In the mid 70’s , I went to visit my parents who were living in Zambia at the time, as my Dad was working at the Ministry of Finance in Lusaka on a 3 year contract.

We went on a train trip from Zambia via Lubumbashi in the Congo to Johannesburg, Durban and then Cape Town. As we were tourists , we didn’t experience racism the way that the people who lived there did. But, we went to a burger restaurant and we were told that we could not eat there because of our skin tone.My Dad did rant at the manager saying he worked for the British government offices, had travelled to many countries all over the world and had never experienced anything quite like this. The restaurant manager kept apologising and said ” I can recommend a good chinese place nearby” .That sentence did not go down well with my Dad,he replied back ” I only want a burger”.

The following day , we left by train to Durban. It was a pleasant journey and a great way to see the country .We had a private compartment which also had comfy pull out beds. It took about 26 hours to get to Durban and interesting landscapes to see , from farmland and fields ,vineyards and mountains with changing colours of green, gold and red.

We arrived in Durban very early the next morning and met our friends who we were staying with. They moved to Durban after leaving Bangalore in India several years ago.

They took us to see The Durban Botanic Gardens which has rare plants and exquisite orchids , waterlillies ,varied trees and we saw many monkeys roaming around too.It is Africa’s oldest surviving botanical gardens.

I went on a midweek break to Florence in Italy. It was a unique experience. Florence is an interesting city with a bewitching mixture of architecture, art galleries and culture.

The first day , my ex and I spent most of the morning and afternoon at Piazza della Signoria, an L shaped square full of sculptures dating back to the Renaissance period. This square is located halfway between the Duomo and the River Arno.

The Fountain of Neptune is an impressive sight to see , completed in 1565 and sculpted by Bartolomeo Ammannati. The statue of Neptune , standing in the middle of the fountain, a symbol of power drawn by sea horses makes this view quite dramatic.

The magnificent sculpture of Michaelangelo’s David is one of the most recognised works of Renaissance sculpture and can be seen at the Accademia Gallery. The replica of this famous statue stands tall and grand in the square and is a breathtaking sight.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore which is known as the Duomo is almost like an illusion when you first see it , the exterior is covered in decorative mix of pink,white and green marble. The design is spectacular. The massive brick dome can be seen from virtually any high point in the city. We only saw this cathedral from the outside but it’s a beauty to behold.

The following morning was cold and sunny and the day to visit the Ponte Vecchio bridge,went to Gino’s bakery first and had some tasty Italian pastries and expresso. Gino’s is a very famous bakery in Florence. A family owned restaurant and near the south side of Ponte Vecchio bridge.

Ponte Vecchio bridge is a medieval stone 3 arch bridge over the river Arno. It was built in 1345 and the only original bridge in Florence. All the other bridges were destroyed in WWII and rebuilt after the war. The views of the bridge from afar are picturesque . Strolling along the bridge,there are many jewellery and souvenir shops that line the bridge .The views on each side are fantastic. It’s like stepping back in time standing on this bridge and appreciating it’s historical significance.

Early evening we were back at Piazza della Signorio and watched the sunset and the sky turning orange. Afterwards. we found a cosy restaurant nearby to have dinner at. I had ravioli with a side salad and a bottle of Chianti ,all to myself as my ex didn’t drink alcohol.I love Italian desserts but didn’t have room to eat anymore after my food and wine, my ex however had a bowl of profiteroles and a mountain of ice cream.

The next morning ,it was time to say ciao to Florence and fly back to London which greeted us with rain.

A midweek break isn’t long enough to explore Florence. I hope to visit other beautiful cities in Italy someday. The Amalfi coast with it’s enchanting views still remains a dream. A presto.

In the mid 70’s,my parents took me on a trip to India. We visited New Delhi, Chennai(Madras) and Mumbai (Bombay). This story is about a day trip to Agra which is in the Uttar Pradesh state in northern India.

We first went to see the Red Fort of Agra, which is on the Yamuna river and built in the 16th century, under the reign of Emperor Akbar , who was Shah Jehan’s grandfather. Shah Jehan became the 5th Mughal emperor after his father Jehangir passed away in 1627.

The Red Fort of Agra is one of the best preserved forts of the Mughal Empire. Inside this huge red sandstone fortress , you walk through courtyards,a huge variety of arches, decorative carvings adorn the walls. The fort has splendid palaces in red sandstone and in white marble. There are small windows carved into the wall of the Octagonal Tower at Agra Fort , where Shah Jehan could gaze at The Taj Mahal .He was imprisoned there in 1658 by his 3rd son Aurangzeb, who was angry over the huge amount of money being spent on buildings like The Taj Mahal. Shah Jehan stayed there for 8 years until he died .

Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum and means ‘Crown of the Palace’. It stands on the banks of the river Yamuna. Emperor Shah Jehan had this monument of love built in the 17th century for his third wife Mumtaz Mahal .It took 22 years for the Taj Mahal to be completed. Surrounded by beautiful gardens and elevated paths, the famous water mirror captures The Taj Mahal reflected in the water.

The two buildings next to the mausoleum are a mosque on the right and a guest house on the left. There are 3 entry gates to the Taj Mahal and we used the western gate which is the main entrance and it looks toward Shahjahan gardens and Agra city.

Radiance spreads in every direction as you look at the mesmerising beauty of the Taj Mahal, framed by a beautiful archway. The trees of Taj Mahal garden are also symbolic as they are planted in symmetrical format. The garden is divided into four parts.

The main gateway to the Taj Mahal has beautiful crafted doors, one to receive visitors from all three entry gates and the other opening towards the white marble mausoleum. One of the charms of the Taj Mahal is it’s constantly changing hue. pale pink at sunrise, dazzling white at noon and orange when the sun sets.

The interior decorations are exquisite , inlaid with intricate designs of more than 30 types of precious and semi precious stones. The stones decorating the walls of the chamber came from all over the world, such as jade from China, turquoise from Tibet, sapphire from Sri Lanka and real white diamonds from Rajasthan. Embedded along the walls are black onyx calligraphy , inlaid jewels and sparkling gemstones.

The cenotaphs honouring Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jehan are enclosed in an eight-sided chamber inlaid with precious and semi – precious stones. The place where they are buried are below at garden level and not adorned with elaborate decoration .

The Taj Mahal casts a spell on anyone who lays eyes on it’s majestic beauty and it should be on everyone’s bucket list.

I lived in Kent known as the “Garden of England’ for over 27 years before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. There are hundreds of stories to tell, such as Kent’s picturesque towns , the historical places, it’s dazzling coastline, sandy beaches such as Joss Bay in Broadstairs. I will start with Canterbury.

Canterbury started as an Iron Age settlement until the Romans invaded in AD 43.

Canterbury Cathedral was founded in 597 when St.Augustine was sent from Rome by Pope Gregory the Great.The Cathedral is spectacular ,it is of a Gothic style.It was built in stone imported from France by the Normans.

I went to my daughter’s graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral. One enters via Christ Church Gate, through a pair of huge 17th century oak gates. Inside the cathedral there is magnificent stone work decorated with angels carrying shields. There are impressive tombs to see. Historians have dated a stained glass window at Canterbury Cathedral back to the 12th century.

The Romans erected the first walls around Canterbury between 270 and 290 AD. The medieval walls surrounded the entire city of Canterbury. Although the entire wall is not surrounding Canterbury now they are the best preserved in the country. I took time to walk the city walls

Another place to explore is Dane John Gardens within Canterbury’s city walls and dates back to 1551,it has a mound which history records prove that it was there in the 1st century.I wandered to the top of the mound to see a wonderful view of the city.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer were very popular in medieval England because they were written in Middle English , a language that developed after the Norman invasion.

More stories on Kent will follow at another time

I was born in Sri Lanka,my mother and her side of the family came from Kandy.In April 2004 ,my mother organised a trip for my children and I to travel with her all over Sri Lanka and learn its history.Our adventure began with a very long flight from London’s Heathrow to Colombo.

This starts with two of the places that we visited.The first one was Kandy in central Sri Lanka, surrounded by mountains, rolling hills and tea plantations. We went to see The Temple of The Sacred Tooth Relic,which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha.This was brought to the island in the 4th century.This is a beautiful temple to see, it is tranquil and has a calm atmosphere.

Kandy has many sacred landmarks and was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings. It may have been founded as early as mid 14th century,

Another day we went to The Ancient City of Anuradhapura,which has a period of history from 377 BC to 1017 AD. It is one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities .It is home to ancient relics, stupas and Buddhist temples.It also has the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree which was planted in 288 BC. The daughter of Emperor Asoka of India brought a branch of the sacred Maha Bodhi tree in India, where Buddha found enlightenment, to Sri Lanka in 246 BC.I could have stood looking at this tree for hours.

We went and saw the Abhayagiri Stupa which is over 2,000 years old and huge.It was built in the 1st century and is one of the largest manmade structures of the ancient world.Its scale only matched by the pyramids of Giza.This area is surrounded by lush green areas and inquisitive monkeys .

More stories to follow from this beautiful country lying in the Indian Ocean.

I have visited Zambia many times in the mid 70″s on school holidays as my Dad was working there for awhile.

I just love all animals. Zambia has the best game reserves in the world.I have been lucky to have visited two .

The first one that we went to was Kafue National Park, which is about the size of Massachusetts. It is home to lions,cheetahs,zebras,elephants and other beautiful animals.

The second one that we went on was a camping trip in Luangwa National Park in Eastern Zambia. It’s a wildlife haven and home to a large lion population.

The Luangwa river has the highest density of hippos in the world. One morning , my Dad looked through the window of the log hut at the camp we were staying at. He asked us to come quietly to see what he was observing, It was a hippo who after having it’s mud bath , decided to come over to shake off his dirt outside our hut.We stayed perfectly still , who knows what would happen if this dear hippo got disturbed.After awhile, he wandered off in a very slow fashion.

Another day as we were driving along from our camp in this lush green wonderland, we saw a rhino standing in the bushes .As we were staring at him for so long , it obviously annoyed him and he started to stamp his foot so my Dad slowly started to drive away.The rhino was not amused, he was running behind the car.My Dad quickly turned the car to the left and the rhino went straight ahead.If you ever get chased by a rhino , remember they cannot turn quickly.

Rhinos were declared extinct in Zambia in 1998, having been poached out of existence. They are now back in Luangwa as poaching was brought under control and in 2003 , the North Luangwa Conservation Program managed to reintroduce 34 black rhino into the park

I have also seen lions,elephants, giraffes,zebra,antelope, wildebeast and many birds on safari.

I lived in Nashville Tennessee for almost 5 years from 2012.Known as Music City , it embraced all styles not just country.I wasn’t into all the honky tonk music bars on Broadway , I went to cool venues to see outstanding artists such as Rockabilly Queen Wanda Jackson.This was my first musical thrill seeing her perform at 3rd and Lindsley.

Southern food was something else .My first encounter was at Arnolds Country Kitchen , a taste of true Nashville meat and three , serving up home-style cooking.This restaurant has been a local favourite for more than three decades.

My first taste of grits and it tasted like cement , although I have never tried eating cement.I looked at someone who waa eating biscuits and gravy. The gravy was not brown.I thought why would you eat biscuits with a white gravy and how come those biscuits look like scones.In England our biscuits are sweet and we have them with tea.

Nashville also had many Mexican restaurants which I really liked going to frequently.

Margaritas were the best and the food was amazing.My favourite places were La Hacienda in Berry Hill that served great combo platters and Rosepepper Cantina in East Nashville which made excellent Margaritas and spicy enchiladas .

I am not a fan of fast food restaurants but I did like Krystals , famous for its small square hamburgers known as sliders.I also liked their hash browns as they were finger shaped .My first encounter was entertaining. I asked politely for some hash browns. The lady behind the counter, said in a Southern drawl ” Oh my you’re from England, have you seen the Queen”I replied” No I haven’t ” then she carried on and asked “Have you seen Prince William”? I smiled at her and jokingly said “Not recently ” . I think the few people that were listening to this banter really thought that I had seen Prince William.I have only seen him and the rest of the Royal family on the telly.

I will have more stories to tell from Tennessee and other Southern States later.

I was born in Sri Lanka but moved to England when I was a little girl.After leaving school, I worked in the press and promotions offices at various record labels for many famous bands from the mid 70’s ’till the late 80’s.

Music lifts my soul.