When I arrived in Belgrade I thought it was ugly. It was a rash judgement, but not entirely untrue. Much of the city is in various states of disrepair, but there’s beauty to be found here. If history had been different, perhaps my photos would be of gorgeous historical buildings instead of graffiti and bomb sites.
Nine times out of ten, when someone presents you an offer you can’t refuse, it is easily turned down. But then the tenth time, it’s an invite to the World Testicle Cooking Championship in Serbia. How do you say no to that?
With engines topping 8000 horsepower, these machines leave F1 cars for dead. It sounds country, but there is nothing backwards about tractor pulling. There’s a reason it’s called the world’s most powerful motorsport.
Ed Fringe has opened my eyes to the fascinating world of comedy. On the recommendation of a friend I went to see Phill Jupitus. I had no idea what to expect – if someone recommends a show to me, any more detail is irrelevant. If they think it’s worth telling me about, that’s good enough for me.
I’ve attended Fringe gigs in pubs, theatres, a circus tent, the top level of a double-decker bus, a football club, an inflatable up-side-down cow udder and a yurt nicknamed The Yurt Locker. And a dormant volcano. On Monday I climbed Arthur’s Seat to see the view of Edinburgh. On Tuesday I climbed it again for a comedy gig.
In a quiet valley in the heart of the Lake District, a little steam train puffs through the fells. La’al Ratty travels from the coast at Ravenglass to the green paddocks at Boot. And you know how I love trains…
Ireland is globally renowned for its crap weather, but that never stops anyone from visiting. After a particularly wet and windy visit two years ago, I was excited to return – even more so when I saw the forecast. Ireland was about to experience summer.
For a man in charge of guiding a 202m ship out of a very tight berth, Captain Richard Davies is extremely at ease. Especially since he’s surrounded by a bunch of bloggers and their cameras. Nothing like an audience to put on the pressure.
Accessible only on foot or bike, YHA’s Black Sail hostel is something of a Lake District treasure. While the traditional philosophy of hostelling has modernised, Black Sail is a beautiful, remote exception where guests eat together, wash up their own dishes and enjoy each other’s company in the middle of nowhere.
Meeting people is one of the things I love most about my lifestyle. But when people like me say how great it is to meet so many people from all walks of life around the world, we never mention how hard it can be to say goodbye to them all.
