Yearly Newsletter: 2025 – 3 Continents, 6 Countries, 12 Months
Over the last 12 months, we visited 3 continents and six countries, starting in South Africa with stopovers in Italy, USA, Canada and Ireland before returning to South Africa, a country we quickly grew to love. Another year of travel together has come to an end full of new sights, flavours, and friends. Here’s a look back on some of our experiences along the way.
South Africa
We celebrated Christmas and the New Year by continuing our South African trip for another 2 months, traveling nearly 2300 kms along the coast from St Lucia in the North East to Muizenberg in the South West. For Christmas, we had fun tossing soccer balls to children in the streets of a small Zulu village and witnessed an authentic African wedding.
We had plenty of wildlife encounters—from a hippo safari to countless hours at the elephant parks and the adorable penguins in Simon’s Town.
We embraced the local culture and cuisine, sampling everything from game meats (warthog pizza and ostrich sausage), locally roasted coffee and chocolate, and Paul learned how to ‘braai’ (South African BBQ). And, we took a road trip to Franschhoek for wine tasting, which left us wanting to try all 40+ wineries in town.
While we road-tripped through the country, we followed the stunning Garden Route, and stopped at many charming coastal towns, like Jeffreys Bay, Knysna, and Hermanus.
We dove into the past at Nelson Mandela’s Museum and hometown, had a taste of nostalgia at Marilyn’s 60’s diner, wandered through 20 million year old caves, and learned about 100+ years of motorcycle history at the Helderberg museum.
Our visits to Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront were always full of surprises with waterfront restaurants, bustling markets, and African street performers singing and dancing.
The adventures never stopped whether it was standing at the most southern tip of Africa, hopping on electric scooters for a ride along the ocean, getting a feeling of ‘home’ when we went ice skating, or when Courtney survived an “unorthodox” ostrich neck massage at Cango Ostrich Farm.
Our personal library expanded after finding some used bookstores in Port Elizabeth, and Paul added two more handmade chess boards to his growing collection.
We sat in awe at the African sunsets, the sandy beaches that went on for miles, and the cliffs at Cape of Good Hope left us speechless.
Sicily, Italy
Springtime brought us back to Castelbuono, our part-time home in Sicily. We were welcomed back with homemade desserts and fresh fruit from our Airbnb host. Life quickly settled into a familiar rhythm of tasty food, growing friendships, and small joys—aperitivo and games of scopa in the main square, visits with our neighbours (including Courtney’s animal friends), and plenty to satisfy our sweet tooth with pastries, gelato, and panettone from our favourite spots.
We loved exploring nearby towns, such as Collesano and Geraci Siculo, hiking Piano Battaglia (where we made a mini snowman!), and visiting Cefalù in the quieter shoulder season with paddleboarding, walks along the beach, and coffee dates with friends.
We played ‘tour guide’ when a friend from Canada came to visit, who joined us for Easter celebrations, including a three-hour, four-course Easter lunch, and Paul and he tinkered on our property (any excuse for Paul to use his chainsaw!). We also had fun ziplining at Parco Avventura Madonie.
Our day trip to Palermo included the famous Ballarò market, exploring the city’s historic architecture, and testing new treats at Pasticceria Cappello.
Paul and I, along with a friend of ours, enjoyed one last road trip to Agira, a small town that’s home to a Canadian War Cemetery. On our return home, we stopped in Sperlinga to explore the ancient cave homes.
It was a season to connect with our community, explore the beautiful island, and enjoy the simple pleasures that make Sicily feel like home.
Seattle, United States
Our 90 days in the Schengen Area ended, so we went back across the Atlantic for a quick stopover in Seattle. We filled our bellies with coffee and fresh seafood, hung out with the harbour seals at Seattle Aquarium, strolled through the iconic Pike Place Market, and met up with Courtney’s friend in town.
As we boarded the Victoria Clipper ferry to Victoria, it was bittersweet—our time in Seattle was much too short, but we sure missed cruising on the ocean!
British Columbia, Canada
June brought us to Victoria, British Columbia, Courtney’s old stomping grounds. It was all about family time, friendships, and soaking up the lively summer vibes—quality time with Courtney’s mom, a day trip to Salt Spring Island, rediscovering Victoria’s charm on foot and bicycle, and catching up with old friends.
We checked out several summer festivals, including Cook St Block Party and Fernfest, watched the Victoria Harbourcats in action, and had a chance to test our ‘refined’ palate at Il Covo Trattoria.
We celebrated Paul’s birthday at Il Terrazzo, an Italian favourite of ours, and thankfully didn’t lose any fingers with his birthday cake sparklers. We spent weeks downsizing our storage and digitizing old childhood memories, and we joined the downtown festivities at the Legislature for Canada Day.
Our return to Victoria after being away for 2 years felt familiar and comfortable, and the long summer days are hard to beat!
Ontario, Canada
July brought an unexpected shift when we left for Ontario a month early after Paul’s dad suddenly passed away. The months that followed were spent with friends and family—sharing meals, card games, testing our Italian skills on family, a celebration of life, a birthday gathering, fast-paced bingo, bowling and arcades, going to the cinema, and trivia nights.
We took a couple trips to Windsor for live music and a relaxing hotel stay, and we enjoyed canoeing at Point Pelee National Park. We kept cool during the hot summer days doing cannon balls in the pool and lounging in Ontario’s beautiful lakes.
Though the summer was filled with laughter and loss, we’re grateful we had the extra time to strengthen our relationships with friends and family.
Ireland
September began with a trip to Ireland, where we reconnected with a long-time family friend in Northern Ireland. We stepped back in time at Swords Castle, a place with over 800 years of history! We marveled at the otherworldly stone columns of the Giant’s Causeway and the hike along the cliffs had amazing views of the Amphitheatre.
We took a road trip with Courtney’s long-time friend to Glenarm Castle for a cozy lunch in the tea room and a walk through the lush gardens. Dinner and drinks back in Carrickfergus resulted in lots of laughs and mediocre attempts at an Irish accent. It felt wonderful reminiscing about funny childhood memories.
This was our second time to Ireland together (we also went in 2023), and it’s a country that continues to pull us back for more. We’ll be back again soon, I’m sure of it!
Sicily, Italy
Autumn brought us back to Castelbuono, Sicily, just in time for harvest season—watermelons, figs, grapes, and olives, including Paul’s first attempt at curing his own olives.
The months were filled with long lunches (one was 5 hours long!), weekly trips to the local market, spontaneous music and dancing in the street (plus a Lady Gaga cover band!), and deepening friendships with neighbours who welcomed us by sharing their food from their garden and home-made wine.
We celebrated our three-year anniversary at UVA restaurant, biked through the Madonie Mountains on our new e-bikes, snorkeled in November, and shared meals with friends. As November weather shifted with more rain (and rainbows!), we leaned into a slower pace with a bbq on our property, chess games in the piazza, and attended the Mushroom Festival.
This season in Sicily left us feeling rejuvenated and grateful, with plenty of time to enjoy the sights on two wheels, ‘taste test’ more delicious Italian food, and get to know more of the people that make us miss this place when we’re gone.
South Africa
We finished the year back in South Africa with an unforgettable December, starting with 11 days of safari in Kruger National Park. The wildlife encounters were nothing short of extraordinary—male lions surrounding our car, a leopard strolling just feet from Courtney’s open window, and endless baby animals (Courtney still has a soft spot for baby elephants!).
We spent two weeks in a cottage near Hazyview, surrounded by farm animals that quickly became our friends. The adventure continued in Marloth Park, where Paul put his braai skills to use while safari animals wandered freely outside our door. Between safaris, we explored the breathtaking Panorama Route, chased stunning waterfalls, visited God’s Window, Three Rondavels, and Bourke’s Luck Potholes.
Our rental car gave us a little drama on our final safari, so we swapped vehicles and made it safely to our lodge sitting at 7500 feet in the Drakensberg Mountains, a place full of wild, unpredictable beauty. Our Christmas celebration in a Sotho Village is one we’ll never forget, after being surrounded by 30+ smiling children and getting blessed by a traditional healer.
We finished the year with an epic hike to Tugela Falls, the second tallest falls in the world. The 100+ meters of near vertical chain ladders certainly kept us on our toes–Paul was cool as a cucumber, while Courtney white-knuckled her way through it. After the hike left us with a spike of adrenaline and a sense of accomplishment, it was the perfect way to end the year.
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” George Addair
Through all of the ups and downs that come with full time travel, we’re so grateful for another year full of adventures, new experiences, self discovery, family reunions, blossoming friendships, and unmistakable beauty from all around the world.
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