Travel Lightbulb

This is the time of year when I get very excited! I'm lucky enough to be able to take a few months off each summer and travel the world....and it all starts next week with a trip to New York City. This will be my third trip to the Big Apple, and having done most of the major sights, I'm determined to seek out some new cool places to feature on my blog. I'm not only going to New York this year though, so there will be plenty of awesome tips for you on Travel Lightbulb in the weeks and months to come. For those of you not travelling this year, I'll attempt to cheer you up with some lovely pics of my jaunts across the world!

If you took a quick glance at the photo below you could be forgiven for thinking I'm featuring Rome on this post, but you'd be wrong! This is the Roman amphitheatre in Pula, which is at the southern tip of the Croatian province of Istria. It's the sixth largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire, and one of the best preserved in the world. The amphitheatre hosts events all summer, but that's not the only reason to visit this lively city. Pula combines the atmosphere of ancient Rome with the buzz of modern Croatia. The original Roman Forum (below) is a very popular meeting point, with plenty of cafes with outdoor tables where you can sit and enjoy the view.  There is also a working port in Pula, and they hold celebrations there every summer, and have been doing so since 2014. It's called 'Lighting Giants', and they illuminate the sea of cranes that line the port's shipyards. The port handles almost one million tons of cargo every year, but ...

One of my main aims when I visited Rome was to find some fabulous 'cibo di strada' (street food) to share with you on here, and wow I found a gem! Supplizio is a little shop specialising in 'suppli' - Italian snacks that are native to Rome. They're normally eaten as starters before pizza, but I find they're a cheap and delicious replacement for lunch. The menu is written on a chalkboard on the wall behind the bar, and as you can see suppli dominates here, but why would you want anything else when they're so delicious! So what are they I hear you ask? Fried balls of rice with several varieties of yummy fillings such as ragu, and cheese & pepper - it's hard to decide what to go for!  I tried the classico and the carbonara and they were both just yummy! I also had a generously poured glass of beautiful Lazio wine and it was one of my favourite meals in Rome...sometimes the simple things can be the most delicious! There isn't ...

Close to home for me for this one, and today's pick is an incredible feat of engineering. The Forth Bridge towers over the turbulent waters of the Firth of Forth is a wonder of the modern world. The bridge, which carries 200 trains each day, links Fife with the Lothians.  In 1964 the rail crossing was joined by the Forth Road Bridge, and this month a third bridge, the Queensferry Crossing will open - a real reason to visit this iconic Scottish landmark. 

Today I'm flashing back to a few years ago, and my blog post on a wonderful hotel in Poland's capital city, Warsaw. This city has arguably the best restaurant scene in Poland. It has a superb collection of neighbourhoods to wander around, and the Stare Miasto, or old town, is one of the best.  It was left in ruins after WWII but was painstakingly rebuilt using pre-war sketches. This historic quarter is a tribute to the city's survival instinct and is now a Unesco World Heritage site. To go to my original post, and a fabulous choice of hotel in Warsaw, please click here .

If you've still not decided where to go this summer, why not head to Jackson Hole in Wyoming? Why Wyoming? Well there will be a total solar eclipse on August the 21st, and it's the first time in almost 40 years that it will be visible from the continental U.S.  Jackson Hole would be a great place to get a great view of the eclipse. It's a valley between the Teton mountain range, and the Gros Ventre range. Not only is the scenery in these low-lying valleys spectacular, but it's the perfect vantage point because of the lack of light pollution.  So what is there to do when the main event is over? There are great hiking trails in this area and the Yellowstone national parks, or you could head to Jackson itself - described by the tourist guides as both 'cowboy and cosmopolitan'.....sounds perfect!

On my recent trip to Rome, I wanted to be right in the middle of the action. A friend who is a regular visitor to the city suggested it was more economical to stay near the sights than on the outskirts simply because I'd spend the money I'd saved on cheaper accommodation on public transport. I have found a gem that I'm going to share with you - and before I tell you where it is - how about this for a room with a view? As you may have guessed, Hotel Abruzzi is right opposite the fabulous Pantheon in the beautiful Piazza de la Rotunda. Despite the square being filled with tourists day and night, there is no problem with noise here. I'm a light sleeper, but never had a problem - the double glazing is superb! The hotel has just 26 rooms which have all been recently renovated, and are decorated with images of ancient Rome. They're well appointed and come equipped with a hairdryer; tea and coffee making facilities, and free wifi.  Breakfast is serve...

I absolutely love flying - for me it's when my travels begin, and my holiday starts. On a recent trip, I flew over the Mont Blanc range of mountains, which straddle across France and Italy. Mont Blanc is the highest point of the Alps; the highest peak in Western Europe, and is nicknamed the roof of Europe! There are small planes that take you over this incredibly beautiful mountain range, but I was lucky enough to fly on a beautiful clear day and experience it while making my journey to Italy. This is just one of the reasons I love flying - the window seat gives us a view to a world we'd never otherwise see so if you're flying this year, lift the window blind, and enjoy the view!