LifePart2AndBeyond.com Travel Blog
Varenna- The Perfect Base For Exploring Lake Como
After a fabulous few days hiking in the Italian Dolomites, it was time to head to the lakes. Varenna, located on Lake Como's eastern shore, was to be my base for the next three nights - a gorgeous, picturesque village with cobbled streets, pretty churches,...
Why You Should Visit Ferrara – An Easy Day Trip From Bologna
After taking a one-week intensive Italian course in beautiful Florence, I headed off to Bologna, the culinary capital of Italy, to practice my Italian and eat loads of delicious food. In Bologna, the guesthouse owner told me that I couldn't possibly visit this...
What To See And Do In And Around Trapani, Sicily
After a couple of days exploring the ancient temples around Agrigento, I set off by bus for a three-hour journey to the lovely port town of Trapani. Trapani is located beneath Mount Erice between the Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea on Sicily’s northwest coast. It’s...
A Visit To Montreux And Chillon Castle
Montreux, nestled on the shores of Lake Geneva with a stunning backdrop of the Swiss Alps, is a lovely place to visit and a really easy day trip to do from Lausanne. As I was house sitting nearby for two gorgeous cats, I thought I’d sneak out and pay a visit. When...
Gruyeres – The Perfect Day Trip From Lausanne
Gruyères, voted as one of the “Best Tourism Villages” by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) in 2021, is a cutesy medieval town in the Fribourg canton of Switzerland. It’s famous for its cheese bearing the same name. Being a massive cheese fan and looking for an easy...
Visit Vevey -Famous For Charlie Chaplin And A Giant Fork
Vevey is a town in French-speaking Switzerland in the canton of Vaud. It's located on Lake Geneva's north shore and is a lovely, easy to do day trip from Lausanne. Nestlé, founded in 1867, has its headquarters based in Vevey. And Vevey was also home to Charlie...
Visiting Agrigento And The Valley Of Temples, Sicily
Most visitors to Agrigento in southern Sicily come to visit the impressive Valley of the Temples on a day trip and then move on. But honestly, it’s really worth staying in Agrigento old town for at least one night. I stayed two because that’s just how I roll....
Ortisei Italy – A Great Base For Exploring The Dolomites
After spending a few days exploring the lovely city of Verona, it was time to head up to the mountains. My base for the next four nights was Ortisei, Italy in the heart of stunning Val Gardena in the Dolomites, an easy train journey from Verona to...
Two Days In Verona
If you are looking for a gorgeous Italian city that’s jam-packed with historic sites, tales of romance, plus fabulous food and wine, then Verona is for you. I’d recommend spending at least two full days in Verona. I stayed three nights and two days; I wish I had...
Four Really Easy Day Trips From Rome By Train
Rome is a fabulous city to visit. In fact, it’s an all-time favourite of mine. But sometimes, exploring a large metropolis can get a bit too much, and it’s nice to escape the city for a little bit. Here are four really easy to do day trips from Rome by...
The Best Things To Do In Lausanne -The Perfect City Break For Foodies and Wine Lovers
If your idea of a perfect city break includes enjoying delicious food, sampling local wines, exploring a fascinating old town, admiring lake and mountain views, and devouring Swiss chocolate! - then, Lausanne in French-speaking Switzerland could be just what you're...
Is Delft Worth Visiting? Absolutely!
The picturesque town of Delft is located in South Holland in the Netherlands, between Rotterdam and The Hague. This beautiful little university town with its many canals, and charming historic centre is absolutely perfect for a short break. It is famous...
Exploring Orvieto – A Fabulous And Easy Day Trip From Rome By Train
Orvieto is a gorgeous town in Umbria in central Italy. Perched high on top of a steep tufa hill, Orvieto is a delightful place to visit and perfect for an easy day trip from Rome by train. Although I would have liked to have stayed there a little longer, I was...
Things To Do In Lyon
After an eleven day house-sit in Paris, I hopped on a train and headed south to lovely Lyon. What a gorgeous city. Jonathan and I had planned to visit here in April 2020, but we all know what happened to travel plans that year. We both wanted to visit this city...
Visiting The Paris Catacombs
I’ve been to Paris many times in the past, but never had the opportunity or the time to visit the Paris Catacombs before. However, one advantage of travelling solo is being able to visit those places you’ve always wanted to see and not having to compromise or justify...
Exploring Paris Like A Local with Paris Greeters
It was to be my first solo trip in a very long time - a house sit in Paris taking care of a young cat named Mishky. I had been to Paris several times before, but I wanted to do something a little different this time. So, while browsing the Internet for inspiration on...
A Day Trip From Paris: Monet’s Garden in Giverny
Are you looking for ideas for a great day trip from Paris? You should definitely consider visiting Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny. Located just 70 kilometres northwest of Paris, you don’t even need to be an art lover to enjoy the gardens that inspired impressionist...
Visiting Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris
Visiting a cemetery is probably not the first thing you think of when planning a trip to Paris. Would I be right? But I would actually recommend a visit to the Père Lachaise Cemetery - it's beautiful, it's tranquil. It has some amazing, hauntingly beautiful statues...
A Secret Food Tour In Paris
Whenever my partner Jonathan and I arrived in a new city, we always enjoyed going on food tours. A food tour is such a great way to experience a city, plus I love eating! In the past, we have done excellent food tours in New York and also in our hometown,...
13 Non-Financial Tricks To Be Happy in Retirement
From reading the amount of literature devoted to it, you would think you will be happy in retirement if only you take care of the money part. However, after digging deeper and talking to hundreds of happy retirees, I have seen that neglecting the non-financial part of...
LifePart2 & Beyond
Jon & Sarah
It seemed almost inevitable that we, Jonathan and Sarah, would one day meet: two independent travellers from different corners of the globe, we shared a bond that many travellers experience, a mutual love of adventure and a belief that the planet is a better place when people leave their comfort zones and discover new lands and cultures. So, when our paths finally
