One Year as a Full Time Travel Blogger and Writer
Where to Stay in Brighton, Vine Street Studios
Now that autumn has well and truly arrived in Scotland, bringing some horrible weather with it, I thought I’d take the opportunity to reflect on my summer of travel. Summer 2012 has been a really busy and exciting one for me.
The sun setting on my first flight of the summer on the way to Australia…
It started way back in May when I finished my last ever exams at university and jetted off a few days later to Australia. Read more
This Sunday the 9th September, I’m flying out from Glasgow to Barcelona with my mum to embark upon a cruise with Holland America. I’m so lucky that this will be my thirteenth cruise, but my first one with Holland America. I’ve heard some great things about them from a number of different people, and with a tagline of ‘A Signature of Excellence’ I figure what’s not to love?!
So where will I be going?
I fly to Barcelona, one of my favourite cities in the world, and embark the ship there. From there it’s onto Monte Carlo, Monaco and France’s beautiful Côte d’Azur. I plan to get the train to Villefranche-sur-Mer, one of my favourite little towns in the world. The scenery is dramatic and the atmosphere is so relaxed. We’re lucky that the cruise ship doesn’t set sail until midnight so my mum and I are already planning to have dinner with a bottle of our favourite French wine and enjoy the gorgeous views.
Confession – I had never been to a music festival before. I’d always been put off by the thought of strange people, horrible toilets and copious amounts of rain- that’s what musical festivals in Scotland are like anyway!
So, when I was invited to Musilac Festival in Aix-les-Bains in France I checked the line-up carefully first. Noel Gallagher, one half of the enigmatic Oasis brothers, as well as others such as Franz Ferdinand were listed and I decided to go for it. Why not!
Whilst spending an inordinate amount of time at the gate waiting to recieve our press passes Dylan (of The Travelling Editor fame) and I spotted many a strange person in the crowd. Most disturbing were the women in their thirties who were unable to do anything other than scream and spin around in circles. I was feeling just a little apprehensive after seeing them!
Our Musilac Passes
After recieving our press passes (VIP baby!) Dylan and I headed to our special bar and terrace area to watch Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. As the sun set over the hills of Aix-les-Bains and darkness surrounded us the atmosphere completely changed. The crowd grew more intense, and the sound increased. Everyone loved Noel, me especially!
Stage, as seen from the VIP section obviously 
After Noel and his birds, there was Jean Louis Aubert- an aging French star from the 70s and 80s. Safe to say I wasn’t too excited about seeing him as I’d never even heard of him but he turned out to be really good! Then, just like in Scotland, the heavens opened and we found ourselves soaked and waiting for a shuttle bus back to the hotel at 1am. Despite being absolutely drenched and freezing cold I’d had a great night, plus I had the promise of a warm, comfortable bed and a hot shower waiting for me at our hotel.
Day two at Musilac looked to be promising. On the agenda for the Saturday night were Franz Ferdinand and Lenny Kravitz, amongst others. Dylan and I kicked off the party early that afternoon by taking a ride that we dubbed the Party Boat. An hour trip around the beautiful lake with amazing music and a live saxophonist! When you think of a saxophone player you immediately think jazz, right? Wrong. This guy was playing along to everything from R’n'B to dance and everything between. It was ridiculously good and at only 10 euros it was an absolute bargain!
Dylan and I chillin’ on the Party Boat
We LOVED the Party Boat
Cool sax guy
Franz Ferdinand were amazing, who knew the French loved them so much?! They had great stage presence and really knew how to engage the audience. Shame that the same couldn’t be said for Lenny Kravitz… (the sax guy would have been better than him!).
The worst part about Musilac for me was the fact Dylan and I had to leave on Sunday afternoon and didn’t get to see Two Door Cinema Club, LMFAO and Blink 182. That would have been so much fun! Maybe I’ll just have to check out the line up for next year…
Disclaimer:
I visited Musilac Festival as a guest of the Rhône-Alpes Tourism board however, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
St. Georges Church
When I first arrived in Lyon, France I was delighted to find out we were staying in the oldest part of the city, Vieux-Lyon. I dumped my bags and headed straight out to explore. Within less than two minutes I came across the stunning St. Georges Church.
The banks of the Soane
I really like this picture. I took it standing on the banks of the River Soane, which runs through the centre of the city. I love the mix of different colours of the buildings combined with the swirl of white clouds in the bright blue sky above. I really wasn’t expecting Lyon to be so beautiful!
The opposite view
Notre Dame de Fourvière Basilica
The Basilica sits high atop Fourvière hill, looking down over the city. It has four large spires and is affectionately known by locals as ‘the upside down elephant’, as they look a little like legs. From the area next to the Basilica you are treated to amazing panoramic views over the entire city. It’s definitely worth the walk to the top of the hill just for the view. Or there’s a funicular if you’re a little lazy like me!
Inside a traboule
Lyon is full of traboules – secret passageways that were created between buildings to allow workers to pass between streets to go to between work and home more quickly. Some of them are small and cramped, but others like this one are open in the middle and even have peaceful little courtyards within…
Cutest courtyard
I had such a great time in Lyon. The food is incredible – Lyon is world-renowned for its gastronomy and for good reason. The architecture, both old and now, is striking and eye-catching. The oldest part of Lyon is brimming with character and charm and the Confluence area is modern, chic and contemporary. The only thing I regret is not having enough time to explore the city more fully. Although I guess that gives me a pretty good excuse to go back, right?!
Disclaimer:
I visited Lyon as a guest of the Rhône-Alpes Tourism board however, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
This latest post is my entry into the exciting Capture the Colour contest, after being nominated by Laura. It’s a chance for travel bloggers to put together a few of our best photographs under the themes of blue, green, yellow, white, and red. Some of the photographs that have already been posted by bloggers are amazing so try to check them out if you can.
Here are the pictures I’ve chosen. Enjoy!
St. Mark’s Campanile
I visited Venice earlier this year and took the chance to explore St. Marks Square and the surrounding areas in the evening, when there’s fewer tourists around. I took this photo of St. Mark’s Campanile at twilight and love how blue the sky looks.
Kotor
I took this picture in June 2012 whilst in Kotor, Montenegro. It was my first visit to the country and I was blown away by how beautiful Kotor is. This picture was taken just outside the protective city walls which surround the oldest part of Kotor. I love how green the water is in this picture.
Sydney Harbour Sunset
This is one of my favourite Sydney pictures. I had just arrived in Sydney with my brother that day and spent the next few hours exploring and having lunch admiring the fact I was in Sydney and the famous harbour bridge and Opera House were right in front of me! Then I took a walk along Mrs MacQuerie’s Chair, where you can find the best views of the Harbour. I was just lucky to catch this picture as the sun disappeared for the night.
Sprawling city of Athens
I took this picture on the walk up the hill to where the Acropolis sits, overlooking the whole city of Athens. It was a roasting hot summer day there and I really only took the photo so I could stop and have a rest from walking up the hill, it’s not even far but it was so warm! I like how the white buildings in this picture seem to go on endlessly, as far as the eye can see.
Sunset, WA
This is one of my favourite sunset photos ever. I took it from my brother’s balcony at his flat in Rockingham, Western Australia. Watching this sunset with a glass of wine in hand at the beginning of my trip to Australia and just after I had finished my last ever exams at university was an amazing feeling. Definitely one I’ll never forget. I saw some amazing sunsets while I was in the land down under. You can find some of my favourites here.
Hope you guys liked my five photos for Capture the Colour competition.
On Monday the 11th of June I’m off on my next trip- this time a cruise round the Mediterranean with my family and friends. This will be my 11th cruise and I’m really excited about it. We’re flying from Edinburgh to Venice to join Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas. I sailed on the Grandeur in September 2011 and, as she’s just been refurbished, I’m really looking forward to checking out all the changes and improvements.
Grandeur of the Seas- our home for 11 nights
Here’s the itinerary for our 11 night cruise:
I’ve been spending the last few days planning what we all want to see and do in the different ports we’re visiting. Whilst we’re in Venice I’m dying to travel to Burano, as it looks like a picture perfect little area with adorable colourful houses.
I’ve never been to Split, Bodrum or Kotor, so if anyone has any good tips or advice on things to see and do there I’d love to hear them!
Onboard Grandeur of the Seas in September 2011
I’ll still be online while I’m on my cruise as I’ll be testing out a TripButler mobile wifi, or mifi, device for the duration of my trip. I’ll also be real-time blogging on TravMonkey where you can keep up to date with all of my tweets, Instagram posts and Foursquare check ins. You can also follow the hashtag #tmCruise on twitter and Instagram.
Part of my aim in real-time blogging and the posts I’ll be writing after my trip, is to crush the misconception that cruises are just for middle aged married couples. I love cruising, and have met some lovely people, both old and young, on my previous cruises. I’ve had some great nights in different ship’s nightclubs and then dragged myself out of bed at the crack of dawn to explore a new port. Cruising really can be exactly what you make of it.
Have any of your ever been on a cruise? Would you go on one? Share your thoughts with me below in the comments!
I’m Emma, a 23 year old Scottish girl who is obsessed with travel. I’ve been to 26 countries so far and I’m constantly plotting to add to that number. After graduating from university with a degree in English Literature I decided to combine my passion for travel with my love of writing and Emma’s Travel Tales was born. Join me on my quest to make memories all over the world. Find out more here…
