After two intense days at Chernobyl, we slept late and then sat in the apartment trying to organise a schedule. Sometimes this happens on trips - if we don't have a pre-defined agenda, we sit around procrastinating. It's as if we are afraid to say, "Let's relax and take it easy," because we feel we… Continue reading A week in Kyiv – Day 4
Category: Travel
A trip to Chernobyl part 2 (A week in Kiev day 3)
After a rough night's sleep (our fan broke so the room heated up quickly, and then the dogs started...), down to the bar for breakfast at Hotel Desiatka: mors, bread and coffee (two options - "with milk or without"). And three fried eggs. Well, protein is important to keep your strength up in a radioactive… Continue reading A trip to Chernobyl part 2 (A week in Kiev day 3)
Trip to Chernobyl part 1 (A week in Kiev day 2)
No, I haven't seen the TV series (yet), thanks for asking. But having many times seen the haunting pictures of the city of Pripyat, abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, we could not resist the chance to take a tour to see the place for ourselves while on our trip to Kiev. We chose… Continue reading Trip to Chernobyl part 1 (A week in Kiev day 2)
A week in Kyiv – Day 1
Originally I wanted a week's holiday on a Greek Island somewhere by the beach but booking that kind of holiday was too complicated for me. So instead, we booked flights to Kyiv in Ukraine. Kyiv (or Kiev as you may also know it) had been on our to-visit list for a while, but we only… Continue reading A week in Kyiv – Day 1
Another month, another hotel room
One month on from thinking I was going to cough myself to death in a hotel room in Casablanca, I am in a hotel room in Brussels, cross checking figures and rehearsing tomorrow's presentation.I'm not 100% better, but I'm well enough to travel. Normally this kind of meeting would warrant a one day trip on… Continue reading Another month, another hotel room
How do you book a holiday?
For anyone expecting a how-to guide, I apologise. This is a genuine question from me. I don't understand European package holiday destinations. How do you choose one over another? If all you want is a week in the sun, it seems so easy, but how do you choose between Spain, Portugal, Greece or Turkey? And… Continue reading How do you book a holiday?
Business travel diary – Day 5 (&6)
My last full hotel day. I will miss this hotel and the little touches of care I find from the cleaners every day, whether it's tidying my shoes, folding my pyjamas, sorting my toiletries into neat arrangements, arranging my slippers and towels in a decorative way, or even leaving me a flower! I end up… Continue reading Business travel diary – Day 5 (&6)
Business travel diary – day 4
Today is the best day of the trip. It's the day we go on outside site visits and I get to see the companies behind the names on my spreadsheets, and see the investments they have put in place and what practical difference they have made. Our first stop is a bakery, and our first… Continue reading Business travel diary – day 4
Business travel – diary – day 3
When I wake up coughing at 1am or something, I decide to reset my alarm, skip breakfast, and go to the awards ceremony after the opening speeches and join during the coffee break. In my mind, I message my boss that I won't make the 8am meeting. But only in my mind, I don't use… Continue reading Business travel – diary – day 3
Business travel diary – day 2
Night from hell. No, not the bright red light on the TV opposite me keeping me awake. No, not the street noise, that has quietened right down. It's the GHAAARFFF EUGLEGH WUCHLAO of me coughing not mater what position I lie in: flat, propped up, face down, on left side, on right side. I get… Continue reading Business travel diary – day 2
