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A city trip to Taipei might not be the most obvious destination given the time it takes for most of us to get there. But if you're planning to spend more time in Taiwan, then visiting Taipei will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your trip. I begin and end my...
A city trip to Taipei might not be the most obvious destination given the time it takes for most of us to get there. But if you're planning to spend more time in Taiwan, then visiting Taipei will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your trip. I begin and end my Taiwan trip in Taipei. Giving me a total of 7 days to explore Taipei's most interesting sights and other things the city has to offer. In this Taipei travel guide, I share all my favorite tips for things to do in Taipei. From exploring historic temples and night markets to taking in panoramic views from towering skyscrapers. If this is your first time in Taipei it will help you to know exactly what...
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I skipped breakfast on purpose. 'Cause let's face it... I'm me. If I'm gonna visit a food market there will be too many yummy things I won't be able to resist. What I hadn't anticipated was that the bike ride to Brockley Market would take me a bit longer than Mr...
Anyone up for a little science experiment? Oh, and did I mention it's with food? With the Science Museum and Museum of Natural History just around the corner, you can see where The Ampersand Hotel got the idea for this month's afternoon tea theme. I may not have been...
With so many hotspots in the city, my computer is filling up quickly with all the pictures I want to share with you. But then it would be nice if I would also actually publish them, which I totally forgot to do with this post (it was the end of the year, don't judge)....
When I walk into the elegant lobby of The Royal Horseguards Hotel, I'm being welcomed by chef Ben Purton himself. 'I already thought you were a blogger.' Really? What gave it away? The handbag big enough to fit a DSLR camera? The slightly hungry look, scanning the...
Walking around in sunny Barcelona was just what the doctor ordered. After so many days of rain and grey skies in London, I needed to feel the warm sun on my face again. I didn't really have a plan for how I wanted to spend the day. I'd been to Barcelona before, so I...
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Seriously, I wake up hungry and when I'm traveling I get terribly bummed when the hotel breakfast is disappointing. In London there's no better way to start the weekend than meeting friends for brunch. A lot of the time that...
In my first year as a new Londoner, I spent most of my time getting to know the cultural and foodie highlights of this city. Sure, I started reading an English newspaper and watched the BBC news, but I can't say I'm quite the expert yet when it comes to the British...
They say London is basically a city of connected villages. Every 'village' looking completely different from the other. And since most of the transportation happens underground, you often find yourself in a different world when you exit the station. Which also...
Wish you were lying under a palm tree sipping a cocktail on some tropical island right now? Well, we're in London so that cocktail will have to be a cup of tea, but those palm trees are still an option. That is if you don't mind dressing up for the occasion and maybe...
When you live in a small country as the Netherlands, you don't spend the night in a hotel very often since 'home' is never that far away. But what better way to ring in the new year than to wake up in a beautiful hotel room? So this year we decided to go see the...
What do you get when you combine women's two great loves, fashion and tea? An afternoon tea for fashionistas, or better said: a Prêt-à -Portea at the Berkeley in London. This particular afternoon tea had been on top of my London to-do list ever since I moved to...
My monthly rent in London might make you think that I'm living in a castle... I'm actually not. I'm still waiting for the day that some prince or knight in shining armour will invite me to live in his (or just a nice mansion with people that will cook and clean...
London is getting itself ready for the holiday season. The lights are up in all the shopping streets, and even though temperatures haven't dropped below zero yet, there are several ice rinks in the city to practice your pirouette. One of them is the UK's largest...
I wouldn't go as far as calling myself a shopaholic (don't laugh), but I definitely enjoy a good shopping expedition in this city. When I moved to London, the only shopping streets I knew were Oxford Street and Regent Street. And believe me, even a true shopaholic...
Is there such a thing as too many afternoon teas? This weekend I had two! On Saturday, Selena of Oh, the places we will go managed to get 20 London bloggers in the same room for an afternoon tea at the Mercer Street Hotel in Covent Garden. It was so nice to finally...
I don't remember seeing so many beer drinking city workers in the movie, but this is the place that was Harry Potter's access route to Diagon Alley in the Philosopher's Stone movie. See that blue door? What is an optician today, was the Leaky Cauldron pub in the movie...
After I finished the delicious cinnamon bun at the Fabrique Bakery, I made my way to the Geffrye Museum next door. I'd heard about the museum, but actually didn't know what to expect. Imagine my surprise when I walked into this lovely garden. What a hidden gem! The...
Not sure why, but for some reason every time I get my hair done it starts to rain as soon as I walk out the door. Bye bye trendy haircut. Today was no exception unfortunately, so I quickly had to decide where to go in the Shoreditch area (if you want a trendy haircut,...
One aspect of becoming a Londoner that shouldn't be taken lightly, is practicing the fine art of afternoon tea. Not high tea...Afternoon tea (there is a difference you know). I'd been to The Ampersand hotel in South Kensington on a Sunday afternoon twice, but never...
I shouldn't have done it.... See what happens when you start talking about nice sunny autumn days? Rain, cold, storm...Everything that's not to like about the British weather. Sorry! So what do you do when looking out of the window makes you want to crawl right back...
Yes, it's official... Autumn has arrived in London. Even though we've been lucky to get some nice sunny days lately, the changing color of the trees says it all. I actually love this season. Sure, I can do without the rain, storms, electric hair and red runny noses,...
I'm meeting my local guide Tobias from Insider London in the Andaz Hotel at Liverpool Street. Insider London offers different kinds of walking tours in London and they've invited me for their East End Explorer tour. I've been to this area before, but today I'm hoping...
It almost felt like I'd stepped into a Mary Poppins movie. With chimney sweeps and women walking around in Victorian dresses. King's Cross went back in time this weekend to explore its gritty industrial past and to celebrate the transformation of the station and area....
The little girl next to me asking her mother 'are we going to fall into the water?' didn't help, but the view from the London Eye was quite amazing nonetheless. Apparently it's all about conquering my fear of heights lately, so when I got invited to visit the London...
See that tall building on the first picture, rising above the rest of London? That's The Shard, London's newest addition to its skyline and currently the tallest building (244m) in Western Europe. I'm not really a big fan of heights. Being from the Netherlands, I'm...
The only reason to get me out of bed at 4am on a Saturday would be to catch a plane to some exotic destination, or to watch a 'you need to experience this' kind of sunrise. This morning however I managed to wake up at that same time, get dressed and cross the city...
The Vespa may be the best way to explore Rome, but it's also a great city to discover on foot. And let's face it: using a camera while sitting on the back of a scooter isn't easy. So after my Vespa tour with Annie, I walked around the city centre which feels like an...
Oh Rome, how I’ve missed you. I can’t believe I waited 17 years to return to one of my favourite cities. Even though I only stayed for two nights (at this lovely boutique hotel near Piazza Navona), I got the chance to experience my own Roman Holiday. Do you remember...
Not only am I going to be in a cookbook...I'm also making an appearance in an actual TV show. For the second episode of Anne's Kitchen she's taking me to Marylebone to show me where she finds inspiration for her recipes. And Anne surprised me with some...
With all the commotion around royal baby George, I felt I needed to learn a bit more about the history of the British royal family. And what better way to do that than to walk around in a palace where many of them have lived since 1689 until today: Kensington Palace....