With breathtaking landscapes and historical charm, Czechia is one of Europe’s most underrated cycling destinations. I recently did a weekend overnighter in the north of the country, and I can sum it up using three words: true cycling joy. From the awe-inspiring sandstone formations in Adršpach Rock City to the […]
Cycling in Czechia – The Broumov Highlands and the Giant Mountains Read More
In June 2019, I cycled solo in Norway, covering 750 kilometres metres from Ålesund to Horten. I cycled Trollstigen – Norway’s most panoramic road, camped on empty plateaus and in forests and experienced four seasons in just a few days. Here is a travelogue based on my diary entries from
Cycling solo in Norway. Through tunnels and fjords Read More
I’m a picky reader. Most books about bicycle touring and classic travelogues just put me to sleep. But Rebecca Lowe’s Slow Road to Tehran is not just a book about bicycle touring, which the author herself bluntly admits in the first paragraphs. While cycling from London to Tehran, Lowe attempts to understand
Not just another bicycle touring book. Review: The Slow Road to Tehran Read More
Most people hear the word bison and think about the massive mammals roaming through the grasslands of North America. But their once nearly extinct cousin, the European Bison, inhabits dense forests in Eastern Poland. I recently had a chance to see it. How should you plan your visit to Białowieża Forest to
Visiting Białowieża Forest. How to find the European bison? Read More
Tskaltubo, a small Georgian town 9 kilometres from Kutaisi was one of the most popular spa resorts of the USSR, attracting more than 100 000 visitors a year. Today, most sanatoriums are abandoned, some serve as housing for refugees from nearby Abkhazia. Few tourists come to enjoy the healing properties
Tskaltubo. A Travelogue from an Old Soviet Spa Resort Read More
Malta, a tiny island on the Mediterranean, has a lot to offer for a tourist. Yet, more than visiting the epic fortified town of Mdina or sunbathing with a view of the azure waters of the Blue Lagoon, I enjoy a stroll among the old houses, chasing the most unusual
Condom, Rest My Aching Back, and Dar Dartumi – The most bizarre house names in Malta Read More
The internet will tell you everything about idyllic Maltese beaches, stunning architecture and sunny weather. While this is all true, it’s only part of the reality on this tiny Mediterranean island. Malta is full of surprises, contradictions and paradoxes. Let me present you with a list of 10 things that
10 surprising facts about Malta Read More
You don’t talk ill about the dead. The authors of the colourful graves in Romanian Săpânța disregard this rule. With dark humour and incredible directness, they disclose people’s flaws and describe how they died. Welcome to the Merry Cemetery – a graveyard with no taboos, where death is a topic
Merry Cemetery – a graveyard with no taboos Read More
One name repeatedly came up in my conversations with other travellers and locals about Albania. Having heard about the bizarre city planning, unconventional architecture and magical aura, I had to visit Gjirokaster – a town which gave Albania the most atrocious dictator Enver Hoxha and the influential writer Ismail Kadare.
Gjirokaster – Stories from the City of Stone Read More
The king of the forest. Up to 600 kg heavy. Bear is a strong and scary beast. But there is one beast that tamed him. A creature even scarier and much crueller than a bear. He put a ring into the bear’s nose and dragged him on a chain. He
The history of Bulgaria’s dancing bears Read More
The world was green and smelled like hot pine needles. The road was empty, and I was happy. I always imagined Greece in the summer was yellow and dusty. But the Pindus was different. The first thing I noticed after crossing the Albanian-Greek border in Kakavia was the silence. A
The wild side of Greece. Cycling in the Pindus mountains Read More
Permet and Vjosa River Every bit of my legs felt like a heavy rock fell on them. Even getting out of the tent was a challenge. I cursed when I realised I didn’t have anything for breakfast and the nearest shop was three kilometres away. The owner of my campsite,
Cycling in Albania, part 2: Vjosa, the Pindus mountains and Korce Read More
At the age of 25, she didn’t know how to ride a bike. Five years later, we were cycling together on the washboard roads of Kyrgyzstan. Pashmina Binwani, a cyclist and travel writer from Kuala Lumpur, doesn’t care about speed or meeting other people’s expectations. Instead, she is trying to
Bicycle touring inspiration: Pashmina Binwani – it’s never too late to learn cycling Read More
Staring at a pair of feet next to my face, I tried to sleep. I put a sweater under my head because I loathed the stickiness of the sofa under my cheek. The deck bar of the Bari-Durres ferry filled with a cheerful crowd, getting drinks and laughing loudly. It
Cycling in Albania, part 1: Durres, Berat, Osum Canyon and an unrideable road to paradise Read More
There are places where you go because you really want to, and there are those you visit because you happen to be nearby or they are just on the way. I never dreamt of travelling to Sicily, but I took the opportunity to visit when I was in Malta. Being
My Sicilian struggles Read More
When I ask why he wanted so badly to cycle the Soviet Union, Pat Patterson laughs: Because it was there, and they told me I couldn’t go, no, nyet! This 82-year-old energetic man from California has spent more than 7 years cycling the world and was the first American to
Bicycle touring inspiration: Pat Patterson – first American to cycle the Soviet Union Read More
During 6 days of volunteering on the border-crossing in Medyka-Sheginhe, I saw hundreds of people who left their homes and headed towards the unknown. They were not looking for a thrill of adventure. On the contrary, they only wanted safety. The war forced them to leave Ukraine. Here are some
Stories from the border Read More
Every time I visit the Balkans, it’s like coming back. Although, I’ve never lived there, I feel this Yugonostalgia, missing something I never knew. Maybe in my previous incarnation, I was driving a Yugo or Zastava for a state-planned vacation? The South is paradise lost, wrote Kapka Kassabova in “By the lake”. Her story about Lakes Prespa and Ohrid gave me an impulse to visit North Macedonia.
Paradise lost – cycling in North Macedonia Read More
CouchSurfing references are a tricky matter. They should be your compass in the quest for the right host. My only negative CS experience happened despite 80 splendid references on the host’s profile. Moreover, it took me 13 months to write him a review. It made me wonder if we can rely on the references at all. How often are things left unsaid? Why is leaving an honest reference so difficult? What can we – solo traveling women – do to be safe (and protect others) while CouchSurfing?
Silence ain’t golden – using Couch Surfing as a woman Read More
I felt their eyes on me.
“You alone?”
“No, my husband is right behind me,” I answered knowing that they will find out that my husband either wears an invisibility cloak or does not exist if they stay at the road for a while.
It was like in a base camp. I mean, besides electricity, fast wi-fi and the shop around the corner where you could swing by in your flip-flops. Also, we were in Kyrgyzstan’s fourth biggest city and none of us was even close to being a mountaineer. We were all regular tourists. The mood was truly basecamp-ish, though. We would maniacally check the weather forecast and played cards for hours to kill the time. Sometimes the noise of squealing tires followed by the rumble of crashing cars drowned out the monotonous sound of the rain on the tin roof. Another jerk went through a red light on the intersection in front of the hostel.
Kyrgyz Tales, Part 3: Jottings from Karakol Read More
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