Autumn Spice and everything nice!

Hey, what ever happened to Summer? I hope yours was lovely, mine was pretty amazing! It feels like my whole year has whizzed past in a flash, how about yours? 

I've had a year of saying "yes" to everything offered to me. It has been exciting to put it out to the Universe to see where I should be. We feel very fortunate to be able to do this in my husband's early years of retirement.

I'm just back in Asia from the US. I never feel my year is quite right without seeing British daffodils in the Spring and a pumpkin and the leaves turning in Autumn. Yay, the world nailed it this year, thank you. 

Read on to find out what happened when my ultimate yes occurred on a trip to Montana to meet Ruth, an IG friend. I know Bloggers will smile and not be at all concerned, we've been meeting up around the globe for years, haven't we...?! 

But let's just say some of my family and friends were, you're doing what?!

But first some Little Wren updates!

France

I had some fun days in Europe. Mr Wren has always wanted to live in France when he retired, which hasn't quite worked out. Instead, we are happy for whatever time we can have in France and we had a fabulous time exploring three great destinations - with a little help from the respective French Tourism Boards (full disclosure below)

Lyon, France: 

Wandering Lyon with a 48-hour Lyon City Pass

'It was like an Amazing Race to discover as much as we could with the clock ticking down! With 2000 years of history it’s impossible to cover it all. Our plan was to get a good feel for the diversity of Lyon, an old city with a modern twist and dramatic flair'...

Read on to find out how we did here.

Lyon city view from the rooftops of Basilique Notre-Dame de Fouvrière

Avignon
How to get the best from a 48-hour Avignon City Pass

'Here is our two-day itinerary, using the Avignon City Pass with tips and insights for the best time.

We loved Avignon and if you enjoy medieval history, visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites, exploring enchanting cobbled streets, and generally immersing yourself in the French way of life, read on. Hands up who’s off to get the croissants for breakfast?'

You can read more here

Wandering Villeneuve lez Avignon

Montpellier

Discovering Magnificent Montpellier Southern France Tips for the Best Trip

'We very much like this area of Southern France for its joie de vivre ambiance, wonderful history and architecture, not to mention the sunny days, and great food and wine in the Languedoc region. 

We had never before lingered to explore the city, thinking it was the surrounding cities where the greatest fascinations lay. So when Office de Tourisme & des Congrès Montpellier invited us to spend a few days discovering magnificent Montpellier, we accepted with intrigue and a big Merci Beaucoup!' 

You can read more here

My Tennis Fan Slam 2023

My summer included attending three tennis Grand Slams, meaning I'd completed a Fan Slam. It's my equivalent of running a marathon! A Fan Slam is attending all the tennis Grand Slams in a calendar year. 

Yes that means Australia (January in Melbourne Park) ~> Roland Garros  (May in Paris) ~> Wimbledon (July in London) ~> US Open (September in New York )

It's been epic! You can read some of the back story here:

French Open 2023

Is anyone for Tennis? Have you ever been to Roland Garros? Or wondered what it is like wandering the grounds of the fancy French Open? It’s been seven years since I was last at Roland Garros in Paris and it was great to be back. I loved seeing all the changes since I was last visiting. I’m here to share my reflections, experience, and tips for a great day of Grand Slam tennis'.

You can read more here at How to enjoy ace days at Roland Garros 

Wimbledon 2023

We’ve loved our three days at the Wimbledon Championships this year. We’ve watched players competing in several tournaments including Qualifying, Doubles, Wheelchair, and Junior tennis. 

We started at the Qualifying Championship in Roehampton and ended up watching the Wheelchair Semi-Finals on Court No 1. 

There is so much more to the Wimbledon Championship than the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ main draw.'

For more see  The Wimbledon Championships and how to be part of It

US Open 2023

My two weeks at the US Open were incredible it was the second year in a row I have been. You can read all about it via my Little Wandering Wren IG page here. 

Hudson Valley

After the US I was invited by Dutchess Tourism to visit the Hudson Valley area.

My Dutchess Story starts in the Hudson River Valley ten years ago. We discovered New York’s backyard when looking for a few days’ escape from The Big Apple.  Our daughter was studying at New York University and having a whale of a time. We’d arrived in New York only to find her busy – honestly, kids! You fly over 10,000 miles and they’ve got a placement project with Google and a meeting with Hilary Clinton on campus to attend. Anyways, with a few days to ourselves, we set off to explore upstate New York...

You can read more about what happened on my return a decade later here.

 The fun part about this blog being around so long is that you can also read about our first trip here: Victory FDR style

Montana

So finally that brings me to Montana, I travelled from the Hudson Valley to Montana to spend a week with an Instagram Friend, I knew but had never met...

The story is here on my IG account. Long story short, we had the best time thanks to Ruth @elysianreflections.

For those who may be pondering their travels for 2024 I say, say yes to solo travel adventures, do something out of your comfort zone, and happy wanderings! 

Does anyone have any exciting plans for 2024, I have nothing at all booked!

Many thanks for reading to the end.

Full Disclosure: Little Wandering Wren was an Invited guest of Montpellier and Dutchess Tourism. City passes were provided by Lyon and Avignon Tourism Boards. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

PS To keep up with all my wanderings I'd love to see you at the following:

• Little Wandering Wren Travel Blog
• Little Wandering Wren Instagram
• Little Wandering Wren Facebook
• Little Wandering Wren TikTok
• Little Wandering Wren YouTube