Category: europe

Jūrmala, the stunning beach town on the Baltic Coast in Latvia

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn europe, solo female travel1 Comment

[You can read Part 1 of my Latvia trip here.]

I was in Riga and although I easily could have spent another day or two there, when I learned that Riga is only half an hour away from the coast, I did a bit of investigation and as soon as I saw photos of Jūrmala, (pronounced Yurmala) my mind was made up- I had to go.

How to get there

Head to Rīga’s Central Station and take the train that heads in the direction of Sloka. I bought my ticket online at https://www.vivi.lv/en/ for about 1 euro 50! The journey lasts around 30 minutes and you get off the train at a station called Majori. From there, you cross the main road and walk under an arch and then you are on Jūrmala’s high street, Jomas Ieri.

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What to do in 24 hours in Riga, Latvia, as a solo female traveller

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn baltic, europe, solo female travel2 Comments

Welcome to the blog entry on the 30th country I have visited: Latvia!

Long ago, when I first fell in love with travelling abroad and seeing as much of the world as I had time for and could afford, I saw pictures of Riga in a city break brochure (remember travel brochures?!) and thought it looked stunning and have long kept the idea in mind but for years, I was put off by the unfair Stage/Hen do reputation and other places had presented themselves as holiday destinations until now.

So, in May 2025, I found reasonable flights to Riga from Manchester and booked them without much idea of what there would be to see and do there apart from pretty architecture. This is what I love about booking a trip- the research can then commence and the excitement builds as you uncover more and more of what will be waiting for you once you arrive.

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Solo in Oslo: Starting the Year in the Stunning Norwegian Capital

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn City Breaks, europe, Norway1 Comment

I have always held an intrigue for Oslo since I first started going on European city breaks in the days of student loans and part-time work that I’d cobble together for a couple trips a year. Over the years, trips took me to other places but Oslo always sat there quietly on my wish list, waiting for a rainy (or snowy) day.

My mum had sent me some money for Christmas and birthday and I had a browse online which lead me to doing a ‘Ryanair Roulette’ (not quite a roulette but going with an open mind and seeing what locations are presented through your chosen dates and prices). I didn’t want a flight that was over two hours as it was only going to be a 2-night trip. Everything fell into line and there was my Christmas/birthday trip: Oslo; a mere 1 hour 50 minutes away from Manchester.

Typical of Ryanair, the airport they list as Oslo is actually in a small Norwegian town called Torp, some 75 miles away. Although this took some careful planning around my flight times concerning trains and hotels, it actually became a part of the adventure so I was glad of it.

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Uncover the Best of Bilbao: The Capital of Spain’s Basque Region

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn europe, spain1 Comment

Bilbao, the capital of the Basque region in the very north of Spain.

Admittedly, I knew very little about it and had never visited any of the more northern cities in Spain such as Vigo, Santander and San Sebastián. My sister’s colleague had returned from a trip to Bilbao earlier this year and sang its praises so we, and our cousin, booked on for five days this August to see what it is all about.

The Basque region spans a certain region across some of the north of Spain and some of the south of France, connected by the Bay of Biscay. They share a common language called Euskara, or Basque (easier to say for English speakers!), and there has been a political Basque independence movement for several decades which included the separatist group ETA who sadly utilised violence and terrorism, including bombings at Madrid airport in 2006.

The majority of Basque people, of course, did not and do not advocate for violence and times have moved on into perhaps more unity and acceptance of others.

In fact, today, Bilbao is a very modern, international university city where people from many backgrounds study, work and live together in what feels like the friendliest city we’ve experienced in Spain.

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Christmas Time in Budapest: Tracing Family Roots Alongside Food and Wine

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn europe, Hungary2 Comments

A blog post that focuses mainly on the food and wines my cousin Luke and I had on our mid-December trip to Budapest, Hungary!

I had been to Budapest twice before way back in 2007 and 2008 before you could get a direct flight there from the north-west of England (I’d connected in Prague and Zurich). I had enjoyed the cultural experience of seeing where my heritage came from but I must admit that I did not find the city easily navigable and it was hard to seek out places and activities without Smart Phones with Google Maps and taxi apps (Budapest now uses Bolt rather than Uber as of 2023).

In June this year, our grandad János passed away just before he turned 93 after a long and illustrious life. He was born in 1930 and raised on Csepel Sziget (Island), an area just north of Budapest but still within the capital city borders, neither on Buda nor Pest.

His passing this summer reignited curiosity and a thirst for knowledge in us all so it made total sense for my cousin Luke and I to head over at the start of our Christmas holidays. But would it be too cold? This was a main concern. Would it look pretty when the trees are bare? Would there be enough to see to do?

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