The topic for this month's travel link up is if travel was a menu, where would your palate take you?
I decided to go with a 5 course menu because who wants to limit life to 3 courses?
The good thing about this theme is that it doesn't just have to be places that you have already visited.
Soup
Soup: a liquid dish, typically savoury and made by boiling fish, meat or vegetables in stock or water.
Soup, to me, invokes visions of cold winter days warmed up in front of a log fire, eating soup.
Besides doing this in front of my Gran's fire eating chicken and noodle soup when I was younger, none of my previous travel has included freezing my ass off. My soup course comes straight from my wish list of visiting Russia.
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| http://russiatrek.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/khanty-people-cabins-winter-russia-1.jpg |
Imagine rugging up in this cabin, in front of the fire, fortifying yourself with vodka soup.
Appetizer
Appetizer: something to whet the appetite
I don't have one particular destination in mind for this one, instead I have a full on 26 day group tour.
Last September I (and about 30 other people) did the Contiki Grand Southern which left Los Angeles, travelled through the southern states of the United States and up the East Coast, ending in New York.
Each place we stopped had a unique vibe and everywhere was different, from the deserted town of Seligman on Route 66, the smoky den of iniquity that is Las Vegas to the party scenes of Miami and the go-go-go of New York.
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| The road sign just outside of Seligman |
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| getting the pre-drink photos done |
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| horse riding in Durango, Colorado |
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| bike tour in Miami |
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| making friends with Lincoln |
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| working it to Beyoncé's 'Run the World (Girls) |
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| Last drinks with the Contiki family |
Salad
Salad: Simple and easy to throw together
As I am currently living in London, I feel that this course belongs to the beautiful vibrant town of Brighton. Brighton is an easy 1 hour away from the Big Smoke by train and is a perfect spot to day trip to.
I went for a friend's birthday back in March 2014 and even though it was a bit on the chilly side, it was a lovely place to visit full of things to do. The arcade on the boardwalk is full of penny games and a great place to spend a few hours, especially if you have the opportunity to stay for the sunset.
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| sunset on the English Channel |
Main
Main: the most substantial course
For the main I was trying to think of a destination that had it all - weather, culture, history, people, food. A few places popped into my mind but the one that really stands out has to be Turkey.
Turkey is a pretty big country that straddles Europe and Asia. Landscapes vary from the populated Istanbul to the fairy chimney rock formations of Cappadocia.
Weather - I went in April/May for three weeks in 2014. The weather was mostly in the mid-twenties and up, although it did get chilly on the coast of the Marmara Sea when we camped overnight for Anzac Day.
Culture - due to the multi-ethnic, multi-religious Ottoman Empire, Turkey is a very diverse country.
History - Turkey has 16 World Heritage listed sites, including Pammukale, Troy and Ephesus.
People - all the people I met during my three weeks were incredibly nice and friendly. One Turkish man even bought dinner for me and my friend, showed us where to buy the best baklava and took us to play traditional Turkish games in a café in a cave.
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| Sunset in Fethiye |
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| the pools of Pamukkale |
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| Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia |
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| Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia |
Dessert
Dessert: the sweet course eaten at the end of a meal
I was trying to think back to a place that I have been to that has invoked the sweetest memories. Then I had to go back and see if the photos I took were decent enough to include on a blog, so after ruling out Paris (more of an ideal than a great place - although I'm not writing it off just yet and plan to go back and give it another go at some stage), Dubrovnik (not enough quality photos) and the Swiss Alps (most of my photos include half naked Marines) I settled on Salzburg.
Salzburg is the second destination I visited solo. I spent around a week before travelling on to visit friends in Hanover, but the medieval city is absolutely stunning.
I chose to go Salzburg because I'm a big fan of The Sound of Music and modern history. I did the tour - complete with a sing-along on the bus and a visit to Eagle's Nest.
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| view of Salzburg from the Fortress |
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| where Rolf and Liesl got it on (1940's style) |
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| Eagle's Nest |
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| Salzburg's Love Lock Bridge |
How to link up your post
Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st - 7th May 2017), add it to the link up widget found below on Follow Your Sunshine, Adventures of a London Kiwi, SilverSpoon London, or on the blog of our lovely guest host Binny at Binny's Kitchen and Travel Diaries from the 1st.
There are no rules – basically all we ask is that you check out some of the other cool bloggers that are involved in that months travel link up; make a few comments here and there and tweet a few of the posts out to your followers that you think they will love. It’s a great way to meet some new travel bloggers and share some blogging love!
Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st - 7th May 2017), add it to the link up widget found below on Follow Your Sunshine, Adventures of a London Kiwi, SilverSpoon London, or on the blog of our lovely guest host Binny at Binny's Kitchen and Travel Diaries from the 1st.
There are no rules – basically all we ask is that you check out some of the other cool bloggers that are involved in that months travel link up; make a few comments here and there and tweet a few of the posts out to your followers that you think they will love. It’s a great way to meet some new travel bloggers and share some blogging love!
The Travel Link Up is open to all bloggers – as long as the post is relevant!
