Category: Europe

Midsummer in Shetland, diary for week four (part 2)

Midsummer in Shetland, diary for week four (part 2). For our final few days in Shetland we had headed up to Northmavine where we spent a wonderful evening with Ewen and Kit in their gorgeously Scandinavian-style home along with some of their friends.  I’d taken...

Shetland in Midsummer, diary for week four

Shetland in Midsummer, diary for week four (part one) (I’m splitting this final diary week into two parts rather than trying to pack it all into one post!) From out of the creel Ewen pulled out a magnificent lobster, vividly blue and glistening with sea water which...

Shetland, Sumburgh Head

Midsummer in Shetland, diary for week three.

Midsummer in Shetland, diary for week three. Suddenly we found ourselves back on the Shetland Mainland this week. On our last evening on Fetlar our fridge flickered to alert us that our gas has run out, the gas that heated our water, cooked our food...

Midsummer in Shetland, diary for week two.

Midsummer in Shetland, diary for week two. We were walking under a lead grey sky on a board walk snaking through boggy peat moorland towards the sea cliffs of Hermaness. Bonxies swooped and chased each other over the heather, one stood ominously next to the...

Midsummer in Shetland: diary for week one.

Midsummer in Shetland: Diary for week one. I’ve now been in Shetland for a week, and already I’ve been – as previously mentioned – chased from a field by bonxie birds, ran the gauntlet walking through the world’s third largest colony of them six days...

Meersburg, Germany: a ferry to a fairytale.

Meersburg, Germany. Meersburg is a gorgeous medieval town on the edge of lake Constance in Southern Germany. Frequent ferries cross the lake from Konstanz and if the sun is shining it makes a perfect day trip. Unfortunately, in early January, much of the town was...

The Eclipse and Jam Coconut Tarts!

We had grand intentions of heading further up northern Scotland to view the eclipse: a little road trip in our new truck to witness an auspicious celestial event. In the end we drove down to the local, yet magnificent, Tentsmuir beach and sat on the...

Konstanz: 32 Pictures that will make you book a trip here!

Konstanz, Germany Locations don’t often get more beautiful and photogenic than Konstanz’s jaw-dropping position on the edge of Lake Constance. This dazzling lake is enclosed by the distant white peaks of the Austrian Alps, forming a spectacular backdrop for this old German town. With Switzerland...

Runeberg Cakes (Runebergin Torttu)

Runeberg Cakes (Runebergin Torttu) These cute little cakes are absolutely delicious: sweet, moist and lightly spiced with a heart of jam that’s both inside and on top. Runeberg Cakes, or to give you their Finnish name ‘Runebergin Tortut’, are traditionally baked to celebrate the birthday...