Travel Lightbulb

This is my view for the next couple of weeks....a stunning balcony on the West coast of Barbados. For those of you who have visited the island before, I bet you can almost hear the tree frogs singing as the sun goes down on another blissful day! I'm a sucker for a good sunset, but it also makes me sad that another day of my travels is over. A great way to get over that is to enjoy a sundowner though, and that's what I'll be doing as soon as it starts to drop in the sky! Cheers everyone, and wherever you are reading this - happy holidays for you too when they come!

Today I'm flashing back to a place that would suit families looking for a place where adults can relax, and the younger generation are also well catered for.  Martinhal Beach Resort and Hotel is near Sagres in the Western Algarve and is a beautiful spot for a chilled out holiday, but also a lovely place to enjoy a spot of lunch or a cocktail as the sun goes down. Click  here  to read my original post.

Last year I took the whole summer off for the first time since I was a little girl. I have wonderful childhood memories of enjoying the freedom that school holidays allowed with not a care in the world. My work allows me to take some much needed down time in the summer months, and this is the last post that I'll be writing before my adventures begin. I have eleven weeks in which to recharge my batteries, and plan to head "where the weather suits my clothes" as Harry Nilsson sang in the brilliant song Everybody's Talkin'. If life isn't for living to the full, then what's the point of working hard all year? Make the most of your own time off work this year, whether you're going away or spending it at home. There's a big wide world out there, and it's ready to be explored!

Regular readers of my blog will know that I love photographing signs when I'm on my travels. Over the years I've taken pictures of beautiful old signs in Italy; amusing ones in the Caribbean, and today's shot was taken in Lisbon. I think this one manages to be beautiful yet amusing at the same time!  Have you taken any photos of signs on your travels? If so why not share them with me - details of how to get in touch are on my contact page.

Botswana has become one of Africa's most stable countries, and I'm featuring it as a destination suggestion today, because in 2016 the country celebrates 50 years of independence. You can see incredible sunsets and stargazing opportunities, as seen in the photo below - but that's certainly not the only reason to visit. This landlocked country is sparsely populated, so tourism is an important source of income. It's usually safari-based, and is tightly controlled and often upmarket.  The Chobe National Park is home to the largest concentration of elephants in Africa, and you can take a sundowner cruise on the riverfront to view them up close and personal. The landscape in Botswana is stunning, and there is fantastic game viewing and birding all year round, with no crowds - what's not to love?

This week's flashback takes us to to a country house that could be straight out of a period drama - but you wouldn't think it by taking a glance at the photo below. The eagled eyed travellers among you will recognise the shot was taken in Dublin, and today's flashback location is only an hour from the bustling Irish capital city. This week I'm featuring the country house hotel Bellinter House - to read my original post, click  here.

As the title of today's post suggests, I won't be handing out any prizes for guessing where this week's travel photo was taken.....the Greek flag kind of gives it away!  I was sightseeing on a windy day in Athens, and managed to take this photo just as the sun came out from behind a cloud - lovely memories of a beautiful sunny trip!

Instead of doing my own April Fool on you all today, I have been trawling through the archives to find the best travel pranks that have been done on this day over the years - I have to say, there are some classics!  How about the story published by the Scouts that claimed that a massive climbing wall was going to be created on the side of The Shard in London? At 1,014ft high, the article said management "strongly advise anyone with a fear of heights to take the decision very seriously as once climbers begin their ascent there is no going back down". Flight Centre Australia went one better - they tried to get people to believe that they could fly from Australia to London in a modified cargo crate....bringing a whole new meaning to cattle class! The Tower of Pisa may be leaning, but how about it being turned into a hotel? That's what The Telegraph reported was happening....it was to be called 3.99 Degrees - ha ha! Finally though, if you're like ...