I’ve always loved travelling.

I’ve been to a few wonderful places in my 30 years, and I have so many other places that I’d like to go.  Surely everyone has a bucket-list of sorts, filled with places that they dream of visiting?

I wanted initially to do a Top 5 Tuesday post on my top 5 dream cities to travel to, and I just couldn’t narrow it down to 5.  And why should I? I’m young, and I have my whole life ahead of me to see beautiful cities and sandy beaches!  Sure, right now I might not have the funds available to do a trip around the world, but I can still dream and save.

I’m going to list some of my top cities to visit, as well as their most known food/snack that I’d like to try while I’m there!

I know this sounds pretty random (especially when you see the usual big cities like London, Paris, Rome and New York on my list further down), but it’s always been one of my top places to visit.

The city is nicknamed the ‘Big Easy’, as it’s well known for it’s nightlife, music scene (it’s known as the birthplace of jazz, and where Louis Armstrong was born) and delicious food.  

• Mardi Gras is also centered in New Orleans, with the outrageous costumes, beads and street parties!

Picture courtesy of: http://www.neworleansonline.com

• The French Quarter is where a lot of the action in New Orleans goes down, especially on Bourbon Street.

Picture courtesy of: http://www.neworleansonline.com

Picture courtesy of: http://www.neworleansonline.com

• New Orleans is also famous for it’s Beignets – a form of fried donut, dusted with icing sugar and served with the local cafe au lait, a blend of coffee and chicory with milk.  Now, I love donuts, so I’m pretty sure I’ll have to eat at least one of these for every day I am in New Orleans!  The best place to find these delicious treats is Cafe du Monde – an institution since 1862.

Picture courtesy of: http://neworleanssweettreats.com/product/beignets/

I think that this is probably top of my list of places to see – but I don’t know if it will really live up to the romantic dream of it in my little head.  Paris is definitely at the top of a lot of people’s places to travel to, and for good reason – it’s the centre of art, fashion, shopping, cuisine and culture!

I love all history and Paris is so rich in this.  Think of all the well-known buildings, monuments and museums!  

• The Eiffel Tower

Picture courtesy of: http://www.parisattitude.com/

• The Arc de Triomphe

Picture courtesy of: https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Tourism-g187147-Paris_Ile_de_France-Vacations.html

• The Louvre

Picture courtesy of: http://wikitravel.org/en/Paris

• Montmarte

Picture courtesy of: http://www.parisaddress.com/en/montmartre

• You can go to the Moulin Rouge for an exciting caberet performance.

Picture couresy of: https://www.getyourguide.com/moulin-rouge-l2604/

•  Grab a coffee and croissant in one of the many sidewalk cafes, and pop into Ladurée to taste some of their famous macarons – probably my first stop in Paris!  I love macarons here, but to have a traditional French macaron from the most gorgeous, pastel-hued shop would be amazing.

Picture courtesy of: http://keywordsuggest.org/239539-laduree-macarons.html

LONDON, ENGLAND

As I mentioned, I’m a huge history nut.  I love ALL English history – my dad is British, and yet I’ve never been there!

There are so many amazing things to see and do in London, so I’ll just list my top ones: –

• The Natural History Museum

 

Picture courtesy of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_History_Museum,_London

• Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Picture courtesy of: http://www.changing-the-guard.com/news-articles/changes-london-2012-2nd-edition.html

 

• St Paul’s Cathedral

Picture courtesy of: http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/284990-st-pauls-cathedral#fT8UoBwF0F2iJZPt.97

 

• Westminster Abbey

Picture courtesy of: http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/610825-westminster-abbey#K1Wz2kHVEJD6cm8V.97

 

• The Tower of London

Picture courtesy of: http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/22249-hm-tower-of-london#zZILrVOH4mEDV1MH.97

 

• Big Ben

Picture courtesy of: http://www.universal-tourguide.com/index.php/category/london/

 

• Warner Bros Studio Tour – the Making of Harry Potter

 

Picture courtesy of: http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/23035130-warner-bros-studio-tour-london-the-making-of-harry-potter#iXKo3pPxRxvyCdf2.97

As for food, I think it would have to be afternoon tea somewhere fancy – it sounds trivial, but I’d love to sit down somewhere really smart, and have a traditional afternoon tea.  I’ve done a little research and it seems that Fortnum and Mason’s is the place to go for this!

Picture courtesy of: http://afternoonteaonline.co.uk/london/fortnum-and-mason/

THE MALDIVES, SOUTH ASIA

Now, the only reason I want to go to the Maldives is for an island, beach getaway.  ESPECIALLY if my hotel room looks like this (all photos courtesy of Baros Maldives Resort) : –

White sand, bright turquoise water, and villa’s right on the water.  Absolute bliss, no?!

The Maldives cuisine is light and very fresh – heavy in coconuts, fish, rice and sweet potatoes, so the local food is healthy and fresh tasting too!

DUBLIN, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

So, my name is Siobhan.  A very typical Irish name – my family on both my mom and dad’s sides are Irish, and we have a lot of family members living in Dublin.  I have an Irish passport, and have so many reasons to go there, yet I haven’t.  It really is about time though!

The Irish are most famous for many things: – St Patrick’s Day celebrations, Guinness, Jameson whisky and potatoes.

Some of the places I’d like to see are: –

• The Kilmainham Gaol

Picture courtesy of: https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Attraction_Review-g186605-d191025-Reviews-Kilmainham_Gaol-Dublin_County_Dublin.html

 

• The Guinness Storehouse 

Picture courtesy of: https://www.expedia.com/Guinness-Storehouse-Dublin.d500971.Vacation-Attraction

 

• The Old Jameson Distillery

Picture courtesy of: http://www.dublintourist.com/details/the-old-jameson-distillery.shtml

 

• St Patrick’s Cathedral

Picture courtesy of: http://felipepitta.photoshelter.com/image/I0000c36ghO69V.g

 

• Gallagher’s Boxty House for some traditional boxty cakes (potato pancakes)

Picture courtesy of: http://pookaswhatsfordinnergluttenfree.blogspot.co.za/2011/03/boxty-irish-potato-cakes.html

 

NEW YORK CITY, USA

 

I went to the States a good few years ago, and went on an extremely short tour of the Big Apple.  I wasn’t able to see even a quarter of what I really wanted to, and it was hot and sticky despite being in the early evening.  Not too pleasant.

 

I would really like to go back and do a full week there, to get a proper feel for the city and what it has to offer: –

 

• Sephora (obviously)

Picture courtesy of: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/the-scene/shopping/First_Look__Inside_Sephora_Times_Square-52193667.html

 

• Central Park

Picture courtesy of: http://traveldigg.com/central-park-the-most-famous-park-in-new-york-united-states/

 

• The Natural History Museum

Picture courtesy of: http://broadway.showtickets.com/new-york-tours-attractions/american-museum-of-natural-history-new-york/

 

• The Statue of Liberty

Picture courtesy of: http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/statue-facts

 

• Grand Central Terminal

Picture courtesy of: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2271436/Grand-Central-Stations-100th-anniversary-A-palace-Manhattan.html

 

• Times Square

Picture courtesy of: http://travellingmoods.com/times-square-new-york/

 

• A really good slice of New York style pizza

• The Serendipitious Hot Chocolate (topped with whipped cream, grated valley orange, cinnamon, shaved French chocolate ) at Serendipity

Picture courtesy of: http://www.serendipity3.com/

 

ROME, ITALY

 

Aaaahh Rome.  Home to pasta, wine, history and culture.  I am obsessed with Italian food, so I’d probably be there for a few days and leave several kg’s heavier, but it would totally be worth it.

 

Rome also houses so much history and culture: –

 

• The Trevi fountain

Picture courtesy of: http://luxeadventuretraveler.com/legend-of-the-trevi-fountain/

 

• The Colosseum

Picture courtesy of: http://traveldigg.com/colosseum-the-arena-of-life-and-death-of-the-rome-gladiators/

 

• St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

Picture courtesy of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Square

 

• The Pantheon

Picture courtesy of: http://www.turismoroma.it/cosa-fare/pantheon?lang=en

 

• The Ponte Sant’Angelo

Picture courtesy of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Sant%27Angelo

 

• Piazza Navona

Picture courtesy of: http://www.turismoroma.it/cosa-fare/piazza-navona?lang=en

 

And lastly, for some tasty Roman cuisine.  They’re famous for their Pizza Bianca, a foccacia style pizza bread, and their Roman-style pizza with an exceptionally thin crust.  Plus – after that you can grab some proper Gelato to curb that sugar craving!

 

Picture courtesy of: http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/blog/best-food-in-rome/

 

Picture courtesy of: http://blog.forbestravelguide.com/the-scoop-on-the-best-gelato-in-rome

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