The one time I forgot to check the weather forecast was the time Chicago experienced its 5th heaviest snow-dump of all time. OF ALL TIME. It began snowing at about 8pm on Saturday. I was in a dive bar in Ukrainian Village on a date of the romantic sort, and was informed by the establishment’s owner, as he showered us with free cheese puffs, that blizzard-warning nights are always … Continue reading #Superbowl #Snowday
Our handy map has told us that not far from Vienna lies another European capital city just waiting to be explored. Bratislava, Slovakia lies just 50 miles east of here, which sounds to me like perfect day-trip material. Plus we get to go on an Austrian train, which I hear are quite efficient. Yaay! Disembarking at Bratislava Hlavná Stanica, the main train station, it was a short and scenic … Continue reading Let’s Go To Bratislava
Every time my parents decide to go on holiday for Christmas, I somehow end up living abroad that year and having to double the amount of flights it takes me to reach my turkey with all the trimmings. This year, I have flights booked from Edinburgh (my hometown) to Vienna (where I’ll be spending Christmas with my family), but spontaneously relocating to Chicago has turned what was … Continue reading A Viennese Christmas
Yesterday I regressed into tourist mode. At a party last week I befriended a Chicago native, who promised me a fun day out in Chicago, on him, because I am an impoverished intern and he has a great new job… and apparently Chicago has a lot to see. He basically took on the role of Ambassador to the City, and his first job was to … Continue reading Tourist Trapping
After an arduous week-long journey from Scotland via Ireland and England and Canada, I’ve been living in America, in my new city, Chicago, for a grand total of three days… and its now time to up and leave again on another trip. As coincidence would have it, two of my very good friends are getting married (to each other) in a town called Wausau in up-state Wisconsin … Continue reading Surviving Milwaukee
Day 1: I finally arrived in Toronto after an unscheduled overnighter in London. My flight from Dublin to Heathrow was delayed and the Aer Lingus lady who checked me in failed to actually check me right through to Toronto, so I missed my connection. No worries though, I was put up in a lovely Heathrow-area Novotel and given vouchers for a 3-course dinner, buffet breakfast … Continue reading Maple Leaf Hunting
I spend a lot of money on air travel as it is, so when the time comes to book a flight, I like to minimise, as far as possible, the impact on my wallet. My final destination was Wausau, Wisconsin, where two of my favourite people will be tying the knot. Now, it turns out that flights from Edinburgh to Wausau are bloody expensive, and most involve at … Continue reading Flirting with Ireland
Back in the golden days of dirt-cheap budget air travel, when Ryanair wasn’t yet the dreaded last-resort carrier it is now, you could fly from Glasgow Prestwick to Milan Bergamo for around £30 return, including taxes, with no extra baggage fee, no check-in fee, no nothing. Those days are sadly long-gone, and with Prestwick Airport on the verge of bankruptcy – seemingly being kept afloat solely through … Continue reading 86 Hours in Milan
It seems like I had barely arrived back home from Maastricht when I was back at the airport again boarding another flight to another European airport. With another joyous layover at Heathrow Terminal 5. My parents have rented an apartment in Nice for the festive season and we’re all going over to see if the French are any good at doing Christmas. I have high hopes. Even though I moved … Continue reading A Riviera Christmas
It’s my last full day in New York City and I don’t have any grand plans with which to fill it. There are, however, a few things I’d still like to see. Some of them I’ve seen already, but I’d like to see again (probably because I failed to appreciate them when I was a moody 16 year old trailing after my parents), and some … Continue reading NYC: 9 of the Rest
the lost scot 