“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 …
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 …
Festivals, Food & Fun: Seven Weeks in Bratislava
Having lived in Bratislava for only seven weeks I am still new to Slovak culture, particularly as I knew very little about either Slovakia or the city before I came here. It is true to say, however, that I have …
The Sound of Silence in Kerala’s Backwaters
Having lived in Asia for 6 years of my life, I am pretty immune to noise by now. I can sleep through the loudest thunderstorm. In fact, I like hearing early morning church bells or the Call to Prayer, and …
Advice Asia Featured Food and Drink Health & Fitness India Life in India Nature Tradition Working Overseas
Kare Ayurveda Retreat: Eat, Stretch, Love
Life in Mumbai can get pretty chaotic: it’s a big city, filled with—literally—millions of people. Like Raj says in ‘Big Bang Theory’: ‘it’s hot, and it’s loud, and there are so many people! You have no idea—they’re everywhere’.
Living …
Stick Fishermen of Sri Lanka: Fishing for Dollars
Few things are as thrilling as an iconic glimpse of a famous landmark, a decorated elephant walking down a busy sidewalk, or a tango dancer spinning across an Argentinian dance floor. Buzzing with excitement, I glanced out of the car …
Sustainable Tourism in India: Redstone Eco Centre, Mahabaleshwa
India is a country that forces travellers to question their lifestyle choices, which is why so many people come here looking for change; and in many cases sustainable tourism can offer a chance for the changes they require. Some people …
Europe Featured History Life in Sweden Swedish History Swedish Tourism Swedish Travel Tradition Travelling
Visby: Sweden’s Perfectly Preserved Medieval Town
Swedes are travellers: roaming foreign lands is in their blood.
It is Viking blood, after all.
You’ll be hard pushed to travel far without running into a Swede or two. This is especially true of South East Asia, which …
Lighting a Candle on All Saints’ Day, Sweden
All Saints’ Day is an official holiday in Sweden that usually falls on the first Saturday in November. On this weekend, many businesses close early on Friday, remaining closed on Saturday. This means that people who want to buy their …
St Fagans: a Slice of Welsh Life
St Fagans National History Museum stands in the shadow of Cardiff’s Millennium stadium, and is only a stone’s throw from the uber-trendy Mermaid Quay bay area. It is a gem of a museum chronicling Welsh Life through the ages.
Tenerife’s Good Friday Passion Play
Every year on Good Friday thousands gather at noon in Adeje to witness ‘La Pasion’, a 2-hour performance of the last few hours of the life of Christ.
Performed by local amateur actors, the play begins at the top of …
Colours of Carnival, Tenerife
Everybody knows about the Rio Carnival, right?
Even people who have no intention of ever visiting Brazil can tell you that every spring the streets of Rio de Janeiro come alive to the seductive sounds of samba and the sashaying …
Machu Picchu—the City in the Clouds
Day Two of our Machu Picchu tour began at the unearthly time of 5am. Without a guide to tell us what time to be there we had decided to take the advice of numerous friends and guide books, which was …
The Sacred Valley of the Incas
Any backpacker travelling around South America will inevitably end up on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu—it is the Mecca of the Gringo Trail. Many will opt to trek for a few days, and the more hardened may …
The Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca
At 3811 m above sea level, Lake Titicaca—a lake that sits in the Altiplano basin between Bolivia and Peru—is known as the highest navigable lake in the world. Its location mid-way between the Bolivian city of La Paz and …
Cholita Wrestling
Every Sunday afternoon crowds gather at the stadium in El Alto, a growing suburb on the Bolivian altiplano high above La Paz. The crowds consist of a mixture of Indigenous locals and curious tourists and the spectacle that they have …
Europe Food and Drink Friends and Family Life in Sweden Partying Swedish Tradition Tradition Travelling
Midsommar: a night of Swedish madness
“Why, this is very midsummer madness!“ (Twelfth Night)
Not long ago Sweden welcomed the spring but Valborg is only the warm-up act. Midsummer, or Midsommar in Swedish, is the biggest party of year. …
Wimbledon – A British Institution
It’s already well into the swing of tennis season and the next tournament on the agenda is, of course, Wimbledon. Even though the UK has not enjoyed much success on the hallowed turf of SW19 in recent years, it is …
Why Sweden is a Great Place to Live
Sweden is often regarded as being somewhat of a liberal country; many people think that blonde, tanned Swedes cavort naked in forest lakes all summer long before retreating into their saunas for the duration of the long and cold winter. …