Warm sunshine, hot beats and cool people: that’s our Notting Hill Carnival 2019 in a nutshell. This past weekend marked the 4th time we’ve participated in the world-famous festival of Caribbean culture, and we had a blast. And yet, while dancing on the streets and admiring the passing sound systems, the social scientist in me… Continue reading Discovering London: The Notting Hill Carnival 2019
Category: UK
The Fast and the Furious: Riding Bird Electric Scooters in London’s Olympic Park
A rainy, windy and cold Sunday in January – is there a better time for spending a whole day outside? Well, maybe there is, and to be completely honest I did need a long hot bath after getting home yesterday… but I don’t regret it one bit, for we ventured out for a good reason: to… Continue reading The Fast and the Furious: Riding Bird Electric Scooters in London’s Olympic Park
I know what you did last summer: June, July & August 2018
I’ve been bad with monthly updates recently – in fact, I haven’t published one since February. Autumn is the time to get back on course, so that’s what I’m going to do. To start off, here’s three months of summer in one mammoth of a post – you might want to get yourself a cup… Continue reading I know what you did last summer: June, July & August 2018
The shortest city break ever? Birmingham in 15 minutes
Is it possible to get a feel for a city in a mere 15 minutes? It is. Trust me, I’ve tried! Slow travel is a huge trend right now, and I can see why. Taking time to really get to know a place and immerse yourself in the local culture makes travelling more rewarding and less stressful, at… Continue reading The shortest city break ever? Birmingham in 15 minutes
Monthly Roundup: February 2018
I’m typing this listening to Katy Perry’s Hot n Cold, which seems very appropriate: from record highs (in California) to snowstorms (in the UK), February was full of contrasts. I started the month soaking up the sun in San Francisco and ended it watching snow cover the pretty streets of London. In between, I had… Continue reading Monthly Roundup: February 2018
Monthly Roundup: January 2018
I’m sitting on a park bench. It’s 4pm and sun has just set behind the hills of San Francisco, yet it’s still warm enough for me to chill outside wearing nothing but a short summer dress that I got this afternoon for 3 dollars (we didn’t pack summer clothes as we definitely did not expect… Continue reading Monthly Roundup: January 2018
Meeting Her Majesty the Queen and Other Travel Highlights of 2017
It has become a tradition of mine to dedicate a couple of days around the turn of the year for looking back on the travels of the previous 12 months. Many of us travel so often these days that it can almost start feeling mundane, so it’s good to take time to appreciate that traveling is,… Continue reading Meeting Her Majesty the Queen and Other Travel Highlights of 2017
Monthly roundup: December 2017
December was a month of celebrations, beginning with Finland’s independence festivities and culminating in Christmas. It started in Helsinki with ten days filled with fieldwork and fun, continued in Amsterdam where I got to admire the picture-perfect city in its winter plumage, and concluded in London with a glorious firework display that we managed to… Continue reading Monthly roundup: December 2017
Monthly roundup: October 2017
Better late than never, right? I was planning to publish the collection of October highlights earlier in the month, but then Madrid happened and, well, here we are. However, today is actually a good day for finishing this post – it’s chilly and rainy but quite cosy, just the sort of weather one would usually… Continue reading Monthly roundup: October 2017
Monthly roundup: September 2017
Colourful leaves, chilly mornings, hot chocolate and chestnuts? Not quite. September was still a full-on summer month: I got to experience some of the hottest days of the year and wear the sundresses that had remained in the closet during the colder-than-expected Northern summer. It was a busy month both for me and for the… Continue reading Monthly roundup: September 2017