a day in vienna

Vienna is the perfect day trip from Bratislava, since it's only about an hour by train or bus and you get the benefit of staying in cheaper Slovakia but experiencing the culture of an Austrian city.

The first thing you see getting out of the underground in central Vienna 

bratislava at christmas

Bratislava is one of those cities you tell people you're going to and they say "oh cool!...where is it?". It definitely doesn't get enough credit, especially since it's cheap and if you go in December it has one of my favourite Christmas Markets. There's also towers to climb, castles to see and a too many cafes and bars to choose from over a 3 night stay. 

Clock tower in Bratislava Old Town Square

auschwitz & birkenau - how to

I make the assumption that most people have heard of Auschwitz, and almost as many of Birkenau. 

These places represent the absolute horror of the Nazi Regime, and it is so important that they are never forgotten, for the people whose lives were cruelly taken from them there and for us to learn from the past and strive to never have such persecution happen again. I say strive because unfortunately it still has, and is.

I don't seek to glorify or promote these places as a tourist destination, everyone should make up their own mind about whether they want to visit or not, and think about why that is. Instead I want to explain  what your options are if you do decide to go, since I spent a considerable amount of time investigating before I went and can reflect on how it worked out.

krakow - welcome to history

This trip was a bit of a strange one for me. It came about because I needed to leave the country for a couple of weeks when my UK working visa ended. While Krakow and Berlin had always been on my list of places I wanted to see before I left Europe, it was a weird feeling planning an enforced trip. Luckily my amazing Mum came over to do the trip with me, after putting off thinking about it and planning it for so long I finally sucked it up and did so in just enough time for her to book and join me. It wouldn't have been the same without her and I wouldn't have enjoyed it even half as much! 

Travel buddies reunited!

spain - in the alora campo

I first heard about HelpX from some friends in Edinburgh and I knew straight away it was something I wanted to do. It is like Woofing and Workaway, where you can work in exchange for board and food. Before I decided to come back to Edinburgh after my trip it was my main plan for Spain and beyond, however that changed when I decided to just be in Spain for 2 weeks so I could make it back to work. Luckily I still managed to find a HelpX that would take me for a week, and what a week it was.

My home for the week

tapas and palaces in granada

After my "experience" in Seville I was looking forward to getting to Granada to see if it was as good as I had heard. It certainly didn't disappoint.

The Alhambra

seville - a brief note

I started a big ranty post about Seville while I was still travelling but then deleted it, deciding I should just focus on the positive. People describe the city as near perfect, the only thing wrong being that it has no beach. I found the city itself really nice, it was the kind of ridiculous hostel experience I had there that put me off.

Seville Cathedral