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A 10-day trip to Puglia (part 1)
Italy is one of my favourite countries in Europe. I love the beautiful architecture, the delicious food and the mild Mediterranean climate. I recently visited Puglia, as well as Matera. The former, also known as Apulia, is the region forming the heel of Italy’s ‘boot’, whereas the latter is a city located in the neighbouring region of Basilicata. I stayed there for a total of 10 days, but I wished I had stayed longer to visit even more towns and villages. Although I was tempted to rent a car, I eventually decided not to, so I could enjoy the tasty Apulian wines. Here’s the first part of the itinerary I…
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3 days on the island of Kythnos
It’s been almost a year since I visited the Greek islands of Kea and Kythnos, together with one of my closest friends, Elsa. We first went to Kea (also called Tzia), where we stayed for 3 (and a half) days, before we continued our holidays to Kythnos, where we also stayed for 3 days. First day in Kythnos It was mid-morning when we arrived in Kythnos. As soon as we stepped foot on the island, we headed to the car rental place (a minute walk from where the ferry dropped us off) and soon afterwards were driving towards our hotel. Located in Messaria, the inland capital of the island, Chora Kythnos…
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Where to eat in Dubai (light meal or a feast)
A couple of months ago, I travelled to Dubai together with my friend Jini. We visited our friends Jigna and Ed, who moved to the UAE a couple of years ago. Although my recently published post ‘top 7 tips for a trip to Dubai’ included recommendations on where to eat in Dubai, I think that a separate post is warranted. Where to eat in Dubai (light meal) Cafe Bateel Our friends live at the Dubai Marina, a very pleasant place to walk around, full of cafes and restaurants. I was a regular at Cafe Bateel, which happened to be right next to their apartment. I would usually have a coffee and…
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Top 7 tips for a trip to Dubai
I recently travelled to Dubai together with my friend Jini. We visited our friends Jigna and Ed, who moved there a couple of years ago. This was not only my first ever trip to the UAE (a layover in Abu Dhabi airport excluded), but also my first trip abroad in nearly two years (my trips in England and Greece excluded). Since I can now work from anywhere in the world, I stayed in Dubai for a total of 3 weeks, combing 2 weeks of holidays with 1 week of work. It’s now been 3 weeks since I returned to London, and it’s about time to share my top 7 tips.…
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20 cafes for remote working in Central London
It’s been 2 years since we first went into a national lockdown in the UK. Since then, a lot of things have changed. For instance, many of us no longer have to work from the office. Although working from home has a lot of advantages, it can also be quite isolating. Since some of the restrictions were lifted, I have been spending my afternoons going for a swim, and then working remotely (writing reports and doing admin) from cafes in London. Today, I’d like to share my 20 favourite cafes for remote working in Central London. My 20 favourite cafes for remote working in Central London This list is by…
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A literary trip to Greece with Alex
Happy World Book and Copyright Day! Since I started this blog in June 2018, I have been posting an extra post on this day (‘Aristotle ’s Way: Ancient Wisdom & Happiness’ in 2019, ‘Best London bookstores, tsundoku & bibliotherapy’ in 2020, and ‘My 7 (+1) favourite books’ in 2021). In the meantime, books have inspired many other posts. For example, in June 2022, my friend Deborah sent me a link to the article ’10 of the best novels set in Greece – that will take you there’ which had recently been published in the Guardian. This gave me the inspiration for my post ‘A literary trip to Norway with Alex’.…
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10 London restaurants with panoramic views
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s been almost two years since my friend Greta and I had lunch at Duck & Waffle. Back in March 2020, Greta was in London for a few days, attending a medical conference, pregnant at the time, whereas the news talked about that new virus that was coming over to Europe from China. Neither of us could imagine the global pandemic that would soon follow. Thankfully, Greta’s pregnancy went well and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy a few months later, soon after the UK came out of the first lockdown. In the meantime, inspired by our lunch at Duck & Waffle, I started working…
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My 7 favourite restaurants in Skyros
When people ask me which Greek island is my favourite, or which one to visit (a frequently asked but rather difficult question to answer), Skyros is always the first to come to mind. I have to admit that I am somewhat biased, as this is my late grandfather’s home island; not only do I have precious memories of spending my early childhood summers there, I also have beloved relatives still living on the island. For this reason, I’ve visited Skyros more times than any other island, which is why I am convinced it really is the best Greek island to visit. Having recently shared the list of my 7 favourite…
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My 7 favourite bars in Skyros
Happy New Year!!! Over the last few days, I’ve had time to relax a little, re-connect with my family, and reflect on the year just gone. On the last day of the last year, I shared my top 9 photos of 2021. Not surprisingly, most of those were from Skyros, where I spent a total of 6 weeks during the summer. Today is the last day of my Christmas holiday and I’m mentally re-visiting my home island. But, before I share the list of my 7 favourite bars in Skyros, let’s have a look at my top 9 photos of 2021. My top 9 photos of 2021 1. Top left:…
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3 days on the island of Kea (Tzia)
2022 is around the corner. As difficult as this year has been, 2021 has had some great moments, for which I am so grateful. One of those moments was in early July, when I returned to my home country, Greece, and started my summer holidays. Kea, also called Tzia, was the first island I visited, together with one of my closest friends, Elsa. Of all the Cyclades, Kea is the closest to Attica and Athens. Thanks to its close proximity to the Greek capital, Kea is an ideal weekend resort for the Athenians; for the rest of us, this beautiful island is a great summer destination. Commonly referred to as…