An Old Brit Invite To Take A Traveller's Trip Down Memory Lane ...

The page make take a little longer than usual to download today, since we've some special colour shots we'd love to share. Not taken by ourselves we hasten to add. These are all borrowed pics - from 'pros' and 'semi-pros'.

You can call this 1st March post a 'Rambling Edition' if you like, but we'd rather refer to it as a 'Reminiscence Edition'.

Twelve years ago this month we flew back home from one of the most fantastic foreign holidays we've ever experienced

Yep. You guessed right. Like all good things, the week away had come to an an end, and we'd rather reluctantly bid bye-bye to Venice.

However, within days of returning Richard was taken seriously ill - in fact, so serious as to be life threatening - literally.

But hey, that was then and this is now - a dozen years down the line - we lived to tell the tale.

So, happy anniversary to us, eh?

Now, maybe having learned that, you can more easily imagine why certain fond memories have suddenly started flooding back. And in case we'd ever forgotten we'd like to remind ourselves (and any others who may ever have forgotten), it's good to be alive.

Anyhow, here's the hotel where we stayed -- the beautiful 'Bellini'. Click their pics to enlarge. And please note that 12 years ago we were both working and earning and, that prices were one hell of a lot lower.

Since then, early medical retirement has meant having unlimited time to travel -- albeit on a lot less extravagant/expensive scale. So we thought we'd take some time off from trying to solve the troubles of the world, and stroll down memory lane a little -- on a European (in lieu of global), scale.

Below is beautiful Barcelona: Queen of Catalonia, North East Spain. It's our most oft visited foreign city, by far, and one of our best loved to boot.

Thanks to lately being simply spoilt for choice by all the budget airlines now operating from our local (John Lennon International), airport, Barcelona really is only 'buttons' away -- price-wise, and just a couple of hours flight-wise.

Viva Espana! Eh?

Also, long live Easy-Jet, Ryan-Air, Thomson-Fly and several others. We salute you, sirs. True earth-shrinkers, are you.

Then there's the following Spanish (Balearic), island in the sun - and the Med.

Majorca (Mallorca), and its capital city Palma, complete with it's own very commanding, gothic cathedral.

Of course we couldn't possibly not include (even closer to home), gay old Paris. Well, could we? In fact, how the heck could anyone? Crumbs - that would be construed as completely crazy.


Then, situated somewhat more southerly is somewhere else in France we love. The lesser known French 'city of rivers' - Lyon - universally acknowledged gastronomic capital of the globe.


And no trip down memory lane could ever be complete without mentioning Malta - with it's unarguably unique capital, Valletta. And you'd better believe us when we say it's 'Grand Harbour' is great; great with a capital G.


Then there's that 'Jewel of the Adriatic' called Dubrovnik - in Croatia - part of the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Incidentally, this is the most perfectly preserved, walled medieval city in the world. Can you say time-travel?


Another old Yugoslavian gem is Kotor - hidden away at the extreme end of a long, deep fjord in magnificent Montenegro. And you thought there were only fjords to be found in Scandinavia, eh? Nawhr -- behold the breathtaking beauty which lies below.

Okay, we know we're now in danger of darn boring you to death, but bare with us just a little bit longer.

For we feel we would be failing in our duties - big time - if we forgot to invite you to feast your eyes on the beautiful, deep blue water, bay town of Fethiye.

Sitting super-pretty, as it serially suns itself, on the superbly sumptuous south west, Med coast of Turkey.

Which, incidentally, a few years back became home to one of our 'baby' brothers (retired) -- and thanks to his gargantuan generosity, for a few fantastic weeks each year -- it's become home to we two, too.

Here it is below. Take a little look. We think you'll love it.

Then there's our own (as well as the Beatles'), proud home city of birth; the busy, bustling, lively, lovely, maritime Liverpool - Merseyside.

Last but by no means least, we invite you to view at our very own (mere five minute walk away), local neighbourhood beachfront - right here at coastal Crosby.


Phew. Putting this particularly pictorial piece together has been a bit of bloomin' work of art all of it's own.

Right then; reverting rather rapidly to real-time:

At this point it's become patently apparent that we now need to brew up a cuppa, then to take that much needed tea-break.

Meanwhile, we trust that this trip with us wasn't toooo tiresome.

(Sometimes, one's entitled to a tad of self indulgence wouldn't you say?)

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