Home of Europe's Oldest Annual Marathon Slovakia is an underrated travel destination; most people I meet have never heard of it, and could not point it out on a map, so it was surprising to learn
Continue ReadingYear: 2018

Goodbye, Serendipity
In March 2008 I visited a place that changed my life. Of course, back then bracing myself for every bump in the dusty road I had no idea where the rusted bus careening wildly along
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Europe Travel: Eight Lakes in Six Days
"What do you want to see on our trip around Europe?" I asked my friend. "Mountains, lakes, or beaches" came the reply. Lakes, it is then. Because Europe is so compact, one of the best
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Reinvention, Promotion, and a Whole Load of Summer Travel
If you have read my blog for some time, you may have noticed that I have been absent for a while. On the other hand, maybe, you have not. Either way, it has been five
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Heartbreak and Healing in the Holy Land
"May I have your passport, please?" asked the man at the hotel's dingy reception desk. "Certainly." Smiling brightly, I handed it over. "And the other one?", he asked. "Um, there is no other one. It's just
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10 of the Best European Old Towns to Visit this Spring
Who doesn't love visiting a Historic Old Town? My teaching career has shuttled between Europe and Asia on more than a few occasions: I moved from the UK to Vietnam in 2007, Vietnam to Sweden
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Help! How Should I pack for Tanzania?
This time next week I will be in Tanzania. Other than a package holiday in Tunisia many years ago, Africa is a completely new continent to me. I am simultaneously jumping for joy about the
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A Snowy Weekend in the Tatra Mountains, Slovakia
A few weeks ago, I was tired of the rainy, grey, city sky. I desperately wanted blue sky, crisp air, and plenty of snow. I longed to see mountains; and for that, I would have
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Gazing into the Blue Eye, Albania
The unbelievably clear water of Syri i Kalter (‘Blue Eye’) in the South of Albania is beautiful, but it is not easy to reach. You have two options: 1) a laborious 5-hour journey along dilapidated
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