KERRY TAYLOR'S
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My first trip abroad was at the age of 19 with a friend I'd been to school with. We had been to see "Shirley Valentine" at the cinema and promptly decided we wanted to go to Greece (although for slightly more innocent reasons than featured in the film).
Although I did take a few trips abroad after that, it wasn't until I hit my 30th Birthday that I decided that if I couldn't find anyone to go with me, I should just go by myself.
Since it was a special birthday, I celebrated by touring Italy on a two week coach trip. It was going to be a once in a lifetime thing, but of course once you start you just can't stop.
I've been on a mix of trips ever since. There have been other coach trips round Portugal and Spain, independent breaks to youth hostels in Paris and Amsterdam and even a week in a B&B in Bruges. The funny thing is now I'm travelling, quite a few of my friends and family seem keen to join me.
My advice is don't just wait for things to happen, get out there and enjoy yourself now.
| Kerry Taylor's Travel Blogs and Reviews | ||
| Travel Blogs and Reviews | ||
| Title and Date | Location | |
 Slovenia : Lakes, Caves and Mountains Jun 28 '08 | Slovenia | |
 Lake Bled : Arriving via Salzburg Jun 28 '08 "We don’t get our key back unless we say it right ‘Dva, Tree, Awesome’ or 238." | Bled, Slovenia | |
Postonja Caves : Beware of the Dragon Jun 29 '08 "It’s the best ride I’ve ever been on, reminding me of the mine scenes in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." | Postojna, Slovenia | |
Lipica : Dancing White Horses Jun 29 '08 "I’m now reverting back to a soppy horse mad 12-year-old and don’t care who knows it!" | Lipica, Slovenia | |
Lake Bled : A Long Way Round Jun 30 '08 "We may be setting some kind of world record for taking so long to walk the circumference of Lake Bled." | Bled, Slovenia | |
Lake Bled : A Long Way Up (and Down) Jul 01 '08 "...for an obscene amount of euros you can eat in the most scenic restaurant in Slovenia." | Bled, Slovenia | |
Lake Bled : The Vintgar Gorge Jul 02 '08 "Beneath us the River Radovna tumbles, churns, froths and occasionally rests in calm clear blue pools." | Podhom, Slovenia | |
Lake Bled : A Long Way Round (again) Jul 03 '08 "We spend the rest of the day ... swimming in turquoise water marvelling at the incredible view of mountains in the distance." | Bled, Slovenia | |
Venice : A Long Day Out Jul 04 '08 "The gasps were audible as we all calculated that was a journey time of five hours." | Venice, Italy | |
Lake Bled : Going Home Jul 05 '08 "We’ve been here a whole week, I think we should have statue!" | Bled, Slovenia | |
Paris at Christmas Nov 30 '07 | France | |
Paris: Day 1 Nov 30 '07 "As we stepped out of the lift we were confronted by a wonderful view across the city to Montmartre, topped by the shining white Sacré Coeur" | Paris, France | |
 Chartiers "Chartiers, Paris" | Paris, France | |
Paris: Day 2 Dec 01 '07 "We found the right place, but simply couldn’t find any trace of Christmas let alone a Christmas market." | Paris, France | |
Paris: Day 3 Dec 02 '07 "Just as we crossed the road to take a closer look a strong gust of wind not only turned my brolly inside out, it folded it clean in half!" | Paris, France | |
Venice Unmasked Sep 03 '07 | Italy | |
Hello Venice Sep 03 '07 "He did speak some English and insisted on saying we were all bella and called us sweetheart!" | Venice, Italy | |
Venice: Secrets, Lies and Vaporetti Sep 04 '07 "Casanova actually escaped from the cell above, not across the roof, but down through the main building." | Venice, Italy | |
Venice: Ghettos, Gold and Galleries Sep 05 '07 "My friends ... were hoping for lunch with Brad Pit or George Clooney." | Venice, Italy | |
Venice: Tombs, Towers and Treasures Sep 06 '07 "It offered us wonderful views across the water to St Mark’s Square and all for just €3!" | Venice, Italy | |
Ciao Venezia! Sep 07 '07 "Along the way I passed a few people making early morning deliveries and even a singing bin man!" | Venice, Italy | |
York 2007 Jun 09 '07 | United Kingdom | |
York: Base Camp Jun 09 '07 "The men are all dotted around the edges of the lake with the most incredible amount of kit, whilst their wives bring them cups of tea and coffee." | York, England | |
York: A walk on the wild side Jun 10 '07 "One thing’s for certain I’ve never hear a skylark singing in a city before." | York, England | |
Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire Jun 11 '07 "We stopped briefly ... unable to resist the lure of Blubberhouses car park – where did they get that name from?" | Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire | |
Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire Jun 12 '07 "More graceful are the noisy Kittiwaites, all screaming out their names just in case you missed them." | Bempton, England | |
York: The Minster and The Treasurer's House Jun 13 '07 "In 1984 this part of the building was struck by lightning that in turn started a massive blaze." | York, England | |
York: Vikings and Museums Jun 14 '07 | York, England | |
York: City Walls Jun 15 '07 "The walls are slippery in places but thankfully iron railings are there to stop me tumbling off." | York, England | |
Castle Howard, Yorkshire Jun 16 '07 "One prop that sadly has not been used is a teddy bear called Algernon!" | Castle Howard, North Yorkshire | |
York: Underwater Jun 16 '07 "In fact the wooden benches outside have already drifted off, luckily getting caught on the fence a little further down." | York, England | |
Harlow Carr, Yorkshire Jun 17 '07 "we also found a wild flower meadow imitating the sea, with woven willow whales, pirates and mermaids dotted between!" | Harlow Carr, United Kingdom | |
Mother Shipton's Cave, Yorkshire Jun 17 '07 "She certainly seems to have foreseen boats made from metal, the internet, flight and even submarines." | Knaresborough, United Kingdom | |
York: Roman Empire to the Age of Steam Jun 18 '07 "I’ve begun to suspect that the streets within York’s walls ... frequently rearrange themselves like the rooms and corridors of Hogwarts." | York, England | |
Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire Jun 19 '07 "The stone itself is slowly wearing away, leaving strange organic shapes." | Fountains Abbey, United Kingdom | |
Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire Jun 19 '07 "We all get stuck in whilst being watched by an ever growing number of Jackdaws. It’s like a scene from “The Birds”." | Summer Bridge, England | |
Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire Jun 20 '07 "The birds tenderly tap their beaks together and throw their heads back and call with delight." | Bempton, England | |
Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire Jun 21 '07 "My legs are so sodden I decide the only option is to unzip the detatchable legs of my trousers so that I can wring them out." | Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire | |
North Yorkshire Moors Railway Jun 22 '07 "We had plenty of time to get there but unfortunately we managed to miss it entirely, ending up stuck in a traffic jam … twice!" | North York Moors National Park, United Kingdom | |
Huffin' and Puffin' in Northumberland May 24 '07 | United Kingdom | |
Watch out Seahouses, here we come! May 24 '07 "10pm and almost dark but that doesn't stop us racing to be the first to paddle in the ice cold North Sea" | Seahouses, England | |
Lindisfarne, the Holy Island May 25 '07 "You must be those barmy women trying to walk to Seahouses!" | Lindisfarne, Northumberland | |
A Wild Time on the Farne Islands May 26 '07 "It's hard to tell who's watching who as seals are extremely curious creatures." | Farne Islands, England | |
Alnwick Gardens and Barter Books May 27 '07 "Children ... can play with toy diggers, filling the buckets with water and racing round the paths with it." | Alnwick, United Kingdom | |
Bamburgh or Bust! May 28 '07 "The wind makes walking hard, but eventually the castle comes into sight." | Bamburgh, United Kingdom | |
Christmas in Valkenburg Dec 08 '06 | Netherlands | |
Destination Valkenburg Dec 08 '06 "Finally we discover where the locals are hiding. There’s a good selection of pubs and clubs in full flow and this seems to be spilling out into the street now." | Valkenburg, Netherlands | |
Valkenburg: Early Morning Shopaholics Dec 09 '06 "She’s not naked anymore. Someone has kindly given her a Santa hat and matching scarf, so she won’t catch her death of cold now." | Valkenburg, Netherlands | |
 Best Western Hotel Walram "Fawlty Towers Wannabe" | Valkenburg, Netherlands | |
Monschau: A German Christmas Market Dec 09 '06 "Now that the Glühwein had started to wear off, I realised that I had forgotten that we needed to catch the 2:30pm bus." | Monschau, Nordrhein-Westfalen | |
Valkenburg: Christmas Caves and Hotel Antics Dec 09 '06 "A weedy little man in an oversized dinner jacket was running about from table to table acting like Basil Fawlty." | Valkenburg, Netherlands | |
Bruges, Bargins, Booze and Boats Dec 10 '06 "Unfortunately every car and coach appears to be draped in blue and white scarves – who knew Bruges had a football team?" | Bruges, Belgium | |
Bobbing about in the Baltic Jul 31 '06 | Europe | |
Harwich Jul 31 '06 "We simply find a seat, settle in and relax … only to stop five minutes later for lunch!" | Harwich, United Kingdom | |
The Keil Canal Aug 01 '06 "In the shadow of one [of the bridges] we see children waving at us whilst another sprays graffiti on the bridge uprights!" | Keil Canal, Germany | |
All at Sea Aug 02 '06 "There is one member of the crew we find quite interesting to watch. We’ve christened him the “decorative one”." | Baltic Sea, Poland | |
Stockholm Aug 03 '06 "I love the way the guards run across the parade ground, as though they are doing a Monty Python silly walk" | Stockholm, Sweden | |
Helsinki Aug 04 '06 "I’m not sure Paella is really an authentic smorgasbord delicacy" | Helsinki, Finland | |
St Petersburg (Day 1) Aug 05 '06 "Like so many churches, it was poorly treated by the Soviets who used it rather unceremoniously as a potato store" | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
St Petersburg (Day 2) Aug 06 '06 "My impression of the priest is then shattered … as he gets out his mobile phone" | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
Tallinn Aug 07 '06 "Tallinn has a rather nice habit of giving its towers names. There is another one rather less kindly called Fat Margaret!" | Tallinn, Estonia | |
Gdynia Aug 08 '06 "It would look like a typical British seaside town if only it had a crazy golf course and a few more arcades" | Gdynia, Poland | |
Rostock Aug 09 '06 "Here kids are allowed to splash in the small bubbling geysers and spray the larger jets at each other." | Rostock, Germany | |
Copenhagen Aug 10 '06 "Here is the infamous Christiana, a self proclaimed independent state and bohemian home to countless hippies and users of soft drugs." | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
All at Sea (again) Aug 11 '06 "All on cue, we cheer and demand an encore." | Baltic Sea, Poland | |
Harwich Aug 12 '06 "I'm really going to miss being waited on hand and foot." | Harwich, United Kingdom | |
Paris, Robbie and Me Jun 16 '06 | France | |
Getting There! Getting Where? Jun 16 '06 "Hundreds of people were all leaving England and heading for the same small football stadium in Paris." | Paris, France | |
Paris Sights and Sounds Jun 17 '06 "We see the beautiful opera house, but no phantom and an amazing building called La Madeleine, that reminds me of the Acropolis in Athens" | Paris, France | |
Brilliant Bruges Aug 27 '05 | Belgium | |
Berkshire to Bruges ... by Train Aug 27 '05 "I decide not to find out what it says – although "Danger de Mort" seems worryingly clear." | Newbury, England | |
Bruges : Finding my Feet Aug 28 '05 "the Vismarkt (Fish Market) ... looks rather like a Greek temple, with a stone colonnade." | Bruges, Belgium | |
Bruges : A Slowboat to Damme Aug 29 '05 "It takes 30 minutes to travel the 4 miles to Damme, along a dead straight canal lined with Poplar trees" | Damme, West-Vlaanderen | |
Bruges : Exploring the Canal Ring Aug 30 '05 "On the way I pass an Australian shop – I could certainly buy some interesting souvenirs in there!" | Bruges, Belgium | |
Bruges : Reaching New Heights Aug 31 '05 "... the mysterious rock climbers were actually steeplejacks working in amongst the bells" | Bruges, Belgium | |
In Flanders Field Sep 01 '05 "He is also full of really interesting information and gives us a Flemish lesson – or rather a lesson on the written language of the Flemish and Dutch … Netherlands." | Bruges, Belgium | |
German Cemetery, Langemarck Sep 01 '05 "Also called the Students’ Cemetery; 44,000 German soldiers or, to be more accurate, teenagers are buried here." | Langemarck, West-Vlaanderen | |
Tyne Cot Memorial, Passchendale Sep 01 '05 "As we head back to the car, I collect a handful of rose petals from the ground amongst the headstones." | Passchendale, West-Vlaanderen | |
Iper Sep 01 '05 "The whole town was raised to the ground, nothing remained and everything visible today had to be faithfully reconstructed." | Iper, West-Vlaanderen | |
Mount Kemmel Sep 01 '05 "Back in the car we head for the Mountains … Belgian style!" | Mount Kemmel, West-Vlaanderen | |
Talbot House, Poperinge Sep 01 '05 "At the very top of the House was a small chapel built into the attic." | Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen | |
Diksmuide (Trench of Death) Sep 01 '05 "At the very end was a concrete blockhouse that we had to crawl through ... known as the mouse trap." | Diksmuide, Belgium | |
Bruges : Shopping and Frits Sep 02 '05 "Here I sit and munch, whilst listening to a string quartet playing in the square outside." | Bruges, Belgium | |
Bruges to Berkshire ... by Train, Again! Sep 03 '05 "Then I decide I had better check I’m on the right train and ask the Marylyn Manson look alike in the seat across the aisle." | Newbury, England | |
Pompeii: In the Shadow of Vesuvius May 13 '05 | Italy | |
Journey to Sorrento May 13 '05 | Sorrento, Italy | |
Up Pompeii May 14 '05 "She's no Botticelli babe and looks like she has a rather badly broken leg, but ... she’s almost 2000 years old" | Pompeii, Italy | |
Herculanium May 15 '05 "Herculaneum is very different to Pompeii ...The former sits directly below the modern city (of Ercolano)." | Ercolano, Campania | |
Shopping in Sorrento May 15 '05 "Back at Plaza Tazzo we decided to join the beautiful people watching the world go by in one of the cafes." | Sorrento, Italy | |
Leaving Sorrento May 16 '05 "Most of the beach is private, but a very small (and dirty) patch is public." | Sorrento, Italy | |
Spanish Panarama Sep 18 '04 | Spain | |
Madrid Sep 18 '04 "In the lift I meet two very drunk but happy Spanish girls who welcome me to their country - how nice!" | Madrid, Spain | |
The Royal Palace, Aranjuez Sep 19 '04 "You just won’t believe how vastly hugely mindbogglingly big it is." | Aranjuez, Madrid | |
Arriving in Cuenca Sep 19 '04 "Just my luck, the next bull suddenly appears and is heading my way!" | Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha | |
Leaving Cuenca Sep 20 '04 "On the second attempt I find someone who, although they can’t speak English and I can’t speak Spanish, does understand the universal language of mime." | Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha | |
Arriving in Valencia Sep 20 '04 "He stands right next to us and begins playing a trumpet so loudly that we can’t hear ourselves speak. We figure he’s going to ask us for money to stop." | Valencia, Spain | |
Leaving Valencia Sep 21 '04 "The increasingly wild landscape is actually part of a National Park. This apparently doesn’t preclude large industrial buildings like the Nuclear power stations." | Valencia, Spain | |
Peniscola Sep 21 '04 "Halfway down I find some of our group sitting outside a café drinking the local speciality – Horchata." | Peniscola, Pais Valenciano | |
Arriving in Barcelona Sep 21 '04 "I’m rather startled to find myself eye to eye with a Spanish mama sitting by the window of her apartment – in her knickers!" | Barcelona, Spain | |
Gaudi's Barcelona Sep 22 '04 "After a lot of head scratching from us and frustration from everyone around us, someone finally points out tersely that it would be cheaper to buy a ten trip ticket, which we could all use" | Barcelona, Spain | |
Leaving Barcelona Sep 23 '04 "A modern day Don Quixote would have a field day (or possibly electrocute himself)" | Barcelona, Spain | |
Saragossa Sep 23 '04 "I take a good look around this extraordinary building trying to find an unexploded bomb. It’s one of those things you feel should be obvious, but I miss it." | Saragossa, Aragon | |
Pamplona Sep 23 '04 "I spot a string of red bell peppers hanging between two windows like Christmas decorations." | Pamplona, Spain | |
Santuario de Loyola Sep 24 '04 "I’m fairly sure pinching fruit from it may result in someone ending up on the wrong end of a thunderbolt." | Loyola, Spain | |
Bilbao Sep 24 '04 "Another exhibit reminds me of “The Matrix”, where binary code seems to fall like rain on a computer screen. Here however the words fall from the ceiling." | Bilbao, Spain | |
Burgos Sep 24 '04 "It looks like a miniature castle and is adorned with statues and turrets." | Burgos, Spain | |
Segovia Sep 25 '04 "The town is simply dominated by an enormous Roman aqueduct." | Segovia, Spain | |
Avila Sep 25 '04 "It means once you get up there you have to make a two kilometre round trip..." | Avila, Spain | |
Arriving in Salamanca Sep 25 '04 "In fact there is a small folk band present dressed head to toe in traditional costume..." | Salamanca, Spain | |
Leaving Salamanca Sep 26 '04 "I while away the trip by becoming increasingly fanatical about photographing one of the many black bull silhouettes we pass." | Salamanca, Spain | |
Trujillo for Lunch Sep 26 '04 "One couple are clearly not talking to each other now and the wife explains she’d know the right route but “he knew best”" | Trujillo, Andalucia | |
Arriving in Seville Sep 26 '04 "We are given our free welcome glass of Sangria... it’s the first time I’ve had any on this trip and it is heaven!" | Seville, Spain | |
Seville Sep 27 '04 "The main highlight inside the cathedral is the fabulous tomb of Christopher Columbus." | Seville, Spain | |
Jerez Sep 28 '04 "However the winner as far as I am concerned was the one signed by Steven Spielberg!" | Jerez, Spain | |
Ronda Sep 28 '04 "After a few false starts we find the bridge and crane over the edge to get a closer look. It’s not for the fainthearted." | Ronda, Spain | |
Arriving in Granada Sep 28 '04 "We soon learn that they expect the audience to participate and the more we clap and cheer, the harder they work." | Granada, Spain | |
The Alhambra, Granada Sep 29 '04 "After all not everyone can say they have part of a World Heritage Site sitting on their mantelpiece." | Granada, Spain | |
Arriving in Cordoba Sep 29 '04 "He sucks in his breath and slowly shakes his head. He looks like a mechanic condemning a wreck." | Cordoba, Spain | |
The Mezquita, Cordoba Sep 30 '04 "We’ve been told to split up into groups of two or three and enter via different doors." | Cordoba, Spain | |
Arriving in Madrid Sep 30 '04 "We’ve made it to Madrid, a hotel, air conditioning and a bed." | Madrid, Spain | |
Madrid Oct 01 '04 "The beautiful old glass building has been transformed into a tropical palm house." | Madrid, Spain | |
Amsterdam on a Budget Sep 05 '03 | Netherlands | |
Amsterdam Sep 05 '03 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
Postcards from Portugal Apr 19 '03 | Portugal | |
Day 1 - Arriving in Faro Apr 19 '03 "One of my fellow travellers points out that he reminds him of Benny Hill and now I have to fight the urge to laugh every time I see him" | Faro, Portugal | |
Day 2 - Albufeira and Portimao Apr 20 '03 "Paul McCartney ... apparently wrote “Yesterday” here." | Albufeira, Portugal | |
Day 2 - Lagos Apr 20 '03 "In the main street, road works were taking place. This involved a couple of old boys ... knocking small square cobbles into a bed of sand" | Lagos, Portugal | |
Day 2 - Arriving in Lisbon Apr 20 '03 "... the men in the audience are have a rather good time. This could be down to the fact that every time the girls on stage spin or twirl, their skirts fly up" | Lisbon, Portugal | |
Day 3 - Lisbon Apr 21 '03 "our coach driver seems to be trying to get rid of us by tipping us into the river." | Lisbon, Portugal | |
Fatima Apr 22 '03 | Fatima, Portugal | |
Batalha Apr 22 '03 | Batalha, Leiria | |
Luso Apr 22 '03 | Luso, Portugal | |
Bucaco Forest Apr 22 '03 | Bucaco, Aveiro | |
Arriving in Porto Apr 23 '03 | Porto, Portugal | |
Daytrip to Braga Apr 24 '03 | Braga, Portugal | |
Sightseeing Porto Apr 25 '03 | Porto, Portugal | |
Viseu Apr 25 '03 | Viseu, Portugal | |
Castelo de Vide Apr 25 '03 | Castelo de Vide, Portalegre | |
Leaving Castelo de Vide Apr 26 '03 | Castelo de Vide, Portalegre | |
Evora Apr 26 '03 | Evora, Evora | |
Faro Apr 27 '03 | Faro, Portugal | |
Postcards from Paris Apr 16 '02 | France | |
Paris - Day 1 Apr 16 '02 "The books say there are 284 steps – I lost count, and the will to live, at about 200" | Paris, France | |
Paris - Day 2 Apr 17 '02 "Whilst up the tower I visited the famous bell Emmanuel." | Paris, France | |
The Magic of Italy Oct 01 '01 | Italy | |
Venice Oct 01 '01 | Venice, Italy | |
Ravenna Oct 02 '01 | Ravenna, Italy | |
Assisi Oct 02 '01 | Assisi, Italy | |
Rome Oct 03 '01 | Rome, Italy | |
Rome Oct 04 '01 | Rome, Italy | |
Tivoli: Villa d'Este Oct 04 '01 | Tivoli, Lazio | |
Pompeii Oct 05 '01 | Pompeii, Italy | |
Sorrento Oct 05 '01 | Sorrento, Italy | |
Capri Oct 06 '01 | Capri, Italy | |
Herculanium Oct 07 '01 | Ercolano, Campania | |
Amalfi Coast Oct 08 '01 | Amalfi, Italy | |
Sorrento Oct 09 '01 | Sorrento, Italy | |
Florence Oct 10 '01 | Florence, Italy | |
Austria Oct 13 '94 | Austria | |
Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Oct 13 '94 | Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, Bayern | |
Linderhof Oct 13 '94 | Linderhof, Bayern | |
Lechaschau Oct 13 '94 | Lechaschau, Tyrol | |
Oberammergau Oct 13 '94 | Oberammergau, Bayern | |
Garmisch Partenkirchen Oct 13 '94 | Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany | |
Innsbruck Oct 14 '94 | Innsbruck, Austria | |
Greece Jun 01 '92 | Greece | |
Aegina Jun 01 '92 | Aegina, Attiki | |
Athens Jun 02 '92 | Athens, Greece | |
Corinth Canal Jun 03 '92 | Corinth, Peloponnisos | |
Mycanae Jun 04 '92 | Mycanae, Peloponnisos | |
Olympia Jun 05 '92 | Olympia, Argolis | |
Epidaurus Jun 06 '92 | Epidaurus, Greece | |
Aegina Jun 07 '92 | Aegina, Attiki | |
Kos Jul 01 '90 | Greece | |
Kos Jul 01 '90 | Kos Island, Greece | |
Welcome to the EEC Feb 05 '89 | Europe | |
Ostend, Belgium Feb 05 '89 | Ostend, Belgium | |
Blankenberge, Belgium Feb 05 '89 | Blankenberge, Belgium | |
Brussels, Belgium Feb 06 '89 | Brussels, Belgium | |
Bruges, Belgium Feb 07 '89 | Bruges, Belgium | |
Luxembourg Feb 07 '89 | Luxembourg, Luxembourg | |
Strasbourg, France Feb 09 '89 | Strasbourg, France | |
Calais Feb 11 '89 | Calais, France | |
Paris, France Feb 11 '89 | Paris, France | |