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Athens is full of contrasts. The blend of old and new is something I keep coming back to in all my tips about this vibrant city. Whether I’m writing about the best sights, my favorite restaurants, or hotel recommendations, that mix is everywhere. But one thing I...
Athens is full of contrasts. The blend of old and new is something I keep coming back to in all my tips about this vibrant city. Whether I’m writing about the best sights, my favorite restaurants, or hotel recommendations, that mix is everywhere. But one thing I haven’t covered yet is where to find the best coffee in Athens. During my most recent city trip, I spent a lot of time discovering great coffee places. So, it’s about time I shared my top nine favorite coffee hotspots in the city. While you can still get a classic frappé or freddo espresso just about anywhere, there’s a growing love in Athens for slow coffee, single-origin beans, and carefully brewed...
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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...
Every time I visit New York I’m shocked to see how expensive hotels are. Like most people, I’d rather spend my money on something else than a bed and shower. But at the same time, I really (really) enjoy staying at modern boutique hotels. So for my last visit I...
Since I already shared several posts about New York, I decided that this time I would do something different. Actually something that I love doing most: street photography. Just me and my camera, walking around a city without a plan, and capturing whatever catches my...
Chelsea is one of my favorite neighborhoods in London. Great shops, beautiful houses. But when it comes to food or coffee, I often struggle to find something nice. Maybe it's because everyone who can afford to live here has personal chefs to cook them a perfect...
A monastery and a luxury hotel doesn't sound like an obvious combination, but it turns out to be a match made in heaven Prague. With secret passageways, beautiful courtyards, an astronomy tower with 360º views, friendly monks and an old library, I wouldn't...
My camera and I are inseparable most of the time. And I want to make sure that it's protected when I carry it around. But that doesn't mean I enjoy having to choose a camera bag over a beautiful stylish handbag. Can't I have both? Last year I already shared that...
There's something to be said for exploring a city unprepared. You don't know what to expect, what's waiting for you around the next corner, and you'll be more excited when you stumble upon that hidden gem. I'm afraid I'm not that kind of person. I often wish I...
Bloggers love breakfast. Just look at their Instagram feed and you'll see more eggs benedict than steak frites. Why? Well, to start with we prefer daylight to take our photos and you're not going to get much daylight during dinner when sunset kicks in around 4.30pm....
Blenheim Palace is a bit of a movie star. It starred in The Royals (with Elizabeth Hurley as queen of England), in The Young Queen Victoria, Cinderella, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Just to name a few. Add the fact that Sir Winston Churchill was...
The biggest challenge for a travel blogger is to write about a place you know very well. That might sound strange, but it's because you lose the ability to see what makes it so special for someone who's seeing it for the first time. That feeling of...
There was one building that I really wanted to visit during the Open House London weekend: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Last year I'd seen Kelly share pictures of the building on her blog and it looked amazing. Since I had a million other things to...
In a city as obsessed with fashion and beauty as Paris, the importance of a good beauty sleep should not be underestimated. So where do stay when you're visiting the city for the weekend? For my recent trip I was looking for a modern, luxurious hotel in an...
When was the last time a hotel elevator ride made you laugh? At Story Hotel in Stockholm they've thought about all the little details, including how to tell on which floor you are. Second floor: 'My name is Luka, I live on the second floor' (remember this song)....
Back in March, a friend suggested to get tickets to visit Highclere Castle, better known as Downton Abbey. I knew Downton Abbey was serious business in (and outside) the UK, but being among friends I thought I could speak freely, saying that I would love to join...
I’m in Stockholm! This city is just as fun and beautiful as I’d hoped, I love it! One of the reasons I got so excited about visiting Stockholm is that Sweden - or Scandinavia in general - is hot in London. No longer associated with IKEA and Swedish...
There's a difference between my photos B.B. (before blog) and A.B. (after blog). A typical Jacintha photo before I started blogging was black & white, lots of contrast, and definitely more 'raw' than pretty. I started doing a bit of urban exploring before I...
Now that's an entrance designed to impress! Even though the history of Eltham Palace goes back centuries (it was an important royal residence between the 14th and 16th century), it were the millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld who in the 1930s turned it into...
Resizing photos for your blog is probably something that every blogger struggles with. I know I do! Everybody is so obsessed with megapixels when they buy a new camera. We want more, more, more! Resulting in beautiful photos...and huge file sizes. All those pixels are...
London is a city full of temptations when it comes to food. And if it were up to me, I would eat it all. I love the food scene in London, but after two years of indulging in afternoon teas, brunches and eating out, I'm now really trying to live a healthier life. I'm...
Until recently the only way I knew Osterley was as one of the many stops on the Piccadilly line to Heathrow. It's when you know you're not in zone 1 or 2 anymore because you're above the ground (and can use your phone). I never thought any of these stops would be...
Looking back on my years at the University of Amsterdam, I was pretty lucky to study in interesting historic college buildings. I spent most of my time in the East India House, which was the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the 17th century....
Whether I'm traveling for work or for fun, I never leave home without my camera. But on a business trip it's not always ideal to also carry a heavy DSLR camera with you. So I've been thinking about maybe getting an extra camera. One that wouldn't be as bulky, but...
We arrive in Saint Martial Entraygues in the afternoon and I'm instantly smitten. I'll be sleeping here? In my own tree house?! Not just any tree house, but one in the middle of a forest with an incredible view over the Dordogne river. And with a comfortable...
Since we were already spending enough money in Iceland, we decided that we would splurge on one night at a luxury hotel. And I knew exactly which one: the ION Hotel. With its interesting, modern architecture in the middle of Iceland's typical moon-like landscape, it...
If there’s one thing I was expecting from my trip to the Dordogne Valley, it was to eat great food and drink amazing wine. We’re talking about France after all. And I wasn’t wrong. In these four days I was surrounded by an overload of du pain, du...
With all the traveling I've been doing lately, you'd think I want to sleep in my own bed when I'm in London. True...But then, I don't get breakfast in bed when I'm at home. And even though I've been living in this apartment for over a year, my bedroom just doesn't...
Once upon a time there was a politician / writer - also known for being the son of Britain's first Prime Minister - who wanted to build a summer villa in London. Not just any villa, but a Gothic castle that would be a theatrical experience to visit. Sir...
There’s fashion. And then there’s Alexander McQueen. There are art exhibitions…And then there’s Savage Beauty at the V&A in London. Savage Beauty has raised the standard for all future V&A exhibitions to come.
It’s now been two days since I visited the hugely popular exhibition and I still can’t get over how brilliant it was. If you’re only going to make one visit to a London museum this year, you want to make it this one.
I’m not gonna lie. When I travel I appreciate a bit of luxury. Well, let me rephrase that, I like to travel in style. I love design boutique hotels and they often come with a certain price tag. But at the same time I don’t want to spend my entire travel budget on a place to stay. So what if you could find an accommodation that’s both stylish and affordable?
When I heard that KEX was a hostel, not a hotel, I was a bit hesitant. Me, in a hostel? Does that mean I won’t have my own bathroom? But then I saw the pictures on their website and I knew this was exactly the kind of place I wanted to stay at in Reykjavik.