Flamegirl's VirtualTourist Home Page

Considering that most of my relatives have moved abroad, perhaps travel is in our blood. As long as I can remember we've always gone abroad on various trips whenever possible. I love to discover new places, cultures and countries, and I also have a passion for languages (I studied French and Italian at university). I get itchy feet if I stay in one place for too long without travelling, at least on holiday.

I have a hard time answering when people ask where I'm from; I grew up in London, but my family's mostly from Scotland. I'm British, but after living abroad I also feel European. I don't think it matters so much at the end of the day; we're all people.

After 2 years spent living in Italy, the country features heavily in my travel pages, especially Milan and Como - photos from my visits to other parts of Italy are slowly being added. I completely fell in love with the country and lifestyle, as well as making loads of friends there, so maybe I'll return to live one day.

I've been to France and Spain so many times but mostly before I started this web page, so I didn't note the details necessary to write decent tips. When my photos are removed from storage and scanned, I'll add them.

The same goes for a lot of other places in Europe; when on school trips, or driving around with my parents, I often just enjoyed the sights without really noting where they were, or taking many pictures.

Apart from a great trip to Estonia in 2000, I only recently dipped my toes into Eastern Europe. However Prague and Sofia (Bulgaria) were my first destinations with a digital camera - finally I can take lots of photos!

I'd like to go back to Bulgaria, which I only scratched the surface of. My brother's wife is from Romania and has told me lots about it, so I'd love to visit there too. Not to mention other places like Poland.

My Scotland pages have been sorely neglected since I've been abroad, and this last year I've been concentrating on studying - but I hope to build them up in the near future. Scotland is an amazingly beautiful country and well worth a visit... just bring a raincoat!

As for London... there are already so many well-written pages about this great city. I now have a Croydon page, with some photos and tips on the area I grew up in, but it's hardly a tourist zone.

I first visited Los Angeles when I was 4, and I have a lot of memories considering my age! Later on I went out with an New Yorker for 4 years, so I visited that area about 7 times between 1998-2002, and managed a few side trips. When I finish studying and have time, I'll put some pictures and tips up.

I've been to the Caribbean twice, when I was 16 and 17, and those short trips had a surprisingly big impact on my life. I really like the laid-back, friendly attitude of the people I met.

Despite all the places I've been to, there's so much I haven't yet seen. This summer I'd hoped to go to Finland and Russia with one of my best friends, who's from St Petersburg. Unfortunately that fell through, but I've now booked a trip with my boyfriend in February to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand!!! can't wait...

I'd also love to travel to Nepal, Japan and China, because they're such different and rich cultures.

Updating my page is a gradual process, especially since I don't have all my photos with me. In the meantime I hope you enjoy what there is.

Oh, and if any French or Italians want to contact me, especially ones living in London or Glasgow, I'm always happy to practice :)



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