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The new decade, which we all excitedly entered with a renewed sense of clarity (cue the 20/20 references), was already the worst year known to modern humanity before the end of the first quarter. And it only seemed to become more harrowing as the months progressed. I thought, by 2020, that we'd have teleportation and flying cars. Never, in my wildest imagination, would I have guessed that people would just be learning proper hand hygiene and that racism was bad. The pandemic tested and isolated us humans, but it decimated the tourism sector. 2020 was a lost year for travel and an incredibly boring year for my passport. But, before and after the world got completely cancelled, I was able to getaway a handful of times. In a year like no other, I felt it fitting to do things a little different, in terms of my '2020 Travels' blog...You'll find the format this year is a mix of travel year-in-review and quarantine chronicles. JANUARY On the 1st of Jan, things were still very festive in Vilnius, Lithuania! Snow fell, lights twinkled, champagne corks popped, fireworks exploded and I didn't yet know that an apocalyptic virus would bring the world to a standstill. Life was good! Upon returning to Munich, I had just about enough time to unpack, re-load my suitcase and sleep a couple of hours before I schlepped back to Franz Josef Strauss International Airport. Since I didn't have to report to work for six more days, I had some free time to spend with friends in London. Many people had not yet returned from their festive holidays, making maneuvering around The Big Smoke a breeze (and also a bit of foreshadowing for the very near future). In mid-January, a weekend in sunny Lisbon, Portugal was just what the doctor ordered to temporarily rid myself of the winter blues. The laid-back vibe, delicious food, friendly people and my lovely travel companion helped as well. Back to London I went for nine days, at the tail-end of the month. As I was physically there, I can confirm the United Kingdom did in fact leave the EU (as of 23:00 GMT on 31st January 2020), after 3.5 years of political deadlock. An eleven month 'transtion period' was put in place, during which a complex UK-EU withdrawal agreement had to be negotiated, ratified and implemented. Five months passed before the trade discussions began and it took until 24th December, just seven days prior to the end of the Brexit transition, for the UK and EU to agree upon a deal. FEBRUARY 11th February was the day that the World Health Organization announced 'COVID-19' as the official name of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Four days later, clearly not yet feeling personally affected by that news, I escaped the cold of Germany to vacation hard in Naples, Florida, for two weeks. On Leap Day, my friend, my killer Floridian tan and I headed out of Munich, for the night, to Starnberg (Bavaria's second largest lake). Because it was winter and the ferries weren’t in operation, we wandered, on foot, around the north end of the shore - eating, drinking and admiring the alpine panorama. 29th February also marked my six-month bavarianniversary and the official half-way mark for my 'cooling-off period.' Only 183 more days to go until I was permitted to apply for a shiny new UK visa. MARCH Fear and anxiety increased as European coronavirus cases surged. I hadn't quite grasped the severity of the situation, so I went about my business, as planned, and spent the first week of the month in Barcelona, Spain. Having been to the Catalonian capital several times previously, I did this trip in a more tasty, less touristy manner. Back in Germany, I attended the final match played by FC Bayern Munich, on 8th March, before the Bundesliga season was halted (until 16th May). There I was, sat alongside 74,999 fellow spectators, just three days prior to COVID-19 being classified as a pandemic. The Albanian Prime Minster shut all clubs and restaurants, as an outbreak precaution, two days before I was scheduled to visit. Additionally, I received an email from the hotel I had booked indicating that they were 'closing for an undetermined period of time due to the COVID-19 threat.' Since I'd have nowhere to eat, drink nor sleep, I decided that maybe this wasn't the right time to go to Tirana. Instead, I booked a last-minute flight to London, for a long weekend. I didn't know it on 15th March, when I returned to Munich, but that would be my last time flying the friendly skies for the next 78 days. By mid-March, there had been outbreaks in nearly every country and Europe was the epicenter of the virus. Governments attempted to suppress the spread of the illness by imposing dramatic measures like lockdowns, quarantines, border closures and non-essential travel bans. The crisis unfolded rapidly and dramatically. It disrupted modern society on a scale that most of the living human population had never previously witnessed. The virus that knew no borders emptied public spaces and filled hospitals. It cost lives and livelihoods. It crashed economies and broke healthcare systems. It shuttered restaurants/bars/shops/schools and separated people from their workplaces/friends/families. Individuals, communities, businesses and industries alike felt the impact. Transport and tourism were among the hardest hit sectors. Never before had international travel been restricted in such an extreme manner. Airlines faced the darkest period in the history of commercial aviation, significantly worse than 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis. Mass flight cancellations were the result of aircraft companies grounding up to 95% of their fleets. Lufthansa was reportedly losing €1 million per hour, at the height of the pandemic travel paralysis. Quarantine Week 1 (16th March): In Germany, the number of infections at the start of the week was about 7k. By the end of the week, more than 26k were tallied. The country's borders were shut, closures were announced and contact bans/curfews were put in place. I was instructed to work from home until further notice (I never actually went back). Downloads for apps like Houseparty and Zoom spiked as people virtually connected with friends/family members and work video chats soared in volume. Unnecessary panic buying left supermarket shelves devoid of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and pasta. St. Paddy's Day 2020 was cancelled. The Shedd aquarium, in Chicago, allowed penguins to roam freely whilst its doors were shut to the public. Love is Blind taught us how to get engaged whilst in isolation. Tik Tok piqued the world's creativity (before becoming controversial and banned in several countries). And even though the Tiger King docuseries baffled millions of people, the one thing everyone agreed on was that Carole Baskin fed her ex-husband to her tigers. Quarantine Week 2 (23rd March): It only took two weeks of lockdown to realize my top two sources of joy were travel and non-essential businesses. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic games were postponed to 2021. I was supposed to be in London for the week, but the UK had implemented lockdown measures in an attempt to fight the pandemic, which meant my flight did not operate. Boris Johnson tested positive for COVID-19. A 101-year-old Italian man who survived the 1918 flu and a World War recovered from COVID-19. By the end of the week, Germany had confirmed more than 57k infections, with 395 deaths. Quarantine Week 3 (30th March): It was clear that the quarantine would not end anytime soon and 'emotional claustrophobia' took hold as people recongized that they'd be stuck for an undetermined period of time. Corona beer was forced to halt production as it fell victim to the virus with its namesake. Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since WW11. In an attempt to have control over something in my life, I started a routine which included walking two miles each day, to purchase two bottles of wine. I was not the only person lubricating this weird situation with booze. In the UK, sales were up by 22% in March and in the US they rose 55%, compared to the same period last year. I was supposed to have been exploring Georgia & Armenia over the weekend, but the flights were cancelled. Germany now had more coronavirus cases, on record, than China (officially) did, as it approached the 100k infections mark. APRIL I hoped that I'd wake up on April Fool's day and learn that the pandemic was a well-orchestrated, global joke. No such luck! Quarantine Week 4 (6th April): On World Health Day (7th April), we all realized just how profound of a debt of gratitude we owed our medical professionals. Stephen King apologized for people feeling like they were living in one of his horror novels. Isolation fatigue became feared by many governments. My trip to Iceland for the Easter break had been cancelled, but, as a fitting Easter treat, I got to meet the two giant neighborhood bunnies, whom I had nicknamed Covid (white) and Corona (brown). Quarantine Week 5 (13th April): Worldwide infections surpassed two million and the death toll rose past 128k by mid-April. Conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus sprung up as science was railroaded for speculation, politics and clickbait. Did Bill Gates have a hand in the creation? Did it originate in a Chinese lab? Or maybe, some numpty in Wuhan really did just eat an under-cooked bat? Kneading to relax a bit, people turned to baking bread (see what I did there?), which meant there were shortages of eggs, yeast and flour in shops. The road trip around western Romania that I had planned and booked did not happen. Quarantine Week 6 (20th April): My weekend in Madeira, Portugal was thwarted. Coronavirus shutdowns were the environment's 2020 Earth Day gift. In 'don't try this at home' news, Trump suggested that people inject themselves with disinfectant as a COVID-19 cure. North Korea's dictator hadn't been seen in weeks and was deemed either dead, alive or just fine, depending on what publication you read. Maybe Carole Baskin also fed him to her tigers!? With no Munich to London flights in operation, I stepped up my steps as I began training to walk to the UK (just kidding....kind of). Oktoberfest 2020 was cancelled, five months early, due to the ongoing health calamity. The first of Germany's restrictions eased with the reopening of select shops (mainly DIY stores and garden centers), whilst a €150 fine for hugging was imposed. Quarantine Week 7 (27th April): I was still staying home and still grateful my only fever was cabin, but I was also struggling with boredom and restricted freedom of movement. Wearing masks became mandatory throughout Germany, on public transit and in all shops. I was supposed to meet my boyfriend in Leeds over the weekend, to see a football match, but since all flights and sports were suspended, that obviously did not happen. Captain Tom Moore raised $32m for the NHS, on his 100th birthday, by walking 100 laps around his garden. Less for charity, and more for sanity, I walked 125 miles in April. MAY Quarantine Week 8 (4th May): By the time May rolled around, things had still not improved a whole heck of a lot. In fact, some would argue that things were made worse as murder hornets entered the scene. We all hoped that Winter the llama would end up saving the human race, but that didn't pan out. My Bulgarian road trip was cancelled, but because German restrictions had lifted slightly, I was able to, instead, head to the Bavarian Alps for the weekend. Whilst there, I got to see the enchanting Neuschwanstein Castle (from afar, as it was closed to visitors). Quarantine Week 9 (11th May): During the 20th week of 2020, Twitter announced that its employees could work from home, forever. I was thoroughly sick of looking at my own face on video chats, but I had finally worked out my best angles and perfected my tactic for nicely informing people that they were on mute. As German restrictions continued to loosen, the government battled with knowing how exactly to reopen a modern economy during the ongoing pandemic. Restaurants came up with clever ways to keep people socially distanced and I had played (and won) 1,000 games of Sudoku since the start of quarantine. Quarantine Week 10 (18th May): Known global C-VID cases exceeded the five million mark, with more than 328,000 deaths. Singles started listing CV antibody test results on their dating apps. A robot dog enforced social distancing in Singapore, like an episode of Black Mirror. In Bavaria, outdoor gastronomies and beer gardens were allowed to resume service. All 12 trips I had planned, booked and paid for (between March and July) had cancelled, but I had only received reimbursements for four (of sixteen) flights. Some carriers were doing right by their passengers, but Lufthansa was most certainly not one of them. They repeatedly promised refunds but never actually processed them. When discussions of a €9 billion government rescue deal were announced, I regained hope that maybe one day Lufthansa would actually refund their customers for all the flights that they cancelled. Quarantine Week 11 (25th May): As we were allowed to began righting our overturned lives in Germany, the 'new norm' felt completely abnormal. Security guarded entrances to establishments like grocery stores, bike shops and even recycling centers, managing headcount and ensuring masks were being worn/people were keeping their distance. At some eateries/drinkeries guests were required to fill out forms with the date and their contact information, in the event that tracking and tracing was necessary. The United States surpassed the 100,000 coronavirus-related deaths milestone. CV cost the drug cartels millions, as their methods of moving product were compromised and money laundering became easier to spot, with legitimate businesses closed. I was meant to be in London over the weekend, but that flight had been cancelled a month prior. Cheeky monkeys in India stole COVID-positive blood samples and ate them. The Boston Marathon was cancelled for the first time in its 124-year history. I most certainly was not training for a marathon, but I walked more than 130 miles in May, for lack of anything else to do. JUNE Quarantine Week 12 / Self-Isolation Week 1 (1st June): After countless failed attempts and 78-days grounded, I was finally able to get a flight out of Germany, on 1st June. I arrived in London one week before the UK's 14-day travel quarantine rule went into effect, but I still self-isolated for two weeks, in an Airbnb, to play it safe after a completely full flight. The start of June marked an unsettling time in the USA as George Floyd's unjust death escalated national civil unrest. Protests, and subsequent riots, against racial inequality, discrimination and police brutality occurred in all 50 states. Outside the US, thousands also rallied in solidarity. Quarantine Week 13 / Self-Isolation Week 2 (8th June): The world coronavirus cases climbed to 7.5 million, with more than 420k deaths. New Zealand, which, to date, had contributed only 1,154 cases and 22 deaths to those aforementioned totals, declared themselves COVID-19 free. British Airways, Ryanair and Easyjet each filed a formal legal challenge against the UK government’s new quarantine policy, which went into effect at the start of the week. According to the LA Times, there were 160 different CV vaccines being development in labs around the world. Quarantine Week 14 (15th June): When I finally got to my boyfriend's house, after two weeks of self-isolation, it had been 90 days too long since we had last seen one another. The UK were super late to the COVID game, only making it mandatory to wear masks on public transit in mid-June. Although Greece started opening up its borders to travelers, Athens was the only operational airport, which meant my weekend flight from Munich to Corfu got cancelled (also, I wasn't in Munich, so that flight wouldn't have been particularly useful anyway). Quarantine Week 15 (22nd June): News outlets reported that there were more than nine million worldwide confirmed coronavirus cases, in 188 countries, with a death toll nearing 500k. The bulk of CV activity was now concentrated in USA, Brazil and India. The number one tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, tested positive for COVID-19 following a tournament he hosted. Kenya suffered a second plague as the largest swarms of locust, in more than 70 years, infested and destroyed their crops. Frightfully, US gun permit applications increased by more than 500% amid pandemic and racial protests. Quarantine Week 16 (29th June): Despite the ongoing coronavirus surge in Russia, Putin mobilized resources to make sure the referendum went ahead. Russian voters 'overwhelmingly backed' new changes to the constitution, allowing Putin (Russia’s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin) to run for two more terms - meaning he could remain in power through 2036. JULY After 110 days of quarantine, 4th July was COVID-19 Independence Day in Britain. The UK re-opened its doors to pubs, restaurants, cafes, salons, museums, zoos, theme parks, libraries, cinemas and hotels, effectively ending life in lockdown. Although COVID rules officially became guidelines rather than legally enforceable offences, singing was still strictly forbidden. Without work to physically go to, and with things opening again, it felt a bit like a false sense of summer break. My boyfriend and I headed out to his folks' house in Crawley, UK for a weekend, where we went on park adventures, played football (soccer) and BBQ'd. The third weekend of the month was spent with a small group of friends in a lovely country house in Lewes, UK, where we all took turns cooking semi-gourmet meals, honed our cocktail-making skills, swam and played tennis. Adulting at its finest! By the end of July, global coronavirus infections had surged past 15 million, according to Reuters. In the UK, only on 24th July did it become compulsory to wear masks in shops (three full months after this rule was put in place in Germany). AUGUST Desperate for a trip, but feeling like international holidays were still too risky, my friend and I hired a car and did a four-day road trip around Kent. We had a fabulous time exploring Folkstone, Dover, Broadstairs, Botany Bay, Margate, Canterbury, Whitstable and Tenterden. On 16th August, I flew from London Heathrow to Boston Logan. I counted only 17 passengers on my Airbus A350 (capacity of 331). What a delight...for me! Probably less so for British Airways. It was an interesting time to have been in the US, where Trump seemingly did more to halt people from voting in the upcoming Presidential election than he ever did to stop people from getting COVID (at which point there were 5.88M US confirmed cases and over 181k US deaths). Fires ravaged the West, hurricanes decimated the Southeast and tornados plagued the Northeast, Great Lakes and Northern Plains. There was also another demoralizing shooting by the police (Jacob Blake), another angry set of protests in the streets and another disturbing trail of destruction that overshadowed the message to end police violence and racism. SEPTEMBER My two weeks of US self-isolation ended the day before I was legally allowed to apply for my new UK visa (that precise planning was not an accident). The pandemic seemed to have streamlined bureaucracy as the whole process, from submission to approval, took 15-days and was the least painfull immigration process I've yet endured. In total, I spent six weeks in the US. Luckily the weather cooperated and I was able to enjoy outdoor adventures with loved ones (including goat yoga, a corn maze, playing tennis, seaside dining and wine tasting). On 23rd September, I relocated back to UK soil, for the second (and hopefully final) time. My American friend had also arrived in London, from the US, at the same time, so I did my 14-day quarantine stint at hers, which basically resulted in a two week long boozey slumber party! After 13-months, and two weeks of quarantine, my (restricted) life in London officially resumed. OCTOBER Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19, which surprised absolutely nobody. I snuck away for two weekends to the countryside, despite regional lockdowns. The first of which was spent in Suffolk, at Retreat East, with two of my girlfriends, for some serious R&R. I also went to Sussex, for some fresh air, long walks and autumnal leaf peeping. NOVEMBER And just like that, it was November and the British national lockdown part deux was in effect, for a month. Quarantine Week 789 (2nd November): Netflix's The Queen's Gambit inspired me to take up chess as a quarantine hobby, which helped pass the time whilst I sat around and anxiously waited for votes to be counted. After four years of failed administration, a long and bitter Presidential race and the most consequential/unpredictable election in American history, 2020's bright spot was the Biden-Harris victory. Trump, of course, conceded with dignity, grace and honor. Oh wait, I think I have him confused with Kanye West. Quarantine Week 1,287 (9th November): The week kicked off with more good news as Pfizer/BioNTech (cautiously, but optimistically) announced a vaccine that was projected to be 90% effective against COVID-19. If it passed final checks and was distributed/adminstered effectively, it would serve as a turning point in the gobal fight against the virus. Questions remained about how much defence it would offer, when/who could get immunized and how long the protection would last, but even just the promise of a vaccine was enough to instill a little bit of hope in the population. This week also brought us the second Friday the 13th of the year. Quarantine Week 2,473 (16th November): Three more vaccine candidates were announced! Moderna (partly funded by Dolly Parton), Sputnik V in Russia and Oxford University/AstraZeneca's were all looking promising. The more vaccines the merrier! Quarantine Week 3,156 (23rd November): Football legend Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the game's greatest ever players, died of a heart attack on 25th November. The combination of ongoing and changing travel restrictions/quarantine requirements made it impossible to get back to the US for my annual November trip. So instead of spending Thanksgiving with my family, I doubled my lockdown Sudoku streak (2,000 games now played and won). It's hard to contain all the excitement this year brought! Quarantine Week 8,727 (30th November): I finally received the last flight refund (of 16) that I was due, from all my pandemic-related cancelled 2020 trips. Many were retrieved as a result of credit card disputed charges, since some airlines were jerks (not to name specific names, but I'm talking about you Lufthansa and Icelandair). DECEMBER It was a 40th birthday miracle that lockdown 2.0 ended at 12:01am on 2nd December. Thanks for the bday pressie, UK government! I wasn't able to celebrate in the Caribbean, as originally intended, but my boyfriend and I did get to spend a few nights at The Treehouse Hotel, for a lovely little staycation. Whilst scientists continued work on vaccine approvals, the UK returned to a three-tiered COVID restriction structure. 8th December, dubbed 'V-Day', was an exciting one as the UK officially kickstarted its nationwide vaccine rollout. The first people to receive the jab should be fully immune by 5th January 2021. Quarantine Week 10,999 (14th December): Straight out of lockdown, at the start of the month, London was placed in Tier 2, but was relegated to Tier 3 only two weeks later. After four whole days in Tier 3, a mystical Tier 4 was introduced and London was placed firmly in it, effectively entering lockdown part III. The self-isolation period, following travel and exposure to the infected, was reduced from 14 to 10 days. The news was reporting 71.1 million COVID-19 cases worldwide, with 1.67 million deaths by the end of 2020's 50th week. Quarantine Week 12,333 (21st December): On 21st December, the planets quite literally aligned as Jupiter and Saturn came closer together than they had in 400 years. It was too cloudy for me to witness the conjunction, but my dad captured the photo below, from Naples, Florida. Coronavirus was the Grinch who stole Christmas. As a result of the UK's new, mutant strain of COVID (that seemed to be up to 70% more transmissible), all holiday plans were cancelled and alternatives had to be rearranged with short notice. Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, India and Canada issued temporary bans on flights from the UK. Quarantine Week 15,000 (28th December): Controversary over Hilaria (Hillary) Baldwin's heritage captured the attention of the entire internet. The good news was that the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine was approved by UK regulators and would start being administered the following week. The bad news was that New Year's Eve would have to be celebrated at home and my 20-year streak of ringing in the new year in a new city/country would come to an end. SAD STATS FROM MY 2020 TRAVELS: Trips: 8 (23 in 2019) Air Miles Flown: 25,269 (83,789 in 2019) Airline Segments Flown: 18 (48 in 2019) Airlines Flown: 5 (14 in 2019) Amount of Time Spent in the Air: 56.5 hours (183 hours in 2019) Total Countries Visited: 6 (17 in 2019) New Countries Visited: 0 (as of March, I was intended to visit at least 7) Continents Visited: 2 (North America & Europe) Nights Spent in a Hotel/Airbnb: 35 (67 in 2019) In March, the graph below displayed how my 2020 travels were shaping up for the year (green bubbles = countries already visited; blue bubbles = new countries): ...But this is how things actually materialized. CLOSING THOUGHTS 2020 was a defining year for humanity, for good and for bad. Australian bushfires/US wildfires, Brexit, record unemployment, economic depression, racial injustice and tumultuous politics, alongside a global pandemic that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, were some of the latter. One of the very few upsides of this year was people coming together, in the face of calamity, displaying inspirational acts of solidarity and generosity. It was heartwarming and uplifting to see so many people and businesses helping those in need, whilst spreading love and goodwill. The months spent in quarantine were a time to reflect and appreciate. Although I was bored, felt caged, struggled with having my travel wings clipped and spent so much time away from loved ones, I often felt guilty because I really was quite fortunate. I didn't fall sick nor lose any loved ones to the virus. I was grateful to have remained gainfully employed through it all and that my company continued to invest in my UK immigration amid a tough economy. I was thankful that I had a safe places to quarantine and appreciative of all my friends who stayed in contact. I certainly won’t miss 2020, but I also will never forget it. #vilnius #lithuania #newyearseve #europe #london #uk #unitedkingdom #england #lisbon #portugal #brexit #naples #florida #usa #unitedstatesofamerica #starnberg #bavaria #germany #deutschland #leapday #leapyear #barcelona #spain #catalonia #coronavirus #cv #covid19 #pandemic #stayathome #socialdistancing #flattenthecurve #covidiots #superspreaders #shelterinplace #herdimmunity #coronacoaster #staycation #vaccine #kent #suffolk #lewes #newington #connecticut #crawley

Bureaucracy was dreamt up by Ancient Egyptians and coined by the French, but it was the Germans who refined it into a system that regulates every single detail of every single area of life. Having recently relocated from London, to Munich, as an American citizen, I learned more about German protocol then I ever cared to know. Let's begin with the residence permit (AKA visa). As a US citizen, I can visit Germany for up to 90-days, visa-free, but in order to live/work, a residence permit is required. I could have legally entered Germany as a tourist, and then gotten my visa after arrival, but I wouldn't be allowed to work until that visa paperwork was processed. Since I had no concept of how long that might take and I didn't want to contend with the language barrier, I decided the best course of action would be to get my visa from the German embassy, in London, ahead of time. Back in May 2019, after I engineered a six-week period of time where I wouldn't need my passport, I booked a visa appointment for 8:15am on Monday 8th July. Bookings at the embassy were not plentiful, so it's good I arranged it a few months in advance. Tracking down a list of required documents was my next undertaking. Blogs I read told me one thing, the 'Consular Services' section of the German embassy listed others, so I brought EVERYTHING I could think of (and most of it in duplicate): A printout of the embassy appointment confirmation My passport and copies of the picture page My UK residence permit card and copies of it A slew of various sized passport photos Two completed and filled out applications Two signed additional information sheets Copies of my eDiploma from university (which was a whole other mission to obtain - anyone else out there still remember their university student ID number?) Program management certification from the USA The employment contract I received from the German office An invitation letter from the MD of the German office A “Vorabbestätigung” from the German “Agentur für Arbeit“ (a notarized document, with an original signature, that was entirely in German, so I'm not 100% certain what it was) The final necessity, which was not listed on the embassy website, but turned out to be imperative (and luckily I had), was proof of healthcare. After a bit of investigation (and some dumb luck), I landed on TK's site, which looked sufficient. I decided on a state (versus private) policy because I didn't know what I was doing. I signed up (using a friend's local Munich address) and, low and behold, it worked! I was able to immediately print off a confirmation of my compulsory healthcare plan and bring that along with me to my visa appointment. FYI, in Germany, you also get your social security/insurance number through your healthcare provider. The two things I neglected to bring to my embassy appointment, however, were proof of UK employment and cash. I thought my UK work visa would be sufficient as employment verification, but they also wanted other evidence, like pay stubs. I convinced them to move forward without this bit of information, with the promise to bring copies with me when I came back for visa collection (which I did bring, but nobody cared about/asked for/looked at). I also was not prepared with the payment. I had read that all fees were to be made by credit card and that cash was not accepted, but it turned out the opposite was true. I needed the equivalent of €75, in GBP (at a fixed rate of £67.30). Luckily, I was able to walk a few blocks to an ATM, withdraw money and then go back into the embassy to submit the payment. There was some ambiguity online, but, in the end, I was not required to hand over my passport to the embassy, which pleased me greatly. Although, it wouldn't really have mattered since just 24-hours later, I received the following email: Back to embassy I went, first thing in the AM on Tuesday 9th July. After passing through security and storing my electronic devices in a locked cupboard, I patiently waited in the seating area until counter two became available. Once it did, I handed my passport to the clerk and sat back down. A few moments later my name was called and my passport was returned to me, with a shiny new German visa adhered to page 21. Easy peasy...Or so I thought. Here's the twist - I was only granted a six-month entry clearance visa, rather than a full year residence permit. I was told that I'd have to extend the visa after I arrived in Germany, but that I should do so immediately as 'it could be hard to get an appointment and these things could take a lot of time'. They were unwilling (or unable) to give me any further information as to why I was only granted a six-month visa, where I needed to go in Munich for the extension and what sort of documentation I'd need to bring along with me. The good news was, I could enter the country and begin working immediately, which was necessary because I was moving on Friday 30th August and beginning work on Monday 2nd September. What was annoying was that my post-arrival bureaucracy to do list kept growing. A condensed list of other elements that I had to take care of, in London, before I moved included: Booked this Airbnb, for my first two weeks in Munich. Opened a bank account, potentially illegally, ahead of time, using a friend's local Munich address. I selected N26, an online only bank, because I knew they wouldn't require me to visit in person, and, it had good reviews. The initial sign-up was easy enough, but then I had to have a Skype interview to complete the process, which was a bit odd. It all worked out okay thought and I was able to provide my company with banking information ahead of time - both in the UK and in Germany. Had my work iPhone XR unlocked so that I could get an eSIM in Germany, which, in theory, would allow me to keep my UK number and also add a local Bavarian number. More on this later. Cancelled all my London bills and direct payment debits through my bank. I took pictures of my meters (just in case of any disagreements with the electric company down the line). Changed my local London address on my bank account, credit cards, pension, private health care, etc. to a friend's in the UK, in case anything important needed to be sent my way. I decided against redirecting my post through Royal Mail, because it was costly and I usually only receive spam anyway. Cleaned my flat and chased my deposit refund. Sifted through every single one of my worldly possessions to decide if they were coming with me or going into one of my nine boxes that went into storage in London (which I paid, upfront, for 12-months). All 'coming with me' belongings were shoved into five suitcases and schlepped to Munich. After a solid month of all the above listed admin, seemingly endless good byes and lots and lots of tears, the 30th of August rolled around. Just like that, my five years in London had come to an end and I moved to Munich. The first few weeks in the Munich Airbnb were lovely, and a great way to ease into my new city. The property was a very modern, spacious flat, in a great area of town and the host was wonderful. Luckily, I had a very gracious friend who invited me to come live with her, her boyfriend and their dog, for the rest of my time in Munich. I was eternally grateful because: 1) The local rental market is uber competitive and extremely expensive 2) I was a bit lonely in the Airbnb by myself and not speaking the language made things even more isolating and 3) I now get to live in a big girl, spacious house, on a giant plot of land, with a stream and a garden in the backyard, with friends who speak English! My first order of business, as a new German taxpayer, was to register my address with the local authorities. Anyone and everyone living in Germany is required to register (and also re-register if they move/de-register when they leave the country). Registering is technically required to be done within two weeks, although it doesn't seem to be a heavily enforced rule. It was a priority for me however, because until registry took place, mail could not be delivered (who needs a healthcare/bank card), my Tax ID number could not be generated (who needs a paycheck), and I was unable to start the process of extending my visa (who needs to be legally able to reside somewhere). BUT, before any of this registering malarkey could be dealt with, my new landlord needed to complete and autograph a mandatory form called Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. As it turned out, anyone could really have forged that signature, but I didn't know that at the time. Once I had that signed document in hand, I went online to make an appointment at one of the six Bürgerbüro in Munich. Once you get to the booking portion of the website, English translations cease, so I had to Google translate all the words. It became clear that I wanted the Meldeangelegenheiten appointment type. Most appointments were already booked up, for the next few months, so I selected the Bürgerbüro location, purely based on availability. A few days later, I boarded the 53 bus to the Leonrodstraße Bürgerbüro, armed with a printout of my appointment confirmation, my passport, the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung and a completed application. *Fun (and weird) fact - If you indicate that you are any sort of religion on the application, your monthly income is taxed an additional 8-9%. I sat in the waiting area of the small office until my appointment number, and corresponding counter where I was meant to go, were displayed on the screens. The whole affair took about 30-mins. I immediately received an approved, written registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung). I was told my tax ID number would arrive in about six-weeks, by post. If that didn't work for me, I could come back, without an appointment, a few days later, and the person at the front desk would provide this information. I opted for the latter option and got my tax ID number in about five-minutes, a week later. After registering, I added my name to the mailbox so that post would be delivered and called my healthcare provider to ask them to resend a copy of my healthcare policy and the social insurance information, which had not been able to previously be delivered. Once the healthcare information arrived, I uploaded a passport photo to the TK site, using a one-time code that was provided in the letter. In another few weeks, I'm told my healthcare card will arrive and I will be in business. The next amusing bureaucratic hurdle was trying to extend my visa. Heeding the warning of the German embassy in London, I began the process a mere three weeks after moving to Munich. This mission started on the Munich Foreigners Office site. After clicking around a bit, I found an 'Online Appointments' section. I wasn't sure which of the categories I fell into, so I filled in the appointment contact form at the bottom of the page and asked for guidance. Several days later, an ever-so-helpful lady named Marian emailed me and informed me that a short-appointment was not possible, but that I could come in to the Kreisverwaltungsreferat (KVR) office, between 8:30am and 12:00pm on Tuesdays or Thursdays and stand in the queue at the SCIF (Service-Center für internationale Fachkräfte/Service Center for International Professionals). Sidebar, if you visit the site for SCIF, it clearly states, very largely, at the top, that 'You need an appointment to visit us'. I went back to Marian and explained that my visa didn't expire until 29th February 2020, so I was hopeful that she could find me an appointment some time before that (being only September 2019 and because her job was answering people who specifically utilized the appointment contact form). She responded that I should come in to the office, have my documents checked and talk about possibilities for a further extension. When I asked what documents I'd need, she replied that she did not know. After several more pointless email exchanges, it was clear that she was not going to help me book an appointment - Especially, as her last sentence in her final email was 'I would recommend you book an appointment online here.' Back to square one, thank you very much, Marian!! On Tuesday 24th September, I physically made my way to the KVR. I stood in a line for about an hour, before I was called into a room by a clerk. I explained my situation and she said she'd take a look at my file. Her system then crashed. After a bit more time had passed, she got things working and she told me that she thought I needed an 'EU Blue Card'. She walked me over to another area of the building and left me in yet another queue. I stood in that line for a short while. Once I got to the front (it was about 9:50am), the security guard informed me that they had already seen all the people they would be seeing that morning. I noted the time and pointed to the sign on the door with the posted hours (8:30am until noon). He then said that those hours were just a suggestion, and that they only see 60 people each morning. On Thursday 26th September, I woke up super early and got down to the KVR for about 7:30am (a full hour before the office opened). The queue was already long. The moment the clock struck 8:30am, everyone rushed the doors. There was literally no point in the line at all. It was chaos, people were pushing and shoving. By the time I got to where I needed to go, at 8:33am, the first 60 people had already been let in and the rest of us were turned away, but not before I got a sheet of paper from the security guard with instructions for how to make an online appointment, for the EU Blue Card. On my train journey back home, I went online to book. There were zero available appointments between that current day and the end of January 2020. Apparently, they opened 'day of' appointments at 7am on Mondays and Fridays and at 8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. At this point in time, I still have had no luck with my visa extension and I'm losing patience. I'm going to look into the option of hiring an agency to handle this for me. Stay tuned as the saga continues... Post-entering Bavaria, I also had to handle the following: As previously mentioned, I attempted to get a dual SIM and eSIM card with my current UK iPhone XR, through the local Vodafone provider. My intention was to keep my UK number via the physical nano SIM card and add a German number via eSIM. This is technically possible, per the Apple website, but in order to do so Vodafone required that I sign no less than a two-year contract and then utilize a German physical SIM card, which completely negated the whole point. The staff were rude and I got frustrated, gave up and decided I'd just keep using my UK number. Researched German language lessons. I wanted to attend classes in the evenings, in-person, but the programs were all six-weeks in duration and I didn't have six consecutive weeks where I'd be around. I ultimately landed on Lingoda, as it was a more flexible, online option. Set up EasyPass for use of ePassport gates in German airports. To enroll in this program I followed signs for ‘Service Point Federal Police’ at Terminal 2 of the Munich airport. I handed the policeman my passport, completed a three-page form and was approved in less than 20-mins. It was free and immediately activated. Updated my current city on LinkedIn and Facebook. Joined Pro Health Club (PHC) gym. The annual membership had to be paid in cash, which was a hassle as I had a maximum transaction withdraw amount as well as a cap on how much I could take out each day AND a limit on the amount of free withdrawals I could make a in month. Figured out public transit. It worked out best, financially, to buy a monthly IsarCard (rings 1-4 costs €79.10/month). IsarCards must be bought at ticket machines, and cannot be purchased through the MVV nor MCG apps. Ticket machines can be operated in English though. You must validate the paper ticket before you travel. I will touch more on public transportation in my next post. Got a new travel insurance policy, with a healthcare package, through a company called HanseMerkur. Applied for a UK tax refund. I have now been in Munich exactly one month, but done enough admin for a lifetime. Yet, I fear, it's only just beginning... #munich #bavaria #germany #german #europe #visa #residencepermit #eubluecard #bluecard #bureaucracy #redtape #deutchland

The joy of a road trip is that the journey is the destination. In 'normal' times, there’s nothing quite like the sense of freedom and excitement that comes from jumping in the car and following street signs, wherever they may take you. Amongst other things, COVID-19 has robbed humanity of a completely spontaneous road trip - at least for now. With social distancing and increased hygiene protocols, fewer rooms are being rented, tables are being served and tours being conducted, making reservations a requirement for accommodations, eateries and attractions. But don't let the amplified need for structure deter you from a DIY, impulsive self-drive tour, particularly in a time when international travel is so uncertain. All it takes is a little imagination and a bit more planning than normal to restore that 2020 lost spirit of adventure. FOLKESTONE: My journey around Kent (AKA the Garden of England), with my friend, a few weekends ago, started off in Folkestone, only about a hour and a half drive from London. Compared to other Kentish towns, Folkestone is considered to be a bit more scrappy and gritty, but I personally really enjoyed its charm, cute town center, picturesque promenade overlooking the sea, seafront pubs and adorable harbor. It would have been amazing to be able to taste the culinary magic of Rocksalt that I'd read about, but that wasn't possible without an advanced booking, which we did not have. If you stay the night, I recommend The View on the Leas. DOVER: A 20-min drive from Folkestone was Samphire Hoe. It cost a mere £2 to park (coins needed). This nature reserve was created using 4.9 million cubic metres of chalk marl from the Channel Tunnel excavations. Here, we did an easy and slow 2km circuit walk. From Samphire Hoe, it was another 20-odd-minute drive to get to Saint Margaret's at Cliffe for some hiking above the infamous White Cliffs of Dover. BROADSTAIRS: After the trek, we fancied a bit of sunbathing, so we drove 35-mins to Broadstairs to visit its sweeping sandy beaches which felt borrowed from France, across the channel. However, when we arrived, it was heaving. There was a lot of traffic, parking was unattainable and the beach was absolutely rammed, so we decided to continue up the peninsula to see what else we could find. BOTANY BAY: About 10-mins down the road we stumbled upon Botany Bay. We were starving by this point so we decided to get some munch at the Botany Bay Hotel. Although Botany Bay was beautiful, after our very late lunch (around 5pm), we didn't feel as up for the beach anymore, so we hopped back in the car and drove about 40-mins to our accomodation (for the next two nights). CANTERBURY: We checked into the lovely Yorke Lodge Bed and Breakfast, showered and relaxed for a bit before heading to the High Street. Since we had such a late lunch, we weren't too bothered about dinner, which worked out nicely because all the restaurants were booked up that evening and, naturally, we did not have a reservation. Instead, we walked along the canals, at sunset, in search of a suitable venue to consumer adult beverages. Canterbury was adorable at every turn. Our wander landed us in the garden at The Falstaff Hotel. I highly recommend exploring the waterways with Canterbury Historic River Tours for views and a comical history lesson. WHITSTABLE: The next morning, we got up, filled our bellies at the B&B and then drove about 15-mins to Tankerton Beach in Whitstable. Because we arrived so early, we got a great spot in a public parking lot and the beaches were well empty. Whitstable, known for its candy-colored beach huts and oysters, was not the prettiest beach in all of the land, but it was great to catch some rays without feeling like we were on top of other people. For lunch, we booked Crab & Winkle (we had wisened up to the need for reservations by this point) and enjoyed a plethora of yummy seafood dishes. Before heading back to Canterbury for the night, we popped into La Cocina for delicious boozey frozen slushies and some banter with Matthew, the owner. TENTERDEN: On the way back to London, we decided to take a slight detour through the quintesseintially British countryside that was Tenterden, a town in the borough of Ashford. We stopped for an authentic lunch at Montalbano Italian before returning the car, officially marking the end of the road trip. 2020 may have changed the typical car journey trip, but it's still worth doing! And Kent is really lovely if you're looking for an easy option from London. #kent #gardenofengland #folkestone #dover #whitecliffsofdover #saintmargaretsatcliffe #samphirehoe #broadstairs #botanybay #canterbury #whitstable #tenterden #ashford #unitedkingdom #uk #england #seaside #beachhuts #europe

Coronavirus all but evaporated demand for air travel. Airlines grounded the majority of their fleets and consolidated their remaining flights, to try to maintain passenger loads. Most flights still in operation were cargo-only. I can't count how many cancellations I received and how many hours I spent on the phone with customer service teams over the past months. As coronavirus restrictions began lifting in parts of Europe, I decided to try get back to London for an extended visit. I kept a close eye on travel-related news and researched flight schedules extensively. To hedge my bets, I booked an assortment of flights out of Munich, on a bunch of different airlines, on a variety of dates. In fact, I still have two useless flights booked for early July. When my 18th June flight canceled on 29th May, I rang British Airways and asked what the next available flight would be. 1st July was the answer. This wasn't the case for only BA. According to Munich's departure timetable, which was sparse and mostly limited to domestic cities, there weren't any flights, on any airlines, flying to London until July. It was time to start thinking creatively. I knew passenger flights were taking off from Frankfurt, so I had a look at schedules. Lufthansa was operating three flights a day from FRA to LHR. This was going to be the way forward. After weighing up all my options for how to get to Frankfurt, I ultimately took my housemate up on her very generous offer to drive me (thank you, Carla!). With a ride to the airport secured, I went ahead and booked my flight for Monday (1st June) at 14:00. I had exactly two days to pack, tie up loose ends and say my goodbyes. Since the pandemic was causing all sorts of uncertainty and travel restrictions were changing regularly, I decided that I'd pack all my belongings and take everything with me. My departure was three months premature, as I was meant to be in Germany through the end of August. I knew I'd have to leave the UK again, but I intended to go to the USA during the visa process. At 8am on the morning of my flight, the road trip commenced. It took 3:20 to get from Munich to Terminal 1 at Frankfurt Airport, which left me with two hours and 40 minutes before my supposed departure (I was still skeptical that it wouldn't actually take off). I found it interesting that there wasn't any coronavirus-related signage outside the airport. I was expecting reminders to practice social distancing and/or advisories discouraging entry if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. But there was plenty of signage inside. Luckily luggage carts were available for use, as I had seven bags and couldn't possibly transport them all from the car to the check-in counter without one. I had to put six suitcases in the hold due to the German Aviation Authorities' current baggage policy, limiting the amount of hand luggage to one piece only. The queue to check bags was fairly long, mostly because people were respectful of physical distancing. The check-in attendants were not wearing masks, but did have Plexiglas shields at their counters. I must admit that I was surprised by the amount of flights on the departures board. I had not expected that. ...Especially considering there were no people when I got to passport control. Although I think was because most people were flying within Germany/the Schengen zone, so they did not get funneled through concourse Z. At security, there were four people in front of me, but it took ages, which was surprising because everyone only had one personal item with them. Body temperature scans were not conducted. All shops and restaurants were all shuttered pre-security, but some were open after. I did not notice any hand sanitizer dispensers in the terminal. By the time I got to the gate, it was 13:00 and I had only an hour to wait. I wasn't allowing myself to get too excited because I was still convinced something was going to go wrong with the flight, but the anticipation was bubbling up inside me. It was eerily quiet at gate Z15. I'm not sure if that was because passengers were anxious, traveling solo or had difficulty speaking with their masks. Boarding was a tad chaotic. People were too close and it wasn’t contactless as Lufthansa’s website claimed. I was asked to lower my mask in order for the airline rep to verify my identity. No health questions were asked. I was as prepared for my flight as I possibly could have been with all my personal protective gear including mask, hand sanitizer, gloves and disinfectant wipes. I selected a window seat, away from high-traffic areas. I put my hair up and wore a coat so I wouldn’t be cold when I blasted the air condition towards my face. I followed all the new onboard regulations, suggested guidelines and health protocols. Planes have never been more hygienic. it's a problem that it took a pandemic to get airlines to start cleaning their planes, but I digress. An unsavory and sad fact for all you frequent fliers...The masks do not block out bad body odor. The flight was completely full and middle seats were not vacant, as I had anticipated. COVID-19 is still relatively new, so accurate data on how it can spread between aircraft passengers is in short supply. Although many people think that sitting in a confined space for long periods would inevitably spread infections, the chief engineer at aerospace giant Airbus insists that is not the case. And International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s Vice President believes, "physical distancing on board is not necessary." I personally would like to see a bit more scientific data before I make up my mind, but it's clear where Lufthansa lands on the issue. Flight attendants did, however, hand out a disinfectant wipe to everyone onboard. The pre-flight safety demonstration was adapted to take the current situation into account: 'If needed, oxygen masks will be released overhead. To start the flow of oxygen, reach up and pull the mask toward you, fully extending the plastic tubing. Remove your current face mask before placing the oxygen mask over your nose and mouth and slip the elastic band over your head. To tighten the fit, pull the tab on each side of the mask. The plastic bag does not need to inflate when oxygen is flowing. Be sure to secure your own mask before assisting others.” 78 days after the coronavirus outbreak brought my world to a standstill, I finally resumed some version of travel. Oh how I had missed the eagerness that getting on a plane always brings me...Which is less to do with flight itself and more about the new adventure that I am about to embark on. After take-off, there was a PSA about health precautions, coronavirus symptoms and instructions for what to do if you were feeling unwell upon landing. The beverage service consisted of a plastic bottle of water. There were no snacks nor food for purchase. It was difficult to eat/drink with a mask on, and I didn't want to remove it, so I opted to be dehydrated and hungry for the whole hour and five minute flight. I didn’t hear a single cough, which was excellent, but one guy did sneeze and everyone looked at him like he was a pariah even though his mask was on and he sneezed into his elbow. Poor guy. When we landed, I was so overcome with emotion that I shed a tear of happiness. Thank goodness I had a mask on to hide the majority of my face. We disembarked at the gate closest to passport control in the Queen's Terminal. I have never walked such a short distance at Heathrow. The airport was completely dead. You could eat off the floor at the airport and the aroma of concentrated disinfectant was profuse. Since I arrived into London ahead of the UK government's controversial 14-day quarantine policy (still slated to be enforced beginning 8th June), I wasn't legally required to self-isolate for two weeks. I did so though, proactively, so as not to infect any loved ones. No temperature screenings were carried out at upon entry. Although I did get interrogated at immigration, because of my one way flight, I was surprised that I wasn't asked any health or accommodation-related questions. I pleased to say that my first adventure since coronavirus disrupted my life was uneventful! Even though there were some oddities, it still felt somewhat normal. Seeing the safety measures implemented, firsthand, was reassuring and gave me hope for the future of air travel. #munich #frankfurt #germany #bavaria #deutschland #uk #unitedkingdom #london #england #coronavirus #covid19 #pandemic #travel #aviation #flying #airlines #lufthansa #britishairways #quarantine #selfisolation #safety

Having been to Barcelona, Spain on several occasions previously, I decided, this time, to do it less touristy and more tasty. If it's your first time visiting, be sure to hit up the highlights (La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, La Rambla, La Boqueria Market, stroll along La Barceloneta and try to catch an FC Barcelona match at Camp Nou). There's a reason they are highly visited attractions. However, if you have more time, I recommend trying to include a few of the following off-the-beaten-path experiences. I've also included a few restaurants and bars that I thought were worth mentioning. STAY: Airbnb's in Barcelona are often located in local neighborhoods, which allows you to get acquainted with a more authentic way of life. I rented this Airbnb in the Gothic Quarter. EXPERIENCE: La Pedrera Night Experience: Casa Milà (commonly known as La Pedrera) was the last private residence designed by Antoni Gaudí, built between 1906 and 1912. Book this experience for a unique, breathtaking and immersive audiovisual show on the roof terrace of an architectural gem. After the show, stick around for some cava in the grand courtyard (included in the ticket price). Parc del Laberint d'Horta: This semi-secret storybook hedge labyrinth is the oldest garden in Barcelona. It's a beautiful, quiet space, away from the hustle and bustle of the city center. You can enter for free on Wednesdays and Sundays. Otherwise it'll cost you €2.23. Only 750 visitors are granted entrance per day. Do as the locals do, bring a picnic and enjoy one of the most underrated green spaces in the city. Paella Making Class: For €39, you get to visit the world famous Mercat de la Boqueria with the chef (to purchase fresh ingredients), sample some tasty tapas/sangria and learn how to cook a traditional Spanish seafood paella. Of course, you get to devour the finished product as well! INDULGE: Start your day with brunch at Milk. If you like things spicy, try their signature dish, the chilaquiles. If you find yourself in the Gràcia neighborhood, have lunch at La Pepita. The artichoke hummus, smoked aubergine (eggplant) fritters, red shrimp croquettes and Argentine beef skewers were my favorite tapas. On a sunny day, stop by Bo Kaap for some frozen cocktails on the beach. Back in 2014, I stumbled upon El Nacional, by accident, two weeks after it's grand opening. It's still a gorgeous space, with four restaurants and four bars located under one roof. It's a little over-priced, compared to Barcelona standards, but the setting makes it worthwhile. Sensi Bistro came recommended by two completely separate sets of friends. It did not disappoint. It's a small place, so be sure to book in advance. At L'Origen at Restuarant Osmosis the food was great, but I did not care much for the wines that they selected to accompany the courses. At Indochine Ly Leap, in Eixample, I choose the smaller tasting menu. Whilst the courses were a bit hit or miss, it was one of the more unique and sophisticated interiors I have seen in Barcelona. Once you enter, it's like being transported to an tropical Asian jungle. The tables are suspended above ponds where koi fish swim around and you're surrounded by bamboo, orchids and even a waterfall. Post dinner, have some adult beverages at Artte, if you're in the Eixample part of town. In the front cocktail bar, you can call other tables using the old phones mounted on the walls. In the back, there is live music. Paradiso was ranked #20 on The World's 50 Best Bars list in 2019. The bar is hidden behind a fridge door, beside a pastrami counter in El Born. Every drink comes with a trick - smoke, fire, dry ice, props, lights, etc. Order and enjoy! Stop by Farggi Café, right in the heart of Barcelona if you're craving icy treats! #lasagradafamilia #parkgüell #larambla #laboqueriamarket #casamilà #lapedrera #fcbarcelona #labarceloneta #cava #paella #tapas #parcdellaberintdhorta #milk #lapepita #bokaap #elnacional #sensibistro #lorigenatrestuarantosmosis #indochinelyleap #artte #paradiso #farggicafe #campnou #gothicquarter #elborn #gràcia #eixample #barcelona #catalonia #spain #europe

Do you know which is the only country in the world to have its own official scent? Can you name the nation that has the most hot air balloons per resident? Are you aware of which Baltic state Hannibal Lecter hails from? If you guessed Lithuania then you'd be correct. This unique country is full of peculiarities that the rest of the world does not yet seem to know a great deal about. My itinerary suggestion, to maximize a few days in wintry Vilnius, a found below:nd during the holiday season (early December through 7th January). Since I visited over New Year's Eve, I got to enjoy all the Christmas glory. I didn't have a lot of time to spend in Lithuania, so I only visited the capital, Vilnius. Three days there was sufficient to get a glimpse of the lifestyle and culture and to visit some of the sights. My itinerary suggestion, to maximize a few days in wintry Vilnius, can be found below: Arriving into Vilnius late on Sunday 29th December, I didn't do a whole lot the first night. I stayed at the Radisson Blu Royal Astorija Hotel, right in the heart of the Vilnius Old Town, and only about a 15-minute drive from the airport. In fact, it took only a mere 37-minutes from touchdown to being in room (inclusive of deplaning, passport control, customs, getting a taxi and checking in at the hotel). DAY ONE: The centrepiece of Vilnius is its medieval Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage protected site since 1994. One of the smallest republics in the world happens to be nestled within it. Užupis, declared its independence from the rest of Lithuania as a tongue-in-cheek April Fool's Day joke, in 1997. Since, a president, government, constitution, unofficial currency and armed forces have been established. Constitutional rights include: "Everyone has the right to die, but this is not an obligation", “A dog has the right to be a dog”, "Everyone has the right to celebrate or not celebrate their birthday" and “People have the right to live by the River Vilnelė, while the River Vilnelė has the right to flow past people”. If free thoughts, a bohemian spirit, a laid-back atmosphere and smart jokes are your vibe, then a visit to this district should definitely be on your list. At the riverbank in Užupis, as a welcome to the tiny republic, you'll find a famous mermaid sculpture. Residents say that if you stare into the eyes of this mermaid, as you cross the bridge, you’ll never want to leave. While the rest of the world may only unofficially recognize the Republic of Užupis as its own country, it is possible it get a passport stamp at the visitor centre of the Užupis Art Incubator Gallery. Despite Užupis being only 148 acres, a fair bit of time can be spent in this funky, bohemian city within a city. It is shabby-chic, with graffiti-strewn streets, and loads of boozers. After wandering around for some time, I began to feel peckish, so I headed to Užupis Pizzeria, located in the heart of the artists' quarter, for some delicious wood-fired pizza. From Užupis, I strolled over to where the Gediminas Castle Tower and The Three Crosses Monument each sit atop neighboring hills. I clambered up the hill to Gediminas Tower for sweeping views of Vilnius. Just west of the Tower, at the Three Crosses, other vantage points can be found, but I did not have the energy for another hike. After my descent, I found myself beside Cathedral Square. In front of the neo-classical Cathedral there was a giant Christmas tree surrounded by a very cute Christmas market. This tree has received much global attention over the years, but in 2019, it was ranked as the most beautiful Christmas tree in Europe by European Best Destinations. Feeling thirsty and cold, I stopped by one of the igloos in Townhall Square (aptly named 'Igloo') to treat myself to a mulled wine, as a pre-dinner aperitif. I then went to Saula, a contemporary cellar restaurant, with locally-sourced produce, for my evening sustenance. The menu consisted of Lithuanian cuisine presented in a modern fashion. DAY TWO: Things weren't quite what they seemed at the mind-bending Vilnius Museum of Illusions. The museum was interactive, full of brain-melting works of art and, most of all, fun! Despite being a fairly small gallery, I spent the better part of three hours there. It was great amusement and should be on everyone's Vilnius travel agenda. After all the mind tricks, I meandered down Stikliu Street. Formerly the site of the Jewish ghetto, this lively street is now filled with boutiques, artistic workshops and restaurants. For dinner, I pre-booked Town Steakhouse, since it was New Year's Eve and reservations were a necessity. The meal was delicious and it was just a few blocks away from where the fireworks lit up the sky above Cathedral Square. At midnight, I was able to step outside and watch the show, without the masses of people who were viewing from the Square. DAY THREE: After a lazy start New Year's Day, I headed to El Mercado for some Spanish tapas. After lunch, I had a few hours to kill before I headed to the airport, so I decided to take a longish walk, clear across town, to find the female pedestrian crossing lights on Konstitucijos Street that I had read about. In Vilnius, 14 of these traffic lights were installed, in November 2018, to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the women's suffrage movement in Lithuania. They continue to serve as a reminder of how far women in Lithuania have advanced and still have yet to go. After the successful mission finding the crossing lights, I set off to the airport. The last thing on my self-imposed scavenger hunt, was to find the unconventional Christmas tree that made headlines around the world. The tree was made up of confiscated paraphernalia from passengers carry-on luggage during security screenings in 2019, including scissors, lighters, blades, corkscrews and even bullets. Sadly, I was not able to find it though. Until next time, Lithuania! You were a delight and an intrigue! #vilnius #lithuiania #republicoflithuania #northeasterneurope #europe #unescoworldheritage #balticstate #balticsea #newyearseve #newyear #2019 #2020

It was a bureaucratically challenging start in Germany's third largest city, but I persevered and now find myself at the half-way mark. Although I have only actually spent about 90 days in Munich thus far, I've picked up on a few things and learned a bit about the lay of the land. Below are my musings, in no particular order. 1) Sprechende Deutsch: I had intentions of learning German (honest, I did!), but doing it alongside a move abroad, a new lifestyle, a change in work environment and a new culture proved to be a real struggle. Also, completely neglecting my lessons didn't help. As such, I still can't speak a lick of German, but I thank Google everyday for its 'Translate' app (where you point your phone camera at foreign words for immediate translations)! It's not always terribly accurate, but it is a helpful tool, if you apply a bit of logic. 2) Germany is No Longer a Monarchy, but Cash is Still King: Whilst many European countries are making strides towards becoming cashless societies, Bavarians are still kicking it old school when it comes to their dough. Roughly 80% of all transactions in Germany are still settled using cold hard cash. Many restaurants, bars and beer gardens won't accept plastic. My annual gym membership had to be prepaid in cash (€1,200), which was a challenge because I was only able to withdraw €200 at a time and was limited to three withdrawals per month. Inefficiency at it's best! 3) Punctuality is Paramount: Promptness is serious business in German culture. It'll serve you well to remember that five minutes early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable. 4) Train of Thought: Punctuality doesn't just apply to business meetings and personal engagements in Munich, it also pertains to public transit. Unlike London, where train times are a mere suggestion, schedules are strictly adhered to in Munich (okay, maybe not on the S-Bahn, but on all other modes of transport). In addition to on-time, Munich's public transit is about 295% cheaper than London's. An unlimited monthly travel pass for the inner district (which covers the whole of Munich city and certain surrounding areas) costs €55.20 (~£47). I would estimate that Munich's metro zone is roughly equivalent to London's fare zones 1 + 2, for which a monthly Travelcard costs £138.70 (~€164). Another bonus to Munich's transport network is that you'll rarely encounter insane overcrowding in the stations, because there are no barriers to enter/exit. Munich operates on the honor system, with random ticket inspections to catch fare dodgers. 5) Freedom of Movement: Germany is a member of the Eurozone, Schengen Area and the European Union. Living within the trifecta of alliances certainly has its benefits. Eurozone is a monetary union where member states have adopted the euro as their national currency. Schengen is a passport-free area where all border control has been abolished and the area mostly functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes. The EU is a political and economic union with a standardized system of laws. Being able to use one currency, cross country borders without immigration and access my German healthcare around the most of Europe is a real treat. 6) Surviving Shopping: Visits to grocery stores, shops and pharmacies can be a daunting experience in a foreign land. Many things are unfamiliar and/or unidentifiable. When I first moved, I accidentally bought body wash that I thought was body lotion. That was a sticky situation. Bagging groceries here is an Olympic sport. In German supermarkets, cashiers scan things at lightning speed. As a tsunami of groceries fly at you, in a small packing area, you must move quickly, because they will not wait for you to finish bagging your items before the next customer's scanning frenzy begins. 7) Jaywalkers are Rule Breakers: I have never met a group of humans so collectively and vocally against jaywalking. Germans stand at a crosswalk, even if there are no cars anywhere, for miles, and wait for the pedestrian crossing man to turn green. Step foot on the street before that crossing indication and you can expect to be receive (what I assume is) an angry lecture from the oldest German nearby, or, at the very least, a contemptuous glare. 8) The Naked Truth: When the sun comes out in the green city by the River Isar so do body parts that you may not want to see. People of all ages, shapes and sizes, catch rays as nature intended, in Munich's legally sanctioned and culturally accepted Urban Naked Zones. It's not just in parks where people get their bits out either. Nudity is no big deal in saunas (where it is actually compulsory to be naked), on the beach, in communal gym showers or waiting for your doctor (without a gown). I'm not saying that everybody in Munich is walking around in their birthday suit, but for a group of people who are known as traditional and conservative in so many ways, Germans are weirdly comfortable being nude. 9) Lanyard Love: As I settled into life in Munich, my house keys, work transponder key fob, canteen lunch card and gym ID badge were each presented to me on their own individual lanyard. As I walked around Munich, I began to notice how many people in this city were wearing their mobile phones as necklaces or had other official-looking badges on strings. Müncheners love to having things dangling from their necks! 10) Munching in München: Before I begin this section, I should warn you that I'm oddly prejudiced against condiments. And they love a condiment here - particularly mustard! Mustard is hidden in EVERYTHING - potato salad, balsamic vinaigrette, sauerkraut, pot roasts, hard boiled eggs...Nothing is safe. During Fasching (Carnival), when locals eat krapfen (jam-filled donuts), it's apparently a popular practical joke to fill one of them with mustard, instead of jam, and serve it alongside the regular ones. Mustard aside, I must admit that German is not my favorite of all the European cuisines. I find traditional Bavarian specialties to be heavy and doughy. Although great for soaking up German beer, weisswursts (white sausages), pretzels and tennis-ball shaped foods are not my first choices. 11) German-Sized: Viewing the world from a 5-foot perspective does make everything appear bigger, but things like spoons, pretzels, beer steins and words (it takes 26 letters to spell 'speed limit': geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung), actually are bigger in Germany. I could hang from handrails on public transport like they're monkey bars, sometimes my feet dangle when I use the potty and I often can't see ATM machine screens because they're mounted too high. It's a real struggle here, in the land where everything is giant! #munich #münchen #bavaria #bayern #germany #deutschland #europe #googletranslate

2019 turned out to be the year of interesting pedestrian walk signs. Perhaps I just never noticed them before, but I learned that not all crossing symbols are alike in 2019. I was tickled by the animated crossing man who started sprinting as the clock counted down in Taipei, Taiwan. I obeyed the be-hatted Ampelmännchen in Berlin because I wouldn't dare jaywalk and go against the organized principle of German civilization. I was inspired by the fourteen empowering pedestrian lights in Vilnius that have been fitted with female figures to serve as a reminder of how far women in Lithuania have advanced and still have yet to go. I was moved by progressiveness of Munich, which have installed same-sex pedestrian crossing lights, in celebration of the LGBTQ community. Although I found these symbols intriguing and quite thought-provoking, you'll be pleased to know that traffic symbols were not the most exciting part of my 2019 travels. Read on for a recap of the more interesting bits of my 2019 trips and experiences. JANUARY I kick-started the year in extreme relaxation mode after returning from Cape Verde tanned, refreshed and ready for a new, exciting year ahead. I wasn't able to make it to the USA for my sister's 40th birthday, in early January, so, instead, opted for a trip back to the USA in mid-Jan, to celebrate my nephew's 5th birthday - I prefer him to my sister anyway! His Ghostbuster-themed party was a huge hit, despite being interrupted by an ice storm. FEBRUARY February was spent trying to escape London's bitter cold spell. I visited Warsaw, Poland the first weekend in February, which was only marginally warmer than the UK. Warsaw served as an inspiring example of indestructibility, having come a long way since the decimation of its city in WWII and Soviet occupation. At the end of the month, I made the long journey to tropical Naples, Florida, for equal measures of family time, tennis and poolside cocktails in the sunshine. MARCH I booked a super quick trip to Southeast Asia, spontaneously, in mid-March. First stop was Bangkok, Thailand, for brunch with a friend. After quickly passing through BKK, I went on to meet a friend in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a couple of days. HCMC was a great city and another example of resiliency! It was 34°C (93°F) in Vietnam and then only 4°C (39°F) in Riga, Latvia, when I landed, two days after returning from Saigon. That was a shock to the system! But the real shocker of Riga was the food! I had not anticipated Latvia to be such a culinary delight! APRIL At the tail end of April, I hit the road in Morocco. Literally. Starting off in Marrakesh, I clocked about 900 miles on my six-day journey around the Atlas Mountains, Dadès Gorges, Sahara Desert, Aït Benhaddou, Taghazout Bay and Agadir. You can read a more detailed account of this whole trip here, if you are so inclined. MAY For the first May bank holiday, I went to Hampshire with five girlfriends. We hired an adorable cottage in New Forest, communed with nature, ferried over to Isle of Wight, drank lots of wine and set the world to rights in our dressing gowns. The second May bank holiday was spent in San Diego, CA, USA. It had been nearly five years since I had last visited and was amazing to be back, catching up with old friends, walking along the coastline and eating all my favorite local foods. JUNE Having discovered £66 return flights from London to Kiev, it seemed like a no-brainer to go. Kiev was a pleasant city to visit for a weekend, but the real draw of Ukraine was Chernobyl. If you want to see what the aftermath of a nuclear disaster looks like, there is no better place than the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. But get there before the rest of the nuclear hipsters turn up. Oh, and also before the buildings collapse. The weekend after the Ukraine was spent in Mallorca, which was my 12th trip to Spain, in five years. It was a soul satisfying weekend full of gossip, laughs, booze, sun and tapas! JULY To celebrate the 4th of July, I went (with eight South Africans and one Australian) to a pimped out villa in Carvoeiro, Portugal (the Algarve). Lots of jokes were shared and rosé was consumed. AUGUST Most of August was spent saying farewell and packing up all my worldy belongings. On the 30th of August (five years and two days after initially moving to London), it was time relocate overseas again. This time, to Munich, Germany. I left Britain with my same job, a one-way flight, two weeks booked in an Airbnb, five suitcases and a six-month visa. SEPTEMBER Much of this month was spent trying to acclimate to my new surroundings. It was tough navigating a new country, in a language that I didn't (and still don't) speak, where everything was different and bureaucracy was exhaustive. Towards the end of the month, I went on my first weekend break since my relocation. I headed to lovely Lake Garda, Italy for some lakeside R&R, delicious food/wine and temperate weather. I wrapped up the month with THREE Oktoberfest sessions, all in one week. I had great fun, but I must admit, I was well and truly Oktoberfested out. OCTOBER Back to London I went, for the 1st-4th. Despite the fact that it was a work trip, it made my heart happy to be back 'home'. I normally go on a trip with the parentals around this time of year, but the 2019 annual adventure was cancelled, which meant I had a few extra days of annual leave to use up. I decided to go with some girlfriends to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Laos and back to Vietnam (north this time). Squishing all these destinations into a 16-day trip was exciting, but also a little exhausting. In an effort to explore more of my new home country, I headed to Berlin for a weekend at the end of October. It was an interesting time to be there as it was two weeks prior to the 30th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall, which physically divided East and Wast Berlin, from 1961 to 1989. NOVEMBER At the last moment, I booked to five-day trip to Amsterdam, to meet up with a friend who was visiting from NYC. It was an indulgent weekend filled with pampering, luxury, shopping, great meals, lots of drinks and some quirky typical Amsterdam-y bits thrown in. In the middle of the month, I returned to London for a quick weekend. Although fleeting, I loved being back. This year's annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage back to the homeland, started off with a weekend in Philadelphia with one of my best friends. From Philly, I made my way north for a week in Newington, CT where I celebrated Thanksgiving and attended my 20 year high school reunion. Then it was onward to NYC for my boyfriend and my joint birthday celebrations. As a birthday treat, we took a doors-off helicopter ride over the Big Apple, which was equally as exhilarating as it was freezing. DECEMBER Smells of mulled wine, roasted nuts, bratwurst and gingerbread filled my nostrils at Germany's most famous Christmas markets, in Nuremberg, when my friend and I went the first weekend of the month to check out this 400 year old tradition. Two days after returning from Nuremberg, I repacked my suitcase and headed to London for my annual work Christmas party. This year's event lasted alllll-day and was filled with lots of holiday cheer! On 21st December, I left Munich for the remainder of the year. I went to London first, for Christmas and a Boxing Day football match and then rounded out the year in Vilnius, Lithuania. STATS FROM MY 2019 TRAVELS: Trips: 23 Air Miles Flown: 83,789 (*it's 24,900 miles around the world) Airline Segments Flown: 48 Airlines Flown: 14 Amount of Time Spent in the Air: 183 hours Total Countries Visited: 17 New Countries Visited: 9 (blue bubbles below) Continents Visited: 4 (North America, Europe, Asia & Africa) Nights Spent in a Hotel/Airbnb: 67 I'VE NOW BEEN TO (PER THE UNITED NATIONS COUNTRY LIST): 34 out of 44 European countries 73 out of 193 countries 6 of 7 continents (Antarctica still remains) #yearinreview #yearintravel #2019 #sal #boavista #capeverde #africa #boston #massachusetts #newington #connecticut #usa #unitedstates #unitedstatesofamerica #northamerica #ghostbusters #warsaw #poland #easterneurope #naples #florida #bangkok #thailand #bkk #asia #southeastasia #hochiminhcity #saigon #vietnam #riga #latvia #morocco #marrakesh #atlasmountains #saharadesert #agadir #taghazoutbay #dadesgorges #europe #newforest #lymington #hampshire #isleofwight #unitedkingdom #uk #britain #england #sandiego #california #kiev #ukraine #chernobyl #pripyat #mallorca #majorca #spain #balearicislands #algarve #portugal #munich #germany #bavaria #deutschland #lakegarda #verona #italy #london #taiwan #taipei #hongkong #laos #luangprabang #hanoi #berlin #philadelphia #pennsylvania #newyorkcity #newyork #NYC #bigapple #helicopter #lithuania #vilnuis #amsterdam #netherlands

Having been to Lisbon several times before, I thought I'd take last weekend's trip off from blogging...But the lodging, eateries and activities were just too good not to share. Below you'll find a supplement to my previous Lisbon post, with some additional recommendations. Stay: LX Boutique Hotel should definitely be considered as an accommodation choice. It was conveniently located between the Chiado, Baixa and Cais do Sodré districts. The century-old, historical building was renovated to give it's guests a true Lisbon eXperience (hence LX). As mentioned on the website, the hotel was 'comfortable throughout and friendly within.' And, the price was right at only €130 for the weekend, which also included a welcome drink + sushi. We were upgraded to a large room with spectacular views (room #301). From our balcony, we could see the rolling hills of Rua do Alecrim, the murals outside Pensão Amor (former brothel turned burlesque club), the famous Pink Street and, to the left (not pictured), the Tagus River. Eats/Drinks: If you were to Google best breakfast, brunch or açaí in Lisbon, you'd likely notice how often Nicholau Lisboa was a search result. After visiting, I understood why. In addition to being Instagrammable, the food was delicious. The açaí particularly so, as it was served frozen, like they do in Brazil, with granola and fresh fruit on top. I left there nourished, happy and ready for a day of getting lost amongst windy cobblestone streets, street art and traditionally tiled buildings. In my previous blog, I urged people to go to Minibar for a mysterious dining experience. Since I loved that so much, I booked another of Portugal's celebrity chef José Avillez's restaurants this time around. Beco-Cabaret Gourmet did not disappoint! It was a hybrid of inventive cuisine exquisitely paired with the art of show business. You must book and pay in advance (drinks are charged separately, the night of). There is only one seating a night, Wednesday-Sunday, from 8:30pm to 10:45pm. Show up punctually and dress in chic casual attire. To get there, we walked through the Bairro do Avillez complex, all the way to the back. The Master of Ceremonies then escorted us through a secret passageway. Once through the hidden door, we found ourselves in a secluded and sophisticated space, dimly-lit, with high ceilings, inspired by the 1920's and 1950's. With only 20 tables (48 seats), it felt quite exclusive. The performances were glamorous, interactive and a lot of fun. Theatrics weren't limited to the stage though. The tasting menu, which is not disclosed until the very end (*spoiler alert, I've posted it below*), included avant-garde and unexpected fare, meticulously prepared and presented to surprise and delight. Do: There are only five tram lines still running in Lisbon today, but the most famous is Tram 28. For €3 each, we enjoyed riding cute little tram 28 as it screeched and rattled up and down hills, through narrow neighborhoods. This line transports passengers from Martim Moniz to Campo Ourique, passing through many popular tourist districts and sights along the way. Below is a handy interactive map of the tram's path, indicating points of interest. Be bold and explore! You really can't go wrong in Lisbon! #lisbon #portugal #europe #becogourmetcabaret #joseavillez #lxboutiquehotel #tram28 #entretantorooftopbar #hoteldochiado #nicholaulisboa

2018 was the year of micro Europe. I visited five of the ten smallest European countries, including Monaco (#2), Liechtenstein (#4), Luxembourg (#7), Cyprus (#8) and Montenegro (#9). Read on for highlights from these European micro-states as well as the many other destinations I visited in 2018. JANUARY My year kicked off with a slight hangover in Porto, Portugal, after spending 31st December 2017 on a boat, ringing in the new year whilst cruising down the Duoro River. Porto was a picturesque and charming place to spend a weekend. FEBRUARY I collected two new passport stamps in February: Luxembourg and Sweden. Luxembourg wasn't a place with an overwhelming amount of things to do, but I managed to keep busy, eat some delicious meals and have a bit of fun. It was freezing in Stockholm, so I spent a lot of time touring the underground stations, many of which were incredible works of art. I highly recommend seeing as many as you can. Feel free to follow the journey I laid out in this post to save yourself research time and effort. MARCH After my nephew said he missed me on a Sunday FaceTime session, I bought a last-minute flight to Boston (such a sucker). Between the UK's 'Beast from the East' snowstorm and the gale-force winds in Boston, it was a miracle that my plane was able to take off or land. All the travel delays and disruptions didn't leave me much time with green shoes the ground, but the trip was worth it for niece and nephew snuggles. APRIL I took my first proper holiday of the year in April - A road-trip around Montenegro. Highlights (pictured below) included seeing wild white flamingos, Stari Grad, Lipa Caves, Lake Skadar, Kotor's Old Town, Blue Caves, Our Lady of the Rocks and Ostrog Monastery. I also had the good fortune of securing tickets to the Rolex Masters in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. This was definitely one of the more beautiful global tennis tournaments I've attended, with its clay courts nestled between the Mediterranean and the mountains. On the 30th, I flew to Amsterdam, Netherlands for the day, to meet up with my sister, who was in town for work. MAY The first May bank holiday weekend was spent in New York City, appreciating being alive on the one-year anniversary of my accident, catching up with high school/university friends, celebrating a bunch of birthdays and spending time with my parents. It was a jam-packed, amazing weekend! I then visited Portugal for the second time in 2018. This time visiting Lisbon for a friend's hen/bachelorette (which was not nearly as tame as the picture below suggests). JUNE Early in June, I went to Chianti, Italy for the wedding linked to the hen/bachelorette party in Lisbon. Once the thunder/lightening storm subsided, it was a magical weekend where I was surrounded by amazing landscapes, friends, delicious food/wine and lots of love! At the tail-end of the month, I jaunted over to Moscow, Russia for a bit of exploration and World Cup action. The city was beautiful, clean and welcoming. The Cup was extremely well run and super exciting. Seeing Red Square and St. Basil's Cathedral in person was surreal, but watching Russia beat Spain, in penalties, in the round of sixteen, was the high point! JULY I took the high-speed, four-hour Sapsan train from Moscow to St. Petersburg for more sightseeing and a second World Cup match. St. Petersburg was much more laid back than Moscow. It was equally as beautiful, but in a less chic, more artsy, sort of way. The Sweden versus Switzerland match that I had tickets to was probably one of the most boring matches in the whole Cup, but the Viking-style beer fest that I randomly stumbled upon, following the Swedish win, was epic. Five days after returning from the Russian Federation, I headed on a tour around Basque Country. Stop number one was Pamplona, Spain for the annual San Fermín festival, inclusive of the Running of the Bulls. I chose not to run alongside the horned beasts, because I'm broken and not insane, but I did enjoy watching others participate in this age-old tradition. After Pamplona, it was onwards to San Sebastián (about an hour and half train ride away), a resort town on the Bay of Biscay, known for its beaches and world-class gastronomy. It holds the second highest number of Michelin stars per square meter (behind Kyoto, Japan). Even the non-recognized restaurants were amazing, particularly the pintxo (pronounced pincho) bars, Which paired local wines with regional specialties. My three favorite eateries included Narru (not much for ambiance, but the tuna starter was to die for), brunch at La Madame was filling and delicious and La Cuchara de San Telmo (a no-frills sort of joint, but the quality and prices couldn't be beat. The suckling pig, razor clams, tuna and some sort of beetroot situation were the winning dishes on this menu). The final stop on my Basque Country tour landed me in the elegant seaside town of Biarritz, France. I didn't spend much time there, but managed to fit in lunch/wine on Les Baigneuses de Biarritz's rooftop, window-shopping on the high street and a saunter alongside the beach before I headed to airport. I was there on Sunday 15th July, which also happened to be the World Cup final (where France defeated Croatia). Had I planned better, I would have stayed in Biarritz that night and enjoyed the celebrations with the French World Cup champions. Ah well, there's always 2022. AUGUST Taking advantage of an unused flight that would have otherwise been lost, I went to Seville, Spain for a three-day weekend. I had never been before and had heard wonderful things, so I was keen to check it out. It was boiling hot, which didn't inspire sightseeing. Instead, I ate and drank my way around town, only opting to sit under patio misters and/or in air conditioning. Andalusia, an autonomous community of Spain, of which Seville is the capital, is known for its tapas and sherry. Sherry comes from the province of Jerez, near Seville, and is a local specialty. If ever I was going to try the fortified wine that is my namesake, I felt it should be in Seville. So I did...And it was gross! SEPTEMBER On the 8th of September, I decided to have lunch in Liechtenstein. With a bit of advanced planning, it was quite an easy place to visit for the day. Despite its long name, Liechtenstein is a pocket-sized principality (sixth smallest country in the world). Fun facts about Liechtenstein include: Switzerland accidentally invaded Liechtenstein, unintentionally, in March 2007 All residents are invited to a party in the castle once a year Crime rates are very low and fewer than 10 people are in jail Snoop Dogg once tried to rent the whole country - He was only denied because he didn't allow enough time for the preparations to be made It’s the richest country in the world (by GDP) with a 1.5% unemployment rate Later on in September, I visited Northern Ireland for an legendary road trip. I did not find a pot of gold at the end of any of the many rainbows I spotted, but I did see many geological wonders and majestic landscapes. OCTOBER For the second time in a decade, I attended Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. The first time I went, nine years ago, was great fun, but we were unprepared. This time around, I got myself a dirndl and went with a group of people who had secured reservations at the best tent. Prost! Just a short few days after nearly recovering from my Oktoberfestivities, I headed to Norway for my annual trip with the parentals. This year, we went on a Norwegian cruise through the beautiful fjords and then ended with a weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark. Best of all, I finally got to see those Northern Lights that I was convinced didn't exist! The final weekend of October was spent in Bath, UK. I hadn't anticipated Bath being as big of a city as it was. Although unexpected, it was still lovely. NOVEMBER On the 17th day of the 11th month of 2018, I headed to the USA for my annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage back to the homeland. I flew into Philadelphia for the weekend before taking the train up to Connecticut, where I spent the week stuffing my face with food, playing with my nephew, doing a tiny(er) green shoe photo shoot with my niece and catching up with friends/family. At the end of the 10-day trip, I drove up to Boston and took the red-eye back to London, only to land and go straight to work on the Monday. DECEMBER Last minute, I decided a birthday getaway was in order. I found cheap flights to Cyprus and convinced a friend to join me. We were greeted in Paphos, the birthplace of Aphrodite (Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty), with 73°F/23°C weather. Only too quickly, it started raining, but it was hard to be mad as we witnessed one heck of a lightning storm. The subsequent days rained on and off, but it was a pleasant escape from London never-the-less. On Boxing Day, I flew six hours to Boa Vista, Cape Verde. Since the international airport was completed in 2007, tourism here has been on the rise, but there is still a lot of room for further development - tourism and infrastructure wise. The highlight of Boa Vista was playing in the Viana Desert (the rolling white sand dunes blown over from the Sahara). Below are some statistics from my 2018 travels: Trips: 21 Air Miles Flown: 50,428 (*it's 24,900 miles around the world) Airline Segments Flown: 46 Airlines Flown: 13 Amount of Time Spent in the Air: 117.5 hours Total Countries Visited: 20 New Countries Visited: 9 (blue bubbles below) Continents Visited: 3 (North America, Europe & Africa) Nights Spent in Hotels: 48 I'VE NOW BEEN TO: 30 out of ~44 European countries (dependent upon the list you’re using) 66 out of 193 countries (per the United Nations country list) 6 of 7 continents (only Antarctica remains) #yearinreview #yearintravel #2018 #sweden #porto #portugal #luxembourg #stockholm #montenegro #monaco #amsterdam #netherlands #montecarlo #newyorkcity #newyork #lisbon #florence #tuscany #chianti #moscow #saintpetersburg #stpetersburg #russia #pamplona #spain #sansebastian #biarritz #france #europe #seville #switzerland #zurich #liechtenstein #northernireland #belfast #giantscauseway #northernlights #norway #cruise #nordics #denmark #copenhagen #bath #unitedkingdom #philadelphia #pennsylvania #newington #connecticut #massachusetts #capeverde #boavista #africa #sal #vaduz #malbun #stockhom #boston #USA #UnitedStatesofAmerica #italy #stpetersburg #worldcup #ireland #munich #germany #oktoberfest #auroraborealis #uk #cyprus #paphos #uk #usa #unitedstates

When I sat down to write this and reflected on my year in travel, I expected 2017 to be disappointingly light due to a lengthy passport renewal, procurement of various visas and being out of commission after an automobile accident. Now that I have actually done the calculations, I'm actually pleasantly surprised. Considering that I was unable to travel for a total of 30 weeks, I still managed to visit 14 countries in 2017 (six of which were new to me)! Below is a summary of my travels broken out by month as well as some stats. JANUARY I started the year strong with visits to six countries, on three continents, all within January's 31 days: India, UAE, Egypt, Netherlands, Italy and UK. Okay, okay, so the visits to five of those countries were for less than 24 hours, but they still count and I have the passport stamps as proof! On 21st January, I took part in the 'Women's March on London', alongside 100,000 of my fellow-minded compatriots. It was a peaceful and powerful event, which I hope my niece and nephew will one day learn about in history class. FEBRUARY I headed north to Oslo, Norway the first weekend in February to experience the Nordic winters, drink outrageously expensive booze and take a boat trip around the fjords. Burrrrrr! After that trip, I grounded myself for seven weeks whilst I renewed my passport and sorted out my Brazilian visa for a trip planned in May. Although my passport didn't actually expire for another one and half years, I had run out of empty pages and the authorities were beginning to get frustrated with me. MARCH A weekend in Wales, in early March, was the perfect way to ingest a bit of countryside fresh air with one of my best friends. (That's mistletoe pictured below, by the way). Late March had me back in my old stomping grounds on the West Coast of the USA. I was a bridesmaid in a wedding in Malibu, California, but worked in San Francisco the week beforehand. I had not been back to SF since I had moved two and a half years prior. My SF housemate, from when I lived there, was kind enough to let me stay in my old room, so it truly was a blast from the past. I had forgotten just how much stuff I had left behind, and was surprised to find what remained, both in my former flat and at my old office. Clean the fridge much, IDG? APRIL I returned to the UK, from California, on 2nd April, and spent ten whole days in London before I jetted off to Venice, Italy, for the long Easter weekend. I was delighted to finally ride on one of the famous gondolas (well worth the €80 for 30 mins). After my Venetian holiday, I worked a three-day week and then headed to South America for what was meant to be a two-part, 16-day adventure. I began in Peru, with the parentals. We met in Lima and then toured around Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco and finally Pisco/Paracas. In addition to exploring various Inca ruins, we went white water rafting, flew over the Nasca Lines and sailed around the Ballestas Islands. MAY After ten days of hiking and almost fully abstaining from alcohol in Peru, I was feeling quite svelt and slender. However, I managed to undo it all in a mere six days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after meeting up with some girl friends for sun, exploration, delicious food and lots of caipirinhas. The highlight of the this portion of the trip was the helicopter ride over Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer. The low point of the Brazilian bit of the trip was the car accident I was involved in on my final night of holiday, which landed me in the hospital for an additional two weeks and extended my stay in Brazil until late-May. I was unable to return to the UK at that time, so instead went to the US, to recover at my folks' house. This setback caused me to miss subsequent May trips to Dublin and to Monaco. JUNE I also had to cancel another two trips in June (Beirut, Lebanon and again to Dublin), as I was still rehabbing from the accident in the USA. Being laid up on the couch all month wasn't all bad though. It gave my mum a chance to wash my Pumas and get them bright green again. I also got to spend a lot of quality time with friends and family whom I rarely see. AAAAND, I got to meet the newest member of my family, Baby Natalie Belle (AKA Ducky). What a precious little nugget. JULY AND AUGUST Although I was still recovering over the Summer, by July I was out of the wheelchair and on crutches. As a result, I was a bit more mobile and was able to tour around the Northeast USA a tad, allowing me to spend time with people I don't get to see often enough. I spent the week of July 4th lounging around in the Hamptons with my friends from Syracuse University. It was nice to be in America for Independence Day, get off my parents' couch, catch up with mates, eat lobster rolls and work on my tan. I had an opportunity to go to a lake house in New Hampshire for a long weekend as well. My family goes each year, but I haven't been around to attend since the early 2000's. Such a treat! I also had the great pleasure of being able to see my sister's offspring a number of times, in Boston. I already miss their little faces! Lastly, I got to see my aunt, uncle and one of my best friends at the shore on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. SEPTEMBER After a hundred+ hours of physio, I was finally able to walk unassisted again and was strong enough to return to London. Once back, I basically spent every waking moment in a doctor's office, enduring physical therapy, doing pilates or dealing with insurance claims/general life admin, but I did manage to escape to Edinburgh for a weekend and Dublin for one night. OCTOBER Returning to work on 2nd October, after not having been there since 20th April, was a shock to the system. I couldn't, in good consciousness, take any more time off from work for a while, so I stayed put for the duration of the month and decided it was a good time to submit the paperwork to move my current UK work visa from the old passport to the new one I obtained in February (so I no longer needed to carry both with me on my travels). This endeavor was a massive fail. NOVEMBER The first weekend in November, I flew down to Cornwall to visit a friend and tick a few things off my bucket list (since the flight was domestic, a passport was not required). Later in the month, I made my annual pilgrimage back to the USA for Thanksgiving. However, I still had not received my passport back from the UK government, so I had to visit the US Embassy and get an emergency passport the day before I traveled to the States. On this trip, I visited NYC for a few days, to catch up with friends, and then took the train up to Connecticut for an abundance of family festivities. On 29th November, after seven weeks, I FINALLY had my passport safely back in my possession...But only for a matter of moments before I handed it over to a visa services agency to try to rush through a Chinese tourist visa ahead of my pending trip to Shanghai and Beijing. DECEMBER I got my passport back, inclusive of my approved Chinese visa, the day before my flight to China. Cutting it a bit fine for my liking, but it all worked out in the end. I spent three days in Shanghai before flying to Beijing for four. Because it was -8°C/18°F in Beijing, I had the pleasure of visiting all the great sites (Jingshan Park, Olympic Park, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and the Great Wall) without mobs of other tourists. I celebrated Christmas in London with other expat orphan friends, and then headed to Porto, Portugal to ring in the new year. In case you are a numbers person, below are some travel-related stats from 2017: Trips: 14 Air Miles Flown: 62,976 (More than 2.5x the Earth’s circumference - which is 24,902 miles) Airline Segments Flown: 32 Airlines Flown: 13 Total Countries Visited: 14 New Countries Visited: 6 Continents Visited: 5 (North America, Europe, Asia, Africa & South America) Nights Spent in Hotels: 43 Seven Wonders Seen (from various lists): 4 (Great Pyramid of Giza, Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, Great Wall of China) UNESCO World Heritage Sites Visited: 14 (Cairo, Giza Plateau, Venice, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lima, Nazca Lines, Greenwich, Royal Botanic Kew Gardens, Edinburgh, The Summer Palace, The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, Historic Centre of Porto) TOTALS: 27 out of ~46 European countries (the total depends on the list you’re using) 68 countries per the Travelers’ Century Club list of 325 59 countries out of 196 on the United Nations list 6 of 7 continents (only Antarctica to go) I'm not going to lie, I am pretty happy to see the back end of 2017, but I have a lot of make-up travel to do in 2018, so stay tuned for updates! #yearinreview #yearintravel #travels #UNESCOworldheritagesites #northamerica #europe #asia #usa #connecticut #india #yearinreview #2017 #southamerica #middleeast #passport #uae #dubai #egypt #cairo #amsterdam #netherlands #italy #florence #UK #oslo #norway #wales #london #sanfrancisco #malibu #california #venice #peru #lima #sacredvalley #cusco #pisco #paracas #machupicchu #nascalines #bellestasislands #brazil #riodejaneiro #sugarloaf #christtheredeemer #dublin #ireland #edinburgh #scotland #unitedstates #hamptons #montauk #newhampshire #pineriverpond #newjersey #longbeachisland #LBI #boston #massachusetts #china #greatwallofchina #shanghai #beijing #newyorkcity #newyork #JingshanPark #TheTempleofHeaven #TheImperialGardenofThePalaceMuseum #ForbiddenCity #TiananmenSquare #Porto #Portugal #unitedarabemirates

I had the great pleasure of kicking 2016 off with fireworks in Malta. The rest of the year consisted of drinking green wine in Portugal, finding the Lost City of Petra, defying gravity in the Dead Sea in Jordan, witnessing a sword fight in Estonia, touring coastal Croatia, frolicking in Bosnian waterfalls, waving to the Queen of England at The Royal Ascot horse races, hiking to secluded coves in Spain, sitting Centre Court at Wimbledon, sailing the Mediterranean Sea, marveling at the twinkling Eiffel Tower at midnight, eating my way through Italy (twice), taking illegal photos at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City and visiting the Taj Mahal in India. Not bad for one year’s time, hey? For some visuals, below is a slideshow highlighting some these travels and experiences (mouse over to see where and when): In case you are a numbers person, below are some travel-related stats from this past year: Trips: 14 Air Miles Flown: 48,638 (almost 2x the Earth’s circumference - 24,902 miles) Airline Segments Flown: 31 Airlines Flown: 13 Total Countries Visited: 15 New Countries Visited: 7 (blue bubbles below) Continents Visited: 3 (North America, Europe, Asia) Nights Spent in Hotels: 51 Seven Wonders Seen (from various lists): 4 (Petra, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Colosseum, Taj Mahal) UNESCO World Heritage Sites Visited: 15 (Valletta in Malta, Sintra in Portugal, Petra in Jordan, Fortress of Suomenlinna in Finland, Old Town of Tallin in Estonia, Old City Dubrovnik in Croatia, Split with the Palace of Diocletian in Croatia, Mostar Bridge in Bosnia, Historic Centre of San Gimignano in Italy, Cinque Terre in Italy, Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, Historic Centre of Florence in Italy, Historic Centre of Rome in Italy, Amalfi Coast in Italy and Vatican City) TOTALS: 24 out of ~46 European countries (the total depends on the list you’re using) 59 countries per the Travelers’ Century Club list of 325 53 countries out of 196 on the United Nations list 6 of 7 continents (only Antarctica to go) Thanks for following my tiny green adventures and cheers to more in 2017! #yearinreview #yearintravel #travels #2016 #sevenwonders #UNESCOworldheritagesites #northamerica #europe #asia #malta #lisbon #sintra #portugal #floridakeys #islamorada #usa #jordan #petra #deadsea #helsinki #finland #tallin #estonia #croatia #dubrovnik #split #bosnia #mostar #kravicefalls #menorca #spain #amalficoast #ravello #capri #positano #malaga #dusseldorf #germany #paris #france #italy #rome #florence #cinqueterre #lucca #borgoamozzano #devil39sbridge #lakecomo #sangimignano #newyorkcity #connecticut #india #tajmahal #agra #yearinreview

2015 was my first full year living in Europe and was filled with a collection of amazing trips and experiences! Below is a short slideshow that I've put together to share some of the highlights over the past 12 months. I've also added some statistics below, for those of you who are interested in the specific figures. Travel-related statistics from 2015: I was fortunate enough to have gone on at least one trip every month in 2015 (see graph below) Air Miles Flown: 47,792 (just shy of twice around the Earth’s circumference) Airline Segments Flown: 43 Airlines Flown: 14 Countries Visited: 12 New Countries Visited: 5 (blue bubbles below) Continents Visited: 2 (North America & Europe) Nights Spent in Hotels: 49 Totals: I have now visited 52 countries (per the Travelers’ Century Club list), on 6 continents Thanks for following my tiny green adventures and cheers to more great travels in 2016! #yearinreview #yearintravel #madrid #spain #bruges #belgium #italy #sauzed39oulx #amsterdam #netherlands #geneva #switzerland #connecticut #usa #dublin #ireland #annecy #france #ibiza #sardinia #scotland #champagne #massachusetts #zurich #copenhagen #denmark #iceland #barcelona #california #sandiego #canaryislands #malta #2015

2014 was a brilliant year for me, from a travel perspective! First and foremost, I moved from San Francisco to London (after three solid years of begging my company to relocate me). I have now officially lived on three continents: United States, Australia and Europe. I also started this website, which has had a couple thousand views, visitors from 54 different countries and an average session duration of 2:39. Additionally, I had the opporunity to visit quite a few new places. I saw some interesting sights and had many memorable experiences. Below are some travel statistics and a list of the countries where my tiny green shoes have found themselves in 2014: Miles Flown – 83,991 (As a comparison, the Earth's circumference is 24,902 miles) Segments Flown - 53 Airlines Flown - 17 Countries Visited – 14 New Countries – 10 Continents Visited – 3 Nights in Hotels - 50 All Countries Visited in 2014: Cambodia Thailand United States Nicaragua Israel Italy Austria Slovenia Slovakia United Kingdom Spain Switzerland Germany Hungary I'm looking forward to a fun-filled year in travel in 2015! Stay tuned... #2014 #yearinreview #yearintravel #travel #countries #continents #cambodia #thailand #unitedstates #nicaragua #israel #italy #austria #slovenia #slovakia #unitedkingdom #spain #switzerland #germany #hungary #usa

Laos is a country with a magnificent natural, religious, cultural and historical legacy. Although it is no longer a constitutional monarchy, Luang Prabang remains the jewel in the Laos crown. This ancient city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, and is a perfect illustration of its country's rich heritage. Getting to Luang Prabang, from Bangkok, Hanoi, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur is quite easy now-a-days, but arriving from Hong Kong, takes a bit more patience. My journey involved a four-hour layover in Hanoi (where there is absolutely nothing to do), book-ended by one and half hour flights. By the time we finally arrived in LP we were knackered, so we just had some wine and went to bed. The next four days were spent mixing exploration with relaxation, whilst indulging in good eats and drinks. See below for all of my recommendations. Stay/See/Do: *STAY AT THE BELMOND - If you can, I highly recommend it! The hotel is beautiful, service is impeccable, the food is a gastronomic delight and the wine is delicious! Also, the pool is an necessary oasis, given Luang Prabang's year-round high temperatures and humidity. *MOUNT PHOUSI (AKA MOUNT PHU SI) - This sacred hill is right in the middle of Luang Prabang town, with Wat Chom Si temple at its summit. Unfortunately, there is no way around it, you're going to have to climb about 300+ steps if you want to get to the top. It's a very popular tourist spot at sunset, but it gets insanely overcrowded, so we battled the mid-day scorching heat, to avoid the masses. About midway up, you'll have to pay 20,000 KIP, in cash (~£2). Once you make it to the top and stop sweating, be sure to take in the stunning panorama of Luang Prabang and the tranquil valley in which it sits. You'll also pass golden Buddha statues (the Happy Buddha, with its big, round belly is pictured below) Keeping in mind that this hill is sacred, be sure to dress appropriately (despite the heat) and behave in a respectful manner. *STROLL AROUND LUANG PRABANG TOWN - Although the town center is quite small and consists of only four main roads, there is a lot there to keep you occupied. Visit the former royal palace square (which consists of the National Museum, the theater and Temple Haw Pha Bang). There are also many lovely cafes to pop in and shops to peruse. *SA SA SUNSET CRUISE - This slow-boat cruise sets sail down the Mekong River everyday around 4:30pm, and returns two-hours later. It'll set you back 95,000 KIP (which includes a mojito). Our voyage started out serene and calm, but the sky turned dark and it became apparent, quite quickly, that we were about to enter the eye of a storm. First we had lightning, then came the thunder and finally the torrential rain. Despite getting soaked to the bone, we had a great time. *KUANG SI FALLS & BEAR SANCTUARY - These stunning waterfalls might just be the highlight of your Laos trip! Some basics: The falls are about a 45-minute drive from LP. They are open everyday from 8am until 5:30pm. It costs 20,000 KIP to enter (have cash). You'll want to go early to avoid the busloads of tourists who arrive around noon. Bring a swimsuit and towel, if you can/want to swim, as well as a dry bag and a change of clothing. I recommend wearing sturdier shoes than flip flops (although I didn't) and insect repellent. The best time of year to go is December through April/May, when monsoon season has ended and the pools are calm and a lovely turquoise color. From July to October (when I went), heavy rains can transform the otherwise picturesque teal water into a muddy brown and swimming can become impossible. After paying your entrance fee, you'll pass the Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Center, on the way to the falls. It's operated by Free the Bears and is home to more than 20 rescued black bears. As you continue walking, you'll see the first set of falls and tiered pools. You'll start to feel dazzled, but stay the course, things keep getting better... Walk further and the things continue to get more impressive. You'll think you've gotten to the main falls around this point in time, but you'll be wrong... After a few more moments of walking, you'll come to the grandest falls of them all! Stand on the wooden bridge for unobstructed views of the cascading waterfalls. Now is not the time to stop though. Persevere! There are two ways up to the top of the falls - to the left or to the right. We climbed up to the right and it was VERY steep, and also slippery from the thunderstorm the previous night. To the left, however, there are steps, which make things more navigable, despite heavy water flowing over them at points. I suggest going both up and down on the left side. Since many people don't bother hiking all the way up, the top of the falls is very peaceful. There's a rope swing up there, and a small picnic area for relaxing. You can also take a dip if you want to cool off from the hike. *FESTIVAL OF FIRE BOATS - It was serendipitous that we were in Luang Prabang on the 14th October, which happened to be the day of the 2019 Festival of Fire Boats. This event only happens once a year (dates vary) and it signifies the end of Buddhist lent. During this festival, each family in Luang Prabang make a large boat out of bamboo and banana trunks, colorfully decorated with bright colors, candles and money. There are more than 20,000 boats. They parade their boats along the main street before setting them afloat down the river, wishing good luck for the future and paying respect to the spirit of the waters. Eat/Drink: *MANDA DE LAOS - This Laotian restaurant was incredible! I was initially drawn to it for its magical and unique scenery, overlooking the UNESCO classified lily pond, but ended up going back three times because it was so delisious. *CHEZ MATT - Head here for a cheese plate and some French wines. I'm not sure if the card machines were down when I went or if it's always cash only. *EAT ALL THE KHAO NOM KOK AND LAAP - The two Laotian dishes that I am now obsessed with are 1) The bite-sized coconut cakes, made with rice flour and coconut cream. These semi-sweet street treats are ridiculously tasty and addictive. And 2) Laap, a meat-based dish, flavored with things like lime, garlic, fish sauce, mint leaves, spring onion and ground toasted rice. Once it's all mixed together (in front of you), you spoon it into lettuce, wrap it up and enjoy! Know Before You Go: Lots of paperwork needs to be completed upon arrival (bring a pen). For US citizens, a visa on arrival is necessary (you'll need two passport photos and $36 USD). My UK Vodafone worldwide corporate plan covered my mobile for £5/day. A taxi to the hotel took 12-minutes and cost 50,000 KIP. All prices at my hotel were in USD, so be careful. You can easily rack up quite a hefty bill if you're not careful. Don't drink the tap water in Laos. Bottled water only. Watch out for pick-pocketing at night markets. Make sure you have insect repellent with you. #luangprabang #loas #laopeoplesdemocraticrepublic #laopdr #southeastasia #asia #mekongriver #namkhanriver #mandadelaos #coconutcakes #laap #kuangsiwaterfalls #kuangxi #tatkuangsi #bearsanctuary #mountphousi #mountphusi #phoussihill #festivaloffireboat #belmondlarésidencephouvao #belmond #watchomsibuddhisttemple #templehawphabang

Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, which is officially known as the Republic of China (ROC). There may be some controversy over whether Taiwan is recognized as an independent country or not, but there's no doubt that Taipei is a modern, clean, wacky metropolis with a lively night market scene and friendly people who LOVE a claw machine. Taipei has the all expected temples, museums and tourist attractions, but there's another side to the city that is quirky and wonderful. Below is a list of what I recommend for things to do and places to eat/drink (some standard, some weird), if you find yourself in Taipei for a few days. Things to do: *GREEN CROSSING MAN: I don't know why, but one of the things that tickled me the most was the pedestrian crossing signals. Whilst exploring, note the animated green man at crosswalks. He walks to start, then runs as the time counts down, before turning red and stationary. This gave me a little chuckle at every corner! *TAIPEI 101: This skyscraper, at a height of 1,667 feet, was once the world’s tallest building (from 2003-2007). From the fifth floor of the 101 building, you can buy tickets to the observation deck. Take the lift up to the 89th floor (which takes only 37-seconds) for 360-degree panoramic views of Taipei. Whilst you're up there, walk down to the 88th floor and have yourself a cocktail at Bar 88. *LONGSHAN TEMPLE: The most well known temple in Taiwan is the Longshan Temple, built in 1738. It's free to enter, but donations are accepted, to maintain upkeep. *XIMENDING PEDESTRIAN ZONE: This was the first pedestrian zone in Taiwan and the biggest in the country. Whether you want to shop, eat or people watch, this bustling place is wort a stroll. *228 PEACE PARK: This park memorializes the victims of the February 28, 1947 incident in which an anti-government uprising in Taiwan was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang-led Republic of China government, killing thousands of civilians (~10,000). The massacre marked the beginning of the White Terror where tens of thousands of subsequent Taiwanese went missing, died or were imprisoned. *CHIAN KAI-SHECK MEMORIAL HALL AND LIBERTY SQUARE: Chian Kai-Sheck is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction, erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It looks out over Liberty Square. At the top of each hour, from 9am to 5pm, you can see the changing of the guards at Chian Kai-Sheck Memorial Hall. This bizarre ceremony is unlike any other guards changing I have ever seen (video below). *IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE HELLO KITTY CRAZE: Despite originating in Japan, Taiwanese adults and children alike have adopted the Hello Kitty cartoon as if it was their own. There is a whole terminal (#2) dedicated to Hello Kitty in Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport, from which you can fly Eva Air's Hello Kitty jet. Taiwan also has a Hello Kitty-inspired tourist train, Hello Kitty-themed accommodations and a maternity hospital with a Hello Kitty motif. And don't forget the specialty souvenir shops and cafes dotted around Taipei that are all centered around this cat. *JIANGUO HOLIDAY FLOWER AND JADE MARKETS: If you find yourself in Taipei on a weekend, and you want to buy yourself a jade souvenir or some flowers, this is the place. Both markets are located under an overpass and operate from 9am to 6pm. The earlier you go, the less busy it is. *BEITOU HOT SPRINGS: Just under one-hour's metro journey from Taipei's Main Station, you'll find Beitou Hot Springs. To get there, take the red Tamsui-Xinyi metro line to Beitou Station and then transfer to the pink line, for one stop, to Xinbeitou (the pink line train is super cute and colorful). There are over 20 hotels and bath houses in the area, offering public or private bathing options, but we went to the mixed gender, public Beitou Public Hot Spring (AKA Millennium Hot Spring because it was opened to the public in December 1999). This open-air complex includes three hot pools (ranging from warm to scalding) and two cold ones. It can be quite crowded. The pools are closed at various intervals each day, for cleaning (open times are listed in a photo below). Entrance is 40NT (~$1.30 USD). Towels are not provided. There are coin-operated lockers for your belongings. Other than the public hot springs, most other Beitou attractions are closed on Mondays (we found this out the hard way), so I suggest visiting another day of the week. Places to Eat/Drink: *MODERN TOILET: If you can get past the weirdness of sitting on a toilet seat, eating poo-shaped foods and drinking out of mini urinals, then you should go to this restaurant and have a laugh. The food isn't award-winning, but it's certainly a unique experience. *DIN TAI FUNG - This delicious dumpling institution originated in Taiwan in 1958. The tradition of Din Tai Fung continues today, globally, in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Thailand. *WET: This rooftop bar is located on the 10th floor of the W Taipei. Head poolside for some skyline views, trendy atmosphere, wine/cocktails and some beats. *SHILIN NIGHT MARKET: Located about 70 meters from the Jiantan MRT Station, this market is a maze of alleyways, filled with chaos, local cuisine, merchandise and games. Shilin is Taiwan's largest and most popular night market. *RAKUMENYA XIMEN RESTAURANT: If you're in the Ximending neighborhood and craving ramen, visit Rakumenya. Place your order on a tablet and enjoy. *MONO MONO: This cocktail bar is off the beaten path and a little hard to find, which gives it an exclusive feel. Reviews say it is quite busy, but it was fairly empty when I went. Know Before You Go: US citizens do not need a visa, but must show proof of an onward journey (bring a printout of your flight departing Taiwan). A landing card must be completed upon arrival (so bring a pen). When you go through passport control, your fingerprints will be recorded electronically. When you leave, you simply scan your fingerprints at a machine and you're done. No need to show a passport and no exit stamp is provided. The MRT is the easiest way to get into the city from Taoyuan Airport. It's about 40-mins to Taipei Main Station and costs 150 Taiwan New Dollars (~$5 USD). People LOOOVE to queue. If there is a line somewhere, people will join it, with the mentality that whatever is on the other end must be good, even if they don't know what it is. Taipei did not seem to have a big drinking culture. Beers were available at some places, but people did not seem to be out drinking and wine was nearly impossible to find, outside Western hotel chains. My mobile (UK Vodafone, on a Worldwide corporate plan) operated for £5/day. Uber is available in Taipei or there's Find Taxi. The weather in early October was about 29°C or 84°F. It was humid, but not too sticky, the sun was out, there was a slight breeze, we only had a few sprinkles and there were no bugs. There are plans for Taiwan to establish English as it's official language, in the upcoming years, along with Mandarin. #taiwan #taipei #republicofchina #china #ROC #asia #eastasia #taipei101 #dintaifung #moderntoilet #beitouhotsprings #longshontemple #lungshantemple #228peacepark #chiangkaisheckmemorialhall #shilinnightmarket

Chances are, if you're around my age and human, you were one of the 52.5 million people who watched the Friends series finale back in 2004...In which case, you may recall the last scene where each cast member woefully set their keys on the kitchen counter and said farewell to their rent-controlled NYC apartment, before all filing out into the hallway, headed to get one last coffee at Central Perk. The cameras panned the empty living space as the light gradually dimmed and that was a wrap. Five years ago, I had my own Friends-like final act as I left my apartment keys on my housemate's desk, closed the door behind me and said good-bye to my life in San Francisco. It all faded to black as I helped myself to several large glasses of wine in the United Club lounge at San Francisco's International Airport. With tears in my eyes and excitement in my heart, I boarded the 19:40 flight from SFO to Heathrow. I had no idea what London had in store for me, but I had an open mind, all my worldly belongings packed into five suitcases and a shiny new Tier 2 Inter-Company Transfer Long-Term Staff Migrant work visa. But first, let's back up to the manic days, back in August 2014, leading up to the aforementioned transatlantic flight. Six days pre-relocation, I flew from California to Connecticut, for the weekend, to celebrate my grandmother's 100th birthday. It would have been convenient if I could have moved to Europe directly from the East Coast, rather than going back west first, but I still hadn't received my UK work visa (which was being delivered to San Francisco). At the end of the celebratory centenary weekend, for some reason which I can no longer recall, my return flight was cancelled. I finally made it back to the Bay Area late in the day on Monday (25th August). My passport/visa arrived on Tuesday (26th August), the red-eye flight departed on Wednesday (27th August) and I touched down in my new homeland on Thursday (28th August). Deepak Chopra was right that 'all great changes are preceded by chaos', but what this journey taught me was that disorder often also succeeds change. By the time I got to LHR, I must have been some combination of stressed, delirious, eager and/or unaccustomed to checking luggage because, after disembarking, I breezed through immigration and walked straight past the baggage collection area. I exited customs and entered the arrivals lobby, without any of my belongings. It wasn't until I saw a man holding a sign with my company's name on it (whom work had graciously organized to come and fetch me), that I realized that I was empty-handed. The driver asked me if I was ready to go and must have thought I was an absolute numpty when I explained that I still needed to collect my luggage. Re-entry, after clearing customs, is forbidden, so I couldn't simply turn around and retrieve my stuff. I was unlucky in locating an information desk, but did come across a bank of telephones. I picked up the receiver and let it ring. No answer. I then noticed a sign indicating to 'dial 999 in case of emergency'. I was acutely aware that this situation did not qualify as a catastrophe, but I decided to give it a go anyway. It was a low moment for me when I had to explain my situation, out loud, to the operator. Emergency Services informed the imbecile American on my end of the line that this was not an urgent circumstance and that they were unable to provide assistance. I'm quite certain that I heard a snicker prior to the dial tone. Just before the onset of a full panic attack, I found an airport employee, in a high-vis vest, who pitied me enough to come to my aid. He summoned another security guard who had me complete a form, go through a screening in a tiny, private room and endure seemingly endless questioning before escorting me back to baggage claim. There, everything I owned was circling the carousel. The security guard asked me if I had ever traveled before, had a hearty laugh at my expense and told me he couldn't wait to share this story with his wife that evening. He wished me a sardonic 'good luck' with my new life in the United Kingdom, because I'd quite obviously need it. Looking back, it was the most quintessentially British welcome I could have possibly received! Four days following my arrival into London, on 1st September 2014, I began my new job. For the first work week, I was put up in a charming 16th-century hotel, along the Thames, where my wheeled suitcase rolled across the slanted floor if I didn't lay it down flat. During that week I managed to secure an interim, one-month flat rental, through a friend of a colleague. The apartment was for sale and mostly unfurnished, but was suitable short-term. It was also located in the same area of town where I was looking to procure a more permanent option, which proved to be rather convenient. Over the next three weeks, on all my free evenings, I viewed flats. Boy did I view flats. I saw sixty-odd places before I eventually found somewhere I was proud to call home. It was a happy day, back in early October 2014, when I settled into a three-bedroom flat in a Victorian building (with a lovely roof terrace), in southwest London, which became my beloved residence for the next five years. Once the basics were sorted (employment, relocation, housing) and all my belongings were in their rightful places, I felt settled and began to enjoy my new European life. Despite the fact that my company held my fate in their hands, and I relied on my continued employment to remain in the country, I enjoyed the job. Managing global, multi-million dollar marketing/media campaigns, I finally gained that 'international work experience' that I had already been claiming on my LinkedIn profile for many years prior. My colleagues, who endearingly called me 'Sherrington,' 'Shezza' or 'Bircher', made fun of me, daily, for my (mis)pronunciations and my general lack of British knowledge. I was constantly blamed for anything that was deemed a US shortcoming (being too literal, butchering the 'English' language or whatever Trump happened to be doing at the moment), but it was all in jest. The work culture demanded that I dial down my aggressive American manner and learn to be 'fluffier' (which was the actual term my boss used during my first performance review). I wouldn't say that I was wildly successful in this endeavor, but I did make a concerted effort. When I wasn't at work, I could be found photographing London's iconic sights, indulging in afternoon tea, having a Sunday roast (only on a Sundays, of course, I'm not uncivilized) and/or trialing foods/beverages in a city where a new restaurant/bar opened just about every two days. *Fun fact - You're never more than 7 meters from a pub when in the UK's capital. I found London to be vibrant, with everything I could want or need just a slow hour's distance from my doorstep. During my five years in London, I attended many sporting events, including Premier League matches, cricket, polo, boat races, Rugby 7's, America's Cup World Series (sailing), Wimbledon, Football World Cup, Royal Ascot, Rugby World Cup and the first ever MLB London series (Red Sox vs Yankees). I went to concerts, comedy shows, the theater and even a few museums. I rode the London Eye, climbed the Tower Bridge and zip-lined across the South Bank. London’s cultural dynamism made it easy to become friends with a varied group of people who introduced me to new cultures, customs and traditions. I developed lifelong friendships and experienced moments that have turned into lasting memories. Old and new friends, from previous walks of my life, frequently intersected in London, making it an easy place to keep in touch. I took full advantage of London's connectedness with the rest of the UK, Europe and the world. On average, I took about 15 trips each year. In my five-year UK stint, I visited 45 countries, across five continents (indicated in green on the map below), many of them on multiple occasions. Politically, I observed the historic referendum where Scotland voted against ending it's 307-year-old union with UK. I witnessed Brexit, the political crisis that was, and still is, plaguing Britain, following it's decision to leave the European Union. I saw David Cameron resign as UK Prime Minister and be succeeded by Theresa May. May subsequently stepped down, after being unsuccessful in negotiating a Brexit strategy and Boris Johnson took over. I, frighteningly, watched as Donald Trump won the US Presidency and did my part to combat it by taking part in Women's March on London. I felt sorrow for the victims of the Islamic terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and the Manchester Arena. I watched Prince Harry wed Meghan Markle and spawn, Kate and Will had a couple more children (Charlotte & Louis) and Queen Elizabeth turned 93. I realized just how much I loved my life in London after my car accident in Brazil, in May 2017. During the five months I spent convalescing in the US, I had a lot of time to think and reflect. There were many times when I physically felt the metaphorical strings of homecoming pulling me back to Blighty. My time in London was a learning experience which I could never have gotten from any book. I discovered that I was an Anglophile at heart and gained a new sense of self along the way. Who knew I'd learn to tolerate climatic bleakness, mind gaps, drink tea, queue in an orderly fashion, acquire a whole new vocabulary and start apologizing for everything (even when not my fault)? It took a fair bit of time, but I ultimately learned how to properly do my laundry in Britain. On my four-year UK anniversary, I was informed, by my very kind housemate, that I’d been using fabric conditioner (aka fabric softener), instead of detergent. None of my clothes/linens had actually been cleaned in nearly half a decade, but they sure were soft and fragrant. I also now know that I wholeheartedly agree with Oscar Wilde that, 'humour is far superior to humor.' The British use of irony, witty quips, self-deprecation and understatements has and continues to tickle me. In addition to comedy, silly British phrases like 'squirty cream' (AKA whipped cream), the lack of open container laws, people knowing how to properly stand/move on an escalator and gun control will be amongst the things that I will miss the most about this great nation. As my visa nears its expiration, I must now legally satisfy a 12-month 'cooling off period' before I can reapply for another Tier 2 UK work permit. For the next year, I will have to allow the silhouette of London's skyline to temporarily fade into the background as I relocate to the land of Oktoberfest, pretzels and efficiency (Munich, Germany), for a forced adventure. Five years after moving to the UK (nearly to the day), I find myself back at London Heathrow, with my five suitcases, leaving behind another beloved, rent-controlled flat, lots of great friends/colleagues and a city that I love. But, this time, it is not good-bye, it's see you soon! Watch this space for #SherExit updates, as I leave Britain and enter Europe. #london #unitedkingdom #bigsmoke #britain #blighty #england #uk #europe #move #relocation #sanfrancisco #california #usa #unitedstates #unitedstatesofamerica #munich #bavaria #germany #visa #residencepermit #eu #europeanunion #brexit

My suggestion would be to visit Mallorca for more than a few days, but, if all you have is a weekend, below are my recommendations to maximize your time. If you want to stay in the Santa Catalina area of Palma de Majorca, I'd recommend Hotel Saratoga. It was clean, modern, comfortable and affordable. The staff members were accommodating and the facilities were more than adequate. Get up early (by Spanish standards) on Saturday morning and go for a stroll by the harbor, to the Cathedral of Santa Maria, before everyone else awakes. Then have something to eat at Cuba. It might not be a hostel nor a hotel, but is a great place for a rooftop brunch! To walk off breakkie, stroll through the markets whilst sipping on sangria. For sunset, take the elevator at NAKAR Hotel to the 8th floor, where the bar is situated. It is the ideal spot for a sundowner whilst enjoying the views of the city. Have dinner at Sadrassana, in the old quarter of Palma. It's a chic combination of gastronomy and art. Get a traditional Mallorcan ‘coca’, the suckling pig, croquettes and the ceviche. Spend at least one day lazing by the pool, listening to Balearic tunes, getting bronzed and sipping cocktails at Purobeach Palma. #mallorca #majorca #spain #balearicislands #europe #mediterranean #palma #santacatalina #purobeachpalma

Unless you've been living under a radioactive rock, you've probably watched or heard of Chernobyl, the HBO hit miniseries that aired on Mondays, from 6th May to 3rd June. The final episode, of the five installments, had more than six million viewers and the program is the highest audience-rated show on IMDb, to date. The show recounts the true story of the worst nuclear, man-made catastrophe in history, which occurred on the fatal morning of 26th April 1986, when Reactor No 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, sending radioactive particles into the atmosphere, and contaminating the environment, near and far. About a decade ago, the government officially opened up the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to tourists, but only on regulated, guided tours. Prior to that, tours operated illegally and visitors tended to be extreme disaster seekers. Today, day trips cost around £85/person and include round-trip transportation from/to Kiev and lunch. Since the debut of the show, Ukrainian tour companies have reported a 30-40 percent surge in bookings to visit the site. And, I must say, I've been feeling like a bit of a nuclear hipster, having booked my trip back in March 2019, before Chernobyl was televised and such trendy tourist destination. When visiting the Exclusion Zone, sightseers must move around in prescribed routes and comply with certain safety rules. For example, it is compulsory to wear closed-toed shoes, long-sleeves and full-length trousers (even if it's 28°C/83°F, like when I went). Touching anything or removing items from the Zone is strictly prohibited. It is also advised to not to sit nor put anything down on the ground, as the soil remains contaminated. My tour began at 8:00am, when I met the SoloEast group at Independence Square in Kiev. There were 18 of us on bus #5. Our passports were checked by our guide, Constantine, and waivers were signed before we hit the road. It was about a two-hour drive to the Dytyatky checkpoint. There was a queue to enter the Exclusion Zone, whilst paperwork was carefully inspected. As we waited, we were reminded of the safety regulation forbidding us to photograph police, guards, checkpoints, etc., but I've never been particularly great at following rules. To kill some time whilst we queued, Constantine showed us the level displayed on the Geiger counter (detector of radiation particles/waves). To put this into perspective 0.10 microSieverts (mSv) is about the level of radiation you'd get from a chest x-ray. When it was our bus' turn at the checkpoint, soldiers examined our passports against our tickets, multiple times. Once they were satisfied that everything was in order, we were allowed to pass through the gate. Our tickets were then scanned again and a sensor was issued to each of us, to be worn around our neck at all times. I presume this tracked our whereabouts, but its purpose was never officially confirmed. By the time we successfully crossed into Chernobyl Town, it was midday. We headed straight to the Desiatka Hotel's canteen for some lunch. Despite being renovated in 2014, this government-run hotel was certainly not a luxury holiday resort. After filling our bellies with adequate food, we visited St. Elijah Church, which is still in operation. For some unGODly (see what I did there?) reason, radiation surrounding this church has been/still remains exceedingly low, in comparison to the levels across the rest of the Zone. Divine intervention? The neighborhood across the road from the church was not quite as well preserved. The abandoned houses were contaminated, crumbling and deteriorated. There has been a great deal of vegetation growth over the past few decades and the natural world has filled in what was once a peopled space. Following the explosion, the Soviets relocated ~120,000 people living within a 30 km² radius of the damaged plant. Evacuees were given very little time to gather their belongings and were only allowed to take necessities, so many places were left in a messy state. Deportees were told they'd be able to return in three days. However, authorities later deemed the area unlivable forever, making Chernobyl a 1986 time capsule. As we passed by the last remaining statue of Vladimir Lenin in the Ukraine, we were reminded, once again, that this is a city frozen in time. 1,320 monuments to the Bolshevik leader have been dismantled, following the Ukraine's decommunization, but this last one, located in the deserted town of Chernobyl, will remain untouched. After saying hello, and goodbye, to Lenin, we crossed the second checkpoint, having to show our tickets and passports again, in order to enter the village of Kopachi. Only two architectural structures now remain in Kopachi: a brick building of some sort and a kindergarten. All other buildings in this village were demolished and buried, as an experiment, post-explosion. It turned out that burying the contamination meant that radioactive isotopes seeped even deeper into the environment. Just outside the kindergarten, radiation levels near the ground were measured at 6.65 mSv. It's untrue that visitors are banned from entering buildings within the Exclusion Zone, despite tour companies stipulating just that on their websites. The Kopachi kindergarten was the first structure that we got to enter. It was eerie and home to many Chernobyl Chucky dolls. After the kindergarten, we drove just a little while before pulling over to view Reactor No. 4 from across the river. The building of the concrete and steel sarcophagus (protective shelter) culminated in 2017, after two decades of construction and nearly $2 billion of investment. The structure traps 16-tons of uranium/plutonium and 30-tons of highly contaminated dust under it's arch. It is anticipated to last 100 years. This was as close as I assumed we'd get to Reactor No. 4, but I was wrong. We got just about as close as one could possibly get, without going inside. We then drove about three miles northwest of the power plant, arriving at the once modern city of Pripyat. This town was established 4th February 1970, as a model Soviet city, designed for the Chernobyl workers and their families. It has remained uninhabited since the Soviets ordered evacuation of its 50,000 inhabitants. Back in it's heyday, Pripyat was a prosperous town, with nightclubs, cinemas, concert halls, department stores, hotels and even it's own football team/stadium. It is now, however, a modern day Pompeii. Our walk through the ghost town began at Cafe Pripyat. Prior to the disaster, this was a place where young city dwellers (the average age in Pripyat was 25) would gather to chat and drink on the terrace that overlooked the water. The cafe's once beautiful stained glass front is now in ruins. Behind the cafe, a river boat sinks into the bank of the contaminated Pripyat River. We then walked by Hotel Polissia, one of the tallest buildings in the abandoned city. Before it became radioactive, this hotel housed delegates and guests visiting the power plant. The Pripyat supermarket would have been unidentifiable in its function without the shopping trolleys present. On the upstairs level, inhabitants would have once shopped for furniture, which explains the random couches scattered about. Pripyat's Palace of Culture 'Energetik', was a play on words meaning both 'energetic' (lively) and also in reference to the energy being generated by the nearby power plant. Energetik was designed for people to enjoy a range of recreational and artistic activities, all under the (literal) banner of political propaganda. The picture below shows the agitprop signs that were being created in April 1986, in preparation for May Day (1st May) festivities. Included in the Palace of Culture block of buildings was a cinema, theatre, library, gymnasium, swimming pool, boxing ring and meeting halls. The only one we visited was the dilapidated cinema. Outside the public restrooms, at the cinema, was an actual throne, which made me chuckle. As we progressed through Pripyat, we came across this gas mask hanging on a tree. It served as another haunting reminder of the terrible tragedy that had occurred here. The next location we visited was a battered indoor swimming pool. Then, it was onward to the amusement park, the unsettling icon of the Chernobyl disaster. The park's inauguration was planned for 1st May 1986, but it never came, so now the bumper cars and the ferris wheel sit neglected, 30+ years later, while nature has taken over, in the absence of humanity. The amusement park contains varying levels of radiation. The concrete areas are mostly safe, but there's a spot (marked with an 'x') underneath one of the ferris wheel carriages with the highest levels radiation that I saw on the tour (225.3 mSv). After the park, we visited the abandoned Avanhard Stadium, which was once home ground for FC Stroitel Pripyat. Bum splinters anyone? One of the most interesting parts of the Pripyat tour was being able to climb up to the ninth floor rooftop of an apartment building. The greatest danger here was not radiation, but the deterioration of the building. The flooring was uneven and unstable. It felt like the whole property could collapse at any moment. From the top of the crumbling structure, I could see the overgrown streets of Pripyat and other decaying apartment blocks. On the way down from the roof, I nosed around inside a few of the flats. I was surprised to see so much upheaval. Appliances were overturned and the floors were littered with broken glass and debris, but otherwise bare. It turns out that robbery could not be prevented over the years, despite Police/Army guarding. The whole city of Pripyat had been ransacked and thieves took all precious items that had been left behind. The ultimate karma being that the plunderers likely suffered from radiation sickness as a result of their burglary. On the ground of one apartment, I saw a newspaper that had been left there for more than 30 years. The front page story was about Gorbachev's New Year's address to the Soviet people, in 1986 (thank you to my lovely seatmate on the plane back to London, for translating). With the Pripyat portion of the tour completed, we got back on the bus and drove through the 'Red Forest', which got its name from the ginger-brown color that the pines trees turned after they died from high levels of radiation absorption. As we drove through the Red Forest, our Geiger counter started beeping and going mental. The Red Forest remains one of the most contaminated areas in the world today. The last stop before our tour concluded was Duga-2, a top-secret Soviet military base hidden within the irradiated forest. Soviets used radar to detect potential missiles coming from the US airspace. The site officially never existed. It was marked as a children’s summer camp on maps. Like everything else in the Exclusion Zone, Duga-2 was abandoned in 1986. Upon exiting the Zone, we were required to go through a machine that measures radiation on your person. If contamination exceeds established levels, items will need to be left behind. I was not 100% convinced that this machine actually worked, but I complied regardless. If you want to see what the aftermath of a nuclear disaster looks like, there is no better place than the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. But get there before the rest of the nuclear hipsters show up. And before the buildings collapse. If you do, please visit with respect and remember that this is a site of tragedy, sorrow and sacrifice. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Bring your passport on the tour; it is compulsory Pack insect repellent in the summer months The currency is the Ukrainian hryvnia. Everything is inexpensive compared to London. If you want to use a drone in the Exclusion Zone, prior permission should be requested #kiev #kyiv #ukraine #chernobyl #europe #easterneurope #soviet #lenin #pripyat #chernobyl #chornobyl #nucleardisaster #powerplant #radiation

I must admit that I was a pretty bad tourist this past weekend in Seville, Spain. I had received many recommendations for things to do, but it was so hot and all I really felt like doing was eating/drinking in shaded/misted areas, so that's what I did! Below you'll find a list of my top restaurant/bar choices, accommodation suggestions and some recommendations for things to do (most of which I didn't actually do). My Favorites Places to Dine/Drink: You really can’t go wrong just about anywhere in Seville. The small city a goldmine for foodies. I ate at many more places that I've listed, but the ones below were my favorites. I didn't eat meals so much as I grazed. I tried to limit myself to about two dishes at each place that I frequented so that I didn't fill up. As for drinks, the verdejo, albarino and white rioja just about everywhere was divine. I did try sherry, as it's my namesake, but it was not something I'll consuming again anytime soon. Don't let the smile on my face in the photo below fool you. Sherry is not for everyone. My absolute favorite meal was at a place called El Pinton which I'd previously been told about. Inside was an Adalusian-style courtyard (reminded me a bit of Cuba). Outside was covered by a tarp, an awning and had misting sprayers overhead. The service was great. The food was a modern twist on tapas, with pretty large portions (so don't over order). The squid linguine was particularly memorable. El Rinconcillo, Seville's most ancient bar has been serving homestyle tapas dishes since 1670, before tapas were even a thing. It was cozy and we had to stand, but it was great! Go to EME Catedral Hotel's 4th floor roof terrace if you want to sip expensive cocktails whilst overlooking the cathedral. Stay: I would suggest staying where I stayed, at Hotel Fernando III. It was located in the old town and was a close walk to everything. It was pretty inexpensive, but still clean and modern. There was a rooftop pool/bar that came in handy during siesta time (roughly 3:00-5:00 pm). I also stumbled across Hotel Alcazar, which looked very boutique-y and really nice. Since I didn't stay there, I can't vouch for the rooms, but it was also very centrally located and I'd probably give it a go next time. Tourist Attractions: Cathedral and Giralda Bell Tower: I didn't have a whole lot of interest in a hot cathedral nor a hike up a tower in the heat, so I only saw this from the outside. However, I was told to go when it opened to try to avoid the masses. Tickets could be purchased online (for faster entrance), but were also available at the door. Views from the top of the tower were meant to be stunning. The tower was 30 levels up - no stairs but a constant incline. The Royal Alcazar: I didn’t listen to the advice of my friend and buy tickets in advance, which was a massive failure. I would have really liked to have visited, but the line was way too long and the wait was in direct sunlight, so I decided to give this a miss, but here’s what I know, based on the recommendations I received: Buy your tickets online ahead of time (€11.50) to bypass the giant queue outside. You don't have to print them; bar codes can be scanned on your phone. If you love gardens and water features, this is for you. Plaza de Espana: This was about a 15-20 minute walk from the old town, through the Murillo Gardens. I went nice and early in the morning to avoid the heat and the people. Around 9:30 am the tourist groups started piling in. It was free to enter and open 24/7. The beautiful open monument had a tile facade for each of Spain's major cities. Lovely architecture and definitely worth a visit! The Bull Ring: I did not go to this; I had no real interest. But if you do, I believe the tickets are around €9 and I think you are required to do a guided tour. The River: The river is a lovely walk and view, but there was very little to actually do there. Flamenco: I went to La Carboneria for a less touristy/more authentic, easygoing flamenco experience. The venue was located several hundred feet from my hotel, which was handy. The drinks were nothing to write home about, but were inexpensive and the atmosphere was buzzing. I think it opened at 10:30pm and shows started around every 30-minutes.