Europe
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Visiting the Acropolis of Athens, Parthenon & Shopping (Greece)
After about ten days in Istanbul, here we are in Greece for the first time! Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Oddly enough, we took a long time to visit some European countries. Since it’s close to France, there’s the “we can go later” side. That’s why a destination as popular as Athens has remained unknown to us after almost 8 years of traveling the world. This is the first time we’ve set foot on Greek soil. We were told to come to Greece with a lot of imagination because the archaeological sites aren’t as well preserved as in Italy. And indeed, they are less…
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Istanbul (Turkey) in 2024: the Grand Bazaar & the Tiphane neighborhood
Novotel Bosphorus After a few days spent on the “Blue Mosque” side, we cross the bridge and spend a few days in the Tiphane neighborhood, which we know well because every time we go to Istanbul, we rent an Airbnb within 15 minutes max of this neighborhood. Since we’re only staying for a few days this time, JB books the Novotel Bosphorus for us (Booking link). First because we have Accor miles, but also because JB is still Gold and we might get an upgrade, and because the hotel has a very nice spa. We hesitated between Novotel and Marriott (JB still has his miles with American Express), but Marriott…
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Istanbul (Turkey) in 2024: a lost paradise
Our return to Istanbul in 2024 only confirms one thing: the Istanbul we loved no longer exists… Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal We have a Franco-Turkish friend who owns an apartment in Istanbul and goes there often. We get news about Istanbul, one of our favorite cities, through him. During our stay in 2023, we already sensed a certain unease among the locals, but K. tells me it has gotten worse. He shares some prices from the Asian side: over 20 euros for a breakfast we used to pay barely 7 euros for 5 years ago. JB has had a toothache for a few…
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Back to Sofia (Bulgaria) in 2024
After almost a year of moving around and going out non-stop, we feel the need to settle down somewhere and be quiet for a month. We remembered Sofia, which we really liked, and decided to return there in October 2024. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal If you’d like to read a more touristy travel diary with things to see in Sofia and around Sofia, read this one instead. The only affordable direct flight between Paris and Sofia is Wizzair, departing from Beauvais. It was exactly 3 hours late, but we can’t claim the legal compensation because the airline says the delay was caused by…
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Visiting the Sainte-Chapelle and the Little Prince shop in Paris (France)
Today, I’m sharing with you my photos of the Sainte-Chapelle, which we visited last year. There’s always a crowd in front of the Sainte-Chapelle, so I highly recommend booking your tickets in advance and coming with an ultra-light bag, as bags will be scanned and searched at the entrance. Then, you enter a kind of administrative courtyard, and you need to follow the arrows to know where to go. The ground floor is quite beautiful but dark, and the most impressive part is upstairs. There’s a small staircase leading up, don’t miss it! Nestled in the heart of the Île de la Cité, the Sainte-Chapelle is a treasure from the…
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2023 Rare Book and Graphic Arts Fair in Paris
It’s September 2023: For once, I receive invitations to the Rare Book and Graphic Arts Fair, after buying a second-hand book that reeks of smoke on a site for book lovers. Tickets cost 10 euros each, but thanks to these invitations, I can go for free with my girlfriend M., which makes up a bit for the smelly book I put in the “books to swap” box outside the metro. My friend M. is curious and interested in everything, so she’s already been to the gem and jewelry show with me, and now to the rare book fair even though she’s not a bibliophile. I am (a bit) bibliophilic for…
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Train road trip: Bruges, Liège, Namur, Brussels (Belgium)
From Antwerp where we’re staying for a month, we do round trips to Bruges and Brussels, then visit Namur – Liège. The train is our favorite way to get around in Belgium. City centers are often close to the station, and Belgian trains are cheap and on time. They’re not as fast as the TGV, but given the short distances between cities, it’s a good way to get around. Bruges Of these cities, Bruges is the only one I’ve visited without JB. Italked about it in detail in another article. So I’ll just share some new photos. Since we had sunshine, they’re prettier than the ones I took in the…
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Antwerp, the city of diamonds (Belgium) – 2023 travel journal
After the Netherlands, JB is still hoping to hear about our apartment in Nice so we decide to stay in Europe for a few more months. Not knowing where to go, I suggest Belgium, which I’d crossed in express mode with my friend M. and her son just before Covid. We choose Antwerp as our base because I loved (1) the fact that most diamonds pass through Antwerp (2) its printing museum. JB books us a nice Airbnb a 10-minute bike ride from the cathedral, and it’s only when we get there that we discover this Airbnb is inside a retirement home. We eye the dining hall longingly and ask…
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Discovering Kosovo: Pristina, Prizren, monasteries, and a ski resort
Despite the workload, we still aim to visit the highlights of Kosovo, while working, in two and a half weeks, and renting a car for 3 days. Our HQ is in Pristina, a capital without much charm, covered in snow in April 2023. Here, as elsewhere in the Balkans, the locals are super friendly and the heating is more than effective. We like the food in Kosovo a bit more than in Serbia, since most of the population is of Albanian origin and their cuisine is delicious (very Mediterranean). We hesitated a lot between North Macedonia and the Kosovo, but from Serbia, it’s more practical to take a direct bus…
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Road trip in Serbia: Danube, Novi Sad, Subotica
Despite my intense laziness, we still manage to go on a mini road trip in Serbia to get a rough idea of what the country looks like. Because my dream is to see the Danubeagain. When I was little, my grandfather’s favorite piece was “The Blue Danube” and he would ask me to play it over and over, so in my head, the Danube is definitely blue. It wasn’t blue in Vienna and I blame pollution, but here, it must be blue, right? I need to go see it ASAP. Smederevo Fortress The fortress of Smederevo is one of the most important and best-preserved medieval fortifications in Serbia. It is…
