My travels in your hands: Skipping Skopje

My first blog post for The Tab will be up soon, I'll post it on here as well. It obvs needed to be edited etc, so it's a day behind. I'm now in Skopje, which apparently gets to 53 degrees during the day, and is an ugly communist wreck, so I'm getting the hell out of here asap to Lake Ohrid for a couple of days. After that, The Tab article will ask you to vote on what next. :)

My Travels in Your Hands: Get the fear, Raki's here

As previously noted, Greeek food is not one of the world's great cuisines. A focus on oil, deep frying and an overrealiance on meat means you have to work hard not just to eat well, but to not get a Greek man's gut whilst at it. Their alcohol however, is another story.

Whilst the local beer (I favour Mythos) isn't going to win any prizes, their wine totally rocks. Everyone makes their own, so it's mostly like an old boyfriend of mine: young, sweet and a bit wet.

But better than that is the hard stuff. My Dad makes friends with waiters, it's his thing, I don't know, and so at the end of each meal a selection of local firewater comes to the table. One taverna insisted on the lethal Ouzo for the boys, and Kitron for the girls. Kitron is, as it sounds, lemony, but as far as I can tell is made from pressing the leaves of an etrog. (Non Jews - an etrog looks like a big lemon, and is used as a symbol in a harvest festival, here's the wiki page).

But tonight, now that my friend Gabi has arrived, our weapon of choice is Raki. It's a bit like Ouzo or Pastis: aniseedy, and strong as hell. Because we're... reckless? Stupid? We have bought an unmarked, homemade bottle of the stuff from the local shop. We're scared, very scared. Please witness:

Will let you know how my head feels in the morning.

Staycate This Summer

Published in Varsity in print on Wednesday 22nd June 2011, and on their website Thursday 23rd June 2011

Whether it is the carbon cost of air travel, a fear of foreign languages, or a nagging uncertainty as to the whereabouts of your passport, there are great reasons to holiday in the UK this summer. Anna Sheinman shares her top three destinations to suit all budgets:

£ - Back to Nature in Snowdonia National Park

 
Aran Fawddwy

After a busy term and an expensive May Week, you can be forgiven for wanting to keep things simple. The tiny village of Dinas Mawddwy in Snowdonia National Park is your chance to do just that. One of the many supposed sites of King Arthur’s death, there is now a post office, The Red Lion pub and as many rolling Welsh hills as you could want.

Cheap, no frills campsites abound. Once pitched, less experienced walkers can try routes from the excellent Snowdonia National Park website, but for the more adventurous there are plenty of Hewitts (mountains over 2,000 feet) to bag in the area. Aran Fawddwy, meaning ‘place of the spreading waters’, is Wales’s 2nd highest mountain, and the expansive, craggy views from the summit are particularly satisfying, as is the regaining of mobile phone signal half way up.

There are no shops, so bring food, but basics can be sourced from the local garage, and The Red Lion does decent pub meals and an excellent pint. To mix it up a bit, hit the road. To the north is Bala Lake and watersports, to the west is Barmouth and the Welsh seaside, and back on the border Powis Castle makes a rewarding final hill to climb before heading home.

££ - Party People in Newcastle

 
Martin Burns via Flickr/CreativeCommons - The Baltic

 

If drinking and dancing is more your thing, Newcastle is cheaper than London and more navigable than Leeds or Manchester, but still has plenty to keep you and your friends busy for a few days partying.

The seriously central new Eurohostel is getting rave reviews, but only ten minutes’ walk away The Cumberland Arms does £60 a night doubles, breakfast til 1pm, and the pub serves fish-finger sandwiches.

The Ouseburn Valley is packed with pubs that do a great pint, try The Cluny or The Tyne Bar. More upmarket, Alvino’s is sophisticated but not pretentious, and has continental beers and lovely roof terrace.

Once sozzled, on weekends downstairs at The Head of Steam Pub is free entry, has great DJs and a packed dance floor. World Headquarters is the last word on alternative music, if there is a big dubstep act in town that is where they will be.

Heaton’s cafés soothe any hangover, I suggest paninis at La Fiesta, which does the best coffee in town, or pots of tea and board games at Heaton Perk. For the perkier, The Baltic Museum and the newly refurbished Tyneside Cinema will not disappoint. Pick up The Crack for monthly listings.

£££ - Love Nest on the Suffolk Coast

 
The Beach Huts at Southwold

If there’s a little more cash to splash, and someone special to spend it with, the Suffolk Coast is where English charm goes upper-middle class. Southwold, otherwise known as Hampstead-on-Sea, is famed for its candy striped beach huts, and the surrounding countryside is peppered with luxury B&Bs like the oak-beamed Stables at Henham Park, and cottages to rent (try Acanthus Holidays or Suffolk Cottage Holidays).

After a bracing walk on Southwold beach (head south to Walberswick to spot celebrities like Richard Curtis and Jill Freud) seafood consumption is imperative. Home smoked salmon at the multi award winning Butley Orford Oysterage is sublime, as is the fish and chips by Halesworth library. Pop opposite to Gladrags Vintage and try on 20s fur coats and 30s trilbies whilst digesting. An afternoon tour of the Adnams brewery is the perfect excuse to pick up a bottle of Southwold Bitter.

For the culturally inclined, the August Snape Proms are world class and The Southwold Theatre is surprisingly professional, or you can snuggle up to a classic movie in the restored 1912 Electric Picture Palace in Southwold.