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Category: Festivals

What I did at Camp Wildfire | iamapolarbear.com

What I did at Camp Wildfire

September 21, 2023

I’ve had my eye on Camp Wildfire for a while and last year, I got an unexpected last-minute opportunity to go as crew. I enjoyed it so much that eventually I talked myself into going as a paying customer this year. If you’ve not come across it, Camp Wildfire is a festival inspired by Scout … More What I did at Camp Wildfire

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What it's like working at a festival | iamapolarbear.com

What it’s like working at a festival

September 15, 2022

You might have seen my post from Monday about going to Camp Wildfire and what it’s like, my first weekend festival experience. And if you’ve been to Camp Wildfire yourself, you might have noticed that actually, I didn’t do that much, not when you really understand how much is on offer. And there’s a reason … More What it’s like working at a festival

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I went to Camp Wildfire! | iamapolarbear.com

I went to Camp Wildfire!

September 12, 2022

I know, any travel or lifestyle blogger worth their salt has at least a little archive of festival content but this was my first time. Technically it’s not my first ever festival – I went to the Larmer Tree Festival for the evening in 2015 and for the whole day in 2019 but I’ve never … More I went to Camp Wildfire!

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EdFringe 2019: 7 packing essentials | iamapolarbear.com

EdFringe 102: Packing essentials

September 2, 2019

Two years ago I wrote Fringe 101, or, “how to Edinburgh” and now we’re going for lesson two: what to pack. Comfortable walking shoes Yes, it’s a festival. That doesn’t flatten out a city built on a volcano nor does it smooth the cobbles. A huge part of the Fringe is off the bus and tram … More EdFringe 102: Packing essentials

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Getting rained on at the Larmer Tree Festival | iamapolarbear.com

Getting rained on at the Larmer Tree

August 29, 2019

It’s Larmer Tree time again! I’m not a big festival-goer but I occasionally make an exception for this one, depending on who’s on the comedy bill. I first went to the Larmer Tree Festival in 2015. It’s pretty local and it had a great comedy lineup so I went over after work just for the … More Getting rained on at the Larmer Tree

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EdFringe 2019: the one that was a catastrophe | iamapolarbear.com

EdFringe 2019: attempt 1 – the catastrophe

August 19, 2019

I’m doing two weekends at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. The first is actually the second; that’s the one when I’m seeing all the shows I wanted to see. The second weekend is actually the first; it’s the overflow for all the other shows I wanted to see. Yes, it’s ridiculous to have the overflow … More EdFringe 2019: attempt 1 – the catastrophe

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EdFringe 2019 review: Lucy Porter - Be Prepared | iamapolarbear.com

EdFringe 2019 Review: Lucy Porter – Be Prepared

August 15, 2019

I don’t think I mention it here on this blog as often as I could but I’m a big fan of live comedy. It’s the reason I go up to Edinburgh in Augusts some/most years. I’m not going to review everything I saw this year because over the course of two weekends I saw 22 … More EdFringe 2019 Review: Lucy Porter – Be Prepared

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EdFringe Euro Hostel review

My room in Edinburgh

August 16, 2018

I know, I only did “My apartment in Glasgow!” the other day and now I’m already showing you around my room in Edinburgh. For the last three visits, I’ve stayed in Euro Hostels. It’s based in Kincaid’s Court, which is a student block just off Cowgate. Last summer it was having work done and the … More My room in Edinburgh

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A weekend in Edinburgh

A weekend in Edinburgh

August 13, 2018

As you’ll know if you read What I saw at EdFringe 2018, I went to Edinburgh last weekend. I saw thirteen shows in three days, which is probably more than I saw in six days last year, and this is the post about the weekend in general. I flew up on the 8.35am flight from … More A weekend in Edinburgh

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What I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018

What I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe

August 9, 2018

I went to the Edinburgh Fringe last weekend and here’s a quick rundown of what I saw. Friday The Amazing Bubble Man Yes, I started my Fringe with a kids’ show. Of course there were adults there but all the others had come with small children. However, the Amazing Bubble Man had been highly and … More What I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe

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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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While I’m doing Iceland’s spectacular blue water, I’m also going to do Iceland’s orange majesty - the time I hiked out to Meradalir to see the second Reykjanes eruption back in 2022. It’s still one of my favourite things I’ve ever done. Seeing a real life volcano is incredible - I think the highly intelligent thing I said on my first glimpse was “it’s so red and hot!” and I’d love to see another but it hasn’t worked out since (and if it never does, at least I saw this one!) ♨️ Which is the best geothermal lagoon / pool / tourist-oriented experience in Iceland? As a student I visited Chateau de Chillon and somehow managed to believe that Lord Byron wrote a famous poem about his time as a prisoner - well, he was “mad, bad and dangerous to know”. Of course he’d spent time in a Swiss dungeon. But of course, he hadn’t. He’d visited a castle while on holiday, written a poem about an actual prisoner and turned the place into one of Switzerland’s biggest tourist attractions. And I do mean big - there are 48 rooms detailing its history from Savoy to today via Bern and Lausanne, as a defensive structure, a luxury lakeside residence and yes, a tourist attraction. I was at the station in Lausanne, thinking about the old days when I lived here with my “triplets” 20 years ago and then five minutes later, one of them messaged me. This selfie, by the way, is one I took to send to her down by the lake, hence the awkward wave. Because it’s 2026, I’m calling this Switzerland in analogue instead of on film. This is the result of taking my film camera with me and actually getting through a full roll (last year, I managed 24 photos between May and December and carried that thing around far more often than I actually used it). It’s a mixed bag in which you only get to see the better ones. The blog from Thursday also features the film photos, plus a few of the nearly-terrible ones, in case there aren’t enough brown grainy pictures right here. #analogue #analog #35mmfilm This one was on the blog almost before I got back to Switzerland but it’s time it went on Instagram too. I went snowshoeing! It was in the dark, following a trail of lanterns through a snowstorm and finished up in a mountain restaurant with traditional fondue or rösti before taking the cogwheel train back down to the lake. I love cathedrals and I especially love Gothic cathedrals, so Lausanne’s was the first thing to do when I arrived. I went there as a student and didn’t appreciate it. I thought the couple of photos I took then were a bit dark but it turns out Lausanne’s 13th century cathedral really is a bit dark. It’s very beautiful and has some amazing stained glass (including some hiding right up high in the crossing!) and my only complaint is that it’s far too hot. Cathedrals tend to be cool, cold places, especially when there's a snowstorm raging outside but this one has big heating vents keeping the place at approximately sauna temperature. It took a while to decide where in Switzerland I was going to go but it was really the Hotel Swiss Chocolate in Lausanne that swayed me to Lac Leman. 🍫 This was on the blog yesterday but it gets an Instagram post too - I went to a Swiss chocolate factory and did a chocolate workshop! The actual chocolate work was very easy but I really enjoyed the little lesson on tempering chocolate while our creations set enough to take them home.

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 with a third and fourth being (not to much) written simultaneously right now.

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