Trip Over to Venice – Italy

Below the buildings on the south side of Corso Umberto, this 2nd Century Naumachie is the foundation of places like @hotel_isabella_taormina ✨️(in the first photo), where I stayed!!💖

#taormina #taorminasicily #hotelisabella #naumachietaormina #solotravelinsicily #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme

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

I couldn`t enough of the view from the Grand Harbour Hotel in Valletta across the Grand Harbour to the Three Cities, staying here for 10 days was a fantastic base to explore Malta from. If you look closely at the roof top terraces in the lower section of pic 1, there is a toilet next to the BBQ, I hope it`s not connected!!!

1. Looking towards Senglea, the southern most of the Three Cities across the Grand Harbour.
2. Looking towards Birgu, and Fort St Angelo.
3. Victoria Gate, built in the late 1800s, was the main entrance to Valletta from the Grand Harbour.
4. The Grand Harbour Hotel, my home in Valletta, loved it 💖

#valletta #vallettamalta #grandharbourhotelvalletta #grandharbourmalta #3cities #senglea #birgu #fortstangelobirgu #victoriagate #malta #solotravelinmalta #soloadventure #solotrip #adventure2025 #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldworldwithme

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

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

After more exploring Noto on my day trip from Syracuse, in Sicily ✨️I indulged my passion for a bit of fried seafood, then followed that with a Sicilian gelato 😋

#noto #sicily #frittomisto #gelato #exploringsicily #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #traveltheworldwithme ##seeeverythingdoeverything

A short train trip from Syracuse to explore Noto✨️ It was completely rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1693. After a short walk up the hill from Noto Station, you find yourself walking through the city gates into a Sicilian Baroque paradise 🥂

#noto #daytripfromsyracuse #soloadventure ##solotravelinsicily #notocitygates #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seeeverythingdoeverything #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

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

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

Visited the Titanic Exhibition and lived to tell the tale ✨️ but honestly, the harbour views and the walk around Walsh Bay and The Rocks stole the show!!

#sydneyharbourwalks #sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourbridge #walshbaysydney #seeeverythingdoeverything #myhometown #explorethecityyoulivein

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

Beautiful Taormina on Sicily`s east coast. Little streets and stepped lanes there just for exploring.✨️
Who doesn`t need a Dolce & Gabbana Vespa??? Perfect 💖🥂

#taormina #taorminasicily #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure @dolcegabbana #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme #flowerseverywhere

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

✨ Wandering through Mdina—the Silent City where time stands still. Stone streets, honeyed walls, and the sound of horses hooves on the narrow stone streets.

Once the capital of Malta, now it’s just quietly showing off with Baroque balconies and medieval charm. 👣 Come for the history, stay for the silence...

📍Mdina, Malta - I caught the #51 bus from Valletta bus terminal to get here.

#MdinaMoments #SilentCity #MaltaMagic #WanderlustMalta #SoloTravelStories #MdinaDoors #BaroqueBeauty #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme

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

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

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

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

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

Sydney`s Jacaranda trees are bursting into bloom! Hopefully this wintery snap doesn`t put the brakes on it......🤔 Enjoy the stunning purple displays (and then complain about the slippery footpaths and car stains as the flowers drop) 😂 It`s all part of the annual ritual✨️

#jacarandas #sydneyinbloom #therockssydney #sydneytownhall #explorethecityyoulivein #historicsydney #seetheworldthroughmyeyes

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

After the rush of posting Reels and Stories while I was travelling, I now have time to go through the whole adventure again in a more orderly fashion!! My recent solo adventure was flying from Sydney to London, then to Malta and Sicily. All the Reels and stories are available in my feed and in Story Highlights.

1. At Sydney Airport
2. Travel outfit, ready for the long flight, add a jacket and I`m ready to get from Heathrow to central London.
3. My seat on QF1 for the next 24 hours......😳
4. Flying over Sydney after take off.
5. Sunrise over Austria as we get closer to London

#qf1 #adventure2025 #qantas #sydney #sunrise #planeseat #traveloutfitoutfitoftheday #solotrip #solofemaletravel #soloadventure #solotravel #neverstoptravelling #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldworldwithme

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

With only one more day in London before my flight to Malta, I headed over to Waterloo Station and caught the train to Esher in Surrey to meet some friends to go to Shere for lunch. Until I resized this photo of the Waterloo Station clock, I had never noticed it has cheat numbers in red for 24 hour clock time!!! The clock is way up in the ceiling at the station, so you`d have to have binoculars for eyes to see those teeny-weeny numbers!!

#magnolias # blossoms #waterloostationclock #outfitoftheday #sherevillage #londoninspring #londonlife #solotravelinlondon ##solotravel #solotrip ##neverstopexploring #solofemalemidlifetraveller #adventure2025 #londonready #londonstyle

Taormina is the prettiest place in Sicily 💖 after a short train trip from Syracuse, then a bus up the hill from the station, the whole town was decked out in flowers for the Spring Festival.
✨️I checked into the lovely @hotel_isabella_taormina , then wandered up and down Corso Umberto with a big smile on my face 🥰💖

#taormina #taorminasicily #hotelisabella #springintaormina #flowerseverywhere #solotravelinsicily #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #beautifultown

I would never get tired of walking around Toarmina, always something interesting to see 💖

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

#taormina #taorminasicily #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #seeeverythingdoeverything #ancientsicily #isolabella #beautifulview

I got out of Heathrow and on to the Piccadilly line in record time, QF1 arrives early, before peak hour, I always stay in St James`s @royaloverseaslondon - location, location, location - it looks over Green Park half way between @theritzlondon and @clarencehouse. I got up to my room, checked the amazing view, quick change and off to St James`s Park - then I know I`ve arrived 🥰🥂

1. The Royal Overseas League, St James`s.
2. View from my room of Westminster Abbey and Victoria Tower at the Houses of Parliament.
3. Elizabeth Tower, (Big Ben) my bedside clock!!
4. I also have a view over the roof of Clarence House, King Charles is home, the Royal Standard is flying.
5. Ready to hit the streets of London.
6. St James`s Palace with police on horses strolling past.
7. Buckingham Palace across the lake in blossom filled St James`s Park.

#royaloverseasleague #royaloverseasleaguelondon #westminsterabbeylondon #victoriatower #housesofparliament #elizabethtower #bigben #clarencehouse #royalastandard #londonready #outfitoftheday #mountedpolice #stjamesspalace #buckinghampalace #stjamesspark #londoninspring #solotrip #solotravel #solotravelinlondon #adventure2025

The village of Shere in Surrey, where a lot of the scenes in The Holiday were shot. We had a lovely pub lunch, and a walk around the village to St James`s Church which dates back to the 1100s, with other sections added over the next few centuries.

#sherevillage #whitehorsepub #stjamesschurch #englishcountrypub #daytripfromlondon #solotravelinlondon #solotrip #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmylens #neverstopexploring #traveladdict

Everywhere you look in Taormina, there is another magnificent view, from Isola Bella to Mt Etna✨️

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

#taormina #taorminasicily #visitsicily #isolabella #isolabellataormina #mtetna #solotravelinsicily #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme

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

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

I finally arrived in Palermo✨️, after a ridiculously long train journey from Toarmina with unexpected delays. Checked into my hotel and set out to discover the city!

🎭 Teatro Politeama was right outside my hotel.

To read about the hotels I stayed in on my solo adventures through Malta and Sicily, click the link to my website in the bio.

#palermo #palermosicily #teatropoliteamapalermo #hotelpoliteama #sicilytravel #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything

Taormina-Giardini railway station💞 just as beautiful as everything else in Taormina ✨️
Used as the film set for The Godfather.
From here I continued on my solo adventure to Palermo, via Messina.

#taorminasicily #taormina #taormina-giardini #traintravel #solotravelinsicily #soloadventure #sicily #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict

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

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

Sailed out of the Grand Harbour in Malta under a soft pre-dawn sky, watching Valletta slowly fade behind me. The Virtu Ferry, named John Paul II, was built all the way over in Tasmania—a little slice of home carrying me across the Mediterranean. ✨️


Bound for Pozzallo, Sicily, the journey was fairly smooth, peaceful, and just the right

amount of dramatic (cue moody sunrise lighting and salty sea spray).


There`s something special about watching a place you`ve loved drift into the horizon. Malta, you

were warm, layered with history, and full of solo travel magic, I’ll definitely be back one day……..the solo adventure continues in Sicily….🌻


#MaltaToSicily #solotrip #SoloTravelMoments #VallettaAtDawn #GoodbyeMalta

#virtuferries #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #neverstopexploring #soloadventure

The markets in Ortigia, Syracuse, Sicily - bellissimo!!!! The little boats of fried seafood were so delicious, I tried them all over Sicily, these ones were definitely the best 😋!!! All the fruit and vegetables are so fresh, and seafood straight off the boats.

Don`t make the mistake I did and think you can come back later to buy some bits and pieces, they pack up at about 2pm, hose the place down and they`re gone......until another early start the next day.

#ortigia #Syracuse #sicily #ortigiamarket #frittomisto #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seeeverythingdoeverything #olives #fruitandvegetables

Stepping inside Government House reveals a treasure trove of polished wood, just look at that amazing dining table ✨️ leather furniture, and glittering chandeliers, every bit as magnificent as its exterior.

#governmenthousesydney #polishedwood #amazingplace #historicsydney #explorethecityyoulivein #chandliers #sydney #sydneyaustralia

After catching the ferry from Valletta to Gozo, a scenic 45 minutes on the sparkling seas

up the north coast of Malta, the ferry arrived in Gozo`s Mgarr Harbour, from there I hopped on the bus up to Victoria — the island’s capital.


Once called Rabat, Victoria was renamed in 1887 to honour Queen Victoria’s Golden

Jubilee 👑 Wandering through the narrow alleys, limestone buildings glowing in the sun,

I found friendly locals, and a few tempting bakeries tucked away behind the churches.


Gozo might be Malta’s quieter sister, but she’s full of character, charm, and centuries of

stories. I should have spent more time exploring here, but with only one day in Gozo,

there was a whole island to see…..might have to go back one day!!


#Gozo #VictoriaGozo #Maltamagic #vallettatogozoferry #SoloTravelMalta #HistoricGozo

#Solotrip #solotravel #neverstopexploring #adventure2025 #maltesearchitecture🕍

Way up at the top of the hill behind Taormina is the town of Castelmola, some interesting ruins from the middle ages, and a lovely place for lunch with amazing views✨️
I spent 2 hours up there as one of the stops on the hop-on, hop-off bus trip.

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

#castelmola #Taormina #Sicily #medievalSicily #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #soloadventure