"First Europe, then the World!!!" slothtraveller's Profile

Thanks for dropping by my homepage here on VT! I'm Steve and this website is a great antidote for my wanderlust! I enjoy adding tips about places I have been fortunate enough to visit, answering questions on the forums and checking out other peoples travel pages. Many of these pages have given me inspiration to see certain places I would never have previously considered visiting. Therefore I must thank the VT community for their wonderful tips, guidance and encouragement.
All of my travels have been in Europe, either on holidays or short breaks. I also lived in Oldenburg, Germany for a year while at university and really enjoyed seeing a few of the towns, cities and villages of Lower Saxony. At the moment, I am living in the town where I grew up, Tamworth, and working in the nearby city of Lichfield.
You will probably realise from my pages that I am particularly interested in places of human, architectural and historical interest. I'm not the type of person who could spend ages visiting a forest or lake or sitting on a beach somewhere. I would get far too bored!

FEEL FREE TO READ AND RATE MY TRAVEL PAGES AND TIPS. LEAVE A MESSAGE TOO. :-)

My trips so far have been:
Caravanning in Devon and Cornwall, England
Holidaying in Snowdonia, North Wales
Holidaying in Kos Town, Kos, Greece
Holidaying in Caleta, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
Holidaying in Kassiopi, Corfu, Greece
Holidaying in Norfolk, England
Holidaying in Port Grimaud, South of France
Day trips to Ventimiglia, Italy and Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Living in Lower Saxony, Germany
Day trips around Germany
Day trip to Groningen, The Netherlands
Three day trip to Munich, including Dachau and Salzburg, Austria.
A week in sunny Malta
One week in Irish Republic including Dublin and Galway
Christmas markets in Heidelberg and Speyer, Germany
4 day trip to Southampton, UK including the New Forest
4 nights in Tallinn, Estonia
A day trip to Leeds, UK
5 nights in Scotland divided between Edinburgh and Glasgow
4 nights in Estoril, Portugal including Lisbon, Belem, Sintra and Cascais

There are so many countries that I really want to visit. Here is my top ten wishlist:

10. Latvia
9. Belgium
8. Costa Rica
7. United States
6. Iceland
5. Australia
4. South Africa
3. Ghana
2. Sweden
1. Switzerland

And that's just for starters...if only I was rich. :-)

George Square, Glasgow, Scotland

Here is a list of the countries I have visited in order I visited them, including my highlight for each country in brackets:

1. United Kingdom (Walking around Oxford on a summer day with punts on the river, students kitted out in graduation costumes and the sound of people playing cricket in the distance. Totally English!)
2. France (Swimming in a beautiful freshwater lake at the Gorges du Verdon)
3. Monaco (Seeing the infamous tunnel and swimming pool on the Formula One circuit of Monte Carlo)
4. Italy (Eating a gelato in Ventimiglia)
5. Spain (Marvelling at the lunar landscape of Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote)
6. Greece (Swimming in the warm Mediterranean overlooking the Albanian coast in Kassiopi, Corfu)
7. Germany (Taking in the wonderful skyline of Munich before a storm from the Monopteros in the Englischer Garten)
8. The Netherlands (Avoiding crazy cyclists in Groningen)
9. Austria (Taking the funicular to Hohensalzburg fortress in Salzburg and enjoying the views from the top)
10. Malta (Taking the ferry from Sliema to Valletta, Marsamxett Bay is beautiful)
11. Ireland (Looking out at the vast Atlantic at the Cliffs of Moher)
12. Estonia (Exploring Taliinn's Old Town)
13. Portugal (Discovering something new around every corner at Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra)

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Belem

I visited Portugal for four nights in May 2012. I stayed in the resort of Estoril on the Lisbon Coast. It was a great base for exploring the area and I did trips into the capital city of Lisbon, the beautiful suburb of Belem, the tourist mecca of Sintra and regular walks along the coast to Cascais, where I had my evening meals. I even managed to get a tan in between my sightseeing excursions as the hotel had a great pool to relax by.
I was surprised at how visitor-friendly the area was considering it does not get much publicity, especially here in the UK. Great beaches, great food, good infrastructure for travel and (mostly) lovely people...what's not to like?
I will slowly be adding pages and tips about my first-ever trip to Portugal over the next couple of weeks so be sure to check back later! :D

Christmas in Heidelberg, Germany

At the end of 2012 I aim to make a visit to a Christmas market once again. I would love to visit the Black Forest city of Freiburg and take the train to Basel for the day. I am also considering markets in Flanders such as Bruges, Antwerp and Gent as Belgium is high on my list to visit and so close. It would also give me the opportunity to use the Eurostar for the first time!
2013- To commemorate my big 3-0, I will be taking a big trip in 2013 that should take in 2 or 3 new countries! I am considering 4 possibilities: Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia; Denmark and Sweden; Latvia, Lithuania and Poland or my first trip outside Europe to New England, USA! Decisions, decisions!

Salzburg takes the biscuit!

I'd love to visit every capital city in Europe at least once! I've only actually visited 6 European capital cities so far: London, Dublin, Valletta, Monaco-Ville, Lisbon and Tallinn. So here are the top 10 European capitals I really should visit:
1. Vienna, Austria- such a beautiful looking place, architecture looks amazing and a huge amount of history. The fact that they speak German there is also a plus point as is the fact that Salzburg in Austria is one of my favourite cities!
2. Berlin, Germany- I really wish I had made the trip to Berlin while studying in Germany, mainly as Berlin is not a destination for low cost airlines from airports near where I live! The sheer size of the place intimidates me slightly but I would love to see Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall and all the other great sites!
3. Rome, Italy- Who doesn't want to visit Rome?! Hopefully I will make it there soon.
4. Budapest, Hungary- Budapest looks like my kind of city. I'd love to visit the beautiful ornate swimming pools they have over there which put anything in England to absolute disgrace.
5. Bern, Switzerland- I would love to visit Bern even though Switzerland is sooo expensive and has some crazy laws!
6. Reykjavik, Iceland- I'd like to see a bit of the Icelandic wilderness and experience the volcanic spas.
7. Vaduz, Liechtenstein- It would be great to visit this little place. Looks very charming in photos.
8. Stockholm, Sweden- Having read a travel book and some of the Stockholm pages on VT, I am inspired to visit this city. The Vasamuseet looks amazing.
9. Amsterdam, the Netherlands- my foray into the Netherlands, a short day trip to Groningen, has given me an interest in all things Dutch! The liberal society in Holland appeals very much as do the canals and cafes!
10. Ljubljana, Slovenia- Reading some of the Ljubljana pages on VT has opened my eyes up to the possibility of visiting. It appears to have many of the characteristics I find most appealing in cities in abundance!

The top ten cities I have visited are:
1. Salzburg, Austria
2. Munich, Germany
3. Tallinn, Estonia
4. Liverpool, UK
5. Galway, Ireland
6. Oxford, UK
7. Edinburgh, UK
8. Lisbon, Portugal
9. London, UK
10. Glasgow, UK

Julius Mosen Platz, Oldenburg

Germany has so many plus points in regard to travel. Firstly there is so much to see and do. Whether it is history, scenery or food culture that floats your boat, all is catered for. The second big plus is the great rail and tram network in Germany. Deutsche Bahn, I salute you! When you are used to Network Rail in Britain, it really is nice to go somewhere where pride is taken in transport and trains invariably arrive ON TIME!

Oldenburg Schloss, Lower Saxony

Another thing I would love to do is visit all the German states at least once.
Here are those that I have visited so far (in order of visit):

1. Bremen
2. Lower Saxony
3. Hamburg
4. North Rhine Westphalia
5. Bavaria
6. Hesse
7. Baden Württemberg
8. Rhineland Palatinate