A Globetrotting Broad

Tori in Naarden with flags of Naarden and Netherlands - photo © T. Martínez

In 2002, I made a major change in my life, deciding to leave my "normal" existence in the U.S. behind and live my dream of traveling the world and researching and writing about my two passions - history and travel. At the time, my father jocularly dubbed me a globetrotting broad. It’s a term I still apply to my travel experiences and adventures, past and present.
   Since that time, I have spent extended periods of time in well-known cities like London and Bath, as well as in smaller places like Largs, Scotland, which is often referred to as the "Scottish Riviera." I’ve independently traveled through regions like Normandy, the South of France, and Southern England.
   Some of my favorite destinations have been the seats of my ancestors, such as Burnley, England and Naarden, Holland (as seen in the photo above). And through my husband, a Spaniard, I’ve come to know much of Spain. And, of course, marriage to a European has also meant that travel in North and South America has taken on a whole new importance.
   I've not only been able to research the historic subjects that fascinate me, I've been able to see, feel, and smell them firsthand. But, most of all, I have been blessed with the love and friendship of some truly wonderful people - especially my adopted English family in London and my wonderful Spanish family.
   Although my husband and I are quite the domesticated couple right now, traveling is still a major part of our life. Now, in addition to our actual travels, I spend a great deal of my time writing about my experiences, the places I visited, and the relationship between those places and historical events and people.
   On this part of my site, I’ve shared some – but certainly not all – of my travels.

 

Living in Britain

For more than two years, I centered my life and travels on Britain. Much of that time was spent in London, living at a charming bed and breakfast called Melrose House. From that base, I came to know and love the city I had previously only experienced as a reader or tourist. I also was able to take leisurely day and weekend trips to places like Rochester, Oxford, Canterbury, Ramsgate, Windsor and Greenwich, just to name a few.
    I spent longer periods in places like Bath, where I stayed for a month, and independently toured places like Normandy and Southern England - including Southampton, Winchester and the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, and the wonderful countryside of Dorset, Devon and Somerset. I even learned firsthand about the history of my English ancestors on my brief sojourn to Burnley in Lancashire, England, where I visited Towneley Hall, the family seat of my Towneley ancestors, to conduct genealogical research on that branch of my family.
    It was in Burnley that I met the man to whom I’m now married. After an incredibly romantic courtship in London, we lived for a while in Largs, Scotland - happy memories. London in particular is still one of our favorite places in the world, not the least because it is the home of some of our dearest friends.

Exploring Europe

I started out my traveling life as something of a Francophile, although I was cured of this “disease” somewhat after a particularly lonely winter visit to Paris. Aside from that, my travels in France have been wonderful. On my own, I explored the Côte d'Azur and Normandy. With my husband, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region.
    My marriage has brought me an ever-increasing familiarity with Spain. Ironically, the week before I met David (who is from Spain), I had visited that country for the first time when I stayed on the Costa Blanca at the home of English friends. Since then, I’ve been to Spain many times with David; getting to know it as an adopted Spaniard and gradually visiting each region of that beautiful country.
   My other travels in Europe have included the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy. I’m working on the rest, but it will definitely take a lifetime to “properly” visit all the places I want to go.

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"The journey is the reward."

- Taoist saying

Honorary Spaniard

David and me, in Avila, Spain - photo © T. Martínez

I like to consider myself an honorary Spaniard by marriage. During my travels, I met and married another “globetrotter”: David, a Spaniard who was also traveling and living abroad. We met by chance at a dinner party in Burnley, England, where I was exploring my Townley ancestry. Since then, most of my travels have been with him – and I hope they will always be so.

Featured Travel

Golden Jubilee

Meeting Prince Charles - photo © T. Martínez


For a long weekend in June 2002, Britain celebrated the 50th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. This was only the third Golden Jubilee in the long history of the British monarchy, the other two being that of George III (well-known, of course, to all Americans) and Queen Victoria.
   I was fortunate enough to have a “front-row seat” to this event (actually, it was standing-room only along a barricade on The Mall) thanks to a fast friendship with two Brits who were camping out overnight. During the early stages of the events, these wonderful people “adopted” me and let me join them (a few bribes of food and hot drinks didn't hurt!). Thanks to that friendship, for two days I was able to enjoy both the comforts of my warm hotel room at night, as well as a reserved space along the parade route during the day.
   A big portion of my experience took place during the second day of the celebrations when I, strategically placed along the barricade on The Mall, shook hands with half of the Royal Family, who were on walkabout. One of my companions captured several of these moments on film, as above where I am meeting Prince Charles.

The Scottish Riviera

For a short time, David and I lived in the tiny resort town of Largs, Scotland. Referred to as “The Scottish Riviera,” Largs is about 45 miles south of Glasgow, on the edge of the River Clyde. It's an absolutely charming little community with not an "American-style" fast food restaurant in sight!
   The town has an amazing history, much of it in association with the Vikings. In fact, an important battle was fought in the 13th century between the Scots and the Vikings just down river from us. Each year in August, the town holds a Viking Festival, which is supposed to be great. You can learn a bit more about the town and the festival at http://www.largsvikingfestival.com.