Well, add it to the list… Milan, Paris, and you guessed it, Copenhagen! In the heart of the old city you will find one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets known as Strøget. Beginning from the City Hall Square to Kongense Nytorv Square, you almost can’t miss stumbling onto to Strøget at some point during your trip, even by accident! (Which happened in my case).

A Success Story

In actuality, Strøget is the name of a collection of streets that have always been located in the heart of this city. The layout dates back to 1728 when the area known as Frederiksberggade was designed following a fire. Most buildings on this street date to the late 19^th, early 20^th century, though the oldest dates back to 1616.

For much of its history, these streets have always been known as some of the most fashionable of the city, so its no wonder why they would be considered the perfect candidate for conversion to fully pedestrianized once it became apparent that cars were beginning to dominate the old city.

The new pedestrian streets in Germany following the war inspired City officials, and during the 1950s they would close them temporarily during the Christmas time. In 1962, however, the change was made permanent and first section of Strøget was turned into a total pedestrian area. Initially, this decision faced harsh criticism, but after time the project quickly proved successful and the area welcomed more shoppers, cafes and a renewed street life. The network continued to expand to what it is today.

Shops on Strøget

This 1.1 km stretch of car free heaven is line with more shops that one could even imagine! From the typical budget brands and chains such as H&M or Zara to the international luxury brands like Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, Strøget has literally any shop for any budget. There are also a lot of local shops featuring Danish brands.

Eating on Strøget

Naturally, shopping is an exhausting activity. Refueling is a requirement and luckily that is no problem on Strøget. For a sweet tooth, you can find a wide variety of options from delicious cafes to famous patisseries such as Conditori La Glace (home of delicious cakes and baked goods) to perhaps Europe’s best cheesecake from DAILY.

If you’re feeling like you need a little more sustenance, check out some of the many restaurants with a variety of international options or perhaps one of Copenhagen’s most traditional options: the hot dog. Get fancy at the award winning DØP, where they serve only organic meat, with whole grain breads.

If you’re on a budget (as in can spend less than 5 euros per meal) then check out many of the Kebab shops on the street or, probably an even better idea, head off the main drag to a smaller side street which is less populated.

What Else to See on Strøget?

Especially during the summertime, Strøget is bustling with people going for a stroll, busy shoppers and many street performers. As well, going down the many little side streets will bring some more interesting, unique shops and most likely a path to some of Copenhagen’s other attractive and popular sites.

[Visit Copenhagen]

While the New Town and coastal areas are thriving sections of the city, my personal favorite part is the original, medieval Edinburgh’s Old Town. Kings and queens, invading armies, the condemned and the celebrated have walked through these streets for hundreds of years and in 1995 the Old Town has been an official UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.

The Start Of Edinburgh’s Old Town Begins With The Edinburgh Castle

The layout of Edinburgh’s Old Town runs similar to many of the old quarters of northern European cities. It begins with the fortification, in this case the picturesque Edinburgh Castle perched on top of a rocky crag (rocky or steep cliff) that has developed from a long extinct volcano.

This crag, known as Castle Rock, was the earliest section of the city to be developed. It is unknown when the earliest fortification was built there, some evidence suggests early settlements to the late Bronze Age, but it is widely accepted that some sort of castle was first erected in the 11^th century.

The Royal Mile

From the Edinburgh Castle, the layout of the Edinburgh’s Old Town slopes down towards the east on the tail of land from Castle Rock. During the 12^th century, Holyrood Abbey was built at the foot of the hill, which created the spine in which medieval Edinburgh grew. This connection between the two is commonly referred to as the Royal Mile. Today there are only ruins of the Holyrood Abbey, but it is a spot not to be missed. Along the Royal Mile, small alleys and streets come from each side, forming a fishbone shape and each offering a cool new place to explore.

During the development of the residential area of the Royal Mile, it was very advantageous to live inside the defensive walls. Since the street area itself is so narrow, the homes had to be built in a multi-story fashion and are considered some of the first “high rise” residential buildings.

On the Royal Mile, you will find the heartbeat of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Not only is it one of the main sections of the world famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but it is also full of the oldest visitor attractions and tons of shops, bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

St Giles’ Cathedral

Also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, the Cathedral has been the focal point of the Church of Scotland and the principle place of worship for nearly 900 years. The present church dates to the 14^th century, with a famous crown spire and stands in the center of the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

[Edinburgh Guide], [Time Out]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFSv-tq5GAY

For Dean Martin, amore happens in Naples when “girl meets boy”. For me, amore happened when girl met pizza. Naples, Italy and delicious pizza are essentially synonymous. I mean, really, look it up in the dictionary: “Naples: home more delicious pizza than one could possibly eat on a holiday”.

My Trip To Naples (with lots of Neapolitan Pizza)

Sadly, dictionary, you are wrong. Reprint! In fact, on my two-day holiday in Naples I ate a full pizza (to myself!) at four (no that is not a typo) different pizza restaurants throughout the city. This is not counting the various stops for gelato and pizza-related snacks from around the city. In my defense, pizza in Naples is both incredibly delicious and very inexpensive. What more reason do you need?

What Is The Vera Pizza Association?

When you visit Naples, you can quickly notice that many of the pizza restaurants feature a label outside that says “Vera Pizza Napoletana”. This means that the establishment follows the very specific rules to be able to offer you a true and original Vera Pizza Napoletana according to old Neapolitan pizza masters. This associated was established in 1984 as a response to the spread of fast-food chains and the overuse (and sometimes false advertising) of the phrase “Original Neapolitan Pizza”.

The association has very strict requirements, in terms of ingredients, preparation and method, which gave us the confirmation that we were eating the real original pizza pie. The rules are as follows:

• It can only be cooked in a wood burning brick oven.
• The crust has to be soft, elastic and easy to manipulate, prepared at least 10-15 hours ahead of time for plenty of time to rise.
• The pizza maker needs at least 2 to 3 years experience before they are considered a “pizzaiolo” or pizza maker.

Where We Ate In Naples…

And now… drumroll please… the places we had the pleasure eating pizza at:

Il Pizzaiolo del Presidente Via dei Tribunali, 120
Ristorante Fresco Via Partenope, 8
Di Matteo Via dei Tribunali, 94
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele Via Cesare Sersale, 1/3

All of these places absolutely live up to their reputation. We had to wait for over an hour to eat at da Michele, where they only offer two types of options to choose from: pizza margherita and pizza marinara. Even with out the “typical frills” you expect from a pizza place, it was absolutely delicious and would absolutely recommend going. We didn’t have to wait for the other three, which made the experience even better! Sadly, Sorbillo, another highly recommended place was closed for their summer holidays, so keep that in mind.

What Else Can You See In Naples?

The best part about Naples, besides the endless amount of delicious Neapolitan pizza of course, was being able to walk around the city relatively easily. The old city center features narrow passageways barely large enough for a car to pass (we nearly got run over a few times), lots of restaurants and cafes open to the street and just an all-around old world charm. It felt very original and non-touristy and definitely gave us a great impression of what life is like to live in Naples.

The new, modern waterfront area was a great complement to the busy city center. It was really picturesque, with views of Mt. Vesuvius off in the horizon. We spent a lot of time sitting by the waterfront, essentially just waiting till we were just hungry enough to go to another Neapolitan pizza restaurant, watching the locals swim in the bay, the fishermen selling the local catch, making friends with a nice Napolitano (ciao, Piedro!) and enjoying a cold Peroni.

Overall, Naples was one of my favorite cities and absolutely looking forward to going back.

Located Roughly 150 km from Valencia, Ibiza is famous for its insane party scene, electronic music and home of super night clubs like Space or Pacha, where famous DJs like David Guetta set up season long residencies.

If mega-clubs and all night parties are not your idea of a good time, do not rule out Ibiza quite yet. While its reputation for Fiesta may have put Ibiza on the map, there are so many other amazing experiences that Ibiza has to offer. I spent a weekend there in May 2013 and then again recently; here were my favorite things about the island:

Stunning Landscape

Ibiza is one of the most picturesque places I’ve ever been. Probably the most famous beach, Playa d’en Bossa, is located in the heart of the tourist venues, just a short walk from popular hotels and so reasonably close to the city center.

The real treasure, however, lies in the little Calas (small beaches) that are scattered along the southwest coast. The cliffs jut out to separate the beaches from each other, creating not only a beautiful landscape, but also a private and relaxing experience.

To get there, you can easily rent a motor scooter for a reasonable price (we paid 12 euros per day in early May). It took about 30-45 minutes to drive from Playa d’en Bossa to the first location. There are also lots of maps available to find a particular beach you may be looking for. As there are not many roads that cross the island, you can pretty easily find where you are looking for by following the signs.

Local Villages

I can only imagine being a local on the island of Ibiza, with thousands of tourists visiting each year. While this may be good in terms of tourist revenue, I can not help wonder what the island would be like without these developments. We stopped midway through our journey from Playa d’en Bossa to St Antoni de Portmany in the town Sant Josep de sa Talaia, for a cafe con leche  (coffee with milk) at a small cafe. It was delicious, well priced and gave us an opportunity to explore a little bit of the island that had appeared to retain its original charm.

Mediterranean Specialties

No visit to Ibiza, or Spain in general would be complete for me without eating as much Mediterranean food as possible. While Mainland Spain is famous for jamón, the coastal cities and islands are known for their seafood: such as burrida de ratjada (ray with almonds). Try to find a restaurant a little off the beaten tourist path and ask if they have a fresh catch of the day and try to avoid pescado de Helado (Frozen Fish) when possible.

The Island of Formentera

I wrote a recent article going into further detail about Formentera, but just in case you didn’t catch it, the small island of Formentera is located just off the coast of Ibiza. The ferries to the island takes about 40 minutes from Playa d’en Bossa and cost about 22 euros round trip. We rented bikes to drive around the island and it was absolutely worth the six euro price tag. You can reach the tip of the island in about 30 minutes with a bike, with beautiful white sand beaches and crystal clear water.

Viva La Fiesta

Okay, so earlier I said I would discuss what other things there were to do in Ibiza minus the club scene. In all honesty, I felt I would not be doing this list justice without a mention of the all night fiestas. I mean, really, where else in the world do artists like David Guetta and other DJs play season long residencies? If electro music is not your thing, there are tons of other places to enjoy a night out. As there are at endless amount of options, I would recommend asking the locals for the kind of music you’re looking for.

* Disclaimer: as Ibiza is part of the Balearic Islands, they speak a dialect of Catalan, known as Eivissenc, but Spanish and English are widely spoken. I used the Spanish terms for the things in this article when I did not know the Catalan/Eivissenc version.

A Little History Of Lagos

As with most European coastal cities, Lagos has a rich history that dates back over 2,000 years. With an eclectic mix of settlers, ranging from the Celts to the Romans to the Moors, Lagos represents a culturally and historically rich site that offers something for everyone.

By the 15^th century, Lagos was an integral part of the Portuguese maritime exploration and eventually became the gateway for the African slave trade into post-medieval Europe, illustrated by the building of the world’s first slave market in the city center in 1444.

It then became the capital of Portugal from 1576 until 1755 until it was destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami of 1755. Upon visiting the city itself, you can see that there are still some buildings, including the famous castle remaining from the 16^th century, but most have been rebuilt dating as early as the 17^th century.

Lagos Beaches

What is initially striking about a visit to Lagos, however, is the incredibly picturesque nature, especially the cliffs along the beaches. One of the highest rated beaches in Lagos is the Camilo Beach, or Praia do Camilo. As with many of the beaches in this area, you have to walk down many stairs until you reach the sand. The great part about that is, however, that you get an amazing view of the landscape from the top, and once you’ve reached the bottom the water is so refreshing!

Outdoor Activities

Besides relaxing on the beach, there are also tons of other nature-related activities such as kayaking within the caves, sailing, surfing, scuba diving and even mountain biking!

Especially stunning are the Ponta Da Piedade, also known as Mercy Point, an area within Lagos that features huge cliffs that have been weathered down to various heights and angles that provide a stark contrast to the absolutely beautiful, clear turquoise water. You can choose to admire the view from the tops of the cliffs, and then climb down the 182 steps to reach the sea level where it is possible to then travel with a boat within the hidden caves and underpasses. Costs are relatively low (10-22 euro per person) for shared or private tours.

During the cooler part of the day (early morning and late evening) a trip into town should definitely not be missed to get a holistic experience of Lagos. The older part of the city is still enclosed with old walls. The Lagos marina can be found by traveling along the Avenida dos Descobrimentos (Avenue of the Discoveries) that runs along the waterfront.

Exploring Lagos City

The city is small enough to explore on foot, with tons of little cafes and artisan shops. Although it isn’t as touristy as more famous cities such as Paris or Rome, there is definitely an element of the tourist traps. I found that there are tons of great, traditional restaurants serving fresh fish and typical Portuguese dishes if you go off the main road a bit and explore the small, windy streets. Highly recommended is also the restaurants along the beach Meia Praia, where you can sit out and enjoy the view.

[Wikipedia], [Algarve Tourist], [Lagos Uncovered]

I’ve got an endless list of places I want to visit this year, mostly focusing on the ones I haven’t been before: Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and more of Portugal. Lucky for me, I can knock two places off my list in the next two weeks Copenhagen, Demark and Malmö, Sweden.

I land in Malmö around 1 pm and plan to spend the day walking around the city before crossing the Öresundsbron (Öresund Bridge), the bridge that connects Malmö to Copenhagen, to stay one or two nights in Copenhagen before heading back to Hamburg.

Though this will be a very short trip, it will be my first solo trip (something that I’ve been interested in for a while now) and after reading a little bit of info and checking with friends, here are some of my things to see in each place (starting with Malmö).

A Little Background Information About Malmö

This is Sweden’s third largest city with about 300,000 inhabitants. From what I’ve heard, it’s the perfect size to explore on foot. I don’t know too much about things to see or do there, so I’m planning to wing it a bit and just stroll through the popular neighborhoods and see what I can find.

My Plan Of Action

I’m especially excited about visiting the Old City, a usual favorite section in most places I’ve been. There are many interesting old buildings that have been preserved there especially around the areas of Stortorgret (Great Square) and Lilla torg (Little Square) and in Gamla Väster (Old West). As well, the historical buildings in the Saint Gertrud Quarter are supposed to be really beautiful.

Also on my list is the St. Petri (St. Peter’s Church), the oldest church in Malmö and the winner of Trip Advisors 2015 Travelers Choice Award. If the weather’s nice I may then head to the Kungsparken, a large park near the city center (but I don’t have very high expectations for Sweden during the wintertime).

Some photo inspiration that I’ve found of Malmö thus far:

The old…

…and the new!

Stay tuned for my next article about what I plan to do in Copenhagen! Suggestions are welcome and appreciated!

After rattling around on the local Blue Line bus service that navigates the extremely narrow road connecting the surrounding local villages (an attraction in itself) set your eyes upon the majestic city of Kotor, rising from the bay high up into the blue skies of Montenegro. Settled for the first time in 168 BC, Kotor is a must see when traveling through Montenegro.

As you enter the main gate you are immediately transported back to the Ottoman Empire. Narrow streets and busy squares unfold into a maze of trendy shops, bars and cafes. Kotor stands out as its small size, in comparison with other fortified cities, manages to retain the authentic feel of the middle ages. It is not hard to imagine being an invader, confused by the labyrinth of alleyways despite the modern music drifting into the streets, and families enjoying ice-cream on a hot summer day.

Kotor has many special events and festivals throughout the high season, like the Summer Carnival or Bokeljska Noć. While the city is family friendly, for those interested there is even a Nightclub called “Maximus” that pumps dance music and hosts live events late into the night.

Once you have absorbed the cities energy, it is possible, and highly recommended to make the long hike up to the fortress of Saint Ivan. In the summer the heat can be almost unbearable, but with a good supply of water and some determination, the views of the bay filled with yachts and cruise ships, as well as the breathtaking Adriatic vistas are worth the trek.

From May to September there is an admission fee for the climb (about 3 euros) but it is well worth the price. The sense of accomplishment after handling the treacherous climb (the steps are not well maintained) and the vantage point over the bay produces some of the best photos of the Gulf of Kotor.

For those who seek a slightly more “local” feel, making a trip to the small town of Stoliv (Donji Stoliv), just a short bus ride around the bay, is rife with places to dive into the Adriatic as well as small family run hotels and restaurants on the Sea.

The village is located directly on the bay, but was first settled much higher up on the mountain to provide security from pirates and invaders.

A very private 45 minute hike up from the coast along the time worn forest path that the locals still use to bring goods to the village below, leads you to Gornji Stoliv, now scarcely inhabited and completely void of tourists. You won’t find any amenities there. Just a beautiful, secluded view of the bay below, olive trees, a unique church-tower overlook, and if you are lucky, some locals herding goats along the cobblestone pathways.

Kotor, and the surrounding area provide beautiful scenery and intimate locales thanks to its location and modest size. See how Kotor stacks up against other small cities in Europe in this article from Sarah.

Where is Skadarlija?

Located in the municipality Stari Grad (Old Town), this vintage street attracts visitors and locals for a variety of reasons. When I first arrived at the street I was really intrigued by how artistically the restaurants and other buildings were decorated and designed. There were tons of bright colors, beautiful murals and even lines of fresh flowers covering entire facades.

History of Skadarlija

The reason for all of this eclectic, artistic influence starts back in the 1830s, when Gypsies began to settle in the area. Up until 1872, the neighborhood was in fact referred to as the “Gypsy Quarter”.

During the last parts of the 19^th century, the area began to develop with a distinctly bohemian character, where writers, actors and other artists began to move into the neighborhood and frequent the kafanas. Some of the original restaurants such as Tri šešira, Dva jelena and Zlatni bokal are still open today. I didn’t visit them during my visit, so I can’t give any recommendations. It seems they are a bit expensive though.

Also located in this area is the home of Đura Jakšić, a famous Serbian painter, poet, writer, bohemian, dramatist and patriot who lived and died in Skadarlija. You can still visit his home today, where they host a variety of cultural activities and events.

During our tour of Belgrade, the guide mentioned that many of the artists that lived in and around Skadarlija would spend time in the kafanas, watching the rowdy drunkards as inspiration for their work. How much truth there is to that I don’t know, perhaps it was also a great excuse to have a few drinks themselves!

Over the course of its history, the area has been regularly visited by poets, writers, musicians, actors and other artists from not only Serbia, but the entire Yugoslav area and beyond. Celebrities and other famous people have visited the area, including Jimi Hendrix and Alfred Hitchcock.

Skadarlija Today

Today, the artistic influence is still heavily felt if you visit the area, and while the aesthetics may be enough to draw in a visitor at first glance, the many traditional Serbian kafanas are a reason to make them stay. When I was there a few summers ago, we sat out on one of many terraces, listened to live music and chatted with the other guests. There, you will also find many options to try some traditional Serbian dishes.

While I would recommend going there for sure, I realized on my last visit that it has also become a really popular tourist spot in Belgrade, which makes me nervous that you may be paying for the location, rather than the quality of the food. Regardless, it is still a really popular spot to go during the dinner time and you can find tons of people sitting outside on the terraces during the warm months and generally just enjoying life and socializing with each other, a seemingly constant theme from my experience in Serbia.

[Wikipedia]

Andorra consists mostly of rugged mountains, which led to many years of isolation, keeping it relatively absent from European mainstream history. Even today, there is no train or airport that will take you to Andorra. The closest main airports are Barcelona and Toulouse, which are both over three hours away.

We drove north from Spain through Andorra and the roadways consist predominantly of winding, mountain roads with few tunnels. You can imagine how isolated it would have been even 100 years ago without these updated routes!

Though Andorra is most famous for its world-class ski resorts and well-to-do tourist infrastructure, it is also a pleasant destination during the summer months. The capital of Andorra, Andorra La Vella is the highest capital city in Europe.

With an alpine and continental climate, it has more snow in winter, low humidity and is slightly cooler in summer than the lower altitudes. There are also, on average, 300 days of sunshine per year. Walking around, you could absolutely feel the mountain air and there was a bit of a chill that you wouldn’t experience just a few hours south in Spain.

Today, the population of Andorra is about 85,000 people with approximately 1/3 of the population being of Andorran national decent. The rest is a mix of French, Spanish and Portuguese. Catalan is the official language of the country, but we heard Spanish and French also widely spoken.

At first, it seemed strange that such a small region between two of Europe’s largest countries would even gain, let alone retain its independence. Surprisingly, Andorra has been its own principality since A.D. 1278!

We stayed for a few hours in the capital city of Andorra La Vella. First impressions were, of course, the scenery. Every corner, street and crossing looks like it belongs in a postcard. After walking around a bit, you can clearly distinguish that tourism accounts for the majority of the GDP at 80%. With duty free status, Andorra is a popular destination for purchasing goods. Walking down the main boulevard, you were surrounded on all sides by cigarette, perfume and handbag shops.

My favorite part of the city was walking through the old neighborhood, with small, winding pedestrian paths, sidewalk cafes and glimpses of mountains tops through the breaks in buildings. The city center also had a clock statue from Salvador Dalí!

Overall, our short visit to Andorra left me with a few lasting impressions.

• Andorra is full of natural beauty and stunning scenery no matter where you look.
• It is extremely well kept and looks almost like it popped out of a storybook.
• And lastly, in the future when I’m rich and famous (yeah right!), I’ll plan a long winter vacation there and stay at one of the many mountain ski resorts.

Sources: Visit Andorra, Wikipedia