Tag Archives citytrip

When my Sunday afternoon plans fell through, I looked at one of my best mates and we decided to jump in the car and take a microadventure to Dinant. The term microadventure was first invented/claimed by adventurer Alastair Humphreys and can be defined as a “short, simple, local, cheap adventure”. It means that you can jump in the car or on the train and you don’t have to spend half a fortune on a plane ticket across the world. For me, these micro adventures are a way of life. There is nothing I love to do more than to inject a little bit of adventure into daily life. That is certainly the reason I love traveling so much. Every day is an adventure!

The famous East Coast trips of most travelers skip Newcastle and not unlike Brisbane, it has a reputation of being boring and less interesting than Sydney or Melbourne. While both capital cities are very vibrant and beautiful, so is Newcastle. The city is a great stop on most people’s travels or is a perfect weekend getaway for other Australians. Therefore I would love to invite you into my travel guide to Newcastle, New South Wales. It is full of foodie goodness, outdoor activities and espresso martinis. Nobody put’s baby in the corner.

Arriving in India I waited for the famous Indian culture shock for quite a while. Visiting Kerala, the most southern province of India, was a bit overwhelming, but there was nothing that was too much for our senses. My first true culture shock came while visiting the Calcutta flower market also known as the Mallik Ghat market. It was a very powerful experience and still is one of the activities I’ll recommend when visiting Calcutta or Kolkata in West Bengal, India. Just as I’m putting it on your to-do list, it was praised to us as a true local experience by a friend of a friend and, he was right. This flower market is, just as most things in India, unlike any other flower market you have visited before. I went thinking of Columbia flower market in London or the local foreigners market (aka vreemdelingenmarkt) in Antwerp and quickly had to adjust my expectations. First of all they don’t sell flowers to put in vases and you will most certainly not find any plants. What you will find is fresh flower petals, flower heads, flower decorations and garlands in all colors and shapes. Most of these flowers will be used for ceremonial purposes and only a small fraction of the flowers will be used to decorate a home, unless there is a ceremony held within. The most important flowers are yellow and orange marigolds, roses, orchids and several other flowers that all serve a different religious and/or medicinal purpose in daily Indian life.