Travel Lightbulb

I can't quite believe it, but on the 1st of August it will be four whole years since I started writing my travel blog! That's four years of discovery, sharing new places, and finding places I want to get to at some point in my life! I started this blog as a hobby, and still enjoy it now just as much as I did in the first year. It has been so lovely to get lots of great feedback about the places I've featured, and I now feel like a bit of a travel organiser for a lot of my friends who now regularly ask for tips when they're going away!  Four years of reminiscing about great trips, beautiful destinations, and dreaming of far flung places that I'll get to one day. Time flies when you're having fun!

Sometimes we deserve a treat, and I know just the place for a totally decadent meal! I visited Bordeaux for a weekend and had to find somewhere perfect for a birthday celebration. My research brought me to a fabulous place called La Tupina, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Bordeaux is also a fantastic place to visit, and I'm always amazed that more people don't visit. Having said that, it's nice to go somewhere that isn't packed with tourists, and the restaurant is so good I'd go back to Bordeaux simply to go there. Fabulous!  If you want to read more about La Tupina, then why not re-visit my original post on  Decadence in Bordeaux .

Today's post is not for the faint hearted. If trekking is your thing, then you're going to love it - if it's not....you'll enjoy the scenery anyway! Mount Fitz Roy is a mountain in Patagonia, on the border between Argentina and Chile. First climed way back in 1952, it remains one of the most technically challenging mountains on earth. The Fitzroy area is hugely popular with trekkers - including those on day hikes. Unsurprisingly, climbing this beast is most feasible during the summer months in the southern hemisphere - December to February - but it's always subject to the Patagonian weather, which can be fickle! Patagonia itself is sprawling and wild, but relatively undiscovered. It says it all that while around a hundred people can reach the top of Mount Everest in a single day, the summit of Mount Fitz Roy may only be successfully reached once a year.

The city of Cáceres is a beautiful place. It lies in the Extremadura region of western central Spain, and the old town is protected by UNESCO. Its narrow cobbled streets twist and climb among ancient stone walls, and huge stork's nests. You feel like you're stepping back in time here. The city's history of battles between Moors and Christians is reflected in its architecture which is a real eclectic mix. It's a beautiful place, and the Parador is unbeatable in terms of where to stay. Off the beaten track, and stunning - a real Travel Lightbulb favourite.

As a proud Scot, I love nothing more than returning to my country of birth and relishing the scenery that always blows me away. The rugged countryside is made even more dramatic by the..how shall I put it....'changeable' weather that Scotland enjoys, even in the summer months! Scotland is a great place to get away from it all at the best of times, but if you're looking for a bit of luxury as well, then Stobo Castle Health Spa is the place. It's a little gem, in the most beautiful surroundings. If you want to read my original post on Stobo Castle, then click  here.