January, February, March, April, May: Belarus
January, February, March, April, and May I stayed in Minsk and didn’t travel anywhere. I had a wonderful time with my family, enjoyed the beautiful Belarusian landscapes, went snowboarding, and played golf. I also took many walks around the city, both alone and with friends. I spent a lot of time at the theater watching opera and ballet. 2024 became the year of opera discovery for me. During the winter and spring months, I watched and listened to: Carmen, La Traviata, The Flying Dutchman, The Illusion of Love, Figaro, and The Nutcracker.
June: Burgundy
In June, we went to our beloved Burgundy, to our old stone house nestled among the Chablis vineyards. Summers in Burgundy are usually quite hot, but this year it was delightful.
July: Burgundy, Provence, and Disneyland
In mid-July, the “Olympic flame” was carried through the streets right under our windows in Burgundy—a memorable event and a great honor for our village! After that, we headed to the lavender fields in Provence for a week. Visiting those fields had been a long-standing dream of mine, and it finally came true. Besides the fields, I discovered an amazing hotel, the Couvent des Minimes Hotel & L’Occitane Spa, which became my favorite spot in the south of France. At the end of the month, we went to Disneyland. I had never dreamed of going, but I couldn’t miss such an opportunity! I’m so glad I made that decision—it was incredible! Though it wasn’t without adventure; on the way to Disneyland, we almost lost our car’s license plate, which would have made staying in France quite difficult (we went back and managed to find it). I absolutely love our little town in Burgundy and enjoyed walking around it whenever I had free time.
An amazing hotel in Provence: Le Couvent des Minimes Hotel & Spa L’Occitane >>>
August: Switzerland, Burgundy, and Provence
At the beginning of August, we went to visit relatives in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. On the way, we also stopped by Lauterbrunnen, one of the most picturesque places in all of Switzerland! After returning to Burgundy, we attended a magnificent historical show at one of the Burgundy castles. The show, featuring 600 actors and 50 riders, told the story of France. Then we headed back to Provence until the end of the month. We spend every summer there. Meanwhile, I was writing a guide to Provence, which I finished—it turned out wonderful! I shared most of our adventures on Telegram, so if you’re interested, feel free to check it out and read. Despite a lot of problems, we still managed to travel and visit L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Roussillon, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Les Baux-de-Provence (even several times), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Marseille, Lacoste, my beloved Gordes, and many other towns. Oh, and we also made a trip to Champagne to visit the vineyards and wineries, but the main tasting was at Moët & Chandon.
Les Baux-de-Provence — a picturesque village in Provence >>>
September: Montenegro
We started the month in Lyon, celebrating the birthday of someone close to us. After a difficult August with a broken car and all sorts of problems, we decided to fly to Montenegro. We spent the entire month by the sea, and during bad weather, we stayed at the hotel (we were staying on a mountain above Tivat). It was a true seaside vacation with small outings to Porto Montenegro and shopping.
Porto Montenegro. The Montenegrin “Riviera” and a marina for luxury yachts >>>
October: Montenegro, Croatia, Albania, Provence
We spent most of October in Montenegro as well. We relaxed, swam in the sea, and traveled around the beautiful towns across Montenegro: Bari, Sveti Stefan, Perast, Herceg Novi, Podgorica, and others. We also visited the incredibly beautiful Dubrovnik in Croatia, the autumn mountain reserve Durmitor in Montenegro, and the mountainous Albania (by the way, it was my new 32nd country). At the end of October, we arrived in France, in Provence, right from Montenegro. We visited Grasse and Saint-Tropez, and even managed to do some shopping in Marseille.
Sveti Stefan, the most picturesque town on the Montenegrin coast >>>
Golden autumn in Durmitor Park, Montenegro >>>
November: Paris, Burgundy, Switzerland, Italy South Tyrol
We started the month in Paris. Autumn Paris is incredibly beautiful and… cold. So, we spent most of the day shopping and buying gifts. I finally got to visit the famous department store Le Bon Marché. After that, we spent a few days relaxing in Burgundy and packing our bags. Next was Switzerland – South Tyrol, and then we returned to Belarus. South Tyrol was the highlight of our entire summer-autumn trip. I love this part of Italy and was incredibly happy to be there in the fall. We even managed to catch the golden autumn! A miracle for November. Magical hotels, amazing food, charming landscapes… What could be better!
The conceptual hotel Badhaus 4* and Viertel Bar in the heart of the old town of Bressanone >>>
December: Belarus, Minsk
We spent December in Belarus, enjoying the pre-New Year bustle and meetings with friends and family.
Many travel stories are still to come, so stay tuned for updates on the blog!
Hotel of the Year – Arthotel Lasserhaus, where we worked and enjoyed my favorite Italian region.
Resort – Spa Hotel of the Year – Couvent des Minimes Hotel & L’Occitane Spa at the foot of the Upper Provence Alps in France.
Restaurant of the Year – Fink restaurant in Bressanone (Italy, South Tyrol), a conceptual place with history and incredible cuisine.
Exhibition of the Year – a wonderful exhibition of Belarusian talents, with one of the stands hosted by my good friend.
Concert of the Year – a historical show at a Burgundy castle.
Discovery of the Year – attending operas in Minsk. I had been waiting for the perfect time in life to immerse myself in this part of “art.” It seems I’ve found the ideal moment, as I’m absolutely thrilled! It’s incredibly beautiful, captivating, and inspiring (I wrote a lot about it on my Telegram).
Best Opera – La Traviata. Beautiful, vibrant, dramatic!
Worst Opera – The Flying Dutchman. It was boring, dull, and even at times frightening.
I’ll wish for even more travels in 2025 for both you and me! Now, tell me, what good and interesting things have happened to you?
