After a night at Castello Bevilacqua, JJ and I drove 1-hour northwest to Bardolino in Verona Province. Located on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, Bardolino’s beautiful rolling hills are covered with olive groves, vineyards and cypress trees.
Lake Garda’s circumference is about 160km and road traffic is heavy in high season. To see and do everything around the area requires a few days. Nevertheless, here’s what we managed to fit in with just 24 hours to explore.
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Following a week of visiting family in England this September, JJ and I flew to Italy. We stayed with JJ’s sister in Cremona Province for most of our time there and also spent a couple of nights away. Sleeping in a castle had been on my bucket list for ever, so on one of those nights away we finally ticked it off.
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Throughout my childhood, I lived only a short train ride from central London and saw most of the city’s major attractions during that time. It’s been many years since I’ve travelled to England’s capital for any reason other than shopping or meeting up with friends. However, last month while back home, I went sightseeing in some photo-worthy areas of London that weren’t familiar to me. Along the way, I revisited some old faves as well.
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I grew up in the city of St. Albans in Hertfordshire. Whenever I go back to the UK to visit my family I tend to hang around the same old places, drinking tea like it’s going out of fashion and eating all the M&S food. During my most recent stay in St. Albans however, I went on 3 great day trips around the area which were completely new to me and worthwhile sharing.
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Did you know that Northumberland boasts more castle sites than any other county in England? The over 70 fortifications are a legacy from the Anglo-Scottish border wars that raged throughout the 14th-16th centuries. I wasn’t aware of this (or had ignored forgotten childhood history lessons) until I recently visited my Dad’s family who live “up north”.
JJ and I just got back from a 2-week trip to the UK + Italy. Here’s my plane outfit, plus what I packed in my carry-on and checked bag for this trip. Temperatures ranged from 12°C in England, up to 28°C in the north of Italy. Hopefully, this will be useful if you need to pack for a similar weather forecast.
After our orangutan trekking adventure, JJ and I were ready for some relaxing Indonesian beach time. We set off for Mahi-Mahi Surf Resort, an eco-lodge on Simeulue Island in Aceh Province, Sumatra.
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Gunung Leuser National Park covers 7,927 km2 in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. This tropical rainforest is one of the last places on earth where critically endangered orangutans live in the wild. Seeing these great apes has been on my bucket list for ages, so over the Easter long weekend, JJ and I finally made orangutan trekking happen!
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JJ and I just got back from a 10 day trip to Sumatra, Indonesia. It was finally time to tick orangutan trekking off the bucket list! Here’s my plane outfit, plus what I packed in my carry-on and checked bag for this trip. I don’t normally post what I bring on shorter trips, but because I had a mix of activities planned I thought this might be handy.
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state consisting of over 900 islands, lying in between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. The country’s capital, Honiara, is situated on the island of Guadalcanal. After Christmas in Sydney, JJ and I travelled to Honiara and then east to Marau Sound for a tropical mini-break. Set your watches to island time…..
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