6 unique things in Armenia
There are always certain things that stick out when you first arrive in a new place. Some places have this more than others. In Armenia I was presented with a whole new world. Everything was so different from home, and yet other things so similar. Even the language and script…
12 days in Armenia
Food and places I’ll never forget My Lonely Planet of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan had been sitting on my shelf for a few years. During the pandemic I’d traveled, but only within Europe, staying close to home. Although Europe has so many amazing places to explore, I wanted something different.…
Hiking through Armenia’s Dilijan National Park
At 6.30AM I walked through the empty streets of Yerevan on a Sunday morning. There were only a few joggers and the odd cyclist. Everyone else was still asleep. But today I had plans: a group hiking trip to the Dilijan National Park. When I reached the meeting point I…
Berat: a moment of beauty and peace
Taking public transport in Albania takes time. Our bus didn’t leave on time, so we arrived in the late afternoon at the bus station, just outside of the city. However, the ride from Tirana to Berat was pretty smooth. Minutes after arriving a local bus arrived. My friend and I…
Athens to Rhodes on the overnight ferry
You often hear travel is all about the journey, not the destination. And the journey certainly counts. Over the years I’ve gathered a lot of good memories and interesting stories on old, crowded buses crawling over bumpy roads, on trains that seemed to have come straight from the past or…
How my boring day on the camino got more interesting
An unexpected conversation to start my day After freshening up I went down the square winding staircase of the hostel in Vila Franca de Xira. I’d had the 4-bed dorm to myself that night and had slept like a baby. They’d told me there was breakfast in the morning, so…
A weekend in Coimbra, an underrated Portuguese gem
How I ended up spending a long weekend in Coimbra The pandemic grew into the second wave in Europe while I was traveling in Portugal. In early November there was a long weekend due to a public holiday and the Portuguese government put some measures in place to prevent the…
Road tripping in New York City
I was in New York City and entered the big parking lot of the car rental agency. For the life of me I can’t remember why I thought it was a good idea to rent a car in New York City. I looked around the buzzing parking lot with cars…
Recovering from my walk in Lagos
Lagos is a cute tourist town in the South West of Portugal. It attracts people from all walks of life, although the historical center has a reputation for parties. Besides this, Lagos is a great place to base yourself if you want to surf the South West. Therefore there are…
14 days on the Rota Vicentina and Fishermen’s trail
Everything you need to know for a great walk During my last holiday I discovered Portugal is the perfect country for hiking. I came to hike all the way down the coast from Santiago do Cacém to the most South-Westerly point of Europe, Cape Saint Vincent. The scenery here is…