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I Am A Polar Bear

Travel, adventure & wellness with plenty of snow

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Month: December 2020

2020 in review & plans for 2021 | iamapolarbear.com

2020 in review & plans for 2021

December 31, 2020

Well, this is an interesting post to write. 2020 in review? How has the last year been? We know it’s been terrible. It’s been one crashing catastrophe after another and we’re finishing it with tier 4, international shunning and Brexit. But hey, we get blue passports so it’s not all bad! Let’s start this year … More 2020 in review & plans for 2021

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Ignite at Kingston Lacy | iamapolarbear.com

More Christmas lights: Ignite at Kingston Lacy

December 28, 2020

Today’s post was supposed to be my plans for 2021 but I can sum that up in one line: I don’t have any plans. So instead, I’m going to treat you to more Christmas lights and more Dorset content: Ignite at Kingston Lacy. Back in the summer or autumn, I went to Corfe Castle. Kingston … More More Christmas lights: Ignite at Kingston Lacy

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Christmas decorations from my travels | iamapolarbear.com

Christmas decorations from my travels

December 24, 2020

I’ve been meaning to do this post for years. Over time, I’ve picked up bits and pieces while travelling and some of them come out only at Christmas. I don’t collect Christmas decorations. I know there are people who bring back a fridge magnet or a beer mat from every place they go to. I’m not … More Christmas decorations from my travels

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Steam Illuminations on the Watercress Line | iamapolarbear.com

Steam Illuminations on the Watercress Line

December 21, 2020

Santa Specials – Father Christmas and mince pies on steam trains – have been a staple of the season at least since I was a child, and for decades before that, probably. But that’s not really feasible in 2020 and so the heritage steam railways of the country have had to come up with some … More Steam Illuminations on the Watercress Line

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Holiday in Dorset: Meet my shepherd's hut | iamapolarbear.com

A holiday in Dorset: meet my shepherd’s hut

December 17, 2020

If you read the post about my hot tub on Monday, you’ll know I went on holiday to Dorset last week. It’s no less a holiday for the fact that I live in Dorset. I went to stay in a vintage-style shepherd’s hut with glorious countryside views and today I want to show you around the … More A holiday in Dorset: meet my shepherd’s hut

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Holiday in Dorset: glamping with a hot tub | iamapolarbear.com

A holiday in Dorset: glamping with a hot tub

December 14, 2020

Last week I went off for my first holiday since the pandemic! I went glamping – glamping with a hot tub! It was third time lucky – I was supposed to have gone at the beginning of November but there was a mess-up with the dates. Then I was supposed to go right at the … More A holiday in Dorset: glamping with a hot tub

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A Single Map: A walk in the woods | iamapolarbear.com

A Single Map episode 2: a walk in the woods

December 10, 2020

In this second “episode” of A Single Map, I’m taking my dad out for a walk in the woods. We’ve done a lot of walking this year. Headlands, several hillforts, the local thanks-Dr-Beeching trailway, around town and even a couple of fort-less hills. But woods are new. We didn’t really realise there was much in … More A Single Map episode 2: a walk in the woods

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Useful Travel Items: solid shampoo & conditioner | iamapolarbear.com

Useful Travel Items: solid shampoo & conditioner

December 7, 2020

One thing I seem to have done in 2020 is switch over from liquid shampoo and conditioner to the solid variety. I have quite a lot of hair and it needs quite a lot of conditioner. There’s a reason you normally see it in plaits and that’s because it very easily gets in a state. … More Useful Travel Items: solid shampoo & conditioner

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My day at a fused glass Christmas workshop | iamapolarbear.com

My day at a fused glass Christmas workshop

December 3, 2020

Yes, it’s the first post of December and it’s a Christmas-themed one from the bear who hates Christmas! I did a fused glass workshop! I booked it right at the end of October. It was supposed to be on Friday November 6th – yes, the second day of the UK lockdown. On the Saturday night … More My day at a fused glass Christmas workshop

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Who am I?
I'm Julie, a travel, adventure and wellness blogger. I love Iceland, I love jumping into hot water and I do love a bit of snow.

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Most popular posts

  • Zedwell Capsule Hotel review: what's it like to sleep in a coffin?
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  • Which is the best geothermal lagoon to visit in Iceland while the Blue Lagoon is closed?
  • The Guide Camp Kit List part one: the plate bag
🇨🇿 Last day on the West Bohemian Spa Triangle but I’m actually back in Prague for my flight home. 🇨🇿 Last day on the West Bohemian Spa Triangle! 🇨🇿 Day six on the West Bohemian Spa Triangle and the undisputed highlight of the day, if not the whole trip, was a long morning in Saunia’s 38° thermal mineral pool which is fed by the Vřídlo hot spring, the same one that erupts down in the glass colonnade. It’s set above the Hotel Thermal with views over and down Karlovy Vary and it’s very hard to leave. 🇨🇿 Day five on the West Bohemian Spa Triangle and I’m on the move again - a morning in Františkovy Lázně’s parkland and then onto two trains to my third town, Karlovy Vary. 🇨🇿 Day four: an alarm at 7am for breakfast, packing and then walking the 2.5km in unexpected 0° (but very warm for the temperature!) to the station. 🇨🇿 Day three of the West Bohemian Spa Triangle and this is my day in Mariánské Lázně, which started very prosaically with a 1.76km hike down the big Czech Tesco. Day two on the West Bohemian Spa Triangle… Day one of the great West Bohemian Spa Triangle train adventure! If I’m putting it on Instagram, I feel like I have to have something to say, so I have to do some writing.

About Julie

I'm a blogger, adventurer, lover of hot water, amateur paddler and polar bear who wilts in hot weather. Time (by day, I'm a researcher) and funds keep me within Europe and I make regular trips up to the north, especially to Iceland. I like the occasional adventure across Europe by train and I'm starting to make use of my weekends for 48-hour adventures. This isn't my only creative outlet - I've written two travelogues (one on a winter adventure across the Arctic Circle and one on exploring volcanoes during a warm summer road trip around Iceland) plus a little book of Icelandic pools and I have a fourth book in progress right now.

Blog at WordPress.com.
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