England came alive this month with several sunny days and flowers blooming all over. And, for the first time since last March, I went an entire month without flying anywhere! That didn’t stop me from traveling though, as I took the train up to Scotland for a weekend in Glasgow and Loch Lomond National Park, followed by a day trip around the north Cotswolds by car. Late March I purposely laid low, as April is going to be one of my busiest travel months ever (more on that below!).

Destinations visited:

Broadway, Moreton-in-Marsh, Winchcombe, and London, England

Glasgow and Loch Lomond National Park, Scotland

Favorite destinations:

Broadway, England – Broadway is one of my new favorite villages in England. It was easy to see how this village of storybook Cotswold limestone shops and homes was dubbed the “Jewel of the Cotswolds”. The High Street in the village is flanked by a wide variety of shops, which my friend and I enjoyed perusing, as well as sitting outside for lunch at one of the village’s many cafes.

Loch Lomond National Park – Lochs, mountains, distilleries, and more; Loch Lomond National Park in Scotland has a lot to offer for nature lovers. I enjoyed exploring the park, which reminded me immensely of the landscape of Norway, during a day trip from Glasgow. My only wish for next time is that it will be a bit sunnier!

Highlights:

Finding out my ancestry – As written about in my post about my DNA genetics analysis, I was able to confirm the ancestry I knew – mostly Italian and North African –  but I was surprised to find out I am 11% Iberian (Spanish/Portuguese). Maybe this explains why I like red wine and tapas so much…

Feeling happier thanks to the weather – After a mostly overcast winter in England, all the sunny days that came out in March made me feel really uplifted and motivated this month. I found myself purposely going outside for walks or runs quite frequently, and felt healthier because of it.

Challenges:

Moving – Not something I’ve talked about at all on the blog as of yet, but I am moving in early April. I’ll share more details of where I’m moving to and why later this month.

Posts:

A Day Trip to Scotland’s Loch Lomond National Park – Lochs, mountains and more in this popular Scottish national park.

Waterfalls, Bogs, and More: Lahemaa National Park, Estonia – Nature  lovers galore in mysterious Estonia.

Highlights of the Gem of the Baltics: Tallinn, Estonia – Magical Tallinn was my favorite of the Baltic capitals.

Continuing my Baltic Journey in Riga, Latvia – Part two of my Baltic journey.

My Biggest (and Most Expensive!) Travel Mistakes – Even an experienced traveler can make big and expensive travel mistakes!

23andMe: Finding Out My Ancestry – I learned about my ancestry – a few surprises included!

Discovering the Baltic Charm of Vilnius, Lithuania – Vilnius was a surprisingly charming place to visit!

Coming up in April 2017:

April will be one of my busiest travel months yet! In early April I’ll be embarking on a week-long family cruise of the eastern Caribbean departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Our ports of call are St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands), Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, and St. Lucia. We have excursions planned to explore almost all our ports of call, so I’m really excited to get to see so many new Caribbean locations in one go.

The cruise will be followed by a five day New England road trip from Boston up through New Hampshire to Maine. I’ll round out the month with the wedding of a university friend in the Virginia countryside.

Where is your April taking you?