Page 3 of Valley Girl on Tour Travel Blog Posts


Oceania » Australia September 27th 2015

London-Perth 6th - 7th September 2015 Well I'm finally in Oz after what felt like a lifetime in the sky. Flight 1 - London to Hong Kong was great with me having a whole row of seats (3) to myself so when it was time for some shut eye I could lay flat. My gluten free food was ok, maybe a little over generous with the fruit but overall not bad. The 3 hour lay over was fine, then came the final leg. I was sat on the end chair in the middle section where the freezing cold air con blasted in my face. In response to asking if the temperature of the air con could be turned up, I was promptly given three blankets to shut me up!!! By this point I was exhausted and ... read more
Bell Tower - Perth
Art City Walking Trail - Perth
St Marys Cathedral, Perth

Europe » United Kingdom » Wales August 31st 2015

Well Sunny South Wales couldn't have been further from the truth when I arrived in torrential rain. The traffic was bad leaving the airport and I was still keeping the pretence up that I was in Germany. The reason for the secret escapade at home was simply, my Brother turning the Big 30! Luckily for me, with the excellent planning of my parents my Sister's birthday is in the same week so it felt right to come back, to complete my European leg at home. First call my Brother's house, followed by my parents home to surprise my Dad and Sister who we had arranged to be there. It was fantastic to be able to give them all a cwtch (hug) and watch their shocked faces morph into joy....eventually. Even I was taken aback of how ... read more
Pirate Poser!!
Llancaiach Fawr
Dismaland

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin August 21st 2015

Berlin - 20th-21st August 2015 I arrived in Berlin from Warsaw around 6pm after battling through their equivalent of the M25 ring road totaling a 10 hour journey.  I had recieved rather a large sum of money from my GE colleagues when I left (aswell as a load of other fab gifts) so I decided to treat myself at least once.  I booked to stay in the Radisson Blu Berlin hotel.  This was not because I have a ponchant for Raddison hotels but because of the fabulous Aquarium that runs through the middle of the foyer and what the balcony of my room looks onto.  I have always been fascinated with fish and marine life since I was little, when my Dad used to take me to look in rock pools, so this was right up ... read more
Yellow Chicken Curry! - Yum!
View at Breakfast
The Wall

Europe » Poland August 15th 2015

The journey to Krakow - 14th-16th August 2015 Long version - in all its glorious detail! ;) It had been a long yet enjoyable last day in Romania but now is was time to catch my 11pm bus to Budapest on my way to Krakow. I grabbed a taxi to the bus station and ended up with the most back handed compliment of my trip, from the young taxi driver. His words. "I'd say you were about 35 to 40, definitely not old, more middle age!!". Then he asked for my blog details which I give to him, to prove even middle age people can travel!!! :) The cheeky git! The bus was late but I felt at ease as there were others waiting for the same one. Anyway here it comes about 25 minutes later, ... read more
3:50am, raining and waiting for my bus to Krakow.
The rain keeps pouring - Budapest
The heaven's opened!

Europe » Romania August 14th 2015

Bucharest -7th-9th August 2015 The train journey from Sofia recomfirmed my dislike of public transport with its inefficiency, noise and fake leather fabric seats. It's not helpful when squashed in a tin can, being baked from the glorious sunshine! It took far longer than it should have done, only then for me to be completely ripped off by a bloody taxi driver. Although, he did have air con and at this point, I was surprised he wasn't charging me a cleaning fee with my dishevelled sweaty disposition. ;) This journey did however remind me of why I had chosen to travel in the first place and that was to embrace every aspect thrown at me so that I could learn to be more tolerant and grateful for the life I pocessed and taken for granted. The ... read more
Bucharest Walking Tour
Romanian Stew
Bucharest by Night

Europe » Bulgaria August 6th 2015

Plovdiv - 2nd-4th August 2015 My trip into Bulgaria began on a high note after finally, my last hotel in Istanbul found a loaf of gluten free bread. So after loads of bread and jam for breakfast followed by some make shift cheese and tomato sandwiches for the 9 hour journey ahead of me, I was all set. The scenery was lovely with a reminscence of home after passing many bright yellow fields, only this time, the yellow was from Sunflowers rather than Rapeseed. The expanse of flat fields were edged with distant mountain ranges that appeared slightly hazy in the heat. It was also nice to have an uneventful border crossing. :) It was about 4pm when I arrived at my hotel. Wow I thought, had I really booked this place for the cheap price ... read more
Various Art work - Plovdiv
Duck with Amaretto and Apple Rissotto -Plovdiv
Balkan Bites Food Tour - Sofia

Middle East » Turkey July 20th 2015

Istanbul 10th -13th July 2015 When I first came through the arrivals gate at Istanbul, I was overwelmed with the sea of people in front of me, when it's barely a handful at Cardiff or Bristol. I quickly secured a private transfer after reading the many horror stories about Istanbul taxi drivers ripping off tourists. So after excessive hornblowing, an exchange of turkish expletives and horrific traffic, I reached my destination. This was the first time I began to wonder whether visiting Istanbul on my own had been a good idea? My accomodation was well placed near the Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Square and the Hagia Sofia Museum. On checking in, my host provided a map and great information on where to visit and eat. It was already dark when I went out for food and first ... read more
Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul

Europe » Montenegro July 9th 2015

Kotor - 6th-8th July 2015 I didn't think it possible to fall in love with a destination instantaneously before even getting to your accommodation. Montenegro is a breathtakingly beautiful place. From crossing the border the bus winds around the coast to take me to Kotor, my home for the next 2 nights. When I get there, there's no time to waste. I am eager to explore this location. My accomodation is in the 'Old Town' and is fabulous. My room contains an old stone feature wall and I can see the church bells from my room. This ended up being the bain of my life when they chimed every hour and at 7am burst into another medley as if the hourly chimes weren't enough!! This was my first time staying in a hostel and I would ... read more
Kotor
Kotor
Podgorica

Europe » Croatia June 24th 2015

Zagreb 23rd - 25th June My Croatian trip started in Zagreb, it's capital when I finally got through a passport check. Listen up everyone, I never thought I'd say this, but Passport Control in the airport is a lot less hassle than trying to enter Croatia by bus. Anyway when I finally arrived after a long and arduous journey, things started to look up. My studio flat this time was fabulous and the host even better, so friendly and helpful. It even came with a small veranda for me to enjoy sitting outside, eventually when it stopped pissing down!!! Moving swiftly on to try and find some plus points. Unfortunately this didn't come in the form of culinary delights either!! A phrase I have used previously when it seems impossible to find anything Gluten Free is ... read more
Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb

Europe » Hungary » Central Hungary » Budapest » Pest June 22nd 2015

It was nice to come back to Budapest for a visit before embarking on Croatia. It's a place located by the river Danube with Buda one side and Pest the other. Before you say it, obviously I am in the 'Pest' side! :) My accomodation this time is a very petite 2 storey apartment where I can actually live normally for a few days. By this, I mean I've put a wash on, cooked my own dinner and done the dishes. Strangely it felt nice for a change. My location again is pretty central with the Budapest Eye and St Stephens Church minutes from where I'm located. The church won this time and I'm really glad it did. Like all religious buildings, it is wonderfully decorated with amazing statues and murals. However the really lovely thing ... read more
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