diamond_skies' VirtualTourist Home Page

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Taking the horses to their winter home

Who am I?

Originally I went by the nickname of Oneonta_ni but after a bit of an absence in late 2004/ early 2005, I took a notion to start a new 'life' here. My previous pages in my previous 'life' were getting old and the information on the pages was getting a bit dated. Rather than delete all my hard work and start over, I decided to just start a new account and build new pages with more up to date content. So really I have been a member of VT since 2000, although it may not appear that way.

I really enjoy travelling and seeing new places but I like to do it at an easy pace. I am not one for running around famous sites, ticking them off a list and rushing to the next place. If I don't see enough of a place, it's a good incentive for me to return.

One reason I enjoy travelling is to eat. Finding good restaurants and tasting local food is a big part of our holidays. That doesn't mean we look for Michelin starred restaurants - quite the opposite. We like to try good, homestyle cooking in restaurants owned by local people. Anyone who knows me knows that I do not eat in places like McDonalds, Burger King or Starbucks - I would rather go without dinner!

You may notice by the photos on my pages that I love horses. It is very common for young girls to love horses but I have never outgrown it. I recently went on my first horseriding holiday and I am hooked. What better way to enjoy the countryside than from the back of a horse?

My husband and I do a lot of walking, too, when we are away. Again, I think this is the best way to enjoy a location, stopping when you want to take photos or just enjoy the view.

I am also a great reader. I usually have 2 books on the go at any one time - one kept at my bedside and another in my bag for when I have a few minutes to read after work or waiting for an appointment.

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The Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland

Why am I here?

Well, obviously, I arrived here because I like to travel. I stick around because I like to talk about travel and cultures and I have met so many nice people here.

VT was great in the old days and there have been some good improvements. I don't like all of the changes that have been made but I do like the fact that this site is free and is easy to use. I do believe it is the best travel site on the web. The forums are very active, which is a great help. It can be so annoying to sign up to a forum and then discover no one has been near it for years!

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At the Airport in Nice

Where am I going?

Our travel plans generally revolve around seat sales on the main budget airlines. We use Jet2 and Easyjet because they fly from Belfast and sometimes fly with Ryanair because Dublin Airport is only a 2 hour journey away. And as I am originally from Oregon, USA, we travel there every now and again.

Current travel plans:

At the moment we don't have any further plans to travel this year.

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Anything else?

In case you are wondering where my nickname comes from, it is from a line in a song called 'Plateau' by my favourite band in the world, The Frames. For me, the image of 'diamond skies' conjures up memories of my younger days when I would spend a summer evening on our back patio staring at the star-studded skies and dream of places I wanted to visit and things I wanted to do. I believe that we can make our own dreams come true if we try hard enough and I am always trying.

The diamond skies are enough to take me miles away, if only in my dreams.