Coming right up: Girls weekend in Spain!

Malaga, Spain

Tomorrow I fly to Malaga, Spain for the weekend with my two girlfriends! Looking forward to sun, sea and cocktails, I'll be sure to share about it. Bring on the sun lounger! X

Exciting news... Mrs Dahlia's Travel Blog Future

No... the fingers aren't the exciting news (read on... )

So all my tweeting seems to be paying off! I've been spending lots of time having meaningful (and meaningless) chats on twitter. Have learnt in a short space of time how to get more followers (and how to lose them again by spamming them with 10 tweets a day due to over-enthusiasm!)

Anyway, the exciting news is that http://www.traveldudes.org/static/about-traveldudes who I am following on twitter are keen to post some of my travel tips and reference my blog! Exciting! I'm really excited about the prospect of sharing and interacting with other like minded people about there trips... (wonder if I could possibly say exciting one more time..!)

Off to Spain this weekend (Malaga) so watch this space!

I just have to learn to type a bit faster with my crippled fingers first!!

Bring on the sunshine :)
Mrs D X

2010 European (mostly) Travels

I've been thinking about how an earth I catch up with over a year's worth of travel, and I've decided to do it by pictures. I've been to:

• Auckland, Matamata, Tauranga, New Zealand (visit home)
• North Wales
• Paris, France
• Alicante, Spain
• Biarritz, France
• San Sebastian, Spain
• Algarve Coast, Portugal
• Madrid, Spain
• Prague and Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Following South America when the world was firmly in the recession, it was quite challenging for us both to get jobs, so took us a while to get back on our feet. Career and travel are the main two reasons were are living in London, and thankfully both of them are back on track!

Here are a few highlights...

WALES LONG WEEKEND (Easter, 4 days)

My hubby was back in New Zealand for a wedding, so I was left to fend for myself over Easter. It was also our 2nd wedding anniversary, so I certainly didn't want to sit around in London by myself!


My lovely new friend at work, Annie, invited me to spend the weekend at her family home in Wales.  We had a great time looking around, which included Snowdonia. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and reminded me a lot of New Zealand.

    

Me with my lovely host, Annie






Conway Castle - best one I've seen so far!



Longest town name in the world! Check out
the sign behind me!









 





PARIS LONG WEEKEND (4 days)

Paris was a special trip on two levels. I've aways wanted to go there, and it was everything and more that I expected, but I was lucky enough to spend it with my 78 year old Grandma. She was an ABSOLUTE trooper, a 78 year old, going on 50! 



Below the Effiel Tower with Grandma

With Grandma in front of the Arc de Triumph, Paris

Top Paris tip... take the bus! The hop on hop off bus was a great option... so easy to get around, and you can plug in your headphones and listen or as little or as much touristy info as you like!

Grandma and I outside the Louvre, Paris

 FRANCE/SPAIN SUMMER HOLIDAY (1 week)

In September, hubby and I flew in and out of Biarritz, France, hired a car and drove up and down the coast, as far north as Bordeaux, and as South as San Sebastian, Spain.

Hubby particularly loved this trip, as he is a surfer, and the waves in Hossegor are well known on the Pro circuit, so we spent a lot of time at the beach.

 

It was great to look around as much as we did, but in hindsight, I probably would have stuck to France and relaxed a bit more around Biarritz, Hossegor and San Jean Luis.

 

Bordeaux - visting wineries in Margot region



Hossegor - Kelly Slater's footprint on the footpath

by the beach



San Sebastian, Spain













  



More to come another day!

 

Life in London inspires return to blogging

Well well well, who would have thought - I'm baaacccck!

I set this blog up in 2009 for the sole purpose of keeping an online diary for my family and friends to follow me through South America.

I'm still based in London and trying to see as much as the world as I can afford to,whilst working for one of London's biggest direct creative advertising agenices. Long story short is that my agency (Wunderman) have a social media army, and my client bought their services last year, so I should really keep up with the play myself! I have been a facebooker for many years, but am now tweeting, four squaring and re-inventing my blog!

Outside the Queens House: Buckingham Palace

The primary purpose is to document my travels, thoughts on travels, and research I'm doing about travel. My objective one day (thinking big here) is to rank in google searches about travelling one day (dreaming? probably) but utlimately I'd like to build up a community of likeminded people who I can share my experiences with and offer travel advise first hand based on my experiences.

I'm so keen, that I've even got my own You Tube Channel and plan to upload interesting pics and videos!! Here's my first test - check me out at 6075m on the top of Mt Chachani in Peru! (here's hoping this has worked!). This is the greatest achievement of my life (see earlier Peru posts for the details).

That's it for now. Welcome back to me!!