It pains me to say it, but the summer of 2026 is over, just like that. It was an interesting summer: unseasonably cool throughout May, with the warmth not really arriving until June. This was discouraging, as summer is easily my favourite season; however, once the warmth started to set in, I made the most of my time with leisure and travel.

Concluding five days in Lisbon, I am now in Coimbra. The second stop on my Portugal trip. It will come as no surprise that I consider travel to be one of life’s perks, and I take every opportunity I have to go somewhere new.

We are now three weeks into 2026, and looking back on my year, I have achieved goals I had set for myself. One of those goals was to read more, and as a result, I finished 30 books in 2025, almost double what I read in 2024. This year, I’m aiming for 45 books. In addition to my reading goal, I wanted to remain active in physical wellness through daily workouts and rowing sessions (I am nearing 100 total hours).