Ah, Rio! It’s an amazing city for many reasons, although one of them might not come to mind as easily as, say for example, the beaches. I’m talking about Rio’s street art, which, once you’re there, you’ll find pretty much everywhere – yes, on the aforementioned beaches, too! I dearly love street art, because I appreciate how people make an … [Read more...]
Common Paris Scams – How To Recognise and Avoid Scams in Paris
Paris is one of our favourite cities to visit, but it does have a bit of a reputation as having a number of common scams. In this post, we're going to go through a number of common Paris scams so you can enjoy your time in the city, and not worry about falling prey to a scammer. With a bit of preparation and foreknowledge, you'll be well prepared to deal with the common … [Read more...]
Learning about Irish Culture at Cnoc Suain
Cnoc Suain. A name that rolls gently down your tongue… Just not my tongue, I’m afraid; no, sorry. We’re in a part of Ireland where the street signs are Irish only, and I might need a Guinness before I even dare to try to pronounce anything that is on them. But alas, there’s no Guinness, because we are on a bus and on our way to some historic cottages, known by the name of… Cnoc … [Read more...]
Getting High In Quito
We did get very high in Ecuador’s capital Quíto, my oh my! 2,850 metres above the sea level. That makes Quito the second-highest capital in the world, right after La Paz in Bolivia (3,640m). But Bolivia cheated with the title, because they have several capitals (I see, how convenient!). There. Team Quito. The altitude If you were disappointed about me not keeping … [Read more...]
Galway and its Hookers
Okay, let me get this straight off your dirty minds: a Galway Hooker is a boat, people; a boat! Now that we cleared that up (and had 95% of people leave the site immediately), I would like to get back to the topic, and that is Galway, which is the name of both a city and a county in the west of Ireland. By the time of our visit, I had the feeling that almost everyone apart … [Read more...]
I tasted Whiskey and I liked it
Whisky and I. We did not seem to be made for each other. I was eager, though. How nice would it be to sit in front of a cosy fire-place and sip on a glass of whisky! So much for the glorious image. There was just one tiny problem: the taste. I could not bring myself to really enjoy it. If only the bloody stuff tasted better! Luckily I am pretty persistent. Things I … [Read more...]
Standing Ovations and A Lost Bag
If you have been following our latest adventures, you will know that we have temporarily turned into the Joneses… Indiana Joneses, that is – as we became hunters for good customer service! Not the worst job in the world, is it? We were given it by American Express, who initiated a study which found that good customer service makes people happy. I guess you could … [Read more...]
Shootin’ some clay, up to no good
“Guys, you should stay clear of Western Ireland next week: Vera signed up for some clay pigeon shooting!”, Loz dutifully informed everyone he had known for more then five minutes once we had made it to Ireland. I smiled wryly. Thanks, man. We were in Dublin, and about to embark on two different trips. Loz was going to explore the south-west, and I had settled for … [Read more...]
The Street Art of Dublin
Somebody needs to give me a week solely to explore the street art of Dublin, seriously. The city centre alone is more or less plastered with it. Wether it’s in your face, in your way, or sneakily hidden; wether it’s a tiny sticker on a traffic sign or a massive painting covering a whole wall; wether it’s beautiful, funny, political, philosophical, or absurd – it’s … [Read more...]
How we nearly became millionaires in New Zealand
Our year of work and travel in New Zealand had come to an end, as all good things tend to do. It was time to pick up the loose ends and get ready to move somewhere else. One loose end was Bernie, our trusty van, which we had to sell. Now this task can be a cause for major stress for the odd backpacker, because depending on the season, there is no buyer’s market. So if … [Read more...]
Tips for Dealing with Street Dogs in Asia
When we were in Thailand, we definitely noticed that there are street dogs everywhere! You'll find them on the streets, around the temples, on the beaches - pretty much everywhere you go you'll come across street dogs. They are an accepted part of life over there, and we never witnessed anyone shouting at them or abusing them. Instead there were little plates and bowls with … [Read more...]
Loi Krathong in Sukhothai
Whenever I want to write about Sukhothai, I feel overwhelmed. Although we were only there for three days, with the help of the Thailand Tourist Board we got to see so many amazing things – how do you do that justice? Where do you even start? So I opted for a slightly more manageable chunk of Sukhothai goodness which we were able to witness: the Loi Krathong Festival. Loi … [Read more...]
Oh Bavaria. Dealing with stereotypes.
There's no place like home. Or so they say. The thing is: my family moved around a bit while I was a kid, and with that, I never really developed the concept of home being that one place, that one house, or that one region. Home can be everywhere. Home can be multiple places. On one hand I sometimes envy people a bit when I see their strong bond to a specific place, on … [Read more...]
What corn syrup has to do with a car crash
Byron Bay in Australia has this reputation for being a hip little beach town for surfers, hippies, and other alternative folk. You would think I loved it when I first got there, but I didn’t. I had embarked on a road trip with a guy I had met in a hostel in Melbourne and eventually we arrived in Byron Bay. Instead of instantly getting a good vibe, we just saw a town full of … [Read more...]
Opium for the masses – a visit to the Hall of Opium museum in the Golden triangle
When I went abroad to English-speaking countries as a teenager from Germany, I always had to snicker when I read “Drugstore” on the pharmacy signs. In Germany, the word ‘drug’ refers solely to the illegal stuff. If you mean the pills, powders and liquids your doctor prescribes and treats you with, you say ‘medicaments’. Two different words to describe two completely different … [Read more...]
Discovering Oslo, Part I: outside
When we arrived in Oslo, the weather forecast announced that we would have a sunny day and a rainy day during our stay in Norway’s capital. Ever the brilliant organisers we decided we would cleverly visit all the outside sights on the sunny day, and the inside sights on the rainy day. And even though we have had our fair share of the weather forecast being completely wrong … [Read more...]
The Belly of the Dragon
It seems that in this world of ours there are quite a lot of people with irrational fears. In fact, every now and again I stumble over an article that lists the latest fears that have been given names, and wonder what it means exactly for your life when you are afraid of… garlic. To anyone who thinks he or she is a mess I recommend looking at this list of phobias – I can … [Read more...]
A review of Nern Chalet – a bit of luxury in Hua Hin
Accommodation is part of travelling. You go abroad to explore foreign countries, their food, their culture – or you might just want to relax. This is much easier on a nice beach and with a change of scenery than at home, next to the dirty laundry that needs doing. Accommodation has to be sorted out, but isn’t really part of the reason why you go on a holiday. Nevertheless, … [Read more...]
Wine-tasting for beginners (or how to alienate the masters of wine)
Here I am, travelling my way through the world, always stumbling over offers to taste wine. The world is a gigantic vineyard, it seems. Until recently, I didn't care much. To be honest, I had this terrible fear that if I actually knew how to distinguish a very good wine from a not so good one, it would ruin many meals and evenings. I could not afford to become a proper wine … [Read more...]
Girona and the talisman of the Ice Age
When you travel to Spain and visit the lovely town of Girona, you will see the statue of a lion. They say, if you kiss it, you will return to Girona. I nearly didn't kiss it. Because, you know, it's not like I have not fallen for this kind of bollocks before. Yeah, I threw coins in plenty of fountains and wells. Yeah, I rubbed the cold feet of plenty of statues. And did I ever … [Read more...]
The pictures they don’t want you to see
Today I’m delighted to introduce another guest post from Vera, talking all about the very fine art of travel photography. Enjoy! Mesdames, Messieurs! If you think Loz has been the only photographer I travelled with, you're wrong. Dead wrong. There have been others. And so I have witnessed first hand (and you might already know that): it takes many, many pictures until … [Read more...]
That time I nearly died in the Outback
Dear readers, it is another post by not-Loz, also known as Vera. My dad recently emailed me a link for an article published by a respected German magazine. The title was "Dangerous student trips to Australia" which instantly made my heart-rate go up: Oh god, I had been to Australia! Had I unknowingly put my life in danger? I started reading and learnt that "not every … [Read more...]
The art of procrastination, and an introduction
I started this travel blog quite a long time ago. Just over two years ago in fact, as this recent post illustrates. Throughout that whole time, I’ve had a silent partner who has been helping me out, providing handy feedback, checking my grammar, researching destinations and carting bits of camera kit around. And other than the odd mention, she’s never really had a … [Read more...]