on travelling

WILD, BY CHERYL STRAYED: A book to read when you just need a break

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BACKYARDIGANS

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!

I KNOW THE BEST PLACE IN BELGRADE (but I can’t tell you how to find it)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

WALLET SHOPPING IN EDINBURGH (and other weird travel traditions)

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When you go to a new place you’re probably interested in the local attractions, culture or atmosphere. But often the most memorable part of a trip is about something much more personal, which may not be relevant to anyone else.

The first time I went to Edinburgh was in the middle of the winter, and the weather was horrid the whole time. At some point me and my friends stumbled upon this nice shop (Ness, still a favourite) and I bought a wallet.

Six years on, I’ve been to Edinburgh many times, and so far I’ve bought three other wallets while there. In fact, ever since I moved to the UK, I’ve only ever bought wallets in Edinburgh – how weird is that?

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Travel traditions can start anywhere – maybe you have a Royale with cheese every time you’re in Paris because of that scene from Pulp Fiction; maybe you always go back to the cheapest restaurant in Marrakech because that funny waiter is still there many years later; or maybe you’re a Shakhtar fan because of that time you spent ten days in Donetsk.

And you don’t necessarily need to travel to the same place many times to create a tradition. Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding your favourite restaurant on your first evening in a new city and coming back again and again.

But mostly, the little traditions you create on the road can make wherever you are a little bit your own, and make a trip that little bit more special.

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I can’t wait to go back to Jordan and have labneh for breakfast every day!

THE BEST PLACE I’VE EVER VISITED

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Someone asked me the other day what was the best place I’ve ever visited.

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I thought about Paris: when I was 13, I visited Paris and it changed my world view completely. I’ve been there maybe eight times now, and I still absolutely love it. It’s beautiful, it’s iconic, it’s old and new at the same time.

But then I thought about Marrakech, my unlikely home away from home. Djeema El Fna (the main square) is the centre of the world, where all the action is. I love the food, the souks, the riads, wandering aimlessly, getting lost for hours…

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But of course there’s London, my adopted city. It’s grey, it’s gritty, but it’s perfect. Everything happens here, and I still choose to live here every day.

Then last year we travelled the Balkans, and visited Jordan, and the year before we were in Iceland and saw the Northern Lights.

I can’t choose, and that’s the best part. There really is a whole world out there… and I’m only getting started.

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What’s the best place you’ve ever visited?