Remembrance: Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red

Source: BBC

To mark the 100 year anniversary of the start of WW1, ceramic artist Paul Cummins has created a beautiful installation at the Tower of London called Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red.

Nearly four million people are expected to have visited the installation which is due to be dismantled after Armistice Day.

Despite hopes that the installation will stay a while longer, it has always been the intention to sell the poppies for charity and send them to their new owners after Armistice Day. I was lucky enough to buy one before they sold out.

Paul Cummins has also said he never intended the installation to be permanent as it was meant to symbolise that human beings are “transient”. He’s gone on to say; “the idea was it will only be there for a finite time like we are.” Personally I agree with him, and although I will be sad to see the poppies go, I believe its the right thing to do.

Despite at the time WWI being declared as ‘the war to end all wars’, British forces have been involved in conflict every single year since, with 1968 being the only year where a member of the forces hasn’t been killed in conflict.

In total, over 16 million lives were lost during the First World War. 100 years on and we are still remembering.

Source: BBC

Source: BBC

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

As you are welcomed into Sarajevo, you immediately witness the war wounds of a city that has one of the most tragic recent histories of any in Europe. Before the Balkan wars of the nineties, Sarajevo was a cosmopolitan city famous for its mixed population of Serbs, Croats and Bosnians who all co-existed successfully. But on March 2 1992 the barricades went up, leading to a siege that was to last almost four years (the longest any modern capital has ever had to bear).

As you wander the city’s streets, the pavements are dotted with “Sarajevo roses” – gashes carved out by mortar fire that have been painted bright red. Plaques stand on street corners to commemorate the dead, and as you look closely at the surrounding buildings you can catch glimpses of bullet holes within their walls.

In Stari Grad (“Old Town”) is Bascarsjia, the historic and the Ottoman heart of the city. Here you can experience a nugget of Istanbul life that is a product of the 400 years of Turkish rule before the city was occupied by the Austro-Hungarians in the late 19th century. The Bacarsji square is a great place to spend the afternoon people watching and joining in with the clusters of men who sit outside cafes, sipping thimbles of thick, dark coffee. If you’re feeling peckish, a lamb kebab is a must. As our guide declared: ‘you have not been to Sarajevo if you haven’t tried our delicious lamb kebabs’. As you amble through the winding streets of this district it can be easy to forget the horrors that took place here. However, the conflict remains a daily part of local life as shop owners sell vases and other decorative objects made from shell cases and other pieces of artillery, carefully re-cast.

The siege of Sarajevo is everywhere and is an intentional part of the city’s future. The locals want people to know the truth and to understand, but what comes through the most is the Sarajevan’s determination to survive. Almost everyone has a story and yet, the city remains lively and vibrant. The city offers delicious culinary delights from cevpicici (spices sausages on flatbread) to ajvar (a spicy paste on homemade paste). Visitors can also enjoy a bit of retail therapy by visiting the shiny new shopping malls of Novi Grad (“New Town”). It seems Sarajevo is a city in-between the new and the old. A place determined to build on the scars of it’s turbulent past.

The Best of Eastern Europe: Top 5 Places to Visit

Inter railing across Europe

Backpacking in Europe is a rite of passage for most students and travellers. But due to its size many end up hopping between the most famous cities (London, Paris, Rome…) and never explore what the Eastern fringes has to offer.

If you’re looking for something a little different (and a hell of a lot cheaper!) then backpacking in Eastern Europe is the thing to do. Eastern Europe is full of interesting (and troubled) history, idyllic countryside, buzzing nightlife and unique architecture. Here are my top 5 places to visit…

 

Source: Next Trip Tourism

1. Transylvania, Romania

If you want a feel for real the Romania, Transylvania is the place to go. A visit to Vlad Tepes’ (Dracula’s) haunting hometown of Sighișoara during the winter is a definite must.

 

Szechenyi Baths, Budapest

2. Budapest, Hungary

Budapest’s beautiful historic section is Castle Hill on the Buda side of the Danube. Across the river is Pest, the hectic center of the modern city. Budapest is an active city where travellers from all over the world enjoy its many great cafés, bars and clubs.

Market Square

3. Krakow, Poland

Kraków is the most visited city in Poland and for a good reason. Boasting the largest medieval square in all of Europe, the historic old town is a wonderful place to explore. Get a taste for Polish cuisine with borsch (soup made from beetroot) and pierogis, whilst also sampling a homemade bread pretzel from the many street vendours.

4. Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina

On the front line of the conflict during the Balkan War, Mostar was badly damaged by the fighting. Its famous bridge, from which young men traditionally dive, was completely destroyed and the town’s residents were unable to cross the river.

Back to its former glory, the Stari Most Bridge is host to the annual diving competition in July. The beauty of Mostar lies in its turquoise river and shiny white stone buildings. But there are reminders of the city’s brutal past visible in the bombed out buildings nestled within the town making it a remarkable place to visit.

Lake Bled

5. Ljubljana, Slovenia

Nestled in an alpine valley and straddling the Ljubljana River, Ljubljana is a picture-perfect and very walkable city. The place has a café culture vibe, with the cobbled streets filled with bicycles and laid-back students. A trip to the magnificent Lake Bled with its church island is a must. Here you can try a number of water sports, hiking and biking.

Top Five Things to Do in London For Free

In my opinion, my home city of London is one of the best cities in the world. Unfortunately it has developed a reputation of also being one of the most expensive cities in the world. However, I think London has been unfairly misjudged. If you know where to go in this city, you rarely need to spend a penny to have a good time. Here are my top five favourite things to do and they are all completely free!

1.     Art Galleries and Museums

One thing that London doesn’t lack is free museums and art galleries. Both the Tate Modern and the Tate Britain are extremely popular and house some of the finest artworks in the world. The good thing is they can accommodate nearly everybody’s taste with the Modern focusing on contemporary art, and the Britain displaying art from the sixteenth century to the present day. Other major London art galleries include the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, in Trafalgar Square. If you are visiting the Square it’s definitely worth having a look inside. In terms of museums, my favourites include the Natural History Museum and the Imperial War Museum. The best thing about those are that they are completely free!

2. Changing of the Guard

If you’re a first-timer to London, no visit is complete without seeing this military tradition inside the gates of Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s Guard changes in the Forecourt inside the gates at 11:30am every day in the summer and every other day in the winter. This is a great way to see a bit of British tradition and culture, and you never know – you may even catch a glimpse of the Queen herself in one of the palace windows. Just don’t build your hopes up too much!

3. London Parks and Gardens

If you’re lucky enough to catch London on a rare sunny and hot day, it’s definitely worth spending your time in one of the city’s parks or gardens. The best of what London has to offer are definitely St. James’s Park, Kensington Gardens or Hyde Park. When the sun is shining there is no better way to enjoy London than to take a picnic to one of these parks, sit on the grass, and people watch.

4. Street markets

London is well known for its cool, bohemian street markets and if you decide to check one out during your visit, then you are definitely spoilt for choice. The most popular are Camden Market and Portobello Market, following closely by Greenwich Market. If you really are tight on cash then I suggest visiting Camden Market purely for the hipster atmosphere. It’s a great way to spend a London afternoon.

5. Street Performers

Convert Garden is notorious for its street performers and always hosts a variety of acts on a daily basis. Good acts can create huge crowds and the performers love to get the audience members to help them with their act. Convert Garden has become so famous for its entertainment that all performers are licensed and have to have passed an audition to perform there. If you’ve got a spare couple of pounds in your pocket it’s definitely worth visiting the Punch and Judy pub in the center of the square, and to have a drink on the balcony whilst you watch the performers.

The apocalypse is coming: how people are coping around the world

21 December 2012. The end day of the ancient Maya calendar, and the day, many believe, the world will end. As 21st December approaches, people around the world are preparing themselves for the apocalypse. Though the Maya didn’t say much about what would happen next, many members of the public have rushed to fill the void. They are foreseeing all manner of monumental change – from natural disasters, to doomsday, to a new age of enlightenment. So while us Brits are preoccupied with Christmas shopping and other jovial festivities, many people all over the world are taking this Armageddon talk extremely seriously…

China

A very dedicated farmer prepares for the apocalypse in China by inventing a survival pod he hopes will be of use during the arrival-of-the-end, by providing protection against natural disasters. The airtight sphere has space for around fourteen people, contains oxygen masks and seat-belts, and is designed to remain upright in water. Liu Quiyan from the village of Qiantun, Herbei province, says he was inspired by the 2004 Asian tsunami and by the ‘brilliant’ apocalyptic Hollywood movie ‘2012’ to develop the pod. The pod, nicknamed ‘Noah’s Ark’ may be able to float on water, but will it be able to survive the end of the world? If the world is to end in a couple of weeks, I’m not sure I would be happy being one of the (un)lucky fourteen who will spend their last moments on earth in a fibre-glass shell.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/ufo/8217001/French-village-which-will-survive-2012-Armageddon-plagued-by-visitors.html

Russia

In the meantime, Russians are preparing for the world’s end by shopping for candles and vodka. To prepare for the Mayan doomsday Russian shoppers are clearing out the shop shelves in the country’s far north and east, where it is believed the apocalypse will supposedly hit first. And what do Russians need for the end of the world? Vodka of course. And imaginatively, lots of candles and matches, which have been going for three to four times the normal rate.

Meanwhile, authorities are trying to bring a little sense back to the public. As the Daily Beast has announced; Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev rejected the Mayan cosmology. “I do not believe in the end of the world,” he explained. “At least, not this year”. You would think this announcement would have been enough to calm the public paranoia, but then again, when has the words of a prime minister ever been taken seriously by everybody? Unsurprisingly, the promises of officials are not comforting everybody, and many still believe the two-week-long time of “complete darkness and silence” is still very much going to happen. At least that explains the candles. And vodka? Well at least people can drink themselves to oblivion when the time comes.

Even Russian news websites are publishing survival recommendations – among them, “move to a country house, and make sure you have a stove, plenty of water, and firewood.” Most people in Russia have country homes, called dachas, so surely there should be no need to panic. If anything, their chance of survival is higher than the rest of ours. However, many Russians are still unprepared to take chances. One Russian businessman Valentin Sveridov, 45, decided to not waste any time and evacuated his wife and seven-year-old son from Moscow. He describes his terror when he read on the internet how the capital will be like hell-on-earth. There will be – in his own words; “Rivers of blood, hundreds of rotting dead bodies, and deadly epidemics.”

However, the Russian businessman remains optimistic. “Russians are made to survive,” Sveridov says, “we are used to living on the edge of apocalypse – they turn the electricity off almost everyday in my home village in the far east.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/11/russians-prepare-for-world-s-end-buy-candles-and-vodka.html

Netherlands

It seems that this fear of an apocalyptic end is wildly sweeping the rest of Europe. In the Netherlands, thousands of Dutch citizens are preparing for 2012 by stocking up on emergency survival supplies, with the most dedicated even purchasing life rafts. However, it seems some are quite optimistic about the possibility of the world ending, and are even welcoming the prospect. Petra Faile, a person recently interviewed by Press TV, has recently stated; “you know, maybe it’s really not that bad that the Netherlands will be destroyed”. He adds that he doesn’t like living in the country anymore because of immigration and how the government continues to allow people in the country. He sounds like a very friendly man.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/netherlands/2187871/Dutch-prepare-for-Maya-apocalypse.html

France 

In the meantime, the small, sleep village of Bugarach, population 189, is being inundated by large groups of fanatic outsiders who believe the peak of the village’s mountain is an “alien garage”. According to them, extraterrestrials are quietly waiting inside the Pic de Bugarach for the Armageddon to start, at which point they will leave, taking a few lucky humans with them. Outsiders see Bugarach as their ticket to a better place, and the village mayor, Jean-Pierre Delord, is worried about the effect these visitors are having on the sleepy village. “This is no laughing matter,” Delord recently told The Daily Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/ufo/8217001/French-village-which-will-survive-2012-Armageddon-plagued-by-visitors.html

Mexico

However, the apocalypse isn’t only inspiring dread: some are eagerly putting on their yoga-pants and grasping their meditation beads, and joining a global counter-movement promoting the date as the start of a new era of hope. Thousands of New Age fanatics are expected to fill ancient sites across Mexico in the days leading up to it. One of the biggest movements is Birth 2012, which is using the Mayan date to suggest a global spiritual reset.  Hotels near the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza have been sold out, with many rooms booked in advance. “We’ve activated this campaign for three days of love,” said movement co-founder Stephen Dinan. “Let’s have generosity and kindness be the operative fare, rather than people hunkering down in fear.”

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2012/12/11/mayan-apocalypse-world-awaits-big-day/

To be honest, Stephen may have a point. If the world really is going to end, why not ‘spread the love’ instead of cowering in your basement with a candle and a tin of soup. But it seems that while the rest of the world is ‘preparing’ for the End, us Brits are simply going about our daily business of work, sleep and Christmas shopping. To us, 25th December, Christmas day, seems like a far more exciting date than the supposed Day of Reckoning. Some may call us naive, maybe even stupid, but if the world is truly going to end in two weeks won’t we be having the last laugh? Surely when faced with something inevitable, it is better to carry on living and making the most of your time, instead of fearfully  stocking up your food cupboard or searching for E.T.

And if the end doesn’t come? Well we aren’t going to look like the silly ones now are we.

10 of the best foods from around the world

1. Fish and Chips, England

As a Brit this is definitely going to be my food of choice. Over the years fish and chips have become an iconic British food staple. It is the perfect treat to accompany your day at the English seaside, and is best served with mushy peas and lots and lots of salt and vinegar.

2. Peking Duck, China

I don’t mean the foil-wrapped kind you can get from your local Chinese takeaway, I mean the real deal. If you are lucky enough to visit China, this classic roast duck with it’s garlicky sweet crispy skin  is the thing to try. Even ordering it will be a delight as you watch the duck being carved in front of your eyes, and served with steamed pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce. Finger licking stuff.

3. Escargots, France

Don’t be fooled by the fancy name, these little gems are none other then the slimy snails you can find in your back garden. Considered a delicacy in France, while you may not fancy them as a treat, they are definitely something you should ‘try before you die’. Thankfully they are usually smothered in garlic butter. This helps you forget what you are actually eating. Well, kind of.

4. Moussaka, Greece

The national casserole in Greece is a must-try if you are visiting the country. The Greek answer to the Italian lasagna  this dish is made of a layer of ingredients such as eggplant, beef or lamb, and artichoke. Have with a good glass of Greek wine and a shot of Ouzo to finish.

5. Hot dog, New York

Some say no trip to New York is complete without a famous street vendor hot dog. This iconic fast food staple has been refined over the years and now caters to a variety of different taste. Some of the different toppings include gherkins, cheeses, mustard and caramelized onions. The possibilities are endless. Buy and enjoy one as you walk around central park.

5. Green curry, Thailand

Though many of us are already avid lovers of this sweet curry, nothing beats tasting it in it’s native country. Famous for it’s green color  this curry consists of coconut milk, eggplant, pea aubergine, sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil leaves. Not as spicy as it’s sister the ‘red curry’, this native dish instead has a refreshing and original taste to it. Traditionally served in a bowl with white rice on the side, enjoy while on the beach watching the fire dancers in Ko Samet.

6. Goulash, Hungary

A personal favorite  this Eastern European dish is perfect to warm the cockles of your heart on a cold and wintry night in Budapest. Goulash is essentially a soup or stew of meat (normally beef), noodles, potatoes and vegetables, and seasoned with paprika and other spices. Indeed, it is the paprika which gives this dish it’s spice and what it is most famous for. Originating in Hungary, you can also find goulash soup throughout the eastern region of Europe. Perfect accompanied with crusty bread.

7. Jerk chicken, Jamaica

Without a doubt, wherever you go in the Caribbean, be it Jamaica or another beautiful island, you will surely come across the dish of Jerk chicken. That is if you are adventurous enough to leave the compound of your hotel and experience the lives of the locals. There are several ingredients which give this dish it’s intense flavor. One is the scotch bonnet pepper, one of the hottest chilies in the world. Jerk’s other iconic flavor is allspice, called pimento in Jamaica, where it grows wild. Traditionally, Jerk meat is slowly roasted over a fire made from pimento wood. It is best served with the traditional rice and beans.

8. Pasta bolognese, Italy

How can I make a list of the top ten best foods around the world and not include the country of Italy? Of course the classic Pasta Bolognese would be on the list, and no bolognese dish tastes as good as the one you get from it’s home town of Bologna. Bologna’s signature dish, the thick, rich sauce contains ground chuck, ground veal, and pancetta. Plus onions, carrots, tomatoes, red wine and cream. So this is not a dish to try if you are on a diet. If you are visiting the region of Bologna any time soon, enjoy a night of good music, good wine, and good pasta bolognese. It would be sacrilege not to.

9. Pierogies, Poland

The ultimate comfort food, pierogies are made from dumpling dough, and are traditionally stuffed with a potato-and-cheese filling. Normally served with sauerkraut  and on a cold winters day, this is comfort food at its best. A great alternative is to make sweet pierogies, using cream cheese, sugar and berries to fill them. These are good, trust me I know, my Grandma used to make them.

10. Baklava, Turkey

Last but not least, to finish up why don’t you try something a little sweeter? Turkish baklava is a desert that combines filo pastry, walnuts, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and a honey-lemon syrup. This is a great dish for any one with a sweet tooth who wants to try traditional Turkish cuisine  Why not enjoy with a hot Turkish apple tea? Or if your feeling a little more adventurous  why not try Turkey’s tipple of choice, Raki. This boozy aniseed beverage will have you in the mood for a party in no time.

Bon Appetite!

Happy Holidays: Why cruising isn’t what people think

I have been absolutely terrible recently and completely neglected my poor blog. However it’s not through sheer laziness (Well, that’s not the sole reason at least), I have recently been on a delightful family holiday with Princess Cruises.

I know what you’re probably thinking. A cruise? Really? Normally anyone wrinkle-free and under the age of fifty wouldn’t even CONSIDER cruising. Going on a cruise ship doesn’t really shout ‘I’m young, adventurous and want to backpack around the world!’. However, sometimes tradition is the hardest thing to get out of, and the best thing for you.

I have been going on cruises as a holiday with my family since I was fourteen years old. In a way, going back on a cruise feels like a trip down memory lane and reminds me of all the fond childhood memories I have of my family.

This doesn’t mean I prefer cruising to backpacking, it’s just a different experience. It’s a family experience, and something that gives me quality time with my loved ones. And if I’m honest, it’s not too much different to backpacking. You get to wake up to a new city everyday and you still get the excitement of adventure that sight-seeing provides. I guess you could call it luxurious backpacking.

Cruising has allowed me to explore so many different places which I never usually would visit, and with my family. So as long as I will be able to, I’ll continue to go on my hols’ with the fam and build a ship full of memories (while also saving up for my travels!)

Venice

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Santorini, Greece

Athens

Ephesus, Turkey

Look at all the things I got to see!