Europe

Five unusual things to do in London

A gargoyle-like sculpture in a wall along the Parkland walk

There’s certainly no shortage of famous attractions, interesting museums and historic sites for travellers to visit on their trip to London, but what if you’re staying for a while, or this isn’t your first time in the city, and you’re…
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Walking in the footsteps of the Brontë sisters in Haworth, West Yorkshire

The sitting room in the parsonage in which the sisters used to write; the wooden table is covered in writing implements

I’ve been a fan of the Brontë sisters ever since I was a ten year old with a voracious appetite for reading anything I could get my hands on, and my Mum gave me her copy of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane…
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When Berlin was divided: where to learn about the city’s recent past

A mural on the Wall at the East Side Gallery depicting animals looking at views of their homes from a window where Berlin's view is just a big grey wall

With my employer giving us a very generous two week break from work over the Christmas and New Year period, amidst all of the hustle and bustle that the festive season entails, I couldn’t not take the opportunity to go…
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Walking England’s South Coast: the Seven Sisters cliffs

The white chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters in East Sussex with a pebble beach and blue sea below

I’ve always enjoyed walking, but I started doing longer hikes more frequently during my two years in Australia, in the outback, the bush and, most often, along the many coastal paths around the country. This year was my first summer…
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Twenty-four hours in Brussels: an easy weekend trip from London

The buildings of the Grande Place in Brussels lit up at night

I’ve mentioned several times already how one of the things I’m enjoying about living in London is the wealth of access points to Europe and beyond that this city offers. Probably the easiest is the Eurostar; the train which departs…
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Haapsalu, Estonia: a holiday hotspot for the tsars and Tchaikovsky

Some brightly coloured wooden houses with flowerpots in front in Haapsalu, Estonia

It was my final full day in Estonia, and I woke to the sound of heavy rain pummelling the road outside my hostel in Tallinn. Having already spent a couple of days exploring what the capital had to offer, and…
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A day trip to Helsinki by ferry from Tallinn

A yellow house by the sea with the fortress behind on Suomenlinna island in Helsinki

Being back in Europe after two years in Australia, I’m very much enjoying the novelty of being able to country-hop by train, bus and boat. So when my research prior to my trip to Tallinn uncovered the fact that there…
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Churches, palaces, street art and spies: exploring Tallinn (and not just the Old Town)

The view of Tallinn's Old Town from one of the viewing platforms

Tallinn is another one of those places that I have always wanted to visit, ever since studying the history of the USSR and communist rule in Europe at school, so, after ticking Krakow and Albania off my bucket list this…
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