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Month: April 2015

The big fat guide to South American bus travel

The big fat guide to South American bus travel

Long distance bus travel is likely to form a central component of any South American trip. For cash-strapped backpackers, an overnighter also helps save money as it gives you a nights accommodation as well as the means to get from a to b. The level of comfort (and safety) of South American buses depends on the country you’re in and the bus company you go for. On one bus, we were served champagne (yes! champagne) after our meal (yes! we were served a…

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KGB museum in Tallinn: A short review

KGB museum in Tallinn: A short review

Looking out to the port from the balcony of the Viru hotel The Viru Hotel – a conspicuous high rise overlooking Tallinn’s old town, just outside the city walls – has a secret. The Viru hotel – how many floors does it have? It has a hidden 23rd floor.  The lifts in the hotel only go up to floor 22, from where, behind a locked door, you’ll find a staircase taking you up to the 23rd floor. This was where…

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Introducing Tallinn

Introducing Tallinn

Medieval Tallinn I (Sarah) had had the pretty Estonian capital of Tallinn on my wish list for a number of years after a former housemate had headed off to the Baltic state for a short break. I had looked at photos of the walled and turreted old town and my wanderlust was ignited!  St Catherine’s passage As the 2015 long Easter weekend approached, I was searching for cheap flights for a short break and Tallinn kept coming up. So now was…

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Being vegetarian in Tallinn

Being vegetarian in Tallinn

Sitting on the plane on the way to Tallinn, reading my guide book, my heart started to sink.  “The idea of anyone willingly giving up meat is fairly baffling to the porkchop-loving Estonians”, it declared. Those vegetarian dishes that do exist “range from fairly uninspired concoctions of stir fried veggies or grilled cauliflower”, read the next sentence. There was also a warning that any soups or salad that may appear meat-free by reading the menu were likely to include bits of…

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