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Burning Down the House (Literally!): Celebrating Valencia’s Las Fallas Festival

March 28, 2015 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

The Spanish city of Valencia is a fun place to visit at any time of year. But for five days in March, something extra special takes place. Processions wind through the city streets, with thousands of locals dressed in gorgeous traditional costumes. Parties and concerts begin at 1:30am and last until the next day. Parades liven up the afternoons and fireworks light up the midnight sky. There is ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Spain Tagged With: Valencia

Valencia, a City in Seven Markets

December 3, 2014 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

If you’ve been to Spain, you’ll know that life there is lived by night: evening strolls, late dinners and drinks in the cafés, tapas bars and nightclubs. To feel the real spirit of Spain, you must stay out late. However, there is one thing that gets even the latest night owls out of bed before noon: the street markets. Spain is renowned for its bustling mercadillos; stalls set up in the streets ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Southern Europe, Spain Tagged With: markets, Valencia

Italy Can Mend a Broken Heart

June 12, 2014 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

Italy

  For most of the summer, I was afraid to go to Italy. I was scared to hear the accent, to taste spaghetti Bolognese, to smell espresso. I worried that hearing my favourite Italian word, “Alora”, might send me straight over the edge. You see, I fell in love with an Italian last year. If this has happened to you before, I needn’t say more. If it hasn’t, let me fill you in: His name ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Rome, Southern Europe, Top Cities, Italy Tagged With: Italy, torino, Venice, Florence, Rome

Oktoberfest: Bavaria’s Excuse to Party Large

December 15, 2017 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

Prost to Oktoberfest

Welcome to Oktoberfest! Imagine it: 460,000 roast chickens. 400,000 sausages. 70,000 pork knuckles. 116 oxen. Dirndls, lederhosen, gingerbread cookies, oompah bands, beer chants and pretzels, and heaving breasts as far as the eye can see. Six and a half million people drinking nearly 7 million litres of beer. This year, the Opening Ceremony officially kicked off at noon  when ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Germany, Western Europe Tagged With: Munich, Bavaria

Alpine Adventures in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

October 31, 2019 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

Lauterbrunnen Village

Discover Lauterbrunnen Switzerland Lauterbrunnen brings out the adventurer in (almost) everyone I thought that Lauterbrunnen would bring out my wild side. But, it wasn’t until I was frozen in fear 20 meters in the air that it dawned on me:  I’m not really an extreme sports kind of girl. Unfortunately, that realization did not change the fact that there were still only two options ahead of me: 1. ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Western Europe, Switzerland

Taste the Greatest Food in Europe in San Sebastian, Spain

June 12, 2014 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

Valley of Many Waterfalls

  You’ll have to just trust me on this one, but there’s no better cure for a broken heart than a good piece of beef cheek. When I left Ibiza last week, I was convinced that the rest of my holiday was doomed. How could I ever feel for another place the way I did for the White Isle? That had to be the peak; I figured I might as well cut my losses and go home. But then: a memory came ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Southern Europe, Spain Tagged With: San Sebastián, Basque Region

My Own Private Ibiza

July 15, 2015 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

Cala Bassa beach in Ibiza

It can hit you upon arrival, or sneak up after a few days; the realization that you have found one of the most exciting places of your life. For me that was Spain's Ibiza. You know right away when it happens. It’s something more than just liking the looks of a new destination. It’s when something in the spirit of a place speaks directly to you, where you walk around with eyes wide open in ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Southern Europe, Spain Tagged With: Ibiza, Balearic Islands

A Visit to Lavapies, Madrid’s Most Diverse and Revolutionary Neighbourhood

June 30, 2014 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

While the rest of her country huddled around television sets to watch their national football team become the most successful of all time, Montserrat was sitting in a dark room in Madrid, with a 53-year old ex-Flamenco dancer, smoking hash. “Damn football,” she said. “It’s just another way to make us forget how screwed up our country is.” I met Montse last year in Colombia, where we were ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Madrid, Southern Europe, Spain Tagged With: Madrid

Five Things You Need to Know About London

October 1, 2019 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

I love London and think you will too, if you give it a chance. The following Five Things You Need to Know About London, will, I am sure, win you over: It’s cheaper than you think It’s the stereotype that I hate the most: “London is super expensive”. Yes, it costs a fortune to buy a house, and you’ll hear locals complain about council taxes, fuel prices and the cost of parking. But unless ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: England, London, Northern Europe, Top Cities

My Big Greek/Turkish Cyprus Adventure

October 14, 2014 By Andrea MacDonald This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy through our links.

The southeastern coast of Cyprus is stunning. Along its perfect, sandy coastline is where you’ll find the resort towns of Agia Napa, Larnaka and Limassol, which are renowned for their stunning beaches, fancy restaurants, luxurious hotels, and bustling nightlife. Tourists, mainly from Britain, flock there to party, swim and snorkel, and get a bit of sun. Unfortunately, all of that is about ... Read Full Article

Filed Under: Southern Europe, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey

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