Murano and Burano – Out on Venice Lagoon
Trip Over to Venice
A trip out on the lagoon is a perfect way to get away from the hordes of tourists that swamp Venice each day. There are no shortage of ideas on how to get there, and everyone has a ‘better’ plan. Of course there are tours to book so all details are taken care of, or DIY on a vaporetto or two. There’s the #4.1 vaporetto from Ferrovia (the Railway Station) and do a trip around the canals before heading off towards Murano. Or the #4.1 from San Marco and just do the loop around the eastern side of Venice before heading off towards Murano. Or the #1 around the Grand Canal to San Marco and change to the #4.1 for the rest of the trip. Or you can walk to the northern side of Venice to Fondamente Nove and get on the 4.1 or 12 and get going straight out to the islands.
As Venice is small and very easy to walk around, choose the method that suits the time allowed and sightseeing requirements – it takes less time to walk to Fondamente Nove than it takes the vaporetto to get around there, but you don’t get to see Venice from the vaporetto. On the vaporetto you will be squashed in with the locals going about their daily business, the gaggles of bored school kids on school excursions, and the tourists ticking off the things they came to Venice to see before moving on to their next destination. As today was all about getting away from the crowds, we opted to have the concierge at our hotel sort our trip to the islands out for us.
After breakfast on the terrace of Al Ponte Antico Hotel looking over the Grand Canal, our water taxi driver came to meet us in the hotel foyer and led us through the streets to where he had parked the boat. Why he didn’t arrive at the hotel at its boat entrance on the Grand Canal remains a mystery, but any opportunity to walk through different little lanes and over more bridges is a plus. Maybe it was easier for him to get out to the northern side of Venice from where the boat was……. Arriving at the boat, it had been parked in by a barge that had pulled up alongside with long stabilising legs stretched out onto the concrete landing like some sort of giant insect, to keep the barge balanced as it unloaded pallets of building materials. Again, this is not a problem, just another interesting side of the way things are done in Venice. It wasn’t long before he was able to pivot the back end of the barge around so we could get our beautifully polished teak water taxi out into the canal, and off we went under bridges and winding through narrow canals until we burst out under a low bridge into the lagoon, picking up speed as Venice started shrinking into the distance behind us.
Within a few minutes we had passed Cimitero (Venice’s Cemetry Island) and pulled up at Fornace Estevan Rossetto on Murano. Our guide was there to meet us, offered a helping hand to get off the water taxi and led us in to see where the glass blowers work, as the amazing master glass blower produced a prancing horse within minutes – very impressive! Then more amazing, we found out that the demonstration horses that are made all get smashed up and recycled as more care is taken when they make ornaments to keep and they go through various other processes before they are good to sell. After the demonstration it was into the showroom to see all the artworks.
Our trip to Murano involved a ‘free’ pick up in the water taxi, a ‘no obligation to buy’ tour of the glass factory and showroom, then a ‘free’ water taxi to Burano to see the ‘no obligation to buy’ lace making.
There really were no high pressure sales tactics in the showroom, if either of us showed a particular interest in a piece our guide/salesman would appear with a bit of information on the piece, then make himself scarce again. As we weren’t on a tour with others we had unlimited time to have a good look at everything in the showroom, in great detail – there was so much to admire.
Christine saw some magnificent chandeliers that she really wanted for her home back in Sydney, lots of discussion happened as to how many lights she should have on her custom made chandelier, and the price was negotiated to something she was comfortable with. Meanwhile over a glass of Prosecco, Christine also decided she couldn’t live without a set of water glasses and I decided my life wouldn’t be the same without a sculpture by Walter Furlan from his Omaggio a Picasso collection. More negotiations took place, and the deals were done. Scarily, I was then given a thick black felt tipped pen and asked to sign my name across the sculpture so I could be sure that was the one that was shipped to me. It was, and thankfully my signature did come off easily.
This is where some might say we were being ripped off, and our ‘free’ boat trips were no longer free. But the way I see it, we got to see some amazing things, we bought some amazing memories, and at no time felt pressured to buy. To be taken to Murano on a private boat, spend time in a beautiful showroom, buy amazing things that they then package up and ship home for us was all worth it. We said goodbye to our new friends and boarded our next ‘free’ water taxi to take us from Murano to Burano.
As the boat approached Burano, we went very close to a neighbouring island, Mazzorbo (pronounced Martzorbo) with a good view of the bell tower at Chiesa Di Santa Caterina, a church originally built as part of a Benedictine Monastery in the year 785, (yes that is not a typo!) then demolished and rebuilt several times over the centuries. It is possible to walk over a bridge from Burano to Mazzorbo, we didn’t do this, but next time…………….for sure.
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. Now you need to apply to the council to paint your house, you are given a selection of colours to choose from, then you must use that colour – having the same colour as your neighbour just wouldn’t do.
Waiting for us in Burano as the water taxi pulled up was a young lady who knew our names and said she would take us to see how Burano lace was made, then recommend some places for us to have lunch. Having an interest in all things fashion, I was really looking forward to seeing the lace making. We were taken to a shop called La Perla, I very quickly realised that seeing lace making was going to be secondary to them try to sell things to me, to the point of annoyance! One lady came out and sat in the middle of the shop with her lace making cushion draped in a piece of lace she was making. I got the distinct impression she was told we had arrived, “quickly do a few stitches”. She seemed horrified by my interest, and a sales lady kept unpacking sheets and table cloths to show me to try and steer me away from the lace maker. I explained that I really wasn’t interested in sheets, I really wanted to know more about the lace making. They showed me some uninspiring pamphlets. I asked what was on other floors in the shop. “More lace making upstairs” came the answer. Relieved I went up to the next level expecting to see a full lace making demonstration, with all the stages from the idea to the finished product. But was so disappointed to find only more product with lace trims and the pushy sales lady getting everything out to show me. All of the products she was showing were beautiful, but not items I wanted to own, and certainly didn’t want to be faced with her holding up more things for me to look at every time I moved. I’m sure I might have been more inclined to buy something had I been left to look myself. There was going to be no escape, every time we turned around more sheets, tablecloths, doilies, nightdresses, were thrust in front of us, everything except the thing I had come to see – how the lace was made. I did buy a piece of lace that will one day trim a fabulous outfit I make, but this piece of lace wasn’t hand made in Burano. I would like to think it was made somewhere in Italy, or maybe France, but I suspect China was involved.
The lady who met us at the boat was waiting, so we explained that we would go and have lunch and have a look around Burano before making any decisions on what to buy, just so we could get out of there. She suggested a few lunch places, but Oliver at our hotel had recommended we eat at Trattoria al Gatto Nero (the Black Cat) and having lost faith in the Burano guide and her having lost interest in us she pointed in the direction we should go. We followed a path between more brightly coloured houses, took many more photos, crossed a bridge and there was al Gatto Nero, with tables all set up next to the canal……………and a queue of people waiting for a table! There was one empty table outside which we had an eye on. Christine told me she was going to try something………….She told the waiter that we were staying at Al Ponte Antico and she was sure they had made a booking for us – they had (good on you Oliver, or maybe it was Alex!!) The empty table that we had an eye on was reserved for us!
Now I know you are thinking again that we were being taken for a ride here, and everyone was getting a cut. I hope they were. I hope the hotel got a cut for recommending the restaurant and the water taxi, and hopefully the water taxi was paid for taking us to Murano where we bought our glass treasures, I’m not exactly sure what happens about the lace shop as there were no cuts to be had there, but for all the things we enjoyed enormously, I hope everyone got their cut, they all did a fantastic job.
We had the most delicious meal ever, my mouth is watering as I write about it, simple light pasta with shrimps and fresh new season baby artichokes, the waiter told us the secret was all in the butter! We got chatting with the waiter who had grown up in Venice, then moved to Burano as an adult finding that Venice had been overrun with tourists, and now cruise ships, that show no respect for the history and beauty of the island city. He has never been back, and says he won’t until at least the cruise ships stop coming. He doesn’t even go back to visit his mother, she comes to Burano to visit him.
Another glass of wine and an exquisite dessert and we were ready to explore more of Burano. There is no limit to the photos to take of rows of coloured houses and boats reflected in canals, I did try to not take photos of the washing hung out of the upper level windows of the houses, but that proved impossible – just another of the many sights in Burano!
We later visited the lace museum, which was far more informative that the shop we went to first, and a fantastic bead shop called Alla Fiera Dell’Est owned by a local lady who had recently won a small business award. We spent some time there chatting getting a bit of the Burano history, and some of the curiosities were explained like the many houses that have curtains hanging over the front doors, on the outside, apparently for privacy. If you want to leave the front door open to get some fresh air, you don’t need all the people passing looking in. Wandering in and out of shops down the main street there are plenty of things to see and people to chat with as we made our way to the ferry wharf to catch the #12 back to Fondamente Nove, our ‘free’ transport had come to an end………
Itinerary for Trip Over to Italy – Milan, Como and Venice
Qantas flight (Emirates code share) to Milan (Malpensa) from Sydney via Dubai
Stayed in Milan, Airbnb, for a week before going to Como
Picked up in Milan by Como Limousines and driven to Como
Stayed in Como, Airbnb, for 3 weeks
Picked up in Como by Como Limousines and driven to Venice
In Venice, water taxi to Al Ponte Antico Hotel for 3 nights and water taxi back
Picked up in Venice by Como Limousines and driven back to Como
Picked up in Como by Como Limousines and driven back to Milan (Malpensa) Airport
Qantas flight (Emirates code share) to Sydney via Dubai
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
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 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
One of the most beautiful stores in London, Liberty has an amazing history, built in the mock Tudor style from the timber from 2 old ships! Located on Great Marlborough St, off Regent St, near Oxford Circus it`s a great place to start any shopping expedition in London, even if it is just window shopping 😍
#libertyoflondon #shoppinginlondon #beautifulshopsinlondon #londoninspring #londonlife #londonstyle #solotrip #solotravelinlondon #solofemaletravel #soloadventure #adventure2025 #traveltheworldwithme #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #flowers #libertylion #glassceiling
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
Beautiful weather to walk around Cremorne Point....finally.....for weeks it has been too hot, too humid, too stormy, too windy, too just generally unpleasant - then today...Perfect, just right 🌞🌞😍!
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#sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyoperhouse #sydneyharbourwalks #perfectday #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #boats #outonthewater
I think this critter is a Water Dragon, apparently they live around Cremorne Point on Sydney Harbours North Shore. We just stared at each other for a while, then he ran off down into the bush towards the water.
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#waterdragon #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyharbour #sydneyoperahouse #sydneywaterdragon #cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #pinkflowers #blueskyandsunshine
All the wildlife came out to see the end of 2024, before their habitat gets taken over by human wildlife all looking for a fireworks watching spot for the big show at midnight on Sydney Harbour. Further around Cremorne Point the "No Alcohol" signs were all being put up, Porta loos were being put in place, home owners were putting up signs to ask people not to climb on the fences and garden walls - the price you pay to live in this beautiful area, one night of hell to start off every new year!!
#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #seeeverythingdoeverything #sydneywildlife #sydneynorthshore #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneycoastalwalks #lizards #kookaburras #sydneybythesea #sydneyharbour #sydneyferries #boatsontheharbour
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
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
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
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
Flying into London, it`s been a while since I have flown in during daylight hours, without low cloud or fog to get a few pics from the air!! It would have been better with full sun 🌞 maybe next time....so lovely to walk through St James`s Park🥰🌺🥂
#London #Thames #riverthames #buckinghampalace🇬🇧 #kensingtonpalace #stjamespark #stjamesspalace #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #solotravelinlondon
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
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
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
I went all over the place today, 23,000 steps!! Walked down through St James`s Park to the Jewel Tower behind Westminster Abbey, then caught the tube to Canary Wharf to look at the Whale made from waste. Then Elizabeth line to Paddington for lunch. Walked from there to Regent`s Park, then down through Marylebone and Mayfair, and as it was now such a lovely sunny evening, I walked around St James`s Park again.....now having a glass of wine looking over Green Park🥂💖
#Paddington #paddingtonbear #jeweltower #canarywharf #regentspark #stjamessPark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything
#solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme
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
After a bit of window shopping and a long walk through Hyde Park to Kensington Garden, it rained, it was windy, the sun tried to come out, then it got really cold. I went to the `Dress Code` exhibition at Kensington Palace, the Palace is in the middle of a major conservation project have all the sash windows replaced so the whole building is covered in scaffolding......
#hydepark #hydeparklondon #kensingtonpalace #kensingtongardens #fortnums #oxfordstreet #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
After wandering through St James`s Park, I went over to Chelsea to see the Flowers exhibition (no longer on, sorry!!) @saatchi_gallery in Duke of York Square, there were some amazing pieces there. They have some great exhibitions in this gallery, so even though this one is over, there will be others, and having a coffee out in the square is always a good idea.💐💕 Determined to keep busy and nor let the jet lag take hold, from here I made my way over to South Kensington to the V&A Museum....
#saatchigallery #chelsealondon #amazingart #flowers #flowersatsaatchi #solotravel #solotrip #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #artinlondon #dealingwithjetlag #traveltheworldworldwithme #solotravelinlondon
More from Hyde Park in Sydney on my lunchtime walk.
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#hydeparksydney #hydepark #archibaldfountain #westfieldtowersydney #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneycbd #sydney #explorethecityyoulivein
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
Had a great time exploring the city of Palermo, it`s been quite an adventure!! Off back to London today.....
#Palermo #palermosicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
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
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
Big day yesterday, out and about on Malta`s buses, so far so good, with my 7 day ticket in hand, went off to Tarxien, Marsaxlokk, Sliema and back to Valletta.
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#malta #marsaxlokk #fishingboats #maltalife #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #seeeverythingdoeverything
Strange weather, but at least we don`t have a cyclone to contend with.....
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#sydney #sydneylocal #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneylife #sydneyweekend #nativeplants #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #outonthewater #sydneyharbour ##cremornepoint
Manoel Island, just next to Valletta in Malta, was the Royal Navy Base prior to 1964. Fort Manoel is apparently being renovated to make it safe to visit. But all the other buildings that were used by the Navy have just been left to fall apart. It is the strangest place, all the buildings would have been functional, but have just left derelict for the past 60 years.
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#manoelisland #Malta #derelictbuildings #valletta #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
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
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
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
So many flowers out and about in Sydney, all along the Cremorne Point walk.
#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #flowers #redflowers #yellowflowers #pinkflowers #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneynativeplants #sydneyaustralia #sydneyinsummertime #sydneylocal #myhometown #seekandyoushallfind #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Blue sky and sunshine, then 24 hours later all hell had broken loose. We had a massive storm, followed by lots of rain.....
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#stleonardspark #northsydney #blueskyandsunshine #raindrops #gumtree #walkinthepark #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneystorm #sydneyaustralia
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
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 Snake went up in Sydney`s Queen Victoria Building as soon as the Christmas Tree came down - wonder what`s coming next.....?
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#yearofthesnake #queenvictoriabuilding #queenvictoriabuildingsydney #shoppinginsydney #explorethecityyoulivein #sydneylocal #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneycbd
Christmas is coming to The Stand Arcade in Sydney, same decorations every year, but they always look good here 🎄🎄🎄
#strandarcade #strandarcadesydney #christmasatthestrand #christmasdecorations #christmasinsydney #decorationsup #shoppinginsydney #myhometown #sydneylife #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #sydneyaustralia #sydneychristmas #sydneycbd
Walking all around Valletta, so many steps to go up and down!! Sunrise across Grand Harbour....Upper Barrakka Gardens and all around that area.
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#valletta #upperbarrakkagardens #tritonfountain #malta #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #maltalife
Upper Barrakka Gardens, a lovely park looking over the Grand Harbour, there`s not much space in Valletta for parks!! The photo of Victoria Gate in the previous post was taken from here, so having walked up all the steps, this is a good place to catch your breath before exploring more of Valletta. The Upper Barrakka Gardens are on the same level as the main street through the city, so you get a good break from all the steps!!
#upperbarrakkagardens #upperbarrakkagardensvalletta #Malta #valletta #vallettamalta #solotrip #solofemalemidlifetraveller #solofemaletravel #soloadventure #solotravelinmalta #seetheworldthroughmylens #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #adventure2025
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
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
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
It was hot, then it got very humid, lots of cloud.....maybe rain later, but there was a nice breeze on the harbour. I`m ready for summer to end....
#sydneyharbour #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #lookingforthebreeze #cremornepoint #sydneylocal #sydneyoperhouse #sailingonsydneyharbour #nativeaustralianflowers
Tarxien Temples, a short bus trip from Valletta on the #81. This is the home of what is assumed to be the first people who lived in Malta. This complex dates back to 3400BC, so really, really old!!!
#tarxien #tarxientemples #malta #ancienthistory #ancientcultures #prehistoriclife #earlylifeinmalta #solotrip #soloadventure #solotravelinmalta #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmylens #traveltheworldwithme
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 southern end of the Queen Victoria Building being watched over by Queen Victoria, and Sydney Town Hall across the road.
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#qvbsydney #queenvictoriabuilding #queenvictoriastatue #sydneytownhall #sydneytownhallclocktower #lightrail #sydneylife #sydneycbd #sydneylocal
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
It`s quite mesmerising watching the man in the clock resetting the time every minute, just outside Paddington Station, London. Sorry about all the camera movement as people wanted to get past me!!
#manintheclock #Paddington #paddingtonstationlondon #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravelinlondon #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
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