“Runway ready! How do I look?” tweets Gävlebocken, the official social media account of Sweden’s famous Christmas goat. Indeed, he’s not only famous in Sweden: according to the Guinness Book of Records, Gävle’s Julbocken is the world’s largest …
Enjoying the Swedish Summer in Öregrund
With over 3,000 kilometres of coastline, Sweden has plenty of coastal towns; and, although the most beautiful beaches are in the south, the east coast has many gems. The Stockholm Archipelago is a great place to begin if you are …
Europe Featured Health & Fitness Life in Sweden Nature Sweden Winter Break Swedish Travel Travelling
Åre: an Autumn Visit to Sweden’s Most Famous Ski Resort
With Covid still limiting overseas travel, I have travelled locally in Sweden over the past few months. Recently, I’ve been to Sundsvall, Västerås, Kristianstad and Stockholm. My favourite trip, however, was Åre, a lakeside ski-resort 600 km north of …
City Break Europe Featured Life in Sweden Swedish Tourism Swedish Travel Tourist Attraction Travelling Working Overseas
Malmö: Sweden’s Gateway to Europe
As the gateway to Europe, Malmö ‘s youthful, cosmopolitan vibe is distinctive from other Swedish cities. During the summer, tourists flood the city beach, and residents stroll through leafy parks or run along the beachfront promenade. Everybody cycles, the network …
Čičmany: Slovakia’s Charming Gingerbread Houses
Čičmany in central Slovakia comes straight from the pages of a fairy-tale book. The picturesque village sits in a verdant meadow surrounded by pine forests, but this is not what makes it so delightful. What’s more striking is the way …
Bratislava City Break Europe Expat Expat Life Featured Nature Tourist Attraction Travelling Working Overseas
Kayaking on the Danube in Bratislava
Peeping through the trees ahead of me, the iconic shape of the castle reminds me that although I am kayaking in the countryside, I’m actually still in the city. That’s the beauty of Bratislava, one of the world’s smallest capitals; …
Lofoten: A Winter’s Dream
Waking long before daylight, we found our car concealed beneath the icy shroud of the first winter snowfall. Once outside and puffing impatiently into my hands to enjoy a momentary sensation of warmth, I opened the door shattering the icy …
Clothes May Be Optional, but Masks Are Not!
Approaching a large metal gate crossing our path, my friend whispered ‘Do you think we can walk here?’
‘Well, it’s open, and there’s no sign saying we can’t’, I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. …
Bratislava Europe Expat Expat Life Featured Health & Fitness Heartbreak Life Relationships School Teaching Working Overseas
Lockdown! A Teacher’s Thoughts on the Corona Pandemic
It’s been 26 days since my world shut down. It’s been far longer for others.
It began slowly. Back, in January, news of an unknown virus in China reached us here in Europe. I barely took any notice – SARS, …
Bratislava Europe Expat Expat Life Featured Friends and Family Health & Fitness Teaching Working Overseas
Love in the Time of Coronavirus
With coronavirus currently decimating the travel industry, it’s a good time to write about my life as an international teacher instead. I don’t write frequently, because I can’t travel full-time like I’d hoped I would when I first started Runawaybrit. …
A Surprise Birthday Trip to Budapest
I left work on Friday with my bag packed for a surprise birthday trip. All I had been told was that the bus departed at 4pm and I would need my passport. Of course, I had a few guesses about …
Why You Should Visit the Bratislava Christmas Markets This Season
Once again, Christmas—the most wonderful time of the year—is upon us; and Bratislava just burst into life with festive crooners singing jovially of snow, sleigh-bells and chestnuts roasting on open fires. Ridiculously cute wooden cabins have sprung up around Historic …
Cyprus: Birthplace of a Goddess
Most people visit Cyprus during the summer, but you shouldn’t avoid this charming Mediterranean island during low season. Known for being the birthplace of Aphrodite: the Goddess of Beauty, Cyprus has much to love – even in winter.
Winter Sun
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Why I Love Working in Europe (And Never Want to Leave)
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on why I love living in Europe out of all the places I could go. And, yes: publishing this post as Britain perches precariously on the brink of Brexit is ironic. Having worked in Vietnam, India, …
Winter Break: Malta
Here in Central Europe, summer hangs on a thread. The long, light evenings are closing in, the sun’s warmth is fading fast, and I’m already thinking back to my first holiday of the year in lovely Malta.
While the trees …
Košice, Slovakia: Try Once, Love Forever
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 that Košice hosted Europe’s …
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 things about travelling around the …
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 in 2010, Sweden to India …
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 to go to the Tatra …
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 roads from the …