour ferry ride south of the city. This is a rooftop view of the fortified part of Old Town Tallinn, the country's capital

Also in Tallinn, this is Lauluväljak (tr: Song field), the place where the Estonian Song Festival (called Laulupidu) is held every five years. Estonia has a long and rich history of large group choral singing, starting in 1869, when 845 singers from 51 choirs got together to sing hymns, traditional folk songs and patriotic songs. In the last Laulupidu in 2019, more than 30,000 singers from over 1000 choral groups spent a weekend singing to and with an audience of over 100,000 spectators.

More about the Nordic Countries:

https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2024/10/amazing-places-in-nordics.html

ONTARIO

I ended the year with a quick trip back home to southern Ontario, mostly to catch up with family. It was a great visit, and, in addition to reconnecting with family, we visited a few scenic highlights like the Grotto in the Bruce Peninsula National Park (one of my favorite places on the planet)...

...and the spectacular Niagara Falls, seen here at night from the SkyWheel. All in all, a pretty wonder-filled year; so thankful for the opportunity to do so many fabulous things in so many amazing places! Thanks for joining me on this little review 😊

Links for more pictures and details:

Central America:

https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2024/02/amazing-places-in-central-america.html

Florida:

https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2024/04/florida-2024.html

Mid-Atlantic USA:

https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2024/08/spring-and-early-summer-2024.html

The Nordics:

https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2024/10/amazing-places-in-nordics.html