My top five favourite cities ever.........

When I look back at my travels I realise just how many parts of the globe I have been fortunate enough to visit and then I realise just how many exciting places there are left to go and everything comes back into balance...... When it comes to choosing my city break favourites so far there really are a lot of very worthy contenders. In Europe I loved Madrid with it's noises, vibrancy and exciting night-life. I have loved visiting Paris and can understand why this city makes such a spectacular back drop for a romantic proposal, film set and so much more...... Amsterdam has it's canals, amazing architecture and vibrant cafe culture (some of the cakes were a bit on the chaffy side!!) When it comes to the States oh how to choose......New York was fast, fun and I felt at home in the hustle and bustle of the Manhattan Streets seeking out the odd shopping bargain and sampling the huge array of eateries. San Francisco was an experience (I'll write more about my SFO experience another time!), Las Vegas was amazing. I loved L.A but didn't expect to and then there was Miami and all that Florida has to offer. I told you about my Australian adventures in an earlier blog. I loved Hobart and it's quaint port side hotels and market. Sydney was mind-blowing, Adelaide was friendly and welcoming and Brisbane gave me my real first taste of Australian Sunshine...... Singapore was spotless and a great place to get around (and I loved the zoo), Hong Kong was as diverse as I had expected. Bangkok was cheeky and friendly and Kuala Lumpar a great place to see and shop. Then there were other cities that were amazing - Venice needs a blog of it's own, Prague - how I loved the clock in the main square, the lovely hotel, the shops and the castle. Then we have the UK - Manchester, Liverpool and my father's home town of Edinburgh - a place that I love to spend time in. And then of course there is London....... So now on to my top five choices so far.......... In Fifth place it has to be Sydney - it was amazing and a place that I had dreamed about visiting since I was old enough to understand what travelling was all about. In Fourth place is Paris. On our last visit we stayed at the Le Bristol Hotel. Unashamed luxury with superb service to boot. I felt like a princess (for a few hours anyway). It's a special city with a very big heart. In Third place is New York. If you want to live and feel life and hear life at full volume go to New York. It's loud, it's all about the movies, it's America(n), it's classy, it feels like a city that gets under your skin and tries to own a part of you. You leave New York it never leaves you! In Second place is Venice. Venice is everything I expected it to be a more. It's romantic, the buildings are spectacular both in design and settings. Life is amazing in Venice - the water taxis , the pigeons.... the food, the people. Love at first sight! And so to my favourite city of all time. I was born in Central London, went to school close by and grew up with the sights and sounds of the city streaming through my veins. London is home. It's where we have amazing restaurants, history, culture, great architecture perfectly grooming the old to go with the new. It's where we welcome people from around the world and shout "look this place is amazing!" London has to be my number 1, it's in bones!