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Paris is one of those cities I’ll never get tired of. I lived there for a year, and no matter how often I return for a short city break, it’s always great to be back. Wandering the charming streets, having coffee at a cozy café, enjoying great food (obviously), or...
Paris is one of those cities I’ll never get tired of. I lived there for a year, and no matter how often I return for a short city break, it’s always great to be back. Wandering the charming streets, having coffee at a cozy café, enjoying great food (obviously), or simply reading a book in one of the city’s beautiful parks — it never gets old. But as lovely as Paris is, finding a good hotel can be surprisingly difficult. Too expensive, too outdated, too impersonal, too noisy, or just not in the right neighborhood. During my most recent trip, I stayed at Hotel Madeleine de Senlis, a new, small-scale three-star boutique hotel in the heart of the lively...
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I love keeping a journal when I travel. I want to remember every moment, every detail. The good, the bad and the ugly. One way to do this is taking photos, but they will only tell so much. Looking at a photo of a trip I made a few years ago will certainly bring back...
With its location in the heart of Flanders Mechelen is the perfect destination for a day trip from Brussels or Antwerp. Or - in my case - a nice weekend break. When I arrive at Mechelen station, I'm surpised it takes me less than two hours to get here from The Hague...
When Lonely Planet chooses a photo of one of their top sights as the cover for their Indonesia guide, you want to make sure you've seen it before leaving the country. Which is why after 4 days in Yogyakarta, I'm taking an eight hour train to Malang in East Java. With...
Klaserie Sands River Camp is the perfect place to stay if you want to have the ultimate luxury safari experience in South Africa. From the moment we arrive and they ask for our car keys to put our luggage in our room, to the warm farewell by the team when we sadly...
When time is not a factor, I love traveling by train. There's something about slowly seeing the world outside your window change as you're approaching your destination. Premier Classe train: the luxury budget alternative to the Blue Train My friend and I had only just...
After the first couple of days in Tokyo, we continue our trip through Japan in Kyoto. By now the worst of that terrible jet-lag (that never seems to end) is behind us. And we're getting better at finding our way in this country that feels so structured and organised,...
The woman behind the counter looks confused when I apologetically respond to her question in English. It's not the first time this happens. Not that the people in Gothenburg don't speak English, which they do perfectly, but with the way I look they often think I'm a...
This is a story about how my family and I visited Ghent in Belgium and couldn't get ourselves to leave the hotel. If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that 1) I have a thing for beautiful boutique hotels and 2) I usually have a long list of all the...
Just because the place looks like paradise, doesn't mean the weather will always play along. After Sydney and Melbourne I am looking forward to a few days of doing nothing. That is, doing nothing as in walking barefoot on white sand beaches and taking naps under a...
My three weeks in New Zealand are one of the highlights of this year. Which is why it's strange that I still haven't shared anything here on the blog. At the same time: where to begin? But now that I'm writing this back home, while the snow outside is preventing me to...
The timing is perfect. While everybody around me is turning up the heating in their house, storing their summer clothes to replace them with warm, comfy winter clothes, I am getting reading for a bit of extra sunshine. As much as I like autumn, when you're being...
One of my main challenges for this Lisbon city trip is to not come home completely exhausted. I always want to do too much when I visit a city for the first time. So how do you make sure you're taking enough breaks from all the sightseeing? You eat. And drink coffee....
The Warehouse Hotel in Singapore may look brand new, but there's a lot of history here. Yes, the hotel opened its doors earlier this year, but the heritage building - built in 1895 - has had several other purposes before it was turned into the modern design hotel it...
I'm seeing snow on the side of the road. And I'm cold. So incredibly cold. We just arrived in Koyasan (Mount Koya) after a long journey from Osaka to stay at a Buddhist temple. It took a metro, three trains, one steep cable car and a bus to get here and to...
Sydney or Melbourne? Every time I meet people in Australia it's one of the first questions they ask. Which city do you prefer? There's clearly a friendly competition going on here. Before this trip I thought the answer would be Melbourne. For...
There are normally three reasons why I would like and recommend a hotel. One, the interior design looks modern and beautiful. Two, the hotel is super luxurious and has thought of the little details to make my stay very comfortable. Or three, the staff is so nice and...
"And this is Charlie Chaplin and his wife, having a tea ceremony with my aunt in this room." I'm looking at the black & white picture and love that even though she has probably showed this to many of her guests over the years, you can tell that she also...
I think it’s safe to say that about 99% of what I know about Australian food (or maybe even Australia in general) comes from watching MasterChef Australia religiously for several years. You’d almost forget that those chefs you see on television are also cooking...
When you take many photos - whether it's on your phone of with a big expensive camera - you'll sometimes get one shot that stands out. One you keep looking at. It doesn't necessarily have to be perfect, it may not be fit to show in an art gallery,...
If you think Tokyo is just another big city, comparable to New York and London, then you're up for a big surprise. This city is different! It's organized and chaotic, calm and loud, crazy and overwhelming at the same time. As much as you hear about Tokyo, you have to...
That's the problem with making travel plans too long in advance. Things change. But then how could I have known that three weeks after I booked my return ticket London - Japan, I would come up with the brilliant idea to turn 2 weeks Japan into a three month trip?...
I'm a big fan of Artist Residence. Their London hotel in Pimlico is one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in. So when Jess, Jo and I got invited to stay at their Cornwall hotel, the only question we had was: When? For those of you who don't know Cornwall. It's on...
Some people will escape the winter by flying to a tropical island. Others (that's me) fly to countries where the days are shorter and the temperatures even lower. Helsinki may not be the first city that comes to mind for a city trip right now, but I loved it. It...
It's not every day that I sleep in a hotel where celebrities like Lenny Kravitz and famous fashion bloggers were staying that same week. And where people like Leonardo DiCaprio and Alexa Chung attended the launch party a year ago. It may sound a bit intimidating, but...
When I think about what to bring on a trip, I always start with my camera gear and electronics. Not shoes, not whether I should bring a coat, not what books I want to read... No, it's the geeky stuff that's on top of my list. I'm a firm believer in the saying that...
It all started with a picture of pancakes. It helps that my friend Giulia - who took the picture - is also a talented food photographer, but I also trust her judgement. (Would you question an Italian when it comes to food?) So if she says the pancakes are...
There's more to Bolivia's Uyuni than the salt flats. True, standing on those bright, white grounds with clear blue skies is one of those experiences you'll never forget. But if you limit your visit to Uyuni to 'just' the salt flats, you'll miss some of the...
I often have to remind myself to look up when I'm exploring a city. But sometimes a city's best kept secrets are hidden underground. For two years I was living right above an important part of London history: the deep-level shelters at Clapham South. Built during...
I've never really been on a diet. I've tried, but then someone offered me a cookie on the second day... I like food. I like eating. And I get really cranky when I don't eat enough. So diets have never really been my thing. But healthy eating is. Yes, I have a...
News you don't want to get right before you go on a trip to Los Angeles: stay away from gluten for a while. And this for someone who basically lives on bread and pasta. But looking on the bright side, if you need to adjust your diet anyway, in my case LA was probably...