A visit from Nomadic Matt

For a couple of days last week we hosted Matt, a fellow blogger and traveller who I met though the internet. Matt has developed a great website called Nomadic Matt's Travel site with tips, tales and photos from his travels and was in the UK for a few weeks on his European tour, so I invited him to call in and see us in Bristol.

As you'd expect, Matt is a pretty relaxed and experienced traveller and it was interesting to compare notes on our different approaches to travel. I discovered that while I might study the guide book avidly and make a mental list of places to see, Matt's approach is to turn up, get a map and then wander around wherever the fancy took him. I noticed that he still managed to take in all the major sites of interest but they came to him as a charming surprise as if he was the first person to stumble upon them.

I asked Matt to share with me the things he had enjoyed most while visiting Bristol and it's picturesque cousin, Bath and here is his list;


Read more of this article on my new travel blog at Heatheronhertravels.com

Back to Travel Blog Home

Sardinia - here we come !

I'm so sorry my postings have been a little sparse in the last month or two. I confess that a new job since May has taken up most of my energy and left me feeling in dire need of a holiday.

Our previous plans for Ethiopia are postponed as our friends are back in the UK, so a quick tour of the Easyjet website was required to find a suitable alternative. The main criteria were cheap flights, warm weather, and a few activities that teenagers might enjoy.

Sardinia is a large island off the toe of Italy, just south of Corsica, and looked ideal. Both my neighbours and my sister had visited and enjoyed their holidays there. So Sardinia it was.

Read more of this article on my new travel blog at Heatheronhertravels.com

Back to Travel Blog Home

A Garden open day at Emmaus House - in Bristol

I think I first heard about Emmaus House in Bristol through my local church, as it's a centre for religious retreats and other courses with a spiritual theme as well as hiring out meeting rooms and serving delicious lunches in the week at their restaurant. Despite being situated in the heart of Clifton Village in a beautiful Georgian building with amazing views over Bristol, Emmaus House in not that well known even by those living locally.

I heard that their gardens were open this weekend, so we went to have a look and were well rewarded as the sun shone and the garden was blooming. We sat first on the Rose terrace at the back of the house and bumped into a couple of friends who were having lunch, so we felt it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to try some ourselves, as many of the ingredients come from the organic kitchen garden. I tried the salmon and fennel en croute and my husband had aubergine baked with tomatoes and cheese, both with fresh salads and new potatoes from the garden.


Read more of this article on my new travel blog at Heatheronhertravels.com

Back to Travel Blog Home

A garden party at Buckingham Palace

It may not have escaped you if you read what I wrote here and here that my husband has military connections. So when he asked me whether I wanted to go to a garden party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the centenary of the Territorial Army I was nonchalent at first, but as the day arrived I found myself getting secretly excited. After all it's not every day you get to go through those wrought iron gates and nose around the Queen's private back garden.

Read the rest of this article at my new blog at Heatheronhertravels.com

A taste of Spain at Ocean Café - in Bristol

After my visit in April to Valencia I have to admit to having fallen in love with all things Spanish, so Ocean Café in Bristol was the natural place to celebrate my birthday with friends.


The Café opens in the morning for a late breakfast of Bocadillo de Bacon (that great British favourite) and goes on into the evening for Tapas and Paella. We sampled a set menu of all the favourite Tapas - Jamon, meatballs, Patatas Bravas and Calamari followed by Paella and Churros with chocolate sauce for dessert. Unfortunately I was enjoying the food so much that I forgot to take many photos of it before it disappeared.


Read more of this article on my new travel blog at Heatheronhertravels.com

Back to Travel Blog Home

A wine bar near the Vatican - in Rome

If you're looking for a nice place to eat in Rome near the Vatican, I'd recommend this wine bar and restaurant that we tried near our hotel. The first night we found it full so we booked and came again the next night.



This post has moved to my new blog at Heatheronhertravels.com