Flora The Explorer - Page 7 of 28 -

Paronella Park – an Abandoned Spanish Castle in the Australian Rainforest

Posted on July 27, 2017

I want to tell you a story about Paronella Park. It’s probably the closest thing to a real-life fairytale I’ve ever encountered, and it takes place in the middle of the rainforest in Far North Queensland, Australia. Our starting point is an unexpected location, though. We pull into a tarmac car park beside the highway where white cars shimmer in the heat and walk beneath a row of metal letters, their edges slightly crumbling with rust. We keep on going down a…

Behind the Blog: The Community You’ve Never Met

Posted on July 20, 2017

I need to tell you something. Two weeks ago, while walking through my local East London park on the way to see my therapist, I opened up Instagram Stories and I started to talk. I told an unknown number of potential viewers a truth: a collection of facts which I’ve been keeping quiet for months now. My dad is really sick. He’s not getting better. My mum died eight years ago, and now the same thing is happening again. I’m scared, obviously –…

Europe Scotland

Seven Ways to See Stirlingshire in Scotland (With a Dog)

Posted on July 13, 2017

Guys, this is Ernie. He’s a seven year old white-haired golden doodle (a retriever crossed with a poodle, in case you didn’t know). He’s huge, fluffy, insanely friendly, and a lot of the time he lives in Scotland. Those of you following me on Instagram might have seen this adorable creature on my Stories from time to time. He’s been in London occasionally, racing around wide open parks in the East end, and he’s appeared in the horse box during a…

Australia Behind the Blog Challenges Menorca Mental Health Personal Scotland Spain Travel Plans

Who Are You Online? – My Travel Writing Reality

Posted on July 6, 2017

“Is Flora your real name?” I peered at the terse email on my computer screen, where an unknown reader named Brian was asking a rather strange question of me. “I’ve heard that it’s not your name – so for the sake of a blogging presentation I’m giving next week, could you please tell me?” My first reaction was to laugh outright. Whoever would christen their blog ‘Flora the Explorer’ if their name was actually Charlotte or Poppy or Gertrude?! But aside from…

Europe Spain

Lepers, Pirates & Lighthouses: A Tour Guide’s Passion for Menorca

Posted on June 29, 2017

“People don’t always mean to stay in Menorca. But it happens nonetheless.” Alberto has lived on the island for over forty years. He must be in his seventies, this white-haired Einstein lookalike – and he tells us the history of Menorca, quietly intertwined with his own personal story. The way he arrived one summer to explore the island and somehow, seemingly against his initial will, never managed to leave. What am I doing in Menorca? I’ve come to Menorca with…

Inspiration Reading Travel Books Writing

Eight Travel Bloggers Who Write Books Too

Posted on June 21, 2017

When I was young, my favourite authors were those I felt I knew. I lived and breathed the Famous Five and Tracey Beaker, wanted desperately to become a dancer in Ballet Shoes, and dreamed of sailing away across the seas in a giant peach. Their creators – people like Judy Blume, Jacqueline Wilson, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and Noel Streatfeild – all had direct access to my heart, because I was certain they were speaking directly to me. When I was…

Europe France Photography

In Celebration of Paris in the Spring

Posted on May 9, 2017

When you grow up in the UK, Paris is an extremely common city to visit. I’ve spent a lot of time here over the years: school trips with History of Art class to the Louvre and a sneaky visit to the top of the Eiffel Tower, covered in snow; grumpily dragging my feet three steps behind my parents on family holidays; InterRailing with friends when our most crucial objective was finding a cheap hostel on the Parisian outskirts and eating our body weight…

Belgium Europe France The Netherlands

What is Life Like on a European Tour with a Chilean Psychedelic Band?

Posted on April 27, 2017

The Lo-Fi Lifestyle: Touring Europe with a Chilean Psychedelic Band

There is a giant shrimp staring down at me. Its beady black eye is the size of my head, and it feels extremely judgemental. Around its hard-shelled body falls a cornucopia of foodie abundance: a halved avocado, bulbous raspberries, a veiny sugarsnap pea, tumbling slices of lemon. Elsewhere, blue tinged butterflies perch happily on ears of waving corn while red chillies float languidly in empty air. A snail inches its way past a bunch of purple grapes. I can almost see its wet…

England Europe Writing

Speaking the Language of London with Inua Ellams: A Poetry Tour

Posted on April 13, 2017

When I first meet the poet Inua Ellams, he is standing beside Nelson Mandela’s statue. Our little group of strangers is huddled in the doorway of London’s Southbank Centre, right beside a sizeable bronze bust of the famous South African revolutionary’s head. The fourth member of our poetic little group hasn’t managed to find us yet. Overhead, the springtime skies are inappropriately ominous: grey, clouded and close. I tug my thin jacket closer to my chest as my companion adds, “Communication…

Challenges Egypt Personal Solo Travel

The Day King Tutankhamun Changed My Life

Posted on March 30, 2017

“You know… If you trust in yourself, you can do anything!” Sammy’s words echoed round my mind as I looked up, panting, at the Egyptian buildings which surrounded me. It was a sunny July day in central Cairo. The shouts of street vendors blasted my eardrums; the smell of frying meat on spits and pungent piles of gutter rubbish lingered heavy in my nostrils. I was boiling, sweaty, and despite only being in Egypt’s capital for twelve hours I already wanted to call my mum.…

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