Vibrant street life, delicious food and more monuments than you can count – Rome is one of the best Europeans cities for a weekend getaway.
I visited Rome for the first time in 2011, and was blown away by all its historical landmarks. Being the whirlwind backpacking trip it was, I didn’t get a chance to immerse myself in the vibe of the city. Thank god for coin I tossed into Trevi fountain, I returned! Continue reading
Visiting Bordeaux during the off-peak season might sound controversial. After all, what does one do in the world’s wine capital if not drink wine and visit vineyards? Turns out, there’s plenty to do, see, eat and drink at any time of the year in this vibrant French city.
For starters, half the city is Unesco-listed. That makes it the world’s largest urban World Heritage Site. From stunning buildings to instagrammable cobblestone streets, Bordeaux is a sight for sore eyes. It’s charming, historic and romantic. We even stayed in a former castle right in the middle of the city centre.
Then there’s obviously the wine. But more recently, a new wave of chefs is putting Bordeaux on France’s culinary map. For a city its size, Bordeaux’s gastronomic offering is impressive. Continue reading
Last minute trips end up being some of the best ones. Which is big of me to admit because trip-planning is half the fun for me. Notes, spreadsheets, Google Docs – I go the whole nine yards prepping for a trip.
But, this trip to Chicago was as sudden as it was fun.
Turns out that I am heading back to London after all (ignore everything I said in my last blog post). So, my best friend and I decided to use my last weekend in North America to visit our girlfriend in Chicago. We filled up the gas tank, drove across the border and followed the I-94 all the way to Chi-Town.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the world’s largest arts festival, featuring thousands of artists, performers, actors and comedians from around the world. But for me, Fringe was just another excuse to go back to Edinburgh this year.
If I had only three words to describe Edinburgh, I’d pick charming, beautiful and historic. There is so much to see and do in this lovely city, but the best part of going back for a second visit is that you’ve already checked off all the touristy items. Continue reading
I went to visit my lovely friend Samanta in Stockholm this June. We met three years ago when she was visiting Toronto, and I’ve been promising her a visit since. I’m somewhat ashamed to admit that I didn’t make it to Stockholm until this summer. It’s especially noteworthy how long it’s taken me to get to the Swedish capital considering I used to live in Denmark.
Time for some throwback Thursday. #TBT to this May when I was in San Francisco with my childhood sweethearts for our friend’s wedding. The five-day long wedding celebration may have been the reason for our visit to the Bay Area, but we definitely managed to find time to enjoy the NorCal lifestyle.
With our base camp in Fremont, the BART became our trusty chauffeur, lugging us from East Bay to Alameda to the SF piers. Continue reading
Prague was the first European city I ever visited on my own. One summer, many years ago – when I was 18 – I did a travel writing course in Prague. It’s safe to say that I wouldn’t be a hobbyist travel blogger without that trip. But then again, Prague will turn anyone into a travel blogger.
When my friend Shanelle told me that she’ll be visiting Prague on as a part of her annual European adventures, I decided to crash her trip. And Rema decided to crash ours.
It’s no secret that I love a good cup of coffee.
It’s also no secret that when it comes to cafes, Vienna has a special league of its own – the Viennese coffee house.
The Viennese coffee house culture is listed as “Intangible Cultural Heritage” as per UNESCO. It’s a concept I recently became familiar with my friend Melissa went to Marrakech and told me that the markets were listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage. While the more well-known concept of World Heritage sites refers to tangible – or touchable – buildings, monuments, places etc., this particular categories refers to song, music, drama… overall vibes that you can’t replicate elsewhere in the world.
And surely, I’ve never been to a coffee joint quite like the Viennese coffee house. I liked them right away, and went to several during my trip to Vienna. They all have different decors, moods, menus, but what remains the same is the hushed banter, the elegant service, melange on the menu and delicious cakes served with silverware.
The first coffee house we went to – literally within two hours of arriving in Vienna – was Cafe Hawelka. It was on the very top of my list for all the historical significance it boasts of – opened by Leopold Hawelka (who passed away in 2011 at the age of 100) in 1939, the interior of the establishment has been fully preserved, from its marble table tops to elegant lace curtains.
I ordered my first Wiener Melange, literally translating to “Viennese blend.” It’s something I’d describe as a cross between a cappuccino and a latte. And I liked it!
Paris is always a good idea.
So naturally I decided to kick off my 2015 travels by revisiting Paree.
Fanny, my former classmate and old flatmate, now calls the French capital home, and was a lovely host during my short weekend stay, even succumbing to my request of visiting the ultra-touristy Montmarte.
Budapest was the best. And I am not only saying that because it rhymes.
It was probably my favourite new city that I visited in 2014. It’s been on the wish list for a while but I haven’t gotten around to checking it out. I’d kind of been saving it for the right time and the right company.
A group of friends from Canada and I decided to meet up in Budapest for a long weekend. Even though it was the middle of October, we were blessed the most stunning summer-like weather. I actually spent some time getting my tan on!
So here are some quick reasons why Budapest is so awesome: 1) It has every single type of architecture you may be into – baroque, neoclassical, Secessionist – you name it! 2) It is two cities in one, split by the mighty Danube in the middle 3) The city has a rich history and you don’t have to dig deep to see it 4) The thermal baths 5) Ain’t no night out like the parties in Budapest’s ruin bars.
roopgill 