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Winter Wonders

January 25, 2011 – 11:28 am

If you had a snowy Christmas this year, you may think (or even wish) that winter is over and done with. You might well be right of course, especially if you stay in the UK. On the other hand, if , like me, you love the snow and if you and the kids are still [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Arctic, Backpacking, Customs, Folklore, Holiday Activities, Nature, Sweden, Trains, travel tips, Travel Writing | Tagged Ajtte Museum, Arctic, arctic circle, Aurora Borealis, Backpacking, Family Travel, husky dogs, Husky Farms, Ice Hotel, Jokkmokk, Jokkmokk Sami Market, Kids Travel, Northern Lights, Sami, Sami Winter Market, Sweden, Train Travel, Travel Planning, Travel Writing | Comments (2)

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow…..

December 19, 2010 – 5:10 pm

After 21 years of living in Bristol, this is the first year we have a serious cold snap leading up to the festive season and a real possibility of a white Christmas. As I am writing this, I can only glimpse out of my attic window if I squint enough to sneak-peek through the snow [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Arctic, Austria, Carol Singing, Christmas, Customs, Finland, Folklore, Norway, Sweden, Traditions, Travel Writing | Tagged Carol Singing, Carols, Christmas, Gruber, Heilige Nacht, Julbock, Julenissen, Koledy, Minced Pies, Nativity, Oplatek, Rovaniemi, Santa claus, Silent Night, Snow, Stille Nacht, Turku, Wigelia | Comments (2)

Coast to Coast

November 24, 2010 – 10:45 pm

I have to admit it: I don’t much like beaches. The thought of sand sticking to my skin is not very appealing, and I really dislike not knowing what is underneath my feet when I walk into the sea… Of course none of this makes any sense to my kids, who love nothing better than [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Backpacking, Croatia, Folklore, Food, France, Ireland, Music, Nature, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Traditions, Trains, Travel Writing, United Kingdom | Tagged bagpipes, Beaches, Brittany, Cornwall, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Fjords, Food, France, Ile de Re, Ireland, Korcula, La Flotte, Mljet, Mousehole, Music, Netherlands, Osijek, Portugal, Rijeka, Scotland, Spain, Split, Traditions, Train Travel, Trogir, Vis, Zadar | Comments (5)

Ghosts and Ghouls, Saints and Souls

November 1, 2010 – 5:46 pm

I wonder if you have packed away the pumpkin yet and cleared all those cob-webs from your ceiling that decorated that all-time great Halloween Party… Or did you try hard to ignore this autumn festival, thinking it is an Americanism that shouldn’t be encouraged? I have to own up right here and now that we [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Cooking, Customs, England, Estonia, Folklore, Food, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Traditions, Travel Writing | Tagged All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, Guising, Halloween, Hallowmas, Ireland, Pao-por-Deus, Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkins, Samhain, Scotland, St. Martin, St. Martin's Day, Trick or Treat | Comments (5)

A taste of summer

September 9, 2010 – 4:04 pm

There are many things I love about travelling: meeting new people, exploring different cultures, and of course the journey itself. However, as an enthusiastic cook and someone passionate about good food, I also really enjoy having the opportunity to try new, local dishes and if I’m really lucky, I might even get told how to [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Backpacking, Cheap travel, Cooking, Food, France, Holiday Activities, Travel Writing | Tagged Austria, Backpacking, Boulangerie, Carrot Cake, Catherine de Medici, Cheese Fondue, Cooking, Cucina, Cuisine, Estonia, Estonia Garlic Bread, Family Travel, Finland, Fleur de Sel, France, French Cuisine, French Food Markets, Ile de Re, Kids Travel, La Flotte, Lefse Bread, Lingonberry Sauce, Moules and Frites, Norway, Paludiers, Pension Edelweiss Zermatt, Pierogi, Poland, Reindeer Stew, Sea Salts, Sweden, Swedish Meatballs, Switzerland, Teens Travel, Train Travel, Travel Writing, Viennese Pastries | Comments (0)

Butterflies in my stomach….

July 23, 2010 – 9:55 am

I don’t think there is anything more exciting than a row of backpacks in the hall, all ready and set to go! It does it for me every time. There is that funny feeling in my stomach that says: yes….we’re going!!! Hurray!! We’re off said the monkey… The first time we went on a backpacking trip [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Backpacking, Cheap travel, France, Switzerland, Trains, travel tips, Travel Writing | Tagged Backpacking, Bordeaux, butterflies, coach travel, France, Futuroscope, Ile de Re, La Rochelle, packing, Paris, Poitiers, Tours, Travel, Zermatt | Comments (3)

Midsummer Madness

June 20, 2010 – 4:32 pm

Without a doubt, one of the most exciting train journeys we have taken during our backpacking holidays was the sleeper train from Tampere in Finland) to Rovaniemi, high up in the Arctic Circle. We didn’t expect much really – a sleeper train after all is just the replacement of a bed in a hostel and [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Arctic, Backpacking, Customs, Estonia, Finland, Folklore, Holiday Activities, Latvia, Nature, Norway, Sweden, Traditions, Trains, travel tips, Travel Writing | Tagged arctic circle, bonfires, druids, Estonia, Festival of St. Hans, Finland, Herb Day, husky dogs, Jani, Jani Songs, Janis, Juhannes, Lapland, Latvia, Maypole, Midnight Sun, midsummer wreaths, Nordkapp, Norway, pagan, reindeer, Rovaniemi, Sami, Saule, sleeper train, Stonehenge, Sweden, Train Travel, wild flowers | Comments (2)

Images of Romania

June 15, 2010 – 3:10 pm

As my plane sets off from Vienna Airport, heading south-east towards Romania, I am reminded of the fact that the river Danube travels through large parts of central Europe. Keen enthusiasts will know that if you follow ‘the great blue’ from start to finish, you will pass through cities such as Linz and Vienna (both [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Bucovina Monasteries, Customs, Folklore, Nature, Rivers, Romania, Traditions, Travel Writing | Tagged Bucharest, Bucovina, Carpathian Mountains, Coimbra Group, Danube, European Culture, Gheorghe Zamfir, Iasi, Monasteries, Pan Flutes, Romania, Romanian culture, Romanian folklore, Romanian food, Romanian tapestries, rural life, Sucevita Monastery, Tapestries, University of Iasi, Voronet Monastery | Comments (7)

Where the Whales are….

April 24, 2010 – 5:17 pm

When we were very little, my sister and I were lucky enough to be able to join my parents on Dad’s many work trips: lovely long journeys on big luxury passenger liners. My memories are a bit patchy, but include double decker swings, elephants being hoisted onto the deck and Neptune arriving on board when [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Arctic, Finland, Holiday Activities, Nature, Norway, Travel Writing | Tagged Andenes, Arctic Ocean, captain, minke whales, Neptune, Norway, orca, Risoyhamn, Rovaniemi, sea sick, sperm whales, Tromso, Vesteralen Islands, warm gulf stream, whale burgers, whale museum, whale safari, whale watching, Whales | Comments (3)

Happy Easter!

April 3, 2010 – 5:41 pm

Homes in the Netherlands go yellow overnight, Germans hang a wreath on their front doors, hot cross buns are on sale in all UK shops and the Spanish have started their Semana Santa (Holy Week) complete with parades presenting the story of the Passion of Christ, and nazarenos wearing those pointy hoods. It must be [...]

By Annemieke Waite | Posted in Croatia, Customs, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Traditions, Travel Writing | Tagged Customs, Czech Republic, Easter, Easter Monday, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Good Friday, Maundy Thursday, Netherlands, Norway, Palm Sunday, Poland, Smingus Dingus, Spain, Swieconka, Traditions | Comments (4)