Robert Lovik, Author at Europe Up Close

Best Places to Stay in Edinburgh

Published/Revised July 21, 2014 By Robert Lovik This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Lets have a look at some of the best places to stay in Edinburgh for all sorts of budgets. But, first things first. If you are planning on visiting Edinburgh during the festival months of August and September, make sure you book accommodation in advance. The town is at its buzzing best during these months but finding a last minute room may be next to impossible. Particularly if you are operating ... Read Full Article

The Best Places to Eat (and Drink) in Edinburgh

Published/Revised May 22, 2016 By Robert Lovik This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

One of the better lines from the movie, So I Married An Axe Murderer, is when Mike Myers’ character says, “I think most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare.” While certainly not a universal truth, who could argue that the Deep Fried Mars Bar was not the result of a sober conversation. But, overall, Scottish food gets a bad rap. Edinburgh is not short on culinary delights. Whether you are ... Read Full Article

Magical Edinburgh

Published/Revised March 18, 2017 By Robert Lovik This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Simply put, the Royal Mile never gets old. This famed stretch of cobbled road running through the heart of the Scottish capital is the traveler’s epicenter for all things Edinburgh. Stretching out from the Royal Mile like branches of a river, winding streets and narrow closes all begged to be explored. Even a short walk around Edinburgh will take you past cozy pubs, world-class museums, inviting ... Read Full Article

Insider’s Guide to Derry, Northern Ireland

Published/Revised June 11, 2014 By Robert Lovik This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

As long as there has been an Ireland, there has been a Derry (also known as Londonderry.) And, arguably, no city better exemplifies Ireland’s past, present and future than this anything but sleepy town on the banks of the River Foyle, near the northern tip of the Emerald Isle. Derry is perhaps still best known to the outside world as a flashpoint, where ongoing tensions between ... Read Full Article

Insider’s Guide to Aberdeen, Scotland

Published/Revised May 14, 2016 By Robert Lovik This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

It isn’t often that an exact date in a city’s history can be pinpointed as the day that everything changed. Usually, shifts in a city’s fortunes occur slowly over time, taking generations but Aberdeen isn’t like most cities. On October 7, 1970, underwater exploration 110 miles off the Aberdeen coast struck oil and nearly overnight, the "Granite City" became one of Europe’s most prosperous. The ... Read Full Article

Biking Loch Ness: a Monster Ride

Published/Revised April 29, 2018 By Robert Lovik This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

As I leaned over the handlebars of my rented bicycle and stared at the road ahead of me, stretching for miles into the Scottish Highlands; two thoughts ran through my head. The first one was that I could not recall ever having been in such beautiful country. I was somewhere off the east coast of Loch Ness surrounded by lush Highland mountains. Ancient stone walls, farmers cottages and fields ... Read Full Article

Hiking Scotland’s West Highland Way

Standing at the top of the Devil’s Staircase, I looked around and wondered how a spot this lovely got such a sinister name. There was certainly nothing in the area to conjure thoughts of fire and brimstone at the highest point along one of the UK's most famous hiking trails – the West Highland Way. From my rocky perch, I looked south at an almost perfect pyramid of rock called Buachaille Etive ... Read Full Article

Ronda, Spain: Where the Rain Falls Up

I was in the historic Andalusian town of Ronda for less than an hour before I realized that an umbrella will only do you so much good. Rain clouds were flying in over the surrounding Serrania de Ronda mountains as I crossed the 18th century Puente Nuevo , or New Bridge. As I peered over the edge down the 400 foot El Tajo gorge to the River Guadalevin, I noticed the strangest thing. The rain was ... Read Full Article

Spain: From Madrid to Benidorm

Published/Revised June 12, 2014 By Robert Lovik This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

We couldn't have had a better first few days in Spain. After a 9 am landing on a cool, late-February morning at Madrid's Barajas International Airport, our trip was about to go much better than we had expected. Arriving in relatively good spirits from Portland, my girlfriend Kate and I hopped on the Madrid Metro for a quick ride to our hotel in the Puerto del Sol, the heart of the city ... Read Full Article

Stumbling Upon Chester, England

As the train rolled into the Chester station, it dawned on me that I knew very little about the northern English town where I'd be spending the next few days. Other than a morning meeting with an editor, my schedule for a long April weekend was empty. With an unseasonably warm English spring in full swing and no friends or responsibilities that needed to be met, the city was all mine to do with ... Read Full Article