The comfy traveller's diaries

Tag: blog

Travel resolutions
It is that time of year again. Resolutions. While I haven’t really seen the dreaded influx of new-years-resolutioners clogging up the gym floor, I know that many people consciously make plans for bettering themselves this year (and every year come 1 January.) Some people vow to finally lose the weight (and I am no stranger to that myself), some finally decide to hit the gym, or quit a long-lingering vice to ‘become healthier’. But setting new year’s resolutions doesn’t always have to do with bettering ourselves physically. It can also be focused on organizing one’s travel plans for the next twelve months. And this year, I have decided to play it slightly differently. In fact, I decided to organize them less.

It’s not like I ever really sat with my calendar and planned out the year. I have always been the ‘organized mess’ type of person. I go by gut feelings and general direction, rather than daily to do lists because life has taught me that only few things are within our hands to plan ahead and in detail. I also tend to get bored of sameness and rigid schedules or regimes, and that’s a good thing, because it keeps me hungry to explore what else life has to offer.

And even though I like my routines, I need to break out of them once in a while because otherwise I would go mad. So, when I speak about organizing my travel plans, I rather mean thinking about where I want to go, how often I can afford to travel within a twelve-month period and where I will likely go. Once I have thoroughly thought about it, I will book at least one trip that will be fixed in my calendar to have something to look forward to. It’s like a goal with a plan rather than a lofty ambition of ‘I want to travel this year’. I book a flight and a hotel and pencil it into my agenda. It creates a fait accompli in my head and gives me something to dream about during the drab, dark and rainy days of winter. If I feel particularly adventurous, I will book the non-refundable rate to make it that little bit more concrete and non-negotiable. Most of these travel anchors in my agenda will be sunny destinations, or well-travelled cities I know will breathe some life into my nine-to-five reality. Booking something relatively far down the line, like in September for instance, amplifies my excitement and I normally prefer to aim for that time of year when it comes to this one definite trip.

But this year, I decided to be more adventurous and the only fixed trip in my agenda is connected to a medical check-up in the first quarter of the year, while the rest of the pages in my 2026 agenda will remain unchartered territory for now. For the first time in a while, I am not going to rush to get a good deal on my favourite summer destination. I decided to chill out a bit this year and really take it month by month. Baby steps they say when it comes to other goals, such as lifting PR weights or losing a set amount of weight. In 2026, I will try this approach. And who knows, maybe I will get inspired beyond my usual limits.

Because, let’s be honest, more often than not, my pre-planned trips are city breaks to places I have already been to. Not terribly exciting for a travel blogger you might think, but not necessarily wrong either. Perhaps a little uninventive but at the same time, I genuinely love the places I keep returning to and it’s not like I have seen all there is to Paris or Milan within a 48-hour dash into the centre of town. If there are places that work for you as a solo traveller, that you enjoy and look forward to visiting periodically, why not? You also return to your favourite café or restaurant, don’t you? The kind of traveller and person that I am, I am not looking to become that insta-girl affixing 80 flags to her profile or checking off a bucket list of countries just to prove I am a worthy of calling myself a travel blogger. It is in fact very unlikely that you will see much more than Paris and Milan and maybe a bit of the rest of Europe on my blog or Instagram in the next decade. Because travelling solo isn’t easy; travelling solo when you are female and handicapped and hence without a driving licence, is harder. It’s not like I wouldn’t enjoy a road trip through Spain; it’s just that these kinds of trips aren’t in the cards for me as long as I travel solo.

Does that mean I will no longer venture beyond my comfort zone? No, of course it does not. Because I might just wake up tomorrow and decide to go to Australia. But trips like that require actual planning ahead and I am not sure I am ready for it yet. On the contrary, a weekend trip to a city nearby always works out somehow, even if it will mean working harder to meet a certain deadline a few days ahead of time to be able to take that Friday or Monday off.

Much about my travels is about getting a break from my everyday routine and 2026 will be no different in that regard. It is about breaking out of those habits and about getting new ideas. It’s that different perspective and input that I am chasing in my travels. Just this time around, I want to be a bit more spontaneous and go with the flow rather than planning out several trips at once. Let’s see how it will turn out, but I am very excited for a bit more spontaneity this year.
04.01.2026
London and I
And where to eat delicious Peking Duck

London and I have a very difficult relationship. It’s been a rocky road. At the same time, I have very strong bonds and deep friendships with people who live there, and this is the main reason I started coming to London again in the recent years; because in other regards London feels like a distant relationship that ended in unfinished conversations. But as with all failed relationships, things happen for a reason and to teach us lessons in life. And in the end, all lessons take us forward and let us grow. London and I were just never meant to be, no matter how thankful I am today for the lessons I learned.

When I come to London now, I of course choose to see its pretty and glamurous side only. And pretty it can be!

I really must give it to London; it can be so charming and over-the-top. Nothing really compares. December is for sure one of my favourite times to see London, probably the favourite time. The crisp air and overheated stores, the sumptuous décor and iconic Christmas lighting give it that very special touch. I can’t help but find it exceptionally Christmassy; it just has this very special allure.

Strolling down Regents Street or browsing through glossy, high-end things at Selfridges, I simply love it. Have you ever been to Fortnum and Mason’s Food Hall? Or the one in Harrods? It’s breathtaking. Not that I am into Christmas pudding, but the sumptuous packages just captivate me so much. No one overdoes Christmas quite as well as the British!

I think it is the mesmerizing atmosphere that fascinates me the most. While I normally find the dark days in the Northern hemisphere depressing, they make London extra special for me. You can be out and about in a busy street in the dark at 3 p.m. and it is charming and nostalgic, even when it rains.

When I go to visit London now, I am very selective about the parts of it I want to see. I only stay in the boroughs arranged around Hyde Park, because they remind me of the good times we had. Hyde Park was always there for me. We hung out a lot, and it never judged. I started running in Hyde Park, 20 kg overweight from countless late nights in the library over the years, in red leggings I found in Zara on sale. It sends shivers down my spine when I think of that outfit with the blessing of hindsight, but my skinny student budget only went so far.

Hyde Park connects all my favourite places in this city, starting from the Greek Cathedral of Hagia Sofia in Bayswater where I used to attend Saturday evening prayers to High Street Kensington on the other end. I still love taking the double decker buses just for sightseeing along its bounds and I would even dare to go as far as to say that I miss Hyde Park.

Watching its enormity from a double-decker bus is so much prettier and chill than squeezing into the tube sniffing commuters’ armpits and pushing the bounds of my germaphobia.

When I come to London now, I never stay long. Because, in keeping with its personality, it remains unattainable for most, and I like to keep it classy. After all, I have moved on since student days and like to stay in comfort and style. I come to spend quality time with the people I love. As with any harsh environment, the bonds you forge in it are there to last a lifetime. My friends and I, we went through a lot together and I must see them once in a while to replenish on love.

This time, my best friend and I treated ourselves to a wonderful Peking Duck experience at the Min Jiang Restaurant in the Royal Garden Hotel on High Street Kensington, overlooking my trusted old companion, Hyde Park. It was delicious and definitely on another level compared to our student days when we could hardly even afford egg fried rice in China town.

These days, I always make a point of stopping at Whole Foods as well, one of my absolute favourite supermarkets in the whole world. It’s just a quirky habit of mine to visit supermarkets abroad. Whole Foods Kensington is huge, it’s amazing and just extra. I simply love it. If you don’t really know London, or don’t know what part of town to see besides the tourist classics, I highly recommend High Street Kensington. It is classy with a variety of shops, cafés and restaurants, and home to all the major high street brands without being as crowded as Oxford Street. You’ll find all the British staples, such as Marks & Spencer, Holland & Barrett and Boots, too but don’t have to elbow your way through on the pavement. Caffé Concerto used to be one of my favourite places to go for a birthday treat. It’s changed a bit since, but the cakes still look delicious in the display.

While London and I definitely grew estranged, I am still very happy to return every once in a while, and you can rest assured that I will continue to share some insights and recommendations in the future whenever I go.

I am not affiliated with or sponsored by any of the restaurants, shops, and hotels mentioned or otherwise featured in this blog post.
21.12.2025
Ticking all the right boxes
My top 3 travel essentials

There are three things that come in a box and/or cube format that I absolutely cannot live without when I travel. These are a Tupperware (yes, I am that kind of person), my Tumi travel cubes and my Max Mara cube vest. Of course, the last two items also come in more affordable versions these days, but I am not exactly crazy about shopping and this is why I like to invest in quality pieces that last me many years to avoid the hassle (and expenditure) of constantly having to repurchase the same things.

Would I flaunt a Tupperware the size of a cornflakes box on the breakfast table, unashamedly filling it with everything on display? Hardly. But I still find it ok to discretely pack something healthy to eat into it before heading out to the airport. And this takes me to exactly my point. Those of you who travel a lot will know that not only is the airport food and drink scene helplessly overpriced, but the main problem is the kind of food on offer. All of it is sweet, ultra-processed and devoid of any protein or greens. This is why I pack my Tupperware. I pack it for a trip with healthy snacks or even a sandwich, not because I am cheap, but because I do not feel like eating rubbish or nothing at all just because the choice will be poor. And it is something we already know in advance, it is foreseeable, and therefore, I plan ahead.

Mind you, my Tupperware habit has also saved a diabetic colleague on a business trip when the travel time unexpectedly extended by three hours and he did not have any food on him. Just saying.

Second on my list is my beloved Tumi travel cube. It is now 14 years old and still going strong. In its ordinary life, it keeps my office attire neat and wrinkle free in my gym bag five days a week. On its more exciting outings it helps me organize my outfits and assists me in being less of a mess when packing. While it did come with a hefty price tag, I do not regret this expenditure one single day.

To the contrary, I am so grateful that this accessory has never let me down. If you are interested in a great quality travel cube that keeps its shape (which I think is the one quality that keeps it in a class of its own compared to other brands), you might want to consider investing in one. Maybe there will even be Black Friday offers; it may be worth looking out for that.

Last but not least I need to mention my Max Mara cube vest I repurchased again after several years in Milan last spring. It has been my single most worn piece of clothing ever since; summer or winter (not much of a difference where I live) and particularly when travelling. I don’t know about you, but I often find that the air cabin temperature is way below 20 degrees Celsius (according to google that is 68 degrees Fahrenheit) and I find that to be very cold.

This is where the vest comes in so handy. It weighs next to nothing but keeps me so incredibly warm. You can stuff it in whatever overpacked bag you bring as a carry on because it also takes up so little space. You can wear it under another jacket to, for example, bring a trench up a notch to being as warm as a winter jacket. This is particularly helpful when you cross the weather divide and do not want to schlepp around a winter coat but also don’t fancy coming down with the flu the day after.

All in all, this vest has been a lifesaver for me on several trips and will continue to be just that for years to come.

And there you have it. My three most reliable boxes I bring on every trip.

Granted, they are not the prettiest arrangement when seen in their raw state, but they are unbeatable when in action.

Especially the Tupperware, I dare you to try on your next trip. You can thank me later.

As always, none of my recommendations are sponsored. I am not affiliated with any of the brands.
09.11.2025
Budapest
Part 2

I recently promised you another blog about Budapest. And one of the things that I take very seriously in life is keeping promises. And since my last blog about Budapest was a little heavy on the soul, I will keep it light this time and you may have guessed it, that usually means food. We’ll start with the coffee though, because all good things start with a coffee.

Budapest really struck me as a city that evolved around so many different influences; post-communist era chic mixed with Balkan vibes and Austrian flair. It is hard to describe really, as nothing I ever experienced really compares with Budapest. It’s humble and grandiose at the same times and glued together by the unique charm of its people and proud cuisine. Likewise, you can find all sorts of different cafés, ranging from modern hipster places to sumptuous over-the-top elegance.

A very heartfelt café recommendation I would like to share with you is Kávétársaság in the Lipótváros area. It’s cool, it’s modern, and fresh and really a great place to hang out because it just hits the right tone with its urban, minimalist vibe. While Kávétársaság was the kind of place you’d go to chill, you may, on the other hand fancy some serious kitsch and olden days charm and visit New York Café instead.

Touristy and overpriced, it is still absolutely worth the experience, but I would rather put it into the category of monument than café per se. Let’s say, it’s not where you’d go for your first coffee of the day moment.

The building itself is very extra and has an incredibly interesting history; the ambiance strongly reminiscent of the K&K days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with its grandiose and lavish halls. It is quite a busy place as well, but don’t let that discourage you. The queues will move fast, as it is rather big.

Now, if you are more into the hearty cuisine of Hungary, you just cannot leave without savouring goulash or at least a goulash soup. I had both, obviously. The soup wasn’t bad, but I had it at a moment of the day when I was getting rather hangry, so there wasn’t really much choice involved when picking the restaurant. It was very touristic, and I didn’t really love it and thus I will not recommend it. Yet, I am a fan of goulash soup and having purchased approximately a pound of Paprika in Budapest’s market (If you want to know why, check out my earlier blog), I will undoubtedly cook some myself this winter.

The goulash I had later that evening (yes, same day, I know…), was, however, excellent and I am very happily recommending Szaletly restaurant, which is located in the somewhat quieter Istvánmező area, an area that reminded me very much of Serbia with its greenery and villas. I can’t really put my finger on it, but the vibe of the quite broad street just felt so very familiar.

In the evening, I would strongly advise you to get yourself a scenic spot on a rooftop bar overlooking the Danube. The Marriot hotel has a great rooftop bar with spectacular views. That said, you should absolutely book a table, as it isn’t very big and you may otherwise lose out on a table outside with the unobstructed views over the city skyline and all its beautiful major landmarks.

I said it before, and I will say it again: Budapest is a very beautiful and interesting city and needs to be visited again, periodically, if only for the Danube views and goulash.

None of the recommendations are sponsored in any way.
28.09.2025
How to travel when you can’t travel
Fake it, till you make it

I am a notorious dreamer and romantic, and if you have followed me along, you will probably already know that I have the Balkan mentality of all or nothing, black or white, firmly engraved into my DNA. I love luxury and beautiful things, comfort, and style, and if something doesn’t remotely live up to that, I’d rather stay at home.
However, none of us needs to stay at their factory default setting. We can educate ourselves and try to change ways where this is reasonable and actually to our benefit. In my case, I am trying to navigate what I want by finding suitable compromises for my travel goals when it’s necessary. Life is all about balance, and it is one of my declared goals in life to improve upon my skills of finding and loving balance.

Since I have literally just returned from my summer vacation, I am in a bit of a slump right now, as I am unable to go anywhere else just yet. But what can you do when you really want to go somewhere but can’t? I think the key to bridging the travel gap is to create little mental escape breaks for yourself along the way. Day trips, walks in a different park or forest, maybe a window-shopping and coffee-drinking trip to a nearby city you normally don’t go to. Maybe go for a spa day or have coffee in a sumptuous hotel lobby if you are craving a luxurious city break.

For me, as much as I love the urban stroll, cafés, and Parisian department stores, I also have an enormous soft spot for nature and walking. Call me boring or basic, but a walk in the forest just soothes my soul. And autumn is the most beautiful time of the year for it. I love the copper-golden tones of a beech forest and the calming scent of moss and chestnuts. The colours and the serene sound of a forest in autumn are just very special.

One day, I would really love to visit Japan. I find Japanese gardens so beautiful and impressively curated. It really is a distant and – at the moment – unrealistic dream of mine, but dreams are meant to be pursued, right? It is a matter of focus and priorities, and I am sure that one day I will be able to make it happen. I am working on it.

But the point of this blog I want to share with you is that sometimes, there also lies beauty in the ‘next best thing’ and baby steps can help you keep the focus on the big goal; in my case, a trip to Japan. There is a Japanese garden in the Netherlands that I recently had the chance to visit. Unfortunately, it only opens twice a year and its time has not come yet. But if you visit in mid-October, you will be able to see it in its full beauty. For now, I contented myself with snatching a sneak preview over the fence. It has such a unique touch and allure. Mossy green, curated maple trees waiting to turn bright red and beautiful bridges over green creeks make it look so special and stunning. I can only dream of how beautiful such a garden would be in Japan. However, just grasping a glimpse of this architecture made me dream of going to Japan, and the trip to the park was absolutely worth it.

Maybe you have something similar where you live. Maybe there’s a forest or park you normally don’t go to. And just maybe, you would actually love going for a walk there one day soon, to get a break, recharge, or to just enhance your natural glow with some sunshine and fresh air.

One of my former bosses who shall remain anonymous, of course, used to say: “Fake it, till you make it” – and to give him credit, he was the first real-life example actually implementing this maxim I ever met. He did well on that front; mostly, anyway.

Faking things to end up getting what you want is actually a great skill in many regards. And when it comes to travelling, I think you sometimes just need to fake it for yourself to help with the motivation and keep you focused on your goals.
14.09.2025
Perspectives
I have said it before, but autumn (aka. ‘fall’) is a very important watershed moment for me every year. I can’t say it is my favourite season, which is mainly due to the fact that I am not really into grey skies and rain, but there is something undeniably magical about autumn that definitely makes me love it much more than winter or spring.

Autumn kindles so much desire for change in me, that sometimes I feel I just want to start all over again; in everything. I feel like throwing out all my clothes because they no longer ‘spark joy’, as well as wishing I could move to a different country, find a new job or at least move house. Admittedly, none of the above is realstic (and probably not even healthy or remotely sustainable), but at least I really feel like going for it, which, on a much smaller scale really makes me implement some of the things I have been reminiscing about throughout summer or procrastinating over since last year.

I am the kind of person that observes and takes in a lot of outside influences, ideas and thoughts without really doing anything with them for a very long time until one day I wake up and I had enough. I need change. And ususally, this happens in September.

People in the office are back from holidays and I look at them wondering why they still wear the same clothes and hair styles than 5+ years ago. (OK, let me explain my judgy self here for a second: I am talking clinging on to the past, as in, the same hairstyle they sported in their early 20s when now, in their 40s, faces aren’t as youthful and hair growth isn’t as bountiful anymore.) Why do they keep piling on stuff onto their desks without decluttering it first? Why are they adding more folders to the shelves instead of emptying those they no longer need?

But then I get back to reality and remind myself that other people aren’t my business. I am my business and change starts with me, right here and right now.

Shifting your perspective is skill I believe not many people possess or master, myself included. At least I am aware of it, even if far from proficient in it. I am trying, I am working on it. And travelling is one of the biggest catalysts for me to nurture my ability to change perspective.

I have realized years ago that simply going on a weekend trip helped me restore balance in my life and thoughts (I am a libra in case you wondered) and had a disproportionally large positive effect on my mental well-being. When I stay too long in the same place, routine and surroundings, my mood flattens and I live on auto-pilot, getting things done, day in day out, without much room and pause for admiring the beauty of life. When I am in the situation, I do not even realize it, but as soon as I get out, go somewhere else, see something else and change my perspective, I realize it. I heal, I recharge, I am able to look at what’s going on in my daily life from that ‘outside perspective’ I otherwise lack. In a way, I crave the outside input, and I have learned to give in to that craving, so I travel.

When I return, I am full of new ideas and energy and I know exactly what I no longer want and what I want to change.

When I go too long without travel, I am keeping too much to myself, to my inner (unhealthy) comfortzone. I need that impulse and social cue to get me out of it that only travel can give me.

I miss my close friends who live abroad and want to go see them. I miss a big city and people-watching. I miss being surrounded by culture and different foods and smells and beautiful things.

I just wish travelling was more affordable. It feels like hotel prices skyrocketed ever since the pandemic bid us farewell. And if you followed my blog from its inception, you will have understood already that my travelling habits have become more demanding (and perhaps entitled) and cutting corners is still unfortunately the order of the day, because I find it increasingly impossible to compromise on effortlessness and style and it wouldn’t be possible for me to travel as much and as comfortably if I wouldn’t cut my trips shorter or safe on various extras I would actually like very much.

Right now, I am contemplating cutting a huge corner and possibly just go on a day trip to a place not too far away. But the ever overthinking libra that I am, I just don’t know whether it will be worth it. Will it be comfortable I ask myself? And deep down I know the answer will be ‘no’… But I am still thinking about it. I haven’t decided yet. Maybe it will be just comfortable enough to spark that change of perspective I really need.
07.09.2025
Culture, history and a side of hummus, please!
I recently visited the Hungarian capital Budapest. Many years ago, when I was still a student, I already heard the tales of fellow students going to visit the bath houses in Budapest and how much they loved the special vibe of this Eastern European city. I was intrigued, but never really found a ‘reason’ to visit. Recently, the recurring, subtle suggestions from the Instagram algorithm probably planted the idea of visiting Budapest more firmly into my mind. It just looked so beautiful with its magnificent architecture and picture-perfect bagels that kept popping up on my feed.

Let’s get the bagel disappointment out of the way first: I just wasn’t impressed. Probably I did not know where to go, but the Best Bagel Basilica just wasn’t it for me. They were not bad but did not live up to my memories of sumptuous, soft Jerusalem bagels.

Earlier this year, I decided that at least once a year, I should go to a place I have never been to before, and so a Budapest meet-up with my Austrian friend seemed like a fantastic idea. There is a direct train from Vienna, as well as good flight connections to many capitals around the world.

Budapest has way too much to see for a weekend. At the same time, I am not sure I would ever recommend a city trip for more than 3 days. Maybe it is just one of those places that you have to visit multiple times over the years to see and experience everything.

Besides catching up about our lives, we really wanted to take it easy on this trip and kept walking to reasonable limits. Let’s just say, if I am on my own, I walk at least twice as much. But Budapest was great in terms of Uber-ing everywhere. Affordable, clean, and – for a visually impaired person like me – easy to find and identify the specific car that was picking us up, as all Ubers are at the same time yellow cabs and drivers are very patient.

I found the Hungarian people very friendly and kind in a pleasant and somewhat reserved kind of way and everybody had an excellent command of English, and/or another language I spoke. One market vendor sold me yet another bag of paprika just because he so kindly spoke to me in Serbian (without being sleazy). Just pure kindness (and being a good salesman, of course!). I did regret having bought the first batch at a somewhat more touristy stall before I came across his. So, don’t be like me; check before you buy and who knows, you might come across someone who speaks your language and gifts you a smile!

After a stroll through the market hall, we wandered along the bank of the Danube to take pictures of the Liberty and Chain bridges and the historical tram until we more or less reached the stunning Hungarian parliament.

Not far from parliament by the riverbank lies the very harrowing monument of the Shoes by the Danube bank. I have visited a fair share of holocaust memorial sites in my life, but this one really touched me very much on a very deep level.

The shoes are so vividly crafted that you can imagine the people who wore them before they were so cruelly killed at the very tail end of the war.

This memorial site was not only very moving but, of course, deeply depressing in its own right; but we must never forget history and for what it is worth, I think we must never avoid this uncomfortable feeling of being reminded of what humanity is capable of.

I do not want my blog to drag you down, far from it. I started it to distract, to share positive and funny things, to give tips on travel based on things I got right or got wrong during almost two decades of mainly solo travel. But I don’t just travel for shopping and eating, surprising as it may seem. I travel to broaden my horizon and become richer in experiences and understanding of other cultures and lifestyles. Sometimes through shopping, always through food, and other times through history and art.

Let’s just say, no one was shopping on this trip, and besides some of the designer staples like Louis Vuitton and Max Mara we walked past on our evening stroll near the opera house, I wouldn’t even be able to tell you where the main shopping district is or what kind of shops they had.

This time around, it was truly just about culture, history, and architecture.

What I also did not know, for example, is that Budapest has the third largest synagogue in the world, the Dohany Street Synagogue with its own very unique history and architecture. It is not only a stunningly beautiful building in itself, but it has a very fascinating history.

I strongly recommend that you take the guided tour to really understand this building and the particularities of Jewish life in Hungary. Our guide was a very funny man who steered clear of all politics, which I appreciated very much. I really did learn a lot about Jewish history and Hungarian history just by taking the tour.

If you decide to go, just please make sure you are covered (no shorts or sleeveless tops etc.) or else will have to wear the not so chic light blue cover-up raincoat type of thing. Just don’t. And don’t show up on Shabbat (i.e. Saturday) or holy Jewish holidays, in other words, check and plan ahead to avoid disappointment.

To end our day of cultural immersion, we went for dinner and drinks at Mazel Tov in the Jewish district (they are even open on Shabbat), where the food was very nice and the local wine recommendation great.

All in all, the Hungarians appear to appreciate their drinks, with cocktails and copious amounts of alcohol on display on every corner of the city it seemed – our hotel served sparkling wine as a breakfast staple – which isn’t really my cup of tea, but I do not mind trying a glass of local wine with a dinner. I believe Mazel Tov is a great place for anyone who misses a bit of Tel Aviv style boho atmosphere and generally enjoys a relaxed place for food and drink. I can warmly recommend the beetroot hummus and the local rosé that is apparently almost always sold out and whose name I cannot remember (or pronounce) for the life of me. It will, of course, also be more fun if you go with a group of people and share different dishes mezze style.

To be continued (because Budapest has a lot to offer!)
31.08.2025
La rentrée – The Return
La rentrée, literally meaning ‘the return’, or as the British would call this period: “Back to School” isn’t only a slogan accompanying offers of school uniforms and stationery in the shops. No, it is a feeling. The return to normal, everyday life that follows the re-set during your summer vacation is a magical time of the year and, in my book, much more important than January resolutions. For me, la rentrée is the real deal; the fresh start, the enthusiastic outlook on what there is to come and above all, the time to plan your next trip.

Traditionally, this is my favourite time to plan an autumn city break to Paris or Milan and think about some new wardrobe staples I might want to look out for during these trips. The weather will still be good in most European cities and the days are still relatively long until the change to wintertime in late October. In fact, if you love sightseeing and to culturally immerse yourself in museums and exhibitions, I believe autumn is the perfect time to plan a visit to Paris. While Paris is always a good idea, my favourite time to visit the French capital is between September and mid-October. Just look out for the fashion week and absolutely avoid that time, as hotel prices will sky-rocket and traffic will become unbearable.

Autumn in Paris will always be magical. The parks will show the first autumn hues, the air will be crisp but days are still sunny and pleasant for the most part. You can start wearing layers and trench coats and shoes that have been hiding in the transitional department of your wardrobe for a while. For me, autumn in Paris, is also synonymous with shopping. I don’t know why, but I tend to be more interested in shopping that time of the year as opposed to spring or summer. Maybe that has to do with the fact that living in the Netherlands requires an autumn wardrobe all year round, or simply because la rentrée makes me very excited about changing things up and exploring new trends, including clothes and shoes. Don’t get me wrong, it is not a shopping spree that I am talking about but rather the selective sampling of one or two good pieces I can wear for several years to come.

My favourite shopping spot of all times are the Galleries La Fayette in Paris, as well as the Printemps department store next door. If you go later in the day, I recommend stopping for an apéritif on the rooftop of Printemps homme for magnificent sunset views of the Eiffel tower and the Opéra. If you are more into shopping skin care and beauty products and prefer calmer surroundings, I would recommend La Samaritaine on the river banks next to the Pont Neuf close to Notre Dame or French Pharmacies.

My absolute favourite French Pharmacy is the Pharmacie Paris Eiffel Commerce in the 15th arrondissement. It is beautiful, very spacious, well-stocked and not as crowded as anything you would find around the Opéra area.

Well, you can’t just be shopping and eating cake either. And, of course, there will be rainy days during this time of year and the best way to not get disappointed about that is to strategically plan your museum days. For the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, you absolutely should book your tickets in advance. In fact, you will have to select a time slot in order to skip the queue and even then, there will be a considerable queue for the time slot you booked; however, this will go fast, and you won’t have to queue more than 20 minutes at most.

The first Sunday of the month, admission is free at the Musée d’Orsay, however, you need to make a reservation, so just keep that in mind, but free access sounds pretty sweet to me! After the museum visit, you can stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries, grab a coffee and pastry at some of my favourite places (check out my blog post of 22 June 2025 below for recommendations) and enjoy the beauty of this glorious city in style.

After the museum visit, you can stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries, grab a coffee and pastry at some of my favourite places (check out my blog post of 22 June 2025 below for recommendations) and enjoy the beauty of this glorious city in style. The Jardin du Palais Royal is not too far either, and there you can grab a coffee and chill by the fountain in the fading afternoon sun.

But la rentrée is so much more than just a city break and a cardigan or pair of boots. If for your children it is the time of year to deal with new teachers and reuniting with their friends, this time of year should really direct you towards exploring new things and ways of thinking. I hope you were able to take some rest in the weeks of July or August, and I equally hope that this rest enabled you to reflect and recharge and get inspired for the season that lies ahead. Maybe you made the resolution to go back to the gym, to start Pilates or hiking or to revive a rusty running routine. Maybe you decided that after the holidays you would start preparing meals to bring to the office; maybe you just got bored of the clothes you have been wearing for ever and think it is time to change; whatever it is, take ‘the return’ to normal everyday life as a chance for a new beginning. Don’t wait for January. If your kids can do it, so can you.

I really think that the moment real life resumes after the summer break is the time to dive deeper into examining the year that lies behind and to strategize on improving one or two things as we go ahead. I know this book has been widely hyped, and you may just be the person who is put off by such over-hyping of things but hear me out.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a book I very much enjoyed reading over the span of a few months starting last rentrée (apart from the charts and graphs. They freak me out). In my opinion, it is not a book you can read in one go and put aside. I think it is more of a companion kind of book that guides you through a couple of weeks, chapter by chapter if you read it attentively and internalize what James Clear is sharing with you.

While I can’t really say that it was revolutionary or anything like that – mainly, because I have always been a very habitual and disciplined person – I think that it helped me reaffirm the significance I have always placed on my routines and habits and I therefore found it very interesting and inspiring to pick up one or two new habits starting that time of the year.

La rentrée is arguably one of my favourite times of the year and writing this post, I immediately want to get onto that train and go to Paris myself again. I wish I could. But truth be told, Paris isn’t much fun on a budget and I literally just came back from my summer vacation. Let’s give it a bit of time and space so that the next trip will be as wonderful as the ones I did before. The summer season really needs to close in style before I am ready to pack up again and make that trip to the beautiful city of light. Or somewhere else for a change; who knows?
24.08.2025
The art of dining alone
Chapter 2: Getting started

If you have followed my blog and read chapter 1 published the week before last you will have understood that for many years of travelling, I did not muster up the courage to go and dine out alone. I felt judged, stared at, or worse even: pitied.

Don’t get me wrong, at times these feelings still creep up depending on the environment I find myself in, but in general I have learned to just let other people mind their own business while I mind my own.

And this brings me to what I want to reflect upon today. In my opinion, the environment and circumstances in which you find yourself matter very much. For instance, I find urban dining much easier than say beach location dining. Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule, but I am just speaking about my own experiences here anyway. I have come to this particular realization after some not-so pleasant meals by the beach during summer vacations. To me, being in a more urban environment makes it easier, as dining is more of an everyday business affair rather than an event in itself which it often is when people take a break by the sea. I think by now, I have a few tips to share about how I managed to transition from in-room meals to venturing out and eating in a restaurant by myself.

If you are struggling with this situation, too, I think you need to start out easy and make it as comfortable as possible for yourself. My advice would be to start with eating in the hotel restaurant where you are staying. In my opinion, it is the easiest kind of “situation” because you don’t need to take transport, and chances are there are other solo diners owing to the simple fact that hotels have business travellers.

I had very good experiences at various hotels I have stayed at, but on the top of my head I can think of hotel Alfred Sommier in Paris and the Fairmont hotel in Amman, Jordan. The latter has an excellent steakhouse and a Lebanese restaurant.

Sure, going down for dinner isn’t much of a move, but this is the entire point. It will be a good starting point and much better than sitting in your room eating in front of the TV in your PJs.

Level 2 would be to stay local and try a bistro or restaurant close by the hotel. Usually, these places – in Paris for instance – are lunch and dinner places and very unfussed. If you are travelling in summer, most of them will have a terasse or a few tables out in front, where you can engage in some Parisian-style people watching, which is a wonderful way to make dinner for one more entertaining.

I can recommend a few bistros close to the Champs de Mars in Paris, such as le Café Picquet on Avenue de la Motte Picquet or Le Pierrot for that purpose, but generally speaking, there are so many similar ones in Paris – just give it a try. I only mention these here because I have been there, tried them, and liked them, not because they are particularly fancy, special or outstanding. Sitting on a terasse facing the street is in my opinion a perfect setting for a solo-dinner.

In the same vein I can recommend Zum Schwarzen Kameel in Vienna centre, which is a bar, bistro, restaurant with a rich tradition and equally a place for apéritif. It is basically open all day and has a beautiful outdoor sitting area in front.

You can go for breakfast, lunch or dinner as it is always busy and popular. Maybe you want to start with an afternoon drink and transition into dinner. I have been there on different occasions and it is very popular with the locals for after work drinks. You may have to queue for a bit, but to me that is just a sign of excellent quality.

Vienna is a safe and beautiful place to stroll, and I really urge you to explore the local options when you are there, and not just for cakes!

Another way of easing yourself into the habit of dining out alone is going to a mall. In Dubai for example, I have had great dinners in some of the many restaurants in the mall where you just join one of the other shoppers stopping for a bite. There are way too many options to list here, but one place I find very easy (no matter where) is the Japanese chain Wagamama, which is also a great option for London, Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

It can of course be daunting and boring to eat on your own, but I really think that it is an act of self-respect to put on some nice clothes and get yourself out there to partake in adult life instead of hiding in the room.
13.07.2025
A little bit of Paris

The other day, my sister in-law asked me whether I would have some recommendations for food and pastries in Paris, since a good friend of hers was visiting the city of light very soon. I immediately jumped at this opportunity, although I was incredibly busy at work. But we are talking Paris. I’d drop anything to be reminiscing about Paris. In the last couple of years, I have been to Paris on a number of occasions and I also always preferred the Air France flight to Paris from Tel Aviv over any other flight that would bring me to Europe in summer. Arriving in the French capital from what felt like a nasty red eye, I loved strolling around a deserted August Paris, doing some sales shopping and enjoying the café culture. I have since left the Middle East and now tend to travel to Paris by train, but Paris still remains a constant travel destination for me.

As I was thinking about restaurant and pastry places, I realized that there are a few places in particular that I appreciate very much. Most of these are, however, morning/afternoon kind of places.

I haven’t really been dining out much in Paris, although there is a very cute Japanese Ramen place near the Opéra that I can highly recommend for a hearty dinner. It’s called Takesan Donabe Ramen on 20 Rue de la Michodière, just off Boulevard de Cappucine. They do not take reservations, so you’d have to just show up. Apart from the ramen being really nice, I very much liked the vibe of the place. There were all kinds of people and all kinds of age-groups at the restaurant.

I am very used to my early morning routine of getting up at the crack of dawn and working out before I do anything else in life, so by the time dinner time rolls around I have usually completed another 17 to 20k steps wandering around this beautiful city and ate too many pastries to justify a full-on dinner. That’s why I tend to have mostly pastry places and bistro lunches in my repertoire.

So, let’s start with the sweet things:

La Durée is kind of a must. I have been to the one just off Rue Saint Honoré on Rue royale and another opposite the Jardin du Luxembourg on 4 Place Edmond Rostand, off Rue de médicis – near the Luxembourg Metro station. If you only want to get take away, both of them are great, but if you want to sit in style, I would recommend the one on Rue royale, as they have a tea salon upstairs. I have been to the Luxembourg store in autumn, and got a take away coffee cup and my macarons on a paper tray even though I was sitting on the terrace, so it felt a bit like McMacaron and not exactly what I had in mind. (As a gym girl, I like to celebrate the calories I consume).

Apart from macarons, I also love a good tartelette, especially those with raspberries. I would even boldly claim that this is my all-time favourite French pastry treat. To be perfectly honest, tartes aux framboises are amazing from almost any patisserie, but I particularly like the ones from Eric Kayser patisserie. This is a chain and I have been to the Rue du bac and Rue du commerce shops. On Rue du bac you can also eat in.

If you make your way to Rue du commerce, I can also recommend the L’Atelier du Chocolat, which is a chocolate artisan; and in any event, Rue du Commerce is a beautiful, chilled street with a little square and its own Metro station. It is just worth going there for a bit of Paris atmosphere and shopping without the crowds. I would recommend starting your stroll down this street from La Motte Picquet/Grenelle metro station though.

I will keep my lunch and morning coffee recommendations for another day. So, please stay tuned.

At the end, I would just like to note that none of the above recommendations are sponsored in any way; they are just honest recommendations from a passionate traveller.

22.06.2025