Iceland has had a major boom in tourism in the last 15 years, which was welcomed at first as an antidote to the kreppa, the financial crash of 2008. At that time, tourism was Iceland’s third biggest industry. Almost overnight, it soared to first place, leaving fishing and aluminium processing, the former first and second … More How to be a good tourist in Iceland
On Monday I talked about my trip to Gdańsk and I said I’d talk about Sopot today. Well, here we go. In short, I went straight to Sopot from the airport for a trip out on a pirate ship and then went to Gdańsk. Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia are three separate cities – or perhaps towns … More A pirate ship trip at Sopot
This year, I’m going back and filling in gaps in my blog, either where I never wrote the thing in the first place, or where it needs to be deleted and rewritten. I’ve never been particularly happy with the content from Gdańsk in 2019 so that was an obvious candidate for rewriting – but also, … More First impressions of Gdańsk
I was very excited about this – I was going for a sauna on a beach! There are now hundreds of small semi-rustic saunas on beaches and in woodlands around the country but Studland Sauna Hut was the first one I ever noticed. Back then, you either had to book it for a largeish group … More A Daycation at… Studland Beach
I absolutely wasted Sunday and I feel guilty for it, even as I try not to feel guilty. I was very much raised on the idea that you should make the most of your trips, squeeze in as much as possible and probably come home more tired than when you left. But that’s not what … More An authentic Croatian Sunday
I am categorically not a beach person. I don’t go on beach holidays. I don’t sunbathe. I don’t really swim in the sea (unless I’m trying to learn not to hate it sufficiently to become a kayaking instructor). On the water, yes. I like a paddle and I love a short boat trip. But you’re … More Swimming at Copacabana Beach
I said in my last post that I got an interesting and unique perspective on Dubrovnik’s Old Town and here we go. I did a night cruise on a pirate ship! Ok, technically the Karaka is a reproduction of the 14th century merchant ship of the same name. Dubrovnik has a proud history as a … More A night cruise on a tall ship in Dubrovnik
If you’re going to go to Dubrovnik, you’re going to go and explore the Old Town. For me, it was more out of a “this is the done thing” than out of any real desperate desire. I was in Croatia for the joy of being in Croatia and for the sea kayaking which I would … More Dubrovnik Old Town
The other week, I had a bit of a whistlestop trip to Croatia, a country that’s been on my to-do list for a few years and which I finally ticked off because Bristol Airport had direct flights. It turns out Bristol isn’t quite as close as I always imagine it is and the flights weren’t … More Three islands in one day sea kayaking tour
Well, it’s been a long time coming but the video series on my trip to Georgia earlier in the year has finally actually reached Georgia! This Tbilisi video isn’t the one I’d hoped to make but the new mics are really crackly so although I didn’t talk to the camera a lot, pretty much everything … More New video: First impressions of Tbilisi
I Am A Polar Bear 