Eating my way through Chiavenna’s Bresaola Festival

Ask me to name the first Italian meals that come to mind and I’ll list off pizza, pasta, and risotto. Maybe veal parmigiana if you insist I include some meat in there. But bresaola? I had no idea what that was until I arrived in the town of Chiavenna. When I hopped on the train bound for the Italian Alps, all I knew was that there would be a food festival taking place. What kind of food? I wasn’t entirely sure. It wasn’t…

Exploring Bergamo and its Surroundings

I took a couple of side trips during my recent visit to Milan and one of those was to Bergamo, a city that sits at the foothills of the Bergamasque Alps and is only a 1 hour train ride away. The charming city – which feels a lot more like a town! – made an immediate impression upon me. Just a few minutes into my walk of the Old Town, I was already fawning over the warm pastel walls, the weathered shutters, and the clay coloured roof tiles. It’s as picturesque an Italian town as you…

September: From City Stays to Road Trips

I blogged very little this month. In fact, I think this was the first month that I made travel a priority and kind of took a break from social media and keeping you updated with blog posts in a long time. Part of it was because I had friends and family visiting for an epic road trip across Ireland and Northern Ireland, but I was also feeling a bit tired and just needed to take a step back and enjoy travel just for the sake of travel. So that’s what …

Road Tripping Northern Ireland: The Places You Won’t Want to Miss!

When it comes to road trips, Northern Ireland has some pretty spectacular landscapes to boast, and the best way to enjoy these is by driving the Causeway Coastal Route. This drive follows the coastal areas between Belfast and Londonderry and it covers a total distance of more than 300 kilometres (with a few additional detours here and there). It’s the equivalent of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, and it has everything from castles to frightening bridges to natural wonders along the way. I didn’t have enough time to drive the full Causeway Coastal …

Why the Osprey Sojourn is the best luggage for travel!

Backpack or suitcase? Straps or wheels? Which of these two types of luggage should you use to pack for a long trip? These are questions I debated back and forth before setting out on this most recent trip around Europe. When I first set out on my big 15-month round-the-world trip I carried a 60L backpack. Even though the size of my pack forced me to adopt a minimalist packing style, I still found the weight to be a little too much for me. Sure, it was super convenient because I …

Warsaw: The cool up-and-coming capital that’s full of surprises

Warsaw took me by surprise. I feel like the Polish capital is a really well kept secret that very few travellers know about (even I was out of the loop until my recent visit). However, what I found was a really cool city with an up-and-coming art scene, lots of unique attractions, and a bit of a Soviet edge. Visiting Warsaw made me think of a younger version of Berlin before…