RTW
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Our Experience on a Dual Narrative Tour in Jerusalem
We spent an exciting morning on MEJDI's Dual Narrative Tour in Jerusalem learning about the tensions between Israel and Palestine and exploring the many perspectives regarding this conflict.
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How we loved – and lost – our child while travelling in South America
Trigger warning: Pregnancy loss Antarctica I first had an inkling that I might be pregnant while on board our cruise to Antarctica. I’ve always had a pretty regular period and was expecting to get it on the cruise, so when days passed and it didn’t come, the mounting excitement at seeing penguins was paralleled with that of the reality of having our own little cutie. When it was time to do the polar plunge, I hesitated. My gut feeling was that I was pregnant, but there was no way to verify this on the cruise without a pregnancy test kit, so I had to resist the urge to do the…
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Authentic Istanbul: Understanding the Syrian Crisis over earrings and potatoes
We all have heard of Syria, and yet know so little about the country and its challenges. Politics in the Mediterranean region is not usually the topic of choice during dinner conversations in my country, but ever since I have embarked on my travels in this part of the world, there is this increasing need to rid myself of this wilful ignorance in order to better understand this region better. Which begs the question: why am I writing about Syria when I am visiting Turkey? Amidst the culinary experiences and historical landmark tours focusing on Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, we were interested in experiences that would offer insights into authentic…
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Our best experience in St Petersburg: Dinner with the Prokopenkos
What do you look for when you travel? The must-visit, to-do listicles usually include UNESCO sites, significant points of attraction and to-die-for dishes, and I know this because I’ve written so many of these articles. But increasingly, I’m beginning to realise that the most meaningful moments of travel happen in the ordinary. They exist in moments of human connection, in empathy, in the recognition that we are all not that different. We were fortunate to experience that on the Home Cooked St Petersburg and Market Tour with St Petersburg Urban Adventures. Sampling local food at Sennaya Market Our experience began with a visit to Sennaya market. While I was initially…
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Total Moscow Tour: Experience the best of Moscow in 1 day | Review
When we planned our itinerary for Russia, the general feedback we got was that it was three days too many in Moscow. Our friends told us that Saint Petersburg was the one that we should focus more on, and that Russia’s political capital would appear lackadaisical and boring when compared to its cousin to the West. Yet despite the waves of well-meaning advice from our friends, we decided to make Moscow the first stop of our round-the-world trip. As lifelong history nerds, the opportunity to delve into the heart of the old Soviet Union was something that we found impossible to pass up. Given our inability to distinguish Cyrillic alphabets from…
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The Big Trip
It’s happening. It’s actually finally happening. These past few weeks I’ve been walking around with a ball of knots in my stomach. It’s like the growing excitement and apprehension you feel as you’re in line for a rollercoaster ride – there’s so much excitement but also anxiety, fear, and the constant desire for courage to do this and stay the course. We’ve been talking about this trip since before we got married, but there have been so many compromises and negotiations, false starts and obstacles that I had honestly stopped hoping or expecting that it would happen. Yet somehow, thanks to the blessings of our families and bosses, we have…
