Today we get to experience St. Petersburg’s canals. Alexander the Great founded this city as his own and had a vision to turn it into the Venice of the North, criss-crossing the city with canals to provide a means of transport as well as beauty.… Read the rest
A Taste Of St. Petersburg
After a day of exploring Peterhof and the Catherine Palace at Pushkin, I’m ready to delve into St. Petersburg proper. After dropping the rest of the tour group back at the port, mum and I are taken to the metro at Primorskaya where we are handed over to another guide for the evening. … Read the rest
Brad’s Brunchology
All good parties have a serious side that goes along with the fun. Today’s party for Brad’s 40th has a good deal of both! Let’s Brunchology!
My friend Diana (wife of said birthday boy), has given up a girls’ weekend, organised a surprise birthday party with 33 guests, plus other weekend surprises (a mini break at the Burj Al Arab no less) as well as having coordinated a house move in the last week. … Read the rest
Authentic Amman
Our evening in Amman begins when Banan pulls up to pick me up from the hotel. Chic as always, she’s in jeans and an airy white shirt and beams at me as I jump in the car. … Read the rest
Tbilisi, Georgia
I awake on my first morning in Tbilisi, Georgia excited at exploring all that my First Impressions promise. My travel companion, Diana, has arrived during the night and despite a restless sleep, I only doze a little before being ready to hit the town, so to speak.… Read the rest
Beautiful People
Sometimes in our lives we meet people who touch our hearts. Over time, these beautiful people become our friends, some of these friendships last and some don’t. But there is no denying that we connect better with some people than others.… Read the rest
Triathlon
I’m not sure how many adults would attempt a triathlon – even a mini one. Ask me to swim 200m, cycle 5km and then 1km back to back and I could probably do it. Probably. I’m not sure that I would be able to muster much enthusiasm for it though. … Read the rest
A Whirlwind Tour
A long anticipated visit has come to fruition resulting in a whirlwind tour. We had a wonderful time staying with Ricky & Clare in Buckinghamshire last year and it was the very next day after we left them that we heard they’d booked for a trip with a stopover to visit us in Dubai.… Read the rest
Bvlgari
Out on Lady Pinto, Candida has told us that we’re heading to Bvlgari Island, a new hotel & resort just off the coast at Jumeriah that only opened in December 2017.… Read the rest
International Day
International Day – I remember the excitement of the Multicultural Festival in Canberra when I was growing up – the sights, the music, the colors and tastes but most of all the smells – pungent Indian aromas, popcorn and kebabs and the mouthwatering smell of the kranskys (German sausages) cooking were always a favorite of mine. … Read the rest