This post is slightly belated, given that I returned from my trip a full week ago. But in true ‘me’ style it has been a full-on week… that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. My plan for a visit to Scotland was hatched a few years ago, but due to circumstances of moving house … More Scotland!
After five days of solo travelling around Andalusia, I met up with my kids in Malaga for the second half of my adventure. I arrived by train and picked up the keys to our AirBnB, while they flew in from Bristol and made their way by local train. Our first evening involved a trip to … More Seeing out my 50s (and in my 60s!) – Part 3: Malaga
My stay in Cordoba was literally just 24 hours and I have to say, it was too damn short! I arrived mid-morning by train from Seville, found a bus to the old town, and dragged my (still noisy) suitcase across yet more cobbles to reach my hotel. What a location – literally across the road … More Seeing out my 50s – Part 2: Cordoba
I can’t remember for how long I have wanted to take my two kids away to celebrate my 60th. I think the idea stemmed from having once wished my parents had wanted to do a family holiday when we were adults, but it has gained traction because I can’t think of two people I’d rather … More Seeing out my 50s – Part 1: Seville
Let me start by saying that I had an amazing trip. I am, however, glad to be home! I felt the difference of being a year older than last year, I felt the impact of having ‘stuff’ going on at home and needing to stay connected, and I also discovered that the format of this … More Cambodia and Vietnam – reflections on my trip
My Hanoi stay has been in two parts, with a trip to Halong Bay in the middle (see my previous post here). I arrived into Noi Bai airport after a slightly delayed (which it seems they *all* are) 1-hour flight from Da Nang, and it then took me almost twice as long to locate my … More Vietnam part 5 – Hanoi
A trip out to Halong Bay was pretty much a non-negotiable on this trip. Sandwiched into my Hanoi stay, I booked myself onto a 2-day / 1-night cruise and decided that this would be my ‘treat’ to self… so booked myself a suite with its own terrace. Sounds good, no? Well, I have to tell … More Vietnam part 4 – Halong Bay
This post may seem like a bit of a diversion from my set of blog posts on my travels in Vietnam, but bear with me! Today, after a heavy morning of sightseeing (about which more in the next post), I went for a massage on the recommendation of a fellow traveller. And it got me … More Massage!
I had intended to treat Hoi An as ‘downtime’, booking a hotel outside the city centre with its own beach. It hasn’t quite worked out like that, although having settled bedside the pool on Thursday morning it was really difficult to move my bum and go exploring! My plan for the beach on Friday afternoon … More Vietnam part 3 – Hoi An
When is your first day in Hoi An not your first day in Hoi An? When you decide to book a full day tour to Hue! This was a deliberate decision to keep the pace up before allowing myself to settle into the more relaxed rhythm of my beachside hotel, but after a late arrival … More Vietnam part 2 – Hue
It’s a shame that my first impression of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was the international arrivals hall of its airport! Immigration was slow and the luggage slower… not helped by the baggage carousel belt stopping at least three times when items got stuck 😩 Nevertheless, I was finally united with my taxi transfer, and … More Vietnam part 1 – Ho Chi Minh City
The second part of my mini-tour of Cambodia was to Siem Riep. We did a minibus transfer that took the best part of the day, with several comfort stops and lunch at a community-run silk farm – fascinating. We arrived at our hotel at around 5pm – a really lovely hotel, with a fabulous pool, … More Cambodia – part 2
Last year, when I blogged about what turned out to be an amazing trip to Thailand, I decided to set an intention to escape from the misery of the UK winter to visit this part of the world again. And next on my list to visit was Cambodia and Vietnam… So, last Sunday, I boarded … More Cambodia part 1
Over the last few years, a couple of my girlfriends and I have marked the run up to Christmas with a craft workshop and lunch / dinner out. We’ve made several pieces of Christmas pottery, and last year a bauble wreath. When we talked about what to do this year, and considered the cost of … More Sofia
It’s already over a month since I got back from Thailand. Not so long as to have forgotten the details of my trip, but long enough to have settled back into the routine of daily life and processed some of my learnings. Let’s start at the beginning. This was not my first solo trip – … More Thailand – Part 4 Reflections on my trip
Phuket was actually the starting point for this whole trip. It was a crumb of temptation from some friends who had booked 3 weeks in a villa in Nai Harn, and who suggested I could join them since they had a spare bedroom, that started the cogs turning and led to flights being booked. It … More Thailand – Part 3 Phuket
The end of week 1 in Thailand saw me hop an internal flight north to Chiang Mai. Just a short 1 hour 15 took me to a completely different landscape and vibe. I arrived at my hotel mid afternoon- was very pleased with my choice of accommodation, which was a little oasis in the corner … More Thailand- Part 2 Chiang Mai
Where do I start? I suppose it would have to be with the jet lag! An ‘overnight’ flight from Heathrow to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi, where the clock said it was morning but my body thought it was 2am… When we landed in Bangkok, local time was 6pm and by the time I made it … More Thailand – Part 1 Bangkok
Where did January go? How can a month be at the same time the longest month ever, and over in a flash? As during most Januarys, I spent some of my time wishing my life away and longing for lighter, sunnier, longer days and some of my time planning and visioning what I wanted life … More Brave vs bravado
I have just returned from a week in Nantes, a city lodged between the Loire valley and Brittany, which is twinned with my home town of Cardiff. It was the return leg of a linguistic exchange for adults from the two cities, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The exchange is organised annually by … More Parlez-vous français?