Travel to Greece with Pippa Roscoe

 

[caption id="attachment_1434" align="alignleft" width="300"] Pippa with Rachael Thomas[/caption]

Earlier this year I convinced Rachael Thomas to come to Crete with me on a research/writing trip. I know that I write better in the sun, outside. I’m not sure whether it’s the fresh air, or the warmth, or just being away from home but there’s something about it that helps the words to flow. We packed up our laptops and booked the flights and accommodation – something that was done with military precision worthy of any determined, accomplished Harlequin heroine! – and picked the most beautiful hotel in Crete. 



We arrived early in the morning, which meant that the first thing I did before we could check into the hotel was to get myself an iced coffee. Okay – so one thing I LOVE, to a really insane degree, is Greek Ice Coffee. It has to be sweet because, of course, I’m on holiday so the diet is OFF. On average I need about twenty minutes of alone time with this gorgeous thing before I could even think about eating breakfast. I may even need a second one!

Travel to Ireland with Kate Walker & Giveaways

When I was  growing up, the most exciting thing that could happen as part of the school holidays was  when my mother took us all to visit her family  in my grandfather's house just outside Dublin in Ireland.  It was a major undertaking -  there were five of us sisters and my mother, all  travelling across to the port of  Holyhead Anglesey,  getting on to the ferry and then traveling across the sea to the port of  Dún Laoghaire  where the ferry docked. I had so many wonderful memories of the journey (once the sea sickness was over!) of this beautiful country where both my mother and father had been born, where they had met  and married all those years before. So it was a special delight to be able to travel back there with my husband and my own son many years later.

   It was more than twenty years since I'd visited but memories came rushing back and I found I could retrace my steps  almost as easily as if it had been yesterday that I'd walked that way before.  I  found Dublin Castle, the General Post Office where the 1916 rebellion had  started.  I walked along the Dublin Strand  and from there, tracing my  childhood footsteps,  I was able to lead my husband  to my Grandfather's house in the little village of Sandymount  where I had spent all those wonderful summer holidays.  I even walked around  Trinity College where my mother and father had met  even more years before and then  across Stephen's Green  where  the magnificent gateway has a high wide arch where the names of all the Irishmen killed in the Boer War are listed.  There's one of my ancestors there  -  my Great Uncle Charlies  - Charles Walker - who was my grandfather's younger brother.  He was only 17 when he died and as I take my name from my grandmother Katherine Walker, he was her brother in law.   As you can see, the weather was pretty typically Irish  - lots of grey clouds and plenty of rain - the sort of day that in Ireland you learn to call it a fine soft day!

Travel to San Diego USA with Linda Lee Kane!

Welcome to San Diego, California which is widely known as “America’s Finest City.” San Diego is known for its

[caption id="attachment_1189" align="aligncenter" width="278"] San Diego Beach[/caption]

miles and miles of white-sandy beaches and amazing weather with a laid- back atmosphere. What many visitors don’t know about San Diego is that it is composed of many distinct and diversified neighborhoods and each have their own unique charm.

Travel to Italy with Pippa Roscoe

 

Last year I co-opted, arm-twisted and generally bribed Jennifer Hayward (okay, it didn’t actually take all that!) to come on holiday with me to the Amalfi cost. We travelled to Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi working our way through some of the best restaurants and stunning hotels along that glorious coastline and had the most amazing time. The sun shone, I managed not to get sunburnt – a feat with my Cullen-pale skin! – we laughed, indulged and saw so many beautiful things!

But for a few days there were terrible rainstorms and we were stuck in our hotel room. So we hunkered down and ordered room service. There we were, one night, looking out at Positano which was stunning even through the rain drops from our balcony! We could see the lights glittering on the hillside and the rain battered harbour. But then I saw a gorgeous private pool jutting out from one of the hotels.

 

Travel to Amsterdam with Jane Godman

I Love Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities. It’s vibrant, and fun, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I like wandering De Negen Straatjes (or Nine Streets) that thread between the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and Herengracht canals. They’re lined with quirky shops, little restaurants and cafés.

The city is famous for its museums, some of them high-brow, others silly (and a few pornographic). No visit to Amsterdam would be complete without a visit to the imposing Rijksmuseum, and my personal favorite is the Van Gogh Museum. I find it quite moving to look at the brush strokes of the master himself.

Then, of course, there is the Anne Frank House. Located on the Prinsengracht, in the center of the town, it is quite simply a not-to be missed experience.  

Dani Collins – Hawaii’s Volcano Park Off The Bucket List!

HAWAII has been on our bucket list for a while. We actually visited the island of Kauai the year after we married for my sister’s wedding. For fun, I dug up a photo from that trip. 

 

My husband has wanted to see the volcano park ever since. We were looking for a splashy vacation for our twenty-fifth anniversary last year—as well as a break from winter—so we went this January.

 

It was a truly wonderful vacation! We started with three days on ‘the big island,’ aka ‘Hawaii.’ Then we flew to Oahu and spent eight days on the North Shore at Turtle Bay Resort.

 

I am blessed with a husband who likes to do his research. While most of Hawaii hovers in the twenties throughout the year, he read that the volcano park elevation is 1143 meters and can get quite cold. We were fine through the day, but when we tried to view the glow of lava in the crater at night, I had to bow out. The wind came up and I was still in shorts.

Travel with Jacqui Jacoby & Giveaway!

 

End Games

I’ve been traveling since I was a kid of about nine. My mom took me to Philadelphia to visit the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin. I was a history buff even back then having already read several children’s books on his life. Visiting him was more than my little heart could take. Ben’s grave is located against one of the walls. The bricks were removed and a fence installed so you could see him plain and clear. Now visiting cemeteries has never been on my creepy list. My mom asking me to lay down beside his grave to ‘see who was taller’ … okay, that crossed into the weird though for my whole life, I’ve been able to say I was taller than Mr. Franklin.

Travel to Andalusia, Spain with Jane Godman

Tapas, Flamenco, and Ice Cream (with some history thrown in) – A whirlwind tour of Andalusia

[caption id="attachment_1071" align="alignleft" width="225"] Alhambra[/caption]

I love Spain. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour flight from my home to the glorious beaches, or enticing cities, of one of the most beautiful European cities. It’s almost a hobby of mine to leave the English weather behind and soak up some Mediterranean sunshine.

Last year, my husband and I went on a tour of Andalusia. I’d wanted to visit Granada and see the Alhambra, so we decided to take in some of the other sights of the region as well. Our whirlwind tour started high up in the hills of Mijas, took in the ancient town of Ronda, allowed us to spend time in the vibrant city of Seville, included the incredible mosque at Córdoba, and ended with the iconic Alhambra.  

There were so many incredible sights packed into the tour that I’m going to leave the “wow factor” to the pictures and talk instead about the “yum factor”.

Travel to Rome with Mollie Blake

With Valentine’s love in the air, I had to tell you about my trip to Rome. Steeped in history this is a truly beautiful, romantic city, filled with exquisite art and architectural delights at every corner.

We stayed near the Spanish Steps, ideally located in central Rome, and declared by Charles Dickens as the meeting place for artists’ models, dressed in traditional costumes, hoping to catch the attention of a wealthy artist. Unfortunately work was being carried out during our visit so we didn’t see anyone resembling a model or a wealthy artist. But the steps were still impressive. The Trevi Fountain was a short walk away and we admired it in full sunshine and romantic dusk, simply breathtaking.

 

I can’t begin to tell you every wonderful sculpture, ancient ruin or impressive building we saw during our three days in Rome, but we couldn’t get enough of them. Despite the heat of August, it was a family exploration we all enjoyed and we were unanimous in declaring we would all return to this gorgeous city.

 

Travel with Phillipa Nefri Clark to Great Ocean Road

Two towns on the Great Ocean Road

[caption id="attachment_952" align="alignleft" width="438"] Great Ocean Road[/caption]

A number of years ago, we took a rare break from business to have a short family holiday in Lorne, Victoria. The week leading into our departure, I’d had the worst headache imaginable, culminating with a CT scan the morning we left. Against dire warnings from my doctor that I should stay in town until the results came in, I persuaded my husband to head to the one place I knew would help - the ocean.

Wellington, New Zealand - then and now by K. A. Servian #Giveaways

New Zealand’s capital is a vibrant city with an active arts scene and thriving cafe culture. The CBD is compact. You can wander from Cuba Street with it’s eclectic independent retailers down to Lambton Quay, dubbed ‘The golden mile’ with it’s high-end shops, in around fifteen minutes.

Wellington is also home to Te Papa, the country’s national museum and a fascinating place to spend an afternoon. It’s also worth taking a drive around the southern coast where houses cling to cliffs above a dramatic rocky shore. For a more sedate beach option, Oriental Parade in the city is a lovely spot for a walk and an ice cream.

Thought to have been occupied by Māori since 950AD, the first European settlement of the area that was to become Wellington began in January 1840 when Edwin Gibbon Wakefield, founder of the New Zealand Company and a man of questionable morality, sailed into Port Nicholson with the intention of setting up a town. The company’s methods were dubious to say the least and the whole scheme came close to failure on several occasions due to a lack of suitable building plots and difficulty negotiating land deals with the in situ Māori population. The Wakefields did eventually succeed, although in a modified form from their original plans.

Letting the Train take the Strain with Liz Fielding

LET THE TRAIN TAKE THE STRAIN

I love trains. Step aboard and even the twenty-five minute journey from my home into the nearby city of Bath is an adventure.

I can enjoy the scenery. The river, the canal, the weir at Avoncliff, the soft hills, the blackthorn flowering in spring and, last week, those blackthorn heavy with sloes. Then, finally, the view of Bath laid out over the hills, golden in sunlight.

When I was ten years old I travelled with my family by train to Austria for a holiday in St Anton. There were horrible green upright seats on the French trains (my Dad slept on the floor, my aunt stayed awake and knitted socks). The Swiss train had park bench style wooden seats which were bigger and a more ergonomic shape but then our travel courier said there was a spare first class carriage and we were moved to luxury as we swept by Lake Geneva. And we stopped in Basle for breakfast in the station restaurant – stiff white cloths, silver cutlery, our first “continental” breakfast!

I once had a fabulous day out with the dh and the children travelling from London to York on a privately hired Pullman, a treat from the client for all the consultants working on a big project. A fabulous full English silver service breakfast, a day in York (if you go there do not miss the Yorvik Centre – a recreation of medieval York with all the sounds and smells) and then home with roast beef and all the trimmings, good wine and a disco on board. York was amazing, but it’s the train that lingers in the memory. I sometimes see a Pullman waiting at the platform in Bath, the tables laid, lamps lit and long to be one of the passengers stepping aboard.

Travel to Great Wall of China for #BritishHeartFoundation with Rachael Thomas!

For the last six months I have been spending lots of time preparing and training for a charity trek in China. Later this month I will be leaving my desk and flying out to Beijing and then onto The Great Wall of China where I will spend five days trekking to raise funds for British Heart Foundation.

My training has meant lots of walking and my dog, Poppy and I have done plenty of walking locally. We’ve spent many hours walking over our farm and the surrounding area.



I’ve also spent time walking along the coastal path near me. This is looking back down to Aberaeron on a very blustery autumn day.

Travel to Anlaby Station, Australia with Ella Carey & Giveaway!

As part of my research for my fourth novel, SECRET SHORES, I went to Anlaby Station in South Australia, which was once Australia’s largest merino sheep station. Anlaby was the inspiration for Haslemere- the property that Edward inherits in the book.

The entire place was wonderful. What struck me was the way I connected with the Australian landscape of my childhood again- I grew up in South Australia, so going back there and being out in the countryside was incredibly special for me. There is something about the stillness of the paddocks, the whispering, pale eucalypts and the vast, vast skies that brought back memories I thought I’d forgotten. Layer in a romantic old homestead and a wondrous, restored garden and I was transfixed.

[caption id="attachment_886" align="aligncenter" width="225"] The Old Homestead[/caption]

 

Travel to Masai Mara, Nairobi with Mollie Blake & #Giveaway

Don’t we all love to dream of flying away to a tropical island, or a cosmopolitan city in a faraway place? Travel is something in which I take great pleasure. Packing? Not so much.

Now for a confession. Several years ago, we wanted to do a safari holiday. My research showed that the Masai Mara was a great destination to catch site of the big five – elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard. What my husband didn’t know was that I didn’t want to look at any other, possibly equally qualifying, destinations. Why, you may I ask? Well, I am an author.

In addition to sharing a holiday of a lifetime with my husband and our son, I also wanted to do some research for my book, The Secret At Arnford Hall. I needed a location with a dangerous place, to send the protagonist to, a certain Gabriel Black, as he searched for a man who didn’t want to be found. I wanted to tie it in with a destination the young Gabriel would have travelled to with his parents and siblings. In addition to that I needed somewhere with seedy places off the beaten track, together with exotic destinations that would pull a person back. Kenya seemed to fit all my needs.

Two days in Nairobi gave me an insight into the “downtown” areas, populated with rundown buildings, and ramshackle shops and warehouses. Then you could turn a corner and see palatial hotels with hidden tropical gardens and areas to drink delicious coffee away from the bustle and fumes of the streets. This gave me the location for a car mechanic who fixed Toyotas. I remember everywhere I looked there would be a beat up Toyota on the road somewhere. Kenya seemed the perfect setting for the hapless mechanic to seek escape from gambling debts, get caught up in kidnapping by a violent gang boss, and feel the pull on his heart strings, leaving him wanting to return as a pilot to fly shuttle planes over the Masai Mari. We even took one of these flights ourselves to end our holiday on the beach at Mombasa.

So enough about the research, and more about our wonderful holiday. In Nairobi we visited an elephant sanctuary and a giraffe centre.

Beaches I have loved by Michelle Douglas #Giveaways

Sarah and the Secret Sheikh is set in the fictional Arabian country of Keddah Jaleel, and while I’d love to show you pictures of my adventures in that part of the world, I’ve never had the opportunity to experience it (maybe one day).



The desert sounds so magical, doesn’t it? But I haven’t been outside my own country in over four years! However, Keddah Jaleel does have the most spectacular coastline…and those who know me know how much I love the beach. It doesn’t really matter which beach—I pretty much love them all. So today I thought I’d share some of my favourite beaches with you. 

 

 

 

My childhood beach was in the tourist hamlet of Tuncurry, which is just over two hours North of Newcastle (which is where I live). This particular spot is called The Rock Pool (though it’s more a netted beach than an actual rock pool), and is very child friendly. It’s tucked into the mouth of the harbour, bordered by the breakwater, and it’s not unusual to see dolphins frolicking in the harbour on the other side of the net. J (This spot featured in my 2011 release, The Secretary’s Secret).

[caption id="attachment_870" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Rock Pool, Tuncurry…with the iconic Forster and Tuncurry bridge in the background[/caption]

 

Travel to Skye Island, Scotland with Andie Brock

Recently my husband and I spent a few days on the Isle of Skye. An island off the west coast of Scotland, it really is the most beautiful place.



Over the years I’ve had many holidays in this part of the world. Although not Scottish, my father was raised in a little town called Thurso, about as far north as you can go on the mainland. My grandfather was a customs and excise officer there but he died before I was born. Dad always had a huge fondness for Scotland and as kids we had lots of family holidays there. But this was the first time I had been to Skye – and I wasn’t disappointed.

Travel to Budapest with Kandy Shepherd

[caption id="attachment_828" align="alignleft" width="178"] On one of the beautiful bridges that span the Danube[/caption]

Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, wasn’t top of my hit list of cities to visit in Europe—until my visit last September. Now I rave about it to anyone who will listen. What a fabulous city—my only complaint about my time there was that it too short! I can’t wait to go again and see more than a three-night visit allowed.

 

My two bridesmaids (from 28 years ago!) who live in London suggested a long weekend “girls” trip with them to Budapest while I was visiting with them in the UK. Yes please, I said immediately. I’d never been anywhere in Eastern Europe. We flew from Gatwick airport on a budget airline for a fare that seemed ridiculously cheap for someone living in Australia. Then stayed in a delightful small hotel near the Opera House—again very reasonably priced.

Travel to Hong Kong with Joanne Dannon

Here in Australia, we are far away from America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. However, we are close to Asia and this is a popular destination for us Australians to visit.

 

My husband travels a lot and spends a few months every year in Hong Kong. I have been fortunate to join him on his work trips and we’ve taken our children with us a few times.

 

What’s so great about Hong Kong? Everything! The people are very nice and welcoming, the city is clean (and safe!), the food is delicious, the signs are in English (and Chinese), the public transport is brilliant plus, there’s so much culture to see and enjoy!

 

Not only is Hong Kong a wonderful destination for a family it’s also great to go there as a couple or for singles. 

 

Most locals speak some English so it’s easy to get around, plus the signage is clear everywhere. The best way to get around is on foot or public transport. There are plenty of taxis and they are well priced however, with the traffic, it can sometimes be quicker to walk.

 

 

Travel to Pisa, Italy with Rachael Thomas

I’ve always had a passion for Italy and over recent years have been lucky enough to visit Pisa several times – and go up The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

[caption id="attachment_805" align="alignright" width="300"] Rachael Thomas holding up the Tower[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_806" align="alignleft" width="200"] Inside the Duomo[/caption]

The first thing to say is that the tower does lean. A lot! When you first walk inside it really unbalances you and as you wind your way up the 293 stone steps you can see how they are worn in different places depending which side of the tower you are on. It also feels strange when you come out on top of the Tower.

It was built as the bell tower to the Duomo and work began in 1173. It was finally completed in 1350 but was even then suffering from problems of leaning due to subsidence.

Everywhere you look around the Tower, are people posing for photographs to make it look as if they are holding up the tower. Naturally I had to have a go too.