What exactly is Finland famous for? Well for one thing, it’s the home of Santa Claus, who tends his reindeers in the cold northern part of the country. And then there’s the Formula One drivers Mikka Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen, both of them world champions. Nokia is a world famous Finnish company. And who could forget the Moomins, the cartoon characters immortalized by Finnish writer Tove Jansson. Not bad for the most sparsly populated country in the European Union. Helsinki is also continental Europe’s most northerly capital. Lying between Sweden and Russia (both ruling i [View Full Entry]

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Exiting the arrivals hall of Dubai International Airport, Angela and I jumped in a taxi, wondering what the United Arab Emirates would have to offer. Our short one-hour flight from Qatar had been initially interesting. Apart from being the only Westerner’s aboard, we noticed something else too. It was the amount of empty seats even though all passengers had boarded. But not everyone had boarded. Five minutes later, a troop of Arab women entered the aircraft from the front all wearing traditional black abayas and veils covering their faces. A member of the cabin crew was leading them [View Full Entry]

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The seven-hour flight aboard the Qatar Airlines Airbus went surprisingly quickly. Leaving behind the frost and cold of England, Angela and I arrived at Doha International, straight into the scorching heat of the desert. The temperature was easily hitting the middle thirties. Welcome to winter in the Middle East! Clare Jackson, Angela’s old neighbour who now lived in Qatar as a teacher at an English-speaking school was there to meet us. “This city is changing very quickly,” she told us as we drove through central Doha. Outside, a forest of skyscrapers was being built, about [View Full Entry]

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The JAT Airways turboprop from Belgrade to Sarajevo took only forty minutes, even if it did sound like a Lancaster Bomber. “Why are you going to Bosnia?” someone had asked me back in the UK. “And please don’t tell me you’re going there on holiday.” Well that was exactly what we were doing. In the arrivals hall of Sarajevo Airport, Michael and I got some local currency (the Convertible Mark) and caught a taxi to our hotel, the Holiday Inn. I rarely mention hotels, but the Sarajevo Holiday Inn is worthy because of the part it played during the Bosnian [View Full Entry]

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Even though it was expected, it was still a shock. Thirty Euros was the taxi driver’s price, and with no way of bartering, we knew we were at his mercy. After getting our passports stamped, Michael and I had wandered into the arrivals hall of Belgrade Airport. Almost immediately, the taxi drivers set upon us. Acting cool, I pointed Michael towards the airport bar, hoping our nonchalance would aid our quest to get a better price. But it was a false hope. As we sipped our first Serbian beer, I consulted the guidebook and immediately realised our mistake. “We should‘ [View Full Entry]

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Our first impression of Copenhagen was not great. Stepping out from the central station just opposite Tivoli Gardens, both Angela and I were dismayed at the amount of litter. It was everywhere. Piled up against buldings, edge of roads, pavements, you name it, there was litter. This was not the Copenhagen we’d imagined. That said, the hotel was nice and clean, centrally located, just minutes walk away from the centre. After unpacking, we headed to Tivoli Gardens, world-famous amusement park and pleasure garden. At a cost of 79 Danish Kronor (about £8) we thought the entrance fee a lit [View Full Entry]

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The woman operating border control at Sofia Airport certainly looked striking enough. In her twenties, dark skin - almost Greek-looking, her face caught my attention first. Dyed, red-orange hair and heavily made-up eyes greeted me as I approached the booth. She said nothing as she scanned my passport and I was soon out the other side. “Did you see that woman’s eyelashes?” I said to Angela. Angela nodded and smiled. Driving into the city centre involved passing block after block of Soviet-style apartment blocks. Most were in major disrepair, but obviously lived i [View Full Entry]

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“Hello gentlemen,” said the man standing beside a doorway with lurid pictures of naked couples behind him. We turned around to face him but did not stop. We knew what he was going to say. He spoke louder this time. “Come on. I know you haven’t come to Amsterdam for the flowers. You want smut and filth! In you come, see our show; we give you what you want! All in a comfortable and safe environment!” Our early morning arrival at Schiphol Airport went smoothly, as did the train journey into the city itself. And then the seven of us, six [View Full Entry]

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Moscow, Russia Red Square and the Kremlin! “Zis your first time in Russia?” asked the woman behind border control at Domodedovo Airport. Since passing her my passport, the thin-lipped security officer had poured over the visa and immigration card as if expecting to find microfilm. She looked up and scrutinised my face. I kept it as neutral as possible. Looking or acting cheerful was not the done thing at passport control in Russia - apparently it was a sign of something to hide. Under the woman’s steely gaze, I soon cracked though. My mouth formed into an inv [View Full Entry]

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The wind assaulted us the moment we stepped outside the hotel lobby. Jodie’s hair flew around her head in crazy circles. “Bloody Hell!” I shouted above the melee. “I’m glad we didn’t come in winter!” Regardless of the breeze, Stockholm looked remarkably pretty from our viewpoint overlooking the water’s edge. Buildings of every colour lined the edge of Gamla Stan, the old town, and beyond it, the higher elevated district of Södermalm looked just as fine. Regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, we walked across a bridge lea [View Full Entry]

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