This is a video I took while working for Busabout and travelling around Canada. (It's my first little movie ever, so please excuse shakiness and bluriness!) [View Full Entry]

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Read this article on EuropeUpClose at http://www.europeupclose.com/europes-spas-getting-naked-with-the-locals Europeans are nothing if not total hedonists. They love good food, good wine, and at the end of the day, they love a good spa. From Iceland to Estonia, spas are an integral part of life and often one of a city’s major tourist attractions. But these aren’t new-age, luxury spas where you have chocolate massages and drink matcha tea. These European spas are hot and sweaty, in centuries-old buildings, where you might beat yourself with a birch stick, or have someone e [View Full Entry]

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Read this article on Roadjunky at http://www.roadjunky.com/article/1789/travelling-in-lithuania The cold, dark bus hurtled through the Lithuanian countryside. I was heading to Kaunas and not looking forward to my impending homelessness when I arrived at midnight. I’d arrived in the city of Siauliai earlier that evening, hoping to stay for the night. After searching in vain for a hotel or anything else that was open, I was forced to get back on the bus without dinner or a drink. I regretted ever leaving lovely Estonia to come to this country full of boring landscapes, unp [View Full Entry]

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The Balkans Rule... the Baltics drool! I've officially decided that the whole "Seeing the World" thing is totally overrated. Screw it... from now on, I'm going no further than the Balkans where, above all its other amazing attributes, THE PEOPLE ARE FRIENDLY!! I'm on the bus getting the Hell out of Vilnius, and not a moment too soon! How I regret leaving sweet Estonia with its saunas and nice old towns and good dancers! I'm hoping that Lithuania will redeem itself over the next two days when I'm out of its truly shit capital! Last night, my dinner was pretty good. [View Full Entry]

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A quick visit to Riga This morning I woke up at 5:30 and headed out, in pitch darkness, to the bus station (I'm amazing with directions when I'm alone!). I bought a ticket for the 6:30 bus to Riga, and I was a little concerned that I felt a bit "crook" (as David would say), but there was a bathroom on the bus, which I didn't end up using but it put my mind at ease. The ride took about 4 hours and I slept a good chunk of it. I arrived in Riga at 10:30 and decided to catch the [View Full Entry]

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Hi from ho-hum Vilnius Hmmm.... I was expecting to be blown-away by Vilnius, but so far I haven't seen anything that compares to the beauty of Tallinn (but, to be fair, I've only been here for a couple of hours, so I'll reserve judgment for now). The bus ride from Riga to Vilnius was a painless 4 hours (I had my raspberries and my mobile phone games to occupy me). When I arrived, I got a little lost finding my way from the bus station to the AAA hostel. The hostel had a pretty creepy feel right away, made even creepier [View Full Entry]

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Hello from Tartu Still in Estonia, a little further South (closer to Latvia). So, last night I had one cigarette outside the hostel, then went up to bed. There was an American guy in my room but we didn't really speak at all until just as he was heading out for a drink. I kinda wished I'd chatted with him beforehand because I wouldn't have minded a little company, but it's probably a good thing I got ltos of sleep. I had a really good sleep, and woke up this morning at 11:00. I was starving and dehydrated and, for lack [View Full Entry]

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Hello again from "The Best Cafe in Tallinn" It's got a sign outside to prove it, and I'm not arguing, as I've been here twice today! So, after my big lunch (I haven't eaten since!), I went back to my room to get my scarf and mittens, then I wandered around the gorgeous old town. I went up Toompea (upper old town) and saw the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is amazing. I looked out at the town from two look-out points up there, and took some photos, then wandered around the lower old town for a bit. I came [View Full Entry]

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Hello from gorgeous (wait for it...) Estonia! What the Hell, you ask? Why am I not in Croatia, or ex-Yugoslavia in general? Well, I decided to give my beloved Balkans a rest and try something new. Last week, while staring at my map and perusing my Lonely Planet, I noticed the little Baltics, and decided this region seemed like just the right choice! I have five days and I plan to see Estonia, Lithuania and possible Latvia (although I've heard Riga is stag-party-Hell). Last night, I lay in bed for about three hours, not really sleeping at all, and caught a [View Full Entry]

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Read this article on EuropeUpClose at http://www.europeupclose.com/visit-a-happy-place-copenhagen-denmark/ and on the St. Christopher's Inn website: http://www.st-christophers.co.uk/backpacker-resources/travel-stories/denmark/the-happiest-place-on-earth This year, when trying to beat the winter blahs, why not try something a little different than the typical tropical locations? After all, what better place to cheer yourself up than in Denmark, the official Happiest Place on Earth? For three years in a row, the World Values Survey has bestowed that title on Denmark. The elaborate [View Full Entry]

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