Category Archives: Travel

Cherry Blossoms & Springtime in Seoul

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Cherry blossoms are a big deal in South Korea. Decisively marking the end of the long, often harsh winters that brace the country, the blooming flowers bring back interest in the outdoors. A very visual manifestation of the life spring brings back, everywhere is instantly transformed. It’s no wonder everyone gets so excited about them…

Every April cherry blossom festivals take place all across South Korea, notably along Seoul’s Han River (Hangang) where trees line the streets of Yeouido. Now I have to admit, I would use the word “festival” lightly. Essentially, this is just the area where half of Seoul congregates to admire the flowers and over a couple of weekends it is barely possible to walk along. However, it really is a beautiful sight and if you can head over on a weekday, you are in for a treat. It’s also worth considering wandering over to one of the palaces in central Seoul, where the flowers add an extra beauty to their grounds too, or indeed often down any street blessed with Sakura trees.

You can find a long list of the cherry blossom festivals taking place in South Korea this spring here – in Yeouido it will be the second and third weekend in April.

As a former Seoul resident, so many things make me homesick for Korea and thinking of how dramatically spring unfolds over there is certainly one of them. It was always a delight too to see lanterns appear, strung up above the pavement and adding even more colour, to celebrate Buddha’s birthday (which coincides with springtime). So it seemed an ideal time to share this and some photos of my springtimes in Korea. Do any seasons bring back memories for you?

Iceland Diary: The Blue Lagoon

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If I had to describe the Blue Lagoon in one word, it would probably be ‘heaven.’ Soft blue water, delicate steam rising, endless hours (well, about three) of soaking, the cool breeze above the water, rocky mountains in the backdrop; I couldn’t ask for more from a place.

Visiting early in the day, arriving before the crowds build up too much, is ideal. We arrived as it was opening (10am September-May, 9am in summer) and the lagoon was almost empty. There was however quite a queue so I would recommend looking into booking online as you get to queue-jump – something we neglected to do.

Situated just under forty kilometres outside of Reykjavik and only thirteen kilometres away from Keflavík International Airport, the Blue Lagoon is easily accessible by bus. There is the option to visit en route to or from the airport, with a stop-off and onwards transfers. depending on your flights times this could be a really good idea. It didn’t quite fit in with our schedule so we chose to travel to and from Reykjavik, via bus.

We found Bustravel Iceland to be the cheapest at 300ISK return – they also offer a discount for booking online here. You are picked up directly from your hotel then dropped off at the Blue Lagoon, with the option to return on any of their later buses.

It is not essential to bring your own towels but as there is a charge to rent them (5EUR), if you have your own you may as well take them to avoid an unnecessary spend. Bathrobes are also available to hire for ten Euros; though they would be lovely for the walk between the changing rooms and the pool, it is a very short walk! The only thing I wish I had brought along is a pair of flip-flops for walking around in but it wasn’t a disaster without.

At various “stations” within the lagoon, you can find fresh silica mud to use as a face mask. We coated our faces and let it dry for about fifteen minutes. It did make our faces lovely and soft but the best part about this was probably seeing so many people in face masks (they look comical on anyone!) The water itself is rich in minerals, which give it the gorgeous light blue colour, believed to be good for skin ailments.

There is also a bar in the lagoon itself where you can get various drinks, including beer or wine, but we felt so cleansed that it would have felt wrong to have any alcohol so we went for smoothies. You are given a wristband which acts both as your locker key and also as a means to charge any extras ready to pay on the way out – this is a nice touch as it means you don’t have to worry about taking money into the water.

The lagoon is man-made – the water comes from the next-door power plant, Svartsengi. Calling it “run off” doesn’t sound especially glamorous, but once the geothermal water is brought up from the ground and run around the turbines it then makes its way to the lagoon. Apparently the lagoon formed unintentionally as the station operated leading people to take advantage and start to bathe in it – this turned out to be such a good idea that the lagoon became what it is today!

Though sometimes written off as a tourist trap or criticised for not being an entirely naturally occurring phenomenon, the Blue Lagoon is 100% worth visiting in my opinion and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything! Not cheap at 5600ISK (35EUR) per person, but unmissable.

What’s the most memorable place you’ve ever bathed?

Iceland Diary: The Golden Circle

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The Golden Circle may be top of most visitors’ lists but not without cause. Easily reachable as a day’s round trip from Reykjavik, the Golden Circle takes in some of Iceland’s most breathtaking natural phenomena including the mighty (there’s no other word for it) Gullfoss Waterfall.

I took a bus tour through Sterna – chosen because their buses are slightly smaller than some of the coach tours but at a similar price (9200ISK through Sterna). The guide was fairly informative but only spoke during the journeys, leaving you free to explore at your own pace in each stop. As I mentioned before, renting a car to get around would also be a great option but wasn’t the best one for me.

The day’s trip began with a stop at Iceland’s largest geothermal power plant, Hellisheiði. Around 87% of all buildings in Iceland get their hot water and heating through geothermal power – making them, from what I gather, about the only low-cost amenities in Iceland. The power plant has a very small exhibition (an additional 600ISK), only worth going into to catch a glimpse of the inner workings of the plant and source of the steam that shrouds the entire area. The next stop was volcanic crater lake Kerið. The wind was well and truly howling up around the crater and I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say I didn’t go all the way to the uppermost edge for fear of being blown in. There was a small hut at the entrance to the crater area which suggests an entry fee applies, but this was unmanned on my visit.As a warm-up for the big one, the next stop was Faxi waterfall. Though impressive in itself, I’m glad we visited Faxi before heading to the much larger Gullfoss…Following this was a longer stop in the Haukadalur valley, home to Geysir (the original geyser from where the generic word originates!) and Strokkur (the active hot spring seen below). We also had a quick snack stop here and chance to warm up in the lovely café. After the exceptionally yummy pecan caramel muffin you can see here, we made our way to Gullfoss – literally “Golden Falls.” Made up of two stages, the waterfall drops an impressive thirty-two metres into a huge crevice. To really appreciate the scale take a look at the people in the photos! The wind was also in full force up and around the falls to the point of needing two pairs of gloves and still feeling like my hands might drop off! Still, once I’d finally defrosted in the bus, there was just one more stop to make. þingvellir (I think the first letter is a ‘th’…) National Park – home to the continental divide between the Eurasian and North American plates and the world’s oldest continuous parliament. Our tour guide informed us that Iceland grows around 6cm every year as the tectonic plates pull apart; in his words a very sutble form of world domination! OK there was one more quick stop on the way back to Reykjavik…The Golden Circle was a definite trip highlight… in a trip full of highlights! What are your recent travel highlights?

Iceland Diary: Vegetarian Reykjavik

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When anyone mentions Icelandic food, it tends to read something like a vegetarian’s worst nightmare: fermented shark, singed sheep’s head, grated puffin, minke whale… Luckily, like most places, wild meat options are only a fraction of the story.

For such a small city, Reykjavik has decent selection of eateries across a range of cuisines. The more out-there dishes like those mentioned above tend to be more aimed at tourists looking for an “authentic” experience, than locals eating what they would usually eat. You can find various Asian cuisines, Italian places, myriad cafés, and even a few dedicated vegetarian restaurants in Reykjavik.

Eating out in Reykjavik is not a cheap affair though. We bought a few supplies from the supermarket to make our own breakfasts each day and sandwiches to take along on our Golden Circle trip which dramatically cut down the cost we would have otherwise incurred. That said, for me, dining is an integral part of any trip so here are my veg-friendly recommendations for Reykjavik:

The Laundromat Café Inside the Laundromat Café 1 The Laundromat Café was an accidental find but not to be missed. They have a varied menu with a few solid veggie and vegan options. I went for the ‘vegan toast’ accompanied by salad and potato wedges (you could skip the chips in favour of more salad if you were so inclined). The vegan toast comprised of crusty bread topped with houmous, grilled aubergine, and an absolutely incredible chutney made from dates sprinkled with cashew nuts, at a reasonable 1390ISK. There was also a good beer selection including local beers and I loved the decor.

GlóGló is an almost vegetarian restaurant with an emphasis on healthy eating. Every day they have a fresh menu boasting one vegetarian dish, one raw vegan dish, one chicken option and a soup of the day, in conjunction with an accompanying salad bar. You order at the counter and can choose up to three salads to go with your main. On my visit the options were aubergine parmigiana or raw pizza (or mango chicken, if you’re interested).

Gló seems a very popular option with Reykjavik locals and it’s not hard to see why. They publish their menu everyday on their Facebook page if you wanted to check in advance, but only in Icelandic I’m afraid. The main courses here check in at around ISK.

Eldsmidjan Eldsmidjan Pizzeria Eldsmidjan is a long-standing institution in Reykjavik. Offering reasonably priced, freshly stone-baked pizzas and refillable soft drinks, you really can’t go wrong here. The interior is fairly basic and the service is to the point, but they have some nice touches such as chilli flakes and herbs to top your pizza as you wish.

A large margarita pizza costs 1895ISK and a refillable drink is 295ISK. We found a large pizza ample enough to share between to, as an ideal lunch after more than a couple of beers the night before.

Laekjarbrekka

Laekjarbrekka is set in an old house that dates back to 1834. Beautifully restored with an atmosphere evocative of times past, the restaurant serves traditional Icelandic food and has earnt itself a sterling reputation. Crucially, unlike any other Icelandic restaurants I spotted, Laekjarbrekka does have a couple of vegetarian options.

I opted for the Icelandic Barley – a smokey dish with tomato concasse, haricot vert and dill snow. Both the presentation and the flavours were remarkable (the picture was quickly snapped and my camera hurried away as it is quite a formal restaurant!) It was a definite splurge, with my dish coming in at 3600ISK and non-veggie options largely between the mark.

I do have to admit that I had been hesitant about eating somewhere that served whale (even if neither of us were ordering it) but I also didn’t want to force us into avoiding Icelandic food altogether, so for a traditional Icelandic restaurant this did have great veg options.