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Lisbon

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Despite the fact, that I grew up in Luxembourg around a numerous amount of portuguese people, while hearing their language on a daily basis and getting partly in touch with their culture, it still took me 34 years to discover the beauty of Portugal's capital Lisbon.

For too many years, relatives and friends, were talking about traveling to Barcelona, the catalonian capital. Rarely my friends used "Lisbon" to pinpoint their next destination. So after my recent trip to Portugal, all I can tell is that "Lisbon is going to be the next Barcelona".

Talking about a hip city? Lisbon is hip! Partying with a mediterranean flair? You get it in Lisbon. Delicious mediterranean cuisine and its matching wines? Lisbon, check! Traveling on budget? You won't find cheaper than Portugal.

Maybe I was just lucky, for having met amazing fellow travelers in Lisbon. The weather definitely was on my side, during my 5 days in the capital of Portugal. I had the best stay, i could have ever expected, at the "YES HOSTEL" very nearby the Praca do Comercio.

I don't really know what made my journey in Lisbon so special, it just must have been the whole package.

Getting out of the hostel, and walking two blocks south, I met up with my best friend at the Praca do Comercio. It's a large public place, with an old historic arch leading to the main shopping street of the Baixa district. But passing the Praca do Comercio will lead you to the shore, where you can have a summerish cocktail, and enjoy the stroll towards the docks {docas}, or the famous "Ponte 25 de Abril" bridge. Almost any tiny alley that will lead you north to Bairro Alto, is packed with unique gems: bars, bakeries, tiny traditional restaurants, clubs. Just explore the whole area, and learn how to enjoy the diversity of the colorful capital.

On my first days, I visited the Alfama district twice. Just after passing the busy main shopping street of Baixa, the first alleys will get very steep after a couple of hundred meters. The different paths will lead you to the top of the "Sao Jorge" castle. Sadly the entrance fee to the castle isn't cheap, so don't plan on visiting it twice. I would recommend it, for taking scenic photos of the city. If you've visited a castle before, this one won't be a lot different. But you get a bunch of impressive overlooks.

The prettiest part of Alfama for me, were the different street art spots or urban art installations. Whole Alfama is packed with uban art. While looking at the colorful murals, you will hear the different trams passing by. The old tram lines definitely bring a unique charm to the capital. In my opinion it's an important part of the city's landmark, like the cabs of London. Expect at least half a day to explore the prettiest corners of Alfama. Have one or two port wines on one of the few scenic terraces or patios, have a mediterranean lunch, and listen to some Fado. You will love that district of Lisbon.

From the city center of Lisbon, you can easily catch a short train ride, and visit Belem or Cascais, two beautiful gems which are definitely worth a visit. Sadly I jumped on an express train, which didn't stop at Belem, and I was just too exhausted to switch the train for a 3rd time. 

The same train line, takes approximately 15 minutes to Belem, and 45 minutes to Cascais. The one-way ticket to Cascais only costs 2.20 Euro (3 us$). However if you plan on visiting around mid-day expect long waiting queues in summer. A lot of tourists and locals plan on visiting the beaches around Lisbon. I waited at least 40 minutes to get a ticket, since the metro-card won't work for the train lines. 

After having jumped off the train in Cascais, I felt like i made it to the "Santa Barbara" of Portugal. The streets of Cascais looked fancy, lots of beautiful people on the beaches, infinite lines of white buildings and hundreds of shops. How can you not like Cascais? It surely attracts too many tourists in summer, but the views, the sun, the beaches are all worth it. A 30-40 minutes walk from the train station will lead you uphill to the "boca do inferno", an impressive shore of seaside cliffs, a total different nature-spectacle compared to the fancy beaches downtown. 

I can't tell anything about Belem, but all the locals told me to check out the Belem tower, and enjoy the famous "pasteis de belem", a culinary highlight.

So much different parts of the city to check out during hot summer days. But what about nightlife? Except the nightlife of "Bairro Alto" I haven't seen much of the busy spots, which wasn't bad at all actually. I had an amazing time at the "YES HOSTEL". Every evening I could enjoy wine, port wine or delicious sangria for 1 Euro a cup... yep, you got it right, 1 Euro only! Around dinner time, 8pm or 9pm all the guests of the hostel came downstairs to the bar, to start the evening. Just standing at the counter and ordering a drink, made you bump into travelers and start a conversation right away. I met a lot of lovely travelers from Sweden, Canada and Germany. After having met the first time on my first night in Lisbon, we met up every other evening for a couple of drinks, and went out to different parts of the city. Some were quiet, some were busy. 

The Bairro Alto block, was definitely very very busy on the weekend, too many bars and too many people. Actually it was a good place to go out, but as a tourist it was hard to tell which bar to choose. The drinks weren't the best ones, but cheap. So in Bairro Alto is was quantity over quality, the perfect spot to get wasted. I would say it's the place where people go "hunting", you could smell the flirting on every corner.

I did like the "House of Gin" [or the "vintage gourmet" which is the name of restaurant]. Nuno, the barman, had an impressive knowledge about gin, and easily owns over 150 different gins from all over the world. I had the chance to try a couple of gins, which I couldn't find nearby the place where i live: Brooklyn Gin (USA), Nao Gin (P), Adamus Gin (P). Of course the drinks weren't cheap, expect to pay 10-13 euro for a drink. I guess those are the prices you'll have to pay all over Europe for a fancy gin & tonic.

Sadly I got my mobile phone stolen on my following trip to Barcelona, and didn't manage to back-up my photos from Portugal. I was glad I put some shots on Instagram and Facebook, which I could save at a later time, to add on this blog-post.

The whole city of Lisbon is packed with architectural pearls and colorful murals. It takes you more than 5 days to discover the beauties of the capital. That's why I've decided to do a road trip across Portugal in 2017. This trip amazed me with only positive impressions, obrigado Lisboa!

Useful informations

  • You can get a cheap bus ride right outside of the airport. Check the different bus stops (with numbers on it), and look which one leads to your destination. I paid 3.50 Euro for a ticket, and the ride from the airport to the Praca Do Comercio took about 40 minutes. A taxi ride could cost you between 25 and 30 euro, and doesn't need to be faster during rush hour.
  • After my couple of days in Lisbon, I took a train ride to Porto. The train took almost 3 hours to reach Porto. The one day ticket costs 30 Euros. During the very busy summer season, I still managed to get a train ticket on the day I left Lisbon. Trains to Porto leave every 30 to 60 minutes.
     
  • I can't tell you any negative parts of my trip, or which tourist traps you should avoid. I felt safe all the time, at any hour of the day. Even the most touristic places, offer you fair prices for food and drinks. Expect to pay 6-10 Euro for lunch or dinner, and 1-2 Euro for the common drinks like soft drinks, wines or beers.
     
  • Most people do speak english, french or german, even the older people. It wasn't hard to get around. Even though we met some younger folks who weren't fluent in english, somehow we managed to communicate, and it was a lot of fun, discovering the different cultural sides of the city. A lot of tourists as well, but it was so easy to make new friends in Lisbon. I will definitely add a small review of the "YES" hostel, which gave me the warmest welcome in Portugal. Sadly like previously mentioned, I got my phone stolen in Barcelona, and I forgot to back up my photos from my Iphone. I wish I could have fed you with a lot more of beautiful shots of Lisbon.
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HA LONG BAY - 2 days 1 night

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After having taken place in a shuttle-bus, that brings you from the center of Hanoi to Halong-Bay, you will be explained the different schedules of the guests who booked "2 days 1 night" or "3 days 2 nights". 

Prior my departure to Vietnam, I opted for the package "2 days 1 night", which means you will spend 1 night on a cruiser boat, and the crew will do their best to keep you entertained for the the 2 half days on the boat, the "Halong Silversea Cruise".

The  journey starts right in the center of the old town of Hanoi. Most companies offer a free shuttle from any hotel in the center of Hanoi, to the docks where you get on the boat. The ride usually takes about 3 to 4 hours. 

After 90 minutes, all the shuttles have a break at the same tourist-trap, where you can buy local products, food, snacks, drinks for the rest of your trip, and of course there are a couple of toilets, which looked pretty clean for vietnmese restrooms.

As soon as you leave the bus, the Ha Long Bay experience starts. We jumped on a smaller boat, had to put on swimming-vests, and 45seconds later, we docked on the main cruiser. Totally worth it, to put on the safety vests.

On the boat, we got introduced to the boat-crew. The manager, main contact during the cruise, was the only person who was fluent in english. But it really didn't bother, most of the crew would understand all the basic words in english. After a short introduction it was time for the check-in, where all the guests got their room keys. I never expected such a nice room on a boat! Beautifully furnitured bedroom, with an even nicer looking bathroom. 

We barely had time for a shower, and lunch was already served. 4 to 5 differents meals were served, and all of them were crazy delicious. I really never expected that sort of quality food on a cruising ship. Can't complain about the lunch part of the first day. But after having had breakfast, a coffee break at the rest-area, most of the guests weren't really hungry around 1 pm. 

No time for boredom! From lunch, into the bathing suits, into the kayak. The kayaking part was my favorite part of the whole Ha Long Bay experience. I never kayaked before. So having the chance to get introduced to kayaking in the middle of nowhere, among the huge rocks, the blue-greenish water, that was absolutely surreal. And I had the chance to have met a great lady on the boat, who was my partner. So I shared the kayak together with Kieu. 

After 45 minutes of kayaking, some people could swim around the boat, or go on the rooftop, to enjoy the views and a couple of cocktails. 

One hour later, we visited a "pearl farm". Apparently, according to the guide, there are only two pearl farms in all of Vietnam, and the one we visited, was a colaboration amongs the viets and the japanese. Of course, after the tour on the pearl farm, you get invited to buy pearl earrings, collars, bracelets. But for a really affordable price, so that I felt obliged to buy earrings for my mom.

After the farm, it was time for dinner. I gotta admit, there was barely no time left to enjoy your
air-conditioned room on the boat, or enjoy the roof top for a couple more hours. The dinner was by far not as classy as lunch. It was all kind of different vietnamese dishes, that you had to share with the table. During and after dinner, the manager, was trying to get the guests into the mood for karaoke. Nobody was drunk on the boat, because they didn't gave us the time to enjoy a couple of glasses. So it was disappointing, that there wasn't any partying on the cruise.

The three girls on our table, and I, we spent some time on the roof top, where it was so dark, that you hardly couldn't recognize the rocks around the boat. After an hour of chatting, we all went to bed.

The next morning, we all had breakfast, went to visit a cave, and after the cave, some guests were brought to a different cruiser, because they opted for the "3 days 2 nights" package. Later my kayak partner, Kieu from Austin, told me that she spent her 2nd day on a little island, where they could play beach-ball, do kayaking, or go swimming. The cabins with their bedrooms, weren't air conditioned during these very hot weeks, and of course didn't look as fancy as the rooms on our boat.

So if you're asking me, which package would be the best to book. I really can't tell. I would have loved to spend more time on the boat, chilling or kayaking. But if you gotta pay double the price for another night, for sitting in the sand, and sleeping in wooden cabins with no A.C., i'm really not sure if it's worth the money. My package "2d1n" cost 150 € (170 us$). 

I gotta admit that the river is pretty dirty, there's a massive load of dirt floating around the rocks and the different boats. I'm glad I did the tour, but I wouldn't do it again.

Maybe someday as a couple I would turn back to Ha Long Bay. In my opinion it just got that touristic vibe, with a lot of entertainment around you, but I guess that's sadly the only way to discover the bay area, on the easiest way.

 

 

 

 

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Sapa - When it rains ...

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When I arrived in Sapa, after having spent the whole night on a sleeper train, I had to take out my mobile phone. I was shocked and disappointed, and couldn't get my phone out fast enough. I opened the google website and entered „What to do in Sapa during rainfall?“.

 

 

What to do in Sapa when it rains ? 

I took an 8-hour-train-ride from Hanoi to the Lao Cai train station, which is the station where you get out, and hop on a mini-bus for a ride to Sapa. I had beautiful weather in Hanoi, it felt so much like summer in may. On my busride to Sapa, I could barely recognize the rice fields in the valleys, because there was so much fog.

I really didn't know what to think about at that point. I was so looking forward to take amazing photos of the scenic nature, the hmong tribes, the greenish rice fields. Suddenly I asked myself how i'd spend my next 2-3 days at the hotel!

So ... what to do in Sapa, when it rains ?

Well, if you traveled all the way to Sapa, don't be disappointed about the weather situation ! Believe me! I had one of my most memorable traveling moments in Sapa, despite the heavy rainfall and the fog.

Some people I talked to in Sapa on my first day, told me that the weather can change within minutes, within hours, which I first didn't really believe. But I witnessed it myself, the very first moment, when I was about to take my first photoshot. I saw a very pretty ricefield scene, surrounded by a mysterious mist. The time it took, to open my bag, take out my camera, put the right lens on it, the ricefield had vanished among the fog. I couldn't see it anymore! It was a matter of seconds and minutes.

I can't say it often enough, don't get disappointed or scared by the weather! It can change so rapidly. As you can witness, I was able to take some lovely shots, despite the horrible weather I got in Sapa.

Hiking in Sapa

You have endless hiking possibilities, if you're only staying a couple of days in the city. I spent 2 nights in Sapa. Sapa at first sight seems really touristic. It's packed with restaurants (very touristic ones, there are a couple of italian restaurants downtown), hiking shops which sell tons of North Face bargains, hotels, and a couple of bars. On the streets you'll mostly bump into tourists, or the hmong tourist hunters, who are trying so hard to sell you a hiking-tour or handmade objects.

On my first day in Sapa I visited the „Catcat Village“. It only takes about 20 minutes walking to reach the entrance of the village, where you have to buy a ticket (50.000 dongs). It's all downhill to reach the village. As soon as you get out of the main roads of Sapa, you already can have a glance at the first rice field valleys. „Catcat Village“ is very easy to reach, you could even wear flipflops to do the whole walking tour. If the ticket-officer hands you out a map of the village, take it, and follow its directions. I really missed the prettiest corners of Catcat on my first day, so I went back on my last day, after I saw some beautiful shots of Catcat on google. „Catcat Village“ is considered as being very touristic, and not really worth visiting. I can't agree with that. It might not be the dreamroute for a born hiker, but it's definitely a beautiful place to start you first exploring in Sapa, after a long train ride. Because I didn't follow the local-map on my first day it took me around two to three hours to get back to the hotel. It would only take 90 minutes to 2 hours to do the whole tour.

On my second day, I got out pretty early of the hotel, around 08:30 or 09:00 in the morning, and started a longer hike. I walked from Sapa, towards the Lao chai village (not Lao Cai!), and headed towards Ta Van village, because I wanted to take a photo of the hanging rope bridge, also know as the cloud bridge. The one-way hike is about 7-9 kilometers long, and isn't that tiring, because it goes downhill for most parts of the hike. Now guess what! Walking back to Sapa, will be more exhausting, all the way up to the mountain! My trip started with rainfall, as soon as I left the hotel, lots of fog as well, and then it got better and better til 13:00h (1:00pm). After lunch time, I had to take of my jacket, because the sun came out, it got really hot. Two hours later it started raining again. By the way, don't forget the cash, you also need to buy an entrance ticket before making it to the first village. 

On my way back home, to the hotel, around 2 or 3pm I noticed that most of the tourists who arrived by a mini-bus, to walk through the villages, were the unlucky ones. Sleeping all morning, and taking the easy way to visit the villages, won't give you the weather conditions you deserve ;). So I was glad that I walked all morning, and got my moments of luck with the weather conditions. It allowed me to take some descent photoshots, and meet a lot of hmong people on the streets, especially the adorable hmong kids.

What really touched me on this trip to Sapa, was the mix of nature's beauty and the lifestyle of the hmong tribes. Those poor people living in cabins, houses without windows. Wearing multiple colorful layers to protect themself from the rainy weather and protecting their skin from the sunrays. While walking through the several villages, I realized that the locals don't have any material possessions, except for their lands, animals, and their four-walls with a roof. Still those villagers looked happier, than a lot of people in my country, or maybe even happier than myself. This day, hiking from Sapa to Ta Van, belongs to one of the most memorables moments of all my travels. I felt instants of pure happiness.

After I returned at the hotel, I was checking out tripadvisor, what else I could do on my last day in Sapa. I read about the highest peak in Indochina, called Fansipan Mountain. The route to the peak of the mountain started right outside of my hotel. However it takes about 6 to 7 hours, only uphill, to reach the top of Fansipan. One of the main reasons I didn't do the hike, was that I was only wearing running shoes and summer clothes. Another issue was the fog. Wouldn't it be disappointing to reach the peak of Fansipan, and all i would/could see, was the fog; no valleys, no mountains, only fog. Because of the heavy rainfall, lots of roads were slippery wet and very muddy. So I decided to do some shopping instead, visit the Sapa Lake in the city center, and go back to „Catcat Village“ to check out the places that I missed on my first day. Once again... there was so much fog on my last day, that I couldn't see the village from the top of the hill. I walked down to the village, through the fog, and on the lowest point of the village, the fog had vanished, which allowed me to take out my camera.

Since the beginning of the year 2016, you can catch a cable car to reach the Fansipan peak. Apparently the two-way ticket costs around 40 US$.

Dry season takes place during the summer months in Sapa. I really can't tell if it would be better to climb the Fansipan Mountain during the warmest months or in spring during rainfall. However you could enjoy the ricefields and its green colors. I'm pretty sure that someday I will turn back to Sapa, and do more hiking, as a couple.

Useful informations

  • The mini-bus or shuttle ride from Lao Cai station to Sapa costs 65.000 100.000 (2-5 euro or US$). The ride takes between 40-50 minutes. I was told by the hotel manager that a taxi would cost around 500.000 dongs (20-24$). You can't miss the shuttles, they're right in front of you, once you get out of the Lao Cai station.
     
  • Because of the rain in Sapa, ask your hotel manager if they could dry your clothes or shoes. Most of the hotels only have a/c in their rooms. So it's kind of impossible to dry your clothes within 24 hours, if you don't have a balcony, and if the sun isn't out. I had to use a hair-dryer, which wasn't the easiest way to dry your clothes.
     
  • During my 2 first days in Hanoi, I booked my train ticket to Sapa, through the hotel manager. I paid 1.500.000 dongs (60 euro, 65-69 US$) for a two-way ticket. Each train-cabin on the sleeper train, has 4 beds, 2 lower beds, and the 2 upper beds. The lower beds are a little bit more expensive, but it's definitely worth booking these! There's no ladder to get on the upper bed, only a foot rest. I still can't imagine how older people would get on top. On the lower ones, you get an electric outlet to charge your phone, a reading lamp, and a shared table. On my two train rides, I only shared the cabin with one person. There was no small-talk at all. People get in, fall asleep instantly, and get out of the train again. The train rides takes about 8 hours, and it's a very confortable ride! It feels safe, and isn't too noisy. Bring a jacket, the a/c can get pretty cold. 

 

 

 

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HANOI - Capital of Vietnam.

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The few things I learned within the first couple of hours in Hanoi, were that the center of the capital of Vietnam literally is a jungle of traffic, especially motor bikes and scooters. And so much more blooms out of that issue. Crossing the street, seems at first sight impossible or suicidal, because absolutely no one stops his vehicule to let you cross the street.

 

Walking on the side walk ? The scooter-drivers park their bikes on the sidewalk, so there's barely, or absolutely, no space for pedestrians. During my first hours in Hanoi, i checked out the neighbourhood by walking on the street lane with the locals, and paying so much attention to avoid getting hit by a vehicle.

As my plane landed in the early morning at Hanoi's international airport, most of the passangers had to kill time, before checking-in. Luckily the hotel managers, figured out that a lot of planes hit Vietnam on early hours, so most of the hotels I stayed at, allowed early check-ins, around 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.

Nevertheless, me and other passengers, were walking around the most popular and central lake called „Hoan Kiem“. It attracts a lot of locals in the early morning, who are down for yoga, dancing classes or just jogging around Hoan Kiem.

At the lake, I quickly got in touch with different vietnamese people, in a good and a bad way. I will come back to that later. I was told a couple of facts about the city, obviously about its traffic, and why there were so many motor bikes all across of Vietnam. There are around 90 millions of people living in Vietnam. Most of them can't afford cars and opt for a scooter instead. There are lots of narrow alleys in Hanoi, which aren't accessible by car, therefor the scooter wins again. And of course the gas. Scooters consume less gas, and is budget-wise more attractive for the vietnamese folks. Car-parking in Hanoi... forget about it. It's pretty obvious, that you ride a scooter when you're living in Hanoi.

I didn't feel like being in a country's capital, after I checked out the area nearby my hotel. Most of the touristic sights are within walking distances. As soon as you get out of the city's limits, it feels like being on the country side. However in Hanoi you will be introduced to the vietnamese culture without any doubt; food, clothes, pride, politics, Ho Chi Minh, work, history. You will turn back home wiser and with a total different approach towards Vietnam. I figured out, that I absolutely knew nothing about the country, prior my arrival. 

In the very center of Hanoi, nothing looks luxurious. The streets are packed with streetfood-stalls, the sidewalks are blocked by thousands of motorbikes, and a lot of locals are just waiting to hunt some tourists to offer them a service. I got really annoyed a couple of days, when just everybody seemed to get into small-talk with me and later it tourned out, that they were trying to get to the money. 

Once you get the vibe of the city, it feels so satisfying, being able to walk everywhere in the city. No need for public transportation. The locals on the scooters give you a ride for 1 to 3 us$ (30.000 – 60.000 viet. dongs). Most of them are good drivers, so no need to worry.

Actually I got asked by a traveler „Hey don't you think that the vietnamese are really good drivers“. At first, I totally disagreed, and then I realized that she was so right. Ok, they don't stop and let you cross the street. They honk ALL the time. Some ride their bikes without a helmet, some ride them bare-foot. But considering the fact that there are so many bikers on the street, thousands of them, surrounded by still a lot of cars and cabs, no one ever stops, and still there are barely no accidents. During my 2 weeks in Vietnam I witnessed only 1 single accident. Two bikes, 5 people, were involved in the crash. The police, and the military, witnessed the accident, but no one helped, and the involved drivers, just drove off, with bloody scratches on their faces. Crazy!

 

How to cross the street in Hanoi

Well enough said about the traffic, but I gotta add a couple of lines, about „how to“ cross the street, if it's your first time in Vietnam. Be respectful towards cars and taxis, let them go first. When crossing the street, always keep eye-contact with the closest biker or driver, and they'll do the same. They will try to pass around you, and you can tell that by having eye contact. Constantly walk, until you feel that it's wiser to stop in the middle of the street. Actually it's so easy, once you get used to it. Do as the locals, just walk!

 

The endless streetfood stalls

The first few days, I really didn't know what to think of the local street food. I have had vietnamese food before, but mostly at restaurants. The scent of cooking, the smell of seafood, invading the street corners, initially made me avoid those places. It's obvious that the locals aren't used to the hygiene standards of the western world. Maybe they don't have to, because their food seems to be a lot fresher than ours. You get the food straight from the plantations or from the locals farmers. The differents foods are chopped on the sidewalk, and cooked on the sidewalk. The locals enjoy their dishes on tiny, yes TINY, plastic stools. Nothing fancy at all. After a while you start enjoying those little tables that look like kiddie's toys.

Everything in Hanoi, seemed to be totally different, from what I've experienced on my previous asian tavels in Japan or Hong Kong. Everything is simpler, and no one really gives a shit what it looks or smells like. The locals just want to enjoy delicious food, and the exquisite coffee. Quickly I figured out that „pho“ soup isn't pronounced „fo“ but „fa“, and that pho soup is rather a breakfast dish, than lunch food. The vietnamese spring-rolls wrapped in rice-paper are healthier than the chinese spring rolls, and got a lot more of flavour. „Bun Cha“ and „Banh Mi“ are very popular among the locals. „Bun Cha“ are pork meat-balls served in a broth, with rice-noodels aside. The „Banh Mi“ is the local sandwich, stuffed with different kind of meats and pickled veggies. 4 vietnamese spring rolls cost around 1$, the banh-mi was around 1$ as well, and the dinner I had for two people, 2 dishes for each of us, plus a bottle of water, cost around 5$ (for the whole kiddie table). Food is cheap in Vietnam, for as long as you don't go to the fancy places.

Oh yes, their coffee is so good. I couldn't stop mentioning that to my friends, that the vietnamese have such great coffee. On my bus ride to Halong Bay I was told that 90% of Vietnam's coffee are mostly „robusta“ beans, and not the popular arabica coffee, that is sold all over Europe. Robusta coffee is know for being stronger, containing more caffeine, but lacking the wide-range flavours of arabica coffee. As for myself, I love the strong taste of their coffee, and I don't agree that it lacks of flavours. I brought back home so many bags of different vietnamese coffee, and I am already trying to figure out, how I can import coffee from Vietnam. Another fact, that was unknown to me, that Vietnam is the second biggest coffee producer in the world.

 

Must-sees in Hanoi

What are my recommendations of Hanoi? I wouldn't say that Hanoi is THE city for touristic attractions. Surely there are lots of different spots and corners to check out in the capital, however it didn't feel like a capital trip to me. My favorite place to hang out for sunset, was the Hoan Kiem lake, close to most hotels, and right in the heart of the city.

During my stay in Hanoi I walked twice to the Long Bien bridge, known for its eye-catching architecture. From the middle of the bridge you get a beautiful view over a river, plantations, green fields, and you get a peep of what the country side of vietnamese suburbs look like. Only motorbikes, bicycles and pedestriants are allowed on the side-lanes of the bridge. No cars or trucks! The main middle lane of the bridge is used for train traffic. Walking from the lake towards the Long Bien bridge, you'll witness the traffic chaos on the main roads, and you'll walk across small typical Hanoi alleys where you will bump into the locals.

Below the Long Bien bridge is a daily food market, that mainly attracts vietnamese people, and barely no tourists. It's a lovely place for taking photographs, such a colorful place.

From that food market, walk westbound, and you'll get onto the West Lake, which is the biggest lake in the capital of Vietnam. Is it a pretty lake? Not really ... South of the West Lake lies the Ba Đình Square, where Ho Chi Minh declared the independance of Vietnam. Just next to the HCM Mausoleum, is the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the One Pillar Pagoda.

You get plenties of museums in Hanoi: the War-Museum, Hoa Lo Prison Museum, Hanoi Police Museum, Women's Museum, B52 Victory Museum, Hanoi Citadel Gate. I'm really not attracted by museums, however when i'm really in a tourist-mood, I try to check out one or two in the city. I was positively surprised by the police museum; reading the history of Hanoi's police force, they rather reminded me of a militia fighting the different secret services of France and the United States.

On the westside of the city, you can visit the Huu Tiep lake (B52 lake), which is a small pond, in which a B25 bomber crashed, after being shot down by vietnamese soldiers. It's actually not that impressive either.

Not far away from the popular Old Quarter, is the only remaining city gate. All others were destroyed during the war times.

You can do all the main city attractions withins 2 full days. Tons of tourist offices offer you day trips outside of the city, by motorbike or shuttle. 

What I liked most about Hanoi, was its atmosphere. Like i already mentioned above, it's not about the tourist-attractions or historic buildings. To me it was more about the vibe, moving with the locals, going through the traffic, savouring a delicious cup of coffee, sitting on a plastic chair and enjoying my spring-rolls or pho soup. Hearing stories of the bad times and good times of the country, getting in touch with the vietnamese culture ... being part of the vietnamese daily life. The locals showed me how to brew coffee in the vietnamese way, and how to prepare the dips for my spring rolls. That's what I loved about the city, and what i brought back home with me. It was a wonderful experience!

 

How to get a Visa

Prior your departure for Vietnam, check if your citizenship requires a travel visa. A couple of european countries, don't need to apply for a visa. As for myself, I needed to fill out a couple of documents, before starting my journey. So I used the website „Vietnam-Evisa.org“. Before landing in Hanoi, I had to get a „letter of approval“ before applying for VOA (Visa On Arrival).

Through the mentioned website, you'll get a letter of approval, through e-mail. It costs 19 US$, and it took about 2 to 3 days to get the email. The online company will send you a handwritten letter, with your name on it (including the names of other travelers). Print that letter out. At the airport, you'll have to hand out that letter of approval, 2 passport-photographs, and 25 US$ per person.

On the Vietnam-Evisa.org website, you can choose full package option, which apparently gives you the priority, and you won't have to wait in line. Of course you gotta pay extra for that! My plane landed around 6:30 a.m. and I only had to wait for about 10 minutes on a bench, til the officer handed me out my travel visa, which allowed me to travel through Vietnam for a whole month. In my case, I'm glad I didn't pay for the express option. As soon as you're passport is ready, they'll show your photograph on a screen. So pay attention to that screen, the officers won't call out your name.  

 

Useful informations

  • At the airport most of the ATMs only allow you to withdraw 2.000.000 dongs (80 euro, about 70-80 US$). They'll refuse your credit card, if you're trying to get more cash out of the ATM.
  • The taxi-ride costs 350.000 – 400.000 dongs, and it will take about 40 minutes to get to the Old Quarter in Hanoi, all depending on the traffic. I advise you, like in any other country, to avoid the cab drivers, who get in touch with you inside the airport building. It's been the first time, for a long time, that I fell right into the tourist trap again, and followed an unofficial cab-driver. He told me it would only cost 15 US$ to get to Hanoi. A couple of minutes later, the Hanoi police showed up, and they locked his car. Already in trouble after being half an hour in Hanoi. On my last day, my hotel called a private driver to bring me back to the airport, and it only cost around 250.000, cheaper than a taxi. Trust the hotels, but don't trust the fake cab drivers at the airport. 
  • While in Vietnam, the company „WAY2GO“, offers you a vietnamese sim-card for your mobile phone, which allows you to use a 3G connection, for unlimited mobile internet, during 15 days, all across the country. The sim-card costs 350.000 dongs (15 euro, 12-14 US$). Definitely worth it! The connection works pretty well in most areas, so that you get fluent skype calls and facetime chats. No need to look for a free-wifi spot anymore!
  • If you plan on booking train tickets, for the night-sleeper train, do that through your hotel. You'll get better rates and you surely won't get any surprises. Most of the vietnamese people aren't that fluent in english, and therefor it's always better, if a local can help you out, to avoid any misunderstandings.
  • In most parts of Vietnam, you can pay in U.S. Dollars or Vietnamese Dongs. If you're asking for the price, the vietnamese will mostly tell you the price in US$.
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Praha {1}.

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Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, has been on my check list for quite a while. It should have become the 4th city, i'd visit in eastern europe. 

Expectations were high, because I have had some truely amazing experiences in Moscow, Budapest, and Krakow. Sadly Prague didn't blow me away as the previous mentioned cities. I guess travel-blogging should allow posts, that wouldn't compliment the travel experience too much. Sadly Prague was one of the cities, I didn't or couldn't enjoy that much. But why?

First of all, the weather wasn't the best. If you travel by plane, to reach your destination, and the weather doesn't allow you take decent photos, or let you enjoy the sights in and around the city, the only fun you could get would be with indoor activities, like restaurants & bars.

On our first day, the weather wasn't on our side. We stayed in Praha 1, so it was obvious that we would visit the Old Town of Prague. Without any doubt the Old Town is beautiful. But after having experienced Budapest and Krakow, it just seemed like another "old town" to me. Nothing that impressed me much.

The scenery and view all over the city, reminded me a lot of Budapest, but with a bigger amount of tourists around me, fighting for the best spot to take a snapshot of Prague.

It takes you about 1 day to check out the Old Town. The highlight in my eyes was the walk over the world famous Charles Bridge. I was told that it would be even prettier at night, with the street lamps turned on, and the cast shadows on the old paved road.

At the main square I really enjoyed the "Church of Our Lady before Týn", and its pretty black towers. I didn't get the tourist's joy for the astronomical clock though. 

During our stay, there were easter markets all over the cities. The good thing was that we could get "Trdelník", a traditional czech cake, around every corner. The Trdelnik kinda was the highlight of my Prague trip. So delicious!

What I really missed in Prague, were the fancy or trendy pubs, coffee bars, restaurants, which I really enjoyed in Budapest or Krakow. The bars or restaurants in the Praha 1 area, looked very traditional and dull. Except the few absinthe bars! We did really enjoyed those. 

No interesting shopping avenue. No delightful restaurants. Too many irish pubs. Too many fierce bouncers.

Another downside was, that nothing was really cheap in Prague. The prices were alike to those in central Europe. Expect to pay triple the price, that you would get in the capital of Hungary or Poland. 

I only heard good echoes about Prague. Prague has made a name among the top travel cities in Europe. So in my opinion, the casual traveler, would go for Prague. If you've never visited eastern europe before, you will love Prague. If you haven't traveled much, you will love Prague as well ! In my case, I would send you straight to Budapest, and guarantee you a better time!

During the evening hours the center of Prague was packed with guys, mostly africans or local czechs, asking you for a strip show, pushing you towards the bars they were working for. Too many invitations for strip clubs. At some point we really had to tell them to "fxxx off". This was another downside, traveling as a group of 5 guys. 

We had good times in a 50s diner restaurant, called James Dean. The stairs to the basement of the restaurant, lead to a club, which was really packed after midnight ! We had our best times in that basement. Good music, good people, and fair prices on the drinks.

I wish I had read some books of the author Franz Kafka, before visiting Prague. You will find lots of "Kafka" in the city; statues, museums, mugs & books with Kafka's face on it. A Kafka Cafe. Well, a lot of Kafka!

After getting back home, I ordered my first novel of Franz Kafka. :) 

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Best Kōhī

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The japanese expression for "Coffee" is Kōhī ( コーヒー). Coffee is almost becoming as popular as the green tea. I guess you'll find more coffee bars in and around Tokyo, than tea-shops. Which actually comes in handy for myself. 

Before traveling back to Japan, more precisely to Tokyo, I informed myself in advance, which coffee places i'd would check out on my daily walks through the city. 

There was the place called "Mighty Step's Coffee Stop".  I first found out about it, through a video on the video-platform Vimeo. Click on the following link, to watch the beautifully produced video "DRIP FOR U". I was really looking forward to visit this store in Tokyo. It took us around 40 minutes to get from our hotel front porch to the the mighty step's bar. On my first visit, the shop was closed. What a bummer! Two days later, I tried to convince my friend to get back, because I really wanted to bring back home a cup with the shop's branding on it. I still didn't own a coffee cup from Japan in my mug collection.

After we walked in, we were warmly welcomed by the two baristas working at the shop. I was astonished how beautiful the tiny store was set up. The owner had put so much love and soul into that coffee bar, that was located in the entrance of a barber shop. 

"Mighty Step's Coffee Stop" offers different type of coffees, depending on its origins, and different flavours of ice-cream. The whole  package is beautifully served on a wooden tray as you can witness on my photo above. 

I walked by a lot of different bars, but this one got my whole attention within a heartbeat. The coffee-bar is located in Nihonbashi and only walking distance away from the Mitsukoshi-Mae metro station. 

On our daytrip to Kamakura, which is only an hour-train-ride away from the busy city of Tokyo, I randomly discovered a coffee spot called "Farm for you". The organic place was divided into a restaurant, coffee roastery, and a bakery. We just grabbed a cup of coffee from the outside, to enjoy the summer weather from the porch of the shop.

Once again, I could witness with how much love the barista, surrounded by different chemexes, a coffee roaster, and all sort of accessories, made the coffee for the customers. A cup of coffee was about 500 yen, and it was worth every single copper coin. Of course the coffee tasted best, with a piece of carrot cake! What a lovely place! Delicious columbian coffee!

MIGHTY STEP'S COFFEE STOP

4-3-14 Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

FARM TO YOU

由比ガ浜2-4-43
KAMAKURA, 神奈川県 〒248-0014

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TOKYO 東京都

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Ohhh Japan I can't get enough of you. Yesterday I turned back home from my third trip to Japan. Finally I feel confident enough to write a new post about this gigantic city of Tokyo. This was the second time I had visited Tokyo within a year.

I can't tell that it is one of my favorite cities, but I appreciated Tokyo everytime, because it has so much to offer. Nevertheless it never comes easy! The capital of Japan, formerly known as Edo, is sooo H.UG.E. The public transportation system is almost flawless, the japanese train network is the best one i've ever experienced. However it can easily take up to 45 minutes, to reach your destination.

So in my case, I really wanted to have a pit-stop at different coffee-shops or jazz-bars, while wandering through the city. However sometimes it took me 40 minutes of a subway ride to get my special treat, and if you keep fullfilling your little wishes on a daily basis, it's gonna cost you a lot of time and energy.

On my first trip, I stayed 6 nights in Tokyo, and this time I stayed another 6 nights. I guess I've visited the most famous spots in the city, and still I haven't witnessed all the magic of that vivid metropolis.

I could list the most interesting parts of Tokyo on this post, but other bloggers, and travel-websites have already done this before me. Check google, and you will get endless lists of the "must-sees" of Tokyo.

I will write you, what made Tokyo special in my opinion.

After my first experiences in Tokyo, and after having read several books of the famous japanese writer Haruki Murakami, I got my own vision of the capital. I put my main focus on music, food, bars, coffee, and the "traditional" sights.

After New York City, comes Tokyo, which shows a lot of interest for Jazz, Soul, and Blues Music. There are endless jazz venues, soul bars, and the tiny cosy pubs which only host a handful of customers. Those places will give you the nostalgic feel of these old, but never fading, music genres. There are some famous places like "The Blue Note", "New York" (remember the bar from Lost in Translation?), "The Cotton Club". In almost every part of Tokyo you will find a cosy jazz bar, with dimmed lights, and the smell of whiskey and cigarettes crawling out underneath those wooden doors. In Shinjuku, at the popular nightlife district called "Golden Gai", you get the choice of a 100 to 200 bars. Even Quentin Tarantino loves to spend some time at the bar "La jetée" in Golden Gai, while he's in town. Most of them can only host 4 to 10 people. It's all about the intimate athmosphere, where strangers meet the locals. I was told that foreigners wouldn't be welcomed at "Golden Gai", but i can't agree with that. In almost every bar I've been to, I got in touch with japanese locals, and I felt very welcome. Ok, it might have been because of the booze! :) Besides the bars & clubs, you can spend hours at record stores. Vinyls still seem to be very popular in Japan. There are plenties of record stores! And last but not least, expect to find a good concert every evening. Check out the website "Songkick", enter the actual city, and you get a list of what's going on, concert wise, at night.

Food, Food, Food... everywhere. But where should we start? I really can't recommend you any restaurants. I never had a bad lunch in Japan. And there are millions of different food places in Tokyo. Ramen-Shops, udon & soba restaurants, izakayas, streetfood- stalls, food-courts... You get the idea! After breakfast, I was already thinking about what I could or should get for lunch. Japanese food is so delicious, and they have a lot of different dishes to check out. Feel free to check out my previous blog-post about the diversity in japanese cuisine: Itadakimasu. Before I forget, don't think that the sushi at the Tsukiji Fish Market is the best you're going to find in Tokyo. There are a couple of sushi shops at Tsukiji. For some restaurants you will need to wait in line for half an hour, until they let you squeeze yourself along the customers to get a seat. And all that early in the morning at 7:00am, when you're looking forward to get the freshest sushi for breakfast. We opted for a different one. Hey it's just sushi! And you're not getting a reservation at Jiro's restaurant! It's still a fish market. The sushi we got, was certainly fresh, it gets delivered directly from the market. But it was the only place, where the waiter was rather unpolite, and it was a lot more expensive than at different places in the center of Tokyo. During this trip I got my best sushi at a small local not-fancy place. So don't expect too much from Tsukiji Market. If you're traveling with kids, avoid the market as well, it doesn't take much to get hit by those tiny delivery trucks racing all over the place.

Green tea, matcha, we've all tasted it in Japan, and we all loved it. We tried matcha-motchis, matcha-kitkat, matcha-cake, matcha-baumkuchen.... Everything is matcha in Japan!  But don't forget about the coffee! There is no lack of coffee culture in Tokyo. Expect to find the same fancy places where hipsters hang out, the snobby neo-modern coffee corners, or the classic coffee bars, which have been in Tokyo for ages. There's a coffee-bar for everyone's taste! I checked out a couple of coffee spots in Tokyo, and will write a blog-post about it later.  

Ok, breakfast, coffee, lunch, tea or coffee, dinner. How are we supposed to put anything else between those free spots in our travel-schedule?

My three favorite spots to hang out in Tokyo, til today, would be Asakusa, Shinjuku and Shibuya. Asakusa is surrounded by the Senso-Ji temple, the Kaminarimon gate, lots of tourist stores which sell kimonos, wooden sandals, tenugui towels, and endless izakayas and restaurants. If you get over the tourists in that area, you can enjoy the "tradional" vibe in that area. It's one of the few places that reminded me of Kyoto or Osaka, two japanese cities, who have of lot more of japanese culture to offer. Especially at night it can be very charming. Call it a tourist trap, but I enjoyed Asakusa everytime I spent some time over there.

Shinjuku and Shibuya are almost alike. Shinjuku is on the adult side, and Shibuya attracts more of the younger crowds. Both parts offer the right mix of shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. If i'd have to spend the nigth in Tokyo, I would go to one of either places. But again, there are too many bars and food places. Just walk through the streets, and hop in. Lots of famous places are located on a higher floors, or just in the basement of a bigger building.

Another concern would be the night trains, there are none! So if you plan on going out in Tokyo, you gotta jump on the last train home, around midnight or 00:30am, or you go through the night, and catch the first train in the morning around 05:30. Taxis get VERY expensive in Tokyo, we did it once, and learned from it. On weekends a lot of people stay out til the early morning. It's always safe to get home later, you won't be alone, and with a little luck, you'll have a last goodnight party on the train.

If you're traveling alone, and dont' feel confortable going out alone, i'd recommend you to join the official pubcrawl : Tokyo Pub Crawl. It costs 2500 - 3000 yen. You get a free welcome shot, free shots while hopping from bar to bar, and after 2 or 3 bars, you get free entrance at a club, and of course you get a special discount with every drink order. So it's worth the money. The night we joined the crawl, there were easily around 50 people at the party, and it was a lot of fun. The crawl made it really easy to get in touch with people. Most of them were travelers, some were expats living in Tokyo, or japanese people who wanted to improve their language skills.

Let's get back to Shinjuku! Another important part of Shinjuku is its beautiful and colorful park. It's the nicest I visited in Tokyo. You have to pay a tiny entrance fee of 200 or 300 yen. But it's super clean, no weirdos hanging around, no bums. Enjoy the park ! You will love it! It's a must-see while you're in Shinjuku.

I visited Tokyo in march this year, and last year it was rather the end of spring. So after I experienced the colder temperatures in Japan, I definitely recommend you to visit Japan in spring! It makes such a big difference. The flowers and trees will be blooming, more colors everywhere. Hardly any rain in spring or summer. Especially the parks will be busier and offer a nicer color-palette than during the colder months.

Usefull Informations:

  •  If you plan on entering Tokyo, or leaving for the airport by train, take the Skyliner-Express train! It costs around 2300 yen for a oneway-ticket, which is still cheaper than the regular JR LINE EXPRESS. But the Skyliner takes only 45 minutes, JR train around 80 minutes. When you get back to Narita Airport, you can catch the Skyliner-Express at the UENO station, to avoid the human traffic on bigger train stations. Look for the blue KEISEI-Line, and follow the signs. 
     
  • At the airport, or a the main train stations, you can rent a mobile wifi. This time I had the chance to rent a mobile device at our ryokan for 500 yen a day. It was so worth it! Reading street signs, and comparing them on a street map, can be so confusing, while "Google Maps" makes it way much easier to walk around the city. The mobile wifi device offers you a wifi spot, all over the city. Just put it on your bag or pocket, and you can get online anywhere, even on the subway. It saves you a lot of time and patience.
  • While having free wifi in your pocket, make your journey even more easier with the smartphone app "Tokyo Subway Navigation". Check out the place  you're aiming to visit on google-maps, and look for the nearest subway station. Enter the name of the station into the mobile application "Tokyo Subway Navigation", and it will tell you, which train line you need to take, how long it's gonna take, and it reveals you the exact price of the ride. You don't need to follow the colored subway line with your index finger anymore, to find out which is the fastest and easiest transfer line. The app does it all for you! 
 



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City of Angels

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I apologize for a lack of recent updates, however I had to cancel my 2 recently planned trips, out of personal issues, and lack of finances. 2016 will be another fulfilled year with lots of travels, new stories to tell, and new friendships.

While waiting for my upcoming trip, I decided to write a post about the gigantic city of Los Angeles, California. As I was writing in my previous blog-posts that I used to be a legit fan of California, I've visited Los Angeles too many times. On each trip, there was always something new I could discover.

By the way, my very first trip to the U.S., was in Los Angeles. I instantly fell in love with it. Sadly people don't ever tell anything cheerful about L.A. It's very often considered as a dangerous & filthy city, with too many superficial californians living in a superficial bubble.

Well, in my opinion, there's a lot more to discover, besides the superficial people trying to stay in the perfect shape, or spending money on Melrose.

Here are my favorite spots in L.A., which I'd suggest to anyone who's curious about discovering the diversity of the city.

  • Santa Monica

You got it! It's the very touristic part of Los Angeles, where tourists crawl through "3rd street Promenade", and where too many shots of the Santa Monica Pier are taken. However everbody loves Santa Monica, it gives you the feeling of a summer vacation, and you can reach the beach within a couple of minutes. It's the perfect location for a hotel. And so many delicious restaurants and fancy cocktail bars are just right there in the neighbourhood.

I love the flair, of the old Santa Monica pier, and its amusement park, that everybody knows from the cheesy lovestory-movies. It's a safe area, and a very vivid location for night-walks.

  • El Pueblo

As you could have figured out by its name, El Pueblo, is a hispanic neighbourhood in the historic district of the city-center of Los Angeles. It was one of the last spots that I discovred in L.A. Actually it was very entertaining, still a little bit too touristic, but I totally enjoyed it. While spending a few days in the LA area, it's easy to notice that the hispanic culture has a big impact on the whole city. The buildings, the colors, and latino population all over the city. Lots of spanish words in the streets.

  • Venice

Who doesn't know Venice Beach? Ever heard about Arni's muscle beach? The tv show Californication? The legendary Dogtown, from the 80s legendary skateboard era... There's so much to discover in Venice Beach, too much street art, different music artists along the beachwalk of Venice. The diversity of people: rappers, dancers, hippies, bodybuilders, stoners, ... a whole melting-pot of different nations. 

Venice Beach is the perfect spot for nightlife. A lot better than Santa Monica, if you're staying in that area. People are a lot more laid back than in Santa Monica, where the locals mostly consist of waiters & vallets.

I love observing the people walking by... watching the hispanics play squash with their hands, streetballers doing alley-oops, the skaters grinding all over the skate-pools, the bodybuilders pumping iron. It's a fest for photographers. There are just too many subjects to take photos of.

 

  • Hollywood

Too many times, I spoke out my repulsive thoughts about Hollywood. Once you walked along the Hollywood's walk of fame, you gotta admit, that the streets aren't as glamarous as they're often considered in the medias. Drug addicts, bums, lo-fi comedians, ... annoying the tourists, asking for change. There streets are very filthy, there's trash on every corner. BUT... everytime I visit Hollywood, I bump into new streetart murals, I discovery new lovely shops, and I love passing a couple of hours at L.A.'s biggest record store called "Amoeba". As a music aficionado, you can have a drink at legendary venues, where your dad's favorite band used to play gigs in the 70s. Last but not least, there's the Hollywood letters left in the background. As soon as I discover the Hollywood sign from far out on the highway, I feel like i made it to Los Angeles. :)

  • Beaches

There are far too many beaches you can visit all along the shore of Los Angeles. Malibu, Venice, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Hermosa, Huttington, ... Each of them has its own charm. Sometimes I just expected too much, but actually there's nothing fancy about Californian beaches, except the vivid alleys of Venice Beach.

One year I stayed at Hermosa Beach, because I was on a budget. It takes you approximately 30-40 minutes to get from Santa Monica to Hermosa by car. Hotels are way cheaper in Hermosa. Less crowded streets, and the beachpubs close the the famous surfer-statue leave a much more local impression, than the other touristic spots.

 

Well it's LOS ANGELES! How about watching the Lakers play, the Dodgers hitting a couple of homeruns. Check out a concert in Hollywood, Anaheim, or Venice Beach. Fancy a shopping tour on Melrose Avenue or in Beverlyhills.

I love visiting movie locations in Los Angeles. The old diner of Pulp Fiction's opening scene, the house of "Six Feet Under", the locations of "Californication", LA's China Town where Jacky Chan's "Rush Hour" was shot, Malibu's pier from Liam Neeson's "Taken 3". The search-engine google will help you finding out the exact adress of the different locations.

Rent a car, drive all along the beaches, on Mulholland drive through the Santa Monica Mountains, towards Hollywood. Enjoy the views, the cityscapes, the colours, the people. You will love it!



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Itadakimasu ! {ただきます}

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Itadakimasu, is what japanese people say before having a meal.

Actually this article won't be a review, or a post about a random city. It will be a little tip, about what to eat in Japan. I remember when I got back from my first Japan trip, I noticed way too late, that I didn't focus enough on the local dishes.

The Japanese people put so much effort and passion in their cooking, even on the streetfoods that you get around every corner. At first sight, and as japan-newbie, you hardly don't see the soul behind their cooking. Most dishes are very simple to prepare, if you got the right ingredients, and that's maybe the main raison, that you can only achieve a high quality cooking through experience, and precise details on how to prepare the food.

On my second trip, I wanted to taste as much japanese food, and as many different dishes, as possible. There were moments, where I had 3 ramen soups a day. I went from cheap sushi to the top-notch chef's "Omakase". The term "Omakase" {お任せ} means that you get a sushi-menu based on a selection from the chef. The food you will be served, will have the chef's signature, which means you get the best sushi of the restaurant. And usually you will be able to watch the chef preparing the sushi, piece by piece. You will eat 1 sushi at a time.

While being in Japan, I also noticed that, it's hard for a traveler to discover japanese dishes. Great local dishes, actually don't look that fancy on the menu that they will hand you out, when having a seat at a restaurant. The names of the dishes will be in japanese, so you usually choose something that you know, or recognize on the photos.

But I was glad, that I made some friends in Japan, and they introduced me to the most famous and traditional food experiences you can discover in Japan. 

 

Ramen {ラーメン}

Ramen is a very popular noodle soup in Japan. There are millions of Ramen restaurants all across Japan, from fancy restaurants to street carts. Some are even open til late at night. After long partying nights, I always had a recovering ramen just before going to bed! People don’t mind lining up for hours to get in, as long as it’s good.  I can't imagine one single person who wouldn't like Ramen. There are many different kinds of soups, but there's three basic types of Ramen: Shyoyu (soy sauce), Miso, and Shio (salt).  Usually pork, chicken or seafood broth is used for the base of the soup, and that is then seasoned with soy sauce, miso, or salt. It's a fest! Try it, and love it! And another good point, it's a budget meal! The usual price you have to pay for a quality ramen is around 600 ¥ {4 euro, 5 US$).

 

Takoyaki {たこ焼き}

Takoyaki is a popular Japanese street food, made from grilled balls of seasoned batter with small pieces of octopus inside. On top of that you usually get some Katsuobushi, or Bonito flakes, spices and a twist of the local japanese mayonnaise. 
Originating from Osaka, Takoyaki is one of the most common foods you will see there, as well as at festivals and special events all over the Japan. In Osaka you will notice much more Takoyaki food shops than in Tokyo. In my opinion, it's not my first choice when it comes to the local dishes, however once in a while I will have some Takoyaki, just because all the Osakans or the japanese tourists are fighting to get a sample of those octopus balls. And again, another budget snack !

 

Okonomiyaki
{お好み焼き}

Okonomiyaki is a traditional Japanese food that is sometimes called "The Japanese Pancake". It's a savory dish that reminds you of an omelette and it's made with okonomiyaki flour, eggs, cabbage, pork, shrimp or other seafood, and topped with a variety of condiments. On top of that you get the sweet Okonomi sauce (which reminded me of our barbecue sauce), mayonnaise, dried seaweed and dried fish flakes. I know it doesn't sound THAT appetizing, but you can trust me, it's a just a food bomb with hundreds of different flavors. 
Florence, a girl I met in Hiroshima, introduced me to the Okonomiyaki, apparently you get the best one in Hiroshima. So she took me to a foggy, and rundown fastfood restaurant. It was hidden on the 3rd floor of an old building, impossible to find! The first thing I noticed was the huge cooking hotplate. The owner of the shop prepared the amazing Okonomiyaki in front of us, and we got it served on that same hotplate. No plates. All we got was a spatula to cut the pancake in even pieces, and some chopsticks. To me it first looked like another fast-food snack, but I was so wrong. Okonomiyaki was one of the eye-opening dishes I discovered in Japan. As an amateur cook, I love trying out japanese dishes at home. Okonomiyaki was one of the only dishes I totally failed at preparing. Don't get blinded by its simplicity!

 

Soba Noodles {そば }

Soba Noodles, might look like plain spaghettis without sauce. On my first trip I never ordered Soba at a restaurant, I just didn't see the point of ordering noodles without a sauce. And on my second trip, Maya took me out for lunch in Osaka. I ordered some Tempura, fried vegetables, and the Soba as a side dish. While waiting for our lunch, I noticed that all the people around me, were having Soba noodles as well. After reading an article about the Soba culture in Japan, I learned that Soba noodles, made out of buckwheat flour,  are healthier than the western spaghettis. They contain more essential amino acids, and antioxidants. Soba noodle can be served hot or cold. The cold ones are very refreshing on hot summer days. They're topped with scallions, wasabi, and a Tsuyu dipping sauce {made out of soy sauce, mirin, dashi}. The mixed flavours of the noodles, sauce and scallions, makes it all worth it. Soba is a traditional Tokyo dish from the Edo era. Budget again!

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OREGON COAST.

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I've seen lots of beaches, shores, coasts all across the different states of the USA. However if I had to pick a favorite one it would definitely be the Oregon coast. Sadly I won't be able to oversaturate you with helpful informations about the state of Oregon. All I could discover within a couple of days was the lovely city Portland and the shore area Cannon Beach. 

I exactly remember the first second I noticed the Haystack Rock in front of us, while sitting in our rental car, and the music of "The Album Leaf" was playing on the radio. It was an instant of pure beauty, watching upon the rock, and hearing the melodies in the background. It's been told that Haystack Rock would be the 3rd biggest intertidal (reachable from the land) sea stack in the world! 

We were on our way from Seattle, south-bound towards California. So when leaving Portland after two days, we decided to drive west, and follow the highway all along the Oregon coast. I'd recommend Oregon to every single one, who loves nature and the sea. I wish I could have spent more time in the area, however we only had 3 weeks to do the whole west coast, and most of our hotels were already pre-booked back then.

Don't expect any palmtrees, and crowds of tourists sunbathing on the beach. That's the main difference between southern-californian sand beaches and the rocky cliffs of the Oregon shore. I will high probably visit Oregon in 2016 again, and bring back a lot more of useful informations about its beautiful state.

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KØBENHAVN.

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Copenhagen was my first experience in one of the scandinavian countries, and i guess it was the right city to visit first. Copenhagen isn't too big, it's the perfect city-size for a weekend trip. Do it like the danes ... grab a bike and explore the city!

Below you'll find a map with my favorite spots in the city:

{YELLOW}  Nyhavn
{GREEN} Christiania
{BLUE} Tivoli
{RED} Orsteds Park, Botanical Garden, Peblinge lake

I gotta be honest, I wasn't well prepared, and didn't know anything about Copenhagen. All I knew was, that they served great food, own an impressive music scene, and got lots of beautiful danes. We decided to hit Copenhagen by car and the ferry, that we took on the german shore. Seven hours of driving, 1 hour on the ferry, and another 90 minutes to reach Copenhagen.

We  booked a double room at the WAKE-UP hotel, for an unbelievable cheap rate. The good thing about the hotel, was its central location, and the indoor-parking lot just below the hotel. The lobby and check-in desk, were just a few steps away from our car. 

The Tivoli amusement park was in the same neighbour-hood. Amusement park sounds more like a playground for kids, but that wasn't the case. The vintage touch of Tivoli, the green areas in the center of the park, sunbeds, restaurants and bars, ... all this made me appreciate the park as well. It's a nice place to relax with your girlfriend or kids after a vivid sightseeing day.

Christiania probably was the most eye-opening part of our trip. It's considered as a free-state right in the heart of Copenhagen. Taking photos behind the walls, which surround Christiania, is not allowed. As soon as you try to get one single photo of the location, there's already someone shouting at you, or tapping on your shoulder. The main reason would be, that you're allowed to buy just any kind of drugs. To avoid that the "dealers" could be recognized on tourists' photos, the use of cameras is not allowed. Besides the drugs, it still looks like the common danish neighbourhood. Plenty of wooden houses, a big lake, diy (do-it-yourself) markets and shops, a beer-garden, ... and no cars. That same night, after we had visited Christiania, i read a couple of articles, about the riots and shootings, when the governement tried to take over that part of the city. As far as I could experience Christiania it felt like a very peaceful place. 

I just loved Nyhavn. The lovely harbor alley, where a narrow canal leads to the big sea. The alley is packed with restaurants, bars, and some tattoo parlours. Enjoy some delicious sea food, watch the hipsters sitting next to the canal, and the danes docking their boats. It's a very busy and crowded place. At the end of the alley, you will notice the NOMA restaurant, just across the river. NOMA has been considered for a couple of years, as being the best restaurant in the world. In Nyhavn you can buy a ticket for a boat-tour. Usually i'm not a big fan of guided bus tours, but the boat tour, will bring you to areas, which are only accessible by boat. Totally worth it!

I discovered the northern part of the city center on a quiet sunday morning. I was looking for the tattoo parlour of a very famous danish tattoo artist. I planned to check out all the single parks which were on my path to the studio. I walked through Orsteds Park, the Botanical Garden with its castle to cross the bridges of the  Peblinge lake. Well they weren't the most prettiest parks I've been at so far, but it felt like the right spot to visit on a sunday morning, if you're just fed up with crowded streets, and the millions of bicycles passing by. Yes I said millions... if you think you've seen loads of cycles in Amsterdam, well, you haven't visited Copenhagen yet!

For early bookers, Copenhagen can be a bargain if you're on a budget. Food and alcohol isn't as expensive as in Sweden, or Norway. I barely couldn't notice a difference in prices compared to our capital in Luxembourg. I'm definitely going back pretty soon. There's still so much left undiscovered, and next time I'll do my homework, and visit the city better prepared.


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TOKIO {BUDAPEST}

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I just returned back home from my 3rd trip to the lovely city of Budapest. After visiting and testing some of their fantastic restaurants, I knew within a heartbeat that I got to write about the great japanese fusion restaurant "TOKIO" in Budapest, which is located nearby the St. Stephan Basilica, at Zrinyi Street.

On my very first trip I tried different kinds of makis, and they were all delicious. Of course they didn't blew me away like the ones I had in Japan. But I gotta admit, they put much more creativity and details on their sushis and makis at "TOKIO". It's just the right fusion of japanese and european cuisine. 

The chicken ramen was very delicious as well. Not as a fatty as the ones I tried in Japan. I guess they adapted it to the 37°C we had outside, while having lunch. Some light soja dashi & tare, vegetables, chicken, thin sliced scallions... a fest!

This time I tried their bento box. It was just too hot outside, to have a bigger lunch. The bento box consisted of some fried tofu with spicy mushrooms, gyozas, avocado makis, a salad, prawns tempura. Every small mouth-watering dish in that bento box, fulfilled the expectations of my japanese heart.

Another huge plus of the restaurant is its very colorful, and eye-catching design, that reminds you of of the "Bladerunner" city. The tables, chairs, and bar look rather classy. What a catch !

Compared to other restaurants in the city, it's quite pricey. Expect to spend at least 30 euro {36 us$} for an average size lunch, with drinks. The sushis & makis are pretty expensive, for a city, where drinking and eating is considered as rather cheap. But for myself, it was totally worth it. 

I always got the finest table service, which is also included in the final price. Therefor, no tip needed. 

Great location, great views, lovely waiters, an eye-catching design, delicous food... enjoy "TOKIO". Oishii ne !?

Adress: 1051 BUDAPEST, SZÉCHENYI T 7-8
Website: tokiobudapest.com

 

 

 

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San Francisco in 24 hours

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San Francisco should have been my first blog-post about the U.S. cities, because I admire it a lot. I already visited San Francisco more than 5 times, and it never gets old. It's one of the most liberal, laid back and colorful cities you will ever discover in the United States of America. People always ask me, how many days they should plan on spending in SF. Believe it or not, you can experience the most popular parts of San Francisco within a day, if you leave your hotel very early in the morning. Of course, the ideal time for your visit should be around 3 to 4 nights.

Every time I get back to my favorite city in California, I'm mostly traveling with different people, and I have to introduce them to the beautiful city of San Francisco. Below you can see a map, how I start my journey:

  1. {green} Union Square
  2. {blue} North Beach / Coit Tower
  3. {yellow} Bay Area
  4. {orange} Lombard Street
  5. {grey} Alamo Square
  6. {red} Haight-Street
  7. {pink} Castro

 

UNION SQUARE

I usually try to get a hotel around Union Square, even though it's the less charming part of the city. It's surrounded by the most common shops and shopping malls, that you will find in any other U.S. city. But Union Square is always busy, and mostly very safe at night. There's a big selection of restaurants and bars, and some of those are busy every day, so you don't lose time on finding a right spot to socialise with the locals or other travelers. During my stay in San Francisco, I always get food at The Old Siam Thai, it's cheap, always delicious, and their service is super fast. Try the Thai-Icetea!

NORTH BEACH

If you walk straight up north from Union Square, you will walk all the way through Chinatown, til you reach North Beach, the italian neighbourhood of SF. There's not "that much" to check out in Chinatown, nor in North Beach. But I love having a coffee at the TRIESTE cafe. It's very italian-like, and you can watch the locals getting by and grabbing a coffee. Considering some articles I read online, Francis Ford Coppola wrote much of his screen-play for his masterpiece "Godfather" in that coffee-bar. 

Move up north, and check out the small, but lovely Coit-Tower. You will notice the tower, from too many places all around San Francisco. It's located on the top of a hill. For only a couple of bucks, you can get on top of the tower, to take some beautiful photographs of the city.

"Saint Peter & Paul Church" is located west of the Coit-Tower, the church where Marilyn Monroe, and the legendary baseball player Joe Dimaggio got married. 

BAY AREA

Still head up north, til you reach the beautiful bay area of the city. Check out "Pier 39", do some shopping, grab some delicious sea-food, and take some photos of Alcatraz Island. "Pier 39" is a very touristic place, but you will still enjoy it, if it's your first trip to San Francisco. The sea lions, the Fisherman's Wharf sign, the last cablecar stop, ... there's so much "San Francisco" in the bay area, and of course the straigh view on the Golden Gate bridge [if it's not too foggy]. That's usually the place where I have my lunch/brunch. Visiting Alcatraz will cost you lot a of time, and mostly you gotta wait a couple of hours after you bought your tickets. Sometime it's even soldout and you need to get a ticket for a different day.

After filling your stomach with seafood, walk west towards the Aquatic Cove, and from that point it goes uphill again, til you reach the famous curvy Lombard Street. 

 

ALAMO SQUARE

If you feel like it's becoming a long day already, or if you wanna save some energy for the evening, get a cab for a couple of bucks, and take a ride to Alamo Square. Everybody will recognize Alamo Square from the Tv-Serie "Fullhouse". Sit back, enjoy the view, and drink a delicious coffee at one of the coffee-places around the square.

 

HAIGHT STREET

From Alamo Square, you're only a couple of blocks away from Haight Street and the beautiful Buenavista Park, however it will take you 30-45 minutes to walk through its green area. Follow Haight Street towards Golden Gate Park, and discover the craziness, the hippies, and the creative shops of Haight Street. Love it, or hate it! I love spending some hours in the local clothing shops, book stores, and of course the holy music store called Amoeba. If you love buying records or CDs, Amoeba is a must! It's the biggest music store I've ever been to.

After Haight Street, it's up to you, if you prefer visiting the Golden Gate Park, and its Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, the Botanical Garden, or Stow Lake. The second alternative would be the worldfamous gay neighbourhood called CASTRO.  I'd recommend Castro.  Golden Gate Park is just too big, to walk through it. Save the park-tour for a different day, take a bus ride and check out the peaceful and colorful Castro area. Everybody who visited Castro, loved it... trust me. :)

 

You've made it ! You've seen "a lot" of San Francisco on your first day, but there's still so much to check out in San Francisco. I'd never recommend to visit the city in one single day. It's just too much at a time, and you will not enjoy, nor discover the big heart of the city.

But if you're only having a stop-over in San Fran, i'd recommend following this plan.

 

 

 

 

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Istanbul

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I just turned back home from the beautiful turkish city Istanbul. It was my first trip to Turkey, so I really didn't know what to expect from that multicultural city. We spent 5 nights in the area of Karakoy, which apparently is becoming Istanbul's hotspot.

 

Istanbul is divided into 3 main areas :

  • Eminönü & Fatih 
  • Beyoglu & Besiktas 
  • and the asian shore Üsküdar & Kadiköy.

Eminönü & Fatih

Eminönü and Fatih are located in the older part of Istanbul, which is famous for its mosques and lots of historical buildings like Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia. It was the first area I visited on our first day in Istanbul. We spent a whole day on that side of the city, and we could have spend another whole day to check out every corner on the west-side. Among the mosques you will find countless streets filled with markets, the Grand-Bazaar and the famous Spice-Market. At different times a day you will hear the prayers through the speakers who are attached on the mosque's towers. For myself it was the most interesting and unique part of Istanbul, and it's the place where you certainly will feel like a total stranger.

 

Beyoglu & Besiktas

We stayed at the hotel Grandiva in Karakoy, just across the Galata Bridge at the modern part of Istanbul. In my opinion it was the best spot for a hotel. You could reach the old part of Istanbul within a 10-minutes walk, and it took the same time to reach the Galata Tower. From Galata Tower, it's easy to get to the Istiklal avenue, a super long avenue, which leads to the popular Taksim area.

It felt like, that the modern area had culturally less to offer than Eminönü, but still there was so much to check out: too many restaurants, different spots where nightlife takes place, an endless shopping street, streetfood-stalls, and many historical buildings.

The neighbourhood of the Galata Tower was packed with a diversity of people, the youngsters, the hipsters, the older generation, the hippies. In the evening many people were sitting on the pavement around the tower to chit-chat, and share food & drinks.

While walking down the less attractive Istiklal avenue, you had the choice between hundreds of restaurants, from every price-range. After dinner, we hit the Taksim block, which was filled with quite a diversity of bars and smaller clubs. Arsen Lüpen would be an interesting bar to check out. On thursday nights, they host a jam-session, where everyone can join the stage, to play an instrument or sing with other musicians. No entrance fee, some crazy dancing and lots of fun!

On our second last night in Istanbul, we met a lovely local girl who brought us to the nightlife-heart of Karakoy which is located on Mumhane street and Kemankes street. It was the hippest part we discovered in Istanbul, and i'm pretty sure, the next time I'm gonna visit Istanbul again, this will be the place I'm going to hang out every night! It's the most attractive nightlife spot, and it's packed with too many beautiful people.

At the Grandiva Hotel we had the chance to get delicious breakfast in the morning. However if you miss the breakfast-hour, check out the Güney restaurant next to Galata Tower. It offers a variety of typical turkish breakfasts, for an affordable price of course! And you get taken care of by some turkish hipsters :). 

 

Prince's Islands

On our third day we planned walking towards the Bosphorus Bridge, but it was just too far away from out hotel. At the first ferryboat station, we decided to buy a ticket to get to the asian side of Istanbul faster. As a total stranger in Istanbul, we didn't thought about carrying our passport. 

We opted to check out one of the 9 princes' islands. Büyükada is the biggest one. A ferry ticket to the big island was around 6 turkish liras [2 euro, 3 us$]. A bargain! But we didn't know it would take us 2 hours to reach the island! 2 hours with too many people aboard, and we got a free sunburn. If you get the chance to catch a direct ferry from Istanbul to Büyükada or the other way around, it will still take you an hour at least.

Different travel-websites recommended to visit at least one of the islands, and considered Büyükada and Adalar as a must-see. I wouldn't recommend the island of Büyükada to anyone. It definitely was a beautiful place. So many beautiful victorian houses, no cars allowed on the island, lots of nature and parks, and great views of the ocean. But that was all it had to offer. The pier-area, where you get off the ferry, is packed with too many tourists, and every shop-owners wants you to buy food, drinks, and just any kind of presents. Once you get out of that mass of people, you're slowly walking into the silent streets of the city. 

But there are just too many horse-carriages on the streets of Büyükada. The constant noise of the horse-shoes ruins the vibe of the island. Most restaurants look very touristic, most people you will walk by will be tourists, and the shops are tourist-traps as well. 

If you love hiking or if you are into floral photography, it's definitely a place to check out. If you prefer the city life and hunting for must-see-spots of Istanbul, I wouldn't recommend you "Büyükada".

 

My thoughts about Istanbul

To be honest, the first 48 hours, I didn't have the feeling of being welcomed by the turkish people, especially the turkish men. It wasn't as bad as in Moscow, but still I had mixed feelings for Istanbul. Most of the men were unfriendly, not helpful towards tourists, some bumped into you without apologizing, even at the bars or restaurants, there was barely no communication. You could hardly notice a smile on their faces.

Things changed when we went out at night. Different hours, different people. It was quite easy to get into conversations with the locals. Especially with girls. Most of the women & girls, religious or non-religious, were super friendly, and totaly helpful. They showed us different places in the city, and introduced us to the turkish cuisine: turkish coffe followed by a coffee-ground-clairvoyance, the delicious streetfood mussels, turkish Ayran [iced water, yogurt, salt], and other turkish street food specialties.

We met many lovely turkish people! And during my last hours in Turkey, when we headed back to the airport, I felt like I needed to get back to Istanbul very soon! There's still so much to discover, so many turkish dishes to check out, and too many lovely Turks to meet. 

 

Useful informations

  • The taxi-ride from Atatürk airport to the Galata Bridge takes about 35 to 45 minutes, and costs around 50-60 turkish liras [20 euros, 24 us$].
  • Food is cheap. Booze isn't. A menu at a touristic restaurant [entree & main dish] with water and a glass of wine mostly costs around 20-30 euros [26-34 us$]. Longdrinks costs 25 turkish liras [7-9 euros, 10-11us$]. Cheapest drinks would be water, softdrinks and beer.
  • A single ticket for the tram-ride in the city center costs 4 TL [1.3 euros, 2us$]
  • A one-way ferry ticket costs around 4-6 TL.

 

 

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Kyoto & Osaka & Nara

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In my last two years I visited 8 cities in Japan. If you plan on spending only a couple of days in Japan, I totally advise you to visit these 3 cities: Kyoto, Osaka, Nara. 

 

Osaka would be the best city for your hotel. It's located inbetween Nara and Kyoto. Both cities are reachable with a 40 minutes train ride. Osaka is the most laid back city of all three, and it offers the most entertaining nightlife. Beautiful nights are spent just next to the Dotonbori river, which is surrounded by a universe of neon-lights and the longest shopping gallery I know. Both sides of the river are packed with restaurants and bars, and several bridges that connect both parts of Dotonbori. Not to forget about the famous Glico-Man neon sign, which attracts too many people for some photos & selfies. Another famous area for nightlife or day-time shopping would be Ameri-mura, a fusion of an americanized japanese neighbourhood.

Osaka hasn't as many sights to offer as Kyoto or Nara, but still Osaka is a very charming city. Visiting the Osaka Castle, will easily take half of a day. The castle is surrounded by a huge beautiful park,  a very lively area. Familydays are spent in the park, group activities, mediation groups, or just sit back and enjoy the different fountains across the park.

There's another area I'd recommend after sunset in Osaka, the Tsutenkaku Tower. The neighbourhood of the Osaka tower, is prettiest at night, because of the street-lights, infinite lanterns, and the crazy neon signs. The alleys are packed with restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops. Some locals told me that it would be the run-down area of Osaka. Frankly I didn't have that impression. 

For cultural daytrips and unforgettable sceneries Kyoto is the right place! Kyoto is often refered to as the cultural heart of Japan. Not less than 2000 shinto and buddhist shrines & temples are spread all over the city. Ok, I gotta admit, after I've visited the 10th temples, I had enough.  

For my self the most memoral sights in Kyoto were the following places:

  • Fushimi Inari Shrine: The world famous path of orange torii gates, leading you to the top of mount Inari which is 233 meters above the sea level. 

 

  • Arashiyama Bamboo Groove: The bamboo forest of Ashiyama is one of the most beautiful forests I've ever experienced. It isn't the largest forest, it only takes you 15 minutes to follow the path across the bamboo forest. But it's all worth it. Expect lots of tourists on the path, and it isn't easy to get a decent photo of the bamboos without any visitors on it. Enjoy the village of Arashiyama, and the lovely alleys packed with shops, and delicious restaurants. Everytime i'm in the area, I plan on spending half a day at Arashiyama, such a divine place.
     
  • Kinkaku-ji Temple: It's not the biggest temple, but one of the few I highly recommend to visit. It's not the size of the temple, but rather the golden coating of the temple, surrounded by a beautiful natural environment. The mix of nature's green, and the temple's golden shine, is just the perfect spot for your photo camera.
  • Gion & Kiyomizu Temple: I'd recommend visiting the Gion neighbourhood, better known as the Geisha district, and from Gion walk towards the Kiyomizu temple. Very likely you will run into a couple of geishas or maikos [apprentices], or probably just japanese tourists dressed like one of them. Some shops offer a kimono-rental-service, which gives you the possibility to look like a geisha for a day. In Kyoto a geisha is also called a "Geiko", a geisha from the western part of Japan. The Kiyomizu is a big impressive buddhist temple on top of a hill, it's worth the visit. But as I mentioned before, after 10 different temples, I had enough.

 

Last, but not least! Nara.

Nara is a mix of Kyoto and Osaka. A very laid back and quiet city, which feels different than the city-life of the two previous mentioned cites. Lots of natures, temples, lakes, and too many deers. One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Nara, were the deers. I wanted to get a selfie with a deer so bad!

The parks of Nara are filled with over 100 deers. You're allowed to pet and feed them. The deers are so tame, that even little kids aren't scared to touch them. The funniest part would be the bowing [a sign of showing gratitude], if you start bowing in front of the deer, they will bow as well... well, mostly if they get a deer-cookie in exchange. You gotta witness Nara in real or just through images, words can't describe how beautiful that place is. I had the chance to visit Nara during the sakura season [cherry blossoms], it was an unforgettable daytrip. When I got back to the hotel, I noticed that I still had missed so many spots in the beautiful city. I need to get back one more time!

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New Orleans & Mardi Gras.

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““Laissez les bons temps rouler””

Blues'n'Jazz, endless partying, melting pot of people, creole & cajun cuisine, carnival parades... and there's so much more, that the charming city of New Orleans has to offer during Mardi Gras. The Carnival period in New Orleans starts on the 6th January each year, and  it lasts til fat-tuesday. It reaches its peak of celebrations the last 4 days before "Mardi Gras". 

I've been to Nola [New Orleans / Louisiana] twice, and each time for Mardi Gras. Sometimes I asked myself, if I shouldn't visit  Nola on different dates, to get a more authentic view of the city. But if you're going for the music, the soul of the city, I guess the best annual periods to visit Nola would be for carnival in February, or for the famous music festival called "Jazz Fest" in April.

Blues, Jazz, Soul... black music is the heart of New Orleans. During Mardi Gras Nola offers you hundreds of concerts each night, in bars, clubs, or outdoor fests. Expect to meet lots of people, coming from all over the world, to enjoy the awesome music and the laidback vibe in the city. 

In my case, I guess there's no other city in the world, that would offer me a better carnival. There's no doubt, that Rio's carnival in Brazil is terrific! But if music matters to you, when partying, New Orleans is the place-to-be during carnival for blues & jazz fans.

Many bars are open almost 24 hours, the party never stops. As far as I experienced Mardi Gras the last years, Burbon Street and Frenchmen Street were the busiest spots to go out at night. During daytime we loved to hang out around Woldenberg Park, just next to the Mississippi river. You could listen to the typical nola music, while watching people dance, and hear the steamboats passing by.

Mardi Gras is the paradise for photographers. Everyone wants to get photographed on those days. Everbody seems to be very outgoing in New Orleans, and on Mardi Gras, you won't see any people without a costume on the streets. Dancing & partying all over the city. As for myself, I took my best portraits photos ever in New Orleans.

The food in New Orleans is kind of different, than in any other U.s. city. Don't expect the fine french cuisine, because of all the french [creole] words you will see everywhere in the city. To me it was more of a multicultural cusine... part french, part spanish/italian, and of course with an american touch. I never got tired of the sea food in New Orleans... delicious oysters, jambalaya [like the spanish paela], shrimp pasta or the Po'boy sandwich.

 

Beads, beads, beads everywhere... you can't walk through New Orleans without wearing any beaded necklace. For the carnival weekend, people throw those beads from their balcony or rooftop all over the streets. It's totally normal for the women to show off their naked boobs, to get the fanciest necklace. Expect to see lots of nudity for Mardi Gras. :) Nola is also cheaper than the bigger U.s. cities. Don't expect crazy prices for the drinks during Mardi Gras. 

 

My favorite music bar was the B.M.C .

Balcony Music Club - New Orleans

Adress:  
1331 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116 

Phone #:
15043015912

 

As a little personal tip, don't start Mardi Gras with a hangover. It's hard to resist, when you go out on monday, the day before fat-tuesday, bump into people, make new friends, and get free rounds from the people around you. 

But Mardi Gras is a long & exhausting day... with lots of dancing, drinking and shouting "happy Mardi Gras". The longest parades, the loudest music. Fat-tuesday feels like a 48-hours-day. 

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 






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Krakow.

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Last winter we decided to celebrate new year's eve in Krakow, Poland. We were looking for a city we haven't visited yet, and which was afordable at the same time. Without any big expectations we flew to Krakow. I didn't have any clue about the country, nor the city before my arrival at the airport. Our gentle cabdriver Jozef drove us to our hotel at Jozefa street, which was located in Kazimierz, the old jewish neighbourhood.

Krakow is  a small city. I'd recommend it as a lovely weekend trip of 3-4 days, which would be long enough to discover the beauties in and around the city.

My favorite part of Krakow was Kazimierz, because it was full of street art, new discoveries around every corner. It was the right mix of old historical buildings and modern art. Kazimierz is very lively at night. There are plenties of bars, and a big diversity of restaurants. I'd recommend to try every single polish dish in the city, because their food is amazingly delicious. I'd go for Pierogis [polish dumplings] any day! Check out the restaurant "Starka" at Jozefa Street, a lovely arty restaurant, which serves polish dishes. great wines and home-made vodkas.

The main square of the city, would be the place that reflects the image of Krakow the most. It's a huge place surrounded by old cathedrals and historical buildings. I think it's the biggest square i've ever been at. Because we were visting for new year's eve, the whole place was covered with food stalls, and a big christmas market [yes, after Christmas]. Same as Kazimierz, the square is surrounded by hundreds of restaurants and all kind of bars, jazz clubs, sports pubs, and old polish tavernes. The Royal Castle is just inbetween Kazimierz and the city's main square.

While in Krakow, I guess it's a must to visit Auschwitz, or in polish Oświęcim. Visiting a concentration camp was still on my check list. During highschool we had to read so many books about 2nd world war, and the concentration camps across Europe, that I had to witness this monsterous place on my own. Our cabdriver Jozef picked us up at our hotel, and drove us to Auschwitz, which took us about 50 minutes by car. The guided tour lasts approximately 2 hours. After Auschwitz you get another short busride which will bring you to Birkenau. Visiting both camps takes half a day. 

After Auschwitz Jozef took us to Wieliczka Salt Mine which is located nearby Krakow. The Wieliczka mine is often referred to as the Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland. Now it's hard to tell if the salt mine is a tourist trap or not. Some rooms, mostly at the bottom of the salt mine, were quiet impressive, considering that all the statues,  chandeliers, stairs, have been carved out of saltblocks. The floor, the ceilings ... they're all made out of salt. The negative part of the saltmine was the guided tour. We had a lovely guide, but the tour just lasted too long. 

Sadly I can't tell what Krakow looks like in summer. We had some pretty cold and grey days in Poland, but they were the right match for the new year's eve vibe, and our visit of Auschwitz. Depsite the freezing weather, Kaziemierz was always busy at night, same for the main square area. We met a couple of polish people, who they were all super welcoming. It's a cheap city, so it allows you to have a good time, and enjoy your stay without carrying too much about your wallet.

 
 
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Second Line / Soulbar {Shinjuku, Tokyo}

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On my 2nd trip to Tokyo, I booked my hotel in the Shinjuku area. Shinjuku is famous for its nightlife block called "Golden Gai". It's a whole block filled with bars, most of them are dive bars. Many of those places can only host a handful of customers, and are very limited in size. 

I heard about bar called "Curtis", which reminded me of the soulsinger Curtis Mayfield, it sounded like the right place to start my evening as a solo traveler. Due to a total lack of free-wifi spots in the area of Shinjuku, I wasn't able to get the right adress of "CURTIS" while walking through the tiny alleys of Tokyo.

Outside of a building I saw the wooden sign "SECOND LINE". In New Orleans -Second Line- is called the dancing crowd, which follows the brass band during a street-parade. I totally got the idea behind the bar name, and felt this would be a great substitute for "Curtis Bar".

I went downstairs to the basement, and entered the first door on the left. It was small bar, very dark, with 2 people sitting in a corner on a round table, and two other customers sitting on the counter. I took place on the counter as well, and the bar owner started to introduce himself in pretty good english.

A pretty big collection of vinyls, soulmusic playing in the background, dimmed lights above the tables, and I was watching the owner cutting ice blocks with an ice-pick for my drink. You could notice that the owner Masaaki Matsuzaki put all his heart into that bar. He told me I should call him Matcham.

Matcham introduced me to a couple of customers, which kept me busy for every night I visited his bar. We talked about records, about Japan, New Orleans and about our lives. Rarely I've been to a bar, that reflected so much passion.

After I visited "Second Line", I turned back every night for a drink or two for my next 4 nights in Tokyo. I'd recommend this place to evey music lover, and everyone who's looking for a laidback but classy place to start the evening in Tokyo.

Adress: 

  • 新宿3-10-11, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
  • Facebook: Bar Second Line
  • Phone # : +81 3-3226-7890


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Reykjavik & the Iceland Airwaves Festival.

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I was really excited about going to Iceland. I startet listening to the icelandic band "Sigur Ros" when i was 15 or 16 years old. It's an amazing and unique band, which totally "sounds like iceland", and their music videos are packed with the most beautiful icelandic natural spectacles. My mind got tricked with many clichés: epic natural panoramas, woolen sweaters, lots of sea food, and good music. The clichés turned out to be right. 

 

After a friend had told me about the annual music festival called "iceland airwaves", which takes place in Reykjavik, I had to google it online. I was instantly conviced. Reading more and more about that festival, I got the message that "ICELAND AIRWAVES" is a festival for music lovers, purists, ....yeah for the music snobs :). I had to get there! 200 concerts a day, during 5 days! Over 1000 concerts in different places all over the city! Some of the bands which were playing at the festival, were still on my check-list. I needed to get to Iceland! I bought an early-bird ticket for Iceland Airwaves almost 10 months before the event. After i found a package-deal (hotel&flight) for 350 euro, instead of 650 euro, it was a done deal! [fyi check out "WOW Airline" for the cheapest flights from London].

 

My first impressions I got after spending some days in Reykjavik, or mainly in Iceland:

• After my arrival at the airport I noticed the difference in design and warm decor of the airport.
Keflavik (international airport of Iceland), which probably is the nicest airport i've ever visited. Later I noticed that the hotels & shops which looked alike, were heavily influenced by the nordic design that we know from Ikea, Sweden or Norway. Simple, but unique.

• Pretty designs, pretty people. Icelandic people are beautiful people. Crazy that there are barely no obese icelandics. All the icelandics i observed in Reykjavik and some other cities, looked pretty fit, thin, and had the most pretty faces. If you're on the hunt for your next partner, go visit Iceland ! :)

• I expected lots of delicious sea food and traditional icelandic dishes. But many locals strongly recommended me to avoid those dishes. I had a fish soup on daily basis, which was the best fish soup i ever had. I also had the worst sush i ever had in Reykjavik, even though I never had bad sushi before. Gastronomical wise...Iceland wasn't a big fish. They had lots of fast-food restaurants, or the typical greasy dishes you get in every other country, for example: fish&chips.

• Is everybody an artist or a musician in Iceland? I read that 60-65% of the icelandic population lives in the area around Reykjavik. The festival line-up was packed with too many fantastic bands from Iceland. Bands which have a hard time getting famous outside of their country. I dont get it. So many talented musicians live in Iceland, with a unique sound, beautiful music and lots of talents (some band names to check out: Valdimar, Rokkurro, Vök, Jonsi, Sigur Ros, Asgeir, ...and so many more). I became a huge fan of their music-scene. 

• YES Iceland is VERY expensive. 12 euro for a gin tonic. 6 euro for a beer. 22 euro for a soup, water, and a coffee. 55 euro for sushi. I got a rental car for 24h, a cheap Toyota Yaris [shitty car] but it was cheaper than the sushi i had the night before. Food and drinks are very expensive. Busrides were expensive as well, when you didn't have the exact change. Busride was 350 kroners. So you needed at least 4 coins to get the 350 kroners together. 4 Tickets a day, makes a lot of change. I rarely carried that much change in my pocket. Most of the time I had to pay with a 500 kroners bill. And you never get any change back from the bus-driver. TAXI is SUPER EXPENSIVE. Dont ever take a cab in iceland.

• The most impressive thing I saw in Iceland, was the amazing nature! So many waterfalls, geisyrs, rivers, oceans, mountains, crazy sunsets, northern lights.... a blast of an natural experience! Take many storage-cards with you, because you're going to need them for the photos. The nature-scenery often looks unreal. I've seen so much beauty in 5 days traveling. Japan was quite impressive, but nature-wise no country beats Iceland.

The only thing I would reconsider, the next time I'm going to visit Iceland, don't do sightseeing and a music festival in one day. It's just too much, too much to appreciate at once. On my next travels to Iceland I'd consider doing a roadtrip for 5-6 days across the whole island, and then do 3 days of one of their popular music festival [Iceland Airwaves or Secret Solstice].

Oh i forgot about another fact that stroke me while being in Iceland... the pride of the icelandics! Does it sound bad, if I say "pride" ? I guess not. The people who live on that iceland, who grew up over there, are proud of what they have around them. They don't brag, or show their pride that much, as we know it from the U.S. "'muricaaaaaaa". But the way they talk, welcome people, their daily clothes... you can feel that they're pride of where they come from. You don't see a lot of immigrants,  barely none... You never feel walking around in a melting pot, with different cultures, it's just icelandic people around you. And I kind of like it when people are proud of their own culture, and the history that made their country, a fact that makes their country unique. Somehow it reminded me of Japan. It's a nice to see that a country doesn't lose its own face. 

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Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong was the first city I visited on the asian continent. Those were my first steps in a country, in which i couldnt read a sign, and maybe the first time i felt a culture shock. I really liked it though.

Most people I know prefer visting Thailand, Japan or Indonesia. But i gotta tell you, that Hong Kong has A LOT to offer! We spent 5 or 6 nights in HK, and those 6 days kept as busy for every single second.

Here are my favorite spots I'd recommend to everyone who visits Hong Kong for the first time:

• Victoria Peak
The classic skyline from the top of a mountain. From that viewing point you get a look all over Hong Kong, the bay and all of Kowloon. Everything else besides the view feels very touristic, the restaurants, the crowds, and the waiting line for the escalator. Go up there, take some photos, enjoy the skyline, and get off again.:)

• Lantau Island
Lantau Island is famous for its Big Buddha, and the way to reach the island is a pretty adeventurous one as well. You can hike all the way up to the Buddha which will take you a couple hours i guess, or you take the hanging cable-car, which still takes around 10 to 15 minutes to reach the touristic area. But expect a huge waiting line to reach the lift. Next time i'm gonna visit HK, i will plan a whole day on hiking the Lantau Isaland. If you're afraid of heights, it will be a fun ride. I had to close my eyes a couple times. ;) Once you passed the souvenir-shops & the food village, you can walk your way up a hundred of stairs til you reach the Big Buddha statue. From up there you get a breathtaking view of the Island. Expect lots of tourists though...but still.. totally worth the trip!

• Lei Yue Mun
Lei Yue Mun isn't the hippest or cleanest area of Hong Kong, but it's a great place to take authentic photos of HK. Actually it's a big fish market, surrounded by boat houses, and tons of fisher boats. Most people you will meet over there are locals. The day we visited Lei Yue Mun, we were pretty much the only tourists.

• Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
This walk uphill was one of the most memorable moments I had in HK. You can feel the serenety while walking up those the thousands of stairs til you reach the monastry. You're surrounded by nature, and it takes you away from the busy city life you mostly experience in Hong Kong. It's en exhausting path for sure, and it feels like an endless path. The monastery itself isn't that impressiv at all, but it's rather the path with the then thousands buddha statues in line who will lead you to the top of the mountain.

• Victoria Harbour
Trust me that the skyline of Hong Kong you will see from the Kowloon bay at Victoria Harbour, is far more impressive than then one you know from Brooklyn of Manhattan. I remember that we walked towards the bay after sunset, feeling a light wind, and hearing the sound of the waves, and the huge concrete jungle ahead of us felt like a blast that moment. Every evening there's a laser show, which actually is the cheesy part of the game. Lots of people meet up at the Victora Harbour to observe that laser show. Forget about the laser show, and enjoy the HK skyline!

• Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong is a big block on the Hong Kong Island where nightlife happens. Bad thing about it, it's filled with expats and tourists. The only asian people you are going to meet, might be tourists from other countries. The good thing is, it's easy to find, it's always busy: every night! There's a daily happy hour, where you pay 5 euro [7$] for 2 gin&tonics. All the bars are grouped within one block, so you never get lost, no matter how drunk you get. Just above Lan Kwai Fong, there's Wyndham Street, and Hollywood Road. Those two streets are packed with restaurants and bars as well. One of the popular clubs called "Dragon-I" is located on that road. 

There are plenties of temples all around the city. Same counts for shopping areas, expect infinite shopping in HK. I love the right mix of modern buildings, vivid city life, and still keeping traditional buildings & markets inside the city.

Food and drinks are pretty cheap, and the food is really delicious if you avoid the touristic hotspots. The flight from Luxembourg to Hong-Kong and our 5-nights at fancy hotel totally cost around 800 euro. I haven't visited HK since then, but i'm pretty sure I'm heading back very soon. We visited HK in November and it still felt like summer time. If you're looking for a nice winter/fall destination, check out Hong Kong Island!