“The Cave” is a ludicrous way to start this but it’s the way the landowners are marketing their lava caving trip into Víðgelmir, Iceland’s biggest lava cave – or at least, the biggest one discovered that it’s possible to go inside. I have a hypothesis that a lot of things in Iceland are very self-explanatory … More Visiting The Cave, Iceland’s biggest lava cave
Since I’m on the subject of pools, I’m going to carry on and introduce you to the revamped geothermal pool at Húsafell in the west of Iceland. Not that I ever went there pre-revamp so I can’t compare it to what it used to look like but it’s been on my to-do list for years … More Visiting Lindin Húsafell
On Monday, I talked about the best swimming pools in Reykjavik and today I’m going to go over how you actually use a local swimming pool in Iceland. When you arrive, they’ll ask “have you been here before?” and even if you say you have, they’ll still ask “So you know all the rules?”. If … More How to use a swimming pool in Iceland
Why not follow a best pools post with a completely different best pools post? Today I’m in Iceland and I want to talk about the best swimming pools in Reykjavik. I’m not talking about the likes of the Blue Lagoon and the Sky Lagoon, fine as they are. I’m talking about public pools, the kind … More Which is the best public swimming pool in Reykjavik?
Welcome to 2025 and let’s leap straight in with one of my favourite subjects: hot water! Budapest abounds in hot water and I’ve talked about some of the thermal baths but I think it’s time to compare and contrast and decide which is best. I had some of these recommended by a colleague who was … More Which is the best bath in Budapest?
I like a boat trip. I think it’s a great way to get to see a city from a slightly unusual angle. With the Danube so very prominent in Budapest (my mental image of the city will always be the riverboat cruise adverts sprinkled throughout Midsummer Murders), it shouldn’t be so unusual, and my difficulty … More An evening Danube cruise in Budapest
Perhaps you don’t know that Budapest is actually the fusing of two cities? Buda is the half on the west bank of the Danube; Pest the one on the east. Once upon a time the young double-city was called Pest-Buda before everyone presumably realised that a) it rolled off the tongue better the other way … More How to spend a day in Budapest’s Castle Hill district
There are so many thermal baths to visit in Budapest but Rudas was high on my to-do list for one important reason: it has a rooftop hot tub with city views. Even better, at weekends it does night baths. A night bath with views of the city lights sounded like everything I could want! Iceland’s … More A night bath at Rudas
Just north of Budapest’s spectacular neo-Gothic Parliament is a tree-covered lozenge-shaped island in the middle of the Danube, where locals and tourists alike go to escape the hustle and bustle of the city without actually leaving the city. Yes, that’s not entirely different to my last post about escaping the city by going to Városliget … More How to spend a day on Margaret Island, Budapest
There’s a lot going on in the centre of Budapest and along the banks of the Danube but perhaps you haven’t realised there’s also a lot going on in a much greener quieter part of the city, the huge Városliget, Budapest’s City Park. Start by taking metro line 1 northbound to Hősök tere, Heroes Square. … More How to spend a day in Városliget, Budapest’s City Park
I Am A Polar Bear 