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5 great places to stay in Bali
As I mentioned in my previous posts, I recently went to a yoga and surf retreat in Bali. The retreat was in Uluwatu, on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula. After the retreat, I set to explore the island, as well as a couple of smaller, lesser-known ones. Among the places I visited were Ubud, Nusa Lembongan, Seminyak and Jimbaran. Today, I’m recommending 5 places to stay in Bali and what to do and see there. Uluwatu The name Uluwatu comes from ‘ulu’, which means ‘land’s end’, and ‘watu’, which means ‘rock’. Uluwatu is home to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, built at the edge (‘ulu’) of a 70-meter-high…
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9 things to do and see in Ubud
As mentioned in my previous post, I recently went to a yoga and surf retreat in Bali. The retreat was in Uluwatu, on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula. Home to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, Uluwatu is nowadays famous for its world class surfing spots. On the other hand, inland Ubud is widely considered the Mecca of yoga. Because of this, I headed there for a few days after the retreat. Today, I’m recommending 9 things to do and see in Ubud. Yoga Ubud is not short of yoga retreats and yoga centres. The Yoga Barn is probably the most famous yoga centre in Bali. It is within…
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10 (+1) places to eat in Ubud, Bali
I recently went to a yoga and surf retreat in Bali. The retreat was in Uluwatu, on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula. Home to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, Uluwatu is nowadays famous for its world class surfing spots. On the other hand, inland Ubud is widely considered the Mecca of yoga. Because of this, I headed there for a few days after the retreat. As well as doing (more) yoga and visiting the town’s main sights, I discovered many nice places to eat in Ubud. Over the next few months, I’m planning to share a lot of tips about Bali and the places I’ve visited during my…
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7 sweet spots in Bordeaux & Saint Émilion
A few months ago, I visited Bordeaux, the capital and the largest city of both the wine-growing Gironde department and the much larger Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (which also includes Limoges and La Rochelle). Whilst there, I discovered there’s much more than wine to France’s sixth-largest city. In fact, Bordeaux, home to 362 ‘monuments historiques’, is a classified ‘City of Art and History’ and has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as ‘an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble’. What is more, it is also a great destination for foodies, including those (like myself) who have a sweet tooth. Today, I will focus on the sweet spots of Bordeaux, as well…
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12 Haruki Murakami books to read
Earlier this year, I published the post ‘23 Japanese books to read in 2023’. This was later followed by the post ‘9+1 Japanese literature classics’. Neither of these posts included any books by Haruki Murakami. The reason was that I was planning to publish another post specifically discussing some of his works (those I’ve read so far that is). Here it is. Novels by Haruki Murakami My fascination with Japan, which I am yet to visit, began in childhood. However, I was in my 30s when I first read a Japanese novel, Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. Since then, I have read many more Japanese novels. Through those, I have learned a lot…
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Bordeaux neighbourhoods: saints, churches, wine
Bonjour! Today is Bastille Day, also known as la Fête nationale française, or le 14 juillet. The French National Day is the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789. I would like to take the opportunity to share some tips about Bordeaux, France’s sixth-largest city, which I visited (for the first, but certainly not the last, time) a couple of weeks ago. A port city on the Garonne River in southwestern France, Bordeaux is also known as Port of the Moon (Port de la Lune). It is the capital and the largest city of both the wine-growing Gironde department and the much larger…
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9+1 Japanese literature classics
A few months ago, I published the post ‘23 Japanese books to read in 2023’. Since then, I’ve read a few more books from the Land of the Rising Sun (but I’ve still not been there). Among those, there are a few Japanese literature classics, which I would specifically like to discuss today. In writing this post, I’ve made two rather controversial decisions. First, to include works by Kazuo Ishiguro. Born in Nagasaki, Ishiguro moved to the UK at the age of 5, and has been a British citizen since 1983 (Japan does not permit dual citizenship). Even though he writes in English, and most of his books have little to…
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Nordic Noir: 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch
The winner of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest was rightfully Sweden with the song “Tattoo”, performed by Loreen. Although Sweden won the jury vote and the overall competition, it actually came second in the public vote. Neighbouring Finland might have won the public vote, but came second overall (in my opinion, it should have come last). Sweden’s other neighbour, Norway, finished fifth, whereas Denmark and Iceland did not qualify for the final. Inspired by Eurovision, today I’m reflecting on the Scandinavian TV series (mostly crime dramas) I’ve recently watched (as well as some older ones). 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch I have previously written about Norwegian, Finnish and Icelandic TV series, but…
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A short stay in Milan
I recently wrote about my skiing holiday in Madonna di Campiglio, a village and ski resort in Northern Italy. I combined my holiday with a few days in Trento and Milan. Trento, the gateway to Madonna di Campiglio, is an hour and a half by train from Verona, and two hours and a half from Milan, the second-largest city in Italy and capital of Lombardy. Since I’d been to Verona before, and considering that there are far fewer international flights to Verona than to Milan, I decided to fly to Milan and spent the night there. The following day, I took the train to Trento, where I spend another night.…
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Skiing in Madonna di Campiglio, Trentino
I recently went on a skiing holiday in Madonna di Campiglio, a village and ski resort in Trentino, in Northern Italy. This was my second skiing holiday in Italy. I had previously gone skiing in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a town and ski resort in Veneto, due to co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics (together with Milan). Trentino is renowned for its mountains, such as the Dolomites, which are part of the Alps. It is one of the two autonomous provinces of Italy. The other one is the neighbouring South Tyrol, officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol), an autonomous region…