Events - Luxurious Nomad ~ Ms Bella St John

Invitation: Venice Carnivale (Venuto Carnevale)

Join a group of friends and me in our own private villa for the incredible Venice Carnivale in February, 2020! The entire 2020 Venice Carnival will begin on Saturday, February 8 and ends on Tuesday, February 25. Over the course of the event, there is an abundance of activities from… Read more

Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, September 2019

Having arrived a little too early to check into my room here in the magnificent Rubens Hotel in London, I decided to have lunch in their glorious Old English Grill… …and when I did arrive in my room – how heavenly! …with a view of the Royal Mews from my… Read more

Milton Keynes Museum 1940s weekend

What a lovely way to spend a couple of hours… A wonderful group of volunteers works tirelessly all year to pull together this annual event, honouring and celebrating those who fought in and lived through WWII, and ‘kept the home fires burning’… ~ Bella Read more

Medieval Jousting Tournament and Festival

A perfect day to set off in my time-machine and head back to the 15th century for a glorious medieval jousting tournament and festival at Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries! ~ Bella Read more

Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot

Another item checked off my rather extensive bucket list – attending Royal Ascot, in the Royal Enclosure nonetheless, thanks to an invitation from my dear friend, Noreen. It was a glorious day, but I will let the photos tell the story… ~ Bella Read more

Royal Order of the Garter Service at Windsor Castle

“In medieval times, King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table that he set up his own group of honourable knights, called the Order of the Garter. Nearly 700 years later, the Order is the oldest and… Read more

Royal Russian Summer Ball

Well, this Princess Pixie was off to the ball, and what a lovely night it was… ~ Bella Read more

Mille Miglia historic car race (post 2 of 2)

…continuation of photos from what some call the most beautiful race in the world… Time for dinner… ~ Bella Read more

Mille Miglia historic car race (post 1 of 2)

The Mille Miglia (mille = 1000, miglia = mile) was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Aymo Maggi and Franco Mazzotti, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957. Now, it is not a ‘race’ as such but more of a… Read more

Wonderful Scottish Birthday (post 3 of 3)

…continued… …and we even had a real-life pipe major give us instruction on the bagpipes… …and two rainbows on the way home… …to have such wonderful friends… I am so very, very blessed… “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion… Read more

Wonderful Scottish Birthday (post 2 of 3)

…continued… …and so after another full day, we went back and changed into our ‘bling’ for a glorious evening at Fruin Farm… …to be continued… Read more

Wonderful Scottish Birthday (post 1 of 3)

The last weekend in September friends from all over the world to belatedly celebrate my birthday… with many of them staying here on the loch… …and it seemed a shame to have so many amazing people with amazing talents, intellects, and knowledge to be in the one place and not… Read more

Braemar Gathering with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

The Braemar Gathering has been on my bucket list for many, many years – and yesterday had the most wonderful day finally checking that item off the list! The first challenge was finding where David and I were meeting… My GPS first of all sent me to a cul de… Read more

Vienna ‘Pretty Woman’ Opera and Ballet

One of the things I have always wanted to do – and especially since I saw ‘Pretty Woman’, was to go to the opera, and watch it from an incredible box seat. So, given that I was staying directly across the road from the magnificent Vienna Opera House, I thought… Read more

River Danube Cruise to Slovakia for UNICEF

Cruising on the River Danube from Vienna to Slovakia, making new friends, and all in aid of a good cause – what a wonderful way to invest one’s day! After leaving home and walking across the road to grab a taxi (and spotting yet another beautiful door!)… …I arrive at… Read more

Listening to Strauss where STRAUSS played Strauss!

I booked this event weeks ago and have been looking forward to it ever since. Not only was the Kursalon on my bucket list, but the thought of going to a Strauss concert and listening to Strauss music being played where STRAUSS himself used to play his compositions… Bliss! The… Read more

Life’s Never Boring with 20,000 Protesters!

Curled up in my lovely apartment, and I begin to hear a thudding cadence approaching… At first I thought, oh, it’s a small parade or something… …and then they kept coming… …and coming… …and coming… …and coming… For almost an hour they kept coming, despite the snow that was beginning… Read more

Husky sledding in the snow in Scotland

After sleeping in (hmmmm, that is definitely becoming a habit on this trip!) I bundled up with my winter woollies, and headed off to find “Husky Haven” where I was to have my first dog sled experience – in the snow! The dogs are adorably stunningly glorious..! The man with… Read more

Weekend Away on a Victorian-Era Sailing Ship

You know me, I love anything Victorian/Edwardian – and I love anything boat/water related… So, this weekend I combined those two passions and spent the entire weekend away on “Pilgrim”, a glorious small tall ship that was built in 1895! Walking along beside Brixham Harbour, it is wonderful to ponder… Read more

Champagne Reception at Downton Abbey

After a lovely night in Derbyshire, I set out under a veeeery strange sky toward Highclere Castle, home of the famous Downton Abbey. The sun was an eerie red colour through the clouds – and at one point, the whole sky turned an unusual colour – well, unusual for the… Read more

My Horse-Drawn Journey back to the 1890s

Anyone who knows me knows that I am very much a Victorian/Edwardian girl at heart – complete with a wardrobe to match! So, when I heard about the opportunity to ride in an authentic and historic 1800s carriage, recreating a nostalgic journey in the actual coach, the ‘Tantivy’, that last… Read more

Q&A with the author of the “Victoria” mini-series

After travelling from Torquay by rail to Paddington Station (and by the way – there is a new Paddington Bear book that I was excited to read until I discovered, as one newspaper put it, “Paddington Bear will encounter migrants, electronic tagging, and ‘elf ‘n’ safety laws in a brand… Read more

Lovely Torquay Birthday

This year, I had the absolute best birthday ever! Starting last Sunday with Goodwood, then on my actual birthday Gillian and her daughter Ellie took me out for brunch – it was soooooo lovely and delicious! …then cruising on one of the last horse-drawn canal boat at Tiverton… followed by… Read more

Classic Car Racing at Goodwood

Goodwood Revival There are a handful of experiences one has that are so wonderful, there are simply not enough superlatives to describe them – the Goodwood Revival was such an experience! This was one of the best days I have ever had – ever! So, what is the Goodwood Revival?… Read more

Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace

No sooner did I pick up the keys to my beautiful apartment, I dropped my luggage, repacked, and was off across the country… First stop after an overnight rest-break part-way, was collecting the car I just bought – a black Volvo C70 convertible, with black leather interior and wood trim… Read more

Sligo Rally

Welcome to the Connacht Motor Club Sligo Rally! I caught up with a friend today and we went to Riverstown Folk Park for what is known as a regroup halt – essentially a short rest-stop during the Sligo Stages Rally. After a wonderful fill of motor fuel fumes, we headed… Read more

Romanian Day of the National Flag

I awoke this morning to the sound of a PA system being set up and tested downstairs and then when, about an hour or so later, I heard drums I thought I would go and investigate… It turns out today, June 26th, is The Day of the National Flag here… Read more