Charlie, Distracted
The thing that always jumps out at me about Charlie, Distracted is the images. It's a visual feast! Charlie's excellent use of photography really helps to convey a cool travel vibe and puts the reader right into the action. As one of the UK's more intrepid travellers, the blog is particularly useful resource for those looking to go further on a budget.
Recent blog posts
Where to drink craft beer in Lisbon, Portugal
12th November 2020 by Charlie, Distracted
There isn’t much better than sitting down for a cold pint after a few days of touristing. Resting aching feet, removing the hefty backpack, looking through photos of the day, and swapping highlights becomes a holiday ritual when there’s a glass of something refreshing to go with it. The only drink I wanted to seek out in Lisbon was vinho verde, the tart cousin of white wine, however, we all know beer is my poison of choice, and the Portuguese capital has not just a great number of craft...
36 Hours in Cologne, Germany
17th August 2020 by Charlie, Distracted
I’ll be honest, Cologne and I almost had a big falling out right at the beginning of our relationship. My first solo travel destination on my Germany rail trip after having spent time in Frankfurt and Heidelberg with a friend, I arrived with the classic giant backpack and unwashed hair look so often associated with tourists and headed for the subway. What then followed was 45 minutes of sweaty, confused and infuriating travel as I somehow kept getting on trains going in the wrong direction....
A self guided walking tour of street art in Bristol
21st February 2020 by Charlie, Distracted
“Have a shot every time someone tells you they know Banksy’, said a particularly sarcastic friend when I told her I was doing a day trip to Bristol on the way to a wedding on Devon. Bristolians are, rightfully so, very proud of their connection to the internationally recognised artist. He is arguably the only street artist to be a household name and like many fans of the medium, he was my first introduction to it....
The best places to eat in Lisbon, Portugal
9th February 2020 by Charlie, Distracted
You could easily survive four solid days in Lisbon on pastéis de nata and vinho verde - the iconic custard tarts and the sharp ‘green’ wine are everywhere in the Portuguese capital, and are well worth the indulgence. They were the only items I had on my to-eat list when I arrived on a late night flight to spend a long weekend in some much needed sunshine. But Lisbon’s food scene is vibrant yet still traditional at its heart; very much flourishing and I completely underestimated it....
A solo traveller’s guide to visiting Christmas Markets in Germany
28th June 2023 by Charlie, Distracted
It’s that time of year where a whole heap of us are tempted by cheap flights and the need to use up the last of our annual leave and head to central Europe for a festive fix. I LOVE Christmas and all the mulled-flavoured, pine-scented, sparkly-decorated joy it brings, and nowhere does that better than a Christmas Market in Germany. Replicated in countries all over the world, the originals obviously do it best, and having visited my first one in Frankfurt in 2015, I’ve been itching to go...
So, you want to do a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon
13th October 2019 by Charlie, Distracted
Of course you do. A day trip to Sintra from Lisbon is, after all, one of the most well known excursions from the Portuguese capital city, thanks to the colourful facades of Pena Palace, but we’ll get to that in due course. I’m not here to give you a detailed history of the ancient buildings of Sintra - you can find that anywhere online, however there are a few key tips that you should keep in mind to retain your sanity in amongst the throngs of tourists all headed in the same direction as...
How to spend 24 hours in Ljubljana, Slovenia
4th October 2019 by Charlie, Distracted
Little Ljubljana, the tiny capital of teeny Slovenia packs a bigger punch than cities triple its size. A full day there doesn’t feel rushed and I was far from bored; there’s history, architecture and excellent food for an itinerary of wandering, and on a sunny Monday in September the crowds were thin on the ground too. Ljubljana was my gateway to a four-day road trip around Slovenia but thankfully, I’d made time to discover the city before picking up a car and setting off towards the...
A Michelin Starred Sunday Lunch at The Fordwich Arms, Kent
12th September 2019 by Charlie, Distracted
Despite some of the world’s most famous chefs coming from our little island, British cuisine seems to get a bit of a bad rap. Maybe it’s because I’m born and bred here that I love a beige-y meat and carb combo; a shepherd’s pie or toad in the hole is comfort food but I guess it’s the emotional connection I have with those meals that makes me love them. I don’t really want them to be ‘refined’, because truly, if they’re cooked really well, and with love, then they are as...
A beer lover’s guide to 36 hours in Brussels, Belgium
7th September 2019 by Charlie, Distracted
I’d passed through Brussels Midi station four times without ever getting any further than one overpriced bar directly outside whilst waiting for a connecting train to other towns in Belgium. The Eurostar is synonymous with a Paris city break and the recent opening of the Amsterdam route now also shares some of that limelight, but in just two hours you can be right in Belgium’s capital. I headed there for a weekend of beer drinking interspersed with some very light sightseeing...
A day at LX Factory, Lisbon
22nd August 2019 by Charlie, Distracted
It was the street art that drew me to LX Factory, the regenerated 19th century industrial warehouse complex in the Alcântara neighbourhood of Lisbon. From Stokes Croft in Bristol to the CBD in Christchurch, it’s the artist communities that move into spaces others ignore, take a brush to it and transform whole areas into outdoor galleries. For LX Factory, once the murals appeared the shops, restaurants and tourists soon followed....
Four alternative things to do around London Bridge
9th August 2019 by Charlie, Distracted
There are certain tube stops that as a Londoner, you do your best to avoid, especially at the weekends. Piccadilly Circus is as mad as it’s name suggests, Green Park demands a fast pace and headphones on at full blast, and Covent Garden, well…it has too many stairs and no lift so take it from me, just risk Leicester Square and come out of exit 4 instead. Droves of tourists will pitch up at a London Bridge hotel* for their stay in the city because of the standard guide book...
Exploring the Street Art of Ehrenfeld, Cologne
27th May 2019 by Charlie, Distracted
In between a city centre and its nearest day trip neighbour, there’s the districts and boroughs of real people. We pass through on trains as we go from one obvious recommendation to another, or as we get a cab from the airport, but we don’t stop to look around. It feels intrusive to walk the streets families go about their every day business; washing out to dry in their front yards, kids curious at who this stranger with a camera is (and rightly so!)....
