Europe
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A traveller’s guide to visiting Santa Ponsa
When visiting the Balearic island of Majorca, there are so many beautiful spots to explore. We’ll excuse you for being instantly drawn to the enchanting capital of Palma if you’re visiting with family, or perhaps the heady haunts of Magaluf if late nights and cheap bites are on the agenda. But for somewhere that has a little something for everyone, consider a trip to the coastal town of Santa Ponsa. Tucked away on the Southwestern coast, this alluring destination combines all the features you’d want and expect from a sunny seaside resort. From spotless beaches, to an eclectic mix of dining options, you will find beauty and effortless charm in…
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5 Essential Tips for Your First Visit to Amsterdam
Amsterdam is, without question, one of Europe’s great cities for tourists. If you’ve never visited before, you’re definitely in for a real treat! Question is: where do you begin? The free-spirited Dutch capital is a delightful blend of whirring bicycles, magical museums, colourful markets and legendary nightlife. Here are five top tips if you are visiting Amsterdam for the very first time: Arrive by train Amsterdam Central Station, as the name suggests, is right at the heart of this beautiful city. You can catch a double-decker train from Schiphol Airport, from nearby Rotterdam and even arrive by Eurostar from London. Arriving by train allows you to get an immediate sense of the…
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Authentic Istanbul: Understanding the Syrian Crisis over earrings and potatoes
We all have heard of Syria, and yet know so little about the country and its challenges. Politics in the Mediterranean region is not usually the topic of choice during dinner conversations in my country, but ever since I have embarked on my travels in this part of the world, there is this increasing need to rid myself of this wilful ignorance in order to better understand this region better. Which begs the question: why am I writing about Syria when I am visiting Turkey? Amidst the culinary experiences and historical landmark tours focusing on Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, we were interested in experiences that would offer insights into authentic…
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Tips on How to See the Aurora
By now, you should have seen that viral article on how the chances of seeing the Northern Lights are going to dim drastically after next year. I have to admit – my first reaction was THANK GOD we saw them last year! Indeed, the quest to “hunt” down the Aurora has been one that has intrigued, and frustrated, mankind through the ages. While the truth is that the success of viewing the Aurora depends on luck more than anything else, I hope this article can help to shed some light on how to see the Aurora and optimise your chances of catching the amazing Northern or Southern Lights in action!
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Amsterdam Through the Local Lens: Rachael from Hungry Birds and Brews & Tales
Amsterdam is notoriously known for being Europe’s capital of sin and debauchery, but our experience there revealed that this gorgeous city has so much more than pot and prostitutes. We speak to Rachael, who had brought us on a gastronomic tour around Amsterdam, forever debunking the myth that the only thing worth eating there are stroopwafels. What makes Rachael special to us is the fact that she’s Singaporean as well! Despite only moving to Amsterdam two years ago, her job as a Hungry Birds Food Tour guide has led her to become a local expert, so much so that she was inspired to set up her own tour! Read on for her candid answers…
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Barcelona Through the Local Lens: Cristina & Guillermo from Barcelona Slow Travel
One of the highlights of our trip to Barcelona was our EatWith experience with Guillermo & Cristina as they gave as an insightful introduction to one of the city’s many markets and made our tummies very happy with their tapas and paella cooking class. This amazing couple are also the founders of Barcelona Slow Travel, a tour company that seeks to allow tourists to experience this amazing city as authentically as possible. In this version of “Through the Local Lens”, we are really excited to share their very candid responses to the tips and tricks for visitors to Barcelona and some amazing food and cultural recommendations! Enjoy (:
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Iceland Through the Local Lens: Oli
One of the things we love most about travelling is meeting people, and in the course of our travels, we have come across some truly inspiring individuals who have shown incredible passion for their country and craft. We’ve hence decided to start a feature series on some of the wonderful people we’ve had the privilege of interacting with, and allow them to share with you some insights into their jobs as well as tips and tricks on their city. Our first feature is special to us because we see him as the man who helped preserve our lives in Iceland. Oli (full name: Ólafur Schram) was our guide for five days and we honestly…
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Eating with Guillermo & Christina in Barcelona
We first chanced upon Guillermo & Christina’s Market and Paella Cooking Tour on the EatWith website and decided this was definitely something we wanted to try since ET’s mum loves cooking (and we love eating)! This turned out to be one of the best experiences we had in Barcelona and we would recommend this EatWith experience to everyone who visits this wonderful city.
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Iceland: Where Mother Nature Knows Best
Things in Iceland didn’t quite go to plan. Our original itinerary involved us driving from Thingvellir National Park in the Southwest, across the South where the glacial lagoons were towards the east, up the East and to the Northern city of Akureyri where we could then catch a flight to see the Holuhraun eruption. It has been my dream to see live, flowing lava, and I could not think of a better opportunity to do this than with the Barbadunga volcano. We were met with winds of up to 100km/h on our first night, almost leaving us stranded with a trailer embedded in the snow and without accommodation. Thankfully our…
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Alternative London: Street Art Walking Tour in Shoreditch
Loving London requires you to be able to find your own little spot and own it. It’s like walking into a symphony and blending in with your own tune and rhythm. We found ours in Shoreditch – a hippie enclave that’s just bursting with creativity, talent, artisanal stores and the most amazing street art. Read on to find out more about our experience with Alternative London as they brought us on a street art walking tour in Shoreditch!
