Vizitsa, Pelion, Greece
Greece

2 days in Pelion (with tips for toddlers)

Back in Easter, we spent 2 days in Pelion. This gorgeous region in Central Greece, combines pristine beaches and breathtaking mountain landscapes. That makes it a perfect summer destination. For me though, Pelion is beautiful all year round. I have visited the area many times in the past. I usually stayed in Volos or Portaria. This time, though, we chose to stay Milies. In hindsight it was the perfect location for a family vacation.  Now let’s see what we did during our stay in Pelion. I’m also going to share tips for toddlers in the villages that we visited. Explore…

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Octopus Mousaka at Hasika Restaurant Rethymno
Food & Drink

Hasika Rethymno

If you’ve been following me for a while you’ve noticed that I haven’t reviewed a restaurant in years. I plan to resume writing such reviews. What I’m changing this time is that I’m going to write about restaurants that I keep returning to. Hasika Rethymno is a restaurant that we visited for the first time back in 2019. We return to this place every time we visit the city, which is twice a year. Hasika’s tagline is “Greece in bites”. Their menu doesn’t have the typical form of salads- appetizers-main courses. It is divided by ingredients: vegetables/ fish/ meat. In…

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Sighisoara main square and Tower castle in Romania
Europe

4 day itinerary in Romania

Next up in my Romania series is the exact 4 day itinerary in Romania that we followed during our trip. It turned out to be the perfect balance of exploring Bucharest, visiting medieval towns, and spending time in the mountains — and it worked out beautifully for us. If you’re planning your own trip, this guide can serve as a great starting point for building your itinerary. And at the end of the post, you’ll also find detailed tips on the best areas to stay in Bucharest and Brasov to help you choose the right base. Day 1 Bucharest &…

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inside Cpco Mat Jumelle hotel, Athens
Greece

Open House Athens Guide: How to Plan Your Visits

This guide was originally published in 2023 and last updated in March 2026. I’ve been visiting Open House Athens events since 2017. I have a loose way of organizing which places I want to visit and in which order. My goal is to see as many buildings as possible in one day, with the least amount of queueing. The inspiration for putting my strategy in writing was a lady I met at last year’s Open House Athens. She was behind me in the queue for the Italian Embassy and holding the Open House map. The map had many notes on…

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Piata Sfatului Brasov
Europe, Travel Guides

The essential guide to Brasov

When I planned my Romania itinerary, I added Brasov to the list. It’s a beautiful town in Transylvania with a mix of gothic and baroque architecture. If you have more days than we did in Romania, Brasov can be your hub. You can take day trips to Sighisoara (like we did), Sibiu, and Bran. Now let’s see what Brasov itself has to offer. Related: The essential guide to Bucharest Brasov Old town We entered Brasov through the newer part of the cities in the south. We crossed blocks of flats and large crossroads until we reached the old town. Which…

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Django ice cream parlor, Athens
Food & Drink

10 Ice Cream Shops in Athens rated!

Time for yet another dessert trial! When I finished up the croissant project I had already decided that my next project would be ice cream. I’ll start off by saying that ice cream is harder to “judge” than the other desserts. I searched for some criteria and came up with the following:  Criteria No use of artificial flavors/colors. The color/flavor of the ice cream should correspond to its content.  Crumbly and/or fluffy ice cream indicates a high amount of air. It may be considered a sign of cheap, lower-quality ice cream.  Quality ice cream should generally be smooth and soft. …

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Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest
Europe

The essential guide to Bucharest

  My trip to Bucharest in June 2022 was not only my first in the city but also one of my least researched trips. Up until my trip I had only seen glimpses of Bucharest on Instagram. They were not enough though to give me a clear idea of what I was going to see. Bucharest is a city I visited with no expectations and turned out to be one of my favorite destinations. I fell in love with its architecture and took countless photos of buildings. It’s easy to see why it was called Paris of the East. Due…

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