If Cities Could Speak

Photo by  Umesh Gopinath  on  Unsplash I’ve always said I’d like to have a holiday at home, frittering away my precious annual leave on a week of curling up on the sofa with a good book, pottering around the house and repotting my overgrown aloe.  In what should have been the run up to my trip to Morocco, I debated whether to cut my losses and cancel my days off or to finally take that trip of a lifetime to my living room.  I opted for the latter. 10 glorious days of uninterrupted peace in my East London flat.  If you’re faced with an impromptu staycation too, perhaps you’ll find some ideas here. And if nothing else, another two minutes of lockdown will be over by the time you finish reading. Food Eating is usually a huge part of my holidays – hunting down the nearest bakery in the vicinity for my morning pastries, overindulging in pretty much any local treat (usually cheese), and getting that familiar warm feeling from the first sip of...

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash Perhaps you’re coming to London for the second time, having already strolled through Hyde Park, battled hordes of shoppers in Covent Garden, and taken the obligatory selfie with Big Ben. Now you want to see how and where the locals live. This is no mean feat, given that this vast city sprawls across a total area of 1,583 square kilometres (put into context, you could comfortably fit five Maltas into London). With this in mind, you might want to home in on a particular area. And if vegan breakfasts, vintage clothes, quirky culture and proper pubs are your jam, get yourself over to East London. Whenever I have the pleasure of showing out-of-towner friends around my city, I always do a variation of the following.  Brunch Set yourself up for the day at Mother , a peaceful café on the canal bank in Hackney Wick where you’ll find banana laden toast slathered with peanut butter, crunchy granola bowls and smashed avo sourdough (an East London stap...

Photo by Håkon Sataøen on Unsplash Take two lifelong friends and one vague plan for a weekend away and what do you get? A wonderful, friendship-affirming adventure in Berlin several months later.  Berlin had been on my bucket list for some time. Artistic and achingly cool, Germany’s capital didn’t disappoint. But there’s so much more to this city than its hip credentials. Berlin carries the weight of a dark and troubled history, which it addresses in its many museums.  With only two days and two nights to play with, we had to make every minute count. By Sunday evening, we flew back to London feeling sleepy and satisfied that we’d done Berlin justice (and knowing that we’d have plenty more to do whenever we return). Where to stay We stayed in a suitably cool and sparsely furnished Airbnb in Mitte, Berlin’s most central borough. Berlin is huge, so you’ll never be within walking distance of everything. But Mitte is about as convenient as it gets, and the neighbourhoo...

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash Heading to Vienna? Lucky you! The city of music, the city of dreams, whatever moniker you give it, Vienna is one incredible city. Here are my must-see museums, essential eateries and sights you should soak up when in Austria’s beautiful capital.  Surprise! As we bundled onto the coach in the wee hours of the morning, my boyfriend Jorge pressed an envelope into my hand. In it contained three green cards with clues hidden within the folds. The clues read, “The city of music”; “The city of Klimt”; and “The city of Freud”. The destination of my mystery 30th birthday weekend was, of course, Vienna.  One coach journey, Leon porridge and a two-hour flight later, we were there – feet firmly set in the city of music itself and greedy for everything Vienna had to offer.   Where to stay We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb near the Prater, a famous amusement park in Vienna’s second district, Leopoldstadt. Leopoldstadt is having ...