Most of what I’ve written about Brexit has centred around what the UK government is doing and how the process is moving along (or not moving along, as it were). Today, I want to write about some of the best moments I’ve had in Europe over the years, as a quiet reminder of how much such close proximity to other countries, languages and cultures can do for us. I have been visiting Europe since I was a tiny baby, and…
One of the main reasons we chose to ski in Bansko, Bulgaria – rather than somewhere further west in Europe – was the price. Going skiing is always going to be more expensive than taking a similar trip sans winter sports – you have to buy a lift pass, and, unless you own your own gear (which carries its own transport costs), hire gear and perhaps book a few lessons to get your skills up to scratch. All of this…
So far, I have really struggled to write “what to do in X” posts. Sure, I have done plenty of things on my trips – visited museums, tried restaurants, beach-hopped – but writing about them in listicle format is always a challenge for me. I feel I am at my best when I’m writing about a more specific subject. I mean, I wrote over a thousand words about a single cathedral in Prague. I just posted another thousand-word blog about…
After spending a wonderful week being active in the mountains in Bansko, we headed to Sofia to spend our last couple of days in Bulgaria in the capital. While getting out into nature is my favourite thing to do, as I discussed in last week’s Get Snappy, I do feel it’s important to engage with the history and culture of the places you visit. Making sure to eat local food is part of that, but nothing can replace heading to…
As I mentioned in one of the first blogs on this site, Jake and I are committed to eating in local places that serve food from the cuisine of the country we’re in. There is very little more annoying from a travel perspective than eating a overpriced crappy pizza instead of delicious local food because you didn’t start looking for a restaurant until you and your travel companions were already murderously hungry. (Obviously I am joking. There are many more…
I’ve sort of screwed myself this week, because I’ve shared so many of my photos from Bansko already. Only yesterday I posted a photo post stuffed full of all my best mountain pictures from this past week, because even though I knew I should probably just share them in this post, I was a) impatient and b) wanted to carve out a space just for those images. So yes, there are a few repeats in this Get Snappy. I had…
Mountains are just extremely majestic. I feel like that’s as close to a fact as an opinion can ever be. When you’re just a tiny human and you stand next to a colossal hunk of rock that makes you an ant at its feet, it’s hard not to be wowed. Snow-covered mountains are even more magical, because they possess all the awesome qualities of your average mountain except instead of being dull grey and covered in dirt they are bright…
When we planned this trip to Bulgaria, I knew I wanted to try snowboarding. Skiing is good, but snowboarding is cool, and that’s clearly the main motivation behind my decision-making. I mean, I’ve spent the past couple of days on a snowboard and I have multiple ear piercings – I think it’s the coolest I’ve ever been. However, while I stand by snowboarding being a cool sport, it is decidedly less cool as a beginner, because you spend most of…
This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me: I always have a lot of plans. I’m constantly dreaming up trips I want to take, goals I wanted to set and projects I want to start. Every week I come home bouncing, saying, “I’ve had an idea.” My head is so busy with potential plans that I have to remember that there are other people whose visions I care about too and that their plans also have to…
Today, I’m writing to you from Bansko, Bulgaria! I’m spending this week up in the mountains, skiing and snowboarding and eating copious amounts of chocolate biscuits, before spending next weekend in Sofia (Bulgaria’s capital) and then heading back to London. Today was our first day skiing up on the mountain and it was a BLAST. I haven’t skied in over four years and was pleasantly surprised by my residual skiing abilities. Bansko is gloriously crowd-free – we didn’t queue for…