I didn’t know a lot about Malta before I went there. I didn’t even know what town my hostel was in – I now know it’s officially Marsa but it seems to be at the crossroads of every town I’ve ever heard of and a few I haven’t. Everyone at work knows Malta pretty well … More Valletta: a day in the fortified city
The first thing I did in Malta was go to Gozo. That’s what had been recommended to me most in the couple of weeks – well, ten days – between booking and flying, so that was my first stop. It was hot when I reached my local bus stop, which was made out of glass … More Hopping around Gozo
Airlines have reputations and in Europe, the airline with the single worst reputation is Ryanair. If you’re fortunate enough to have never encountered Ryanair, it’s a low-cost low-frills airline of the lowest kind. To quote my boss’s disgruntled mum (to be fair, she’s disgruntled about everything and that’s putting it very politely), “we didn’t even get … More I flew on Ryanair for the first time!
When I first said that I planned a day trip by train out of Amsterdam, my sister was astonished. We were only going to be there five days, we wouldn’t have the time or the inclination to leave the city. I was adamant – I almost always take a day to see at least a … More A day out in Haarlem
In November I went to Amsterdam. I went with my sister and because – and only because – of her, we went to Anne Frank’s house. I wasn’t at all sure about that. For one thing, I’m not a museum sort of person. I’m just not. For another, I wasn’t at all convinced about the … More The Many Diaries of Anne Frank
I went to Amsterdam in November. From the fact that it’s taken until January to start writing about it, you might not be surprised that Amsterdam and I didn’t get on all that well. If you’re into getting drunk and stoned and sampling the delights of the Red Light District, then this city is for … More The problem with Amsterdam…
Germany does Christmas so well and Austria has pretty much all Germany’s good points. Four years ago Family Polar Bear went to the markets at Frankfurt and Mummy Bear decided quite early this year that she wanted to go to Innsbruck Christmas market. Innsbruck is a lot smaller than Frankfurt – I mean the market … More Innsbruck Christmas market
To misquote my guidebook, in the beginning there was Kyiv. Before Ukraine or Russia or Moscow came into being, there was Kyiv. Kyiv’s had an interesting history, most of which I’ll gloss over. A lot of it was bombed in the late 30/early 40s and a lot of ancient monuments and churches are actually reproductions … More Kyiv: the city of golden domes
It took me a little while to realise how colourful Kyiv is. There’s plenty of big heavy Soviet architecture, plenty of brick and granite and stone and of course, the golden domes, but there’s also a lot of colour, so here are some examples of the colours of Kyiv. Even Kyiv’s logo wants you to … More Photoset: the colours of Kyiv
Last week I went to Ukraine and while I tried to read & be prepared, there was still plenty that threw me. So here is my Beginner’s Guide to Ukraine. Arrival – paperwork I knew that as a UK resident, I didn’t need a visa but then I arrived at the airport and found a … More Beginner’s Guide to Ukraine
I Am A Polar Bear 