overview of Daios Cove, Crete
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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Olympus Mountain, Greece
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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soft ice cream at Dickie Dee Athens
Food & Drink

Dickie Dee Athens: Not Another ice cream parlor

Update August 2025: This establishment has rebranded and I haven’t tried their new offerings yet You can check out other ice cream parlors in Athens on my ice cream trial post! 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…

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Burj Khalifa, downtown Dubai
Asia

Dubai One Day Itinerary

It is true that on the day we visited Dubai the weather conditions were not ideal. The temperature reached 45-47 degrees Celsius that day. The real feel was 56 degrees Celsius. *insert scream emoji here*. Add reduced visibility because of the sand to the mix and you have a less than ideal day to visit any city.   We were already in Abu Dhabi with no plans to revisit the region anytime soon, so we went ahead and took a taxi to Dubai. I asked Kazuko on Instagram about a Dubai one-day itinerary as she used to live in the city….

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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi
Asia

Abu Dhabi: the essential guide

  Visiting Abu Dhabi was a case of “Instagram made me do it” and “husband being there for a project”. Visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was not on my list until I spotted Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. And I fell in love. My husband spent the summer in Abu Dhabi, so I traveled there for 4 days. July (and summer in general) is not the best time to visit the UAE due to the sweltering heat. The places I visited were either indoors or visited late in the afternoon when the heat was less intense. Below I’m sharing the…

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