In Bruges

I'm not quite sure how we started it, but James and I alternate organising Valentine's Day and this year it was my turn.

Five fun facts about Bruges

We very much enjoyed our weekend away in Bruges. While we were there we learnt some interesting things about the city and its inhabitants - both historical facts and more recent curious developments.

Which of the below did you know? Do you have any more surprising Bruges facts to share? Please include them in the comments below!

Photo Friday: The Boston Beggar

During our recent visit to Boston, we were impressed by the enterprising spirit of this man, who we saw begging outside the Old State House, the oldest surviving public building in Boston.

Tanzania: On the search for the 'BIG FIVE'

A safari in Africa usually includes an attempt to spot the "Big Five". This includes seeing an African lion, an African elephant, a rhinoceros, a leopard and ... a Cape buffalo. 

'Wait!' I hear you cry. 'A buffalo? Not a cheetah or a hippo? Or even a giraffe?'

Nope. The fifth animal that you must see on safari in Africa is definitely the Cape buffalo. I did not make this up. 

Under the sea!

During our honeymoon in Tanzania, we took the opportunity to explore below sea as well as above. 

We went diving a number of times with One Ocean Dive Centres, who had one of their many satellite bases at our hotel, Ocean Paradise, on Zanzibar. 

Jambo! Swahili for beginners

Any tourist visiting Swahili-speaking Kenya or Tanzania, will quickly learn to greet people they meet with a friendly 'jambo'. And like many other Swahili words it's easy for English speakers to pronounce and really quite nice to say!

However, 'jambo' by itself is usually only really used with foreigners. If you want to make that little bit more effort, the correct greeting is 'hujambo' if you are the first person to speak. The response is 'sijambo'.

Princess Salme of Zanzibar - A 19th Century Feminist?

Right next door to the hotel where we stayed in Stone Town - Emerson on Hurumzi - is a small museum dedicated to the Princess Salme.