Trip Over to Venice – Italy
A Watery Masterpiece
This amazing historic World Heritage Unesco paradise caught between the Italian mainland and the Adriatic Sea has all the signs of its Roman and Byzantine beginings, through the era of maritime power in the 10th centry to the human endeavour that keeps the city above the water now, all there to be explored on foot or by boat. Getting lost in Venice is the only way to explore and be continually amazed by what you find.
Trip Over to Venice
Al Ponte Antico Hotel
Oliver came out to meet us as our Water Taxi pulled up, it was like walking into another world as we entered the beautifully renovated palace from the 1500s through the centuries old gates. He took us upstairs and served coffee on the terrace Read more ………...
Trip Over to Murano and Burano from Venice
Out on the Lagoon
The first thing you notice arriving in Burano are the brightly coloured houses, each one a different colour to its neighbour. Rumour has it that this was done so the fishermen could find their way home – having the same colour as your neighbour just wouldn’t do. Read more ………...
Trip Over to Venice
The Arty Side of Town – Dorsoduro
As we worked our way back past the Peggy Guggenheim Gallery, we came across The Beatles crossing Abbey Rd, classic symbols of Italy in the form of Andy Warholesc coffee pots and Fiat 500s, enormous plush roses on chairs and the most amazing collection of wooden sculptures by Loris Marazzi. Read more……………..
Taormina has to be one of the prettiest towns, there is a festival on that seems to involve a lot of flowers, and there are a few thousand more people here than I was hoping for, but we all seem to be getting along!!
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#taormina #taorminasicily #visitsicily #flowers #italianhistory #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
St Thomas` Bay in Marsaskala out on the east coast of Malta is really pretty, I walked all around the harbour and came across St Thomas` Tower built in the early 1600s to repel the invading Ottomans, they were sent packing once they saw what the Maltese were made of!! There were salt Pans along the way, and as usual for Malta, a lookout bunker on every headland.
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#marsaskala #stthomasbaymalta #stthomastower #maltascats #exploremalta #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #traveltomalta #visitmalta
A short train trip from Syracuse, then a walk up the hill to Noto. A town with more churches per square inch than I`ve ever seen!!!!
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#noto #notosicily #sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
Up in the north western corner of Sicily, I visited an area called Segesta to see a temple built in 400BC, a Greek/Roman theatre (they`re still working on the finer points of its beginnings!). Then to Trapani to see the salt pans, apparently they usually have pink flamingos, but it was too windy for them....
We then went up to the medieval walled city or Erice, the views over the whole area from this vantage point being 800mtrs above sea level were incredible. There is a castle up there from the 1100s and all the other churches, walls, etc from the 1400s.
#trapani #segesta #erice #Sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
When I was in Mdina a few days ago, I could see the giant domestic of the Mosta Rotunda off in the distance (have a look at that reel). So I caught the bus to Mosta!
The Rotunda was built in the early 1800s, so quite modern by Maltese standards! I walked up 75 steps of the narrow stone spiral staircase into the dome, then back down to check out the WWll air raid shelter underneath, and the bomb that landed here but fortunately didn`t explode.
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#mosta #mostarotunda #mostarotundachurch #maltalife #malta #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict #exploretheworld #exploremalta
Today I set off on the #51 bus from Valletta to Mtarfa in central Malta, in search of the hospital my brother and I were born in. I had read is was now a college, but it seems to be all closed up behind locked gates. I climbed up on walls so I could get a photo of those magic words above the entrance, "David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital".
A few days ago I found the house we lived in in Tarxien, not far from Valletta. We moved back to England when I was 6 weeks old, so memories are a bit sketchy!!
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#malta #whereiwasborn #myfirsthome #mrarfa #royalnavalhospital #maltalife #neverstopexploring #backwhereitallbegan ##solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes ##traveltheworldwithme
Flowers are out and about on the Cremorne Point walk!!
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#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #sydneylocal #sydney #sydneywalks #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydneybythesea #sydneyinsummertime #yellowflowers #pinkflowers #redflowers #sydneynativeplants
More from Hyde Park in Sydney on my lunchtime walk.
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#hydeparksydney #hydepark #archibaldfountain #westfieldtowersydney #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneycbd #sydney #explorethecityyoulivein
Walking to North Sydney to catch the Metro into the city in the morning.
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#northsydney #walktowork #pinkflowers #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneylocal #sydneystreets #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #morningcommute
Friday morning walk to North Sydney before the heat ramped up.
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#northsydney #walktowork #walkinthepark #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #purpleflowers #morninglight #palmtree #sydneylocal #fridayvibes #fridayfeeling #sydneylife #sydneystreets
Went on an excursion through the centre of Sicily to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento near the south coast, then remains of Greek Temples built on the 5th century BC! Then we went down to the coast to look at Scala dei Turchi, the natural formation of step like ridges in the rock. Ottomans Turks found shelter here, giving it the name.
#valleyofthetemples #agrigento #agrigentosicily #scaladeiturchi #Sicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
Easter Sunday in Palermo, not a chocolate Easter egg to be found!! I caught a bus up to Monreale as I had been told the gold mosaics in the duomo were amazing. I think a catholic church service for Easter is not the place an atheist should be! Even if the building was amazing, dating back to the 1100s. I just can`t agree with them asking the poorest people to donate money to the wealthiest organisation in the world, and giving nothing in return, the homeless will still be on the streets tonight!
I then caught a bus to Mondello, apparently the most famous beach in Sicily. Looks lovely but I have never been hounded by so many Indians wanting to sell me a sarong😧!!
#monreale #mondello #Sicily #eastersundayinsicily ##solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme ##seetheworldthroughmyeyes
All the decorations are nearly down as Sydney marches into 2025, walking through @theqvb on my way to work is a beautiful way to start the day, especially as it`s been soooooo hot and humidity, or raining lately, a bit of air-con helps!!!
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#sydneyafterchristmas #qvbsydney #queenvictoriabuilding #queenvictoriabuildingsydney #shoppinginsydney #dailycommute #walktowork #streetsofsydney #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneystreets #sydneycbd
Flowers exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea.
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#flowers @saatchi_gallery #kingsroadchelsea #London #londonart #londonstyle #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict
After arriving at Venice`s Marco Polo Airport, I caught the Alilaguna Water Transport directly to Rialto, then when I left Venice by train to Florence, I caught the Vaporetto from Rialto to Ferrovia, the ferry stop at the station, then straight on to the train, suitcase in the gap between the seats, and off we went, so efficient. Very easy, even for an old chic like me on a solo Italian adventure!!🥂
For more info on the art of train travel in Italy, click the link to my website in the bio.
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#venice #grandcanal #solotravel #traintravelinitaly #italiantrains #alilaguna #alilagunaferrytoairport #vaporetto #ferrovia #venicerail #venicetrainstation #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #outonthewater #seekandyoushallfind #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
All the flowers are still looking fabulous on the walk around Cremorne Point on Sydney`s North Shore.
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#pinkflowers #purpleflowers #yellowflowers #cremornepoint #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #sydney #walkinthepark #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Around 45 minutes on the train from Palermo, Cefalu is a pretty seaside resort town with old historic buildings, like the duomo that opened in 1240. The beaches are sandy here so in peak summer they must be packed. I wanted to walk up to the top of the rocky backdrop, but I got to the half way point and someone told me there were another 275 uneven steps to climb up from there, so I opted out, my knees were already feeling it!!
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#cefalù #cefalubeach #cefalusicily #cefaluduomo #visitsicily #solotravel
#solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring
My adventure begins!! Leaving Sydney for London, then Malta, then Sicily 🥂🌞🌞🌞
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#Sydney #sydneyaurport #Qantas @qantas #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #nextadventure #traveltheworldwithme #londoncalling #upintheair
Yesterday was perfect, not too hot, no humidity, a lovely walk through St Leonard`s Park to the Metro, then today, foggy, drizzly, bad hair.....yuk!!
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#stleonardspark #morningcommute #walkinthepark #northsydney #sydneycbd #sydneyharbourbridge #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #changeintheweather
A big day of wandering all over Palermo. It`s a grubby, gritty city, everything needs a good wash, but you get over that pretty quickly!! Easy to get around on buses and walking, the Ballaro Markets are quite an experience, all the vendors shouting, very crowded, seafood sitting out in the sun, cooking various gizzards to put on bread rolls (no thanks!!) Then I escaped to the calm of the botanical gardens....
#Palermo #palermosicily #ballaromarket #mercatoballarò #botanicgardens #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme
The never ending parade in Taormina continues.....
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#taorminasicily #taormina #sicilytravel #sicilytourism #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip
This parade has been going up and down Cirdo Umberto in Taormina all afternoon!! Lots of drums, dancing and horses wearing more flowers than any horse is meant to!! I`m still not sure what it`s all about - but is that important??
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#taorminasicily #taormina #cittataormina #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme
The Palace built in the late 1500s for the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. Now used as the office of the President of the Republic of Malta. It houses and enormous armoury collected over the centuries.
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#grandmasterspalaceandarmoury #grandmasterspalace #valletta #malta #maltalife #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seeeverythingdoeverything #worldofmalta #traveltomalta
A lunchtime walk in Hyde Park today, the Archibald Fountain has been all cleaned up, the flowers are blooming and the bin chickens are loving it!!
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#archibaldfountain #hydeparksydney #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneycbd #binchickens #binchickensofinstagram #flowersinthepark #lunchtimewalk
Right in the centre of Taormina is this over grown 2000 year old Roman Baths, inhabited by stray cats. There is a sign pointing to it, but it`s a bit of a mess.....then on the other side of the square is an old Roman theatre, also dating back to the 1st century.
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#romanbaths #romantheatre #taormina #taorminasicily #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinsicily
To get a better shot of the Cannon firing, I waited in the freezing cold at Upper Barrakka Gardens to I could secure this spot, the crowds were 10 deep behind me!!
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#vallettacannonshot #vallettasalutingbattery #cannonfire #cannonfireinvalletta #Malta #maltalife #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything
Having arrived in London really early, my hotel room wasn`t ready, so I left my luggage there and went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Naomi Campbell exhibition while I waited. Love it when a visit to London coincides with a great exhibition @vamuseum
#naomicampbell #vanda #victoriaandalbertmuseum #London #londonfashion #londonstyle #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinlondon #traveltheworldwithme
On the morning commute the sky couldn`t make up it`s mind - all blue sky and fluffy white clouds in one direction, and very grey in the other.....this continued all day leading into the Australia Day long weekend.
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#morninginspiration #morningcommute #flowersinthestreets #walkinthepark #whiteflowers #pinkflowers #sydney #sydneystyle #northsydney #stleonardspark #stleonardsparknorthsydney #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
The public gardens in Taormina on land that was once owned by the same lady who owned Isola Bella in the late 1800s, Lady Florence Trevelyan, a distant relation of Queen Victoria who was exiled from England for having an affair with the future King Edward Vll (why wasn`t he exiled for the same issue??) She moved to Taormina and bought Isola Bella, later marrying the Mayor of Taormina. Together they created the public gardens, which are beautifully looked after to encourage various plants and birds to live there.
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#oarcotreveltan #publicgardentaormina #taorminasicily #taormina #walkinthepark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #madeinitaly #madeinsicily #sicilytravel
A few flowers on trees and hanging over people`s fences on the local streets.
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#neutralbay #neutralbaylocal #neutralbayliving #sydneysnorthshore #orangeflowers #pinkflowers #streetsofsydney #sydneystyle #sydneystyle #sydneynativeplants #sydneyaustralia #sydneystreets #sydneywalks #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
I started the day by walking a couple of kms up the coast, then came back and walked all around the edge of Ortigia visiting castles and forts along the way. At least Syracuse and Ortigia are relatively flat!!!
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#syracuse #ortigia #ortigiaisland #ortigiasiracusa #italianhistory #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #madeinitaly #traveladdict #italytrip
Such a beautiful weekend in Sydney, the weather is just perfect!! The sun glistening on the water around Cremorne Point!! 🌞😍
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#cremornepoint #sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneylife #sydneylocal #Sydney #sydneyaustralia #sailingonsydneyharbour #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #rockformations #sunglisteningonthewater
It was incredibly hot and humid, then wild winds hammered the trees, then thunder and lightening , then it poured.......
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#storm #sydneystorm #thunderandlightening #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #thunderstorms #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia
The beautiful little island, Isola Bella, in the bay below Taormina once owned by Lady Florence Trevelyan after she was exiled from England. To get to it you need to walk through the water, only 20 to 30cm deep at low tide, more at high tide, but worth it for the views.
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#isolabella #isolabellataormina #taormina #taorminasicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring
My last evening in Syracuse, it has been a really lovely place to explore. Making my way up the east coast of Sicily, I`m off to Taormina today.
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#syracuse #syracusesicily #syracusesicilystreets #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly #traveladdict
Caught the bus down to the seaside today, the pebbles were bigger than I`ve seen on any beach anywhere, it was like a rock quarry!! How people were sitting on it was a mystery! Then to top it off it was high tide and I was ill equipped to walk thigh deep through the water to get to Isola Bella. Now I know what to prepare for, I`ll have another go later......
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#taorminasicily #taormina #isolabella #isolabellataormina #sicilianbeach #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinsicily #downbytheseaside
First day in Syracuse, arrived early on the ferry from Malta, then a train from Pozzallo to Syracuse. My hotel room wasn`t ready so I walked around Ortigia, had a coffee, checked out the markets, then my room was ready. I settled in then headed off to the archaeological park.....lots of ancient Greek arches, amphitheatres, and lots of modern bronze castings of ancient Greek things!!!
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#syracuse #sicily #sicilytourism #sicilytravel #visitsyracuse #archaeology #ancientgreekhistory #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
Flowers hanging over someone`s fence in Neutral Bay, then on to St Leonard`s Park.
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#stleonardspark #stleonardsparknorthsydney #yellowfliwers #yellowflowersoftheday #walkinthepark #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #northsydney #sydneystreets
Made it back across the Grand Harbour and up on to my terrace in time to watch the 4pm firing of the cannon from the Saluting Battery
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#cannonfire #valletta #salutingbatterymalta #solotravel #solotrip #malta #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #maltalife #grandgarbour #grandharbourhotel
A beautiful spring day in London, cool, crisp, but so much warmer than I was expecting 🌞 St James`s Park was in full bloom🌼🌷⚘️🌺
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#London #stjamesspalace #stjamespark #magnolias #pinkblossoms #walkinthepark #traveltheworldwithme #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Pitti Palace in Florence is definitely worth visiting, the home of the Medici rulers of Florence in the middle ages, and they lived well. The enormous Palace has a fashion exhibition in some of the rooms, there are sculptures of the family everywhere throughout the palace and the acres of gardens.
#pittipalace #palazzopittifirenze #palazzopittimuseum #solotravelinitaly #solotravel #madeinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #italytrip #neverstopexploring #italianadventure
I`m in planning mode getting ready for my next Trip Over The World. Read the new post about my planning process by clicking the link in the bio.
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#tripplanning #tripplanningtime #malta #sicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme
Up in Lerici Castle they ran film of the battles that happened in medieval times as the beautiful Italian coastline was invaded, I spent a bit of time exploring the Castle waiting for the rain to stop before continuing my walk around the bay, then catching the bus back to La Spezia.
#lerici #lericicoast ##lericicastle #gulfofpoets #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #madeinitaly #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme #italytrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #seekandyoushallfind #medievalcastle #medievalitaly #oldbuildingsmakemehappy #historicbuildingsenrichourlives
I travelled by train between destinations on my solo adventure to Venice, Florence, Siena, Pisa, La Spezia and Cinque Terre. Very easy to use, booking through @trainline I became very adept at handling my luggage on my own, changing trains and enjoying hurtling through Italy in comfort.
For more info on the art of train travel in Italy by clicking the link to my website in the bio.
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#traintravelinitaly #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #madeinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveladdict #travelinitaly #italiantrains #cinqueterre #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast
The walled city of Mdina, the old capital of Malta, sitting high up on the hill looking out over the country.
It was a bit like arriving in Disneyland at first, actors dressed up as whatever they thought medieval Maltese dressed like and whipping people in stocks, while the horse carriage drivers touted for business, but once you get through all that, it was very beautiful.
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#mdina #mdinamalta #mdinathesilentcity #mdinastreets #maltalife #malta #solotravel
#solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring #exploretheworld
The Chanel Christmas window at David Jones in Sydney CBD. It`s been sooooo hot lately, adding snow to pics in Sydney really helps!!😉🎄☀️🎄☀️🎄
#christmasinsydney #christmastree #christmasdecorations #christmasiscoming #sydneystreets #davidjones #chanel #chanelChristmas #hotinthecity #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneystyle #sydneychristmas #sydneyaustralia #sydneycbd #sydneylocal #lunchtimewalks
Robertson`s Lighthouse at Cremorne Point on the north shore of Sydney Harbour, and beautiful plants in the gardens on the walk, and a lovely view of Sydney Harbour Bridge.
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#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #robertsonslighthouse #neverstopexploring #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneycoastalwalks #blueskyandsunshine #sydneyharbour #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneyharbourbridge
Looking out from Cremorne Point on Sydney`s North Shore, watch ferries go by, sailing boats, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, it`s all there 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🥂
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#sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldworldwithme #outonthewater #boatsboatsboats #sydneyweekend #sydneylocal #myhometown #sydneyaustralia #sydneynorthshore #sydneybythesea #sydneyinsummertime
After climbing up hundreds of steps on a narrow stone spiral staircase, the views were amazing from the top of the magnificent, medieval Siena Duomo.
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#Siena #sienaduomo #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #madeinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #italytrip #seeeverythingdoeverything
Lerici is on the southern headland of the Gulf of Poets in Italy, previous post was from Porto Venere on the northern headland. These 2 towns are so much nicer than the villages in Cinque Terre which have pretty much sold out to tourism. It was a cooler drizzly day when I caught the bus from La Spezia to Lerici, on the recommendation of a lady in a handbag shop in La Spezia (yes , I bought the handbag💖!!) I had a great day exploring the medieval castle then walking around the bay. The rain had stopped, so walking for miles exploring was great.
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#lerici #lericicastle #lericicoast #lericiitaly #italianarchitecture #italianhistory #madeinitaly #tripovertoitaly #traveltheworldwithme #historicitaly #lookouttower #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithmey #traveladdict #travelinitaly #medievalitaly #italianadventure #goitalone #itstherefindit
