Tag: Europe

Travel, Travel Tips

The Secret to a Great Stay: Seven Tips for Choosing the Perfect Airbnb

An Airbnb balcony in Italy's Cinque Terre

I’ve written before about my love for Airbnb, but today I want to share a few tips on how to find your perfect “home” out in the world. Why choose Airbnb when there are perfectly good, well-rated hotels nearly everywhere you want to go? I find that hotels put a distance between you and the …

Food, Recipes, Sweden

Recipe: Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka)

A sticky chocolate cake with whipped cream

*Infomercial voice* Do you like brownies? Do you like making brownies? Do you like making brownies because you get to lick the spoon, and sometimes you “accidentally” are bad at scraping the contents of your mixing bowl into the pan so you can eat more batter out of the bowl?* Because if you’re the kind …

Denmark, Destinations, Food, Restaurant Roundups and Reviews, Travel

Dining at noma 1.0

The exterior of noma in Copenhagen

noma, the restaurant by New Nordic Cuisine pioneers Rene Redzepi and Claus Meyer, is reopening soon with a new concept, so I thought I’d share our experiences dining at the restaurant’s first iteration back in June 2015. [Edit: the restaurant announced in January 2023 that it would once again close at the end of 2024 …

Food, Recipes

Fresh Pasta Carbonara Recipe

A bowl of just-made carbonara with grated cheese on top

Michael and I often talk about our favorite meal of our trip to Italy: the pasta carbonara at da Enzo al 29. Impossibly silky, rich, and savory, carbonara is my desert-island meal. But back home from Italy, we soon discovered that Florida is a desert island for carbonara lovers. Well, what do you do? You …

Destinations, France, Travel, Travel Tips

Behind the Wheel in the South of France: A Road Trip Adventure

A road in Provence leading to a town on the hill

“Oh, and by the way, there is a fuel shortage due to a strike and you may have trouble filling your rental before you return,” the car rental associate explained after the papers were signed and the keys were in our hand. Michael and I looked at each other, relaying our horror without words. This …

Destinations, Food, Italy, Recipes, Travel

A Pistachio Ice Cream Recipe Inspired by Rome

A hand holds a cone with pistachio ice cream

I have an insatiable sweet tooth, so nearly every day on our recent trip to Italy ended with gelato (sometimes we had gelato after lunch and dinner but please don’t tell my doctor). While I’m normally a chocolate ice cream girlie at home, in Italy I couldn’t get enough of the pistachio gelato (or in …

Destinations, Italy, Travel

Hiking Italy’s Cinque Terre, Part Two: Vernazza to Corniglia

Looking back on Vernazza from the trail

In Monday’s post, I shared my experience hiking from Monterosso to Vernazza in Italy’s Cinque Terre, and today I’ll pick things back up with the second day of hiking: between the towns of Vernazza and Corniglia. Michael and I actually started our hike in our “hometown” for the night, Manarola. We hiked around the marina …

Destinations, Italy, Travel

Hiking Italy’s Cinque Terre, Part One: Monterosso to Vernazza

A Downward View of Vernazza

When we were planning our trip to Italy, I had one stipulation: “We have to stay in one of the Cinque Terre towns.”

Destinations, Food, Italy, Restaurant Roundups and Reviews, Travel

Pasta Heaven: A Visit to Da Enzo al 29 in Rome, Italy

the entrance to da Enzo with many diners seated outside

For my final meal in Rome, I knew Michael and I had to choose an amazing restaurant – but we just didn’t know where. Not wanting to suffer through another touristy spot, we consulted both the internet and our Airbnb hosts’ recommendations. We’d found that a lot of places require reservations, and we knew we …