How travelling inspired my fantasy novelThis week marks the 6th month since I published my novel, The Lightbringer. It’s been a truly interesting journey filled with joy, frustration, excitement and a humbling sense of belonging to the wider community of independent authors. To mark the occasion, I thought it would be time to talk about how my writing and travelling passions came together in the creation of my book... read more!
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Enter the ForestOne thought kept echoing in my mind since the first day of the expedition: I don’t want to leave. Considering I only stayed in Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve for two weeks, the Amazon didn’t take long to steal my heart. I believe a piece of it is still there, surrounded by the towering trees and their magnificent roots, shaded by the oversized leaves and hidden within the solemn silence of the forest... read more!
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Every Day is Earth DayThis year’s Earth Day marked around thirteen months of intermittent lockdowns here in the UK, a time which for most of us has meant a lack of freedom and travel. Stuck in our four walls and limited to a few hours of outdoors activities, people have used nature as a means to escape more than ever... read more!
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ICYMI: Research focus interview with the University of ManchesterHi all! A year ago I did an interview with someone from my university, but because I wasn't running my blog then I never managed to share it. After all this time I'd like to share it with my readers!
Here is my interview with Reuben, a Student Experience intern at the University of Manchester. I hope you'll enjoy learning more about what I do!... read more! |
From one tree to the nextHi all,
I've been quiet for a while, busy with by surviving the third lockdown and finishing some projects that were sitting around for too many years. Now, let me take you with me on a journey through leaves and branches... read more! |
Riders of the Storm - read now on Fen+Field!My article about our cyclonic trip to Iceland is now available to read on the Fen+Field website! Working with them has been such a joy, and I look forward to continuing our collaboration... read more!
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Myths of the AmazonEver since I learnt about the Greek and Roman myths at school, I have been drawn to the tales of ancient cultures and marvelled at the supernatural elements engrained within them. The many museums that I visited in Italy were filled with strange artefacts from the Etruscan and Roman world, but also from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and even the Mayans... read more!
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A shrine and some mint tea, pleaseThe beauty of studying geography means that during my degree I had the privilege of travelling to a couple of unforgettable destinations. In my second year of study, with a group of students, we ventured to the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. As I was writing my last blog post about the Alps, I began to recollect images and emotions from this trip so, although this has nothing to do with forests, I’d like to share my experience as well as a few interesting facts that might tickle your curiosity... read more!
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An Ode to the AlpsTravelling to the Alps is always a powerful multisensory experience. It is the crisp air, unadulterated by the pollution from human hands in the valleys below. It is the feeling of being so far above mundane life; so close to the jagged white peaks that challenge the boundary between earth and sky... read more!
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New collaboration! Fen+Field MagazineHi all,
This is only going to be a short new post to communicate that I've recently been writing for the magazine Fen and Field! This collaboration has developed over the past few months and I'm so excited and honoured to share with you my first blog post for them, entitled: "A Thicket of Calm and Chaos". Hope you enjoy it! Read more! |
Pollen VS CovidHey everyone! Apologies for the radio silence, it's been a crazy few weeks! I've been able to go into my laboratories at the University of Manchester, where I could finally finish working on many tasks that had been waiting to be completed for the past six months. I did, however, manage to put some time aside, and write a few words inspired by my time spent working from home during the lockdown... read more!
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Spontaneataly! A spur-of-the-moment trip around ItalyWe didn’t know where we would go or how long we’d be gone for. My friend Giacomo and I only knew that we wanted to take a car, fill it with a tent, two foldable chairs and a gas cooker, and drive around Italy to discover more of our country. We had no specific itinerary or plan... read more!
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Enter the CavernI have visited many caves in my life, in Italy, Austria and the UK, and upon entering each of these places in the underbelly of the Earth I have always found myself astounded and humbled by the force of nature that has created them. Moulded by the flow of water through limestone over thousands of years, the tunnels and rock formations can take the strangest and most ominous shapes... read more!
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Ancient Woodlands: Britain’s enchanted realmsI still remember my first day as an ancient woodland researcher, hiking in the old-growth forest of Breidden Hill in Powys (Wales) and identifying fern species with a team of ecologists from the Woodland Trust. I didn’t know where that day trip would take me – other than the top of the hill – although looking back now I realise that day was the start of my long journey ‘into the forest’... read more!
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A day in the jungleThis week, I thought I'd take you to the Peruvian Amazon with me, and let you experience a typical day in the jungle by sharing an entry from my field diary. I hope my words can transport you away from your home for a moment, where we have all been confined to for too long... read more!
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Milano: a metropolis of unexpected greennessHello everyone! Apologies for the small break, but I am now back again writing about my travels and environmental thoughts. Where was I? The clue is in the title of this week’s blog – my hometown of Milan! After over seven months of being confined to Manchester (for obvious reasons), I managed to go back to see my family... read more!
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A Memoir of Childhood TravelsAs I look back through old pictures to add to this blog, I realise how much it hasn't been the most recent travels that have inspired my direction, but those from when I was a child. The latest trips have certainly played a big part in achieving a deeper understanding of the world and the environment, although it is travelling with my family that has instilled in me a wanderlust spirit... read more!
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Quick guide to eco-travellingThis week, I’d like to write about something a little different, as I believe I could shed light on a topic that is very prominent in the world of environmental awareness but that is often communicated badly. While writing my previous blog, I realised there are a few things I do when travelling to ecologically vulnerable locations that I’d like to share... read more!
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Neck deep in the jungleHello wanderers!
As some of you may already know, whether it’s because you’ve met me personally or you’ve read my initial post, I am currently a PhD candidate in Physical Geography at the University of Manchester. For my project, I’m looking at the environmental history (or, using the more science-y term, ‘palaeoecology’) of peatlands in the Peruvian Amazon... read more! |
2020, an impetuous yearWith the world in lockdown, and myself stuck in my little flat in Manchester, I can’t help but reminisce about another experience of lockdown and isolation that my friends and I found ourselves earlier this year. As my first proper blog post, I’m actually taking you briefly to the frozen lands of the Arctic Circle, rather than a lush tropical forest... read more!
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Welcome to my blog!Hey there!
My name is Dael Sassoon and welcome to my personal blog, where I hope I’ll be able to indulge your wanderlust spirits and environmentally inclined minds with thoughts drawn from my experiences, memories and academic education... read more! |