Who doesn’t love a good city trip? I have done many, especially in Europe, and some of my best travel memories were made during these trips. From cities who have heart-achingly beautiful architecture, stunning beaches, hip and bustling city centers or unique waterways. Some cities just make the toughest of men stutter. The world is our oyster – there is so much to see that it will take a lifetime to see it all. But with some help, you can narrow your scope to just some of the best. Just so know you where to effing start your city trip bonanza. So here it is. My top 10 cities in the world that you should visit at least once in your life. Get your bucket list ready to add some amazing destinations. Let’s go…
Rotterdam, the Netherlands’ second largest city, and Europe’s biggest port. The city is known for its modern architecture which you can find throughout the city. It is also home to many festivals, offers a great nightlife, and has a lot of shops which are open 7 days a week! The city, in the past, often skipped by tourist’s, only visiting Amsterdam and maybe Kinderdijk. Is now the fastest growing touristic city of Holland. And not without reason. Rotterdam is located only a hours drive from the main capital. Enjoying this unique city with its crazy history is a must when visiting the Netherlands and in this post, I will explain why.
The last week of my holidays *snif*snif*. Time has gone by so incredibly quickly. I had lots of plans and was supposed to go see so many people and go to lots of places, but a virus and the flu stopped me from doing pretty much everything that I had set out to do. The entire week I felt extremely rushed, so I could not really enjoy everything, which is a shame. Underneath you can find a photo diary of my last few days in the Netherlands and my flights back to Sydney. (Back to working 9-5 behind a desk Yay haha)
It has been a few years since I lived in India (I did an internship at a 5-star hotel in Mahabalipuram, you can read what it was like here) My parents and sister came to visit me whilst I was there and we did an amazing road trip through Kerala and Tamil Nadu. I, unfortunately, lost all my pictures when my computer crashed so I did not have any pictures of this trip. Luckily my dad has backups of everything and he still had tons of amazing pictures from this road trip. In this post, I will show you some of the highlights of incredible India. I will show you lots of amazing pictures (My dad did an amazing job of capturing this unique country) and what it typically looks like. I might have put 1 or 2 pictures at the wrong city, don’t judge me on that, we had thousands of pictures and some got mixed up a bit (oopsies).
Safari Park Beekse Bergen is a… well a safari park. It is located in the South of the Netherlands only an hour drive from the Belgium border. It became world famous a few months back when some French tourist got out of their car in the Cheetah enclosure. (I don’t know what they were thinking, but no one got hurt, thank goodness) This park is home to approximately 1,250 animals from over 150 species, varying from small mammals to large birds. Giraffes, Tigers, Lions, Sea Lions, Crocodiles, Hippo’s, Chimpanzees and Gorillas are just some of the animals that you can encounter at this park. You can experience the park in many different ways, you can go on safari by car, boat, bus or on foot. In this blog post, I will show you some of the animals that you can encounter when going to this unique park. Read on for more information and lots of pictures.
After being sick for almost two weeks – YAY stomach virus and then the flu – I was now finally feeling better and ready to go out and about. This was excellent timing since we were about to embark on a family holiday. We traveled to Hilvarenbeek in Brabant in the South of Holland for a week at a safari park. Underneath you will find my week in photos. And I have some pretty snazzy pictures – if I say so myself haha – so check it out below and let me know in the comments if you like them as much as I do.
The beautiful state of Kerala in southern India is known for its lush surroundings and serene ambiance but the most splendid natural wonder of this state is its backwaters- a chain of lagoons and lakes. Something that you must do when in Kerala is hop on a houseboat and sail the backwaters for a few days. In this post, I will show you what amazing scenery you will see during a trip in Kerala on the backwaters and what you should know when booking your very own boat.
Kangaroo Island is an amazing island located off the coast of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. It is home to amazing scenery, breathtakingly beautiful national parks, soaring cliffs, and rugged coastlines and lots and lots of Australian wildlife. Most of this stunning island is preserved and protected giving you a natural and pure experience for years to come. I visited Kangaroo Island on a road trip for three nights and I would have liked a few more nights so that we could have enjoyed the island a bit more. Unfortunately, our campervan couldn’t survive without electricity long enough, so we had to leave the island a bit too soon. Here’s everything you need to know to plan the perfect summer jail-break to the island of kangaroos.
Another week in the Netherlands that did not go completely to plan. On Friday I traveled to Rotterdam to see my sister and her family. She called us in advance that her baby was sick and that she was home with him, but we were already on the way so we trotted on. The first day everything was great and I had an amazing time. On Saturday, one after another person got SUPER sick, I won’t go into details (eeek nasty!), but it was not fun. Everyone went down except for my strong Mom (she’s amazing). We, therefore, all ended up in bed instead of going out and about. I was planning to take pictures in Rotterdam as well as Kinderdijk, but I don’t think this will happen now. So that is why you are missing a few days and in my photo diary, but there is nothing I could do.
Not a lot of people get the chance to fly business class, cause lets be frank, it is not the cheapest flight you will ever get. In September I flew home (to the Netherlands) for my yearly holiday. I have been sick in the last few months and I am a tad scared that my health will be suffering when I have to take such a long flight, I decided to book myself into a Business class seat. My number one airline is Emirates, I have been flying with them for years and years and I always feel comfortable and safe with them. So this trip I also booked myself a business class seat with Emirates. In this blog post, I will take you along my travels and what it was like to fly like fancy nancy does 😉
There’s something magical about Australia’s red centre. Maybe it is the jaw-dropping landscapes, the inspiring history or the spiritual significance. It’s also probably because the Australian outback is a unique place on earth. The red center is where the heart of the outback beats and home of the aboriginals. It has been a while since I have been to the red center, but I would love to go back soon. So I decided to dig up some old memories and write a post on this special place in Australia. In this blog post, I will show you some of the center’s best places to go to, whether you want to travel on your own or with a tour group. (If you are not interested in the upcoming information, I suggest you click on read more just for the pictures, they are epic)
If you follow me on Twitter or on Instagram then I am sure you must have seen that I am on holidays in the Netherlands woohoo!!. In this photo diary, I will sort of keep you up to date with what I have been doing in the last week. Last week was my travel week ( a 17-hour flight as well as a 7-hour flight) from Sydney to Dusseldorf. I also spend time at my parent’s house in Enschede and towards the end of the week, I traveled to Rotterdam to meet up with my sister and her family. Underneath you will see some photos of these occasions. (Some photos were taken with my iPhone, so the quality is a little lower then you are expected of me, my apologies)
I am so sorry, but yet again I have wandered the trails of Sydney. This time I did the 6.5-kilometer medium difficulty Taronga zoo to Balmoral beach trail. During this walk, I encountered stunning harbor views, nature at its best, while exploring quiet beaches and beautiful luscious bushland. After finally doing the Spit Bridge to Manly Walk a few weeks ago and the amazing Bondi to Coogee walk before that, I forced myself to do one final walk before I headed out to Europe for my yearly holiday. I have heard about this walk from a friend of mine who recommended it and told me the city views are absolutely stunning and not to be missed. So when the weather was nice and the sun was out, I hoped on the bus towards Taronga zoo to do another walking trail.
The blue mountains are located about a 2-hour drive from Sydney and offer a dramatic scenery with steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and charming villages. The mountains are densely populated with oil-bearing Eucalyptus trees. They give off a fine mist of eucalyptus oil from their leaves, the mist (combined with water vapor and dust) plays with the light and creates a haze which looks blue – hence the name blue mountains The mountains are Australia’s 14th World Heritage Area and are part of the Great Dividing Range which runs down the East Coast of Australia. For over a year I lived in the mountains largest town Katoomba. Every opportunity I got I went out to do a bush walk. I was skinny, healthy and loving life. So in this blog post, I will show you some of the amazing towns, bush walks, and scenic points that you should stop when traveling to the mountains.
If you have been following me for a while now then you know that I am originally from the Netherlands and I have been living in Australia for 7 years now. Once a year I hop on a never-ending plane trip back home to spend some time with my friends and family. Today is again that day where I am about to get on a flight home. In todays post I will show you what my plans are for my 4-week visit to the Netherlands and what blog posts you can expect whilst I am away and from my trip.
If you are looking for a hands-on Australian wildlife experience then I advise you to go to Featherdale Wildlife Park in western Sydney. Pat a Koala, hand feed a kangaroo and meet all your favorite Australian animals in an outdoor bush setting. It’s amazing. I arrived at the park soon as it opened so it was nice and quiet, with most of the animals all awake(woohoo)! Favorite part was the different walkthroughs; Pademelons, Kangaroos, and Koalas. the park is very interactive and allows you to feed the kangaroos, touch the Koala’s and learn about lots of different species through keeper talks. In this blog post, I am taking you with me during my little trip to this park.
Viewer discretion is advised, the below is dealing with sensitive materials related to real human exhibits – muscles, organs, skin, bodies etc. Wow! when I heard/saw (on every billboard known to man lol!) that “Real Bodies” the exhibit was in Sydney, boy was I excited. As I personally love learning about all things to do with the human anatomy and physiology, I was quite curious as to what exactly this exhibit is about? I mean they’ve called it “Real Bodies” but surely that’s just the name, right? Ahh Nope… SHOCK! “Real Bodies” means Real Bodies! As in real humans who once roamed the earth! Ahhhhhh! Real Bodies the Exhibit presents the artful display of 20 REAL, perfectly preserved human bodies and 200 anatomical specimens – fancy wording for human organs (don’t worry I’ve got your back 😉), so strap in and prepare to be amazed and intrigued, because below are some pretty incredible pictures and some fascinating information. This one will knock your socks off, I guarantee it! I know that there is quite a bit of controversy around this exhibition, but after doing some research I decided I still wanted to go ahead with posting it. I was unsure if you guys would be interested in seeing a post on this, so on my twitter account, I ran a quick poll. The voting was unanimous, even though only 7 people voted lol. But nonetheless, I have decided to write a post for this exhibition. I will also dive into why this exhibition is so controversial so that you can make a well thought out decision if you wish to go or not. Again, if you don’t like to see bodies, organs etc then please don’t click on this post. Another quick disclaimer: I have taken the pictures with my iPhone so the quality is not as good as it is normally. But somehow I found it a tad strange and disrespectful to be taking pictures with my DSLR camera. So my apologies for that.
Lanzarote is an intriguing island with an extraordinary geology of 300 volcanic cones. There are great beaches, interesting sights and plenty of restaurants and hotels. The landscape has a stark and otherworldly appearance, with loads of unique black lava fields as far as the eyes can see. The island’s major sights have been aesthetically developed by the late César Manrique, a Lanzarote native, and artist. Houses must be painted white, other than wooden windows and door frames or wooden shutters which can be any one of two shades of green. There’s no billboard advertising, no highrise buildings, giving the island a unique atmosphere. So, in today’s blog post, I will show you some of the best things to see and do while on this amazing island, in my second mini island guide.
Taronga Zoo is a wonderful Animal park in a stunning location, located at a 15-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay in Sydney. It boasts stunning views, gorgeous animals and a free Gondola ride (Winning!). The zoo cares for 4000 animals from over 350 species, many of which are threatened. Elephants, giraffes, meerkats, bongos (yes bongos), Komodo dragons (truly awesome), seals, sea lions, penguins, lemurs and many Australian natives – crocodiles, snakes, kangaroos, emus, wallabies, koalas, echidna, wombats, and platypuses are just some of the animals you can encounter up close. A special feature is the new exhibit of Sumatran tigers. This is an amazing new exhibit and set up so well, but go early. The queues are long (very long). The keeper talks given throughout the day and with different animals are a great way to learn more about them and their habitats. Taronga Zoo has stunning views over the harbor back towards the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Which I think is almost worth the price of admission alone. Taronga Zoo is one of the best places to visit in Sydney, especially if you have kids or if you are an animal enthusiast. Read on for more information and lots of pictures.
Palm Beach is the place where some of Sydney’s wealthiest and most famous people escape on their holidays. It’s isolated, tranquil, charming and absolutely beautiful. In Palmy you could walk right by someone like Mick Jagger and not even know it. Celebrities such as Kelly Slater, Guy Sebastian, and Nicole Kidman and hubby Keith Urban also regularly visit Palm Beach during summer. Palm Beach is located 41 kilometers north of the Sydney CBD and is home to one of Australias most famous tv shows, Home and Away. The golden sands of Palm Beach curve 2.3km, from Little Head to Barrenjoey Point and is an excellent place to surf. You can also follow a trail to heritage-listed Barrenjoey Lighthouse which also offers splendid views of the coast, Pittwater and Kur-ring-gai Chase National Park. In this post, I will show you these amazing sights and why you should take the plunge and get over to Palm Beach as soon as possible.
