My 2017 Top 9

As the new year starts, I wanted to do a quick post to go through some of the amazing things that happened in 2017. I mean I might be procrastinating revision with my 72-hour exam looming but it’s something I want to share before we get too into January! 2017 was a big year for me, I know that’s the generic statement everyone seems to make, but I discovered some beautiful new places with some of my favourite people, as well as pushing myself in terms of my degree and possible career paths. I thought I’d do a top 9 style post, they aren’t in any particular order but just sharing some of my favourite moments of the year.

1. History of Art trip to Paris

I’ve already shared my favourite moment from my November trip to Paris, the Dior exhibition which you can read all about here, but the trip as a whole was so much fun. Not only was it amazing to see some of the garments I’d studied in my seminars, but it was a great opportunity to spend time with my course friends outside of seminars and visit some of my all-time favourite galleries. (More posts to come on my trip, there’s so much I want to write about!!)

2. A week away in Copenhagen

Okay, so if you’ve been keeping up with my blog you’ll know I visited Copenhagen in September. It was such a brilliant trip, hence why I’ve written so many posts about it haha, you can read them all here if you want to find out more. (I still have more to write, I’m so bad at keeping up to date with what I’m up to on the blog oops.) This was the first Scandinavian country I’d visited and I absolutely loved it, it made a real change to the traditional sun, beach type holiday. Copenhagen is such a vibrant and busy place, full of culture, history and the nicest bread I’ve ever eaten haha, so I’d highly recommend it for a city break.

3. My second year Country House Module

These next few are kind of interlinked so I thought I’d put them all together. My real love for country houses came from studying them for a module on my uni course. I swapped to this one after realising how much I didn’t like studying modern art and I’m so glad I did. It gave me the chance to really learn about different aspects in a country house from interiors and exteriors, to the families that lived within. The module sparked my interest in Country houses as a possible career option after uni, which I’m so grateful of because I’d previously had no clue what to do haha.

4. Internship with the National Trust

Leading on from the Country House module, I completed an internship with the National Trust over the summer. This has to be on my top 9 as not only did I enjoy it immensely but it also solidified my desire to work for a heritage charity or organisation. After experiencing and contributing to the amazing work they do for English history and heritage, I realised I want to keep on doing so after my degree. To read more about my experience and what I did for the National Trust, click here.

5. Starting a Blog

After wanting to start a blog for some time, (I’ve actually had this WordPress domain for over a year, and just never posted anything), realising I wanted a career in heritage gave me that boost to post about my interests on the internet.  I was always scared I’d run out of things to write about, but now I’m losing that pressure and just writing about what I’m up to, relating to culture, heritage and travel. It’s been such a great way to learn and write about what I love and also meet loads of new people through their blogs and comments, so thank you to anyone who reads it!

6. Discovering new places in the Netherlands

Another travel based favourite was exploring the Netherlands outside of Amsterdam. I got to see some beautiful scenery and learn a lot more about the history of the country. I did some more detailed posts which you can read about here. It’s such a varied and exciting place to visit, so I’d really recommend taking a day trip or visiting somewhere outside of the main city if you happen to be in the Netherlands!

7. Castle Howard visits

This year I finally got to visit Castle Howard twice, once just the gardens and then exploring the interior as well on my second visit. It is by far one of my favourite country houses to visit (so far), and having studied it, it really adds to the experience and understanding of the house. I went into detail about my trip here. I would love to visit again this year, hopefully in the summertime so I can see all the gardens in bloom.

8. Exploring Robin Hood’s Bay

When my parents came to visit me at university in April, I got the chance to visit Robin Hood’s Bay and the surrounding area. It was great to explore a new coastal area aside from where I grew up in East Anglia. Robin Hood’s Bay was not only a beautifully picturesque town but also home to several beaches in the area renowned for fossils, so I had a fun time hunting for those too!

9. Getting a new cat!

Okay, so I couldn’t have a favourite moments list without including my cat, Tiggy! We rescued her from under a relatives’ hedge and it’s lovely having a small animal about the place, even though she doesn’t really like cuddles and walks into things a lot.

So there’s my 2017 top 9, I can’t wait to keep blogging throughout this year. I absolutely love writing about things I’ve been up to so I hope you enjoy reading them. I think I’m also going to be branching out into new categories in 2018, exploring books, tv and film as well as more detailed looks at historical events and art.

Thanks for reading and happy new year!!