a journey of new beginnings
[mks_boxquote align=”right” width=”150″ arrow=”0″]”An obsession consumed me, and the more I saw, the more I wanted”[/mks_boxquote]Relentless blasts of icy wind grasped at the exposed skin of my cheeks, the only flesh not covered in layers of wool and …
A memorable journey is often more about the people you meet than the things you see, and when I went dogsledding with Arctic Husky Adventures in Jokkmokk, Swedish Lapland, last week I met quite possibly the most welcoming people I …
[mks_boxquote align=”left” width=”150″ arrow=”0″]“We were only two hours into a fourteen-hour trip. It would be a long day if we couldn’t get on with the tour guide”[/mks_boxquote]Looking through the windows on the left-hand side of the bus, we …
This year I decided that my NYE celebrations would be very low-key as my Iceland trip and the run-up to Christmas has been pretty expensive, so I decided to hold back for New Year.
My parents moved to lovely Looe…
There is a common saying amongst Icelanders that goes like this: ‘If you don’t like the weather in Iceland, wait 5 minutes’. The point is this: Iceland’s climate is changeable, and this makes it difficult to pack for. Expect to …
At the beginning of 2013 I had no travel plans. I had just moved to an expensive apartment in Stockholm and expected a light travel year similar to 2012. But, as is often the case for me, it turned out …
Incredibly, I had not heard of Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon, until a week before I left for Iceland. Of course, I knew that Iceland is full of beautiful scenery and that there is a very good reason that it is …
Driving deeper into the Icelandic wilderness the excitement on the bus was tangible: the atmosphere quickening with anticipation at every twist of the winding road. People clutched their cameras and stared at the opaque blackness beyond the windows; waiting for …
Steam rising from the milky blue water of the Blue Lagoon is probably the most iconic image of Iceland for many people. Indeed, it was one of the things that I knew I simply must do while in the country.…
There are two reasons why I wanted to visit Iceland: spectacular scenery and the Aurora Borealis, so when I found cheap flights to Reykjavik I didn’t hesitate to book them.
Initially, I wanted to hire a car and drive around …
Warning: This post will make you hungry!
I had not been travelling for long before I realised that my trip would become a culinary tour of Europe, devoted mainly to trying different, and amazing, new foods—even more so than experiencing …
In British English the word loo is a colloquial term for the toilet, so when my sister and her husband announced that they were moving to Looe—pronounced in the same way—they received a few sniggers and giggles.
My initial impression …
In May I wrote a post outlining my intended travel plans for the summer. Stunning Lake Bled in Slovenia was to be the glittering pinnacle of my trip. It was the place that I was most looking forward to; …
After our brief and not particularly enjoyable stay in Dubrovnik, we travelled to Split. Currently there is no train that connects Dubrovnik with Split, so less than 24 hours after arriving we found ourselves back in Dubrovnik bus station …
Holding a crumpled map in one hand, and a bottle of luke-warm water from which I was stopping to take a mouthful every few minutes in the other, we staggered up the steep road—my backpack now seeming to weigh twice …
Pension Isa, our guesthouse in Mostar, is located in a narrow alleyway just off the main street, which is not very big itself. It is a tiny, unassuming alleyway, very easy to miss unless you are looking for it. The …
In the summer of 1992 I was a happy and carefree 13 year old. I spent long and sunny days playing with my friends. I cheered loudly when Andre Agassi beat a little-known Croatian player, to claim the Wimbledon title.…
After spending a few relaxing days in Timisoara, we booked a train to Belgrade – a city that we initially visited due to its convenient location en-route to Sarajevo.
It was a lazy Sunday and we arrived around noon.
The …
Timisoara was a detour on our trip. We were travelling from Budapest to Belgrade—a direct route, but I simply couldn’t be that close to Romania—my favourite European country—without stopping by for a few days.
Is it just me; or do all the cool things to do in Budapest begin with B?
Budapest is one of the most easy-going cities in Europe, everything seems designed to encourage relaxing and chilling out. And that is exactly …