The musings of a man who is coming up to the next stage in life.
This week’s photo was taken from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.
As you can see it is of the most famous structure in Paris, the Eiffel Tower. This photo was taken during my visit to Paris in September 2005. It acts as a reminder that I need to visit Paris again, even if it is only for 24 hours.
Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
This is a momentous blog post. It is the 100th post. Little did I know when I started back in April last year that I would get this far. Previous attempts at blogging have ended in failure. So what are the five things that I have learnt?
1. Content – Any blog is only as good as its content. I have been lucky that I have travelled a little bit during 2012. This has enabled me to post something that is interesting to me and hopefully to everybody else. The more I travel the more content I will post.
2. Post regularly – One of the previous reasons why previous attempts at blogging failed was that I was not posting regularly. Maybe once a month if lucky before I would lose interest. With this blog I set myself a target to post at least three times a week. It has allowed me to get into a routine which I am comfortable with.
3. Blogging is a great way of forgetting the daily grind – One of the reasons I started to travel more was due to the high levels of stress I was suffering at the time. I ended up spending a night in hospital in 2011. It was at that moment I knew I needed to change my life. Travel has given a focus, indeed something to look forward to. The blog which I update mainly from home clears my mind of all the daily stress. There is now a focus outside of work.
4. The blogging community is supportive – I was apprehensive at first while setting up this blog. There are so many excellent travel blogs out there. I was worried that people would let me know if my blog was rubbish. However, this has been so different. There has been a lot of support out there including offers of help to take the blog to the next level. This has given me a warm feeling inside.
5. The next steps are mine – The blog has given me control. Only I can stop the blog. The next steps are down to me. With the next 100 posts I want to take the blog forward. When I return from my trip to Vienna and Budapest I will be looking at upgrading the blog. There have been offers of help which I will be looking to take up. I am feeling excited about the future.
Finally, I want to say a big thank you to all those people who have taken time to read, comment and tweet. It is as always greatly appreciated and I look forward to your continued support.
As I raise my glass to salute the 100 posts stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
On Monday, I was nominated by Sarah from Wake Up Mona for the Liebster Blog Award! It’s a fun way to meet other travel bloggers and discover new blogs! You can follow Sarah on Twitter at @WakeupMona
Here are the rules of the Liebster Award:
My 11 Random Facts:
1. I have broadcast on radio
2. I have lived and worked in France, even though I cannot speak the language.
3. I graduated from university aged 37.
4. I was an Assistant Scout Leader for 8 years.
5. I follow Walsall FC who play in the English League One. Up the Saddlers!
6. Apparently the family line can be traced back to the Normans.
7. I have over 60,000 tracks in my ITunes account.
8. I would love to be able to play the drums.
9. I can see myself ending my days outside the UK.
10. I drink too much coffee for my own good.
11. I always arrive too early at my destination.
My Answers to 11 Questions Sarah asked me:
1. What is your favorite movie? Some Like It Hot
2. Where did you receive your first passport stamp? Yugoslavia
3. Dogs or cats? Dogs
4. What is something you wish you could do really well? Photography
5. Close your eyes and spin a globe… where does your finger land? China
6. What is something you love about yourself? My sense of humour
7. What is your favorite dessert? Syrup Sponge with Custard
8. Which place are you most excited about visiting in 2013? Sarajevo
9. What is your favourite fruit? Orange
10. What is one thing that travel has taught you? To be more open to strangers
11. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? Bratislava. I loved how small the city felt and it felt good about itself.
My 11 Questions to the Blogs I Nominate
1. What is your worst travel experience?
2. What is your favourite song?
3. What is thing that always brings a tear to your eye?
4. Which social network do you use the most?
5. What would be your last meal?
6. Who would be your least ideal travel companion?
7. Which luxury would you always travel with?
8. Do you listen to podcasts?
9. Which do you prefer, Hostels or Hotels?
10. What do you hate about travelling?
11. Slow or quick travelling?
My 11 Nominees!
Lourika of lourikareinders.matadoru.com
Jessica of missjessrose.com
Laura 0f Laura The Explorer
aswesawit.com
Deborah of myhearttravels.com
Ruth of tanamatales.com
Clare of thewayfarerdiaries.com
Nykea of nykeamarie.blogspot.com
@CuriousNomad
Jane of runawayjane.com
Laura of travellingjerseygirl.com
Let’s keep spreading the travel blog love! Thank you again Sarah for the nomination!
Here are the statistics for Midlife Wanderlust:
The Blog
Posts 13
Views 419 (A new high)
Comments 47
Followers 46 (+6)
Twitter (stevo120665)
Total Tweets 8987
Following 1729
Followers 1035
Thank you to everybody who has viewed the blog or tweeted in January. It is as always greatly appreciated.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
This week’s photo is of the Gas Street Basin in Birmingham.
The area is located in the centre of the city. It is a hub where the canal boats dock. The basin is also home some of the most popular bars and restaurants in Birmingham.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
One of the hidden treasures that is close to where I live is the city of Lichfield and one of my favourite places to visit is Erasmus Darwin’s House.
Erasmus Darwin was renowned 18th century physician, inventor and poet. He was also the grandfather of Charles Darwin. He lived in the house from 1758 – 1781.
The house contains two exhibition rooms. These contain audio and visual exhibits. These can be hired out for private functions. One of the most popular features is the herb garden. This is a restoration of a Georgian herb garden using plants from the period.
Costing £3.00 entrance fee this is an ideal introduction to Erasmus Darwin and the life he lived in Lichfield.
Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep on smiling.
Steve
As this year I have decided to devote more of my spare time to travel I need to ensure that my tech is up to speed. There are five items that I will be taking with me on my travels.
1. iPad 4 64GB Wi-fi
This is my latest piece of tech. I am not a full time travel blogger so the iPad gives me all that I need. There are plenty of apps available and I can make hardware changes such as adding a Bluetooth keyboard if required. I am using Blogsy for updating my blog. If I were to become a full time blogger then of course I would look to invest in a MacBook or MacBook Air. I have tried to a Windows 8 laptop but I found it to be a frustrating experience. I am back to what I know and love.
2. iPhone 4S 16GB
This is my third iPhone and I have never suffered any problems with them apart from battery life. It is a device that can do almost everything. Take photos, play music, be a GPS and you can make calls too. My favourite apps are Spotify and Instagram. With iCloud it links to the iPad. As for battery life I take a power pack as back up. I never leave home without it.
3.Panasonic Lumix LZ20 Bridge Camera
I am not the world's greatest photographer as these photos show. This is a area that I wish to improve on. While I am not ready to move to a DSLR this is the next step up. Hopefully in the coming months you will notice the results.
4. Amazon Kindle
Old faithful, this has been with me on a lot of my travels. Lasts a long time on one charge it allows me to have all the music I need. Even better when shuffle is on.
These devices should keep me happy. Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
This week's photo is of New Hall Valley Country Park in the snow.
The park is located in my hometown of Sutton Coldfield. In truth this is close to being my back garden. The park which runs between the Walmley and Wylde Green districts was created in 2005. It was the first country park opened in the UK in 21 years.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
The Charles Bridge or Karluv Most lies at the heart of Prague. It connects the old city to the castle and is considered to be the most important bridge in Prague.
The bridge itself measures 621 metres long with its width coming in at 10 metres wide. It stands on 16 arches. There are three bridge towers that stand at either end of the bridge. One of which stands on the Old Town side. The other two stand on what is known as the Lesser Quarter. The bridge tower that stands on the Old Town is considered to be one of greatest examples of gothic style buildings in Europe.
Lining the bridge there are thirty baroque style statues. These are now mostly replicas. Also lining the bridge you will find plenty of artists and arts and crafts traders trying to tempt you to part with your money. Also there will also be beggars though they ply their trade quietly.
It has been said the best time to see the bridge is at night time when there are less crowds. I must admit my favourite was early morning as the traders were setting up for the day. Whenever you visit Charles Bridge is a must experience when you visit Prague.
Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
I woke up on Friday thinking that I would struggle to find inspiration for the next blog posting. Then I opened the curtains and then it hit me. Snow had come to the UK.
With snow comes everything else and being the UK everything comes to a grinding halt. The schools shut and it seemed that a lot of people did not make it to work. It is estimated that snow costs the UK economy £500m per day.
Then I had my own personal experience of going to work. Yes, I managed to get to work (shift was 14:00 – 22:00) I could see the carnage on the roads. As normal there were no signs of gritting vehicles or snow ploughs. This meant that other vehicles were moving slowly. Coupled with the temperature falling below zero I could see the ice forming on the roads. This particularly affected local public transport especially the buses. There were plenty of people who were late for work because of this. I managed to get to work on time by catching the train. At the time they were not affected by the snow.
I could see people struggling and I felt embarrassed. I speak to people who deal with snow though out the winter and they must laugh at our inability to cope. Then you see the scenes at Heathrow Airport with all the cancelled flights. Not a good advert for the UK. It is hard to believe that six months ago we successfully organised the Olympics and Paralympics. A bit of snow and we grind to a halt. The problem is that the UK is that it is difficult to predict when we will get snow. It usually only falls once during the winter and then it last for a week at most.
As for my own experience of the day, it was mixed. The local buses stopped running at 19:00 which while bad news I still could catch the train. They were still running but I noticed that they were beginning to get delayed. I had no real choice but leave work early. I managed to get home safely but the journey took nearly 90 minutes.
However, snow is not all bad. It does allow the chance to take advantage of possible photo opportunities.
Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
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