Destination: Europe

Articles about Europe – Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Europe

Berlin Christmas Markets: The Ultimate Guide [Updated 2022]

Last Updated on December 11, 2022 by Audrey Scott

While many cities in Germany have one main Christmas Market, Berlin has dozens of Christmas Markets from which you can choose based on your interests and style. So, which are the best Christmas markets in Berlin?

Whether you're looking for a traditional German Christmas market or something a bit more offbeat, I offer here my handy Berlin Christmas Market guide. The recommendations are based on our experience living in Berlin for ten years and being avid Christmas market fans. It has all the information you need to know, including dates and schedules of Berlin Christmas markets and notes on how to visit my local favorites — these are Christmas markets that will make your visit to Berlin during the Christmas and holiday season even more special.

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Exploring Lazio: Off-the-Beaten Path Italy Outside Rome

Nazzano Castle in Lazio Region, Italy

Last Updated on November 23, 2022 by Audrey Scott

The tires of our e-bikes rested on the cobbles of what we imagined was an old imperial road. Our early morning cycle had wound up through the meadows and canopies of a nature reserve carved out along the banks of the Tiber River in central Italy. A long stretch of road opened revealing veils of mist rising above the bends of water below.

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Hiking in Cyprus: Best Hiking Trails and Travel Itinerary

Hiking in Cyprus, the Aphrodite Loop Hiking Trail

Last Updated on December 1, 2022 by Audrey Scott

Hiking in Cyprus may not be top of mind when travelers consider this Mediterranean island for vacation. Most associate it with its beaches and resorts. However, our recent visit to Cyprus illustrates that the country not only offers sea, sun and deep history, but a variety of natural landscapes and geological diversity that makes hiking on the island a delight.

We share here our favorite hiking trails in Cyprus, from coastal to mountain hikes. Whether you're interested in a hiking vacation or just to include a hike into your visit to Cyprus, here is all the information you need to plan your trip.

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How To Pack for the Camino de Santiago: Camino Essentials and Packing Lists

Clothing for the Camino

Last Updated on November 18, 2022 by Audrey Scott

How to pack for the Camino de Santiago so that you are prepared with all the essentials for the Camino, but you still pack light and don't carry a heavy backpack? That is one of the big challenges when preparing and planning for the Camino de Santiago, one where you can waste lots of time and money if you're not careful. Fortunately, our Ultimate Camino Essentials Packing List for women and men helps you figure this all out with a list of essential clothing and gear to bring with you.

Our Camino Essentials Packing List is all based on our own experience of walking almost 1,000 km / 600 miles along the Camino de Santiago. We share specific recommendations on Camino essentials like backpacks, clothing, shoes, foot care, and more. The goal: carry what you need to be comfortable and protect against changing weather, but don't feel like you need to take everything with you on the Camino de Santiago.

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Insider’s Prague: 5 Tourist Traps to Avoid and Things to Do Instead

Last Updated on April 6, 2023 by Audrey Scott

While we lived in Prague for over five years, we were simultaneously awed by its beauty and frustrated by the rapacious tourism development that had swamped its old town. More recently, I've heard from travelers disappointed by their visits to Prague because of the city's crowds and tourist schlock.

Yes, there's a fair heap of that. But, there are also ways to avoid it and there is much to see and experience in Prague without crowds. That's what this insider's guide is all about with tourist traps to avoid, best things to do, favorite Czech beers and pubs, neighborhoods to stay in, and where to eat in Prague.

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Cooking Across Borders in Berlin

Cooking Across Borders, a Deep Travel Project with Context Travel

Last Updated on January 19, 2020 by Audrey Scott

“Add a little sugar to the saffron,” Farzane said as she worked the combination in her mortar and pestle. “It makes it easier to grind.”

Farzane, a 20-year old refugee from Afghanistan who’d come to Berlin with her family in the last year, was deep in the process of teaching us how to prepare several Afghan dishes she’d grown up cooking in her home town of Herat. In the heart of Berlin’s Schöneberg neighborhood, she guided us through the creation of dishes like zereshk polo (burberry rice pilaf) and khorecht lawang (lamb in a fermented yogurt sauce), among others.

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Puglia, Italy Road Trip: 25 Things to See and Do in Puglia

Last Updated on November 13, 2022 by Audrey Scott

If you're thinking of visiting Puglia, Italy, but don't know where to start in planning a road trip or what to see and do in Puglia, then you're in the right place. Read on for our top recommendations on things to do, where to eat, where to stay, and places to interest in Puglia from our own road trip.

The goal: help you create your own road trip route and Puglia itinerary of 7-10 days. This little-known province in southern Italy really has so much to offer in terms of history, beautiful old towns, beaches, landscapes, colorful markets and just incredible food.

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