With summer now in full swing, weekends are all about escaping the city and heading for the coast to relax, unwind and indulge. Arriving hot-on-the-claws of the Whitstable Oyster Festival, the Dorset Seafood Festival offers a torrent of tentacles to sink your teeth into. Grabbing my flip flops and shades, I got stuck in.
Lobster
With so many countries to cram into our limited annual leave allowance, it’s always a bonus to find a destination that provides a gateway to other countries. Nestled on the Adriatic coast, Dubrovnik provides the perfect base to discover other Balkan gems. Offering a frothing melting pot of Eastern and Western heritage, the historic town of Mostar in Bosnia grabbed my attention. Famed for its ramshackle old town, Islamic influences and infamous dare-devil “diving” bridge, I nipped over the border to find out more.
Mostar
As bronzed colleagues waft into the office on a trail of Ambre Solaire, the battle is on to see who can win top trumps in the holiday sweepstakes. Among the top contenders, Dubrovnik offers centuries of culture, sea-faring adventures, botanical islands and a cable car to zip you up to some of the most impressive views in the Eastern Med. Throw in a few bargain meals in top-kuna restaurants and what colleague wouldn’t wish they were there?
Dubrovnik
The battalions of rucksacks and wellies gracing the morning commute can mean only one thing. The Glastonbury Festival is upon us again. Providing the ultimate escape from order and routine, the five-day mud-fest is a reminder of our carefree pre-office days. But for those who want to experience more than just pongy portaloos and the insides of a battered tent, Glastonbury offers a whole other dimension filled with sacred sites, healing energy and vibrant New Age life.
Glastonbury Village
Swirling in a cauldron of mystical charm, Glastonbury village is home to one of the UK’s largest New Age communities. Riding the Wiccan wave, the high street is crammed with crystals, shamanic drums and Pagan knick-knacks. Without a trace of a twee tearoom in sight, you can indulge instead in a spot of angel therapy or find out what the Tarot Cards have in store before piling your plate with chickpeas and aubergines at the trendy vegan cafes. Those seeking a donner kebab need not apply. Jugglers, sorcerers, witches and the odd white cloaked figure all form part of the village’s rich street tapestry, casting a spell on all those who visit.
Glastonbury shops
Brimming with sacred sites, no visit to Glastonbury could be complete with a trip up the Tor. Described as a magic mountain, a centre for Goddess fertility rituals and even a meeting point for UFO’s, the 500-foot Tor is one of the UK’s most spiritual landmarks. With spurious links to the Holy Grail, the Tor is well worth a climb not least for its spectacular views across Somerset, Wiltshire and across to Wales – guaranteed to leave you feeling on top of the world.
Glastonbury Tor
Also worth a look is the 700 year-old Glastonbury Abbey. Once the UK’s richest monastery, the striking remains bear testimony to the Abbey’s importance as a place of worship in medieval England. Jumping on the Arthurian bandwagon, the Abbey lays claim to being the burial site for King Arthur along with another eighty-odd sites across the UK. Concocted by a group of enterprising 12th century monks, it’s perhaps not surprising that the Abbey’s dramatic backdrop still inspires so much interest in the legend today. (Admission fees £6.00 per adult or £7.00 with Gift Aid.)
Glastonbury Abbey
For a chance to chill out completely at the end of your weekend, a trip to Chalice Well World Peace Garden is a must. For over two thousand years, travellers have flocked to the Well to sup the famous Chalybeate waters reputed to cure skin conditions, anaemia and in desperate times the plague. Offering an oasis of tranquillity, the gardens are one of the most relaxing places on earth. Whether you decide to take a dip in the spa pool, listen to the gentle tinkle of waterfalls or simply sit and ponder under a canopy of Yew Trees, the gardens offer the perfect antidote to the excesses of festival life. (Admission fees: £4.00 per adult, £4.40 with Gift Aid.)
Chalice Well
Offering so much to experience, a post-festival weekend break to Glastonbury is the perfect way to rest and recuperate before heading back to corporate life. That is unless the lure of New Age life doesn’t cast its spell first. Vegan café owner anyone?
Also in the area, read about my experiences at the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge and my day trip to the famous Avebury Stones.
Have you experienced Glastonbury village? I would love to hear your experiences.
Deep in rural Pembrokeshire lies a secret sanctuary for frazzled urbanites. A utopia where absent phone signals banish calls from the boss and limited Wi-Fi deters heart-racing peaks at the inbox. Could Bluestone Wales National Park Resort be one of the last places on earth to unplug from the corporate pressure cooker? Fellow blogger, Jaklien Van Melick and I tried one of their spa breaks to find out.
Trussed up in feathers, flounces and furls, the masked figures at the Venice Carnival seem a world away from the uniform skirts, suits and jeans that now dominate office life. But like the mysterious Carnival figures, our true selves are often masked by the requirements of our 9-to-5 roles. Perhaps it’s only when we’re dressed up in disguise that we have the freedom to express who we really are. With these thoughts in mind, I jetted off to Venice to find out what the fascination with fancy dress is all about.
Venice Carnival
Looking for a short break with the wow factor this year? If you’re tired of spending long weekends trudging round the same well-trodden galleries in the same well-worn capitals, help is at hand. We’ve put together the definitive guide to the year’s most happening destinations – all guaranteed to inspire awe and envy from colleagues on your return to the office.
Jameson International Film Festival
How are your 2014 travel plans shaping up? If you’re agonising over a city break or a ski trip, but despair of your dwindling annual leave allowance, why not enjoy the best of both worlds on an action-packed mini break to Andalucía. Basking in the glow of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Granada offers a high-altitude city break where you can feast on tapas, tour the Alhambra and speed down a black run all in the space of a 48 hours.
Granada
Having successfully hosted the Commonwealth Games last year, Glasgow has finally shaken of its dubious reputation for deep-fried confectionery and has shown the world what’s its really made of. Gritty, feisty and a bit of a rough diamond, Glasgow also has a warmth, charm and cultural depth that few other UK cities can touch. If you’re looking for a reviving city break guaranteed to blast off the corporate cobwebs, Glasgow’s your man.
Buchannan Street
With only thirteen weeks to go until Christmas, we’re now back into the bedlam of the working routine as balmy nights lolling around beer gardens become all but a distant memory. As the workload ramps up and evenings are increasingly spent in the company of the cleaning staff, it’s no surprise that many of us find the back-to-work blues worse in September than in January. If you’re still craving the beach but can’t face being buffeted in Brighton, head to France’s Atlantic Coast where an amazing range of sea therapies can all be enjoyed indoors.
As the alleged birth-place of thalassotherapy, Brittany boasts no less than thirteen coastal sea therapy centres. Desperate to put the rosy glow back into my haggard corporate chops, I head to the Eastbourne-esque town of La Baule to sample what’s on offer.
La Baule Escoublac
Thalassotherapy uses sea products to treat a myriad of conditions from stress and fatigue through to bronchitis and back ache. Before embarking on any treatments, a medical consultation is required. Trotting down the austere, clinical corridors, I realise why as I brace myself for my first “douche a jets” experience. Not for the faint-hearted, a high-velocity jet of sea water is propelled at the parts other treatments leave behind. Blasting off the office grime and hopefully some cellulite, I howl in horror as the jet veers from tepid to spine-tingling Siberian for the last few gruelling seconds.
With the blood now thundering through my veins, it’s time for a reviving dip in the indoor sea water pool. Immersed in the luxurious warmth of the heated Atlantic, work concerns slowly ebb away as my shoulders drop a few inches. All too soon, it’s time for the next treatment – a detoxifying marine mud wrap. Smeared in glutinous, pungent clay before being mummified in hot towels, the next five minutes feels like being immersed in a deep-fried Mars Bar.
Ingredients for a marine mud wrap
A quick hose down moments later though and I’m starting to feel like a new woman. My skin feels tighter and muscles more relaxed than after the most frantic Zumba class. The grand finale is the olive oil wrap – yes you’ve guessed it, five minutes sizzling in olive oil while trussed up in cling film. Feeling like one of Jamie Oliver’s lemon chickens, the heady scents of the aromatic olive oil, (like nothing from Tesco), provide an aromatic moment of bliss. Reluctantly peeling off the plastic moments later, my scaly skin looks smoother and feels noticeably softer.
Returning to work polished and preened a few days later, it’s not long before the stress levels start to soar and my shoulders tense into gridlock once more. Fortunately there’s only another three months to go until January and the next back-to-work excuse for another reviving office break.
For more information on the range of Thalassotherapy facilities available visit: Wellness Brittany.
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