I was first nominated for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award way back in 2013… you can read my answers here. Then Lolo, aka California Globetrotter nominated me again back at the beginning of August. I’ve been meaning to answer her questions ever since, but spectacularly failed to find time for it. Now that Becster has also nominated me, I thought it was about time I actually did the tag! Apologies in advance… this will be a long one as I’m answering ten questions from each of those bloggers. Feel free to skip this post and wait for a shorter one.
First of all, thank you to both bloggers. As always, I am honoured that you thought of me (even even though answering questions is haaaard /end whine). I will start with Lolo’s questions since she tagged me first. Hers are all travel related, which is nice.
- When did you realise you were a travel addict?
I think it was probably when I was a child. I have a memory of going to visit my grandparents. We were living in Northern Ireland at the time, which puts me at between 5 and 7 years old. We travelled by ferry and I remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever and hoping I would get to go on many more ferries in my life. Even though we were “only” going to stay with my grandparents, I’m pretty sure that was the moment I caught the travel bug. - Where will you never, ever travel to again?
Hmm, I don’t think there is anywhere really. I’m not really that keen on Paris, but things keep coming up there (brother wanting to celebrate his 21st birthday there, it being the closest Night Vale live show to us…) so I’ll never say never! - What was the most thrill-inducing activity you have ever done while travelling?
I can’t actually think of anything. Sorry guys, I guess I’m boring! Hmm, maybe tobogganing down the road in Madeira counts? - Have you ever had a terrible travel companion to the point you couldn’t wait for the trip to be over?
I actually haven’t! Some of our companions in Ireland kind of annoyed me at times, but I successfully ignored them and made sure I fit in everything I wanted to do, so I still had an amazing trip. - Where is one place you keep going back and visiting over an over again?
I’m going to say Northumberland doesn’t count since I mostly go there to visit family! Bizarrely, I think the place I’ve been most often is Paris with 4 trips! Most of those just happened that way though (see above), so it’s not like I just loooove Paris so much I have to keep going there. I mean, I like Paris but there are places I like a lot better! One place I would visit over and over again is Austria, but various parts of the country rather than one specific place (although I have been to Vienna twice).
Marktgasse in Feldkirch, Austria - What advice could you give to newbie travel bloggers?
Well, I’m not actually a travel blogger so I’m not sure any advice I give would be any good. I’ll just give some advice that isn’t specific to travel blogging… just be yourself! Find your own voice and don’t try to imitate big bloggers in the hope of achieving their level of popularity quickly. I will never have a “big” blog, but I will also never get tired of blogging because I’m actually doing it in a way I enjoy and not trying to do the “right” thing to achieve success. - Is there something you always have to do in every city you visit?
Try the local food! I always like to get away from the touristy areas and walk down random side streets to hopefully find out where the locals choose to eat. This often means a lot of pointing and gesticulating, but the experience is much more authentic than in a restaurant where the menu consists of pictures of the dishes 😉 - Where was the first place you visited overseas?
Rhodes, Greece aged 11. I loved it! - If you could live in any country right now, where would you live?
Can I be boring and say the one I’m in? I haven’t even been living in Switzerland for 6 months yet so I still have so much to explore! - If you could go back in time, which time period would you love to travel the world in?
As a woman, I actually quite enjoy the fact that I get to travel the world now! While there obviously are places where it’s not really safe/desirable to be a woman travelling (especially alone!), for the most part things are pretty good these days. However, I do think it could have been interesting to travel the world when Captain Cook was on his voyages of discovery. Interesting but not very comfortable… so maybe I’ll stick with my own time after all 😉
Thank you Lolo for those interesting questions! And now on to Becster’s…
- What’s your favourite film/movie
Oooh, so many good ones! I don’t think I can pick just one, so I’m going with two… A League of Their Own and Clue (if you haven’t see the latter, please go and find it right now. It’s seriously one of the funniest films ever!!) - If you could visit anywhere for a day, where would you go?
One day is such a short time, and there are so many places I want to visit. But I think this time I’m going to choose Iceland. I’m desperate to see the Northern Lights! - Are you a cat or dog person?
Dog, definitely. I don’t have anything against cats, but in a pet I want a someone who is always pleased to see me. Also, the idea of cleaning out cat litter trays makes me feel ill. I’d much rather pick up dog poo somewhere outside my house!
Not my dog, sadly… - Do you watch any soaps?
No. I watched Hollyoaks for a while as a teenager, but I don’t really watch much TV at all these days. - Favourite snack to binge on?
Chocolate! And Switzerland is a dangerous place for chocolate lovers… - Most hated chore to have to do?
Ironing! 100%. I’m actually scared of burning myself on the iron (because I’m a weirdo) so all ironing at my place is done by Jan. Of the chores I actually do, I hate washing dishes the most. I love the fact that we now have a dishwasher! - Do you eat your fruit and veggies?
I try to 🙂 Vegetables I’m actually quite good with, but fruit seems to go bad too quickly for me. - 50 Shades of Gray – yay or nay?
I’ve never actually read it, but from what I’ve heard, apart from the storyline being awful I’d end up throwing it across the room a few pages in because the writing itself is so terrible! - What do you normally eat for breakfast?
I don’t always eat breakfast (if you’re reading… sorry mam!), but when I do it’s usually toast. Lately I’ve been enjoying it with Ovomaltine spread. - Tea or coffee?
Definitely tea! I do drink coffee, but not often, and at home I almost always drink tea.
It’s always a good time for a cuppa!
And that’s the end of that! I’m supposed to nominate ten other people now, but the only people I can think of are ones I’ve nominated for similar awards a dozen times, so here are my six nominations. That’s almost ten, right? 😉
Kezzie
Courtney from Welcome to Germerica
Beth from Ami in Schwabenland
Zoe from Where’s Zoe now?
Briony from Fear of the Reaper
Charlotte
And now I have to try and think of interesting questions to ask you (this part is also hard!).
- Why did you start your blog?
- What is the best food you’ve ever tried while travelling?
- If you could have a second home where would it be and why?
- If you were a ghost, which place would you haunt?
- Have you ever planned a trip just because a book/film was set there?
- What is your favourite item in your home?
- What is your favourite pancake topping/filling (depending on how you make your pancakes :-))
- Which song title best represents your life right now?
- Which of your blog posts has the most views?
- What is a book you’ve been meaning to read for a while but keep putting off?
To my nominees: I apologise if you’ve done this before or just hate tags! You don’t actually have to do it….
To everyone else: the people I’ve nominated have a fab blogs and you should really check them out. Also, sorry if I’ve bored you 😉
Confuzzledom 
Loved reading your answers! And its all good if the country you want to go back to is the one you live in! Switzerland is amazing and Im sure there are looots of places to see!
There are definitely lots of places to see herre – I’ve never even been to the French-speaking part!
I love posts like this, and I read every word of yours. Only after that did I see you nominated me! Thanks – I am flattered, and I understand your insecurity in nominating. I’m sure some people don’t appreciate these and I worry about that when I nominate, but I think they’re fun and especially nice when one is having a writer’s block. I have been utterly uninspired lately, although I want to write!
To your answers, take my word for it and don’t read “50 Shades”. I read the first one to see what all the fuss was about, and because my parents (age 70-ish) and my daughter (20-ish) had read all three in the series! I know you love well-written books, and this is NOT well-written. I dragged myself through part of the 2nd book but had to quit.
I wish I liked tea better, but I’m also a dog person. I understand dogs; I definitely just don’t get cats. Like you said, a dog is happy to see you and shows it. A cat says, “‘Bout time, bitch. You’re late with my dinner.” I love that of all countries you would most like to live where you’re living. I feel the same.
You’ve asked great questions – some I have an answer to right away, and others that are stumpers.
I really enjoy reading these posts too – you get to learn a lot about other bloggers 🙂
I prefer the ones with questions to the type that just say “give X-number of interesting facts about yourself” – I can never think of any facts!!
Great answers! I”d like to go back to Austria and I feel similarly about Paris. mind you, it’s always been freezing when I’m there so that could have some bias on the answer! Have you never experienced dogs vomiting inside? Lucky you! Mind you, there’s nothing worse than stepping barefoot into a pile of warm cat sick, so I am with you if Dogs don’t do that!
I will try to do this at some point!x
“Pile of warm cat sick” reminds me of a story…I was staying with the woman who is now my mother-in-law, and sitting one morning at the table with my coffee, I felt something gooey underfoot. Cat puke…ew. After I hopped to the bathroom to wash my foot, she came into the room and I told her about the ick under the table. She looked at it and said in her beautiful Lancashire accent, “Oh dear! That’s not vomit, it’s a dead mouse! Good thing you didn’t step on it!” This is the first of many reasons why I am a dog person. 🙂 Although dogs do throw up inside, they at least look guilty afterwards. And they don’t bring in dead mice.
Eeeew!! No dead mice is another excellent reason to be a dog person!!
Dogs do vomit inside, but only when they’re ill and can’t tell you in time that they need to go out. It shouldn’t happen too often with a well-trained dog, and I don’t mind cleaning up occasionally – if they’re ill it’s not their fault. Cleaning out cat litter trays is too much of a regular thing for my liking!
oh i so want to go to Austria one day. I really liked Paris, but I’m not really one to want to visit the same city over and over, especially with limited vacation time and stuff. and yes, seriously, my husband made me watch Clue recently and it was HILARIOUS!
I love Austria. I lived there for 11 months and I keep wanting to go back.
YESSS!! So glad you liked Clue 😀
Excellent post – I enjoyed reading all of your answers. I completely agree with you re Fifty Shades of Grey – I refuse to read it.
I knew I wouldn’t be the only one 😀 My sister wanted to get me it for my birthday a few years ago. I was like “errr, NO!”
At first I was only refusing to read it because it was a ‘must’ read, and there were piles of them at every till in every shop. Then I heard about the quality of the writing and felt I had made a good decision!
Have you heard she’s written the rotten thing again, from the point of view of the guy? Good lord…
Yes. I saw an extract from it where the guy is literally talking from the point of view of his penis… like “my dick concurs”. EVERY. TWO. LINES! The poor, poor English language…
Also, 50 Shades was originally Twilight fan fiction. She had to change the names when she published so she wouldn’t get sued.
These posts are always a great way to find out about people! I’m with you on Paris, it’s a bit meh to me, I’ve never understood the attraction people have to it.
Exactly, there are so many nicer places even just in France! Paris is overhyped.