X is for Xiamen ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 27, 2018 Melanie Leave a comment

Xiamen

X is for Xiamen

2018 #AtoZ Challenge

We’re in China today for our only stop in the country. We’re visiting the city of Xiamen.

Beginning at the top of the montage – Xiamen’s CBD, Xiamen University, Gulangyu Island, South Putuo Temple, beach on Gulangyu Island, and Haicang Bridge

X is for Xiamen — By Jonipoon [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Xiamen is known for its mild climate and low pollution levels.

In 2006, it was ranked 2nd in “most suitable city for living” and in 2011, China’s “most romantic leisure city.”

The centre of the Chinese tea trade, Xiamen ships hundreds of thousands of tons, yes tons, of tea to the Americas and Europe.

#AtoZChallenge, Westcombe

W is for Westcombe ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 26, 2018 Melanie 2 Comments

W is for Westcombe

2018 #AtoZ Challenge

We’re back in England today in the tiny village of Westcombe in Somerset on W is for Westcombe day of the #AtoZChallenge.

W is for Westcombe

While difficult to read, the text in the arch of the fountain reads “To commemorate the coronation of H.M. King George V and H.M. Queen Mary.”

W is for Westcombe

Westcombe Dairy, a cooperative, makes cheeses using milk from the member farmers’ cows. When we visited this area in 2005, we stopped in the village at the dairy’s shop and bought a small piece of their cheddar cheese which we enjoyed on the rest of our journey.

The cenotaph, information point and quintessential British telephone box in the village is pictured below.

W is for Westcombe — Barbara Voules / Westcombe

#AtoZChallenge

V is for Vancouver ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 25, 2018 Melanie 2 Comments

V is for Vancouver

2018 #AtoZ Challenge

We’re on the west coast of Canada today in the Province of British Columbia for V is for Vancouver on the 2018 #AtoZ Challenge.

Surrounded by mountains, Vancouver is is among Canada’s densest, most ethnically diverse cities.

The downtown neighbourhood of Gastown is home to the Steam Clock pictured below.

V is for Vancouver — By Kelam [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Vancouver has thriving art, theatre and music scenes. Its Art Gallery is known for its works by regional artists, while the Museum of Anthropology houses preeminent First Nations collections.

#AtoZChallenge, Ulm

U is for Ulm ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 24, 2018 Melanie Leave a comment

U is for Ulm

U is for Ulm
2018 #AtoZ Challenge

We’re back in Germany today in the city of Ulm on U is for Ulm day on the #AtoZ Challenge. Located on the Danube River in the southwest portion of the country, the city is home to universities and the magnificent Gothic cathedral below which is Ulm Minster. The steeple on this church is the highest of any in the world. 529.95 feet!

U s for Ulm — Patrick Six [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

In the aerial shot below of the city, you can see how the Minster takes over the landscape.

U is for Ulm — By Franzfoto [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Did you know, Albert Einstein was born in Ulm?

#AtoZChallenge, Toronto

T is for Toronto ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 23, 2018 Melanie Leave a comment

Toronto

T is for Toronto

2018 #AtoZ Challenge

We’re back in Canada and the City of Toronto today for T is for Toronto in the #AtoZ Challenge. Today the city takes in a number of boroughs and is known as the GTA (greater Toronto area).

The city has many museums, galleries and parks. It is also home to the CN Tower. In recent years, they’ve added the tower walk, where you get harnessed up and can walk around the exterior of the tower near the top. Yikes! Not for me.

The white ‘dome’ in the left of the photo is the Roger’s Centre, formerly known as the SkyDome. The Toronto Blue Jays play baseball here. During the most recent ice storm, the roof was damaged which forced the delay of the ballgame by one day.

Toronto even has its own castle! Located in the heart of the city stands Casa Loma

#AtoZChallenge, Stirling

S is for Stirling ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 21, 2018 Melanie 2 Comments

Stirling

S is for Stirling

2018 #AtoZ Challenge

We’re staying on this side of the world today as we make the flight north to Scotland and the city of Stirling on S is for Stirling day.

Stirling is known as the Gateway to the Highlands. From here you can see the landscape change as you travel further north.

I visited this city back in 2000 and am looking forward to spending time there on my next trip.

Stirling Castle (pictured below) is under the care of Historic Environment Scotland. The day we visited, a wedding was taking place on the grounds.

The city of Stirling and the distance you can see the National Wallace Monument on the hill.

A spiral staircase of 246 steps takes you to the very top of the monument. It’s well worth the climb because the views from the top are spectacular!

S is for Stirling

Bloody Scotland, a crime writers’ event that brings together the best of Scotland’s crime writers, takes place in September.

Aria Fiction, Faith Hogan, Head of Zeus, Novels, women's fiction

THE GIRL I USED TO KNOW by Faith Hogan #womens #fiction #giveaway

April 20, 2018 Melanie Leave a comment

THE GIRL I used to know

by

Faith Hogan

girl I used to know

Genre: Women’s Fiction

How many Pages? 298

Release Date: 1st Dec 2017

Publisher: Aria Fiction (Head of Zeus)

A beautiful, emotive and spell-binding story of two women who find friendship and second chances when they least expect it. Perfect for the fans of Patricia Scanlan.

Amanda King and Tess Cuffe are strangers who share the same Georgian house, but their lives couldn’t be more different.

Amanda seems to have it all, absolute perfection. She projects all the accoutrements of a lady who lunches. Sadly, the reality is a soulless home, an unfaithful husband and a very lonely heart.

By comparison, in the basement flat, unwanted tenant Tess has spent a lifetime hiding and shutting her heart to love.

It takes a bossy doctor, a handsome gardener, a pushy teenager and an abandoned cat to show these two women that sometimes letting go is the first step to moving forward and new friendships can come from the most unlikely situations.

BUY LINKS

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2HavtuH

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Hcqxp4

iBooks: https://apple.co/2ItGWon

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2q7pcrv

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2H9W6jc

ABOUT FAITH HOGAN

GIRL I USED TO KNOW

Faith Hogan is an original voice in women’s fiction. Her stories are warm and rooted in a contemporary Irish landscape which has lost none of its wit, charm or emotion thanks to its modern vibe.

Faith was born in Ireland. She gained an Honours Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree from University College, Galway. She was a winner in the 2014 Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair – an international competition for emerging writers.

Her debut novel ‘My Husbands Wives’ is a contemporary women’s fiction novel set in Dublin, published by Aria Fiction in 2016. Her second novel, ‘Secrets We Keep,’ is published in February 2017 – it has been included on the Netgalley ‘Hot List 2017.’ Her third novel – ‘The Girl I Used To Know’ is out in December 2017.

She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a rather busy chocolate Labrador. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faithhoganauthor/

Twitter: @gerhogan

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15109450.Faith_Hogan

Website: www.faithhogan.com

GIVEAWAY

A SIGNED COPY OF THE GIRL I USED TO KNOW (open internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#AtoZChallenge, Rome

R is for Rome ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 20, 2018 Melanie Leave a comment

Rome

R is for Rome

2018 #AtoZ Challenge

We’re globetrotting again. This time we’re headed back to Europe and the boot-shaped country, Italy. Our destination is Rome, the capital city.

This ancient city has been around for the better part of 3000 years, being founded in April, 753 BC. That’s old.

Clockwise from top: the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Castel Sant’Angelo, Ponte Sant’Angelo, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon

R is for Rome — By AlexTref871, Jebulon, Diliff, Keith Yahl, Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, Jebulon [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Rome is also home to the Vatican. Below is St Peter’s Square, where earlier this year a snowball fight took place for the first time during a rare snowfall.

The historic centre of Rome has been been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

#AtoZChallenge, Quebec City

Q is for Quebec City ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 19, 2018 Melanie Leave a comment

Quebec City

Q is for Quebec City

2018 #AtoZ Challenge

After our whirlwind trip to Paris, we’re back in Canada in the capital city of the Province of Quebec.

I can’t say enough about Quebec City. The part that is Vieux-Québec, within the walls I think is as close to Paris as you can get without having to go to Paris.

Opening on the American Thanksgiving, the German Christmas market is a great place to mix, mingle and shop.

Q is for Quebec City

Perhaps, the best-known building in Quebec City is the Hotel Chateau Frontenac.

This fairy-tale castle with its central tower stretching high into the sky, located at the top of the cliff, stands guard over the city.

Q is for Quebec City

You can walk the boardwalk, known as Dufferin Terrace, from the hotel out to the Plains of Abraham. It’s a beautiful walk in the summer.

The Historic District of Old Quebec (Upper and Lower Town within the wall) is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

I can’t wait for my next visit!

#AtoZChallenge, Paris

P is for Paris ~ 2018 #AtoZ Challenge

April 18, 2018 Melanie Leave a comment

P is for Paris

2018 #AtoZ Challenge

Today we’re flying to Europe – France, specifically – for P is for Paris day on the #AtoZ Challenge tour.

What can I say about our destination? Other than

J’adore Paris. C’est Magnifique!

The City of Lights earned that moniker from the 56,000 gas lamps illuminating the streets and famous monuments.

Probably the most iconic of all is the Eiffel Tower built for the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889.

P is for Paris

In 2003, I was fortunate to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The views from that vantage point looking down over the city are amazing.

If you start walking the Avenue des Champs-Élysées at the Arc de Triomphe, by the time you reach Place de la Concorde, you will have walked 1.9 kilometres.

If you look through the centre arch of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (at the Louvre) above, you can see the gold at the top of the obelisque and beyond that, the Arc de Triomphe. All perfectly lined up.

Boat tours on the Seine take you past many landmark locations.

If you’re lucky enough, you might even get to climb the steeples at Notre Dame Cathedral and get up close and personal (sort of) with the chimeras gracing the building’s facade.

When I returned to the City of Lights in 2014, my mobility was somewhat hampered. I tore my gastrocnemius muscle shortly before my trip. At least I had graduated from crutches to a cane by then.