Champagne is one of the easiest and most rewarding day trips from Paris. We went to Reims, Epernay and Ay where we saw multiple vineyards and cellar doors, including Moet & Chandon’s. The trip is easily one of my best decisions overseas! It was an early start in the morning, but it was worth it. We used Viator to find a tour with a local … Continue reading Daytrip from Paris: The Champagne Region
It had been a long day. I’d been trekking all over Paris with my classmates. We had been walking around in what felt like circles for too long and everyone was getting a little tired. Maybe even a little tetchy. Once the novelty wears off, it becomes frustrating not knowing the streets or neighbourhoods you are wandering around in. We knew the streets closest to … Continue reading Ladurée saves the day
This photo was taken immediately before we wandered down an alley so narrow and shady looking that I wondered whether I would regret ignoring the little voice in my head pleading with me to turn back. We were lost in a deserted part of Venice. How the four of us lost not only our tour group but seemingly also every other person in Venice, I’ll … Continue reading Postcard from Venice
Back home, the best markets are usually reserved for the weekend. In Nice, even markets on a Monday are a shopping mecca! If only I had an empty suitcase and an overflowing bank account to visit them with. Row after row of cute, brightly coloured striped awnings shade stall after stall of treasures. The market specialised in costume jewellery, art, furniture and homewares. For fellow … Continue reading Treasure hunting at the antique markets in Nice
Rome is full of cliches and surprises. I’d like to go again but not because I immediately fell in love with it. I didn’t get to know it well enough or explore all that I know it has to offer. With a city as famous as Rome you arrive with expectations and preconceptions but there are always a few surprises. The Expected Being blown away … Continue reading Rome: Expectations vs. Reality
With the ability to simultaneously make some swoon and others sick, the Pont Des Arts in Paris certainly makes a statement. Only a stone’s throw from Notre Dame, I was surprised at how long it took me to find it. Paris is funny like that. Nothing is ever where you think it is and then suddenly, you’re there. Despite not having a single romantically inclined … Continue reading Locked in the city love on the Pont des Art
“You’re going to get lost in Venice regardless, so stick your map in your back pocket, forget about it and just wander.” Our tour manager couldn’t have been more right. This was one of the narrowest alleyways we went down when we had lost ourselves in a seemingly deserted part of busy Venice. The atmosphere changed completely as we walked around these eerily silent alleyways. … Continue reading Brick Labyrinth
As far as landscapes and cityscapes go, this view has always been my (unlikely) favourite. Maybe it’s because it was my first ever view from a foreign window. It was my first overseas trip and I was in Paris‘ beautiful 16th arrondissement. Even though the view was just rooftops the light in Paris made it look magical at any time of day. I’ve never been stuck … Continue reading Postcards from Parisian Rooftops
Burgers… from a vending machine? Feebo is a popular chain in Amsterdam that takes fast food that one step further. It’s for those times ( in Amsterdam) when you just aren’t feeling up to talking to people about complex topics as ordering a burger. Instead, head into a Feebo, spot your prize, throw down a few coins and the little door for your burger pops … Continue reading Cutting out the middle man in Amsterdam
The Berlin Wall’s famous East Side Gallery does not disappoint. It was probably one of the coldest days of my life, walking up and down the wall and waging a battle in my mind, trying to convince my ice cold hands to leave my pockets to take photos. Berlin is so different from any other city I’ve visited in Europe. It’s history seems to weigh … Continue reading East Side Story