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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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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. This time tomorrow, I’ll either be in a passport control queue or searching for a bus stop and then first thing on Tuesday, I’ll be getting on a train and going off on an adventure! My itinerary says six trains in six days, which isn’t so bad and the bits in between should be nice. 🇳🇴 I just finished my Norwegian course and I won’t be sad to get my Wednesday evenings back! I’ve been learning Norwegian on and off, by myself, for the best part of a decade so I wasn’t sure if beginners module 1 was the best place to start. But a real human native-speaker teacher is invaluable and I’ve acquired a very unexpected vocabulary from it. Postcards from London the weekend before last. I am an onion: last weekend I was swimming a mile in the Olympic pool and then climbing Tower Bridge, then I spent Wednesday teaching my Rangers to break codes, Wednesday having a Norwegian lesson, Thursday doing Brownie Promises and on Saturday I was at the opera (when I say that out loud, I over-emphasise every syllable: op-air-AAAAAH!). I tell myself I’m an Elsa (I’m actually more of an Anna) but sometimes, like when it’s -15° and I didn’t bother to put the furry leggings on under my lined trousers and I have a 15-minute scurry back to the bus before hypothermia gets me, the cold does bother me anyway. It’s not that 2026 has been so bad but it seems to have been busy and harder than normal. One of my Brownies gave me the cold from hell and that dragged on for *thirty-five days*, culminating in pulled back muscles and such incredible pain for ten days that at one point I was stranded upside down like a turtle who can’t physically turn over. I’ve also done three weeks with someone else’s Brownies as well as my own and my Rangers and I’ve got one more week of a Norwegian course that’s taken out my Wednesday evenings since late January, which feels like just one too many nights on. And work hasn’t helped - certain bits of research have been either difficult or hellish in certain countries but my boss and I have agreed a timeline for the current stuff that seems realistic to me and acceptable to him! A few pictures from Suomenlinna on a very cold February day.

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.

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