The Sex Museum Amsterdam: Cure for insomnia
The Sex Museum Amsterdam is much more about pornography than sex, containing a mix of interesting objects and cheesy mannequins.
Travel
Tellink Traveller SIM: a review
Disclosure: The following is a sponsored post in that I received a free SIM card with credit from Tellink in return for reviewing it. All opinions are, as always, my own. Those of us who travel frequently, and especially those of us who travel for work or who blog about travel, often struggle with telephone…
Top Foods to Try in London
After booking your flight and picking the perfect London hotel, the next item on the list is figuring out where and what to eat in this British metropolis.
Churches of Groningen province (part 1)
When I first arrived in the Netherlands back in 1997, one of the first bits of sightseeing I did, besides exploring my new hometown of Groningen itself, was to go on a driving tour of village churches in Groningen province. The idea came from my favorite guidebook: the Michelin green guide to the Netherlands. The…
The Town Musicians of Bremen
A Grimm Fairy Tale Once upon a time, a rooster, a dog, a donkey and a cat, realizing they’d outlived their usefulness and under threat of being eaten or killed, set out toward Bremen. Their plan was to make a living as musicians: the Town Musicians of Bremen. On the way, they passed a cottage…
A Weekend in Bremen, Germany
My husband and I recently spent a weekend in Bremen, which is about a two-hour trip from home. We didn’t choose Bremen because of anything in particular except that we wanted a weekend away, and we also felt we needed to be close enough to get home quickly if anything went wrong with the three…
St Petri Dom in Bremen, Germany
If you visit the center of the German city of Bremen, you can’t possibly miss seeing St Petri Dom, the huge church whose massive, chunky twin spires dominate the central squares. St Petri Dom doesn’t have the beauty or grace of, for example, Notre Dame in Paris. As a matter of fact, my first comment…
Old Dubai: a quick visit
While I didn’t do any shopping in Dubai, I did manage a quick walk around the Bastakiya District: also known as Old Dubai. Dubai was originally a small port that made its living from pearl diving, fishing and trade, especially with Iran. Besides the nomadic Bedouins, who lived in tents, the populations who settled here…
Not Shopping in Dubai
Shopping is A. Big. Deal. in Dubai. Whenever I asked people who live there what I should see and do, the answer usually included shopping. (Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. That means that if you click on the link and buy tickets, I will get a small commission.) I am very much NOT a…
Emirates A380 Economy Class Review
On my recent visit to Dubai on Emirates Airline, I was pleased to discover that I’d be flying on a plane I’d only seen from a distance before: the enormous Airbus A380. The A380 The A380 is a behemoth of a plane. Like Boeing’s 747, it just doesn’t look like it should be able to…
The Beauty of a Dutch Commute
A couple of times a week, I commute to my part-time job in Leeuwarden, in Friesland province. Sometimes I drive, but as much as possible, I like to take the train. I start by bicycling to the train station in the center of Groningen, parking the bike and boarding the train. The train trip takes about 35…
The Martinitoren: a Groningen Landmark
Climbing the 15-century Martinitoren in the center of Groningen, the Netherlands.
Shoreditch Street Art: Just Passing Through!
Street art in Shoreditch, London, spotted as I passed through by car.
Livingstonia: a glimpse of Malawi’s colonial past
Perched high on an escarpment overlooking Lake Malawi, Livingstonia was established by missionaries from the Free Church of Scotland back in 1894.
Malawi’s Nyika National Park
Nyika National Park is a lovely and little-known park in northern Malawi that looks like the Scottish highlands, but with zebras!
Medieval Churches in the Val d’Aran, Spain
There’s something special about the medieval churches in the Val d’Aran, Spain. All are quite small, stone-built in Romanesque style, and date from the 11th to the 15th century. Disclosure: I went to the Val d’Aran as part of a discounted package provided by Pyrenees Experience. I’ve already written about what to do in the Val…
Val d’Aran: Skiing in Spain!
Skiing in Spain? Yes! It’s possible in the Pyrenees in the Val d’Aran. Read here about the ski resort and other things to do there!
Italian Days Food Tour: A review
Our tour guide from Italian Days Food and Wine Tours was far too cheerful for such an early start. We had been picked up at seven in the morning—before sunrise in mid-January—and denied even a cup of coffee before leaving. Our hotel’s breakfast only started at seven, so we had run downstairs and grabbed a…
Hotel El Ciervo: a bit over-the-top … but in a good way!
I wasn’t even going to write a review of our hotel, the Hotel El Ciervo, here in Vielha, Spain. It was just a place to stay while we explored the Val d’Aran in the Pyrennees and its ski resort, Baqueira Beret. Or rather, while I explored and my husband and son skied. I’m not being sponsored…
London Pub signs: a photo essay
Pictures of some very creative pub signs I spotted on a short trip to London.
Badagry, Nigeria’s slave trade history
A trip to Badagry, near Lagos, Nigeria: its slave trade museums, the Point of No Return and ruminations on tourism to Badagry.
Osteria dè Poeti: Classic Bolognese Food
Housed in a former wineceller, Osteria dè Poeti restaurant in Bologna offers a menu with all the classic must-try Bolognese specialties.
Driving through Lagos, Nigeria
I did a lot of driving on my recent visit to Lagos, Nigeria. Or rather, I did a lot of being driven. Lagos isn’t your usual tourist destination and, indeed, I didn’t go there as a tourist. I had agreed to lead a workshop at an International Baccalaureate school for two days. If I was…
Walking the Portico di San Luca in Bologna
For centuries, in the city of Bologna, Italy, a byzantine image of the Madonna and Child was carried ceremoniously from the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca every year during Ascension week down to the Cathedral of San Pietro in the city center. It stayed there overnight, then was carried back up. The problem…
Exploring Amsterdam’s Undiscovered North
Most visitors focus on the canal district, but Amsterdam North offers a very different experience: artistic and hip and edgy.
Hotel Touring: quality in a great Bologna location
When I met Manuela Stagni at the World Travel Market in London and saw her enthusiasm in describing her hotel, the Hotel Touring in Bologna, Italy, I made a note to keep her in mind if I ever traveled in Italy again. A couple of months later, when she mailed me an offer to stay…
Huis Marseille photography museum in Amsterdam
Huis Marseille Photography Museum in Amsterdam, in two 17th-century canal houses, shows rotating exhibitions by compelling photographers.
The Dutch Resistance Museum, Amsterdam
The Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam looks at how the Dutch coped with the Nazis before and during the war: collaborate, resist, or just try to get by. Which would you have done?
A Free View of Tokyo from Tokyo City Hall
The classic destination for a big view of Tokyo is Tokyo Tower, which looks like a cross between a communication mast and the Eiffel Tower. What stopped me from visiting it was the cost: ¥1200 (€8 or $9) to go to its main deck at 150 meters (492 ft) and ¥2800 (€19 or $21) fee to reach…
The Happiest Expats Live Here
While it may seem appealing to ditch the daily grind and live an adventurous life abroad, being an expat comes with its own trials and tribulations, and not all expat locations are created equal. This is – or, rather, was – a sponsored guest post, originally published by thehipmunk on Hipmunk’s Tailwind blog on December 13, 2015. The Hipmunk brand…
WinterWelVaart 2024 and Wintergoud: Groningen’s Christmas Market
WinterWelVaart and, now also Wintergoud, are the annual Christmas market in Groningen, with an unusual maritime twist that makes it extra special!
The African Burial Ground of NYC
New York City’s African Burial Ground National Monument has an interesting history. Or, rather, two histories: one of the people who were buried there, the other of the rediscovery of the graveyard and the establishment of this monument. Disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link. If you click on it and spend money, I will…