Freiburg im Breisgau. The name just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? This German town is tucked way down in Germany’s south west and serves as the entry point to the Black Forest – famous for its cake as well as its trees. It’s also mostly referred to as Freiburg as the whole name is a bit of a mouthful. Like the cake. Freiburg is also notable for being the sunniest and … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2012
The White Temple of Chiang Rai
If you visit the northern city of Chiang Rai in Thailand, then I can highly recommend a trip to the white temple and the black temple, the former of which is the subject of today’s post, and the latter of which I posted about here. I won't be surprised if you start looking for cheap airfare after you look at the pictures, even if it's just to visit the Temples. They are that … [Read more...]
Cycling in the Pyrenees – From Mountains to Coastline
I love cycling. When I lived in France it was my preferred method of getting round. It’s faster than walking, environmentally friendly, and you get to take in the scenery and fresh air. Plus the odd fly, for nutrition. So when the opportunity to spend three days cycling in the Pyrenees presented itself, I jumped at the chance. Ok, so the real reason I jumped at the chance … [Read more...]
Swinging through the tree tops in Chiang Mai
Some people always want to do something. "I want to DO something!", says Loz. After a couple of weeks making the most of our Thailand stay, and now a few days without itinerary in Chiang Mai ahead of us, my tiny hope of thoroughly enjoying a meaningless, completely wasted day vanishes instantly. "What is it then you want to do?", I carefully ask. My better half has … [Read more...]
In photos: Munich
We recently took a road trip across France to Germany, and one of our stopping off points was the Bavarian town of Munich. This is mostly known for being the home of Oktoberfest, where strapping young ladies cart around gigantic jugs of beer to jolly tourists and locals alike. We missed Oktoberfest by the skin of our teeth (although we did get to drink some beer in a large … [Read more...]
Viva Chiang Mai: a homestay review
Heat. Waves of the stuff. It was a prevailing theme on our bus trip up to Chiang Mai. Sure, the bus had air conditioning, but this particular bus had more pressing concerns to worry about than keeping its passengers cool. For example: getting its passengers to their destination. The bus we had chosen for the trip was perhaps not the most robust of creatures. An hour into the … [Read more...]
Travelling responsibly
Travel. It’s one of those things, like probably countless others, that I have a habit of taking for granted. It is, after all, pretty easy to take things for granted. Often I forget quite how lucky I am that the most difficult decisions in my life are whether or not to go with the chicken or fish as I sit in a pressurised container, six miles up in the sky, and get confused … [Read more...]
Visiting the hill tribes of Doi Inthanon
When I saw our planned schedule for visiting parts of northern Thailand included visits to various hill tribes, I have to admit to feeling a little uncomfortable. You see, I’m not really a big fan of seeing people as a tourist attraction. It often feels artificial, or contrived, or like we’re trying to preserve some aspect of life that would no longer be true had we not … [Read more...]
In photos: From the Facebook Page Edition V
And we’re back with another round up of some of the most popular photos I’ve shared on my facebook page over the last month or so. The previous entries in this series have been some of my most successful posts to date, so why stop a winning formula! I also love how this series lets me throw out a whole mix of photos from my travels around the world – although … [Read more...]
Scottevest travel vest: a review
“What does it have in its pocketssss?” If Gollum were to pose me this question whilst I was lost under the Misty Mountains, as he did to Bilbo, and I happened to be wearing my new Scottevest, the answer could go on for some time. You see, the Scottevest comes with a lot of pockets. Like, a lot of pockets. So many in fact, that it even comes with a pocket map. A map … [Read more...]
In photos: Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai
We recently had the distinct pleasure of exploring the original Thai capital of Sukhothai, the place where the Thai language as it exists today was born, and where much of Thailand’s culture is believed to have originated. It’s also the place where the happiness of the Thai people is said to have started – Sukhothai translating literally as the “dawn of happiness”. We … [Read more...]