I went to Venice for the Arts Biennale and it was great. When we weren’t seeing amazing art, we were walking around the narrow roads and stopping to take lots of pictures. Venice is so beautiful!
Author: The practical explorer
FINDING TIME WHEN THERE’S NO TIME: Travelling when you have a 9 to 5 job
There are lots of people out there who have left it all behind to travel full time. Sometimes I wish I were one of them. But I’m not. I work in an office, and fit my little adventures around my job.
I definitely wish I had more time to travel aside from the 25 days I get as a holiday allowance. But I still make the most of it. I travel on a Friday after work and commute back on Monday morning (thank you, Eurostar!); I make the most of bank holidays (even if it means paying extra to travel); and I always make sure I have my next holiday to look forward to (Venice, I can’t wait to see you again!).
After a couple of years of a lot of travelling and a lot of working, I think I managed to find a good balance. I’m not (yet) quitting my day job to go travelling full time, but I am making sure I visit amazing places as often as I can. And when things get a bit stressful in the office, I remind myself that another short break is not too far.
Travelling gives me a broader worldview, and helps me regain energy when I’m tired. Working in an office makes me a very organised traveller, and a practical one too. Weirdly, these two activities end up complementing each other.
I’m sure there are lots of others travellers fitting their adventures around a 9 to 5 schedule (I know a few of them).
Just make sure you fit some travelling in your busy schedule!
TRAVEL READING: 3 sites to inspire new trips
When I’m not travelling, I’m thinking about it. I spend a lot of time reading about places, discovering new destinations and making sure I make the most of my upcoming trips. Here’s a selection of sites that I like:
- Flygirl: This is a new travel blog by Jezebel (a great blog which gives me hours of fun). It features funny and amazing tales about travelling, focusing on women. The perfect distraction!
- Revealed Rome: Italy has been on my mind a lot recently, and this blog about Rome is great. It gives you the insider’s view, and it has lots of features about food. Yum!
- Sawday’s: This website focuses on accommodation, but it’s not like other hotel search sites. There you will find the most amazing places, the kind of accommodation that you can plan a whole holiday around. For when you need a relaxing break.
Do you know any inspiring travel sites?
UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE VESUVIUS: A visit to Pompeii and Herculaneum
I always wanted to go to Pompeii, so I jumped at the chance when my mother said she was going there. I was staying in Rome, so we woke up early in the morning to get on the fast train to Naples.
Pompeii and Herculaneum are such unique sites to visit. You get a clear grasp of what life looked like 2,000 years ago, so it’s no wonder that people are fascinated by these places.
Herculaneum:
Our first stop was Herculaneum, which many say is better than Pompeii. I can’t help but agree – overall Herculaneum provides a much better experience to the visitor.
On the day I visited, unfortunately there was a massive (and very disorganised) queue, so it took us two hours to get in. But when we finally got through, it was worth it.
Herculaneum is only partially excavated, so it’s not very big. As you walk around the many narrow roads, you get a chance to explore little houses, big villas, local food shops and more. There are many great details of beautiful frescoes, mosaics and patios.
And because of the way Herculaneum was hit by the eruption of the Vesuvius, you even get to see bits of preserved wood (which is not available in Pompeii).
Pompeii:
We then got the train to Pompeii, where we managed to get in straight away. Immediately we were struck by how big it was, with large monuments and a spacious square, from where you reach narrow roads full of houses. It really is an impressive archaeological site!
Again there were similar architectural features, but not as many places were open to the public (often you can only see inside the buildings from the outside).
But Pompeii was absolutely rammed with hordes of tourists everywhere, which made the experience much less enjoyable. I’m glad I got to see Herculaneum in more detail first!
HOW TO DO IT:
- Go: I went as a day trip from Rome, taking an early train to Naples. From there you can hop o a crowded train to Pompeii (which takes 30 min) or Herculaneum (16 minutes) – these are quite cheap and regular.
- Visiting the sites: Combined tickets to both sites normally costs 20€, but I happened to go on the first Sunday of the month when it’s free (I’d avoid that option as this is one of the reasons why it was so crowded). There are also lots of excursions departing from Naples.
- How long you need: Ideally you need a few hours in each site. Pompeii is really big, so you can probably spend a whole day there (if you have the patience to battle the crowds for that long!).
- Weather: I went in May and it was already quite hot, so it’s definitely best to avoid the summer months.
RUINS AND SPAGHETTI: 1 busy day in Rome
I had one day in Rome before going to Pompeii, so I had a packed agenda. I went there in March, so this time around I wanted to cover a few specific things which I hadn’t seen before.
Ara Pacis:
Ara Pacis is an altar dedicated to Emperor Augustus commemorating peace in Rome. This impressive display was moved from its original site and reconstructed within a beautiful modern building by the American architect Richard Meier, which is an interesting approach as most Roman monuments are displayed in the open where they originally were.
It was very nice, but a bit expensive at 14€ for the entry.
Domus Aurea:
Another impressive display is the Domus Aurea, a palatial building built by Nero. This is currently an excavation site, so you can only visit on weekends and you need to book in advance. You get a detailed walking tour through the massive and impressive structure, a really great to way learn more about Roman architecture.
Churches:
Along the way we stopped at two churches (there are lots of very impressive ones in Rome) which had Caravaggio displays: Santa Maria del Popolo and San Luigi dei Francesi. A great way of seeing art outside of museums.
The rest of my time in Rome I spent walking around the many beautiful sites, from Piazza Navona to the Colosseum. Everywhere you look there’s something to see!
Food:
I also had time to discover some nice places to eat, as you always do in Rome.
Verso Sera is a nice wine bar serving great food. It is located just outside Campo di Fiori, a nice square with a popular market which is a great place to go for dinner.
Another nice restaurant was La Taverna dei Monti. I was quite tired and hungry when I got there, but left happy after eating a hearty plate of gnocchi. It is located at Via del Boschetto, which again had lots of nice places to eat.
Yum!
You can see my tips on how to do plan your trip to Rome here.
THE BEST GELATO IN ROME: 4 of the best places for a treat
Gelato is always a highlight of my trips to Italy, so in my last visit to Rome I did some research and tried a few of the best. Here are four great places for the perfect gelato stop:
1. Tre Scalini
This place is famous for its delicious chocolate tartufo, a frozen ice cream dessert. And it was really good indeed. Tre Scalini is located at the heart of the very touristy Piazza Navona, but the tartufo is worth battling the crowds (and the 10€ it costs).
2. Venchi
Venchi is famous for its delicious chocolate, but in their shops you can also get gelato (they even have shops at the airport so you can have one final treat just as you board the plane). I tried hazelnut and fiordilatte (simple milky ice cream which is perfect if you like traditional flavours) – creamy and delicious!
3. Giolitti
Giolitti is a nice cafe not far from the Pantheon, with amazing pastries and a salad bar on display. But it’s mostly popular for its great ice cream. I tried lemon (refreshing and juicy) and Disaronno – yum!
4. Della Palma
Della Palma serves over 150 flavours of gelato, which is not normally a deciding factor for me as I tend to stick to the basics. But this really is an impressive display, and you can spend quite a while trying to settle on the perfect combination of flavours. I had creamy pistachio and lemon – both just so delicious! I’m not sure, but this place my actually be my favourite!
I didn’t have time to visit all the places in my list, which also included Fatamorgana, San Crispino and Carapina – another reason to go back!
Where are you going for the perfect gelato break?
WILD, BY CHERYL STRAYED: A book to read when you just need a break
Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, tells the true story of a woman who decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail solo. I bought it while waiting for a flight, and it turned out to be the perfect book to take on a trip.
As it’s often the case with long journeys, Cheryl’s leads to personal discoveries and and reflection. And as you follow her steps through the trail, you feel like you too are taking that journey, becoming increasingly more distant from the woes of daily life.
I can’t think of a better book to take on a trip. By the time I finished reading it, just as I returned to London after a weekend away, I felt like I too had just finished a long journey.
One to read when you need a scape from daily life!
- Watch: The book was recently made into a film, and the screenplay is by Nick Hornby (a favourite of this blog). I haven’t watched it yet, but it’s on my list!
TRAVELLING ON FILM: Soundtracks to take on the road
I’m not a fan of musicals, but some films have really great soundtracks. Here are some movies with great music to take with you when you’re travelling:
1. Billy Elliot
I’ve seen Billy Elliot three times in the cinema, countless times on tv, and I’ve been to the musical twice – it really is the best. This is a very British film, telling the compelling story of a boy growing up in northern England in the 80s, amid miners’ strikes and all that.
Most people think Billy Elliot is a film about ballet – it is not. It’s about perseverance and pursuing your goals no matter what, about going after your passion. And yes, there’s lots of dancing too!
The soundtrack includes The Clash, The Jam, T-Rex and it’s just great. Hear it loud!
2. Buena Vista Social Club
Cuba has been on my wishlist for a long time (maybe next year!). The vintage cars, the lively atmosphere, the history… it really seems like a very unique place.
Buena Vista Social Club really captures this spirit. This documentary follows Cuban musicians recording an album, so of course it’s full of good Cuban music. And it was directed by Wim Wenders, who is always great in making places come to life in his films.
Besides the movie, some of the musicians also went on to release solo albums (Ibrahim Ferrer being the most famous of them). And you can also watch them live on tour!
3. Chicago
I’m not a big fan of traditional musicals, but Chicago is a very good film. It is set in the 1920s, and shows Chicago as a city full of intrigue, but it also includes great music and impressive dancing.
A film that calls for a big bowl of popcorn!
I KNOW THE BEST PLACE IN BELGRADE (but I can’t tell you how to find it)
The first time I went to Portugal, my friend and I went to this little restaurant that was just perfect. The owner (who was also the cook) and I shared the same last name, and we got talking about it. This restaurant was such a great find, I can’t recommend it enough!
The thing is – I know this place was tucked away in a little alleyway in the centre of Oporto… and that’s really all I remember about it. Unhelpful, I know.
One of the reasons why I started this blog was so that I had a place to store all the information about my trips: where I went, the name of that local dish, how to find the neighbourhood with all the bars. Often, that’s a simple task. I take my notebook with me and make sure to write down the names of places so I don’t forget it later.
But sometimes, it just doesn’t work like this. There will always be places which are forever lost, maybe because I was too busy having fun to take notes, maybe because the name of the place didn’t return any results on Google afterwards.
It seems like the best places appear just when you need them; then vanish as soon as you’re gone. I remember the square in Venice with the kids riding bikes; the cool bar in Belgrade which had the best crowd; the little club in Lisbon with good live music.
And I’m sure along the way I’ll stumble upon many more amazing places like these… that I’ll never be able to find again.
Happy travelling… with a small bag
I’m a big fan of Saint-Exupéry, so I was pleased to find this great piece of advice from him:
“He who would travel happily must travel light.”
I couldn’t agree more (check out my little guide for tips on hassle-free packing).
Julia's European Adventures 