Category: Uncategorized
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My first covid-era trip abroad … to Tashkent
Six months ago I was under Lockdown 2, confined to the local area, where everything except essential food shops were shut (I didn’t visit a cafe or clothes shop between late December and April). So even though I used to travel a lot pre-pandemic, my culture shock was extreme when I jetted off on a…
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I cut my closet in half after an international move: here’s how I did it
I moved back to the UK from Romania with close to 400 items of clothing, and that’s not counting shoes, handbags, jewellery and other accessories. Three years later, I own less than half of that, and in gradually whittling down my wardrobe – by the end of the process I cut my closet in half –…
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Lockdown 2: discovering the beauty of home
Now we are back in lockdown again. It was announced just before Christmas, so our plans for a couple of days in Oban were cancelled. It’s less scary than the lockdown in spring 2020, almost a year ago now, and the restrictions are a bit lighter. But still the disappointment is acute. I’d thought 2021…
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My 14-item travel capsule wardrobe for Slovenia
We ended up spending more than two weeks in Slovenia after my daughter went down with chicken pox part-way through the holiday, and we were unable to fly home until she was fully recovered. I managed to get through the full 16 days of the vacation with my 14-item travel capsule wardrobe in Slovenia in spring even though I’d…
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Koper, Slovenia’s one-time island city
Koper, Slovenia’s fifth largest city, used to be an island, though that’s hard to believe today. What was once a causeway connecting the island — named as Insula Caprea, or Goat Island, by the Romans — to the mainland is now a busy highway surrounded by big box stores, car showrooms and office blocks. It’s…
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How to be a more eco-friendly traveller
We’re staying in the Hotel Ribno in Slovenia, which is famous as the country’s first — and so far only — zero waste hotel. It’s not just situated in a stunning alpine location a couple of miles from the lakeside resort of Bled, they have also invested into making the stay there as eco friendly…
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Discovering old Tashkent
Coming back to Tashkent after almost a decade — I wasn’t able to get a visa for years — I was delighted to find myself staying in the old part of the city, just 100 metres from Chorsu bazaar. As I’ve written before in this blog, I’m a big fan of Central Asian bazaars, and…
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Spring travel capsule for 10 days on the Adriatic riviera
I spent 10 days travelling in Croatia, Italy and Slovenia with 16 items of clothing and accessories in my spring travel capsule. This is what I packed: Spring travel capsule H&M white long-sleeved t-shirt Marks & Spencer black long-sleeved t-shirt Terranova burgundy long-sleeved t-shirt H&M William Morris patterned top Camargue midnight blue silk-cashmere blend oversize…
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10 fabulous things to do in Rijeka out of season
We arrived in Rijeka on a chilly day in early February. While Croatia’s third largest city is part of the Adriatic rivera (and considerably warmer than our home in Scotland!) it certainly wasn’t the weather for island hopping or lounging on the beach. Instead we explored the city, which has so much to offer despite…
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Durres, an old port city full of surprises
A big industrial port city that caters to thousands of package tourists in summer? I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much from Albania’s second city Durres. I was so wrong. Not only does Durres have some spectacular Roman and Byzantine remains — the amphitheatre is the biggest Roman amphitheatre on this side of the Adriatic —…
Steppe in Style 