Europe

Italy and Switzerland Road Trip

If you’re reading this blog you know that I love traveling. COVID made travel abroad harder and I borderline started to get depressed about it. So when opportunity for a weekend abroad arose, I didn’t let it go. We took this trip in early October 2021 when Omicron wasn’t a thing yet. My husband was already in Lake Maggiore for a work related event. I joined him there after re-visiting Milan and our road trip in Italy and Switzerland began. Day 1 Milan to Locarno My trip started with (re)visiting Milan for a few hours. The Duomo place was of…

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Food & Drink

15 Places for macarons in Athens

Back in September 2021, I saw a lot of sponsored Instagram posts about macarons. So I decided to embark on a project: to discover the best macarons in Athens. I know “best” is a word with a heavy meaning. But it makes for a catchy blog title isn’t it?! A blogger has to do what a blogger has to do! Without further ado let’s start our review, shall we? When I embarked on this project, I wanted a way to judge those macarons. I’m in no capacity a professional food critic, but I love desserts. To make this project better…

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Greece

3 Days at Daios Cove

Last summer after almost 2 years of staying in Athens we finally went for vacations in Crete. A mix of COVID-19, pregnancy and postpartum kept us from traveling all that time. We saw family and friends and let our one-year-old daughter roam around. We also escaped for 3 days sans baby in Daios Cove. The choice of the hotel was a case of “Instagram made me do it”. That’s where I encountered many photos of the resort (and the beach) which enticed me.  It was worth it though! For the first time in my life, I spent 3 days in…

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Greece

Hiking Olympus Mountain

Hiking a mountain (let alone Greece’s highest) was not on my bucket list. In the summer of 2019, the opportunity to hike Olympus Mountain arose. I just had an unsuccessful frozen embryo transfer; my husband was on a project in Abu Dhabi, and I wanted to keep myself busy. So, I said, what the hell, I might hike a mountain as well. As they say, “Life lies outside of your comfort zone”, right? The hike was organized by a former colleague of mine. We were a team of 10 people, half of them experienced and half novices. We spent a…

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Nolan Fried Chicken
Food & Drink

Nolan Restaurant Athens

Nolan is a minimal restaurant included in Michelin’s Bib Gourmand guide. This guide includes little restaurants selected by Michelin guide inspectors for their very good value for money. Nolan’s chef Sotiris Kontizas was a judge in Greek Master Chef recently. This appearance boosted the restaurant’s recognition. The restaurant is located near Syntagma square. It’s opposite a favorite chocolate place of mine. I wanted to visit for years, and only recently took the plunge. Nolan menu Nolan has a minimal menu with 18 dishes and 3 sides. When we arrived at the restaurant the waitress informed us that all the dishes…

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almond croissant at Queen Bee Athens
Food & Drink

Queen Bee Athens

I’m a little late to reviewing Queen Bee Athens since it’s open for almost 2 years. It took me 3 visits to finally get some good photos to go with my review. Queen Bee is a small corner bistro in Kolonaki. It’s a popular brunch place and makes delicious croissants. The best I’ve eaten in Athens so far.  The baked goods in this restaurant are what sets it apart from other brunch places in Athens. The owners contacted renowned French baker Kamel Saci. He supervised the bread, croissants and all those goodies included in the menu. Queen Bee menu Let…

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Food & Drink

Dickie Dee Athens: Not Another ice cream parlor

I’m always up for trying new ice cream shops in Athens. So, I was very excited to spot Dickie Dee when it opened last year. Did I mention that it’s located very close to my office? What sets it apart from other ice cream parlors in Athens is that it offers soft-serve ice cream. It is inspired by the namesake Canadian company which operated until 2002. Dickie Dee menu Dickie Dee started with 4 ice cream flavors:  fior di latte, pistachio, rosewater, dark vegan chocolate. This year they added salted caramel, vegan strawberry, and mango cream. You have many options…

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