Travel Journal
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Getting shaved by a barber in Istanbul (Turkey)
When I discover a new country, I like to discover local experiences. Going to the barber shop is one of them. Authenticity guaranteed! So far, I have been generally disappointed with my experiences at the barber shop. With the exception of Khajuraho in India where I had been treated like a king in a filthy shop. Or in Osaka in Japan (which doesn’t really have a barber tradition…) where Japanese perfectionism makes the difference. But in Turkey, it is impossible not to go to the barber. Over there, the vast majority of the men are mustachioed or bearded. The regular passage to the barber is an institution. You can find…
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Attend a Fenerbahce match in Istanbul (Turkey)
To buy tickets for a Galatasaray match, you must have a Passolig card. I wrote a detailed article on the subject here: how to get a Passolig card. After attending a match of Galatasaray and one of Besiktas, I end my tour of the 3 mythical clubs of Istanbul with a match of Fenerbahce A special feature of this evening: it is a mini-derby. Fenerbahce indeed faces another Istanbul club: İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor (Istanbul BB) This match does not generate the same passion as the big derby between the 3 big ones: Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce but the atmosphere promises to be warmer than the first two games I attended.…
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[story time] How did I get scammed in the souk of Tunis (Tunisia)?
It was March 2015, a little more than a year before our departure on our round-the-world trip, and I was still far from being the experienced traveler I have become since then. For the first time I was setting foot in the Maghreb and I was going to suffer (like so many tourists) a small scam, more vexing than truly detrimental. Souvenirs… It didn’t happen to me very often, but it was in the course of my work that I traveled. I was invited to speak at a conference in Tunis in my field of activity. I was very excited: first time I was going to set foot in Africa,…
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Attend a Galatasaray match in Istanbul (Turkey)
To buy tickets for a Galatasaray match, you must have a Passolig card. I wrote a detailed article on the subject here: how to get a Passolig card. Happy to have recovered my Passolig card, I buy a ticket for the first available game, it will be Galatasaray vs BB Erzurumspor for the 7th day of the Turkish championship The match takes place at the Türk Telekom Arena, a brand new stadium (inaugurated in 2011) with a capacity of 53,000 seats The stadium is a little bit off-center, along a highway. It is accessible by subway, about an hour from our Airbnb. As I’m a little bit tight in terms…
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First Days in Istanbul (Turkey) #1: our Airbnb & Saint Sophia Basilica
This is the first time we visit Turkey and we heard so much good things that we decide to stay there for a month and a half. In Istanbul mainly, with a few weekends here and there Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Our arrival in Istanbul The journey Minsk => Istanbul is done by plane with Turkish Airline. For this 2h flight, I even had a screen + the time to watch a movie in the plane (there are movies that can only be watched in a plane it’s strange, maybe because we have nothing else to do we have all the patience…
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A day in Milan (Italy): Duomo Cathedral, Sforza Castle, Science Museum
It’s with much delay that I put online this travel diary on Milan 😀 If you remember, we were in Turin, which is only 1 hour by train from Milan. So we made the round trip during the day to visit Milan Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Train Turin => Milan We book train tickets the day before on trainline.fr (it’s very convenient, they cover a large part of the trips in Europe too). So for about 50€/person, we can make the return trip during the day with the company italotreno Even the station is too pretty! And with its old streetcars, Milan…
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5 days of discoveries in Minsk (Belarus)
Following my brother’s wedding 2 weeks ago (reason for our return to France), we leave for a few days to discover his wife’s country: Belarus. They organize 5 short days of travel for the close family and a few hand-picked friends. We are thrilled at the idea of this trip, Belarus is a little known country, not much touristic and we certainly wouldn’t have put this Eastern European country on our itinerary without this happy event. Why 5 days? It was simply the maximum length of visit for French people without having to apply for a visa until very recently. Obtaining a visa for a longer stay being anything but…
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I squatted a Jewelry Show reserved for professionals in Paris (France)
During my quick visit to Paris, I proposed to Mr. (my girlfriend I met in Seoul) to accompany me to a trade show reserved for jewelry professionals Part 1: Visit of the Show Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Visit of the exhibition Note: I’m not the type to collect bags, shoes, but I never get tired of jewelry. After spending several years buying them, I said to myself: “what if I created them myself?”. Not being able to wear anything other than precious metals, I became interested in goldsmithing. Before going around the world, I took courses with two goldsmiths, working directly with silver (soldering, setting, cutting etc.). I…
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Test & Reviews: Face care at Caudalie Boutique Spa in Paris (France)
This post is NOT sponsored After reading the book by the creator of the Caudalie brand (a bestseller across the Atlantic), I wanted to test their facial care in one of their spas in France. I have already bought their products, they don’t convince me 100%, but there are very good reviews on their spa so I made an appointment for a 50mn treatment. I have chosen Caudalie Boutique Spa rue des Abbesses because I had professional appointments not far away. By booking online (here), I get a discount: a facial at 56€ instead of 80€. Already, I love the neighborhood, but moreover the store is super nice (I put…
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How to attend auctions at Drouot in Paris? (France)
It’s not well known but auctions are public, you can go there to try to get a good deal or just have fun because it’s a show in itself. This is what I decided to do when I went to attend auctions in the mythical Drouot auction room in Paris. How to attend auctions at Drouot? It can seem intimidating at first glance because when you hear about auctions, it’s usually when a Picasso has broken a sales record. You tell yourself that it’s reserved for an elite and that you don’t belong there. Auctions aren’t just about that. At Drouot (located at 9 rue Drouot in the 9th arrondissement…
