PERIPATETIC.LIFE

peripatetic /ˌpɛrɪpəˈtɛtɪk/ adjective: travelling from place to place, for relatively short periods.

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about

30 year-old German born, British raised, travelling fanatic. I believe wealth should be measured by memories and not by money. My aim is to visit every beautiful country in the world, and gather inspiration from my adventures to project them onto paper as I write my short stories and novels, alongside my articles on my blog. I hope you enjoy my content, and gather inspiration for your next adventure.
  • A European Adventure – Bello Milano

    A European Adventure – Bello Milano

    In the North of Italy, is situated Italy’s most prominent city of high fashion, with Milan Fashion Week being hosted there every year. With its richness in style, Milan is the heart of history, art and architecture along with some of the best tasting food and hot climate, where else would you find everything in a single city? Look no further if what you crave on your next holiday was included in its list of attractions.

    Paying homage to one of Italy’s and the world’s greatest inventor and artist, Leonardo Da Vinci who briefly lived in Milan during his lifetime, is the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, in which it contains many of his inventions. Everything from the evolution of science to modern day artefacts is displayed in this carefully presented and interesting museum. With it being only a 15-minute walk from Milan’s city centre, it is worth visiting.

    Milan is filled with tourist attractions, the most recognised being Milan’s Cathedral, Il Duomo, and Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper Painting which is located in Santa Maria de La Grazie, a small building in the heart of Milan.
    No reservation is needed to visit the Cathedral although if you want to visit the inside, you will be told to wear a long skirt to cover your legs, at least you knees, and you cannot be showing any shoulder either. So be prepared if you are thinking of visiting the inside. However, if it is a warm day and you want to make the most of it, you can purchase tickets to see the city of Milan from the rooftop of the Cathedral. You can take the lift which costs 7 euros – 13 euros or you can take the stairs which are half the price. However, on average it takes half an hour to walk so make sure you have comfortable shoes. The architecture and city views are what attracts thousands of visitors every year to admire the Cathedral which took nearly six centuries to complete.
    To visit the main attraction of Milan, Leonardo Da Vinci’s mesmerising Last Supper painting, you will need to reserve tickets at least a month before your stay, as tickets sell out fast! Especially during summer.

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    The view from the terrace of Milan’s Cathedral

    As for transportation, trams surround Milan and is a very practical manner to get from one corner to the other. Although my preferred style of travel is by foot, in order to soak in every aspect and street of Milan and truly see how people live their lives there. You also save some euros as well, but if you run a tight schedule, sometimes you will not have the time. In the heart of Milan, everything is accessible, from high street to designer shops, souvenirs to buy to take home, hotels, main attractions and delicious places to eat, straying a little further allows you to see little gems of street art and ice cream shops.

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    Many say that Milan is expensive, but it does not differ much in price than the South of Italy. The Southern part of Italy has a reputation for danger, which is slightly in some aspects correct whereas the Northern areas hold a more relaxed atmosphere and even in crowded areas there is no need to worry about a robbery. Although as in every day simply look after your possessions and everything will be good. In my experience, I have witnessed Milan as a friendlier and more understanding city than places such as Naples and Pompei. Each city holds its beauty and discovering the unique of each place is what makes travelling an adventure!

  • A European Adventure – Peace in Poland

    A European Adventure – Peace in Poland

    Amidst all the greenery with beautiful trees swaying in the direction in which the wind guides them in the countryside, Poland is fabulous if you crave tranquillity. With all the nature surrounding you, that is what you get.

    Sharing its border with Germany, Slubice is a gateway between both countries and showcases that with their use of both German and Polish in the city, although many citizens can only express their thoughts in Polish. Restaurants are an exception in many circumstances, although menus majority of the time will be written in Polish, German and English. This gateway shows the little town of Slubice and their amazing architecture which was once part of German territory before WW2.

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    Although Poland’s capital, Warsaw, is the city which grabs the most tourists out of any other place in Poland, there is a little gem situated nearly two hours, driving distance, from Slubice called Gorzów Wielkopolski. Poland is surrounded by memories of WW2 including the ever famous concentration camp, but museums offering machinery, tanks, weapons can be found in this little city. With its eerie post-war feel on the streets as houses in which Germans were forced to leave or be killed are now occupied by the Polish residents, you can learn a lot about the catastrophic world event.

    With beautiful warm summers and dreary winters, Poland is a great getaway to experience something unique and different to other European countries. It is recommended to visit during Summer, as with the majority of European cities simply to enjoy the country in all its glory. If you are ever in Poland and have time to see other cities, I definitely recommend a quick trip to Slubice and Gorzów. It is less modern and economically stable than the famous cities of Poland, but definitely a great time to experience a different aspect of Poland.

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  • My reasons for travelling on your gap year

    My reasons for travelling on your gap year

    Some people feel as though they need to get to university as soon as they finish their secondary education, to get a good job at a young age and have the ability to travel once they have completed university. Life is not a race, and I prefer to breathe from time to time than quarrel for the infinite end. Of course, you gain experience and money working on your precious days before heading to university, but nothing compares to stepping foot into the unknown territory of a new continent, and here are my reasons to encourage you to travel before going to back to education

    1) You experience priceless life lessons
    Fully emerging into a new culture and dealing with all the problems, hassle and people make you understand a bit more of the world and humanity. Not a single individual in the world, even if they have visited same countries you have will have the same experience as you had in that country. You learn not only about other people but more of yourself also. You open different aspects to your personality because you forced yourself to change. Changing environments and changing your whole perspective of life. Moreover, that makes you realise how mentally strong you can be.

    2) You gain confidence within yourself
    Having to battle your way through the language barrier, and all the different situations and changes you encounter will give you that added boost you might have never felt before in your younger teen years. This is a great tool for when you enter university because even if at school teachers put you down, you realise now that nobody can put you down because you simply won’t let them. You understand how difficult change can be, and you made that change in your life, making you in charge of your life and the decisions and how you decide to face them.

    3) You have time to reflect on your life
    Gap years are a very useful tool for indecisive people on what to study during your years at University. You do not want to change courses or drop out because you did not think it through properly, because of the day that is money wasted. You realise that grades are only a letter on a piece of paper and that there are a trillion different career opportunities ready for you to grab with both hands. You will meet people with all sorts of different cultural backgrounds. You will rub shoulders with the wealthy and with the poor, and this will make you realise that life is worth more than the money you make or the car you drive to your work destination.

    4) You learn how to budget and fend for yourself
    Without your parents giving you much help, you can learn how to budget money, areas in where to earn some extra money and how to survive alone. You do not need to be surrounded by people you know to give you help because you have the ability of confidence on surviving by yourself.

    5) You build an exciting life and create unique experiences
    Let’s not forget; your life can become more interesting than your favourite adventure book if you only remember to think logically and decide to live your life to the fullest, experiencing anything you can at every opportunity. How many people at the university will you meet with experiences as awesome as yours? Many if you decide to enter the travel association where you can share your passion with like-minded people like yourself.

    Those are my reasons for starting your globetrotting life before your twenties, and before you are tied down to a gruelling daily job. I hope you enjoyed this post, more are on their way. Feel free to share with family and friends as I enjoy sharing my travelling experiences with all of my audience!

  • Being back in the UK

    Being back in the UK

    After a year of travelling abroad and spending a year living in the South American country of Peru, I can be safe to say that I am enjoying tranquillity back in the UK. It has been exactly a month since I have been resting in my home. Although the experience was excellent and I am planning on doing another one sooner or later, I am happy to be grounded for the time being at home.

    Possibly one of the main factors I lack right now is the amount of vitamin d I am receiving, as the sun does not melt you to the ground as it does in South America. It is a nice change to be able to breathe new air, see the difference in customs, and not be cramped until I physically cannot breathe on a bus. Overall I had an enjoyable experience, and I’m ready for more!

    As for anybody planning on moving to a different country, continent or aiming to save enough money to do ‘extreme’ travelling for a while, I always say it is always worth it for the experience and life lessons you gain from it either if it good or bad, travelling is never a bad choice. For my next journey in a few days time, I’ll be making my way around new cities and countries in Europe which I have dearly missed, including Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France. I shall post my stories here as soon as I have lived it.

  • 1st civilisation in America – Caral, Peru

    1st civilisation in America – Caral, Peru

    A new found land, recently discovered and now part of the UNESCO world heritage site, as being one of the first civilisations to have marked the history of America. The archeological site is still in excavation as we are still discovering the history behind the people who created the civilisation 5000 years ago occupying the coast of Peru.

    Only a couple hours away from Peru’s capital, Lima, a comfortable coach trip for around $20 per person is worth it, to witness a new land and culture being discovered in Peru. Hopefully it can become as popular as Machu Picchu one day regarding it’s important history for not only South America, but the whole of the American continent.

    This blog post is rather short because the area is relatively new and not many answers have been fully answered. It is useful to go on a coach with a tour integrated to explain the work they are accomplishing in Caral, located in Supe.

     

  • Being a tourist – Cusco, Peru

    Being a tourist – Cusco, Peru

    The city which was made by the fame of Machu Picchu is a home to a hoard of tourists daily. However, due to the large amount of tourists, it can get hectic during the popular summer months. I have had the grand pleasure of wandering around many countries, both in South America and Europe, and Cusco proved to be quite magical. During the busy tourist months of June-August, Cusco can be quite an attraction for thieves and is something to watch out, particularly in crowded areas but its nothing to put you off from travelling to Cusco as it is quite a rare occurrence. Just be aware of your surroundings, as you would anywhere and enjoy the beautiful natural sights of one of the highest mountain regions of Peru.

    Taken from the main Plaza in Cusco, Plaza de Armas
    Inside the cathedral located near the centre of Cusco
    A smaller church, situated in a village further away from Cusco

    Alongside the cold winter weather, visiting many of its beautiful sites located around the city was worth it, especially getting to meet the amazing Machu Picchu. If I ever plan a following trip to Machu Picchu, I would rather stay in the village of Machu Picchu for a longer time, than Cusco itself, or visit during the summer, which is a better option because at night the temperature falls up to minus two degrees and you have no central heating at all, so you certainly can feel the change in temperatures during the evening and in the morning.

    Admiring the view in Ollamtaytambo
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    The hotel I was accommodated in, Tupac Yupanqui Palace, was impeccable! Friendliest staff I may have ever encountered and the rooms were decorated so finely, with every detail taken to detail, As well keeping its tradition in place. The weather took a toll on my system pretty slowly, so having a fever did not help when I had to soak up every moment of the trip neither, luckily the hotel was close to three restaurants literally around 10 steps from the hotel so I could warm up with a nice warm bowl of soup every night.

    The hotel’s interior
    The very traditional exterior

    It was a once in a lifetime experience, for sure. With travelling always comes experience, no matter if good or bad you grow as a person from within so enjoy every moment you have discovering the beautiful world we live in.

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    Into Raymi, celebrating winter solstice, in Saqsaywaman

     

  • It’s a wonderful world – Machu Picchu, Peru

    It’s a wonderful world – Machu Picchu, Peru

    A wonder of the world, for the world and the eyes and soul. I thought that maybe it would be overrated by people, as many tourists flock, many not caring about its history, many just going to say they have been, but if you take the time to breathe its air and enjoy all of its beauty, it is not overrated! As soon as you enter its premises, you capture yourself in another world, even a different dimension. You lose yourself in your current life and view and live another for the time you are there.

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    Being stamped with the mark as a wonder of the world has tourists pushing and shoving, which is good for publicity. It has taken a rather large gathering, especially in the months of June, July and August, which are great seasons to visit for its glorious weather (not for Cusco’s weather, however). If you prefer quieter surroundings I would strongly advise not to visit during the ‘Holiday’ era, and preferably the months of March, April and May, where it is less likely to rain, and you will be able to enjoy it to its full capacity.

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    My manner of transport to arrive to the village of Machu Picchu

    To capture a grand view of the city, there are many points one can walk and climb to see them. The ‘Sun Gate’ is considered to be the easiest, although a good level of fitness is recommended, with hardly any steepness to it, compared to Huayna Picchu and the Machu Picchu mountain. It takes an average of 3 to 4 hours, in total, at an altitude of 290 metres from Machu Picchu. To climb ‘Huayna Picchu’, which many tourists are keen to climb, you have to have an excellent level of fitness and ability to take on strenuous activity. You also have to book many weeks before your visit as only 400 people in total make it in a day. Compared to some tourists that visit daily, that is a tiny portion of individuals who climb it. It is acclaimed to be the most dangerous mountain to climb in Machu Picchu, with many deaths being recorded. Its height to climb from Machu Picchu is 353 metres and takes an average of 2 hours to climb to the top, with half as much time needed to come back down. The mountain I decided to climb was the ‘Machu Picchu mountain’, it is recommended to buy your ticket before your visit also, its price is a comfortable ten soles, and requires on average an hour and a half to reach the top and an hour and a half to descend. The gate shuts at around 10 am and the top of the mountain shuts at noon. Everyone should be down by 2 pm. It is highly strenuous but very broad. It is the tallest mountain to climb at 652 metres from Machu Picchu, double that of ‘Huayna Picchu’. A huge bottle of water and good hiking boots with plenty of sunscreens, cap and sunglasses are highly recommended as well as being very physically agile.

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    Climbing the Machu Picchu mountain

    Its history goes like this. Machu Pichu was discovered by American explorer Hiram Bingham on July the 24th 1911. He was visiting Peru and has stayed with a family for a few days but became bored because they only spoke Quechua and nothing of Spanish. Bingham could speak Spanish but couldn’t even understand their native language. He later on befriended a young 11-year-old boy who helped him to continue on his adventure. He climbed mountains in drizzly weather, and that is when he discovered the lost city of Machu Picchu when translated from Quechua reads the ‘Old Mountain’, with Huayna Picchu meaning the ‘Young Mountain’.

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    It was worth it!

    It was only nine years ago, in 2007, when Machu Picchu was voted to be one of the Wonders of the World, as previously since 1983 it was marked as a World Heritage Site. Apart from its hefty cost, it is a place you should visit if you are a real travel fanatic. An experience you will never forget with one of the gorgeous views the world has to offer.

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    A well deserved drink, accompanied by a glorious view
  • Deepest darkest Peru – Iquitos, Peru

    Deepest darkest Peru – Iquitos, Peru

    Down in the deep rainforest, one is aghast with the stark amount of gorgeous creatures who still manage to have a home. However, each day the Amazon rainforest is becoming more endangered with poachers and businesses who are willing to destroy such beauty for some dainty cash. But the rainforest does not back down, neither does it fail to impress as even though I took many pictures of some of the gorgeous places in the jungle, it can never compare to witnessing it with your naked eye.

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    Our only way of transportation through the Amazon River, the longest in the world
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    The joining of the two rivers, river Nanay, the blueish water, and the famous Amazon River, the muddy coloured
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    Trying a typical dish, some tree larvae called zuri

    Many people go to the rainforest to discover a new world, may it be their ‘newly’ civilised city quite a distance from the rainforest, known as Iquitos due to the Iquitos tribe first arriving and settling there. Or to camp out in the rainforest riddled with mosquito bites but breathing some newly fresh air.

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    A part of the beautiful scenery

    To arrive in Iquitos, home of your next adventure, there is no other way than by plane. Companies such as LATAM and Peruvian offer rather comfortable prices. I paid $137 for my ticket with Peruvian. The plane isn’t the comfiest but the flight is only around one hour approximately, and you get snacks during the journey. It feels quicker than what is is!

    The hotel I accommodated myself in was Hotel Casa Morey, only a couple of minutes walk into the plaza where all the shops and restaurants were for any necessities. The hotel keeps a Victorian feel to it from its rubber boom days, when Iquitos gained a lot of money thriving from the rubber that was found, and still found, in their trees. Many English and other European traders took advantage and therefore made millions from this industry. The house belonged to an Englishman, whose surname was Morey, who thrived and had his house built there to work more sufficiently. It is located adjacent the river Nanay, only a couple of minutes from the port. Its whole aesthetic makes you lose yourself in the Victorian era. Accompanied by a library, swimming pool and breakfast served from 7 am to 10 am and friendly staff makes it an ideal if you want to delve in deeper in the history of Iquitos. The price ranges from $50 single room up to $130 for a triple room. Obviously much more pricey and only to be taken full advantage if you are staying for some days in the city.

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    The Victorian styled hotel I stayed at, Casa Morey.

    As for tours, you should have some idea of what things you want to do either visit animal rescue centres, such as the manatees or monkey island or have a couple of nights camping in the rainforest. Always ask your hotel about tours as they are usually the most reliable and avoid accepting trips from strangers who have no agency and same with agencies because sometimes they do not complete everything you wish you to do, and you end up paying a lot for a miserable time.

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    Feeding manatees at the manatee rescue centre!

     

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    With an Anaconda, in another animal rescue centre
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    One of the cheeky monkeys who stole our lunch at the Monkey Island, a rescue centre solely for monkeys

    As I continue writing while scratching my uncountable amount of mosquito bites, I’ll leave you now with a few of many pictures I took during my five days in Iquitos, as I will be flying over to Cusco to visit another wonder of the world, Macchu Picchu!

  • Mystery lines – Nazca, Peru

    Mystery lines – Nazca, Peru

    I have recently arrived from the joyous experience of visiting Nazca, Peru, and having a fun packed adventure! What initially drove me to visit the place was the mysterious and infamous Nazca lines which decorate the desert wonderfully. Alongside that I visited Cahuachi, some ruins discovered recently, which were from the Nazca civilisation who ruled around 1000 years before the Incas, and also an animal sanctuary a bit further away from the region of Nazca in Ica. The amount of vicuñas and huanacos that were on the roadside certainly made the trip through the curvy roads more bearable.

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    Not quite a llama, the huanaco, wild and untameable creatures.

    DSCN0347The only form of transport you have to get to Nazca is either by car or a coach. The only choice for me, of course, was by coach. Now there are a vast amount of coached in Lima to get you to your destination, all offering different prices and comfortability. I decided to go along with ‘Cruz del Sur’ because it was the closest to get to, and I had seen many driving around during my stay so I thought it was more popular therefore better. The standard of the travel was excellent; the staff were very friendly and polite, and you have a varied amount of films to choose from throughout your time on the coach. The ‘VIP’ area, as they like to call it, costs 96 soles which equal to $28, and the cheaper tickets cost only less. Having travelled on both, I highly recommend the ‘VIP’ area as the seats are of much higher quality than the others and after several hours, you want to be relaxed and prepared for when you arrive in Nazca!

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    My hotel in which I accommodated myself in was called ‘La Posada de Don Hono’ which is around a two-minute walk into their city centre. The room was beautiful, very soothing beds, and a large bathroom with a hot shower, and a stunning terrace which one could relax after a heavy day of adventuring. They had a super cute dog too if you love animals just as much as me. The greeted us at arrival and drove us to the hotel, for free, and told us exactly where we could find everything we needed in the city centre. The only downside I would have to pick out is that they only have breakfast so for everything else you need to go the extra mile to pay for food, luckily, however, the restaurants around there are cheap and tasty, so you’ll have no problem finding some place to eat. I would highly recommend their traditional Peruvian dishes. However, you will also find French, German and Chinese restaurants.

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    The view from the gorgeous terrace

    Before the trip, we organised tours, to have everything prepared once we arrive because we would not have much time to pick out trips as our stay for too short. It is recommended that one do so, as the people who sell you tours may sometimes bump up the price when they see a desperate tourist. The one thing everyone who goes to Nazca can agree on is that you have to see the Nazca lines if you enjoy flying that is. A light breakfast is mandatory as the plane swerves up and down to get a good look at the lines. Pictures do not give it justice!

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    It is said to be a mystery, but if you visit the ‘Planetarium’ in the hotel ‘Nazca Lines’, you learn about the discoveries of Maria Reich, a German woman who dedicated her whole life to finding the meaning behind each of the twelve lines once formed by the Nazca civilisation. Her theories claim that the lines point to the place in which the sun rises every morning and that they are symbols dedicated to their many Gods. The Nazca people did not believe in one God, and like the Egyptians worshipped many. Because Nazca is in the desert, they had a lack of water and would often pray and worship the God of water to stay alive. One of the most famous lines is possibly the monkey, which is the biggest and most strange one there is. It is said that it may show the Nazca people having links with people from the Rainforest.

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    The German flag alongside the Peruvian flag situated in their Plaza de Armas, in honour of Maria Reich

    I would highly recommend at least staying in Nazca for a couple more days than I did, and take advantage of all tours on offer, even sand boarding which is a three-hour expedition to reach the top of the dune and an easy 10-minute ride downhill. However, I have been told the view is spectacular from the top! As soon as I post this I will be packing for my next expedition, which will be in the Amazon Rainforest, Iquitos. I will post my experience once I arrive back in Lima.

     

  • Forgotten warriors – ‘Los Wari’ of Peru

    Forgotten warriors – ‘Los Wari’ of Peru

    A country known as the home of one of the oldest and bravest civilisations, the Incas, holds a deeper and richer history in its core, the Wari. I engaged in their past a short time ago but visiting some of their Huacas, a burial system similar to the Egyptians where they shared some beliefs of death. They closely resemble Pyramids, however, given by the structure of them it would be false to call them Pyramids.

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    Huaca Pucllana at night in Miraflores
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    Huaca Huallamarca in San Isidro

    The Wari were a civilisation between AD 500-1000 nearly 500 before the Incas ruled a vast amount of the west coastal area of South America, their main base being Peru. In Particular Peru’s Capital Lima, where many of their Huacas are situated. The Wari Empire could not be argued as being stronger than the Inca Empire. However, they lasted five times the amount in which the Incas did. With the Inca civilisation being recorded as starting in the year 1438, unfortunately, their Empire lasted a little less than one hundred years as the Spaniards reached Cajamarca in 1532.

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    Death of a female Wari
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    ‘Mummified’ similar to Egyptian beliefs, the deceased would be in a sitting position and they would stuff them and create a fake face and also place food into their grave to ‘help them get to their next life’

    Lima, now a booming city with 8.473 million inhabitants and over 3 million tourists visiting the city last year, is a treasure and home to many of the Wari, their skeletons and graveyards being preserved until this day.

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    The old mixes with the new. A family buried in the Huaca graveyard where you can admire the city of San Isidro from above.