Trip Over to Florence – Italy

Home sweet home in London, arriving @royaloverseaslondon ✨ lights on and ready for Santa🎄☃️❄️🥂!!

#londonatchristmastime #royaloverseasleague #christmaslights #christmastree #traveltheworldwithme

I woke up in Palermo and decided that today was the day for a spontaneous adventure to Cefalu ✨️ After breakfast, I booked my train ticket, rushed across town on the 101 bus to Palermo Station, and made my train just in the nick of time - next stop, the beautiful coastal town of Cefalu, here I come! 🌞This is the street I walked down from Cefalu Station into the town, so pretty, and quiet at 10am! I realised on the train that I had forgotten to pick up my hat and sunscreen in my rush to get going, fortunately the shops soon started opening so I could sort this out 👒

#cefalù
#cefalusicily #prettytown #siciliantown #soloadventureinsicily #solotrip #solotravelinsicily #seeeverythingdoeverything #seekandyoushallfind #traveladdict #sicilylife

Strolling through the gardens of Government House, taking in the stunning views of Sydney Harbour while I wait for my house tour to start.✨️ I`m going to snoop around like it`s an open house - who knows, I might want to move in 💖🥂 And yes, I do😍

#governmenthousesydney #sydneyweekend #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneyaustralia #sydneyharbour #fountain #beautifulgardensoftheworld #historicsydney #seeeverythingdoeverything #explorethecityyoulivein #myhometown

The moon shining brightly over Taormina, and Mt Etna, puffing away in the distance, taken from the roof top terrace @hotel_isabella_taormina

#taorminasicily #taormina #soloadventureinsicily #solotravel ##seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #mtetna #mtetnasicily

They built a new walkway crossing over the Mororway, it will have a roof to protect us from the sun and rain they said.
Turns out it only has a strip of roof on one side, so in the morning the shade is on the motorway below, and in the afternoon the shade is on the other side of the motorway below.
Then they cut holes in the roof, the shape of bugs (!?!), no doubt to let the sun and rain through 🤔
In the middle of the day, the shadow from the roof with the holes in it turns into an X rated phallic display!!

Do you see that, or it it just me??🤣

Should there be a Parental Guidance warning before walking on to the foot bridge???

#northsydney #nswgovt @north.sydney #phallicart #walktowork #morningcommute #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneyuncovered

Wandering the streets of Cefalu, I stumbled upon the museum with incredible art, right near the Duomo.

#cefalù #cefalusicily #cefalumuseum #artworks #historicalsicily #traveltheworldwithme #solotravel #soloadventure #seeeverythingdoeverything

Signs of England all over Malta, not to mention they all speak English and drive on the left!!

1. King Edward Vll post box.
2. Red telephone box.
3. A cover for something on the foot path.
4. A Royal thing from 1893, in Mtarfa near where there were navy/military buildings
5. Red telephone box in Mdina, now used as a first aid station.
6. Me, heading out for a hard day exploring Malta!!

#malta #Valletta #mtarfa #Medina #redphonebox #englandinmalta #outfitoftheday #solotrip #solotravelinmalta #solofemalemidlifetraveller #exploremalta #neverstoptravelling #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmylens

Isola Bella, the beautiful little island where Lady Florence Trevelyan made her home after being exiled from England, meanwhile, her lover wasn`t exiled, he became King Edward Vll 👑
Hmmm 🤔
📍Walk down from Toarmina for some great views, the cable car was closed for maintenance when I was there, I caught the bus back up to Porto Messina!! ✨️

#isolabellataormina #taormina #taorminasicily #visitsicily
#solotravelinsicily #ladyflorencetrevelyan #soloadventureinsicily #exploretheworld
#seeeverythingdoeverything

Isola Bella, the little island paradise on the beach below Taormina✨️You have to walk through knee deep water to get there. I had my water shoes and small travel towel - ready for anything😂🥂

Read about the hotels I stayed in on my recent solo adventure in Malta and Sicily, click the link to my website in the bio.

#isolabellataormina #isolabella #taorminasicily #taormina #islandparadise #downbythesea #soloadventure #sicily

Continuing my recent solo adventure posts....I flew from London to Malta at the end of March, caught a taxi from the airport to my hotel in Valletta, then had a walk around the area to familiarise myself with my home for the next 10 days, everywhere in Valletta is so interesting, then went to La Pira on Merchants St and tried the delicious traditional Maltese meal of Rabbit Stew.

1. Flying over the French/Italian/Swiss Alps on KM Malta Airlines.
2. Santa Katarina Church
3. A typical Valletta Street
4. Maltese Rabbit Stew at La Pira

#flighttomalta #alps #snowcoveredmountains #streetsofvalletta #malta #valletta #rabbitstew #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinmalta #seetheworldthroughmylens #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme

Getting out for a walk after sitting on a plane for 24 hours✨️ I did a lap of Piccadilly and St James`s to see the Christmas lights. All rugged up in a coat, scarf, hat and gloves, I was loving the bracing 3 degree temperature❄️❄️❄️ Then back to @royaloverseaslondon for mulled wine and mince pies💖🎄☃️

#londonatchristmastime #christmaslights #piccadillyarcade #burlingtonarcade #jermynstreet

After visiting the Duomo di Cefalu, I followed the path behind the Duomo, which leads to the path to walk up Rocca di Cefalu. The giant rocky headland that promises amazing views and remains of old castles. By the time I was at the half way point, my knees were saying `nope, we`re good, here is enough`!! No need to go further up, I went back down to sea level and continued to explore the beautiful town of Cefalu.

#cefalù #cefalucathedral #roccadicefalù #amazingviews #oceanviews #historicsicily #solotravelinsicily #solotrip #traveltheworldworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #exploretheworld #traveladdict

Walking around Barangaroo to Walsh Bay, looking out over Sydney Harbour towards Balmain, Anzac Bridge and across to Luna Park on the north side.

#sydneyinspring #sydneyaustralia #sydneyharbour #barangaroo #sydneyharbourwalks #seetheworldthroughmyeyes

A last look around Syracuse ✨️ before continuing my solo Sicilian adventure, next stop Taormina 💖

#Syracuse #sicily #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything

Just took a free tour of Government House in Sydney`s Royal Botanic Gardens... now I`m considering a career change... Governor General, here I come! ✨️

#govermenthouse #governmenthousesydney #royalbotanicgardens #sydneyrbg #explorethecityyoulivein #walkinthepark #historicsydney #sydneyweekend #sydney #sydneyharbourwalks

Parco Trevelyan, public gardens in Taormina created by Lady Florence Trevelyan, who was exiled from England after an affair with the Prince who would become King Edward Vll.
She made her home on Isola Bella, and then married the Mayor of Taormina.

Click the link to my website in the bio to read about the hotels I stayed in on my recent solo adventure to Malta and Sicily.

#parcotrevelyan #parcotrevelyantaormina #taormina #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #walkinthepark #solotravel #exploretheworld #seetheworldthroughmyeyes

Lower Barrakka Gardens looking over the entrance to the Grand Harbour in Valletta, Malta.

1. Temple memorial to Sir Alexander Ball, Royal Naval Officer who served as the Commissioner in Malta from 1798 to 1809.
2. View from Lower Barrakka to Upper Barrakka (the arches in the centre of the photo).
3. Memorial to the Unknown Soldier.
4. Trojan warrior Enea.
5. Another angle of the temple.

#lowerbarrakkagardens #lowerbarrakkagardensvalletta #malta #Valletta #unknownsoldiermemorial #siralexanderballmonument #enea #grandharbourmalta #solotrip
#solomidlifefemaletraveler #solotravel #solotravelinmalta #adventure2025

Cruising around Gozo in an open-top double decker bus, not normally my chosen

method of transport, but with only one day in Gozo before catching the ferry back to

Valletta, it seems like the best way to see more of the island.


📍Gozo Harbour – picture perfect.


⛪That church watching over the harbour? That’s Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel, doing

her best to photobomb every shot.


🚜Oh, and a bonus quad bike gang rolled past—clearly living their best adventure

movie moment. Another very popular way to tour around Gozo.


Solo travel tip: Open-top buses are a fab way to see the island without the stress of

maps or dodgy parking. Just sit back, snap some pics, and enjoy the breeze! ☀️I met a

lovely couple from Chichester in England to chat with on the bus.


#GozoIsland #SoloTravelMalta #BusWithAView #OpenTopAdventures #GozoVibes

#MaltaAdventures #SoloTravelMagic

Strolling along the southern side of Sydney Harbour Bridge from Walsh Bay to The Rocks.

#sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyharbour #sydney #historicsydney #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyharbourwalks

A few views from Taormina, down to the beach, out to Mt Etna, up to Castelmola, always something wonderful to see on the streets of Taormina.

#taormina #taorminasicily #mtetna #mtetnasicily #castelmola #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #traveltheworldwithme

The markets in Ortigia, Syracuse can get very loud as the sellers sell their goods!! Especially as is gets on towards closing time...

#ortigia #syracuse #sicily #markets #fruitandvegetables #artichokes #soloadventure #solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything

Endless hours of wandering around the streets of Valletta, something interesting around every corner.

1. All the stepped streets that lead from Merchants St are full of coffee shops, bars and restaurants, they are packed every evening.
2. The long steps up St Ursula St, these were a daily event for me as I left the Grand Harbour Hotel.
3. Next to the Grand Masters Palace in Republic Square
4. A typical street in Valletta.
5. Monument of St Paul.

#streetsofvalletta #Valletta #Malta #solotrip #solofemaletravel #solotravel #solotravelinmalta #adventure2025 #traveltheworldwithme #seetheworldthroughmylens #neverstopexploring

The Nymphaeum is the only structure within Fort St Angelo which has never had any

military function. It was built in 1531 for the Grand Master of the Knights of St John as a

relaxation area, in part of a medieval tower.

As the Nymphaeum was built with its back to the sun, it offered constant shade against Malta’s hot summer. Still used today by the Knight Resident of the Order of St John, who I believe lives here. I hope he didn`t mind me sitting here for a while!! ✨️


# Nymphaeum #FortStAngelo #MalteseHistory #SoloTravelMoments #Birgu #solotrip

#neverstopexploring

Walking around Valletta from the Grand Harbour Hotel, there was a choice of walking up lots of steps in every direction, except down to the water front. All the steps are centuries old, and not evenly spaced, and they go on forever!!! It does get easier.....😜

1. Having made it to the top, I took this photo to show the height of this hill, but it actually looks quite flat! It isn`t 😳
2. Looking down to Victoria Gate.

#valletta #vallettamalta #Malta #streetsofvalletta #stepsstepsandmoresteps #victoriagate #solotrip #solofemaletravel #solofemalemidlifetraveller #solotravelinmalta #adventure2025 #seetheworldthroughmylens #exploringvalletta #neverstoptravelling #seeeverythingdoeverything

After checking into my hotel, I set off exploring Syracuse. It was all blue skies and blue water as I crossed the bridge to Ortigia Island. I came across a market next to an archaeological sites, note to self - find a coffee and something to eat, then come back here ✨️

I found a lovely coffee shop in Piazza Archimede, looking over Fontana di Diana, where I had a coffee and an enormous pastry 😋 just what I needed after getting up at 4.30am to catch the ferry from Valletta to Pozzallo, then the train to Syracuse!! I was now fuelled up and ready to continue my solo adventure.....

#sicily #Syracuse #ortigiaisland #fontanadidiana #piazzaarchimedeortigia #coffeeandpastry
#solofemaletraveler #solotrip #soloadventure #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #neverstopexploring

Inside Government House in Sydney, where Princess Anne is staying this weekend✨️ not sure what you do to get to stay there, but clearly she`s doing it....and I`m not!!

Open most weekends to walk through, definitily worth it, a magnificent historic buildingoverlooking the harbour, in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

#governmenthousesydney #princessanne #historicsydney #royalbotanicgardens #explorethecityyoulivein #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #myhometown

Exploring Fort St Angelo was like stepping into a living postcard from Malta’s past.

Across the Grand Harbour from Valletta out on the tip of Birgu, one of the Three

Cities, I could see it from my hotel room!


Built in the 13th century, it was the HQ for the Knights of St John during the Great Siege of

1565. The chapel of St Anne, within the fort’s walls, has seen it all - outside, the Flag of

St John and the Maltese flag wave in the breeze, standing as symbols of the island’s

rich heritage and its resilience.


A perfect blend of history and serenity—just what I was looking for on my solo adventure

through Malta.


#StAnneChapel #FortStAngelo #MalteseHistory #SoloTravelMoments #Birgu #solotrip

After visiting Isola Bella, I had lunch at one of the beach clubs, ✨️before walking up all the steps back up to the road. Then down the hill to Mazzaro to catch the bus up to Taormina......because the cable car was closed for maintenance 😒

For info about the hotels I stayed in on my recent solo adventure to Malta and Sicily, click the link to my website in the bio.

#isolabellataormina #islandparadise #isolabella #pizzabythesea #aperolspritz #solotravelinsicily #taorminasicily #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme

An evening stroll through Taormina ✨️ around Piazza Aprile IX and down Corso Umberto deciding where to go for dinner🥂

Click the link to my website in the bio to see my reviews of the hotels where I stayed in Malta & Sicily🥰

#taormina #taorminasicily #piazzaapriletaormina #corsoumbertotaormina #lapassagiata #eveningstroll #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #seeeverythingdoeverything

Malta is definitely yachty heaven!! As the ferry from Valletta crosses the Grand Harbour to Birgu, the middle of the Three Cities, the Marina is jam packed full of yachts.

Pics 1 to 4 are Vittoriosa Marina as the ferry heads past the Birgu Waterfront to the ferry stop near the Maritime Museum.
5. The view from Valletta across the Grand Harbour to Birgu.

#malta #3cities #3citiesmalta #vittoriosamarina #birguwaterfront #yachtsyachtsandmoreyachts #yachtyheaven #solotrip #solofemaletravel #soloadventure #solotravelinmalta #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #travelvibes

Discover the serene Botanic Gardens, just a short stroll down Via Lincoln from Palermo Centrale Station.✨️ A perfect haven from the city`s hustle and bustle. And check out this fashionista lizard! 🦎 While reptiles aren`t my thing, and green isn`t my colour, he pulls it off nicely! While you might be thinking I was brave to get this close, the camera zoom made the magic happen 😜!!

For more on my solo Malta and Sicily adventures, visit my website - link in bio.

#palermo #palermosicily #palermobotanicalgarden #sicilianreptile #greenreptile #welldressedlizard #walkinthepark #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinsicily #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmylens

Spring Festival Taormina style ✨️ everywhere you look - flowers 💖
This is how spring should be!

#taormina #taorminasicily #springfestival #flowerseverywhere #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #traveltheworldwithme #seetheworldthroughmyeyes

Then the next day....all blue sky and sunshine ☀️ this is what Sydney is meant to look like 🌺

#Sydney #sydneyaustralia #sydneyinspring #blueskyandsunshine #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #flowersandfountains

Wandering through Valletta’s streets is like walking through a living museum — only with

better coffee ✨️Full of character, history, and photogenic facades.


Founded in 1566 by the Knights of St. John, Malta’s capital is a UNESCO World Heritage

Site packed with baroque beauty, colourful balconies, and more steps than your step

counter ever asked for. From Grand Harbour views to narrow laneways, every corner has

a story (and probably a pastizzi shop nearby).


📍Valletta, Malta

🏛 Built after the Great Siege of 1565


#VallettaStreets #MaltaHistory #UNESCOWalks #SoloTravelMalta

#WanderingWithPurpose #MaltaByFoot #StreetsOfValletta #MaltaMagic #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes

After visiting the Design Museum I strolled up Kensington High St doing a bit of window shopping, and came across St Mary Abbots Church and Kensington War Memorial on the corner of Kensington Church St. There has been a church on this site since 1262, but this one is quite modern - dating back to 1872.

#stmaryabbotschurch #kensingtonwarmemorial #kensingtonhighstreetlondon #london #solotravelinlondon

An afternoon stroll around the coast of Ortigia Island, Syracuse, Sicily to Castello Maniace out on the point. This rather imposing structure has been defending the coast since the early 1200s.
There was an earlier fort on this site built in 1038!!

#ortigia #syracuse #sicily #historicalsicily #castellomaniace #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #soloadventure #solotrip

Syracuse is more than just Ortigia Island. Taking a walk up the coast to the north with fantastic views of the rocky coastline.
I walked as far as the Monument to the Italians who died in the Ethiopian war in the 1930s.

#syracuse #sicily #rockycoastline #warmonument #soloadventure #solotrip #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict