Travel Blog Posts
Good times in san Francisco!
Published: September 19th 2010North America » United States » California » San Francisco
September 19th 2010
After an amazing week in Alaska it was time to set off on an adventure to San Francisco by plane, but only after interrogation from both the Canadian customs lady as we hopped off the ship in Vancouver and then secondary security coming back into America. I think they thought I wanted to work in their country or something. San Francisco is a very cool city and has great atmosphere and so many things to do. It was my first real taste of America, as I really don’t think Alaska counts! My time in San Fran was spent wandering the streets and exploring areas like Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 and the Ferry Building. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of Golden Gate Bridge on the first 2 days, however the typical fog that envelopes San ... read more
September 19th 2010
Alaska- A week spent with the oldies!! On a beautiful fall afternoon in Vancouver, we sailed off on Holland Americas ‘Volendam’ ship which was quite a change from the weeks spent staying in hostels. Comfy single beds, not having to climb up bunk beds, wardrobes and drawers to place my ever increasing pile of clothes in, room service, a stateroom attendant who ensured the room was clean twice a day, chocolate and towel animals placed on the bed every evening. Life was good!! As Vancouver faded into the sunset, the awe inspiring and beautiful natural scenery began to approach and the peacefulness and serenity of life at sea in Alaska became reality. The first evening we witnessed a breathtaking sunset, only beaten by the sunrise that we viewed as we returned to Vancouver. On the second ... read more
August 14th 2010
Cinque Terre was somewhere I had longed to go to after my last European holiday and it certainly didn’t disappoint. How I love to spend my time beside the seaside. My first port of call was Porto Venere, a short 40 minute ferry ride from La Spezia where I was staying. Another beautiful, hot summers day provided the perfect backdrop for the picture perfect village with its tall, narrow rustic houses painted in beautiful bright colours, olive and palm trees on the slopes of the mountain and the citadel and castle towering over the village on the upper slope of the mountain. Amongst this scenery hundreds of Italians were roasting themselves under the extreme heat of the sun, on the rocks along the water’s edge. Their tanned skin evidence to the fact that sunscreen would not ... read more
August 14th 2010
After another long day of travel to Brussels, in planes and trains via Milan, I arrived in Florence, a place that I had been to before but somewhere that I knew I had to come back to, to explore further. I had already seen many of the ‘must sees’ in Florence on my previous trip, so chose to spend my time people watching and absorbing the Italian atmosphere. Food seems to becoming quite a highlight in my trip and Florence didn’t disappoint. Lasagna, pizza, gelato and granitas became part of my daily diet. Actually my fruit intake for the week came from the many different fruit flavoured gelatos I tasted. My favourites were apple and limoncillo flavoured gelato. I walked around town and checked out all the sights and also explored the local leather markets which ... read more
August 3rd 2010
After a short train ride from Paris, I arrived in Brussels to meet up with Debbie, a friend of mine. We spent 3 days in and around Brussels. The weather was overcast however we still enjoyed our time. On the first day we walked around Brussels and checked out the old part of the city. Our time was spent walking through cobble stoned streets, checking out the hundreds of chocolate shops and eating delightful waffles. The highlight of my trip to Brussels was the day trip we did to Bruges, a small little town about an hour from Brussels. Once again we walked around the old town and explored the sights. It was a gorgeous little place with hundreds of horse drawn carts, beautiful little canals and many old buildings and cobble stoned streets. My time ... read more
August 2nd 2010
I had come to Paris with the idea to spend my time here relaxing and watching Parisian life from the seats of small cafes. My experience was far from this though and once again I find myself leaving with sore feet from the hours I spent walking around and enjoying the city. My experiences in Paris were interesting, fun and diverse. Once again I met up with Michelle from high school and from there the fun and the walking started. We headed to the Catacombs and after a one and a half hour wait we eventually descended on the winding staircase. We were fascinated by the bones that were so delicately placed and arranged. From there we headed to Montparnesse tower and took advantage of the outdoor terrace to see the amazing views of the city. ... read more
August 2nd 2010
From Hvar it was on to Dubrovnik on our 6 hour ferry ride. Only costing 115 Kuna about $20, I guess you can’t expect too much, although a little air conditioning wouldn’t go astray! We wasted the time away with a nap here and there and a long game of Phase 10. Once again Laura’s research paid off as we stayed in another beautiful apartment ‘Villa Gloria’ with stunning views over the sea and old town. However you have to pay for these types of views and we paid via a step-meter. After 167 steps to the top lugging our suitcases and backpacks we wondered if we were ever going to get there. Thank goodness for Simon’s help or I don’t know if I would have reached the top yet. Dubrovnik is one of those places ... read more
July 27th 2010
Croatia Split and Hvar After a late night flight to London, I decided a 5 hour stopover over in London Gatwick Yotel may be the best option to allow for a few hours sleep before my early morning flight to Split, Croatia. I walked through customs and within 20 metres I saw the entrance to Yotel, extremely convenient. Despite being a little pricy I was very glad to have somewhere to wait for my upcoming flight. My flight with Easyjet to Split was smooth flying and quite scenic as we flew over snow capped mountains in the Alps. On arrival in Split I was once again met with the stifling heat, but was glad to now be in a seaside location. Split is a very beautiful, busy city on the sea. It was exciting to meet ... read more
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