It’s nearly the weekend! Today in Essex it’s been freezing cold and I’ve spent my day dreaming of some summer sun and a cocktail…or 10. My day dreams have inspired my post today and I will be sharing with you, my top 10 travels!
In no order course… Here we go!
10. New Orleans
I visited New Orleans in 2013 just after Mardi gras. There was some sort of celebration of music on in he older part of the city and there was literally a band on every corner! I explored the French Quarter, Bourbon Street (by day!) and a lot more of the city! There’s a real sense of mystery, magic and life in New Orleans which is what makes is one of my top ten travels!
9. Montenegro, Kotor
I’ve never heard very much about Montenegro before visiting it. It’s in Eastern Europe just off the coast of the Mediterranean and can be reach by boat via large lakes and rivers. Montenegro means ‘black mountain’ as it’s a very mountainous area, but wow is it breath taking! The water is blue as blue and the mountains tower around you, it really is a scenic masterpiece! The architecture in Kotor is lovely, amongst the newer (massive) houses there are old traditional churches and buildings which and really beautiful! For anyone who is travelling to Kotor, I highly suggest visiting the Chapel of the Lady of the Rocks!
8. Halkadiki, Polychrono
Im Such a sucker for a Greek island. Greece is my favourite holiday destination, always has been always will be! So here is the first of many! Halkadiki is actually part of the mainland of Northern Greece but is formed by three peninsulas so I’m counting those as islands. Polychrono is a small town on the Cassandra (most western) peninsula and it is beautiful! The town is very quiet by day with a number of bars and restaurants on the seafront. The beach is a fine shingle and the water is beautifully clear, perfect for snorkelling as I discovered! Yet by night this little town comes alive and the streets are packed! I highly recommend the secret paradise restaurant, go out the back.. It really is a secret.
7. Venice
Its possible that Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It’s everything I expected it to be, full of history, beautiful architecture and gondolas galore! I arrived in Venice via Cruise Liner at about 6am, we passed so many amazing sights before finally docking. I count myself as very fortunate to have experienced this as soon cruise ships will not be able to dock in Venice anymore! During my time there I managed to squeeze in a Gondola ride, eat some amazing pizza, see the bridge of sighs and even take a water bus up the grand canal! It was so much fun but slightly scary to think that the whole city is basically floating!
6. Briksdal Glacier, Norway
Yeah I don’t like to brag but I’ve been to a glacier and that basically makes me elsa from frozen. Seeing a glacier in temperatures of over 20 degrees Celsius isn’t something I ever imagined myself doing but I did it! During the hike up to glacier there were waterfalls and streams and it was gorgeous! And when we finally reached the top the actual glacier was incredible! It was bright blue which was gorgeous! Did you know you can drink glacier water straight from the river? The temperature of the water is about -5 degrees but it runs so quickly it can’t freeze so no nasties can grow in it! However I didn’t know the water was that cold until I stood in it and gave myself an instant migraine!
5. Rome
Rome Rome Rome. Wow. Beautiful. Amazing. I really can’t find the words! When visiting Rome we had hired a car and a tour guide so it meant we could see all the most amazing sights like the colosseum, the Roman forum, Bocca Della verita, the pantheon, St. Peter’s basilica, the palantine hill, the Spanish steps and so many more! My favourite view was the Aventine Keyhole which was a complete coincidence that it ended up this way and you’ll see what I mean in the picture below! Rome is definitely on my list to visit again and I would highly recommend it to anyone!
Through the keyhole…
5. Kiotari, Rhodes
Yay Greece! I went to Rhodes with my family in 2009 and it was the first time we’ve ever been all inclusive which is an added bonus but the island is beautiful! On one day we took a boat trip around the south coast of the island in a glass bottom boat. The buildings and scenery was stunning! We swam in tiny little bays with the bluest of blue water and then sat on the boat and travelled round to the next one watching the fish underneath us! We also saw a gorgeous little chapel in the bay of Lindos which is apparently a really popular wedding destination for people all over the world!
4. La Rochelle
An old favourite for me here! When I was younger, as a family we used to travel to La Rochelle a lot to go camping as a family! It’s a beautiful fishing town on the west coast of France! I believe that this is where my all time love of mussels began! I think this might also be where I got a mass of bubble gum stuck in my hair aged 5… Also La Rochelle has the most AMAZING aquarium. And when I say amazing I really mean it! There’s big sharks and Rays you can touch and they even have a submarine where you go under the water in a big tank and see all the fish together!
3. Corfu
I have been to Corfu twice in my life, once last year and once when I was 9! I usually got to the north east of the island which at a certain point is only 2km from the coast of Albania! In the town of Sidari there are a number of bars and restaurants as well as a lovely sandy beach! There was also a wonderful restaurant called ‘the three little pigs’ which was amazing (i hope it’s still there!) the waiters do traditional Greek dancing as well as plate smashing and using a lot of methylated spirits to set fire to things, my kind of place really! My second favourite destination in Corfu is Kassiopi named after Queen Kassiopia! It’s a lovely little fishing village with a number of little shops and restaurants there’s on in particular on the harbour side which does the best Greek salad EVER!
2. Hammamet, Tunisia
Now I have to say, we didn’t do too much exploring in Hammamet and mostly stayed inside the hotel complex… But what a complex it was! Our hotel was called Les Orangers and it was stunning! The hotel was mostly made up of gardens which had every type of flower imaginable! During our time here I also got to try some traditional cuisine! When people say that the smaller the chillie the hotter it is don’t believe them. I was presented with this massive green thing and thinking I was safe took a bite – a big bite – and swallowed. I couldn’t breath my eyes were watering, the waiters were telling me off, it was hilarious and painful. I also got to ride a camel which was cool and scary, those things are tall!
And Finally number one
Florence
I have never seen a place more beautiful! And I have never been anywhere hotter! The temperature was pushing 47 degrees Celsius and it was stiflingly hot! But still wow. My favourite sight was the Cathedral. Unfortunately we didn’t go in because the queues were vast but the outside was amazing enough! It was built in medieval times in all different colours of marble and it’s huge! My next favourite was the Ponte Vecchio which is a bridge that was built in the 12th century that still stands today! And to top it off there was a super cute dog on it! There’s so much more to Florence than Kimye’s wedding!
Martha Taylor 