My Top Five 2024 Favourite Places

🔝5️⃣. Welcome to my annual Top Five series where without any hint of shame I write about my favourite things from the past year.

Back in the day I listed a lot more of these, but I’ve narrowed it down over time, and I’ll start with one of my most craved obsessions, and that of travel. So, I’ll begin with my Top Five Favourite Places 🌇.

Sadly the majority of my travelling last year was for work, and something I want to put right in 2025, there were very few ventures to places new.

Nonetheless there were some great rediscoveries, and these were My 2024 Top Five Favourite Places 🌇

1️⃣ Zurich ⛴️

It must be about 20 years since I was last in Zürich, and I had forgotten how beautiful it was. Sat on two rivers and a lake with the Alps looming large in the background I loved a weekend I spent there in the late summer.

It was a short but dazzling visit back after far too long. I was in awe of the beauty and breathtaking vistas. Fairytale like building’s abound with the lake at its heart and the mountains on its horizon. I need to go back.

2️⃣ City of London 🏙️

I hadn’t really been in the City since before Covid, and I became obsessed with it after two-in-quick-succession Autumn visits. I found myself acting like a spellbound tourist as I walked among the City’s amazing new buildings of various shapes and sizes starstruck.

It was really busy too, and frequently just stopped to soak in the atmosphere and energy. It has changed so much from when I worked up there, and I thought post-Covid it would never recover, yet from what I saw it’s recovering very nicely.

3️⃣ Munich 🍺

The main reason I was in Munich was for work Oktoberfest, but the weather lent itself to plenty of walking somewhat forced by the lack of taxi’s due to the beer festival. My one and only Oktoberfest visit was over two decades ago, and from memory the current version was hardly recognizable from back then.

In our tent 7,000 people were crammed in at benches, most were dancing on top of them and the beer and schnitzel flowed like there was no tomorrow. It was a fantastic night and experience.

4️⃣ Boston 🫖

I hadn’t been to Boston for an age. Sadly in May I was there for a funeral, but our really good friends have a home there, so I had her act as a guide and she walked me around the Back Bay and South End neighborhood’s. We strolled through Boston Common where groups of people were sat on the grass enjoying the early summer warmth. We then did a mini bar crawl around Charles Street, and I had forgotten what a great walking city Boston is.

5️⃣ Clermont, Florida 🍊

Rarely do you ever see rolling hills in Florida, but running down the spine of the sunshine state is Lake-Wales Ridge, a 100-mile white sand ridge that tops out at 312 feet, the highest natural point in the state.

About 10 miles south of here on the same sand ridge is a pretty little place called Clermont, once the centre of Florida’s citrus industry. We were here for a swim meet but I was somewhat taken by the hills and lakes of Clermont, and there is plenty to do for a long weekend visit.