Karlštejn Castle, Czech Republic, 2010
I’ve visited Prague twice. On one of those trips we went to this beautiful castle too. It’s a great day trip since it’s less than 50km away from Prague. Do you like visiting castles and learning about their history?
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Venice, Italy, 2006
Honestly, I’m not sure how many times I’ve visited Venice/ Venezia. I went to Venice to explore its streets and attractions but I’ve also just used it as a starting point for longer journeys by plane and by boat. This photo was taken from a boat that I took from Venice to Greece in 2006. That was an epic adventure.
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Handmade Leather Moleskine Journal Notebook Cover by Galen Leather
What’s the one thing that you always take on your travels? For me, that’s a small notebook or a notepad to jot down my travel adventures while I’m away. Then when I get back home I transfer those notes into entries in my travel diary. Well, at least that’s what I did before I started blogging. Now, I just blog about my travels but I still carry my travel notepad so I don’t forget the most important sights and sounds of a place I’m visiting. After all, I’m an old-fashioned girl woman at heart. Of course, the really essential item for your travels is your passport. Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could keep your passport and your travel notebook in one place? Perhaps you could even put your phone in the same stylish leather cover? I love handmade leather goods so I was delighted when Galen Leather got in touch with me for a review of one of their products.
Galen Leather is a company that specializes in handmade leather travel goods. They make leather notebook covers, pen cases, passport wallets, stationery, luggage tags, iPad portfolios and many other items. Galen Leather is a family run business based in Turkey. To read more about their beginnings click here.
I chose Handmade Leather Moleskine Journal Notebook Cover in red colour for the purpose of this review. It arrived beautifully packaged in a brown gift/storage box. As a surprise together with my red notebook cover there were a few extra items. I received a small evil eye talisman (Turkish lucky charm ), red leather keychain, a small package of Turkish coffee and a Turkish tea bag. How nice! There was also a note about the company and a 10% discount coupon.
Photo Courtesy of American Queen Steamboat Company
Traditionally, the main dining room is the central eating area on a cruise ship. Dining there is seen as a little like a combination of the experience of dining in a first-class restaurant and that of dining in a banqueting hall. However, many cruise lines are moving away from traditional main dining rooms to provide speciality fine dining restaurants.
So, is it still possible to enjoy the experience of the main dining room on a cruise ship? There are certainly some main dining rooms in operation, and there is many a great dining experience to be had in them. It has to be said that experiences differ depending on what type of cruise you choose. For instance, the experience you have on Ohio & Tennessee river Cruises is likely to be different than that of an ocean cruise, and experiences even differ between cruise lines. However, there are some tips that may help to improve your enjoyment of the main dining room if you have the opportunity to eat there.
If you have any restrictions to your diet, due to health issues or personal choice, it’s a good idea to make sure the cruise line knows about them as soon as possible. You should also remind the onboard team once you set sail. You may think that this would be sufficient but it’s a good idea to pop in more friendly reminders a couple of times in order to prevent any unfortunate mistakes from being made.
Miramare Castle
My husband and I had a family obligation in Trieste so we used our limited free time for a quick visit to Miramare Castle with our baby boy. Miramare Castle is situated in the Gulf of Trieste just a short drive from Trieste’s city center along the coast. It was a hot day in June and all the beaches on the way to the castle were jam-packed. Luckily, we managed to find a free parking spot just outside the castle grounds gate.
Once you enter the castle grounds anchoring, swimming or any other beach activity is prohibited because you’re in the area of the Miramare Marine Nature Reserve. We put our baby in the stroller and walked slowly to the castle. We passed by the WWF-managed visitor center of the first Italian marine park housed in the Old Stables of the castle. Then we walked slightly uphill through the park to the castle. Our walk rewarded us with gorgeous views of Miramare Castle perched on the rocks above the Adriatic Sea.
Miramare Castle (Castello di Miramare) was built in 19th century for Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of the House of Hapsburg and his wife Charlotte of Belgium. Back then Trieste was a part of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Carl Junker designed Miramare Castle and its beautiful park following strict wishes of Archduke Ferdinand. Unfortunately, the Archduke didn’t get to enjoy his castle for too long because he was declared the Emperor of Mexico in 1864. Not long after, Ferdinand Maximilian (or Maximilian I as he was known in Mexico) was assassinated and his wife Charlotte suffered a major nervous breakdown. However, Miramare Castle continued to be visited by many members of Hapsburg family. For instance, Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth (Sissy) stayed in Miramare Castle during their official visit to Trieste.
