Over the last ten or fifteen years, Girlguiding has cultivated four flagship events, held simultaneously at anywhere between two and four of its Training & Activity Centres. The really big one is Wellies & Wristbands, a festival camp for Guides & Rangers, the 10 to 18-year-olds. Then came Magic & Mayhem, a circus-themed fun day … More Sparkle & Ice 2024: the one in a shepherds hut
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
I like churches. Like some of the people who appear in this book, part of the heart & soul of their particular churches, I’m not a believer and I don’t even find any sense of peace or inner tranquillity in a church. It’s merely my chosen favourite art form, one which contains, usually, a few … More Travel Library: Steeple Chasing by Peter Ross
If you haven’t noticed, a new volcanic eruption started on Wednesday night. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised it’s still going – out of the previous nine eruption, three were over in little more than 48 hours and this one lost power very quickly. But it’s still going, and if it stops by the time this … More How to visit the Icelandic volcano without annoying ICE-SAR
Every time there’s an eruption in Iceland, I feel a compulsion to write about it, to tell you what’s really going on. I’m not a volcanologist, a geologist, a science writer or in any way qualified to do this but I love Iceland and I know the area as well as any casual tourist who’s … More Iceland’s having another eruption!
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
Having wandered around Budapest for a few days, I very suddenly realised that for the average tourist, there’s very little here to say “you’re in Hungary”. Budapest is a bubble in its own right. It’s where stag parties go for beer bikes and to make a racket in the big outdoor thermal baths, where middle … More The House of Terror, Budapest
This first thing is a bonus fact: the reason Budapest has so many thermal baths is only in part due to around a hundred atural mineral-rich hot springs. The main reason is that during the 150-ish years Budapest – or rather Buda, the city on the west bank of the Danube – was under occupation … More 8 things you need to know about Budapest thermal baths
Last week I went to Budapest and I think the best post to start with is what to do in Budapest by a local. I’m not the local but I work with someone who is not just Hungarian but born and bred in Budapest. Before I went, we sat down together and he went through … More The best things to do in Budapest – by a local
I Am A Polar Bear 