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I Am A Polar Bear

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Tag: Train to York (2019)

York 2019: When it 50 metres not 50 metres? | iamapolarbear.com

When a 50m pool isn’t a 50m pool

March 26, 2020

In 2019, I did a virtual swimming challenge every month. 2.5km or 100 lengths of a standard pool every month and double that in June and October. December was going ok. I’d done 40 lengths before I went to York and I wanted to do another chunk while I was there because I like to … More When a 50m pool isn’t a 50m pool

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York 2019: selfies at the National Railway Museum | iamapolarbear.com

Selfies at the National Railway Museum

March 23, 2020

Hi from social distancing/semi-isolation and working from home! Blogging continues as normal even though I can’t travel so today’s blog is from my trip to York in December – which is what I’ve been writing about throughout March anyway. My primary objectives in York were Jorvik and the Minster. With them crossed off, I set … More Selfies at the National Railway Museum

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York 2019: Is Jorvik exciting or underwhelming | iamapolarbear.com

Jorvik Viking Centre: underwhelming or fascinating?

March 16, 2020

Is Jorvik Viking Centre underwhelming or fascinating? Or is it both? Jorvik is the main reason I wanted to go to York and the fact that it flooded a couple of years ago is why it’s taken until late 2019 to get there. The Minster only came to my attention in April, as I said … More Jorvik Viking Centre: underwhelming or fascinating?

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Inside and under York Minster | iamapolarbear.com

#BeforeItBurnsDown: York Minster

March 12, 2020

My first stop on my long weekend in York was York Minster. Well, my actual first stop, on the evening I arrived, was next door to my apartment, at the Barbican Theatre to see Rob Beckett. What kind of comedy fan, living next door to a theatre, isn’t going to pop round the corner for … More #BeforeItBurnsDown: York Minster

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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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📌 Charles Bridge, Prague 📌 St Vitus Cathedral, Prague Well, this is the most terrifying book update I’ve ever done! I didn’t take pictures of all the springs in Karlovy Vary but here’s a sample - the really hot ones, the fun ones, the ones thick with orange mineral deposits and my personal favourite, the one you can bathe in. I didn’t enjoy sampling the hot mineral springs of Karlovy Vary but here are a few things from around the town that I did enjoy. Join me on a little tour of some of the statues around Františkovy Lázně, from the emperors who shaped the town and the region to the dubious fertility symbols. And who does the angry face on the side of the hotel remind me of? Let me take you on a really short tour of some of the mineral springs in the spa park of Františkovy Lázně. This is what spa means here, taking (drinking) the spring water and enjoying the curative properties of spending time in the gardens, out in the fresh air. I thought today I’d take you on a little tour of Mariánské Lázně, which is a smallish pleasant town with a Neo-Renaissance Neo-Classical Neo-Everything spa town bolted onto the side. It’s had its fair share of celebrity visitors over the last 150 years, it’s got an abundance of very mineral-rich fizzy springs which you have to sample and it’s dotted with weird artworks. I think I like Mariánské Lázně but I don’t think I need more than about two days there. This is the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hotel Nové Lázně in Mariánské Lázně, the most prestigious hotel I’ve ever stayed in (although not for quite such an outrageous price as I might have expected).

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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