ONLY WHEN I’M ON HOLIDAY: Are we different when we travel?

September 18, 2015September 6, 2015 / The practical explorer / Leave a comment

In my first night in Bangladesh last year I ordered a Sprite at the restaurant. Nothing unusual with that, except that I don’t think I’d had Sprite in absolutely ages. Somehow that’s all I drank in every restaurant we went to on this trip.

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Thai massages are THE best. I never thought of booking one in London. But when I stay in a very posh (and ridiculously cheap) Movenpick resort in Turkey later this year, I will definitely need to book a massage.

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Why is it that we are different when we travel? Why do we create habits which are switched on as soon as we clear airport security?

Travelling is all about doing new things and exploring new places, but I guess we need to create a sense of stability no matter where we are. And travelling allows us to be a bit different from who we normally are – so no one will question your sudden love of crime novels (Jo Nesbo is the best company for long airport waits) if you’re just about to go on a holiday.

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What are your little travel habits?

TRAVEL READING: A Tale of Two Cities

September 11, 2015September 6, 2015 / The practical explorer / Leave a comment

I’ve started reading A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, many times before. Somehow I never finished it!

In London, he had expected neither to walk

This time around I was committed to sticking with it, and it is (as any Dickens novels) really great. The book is set partly in London and partly in Paris – so it’s an ideal read to take with you on a trip across the channel!

RELAXING IN KRAKOW: Narrow streets and cool bars

September 4, 2015August 31, 2015 / The practical explorer / Leave a comment

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Krakow is perfect for a relaxing break. The city centre is relatively small, so you can see loads just by wandering around.

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DAY 1

We started our first day in Krakow visiting the Barbican and the city walls, located at the entrance of the Old Town.

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It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for walking around. The Old Town of Krakow has a great Market Square (the largest medieval market square of Europe), with lots of shops and cafes.

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We stopped for lunch at Green Day – yes, they have a veggie restaurant called Green Day!! A meal for two and drink cost £5.50.

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We continued along the narrow streets all the way to Wawel Castle – but we saved that for the next day.

Not far from the Old Town we stumbled upon Frania Cafe, a bar which is also a launderette and it was pretty cool.

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Heading back to the Old Town we found a few more nice bars, so we stopped for a beer at the Beer Gallery, a Belgian bar near the market square.

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DAY 2

One of the best things in Krakow is that there is a park which goes all around the city walls. This is a great place for a walk, so on our second day in the city we made our way through the park to get to Castle Hill.

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This is a great place to visit – you can see the many areas of Wawel Castle, visit the Cathedral and you also get great views over the river.

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After leaving the castle, we went to the Jewish Quarter, an amazing neighbourhood full of history which is now home to lots of cool shops are cafes.

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Wolnica Square is the perfect place for a little break, so we stopped for lunch at Cafe Mlynek.

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We found lots of cool independent shops in Jozefa Street. The Jewish Quarter is also great for drinks, so we stopped at Bill Hickman (amazing décor), Propaganda (perfect soundtrack) and Strefa Piwa (they have the best beer map painted on the wall) – all really great places.

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