Category Archives: Europe

More Turkey photos continue…When I’m travelling, I don’t mind waking up at 3-4am (thanks to a jet lag) and making myself tea and coffee (just because I cannot decide which one I want) and flipping through a hotel magazine until the sun comes up. Then I head down to have the most important meal of the day, breakfast, that always has yogurt and olives in Turkey. Everything is so fresh.
We had a tea time up on the hills where you can see Istanbul city. On first impression Istanbul is always busy and bustling, though the views from up here are undeniably peaceful and beautiful. Cool school kids sitting together and having a casual chat looked so relaxed and cute. One of the guys kept looking towards my camera and me pretending not taking a photo of them. Ah..awkward!

Vegan lunch full of fresh herbs and vegetables, just the way I like it.
You should try this champagne and pomegranate juice. Cheers!
Divine dinner tasting plates. They look amazing as well as flavourful. A lot of vegan dishes, yes! Char grilled capsicum stuffed with rice, dolma, mushroom stuffed with goat cheese and beetroot chip, sushi roll filled with peas, hummus, chickpea salad. My taste buds were in heaven. The great thing was chefs constantly checking if everyone was happy with the food they cook and just being passionate about serving modern Turkish food. I was so well looked after since they also gave me recommendations for vegan/vegetarian options.

Before visiting Istanbul, all I knew about Turkish cuisine was kebab, hummus, Turkish delight and dolma. It is much more than that. My experience with Turkish food was incredible. Fresh ingredients, a delicate balance of flavours, fragrant spices, beautiful black tea, my favorite sweets – lokum Turkish delight! Turkish wine was surprisingly good, too. These is no way you will leave hungry in this city.
It is always nice to explore a new city for more than what’s written about it on internet or paper. Istanbul was full of energy, beautiful architecture, friendly locals, clean streets, crazy traffic (quite chaotic on the roads and violent drivers) and delicious food. I cannot wait to return.

I ventured abroad a few times last year. Lucky me! I know. It is such a privilege to travel to find yourself out of routine, put yourself to new adventures, tastes and culture. I love travelling alone as well as with a travel partner who has same interests, tastes and energy. I have been itching to travel again recently and looked back at old photos in my camera and thought I would share some images.  Having a foot spa in Pamukkale, Denizli. It literally looks like “cotton castle”, breathtaking views.
It is no surprise that I get most excited about the amazing local food and produce while traveling. Fresh fish grilled to perfection and chicken kebab served with rice and salads were simple and tasty. Fresh ingredients and honest food always win! Freshly squeezed pomegranates are every where, only 2 euros a cup. You cannot compare with a bottled pom juice.
Olives…Olive skin Turkish guide…One of the things I love about traveling is meeting new people and making a friendship. Turkish men are so relaxed, playing games, drinking teas, chatting and chatting. When do they work?

What a magical city – Paris! I just loved strolling around the romantic streets, indulging myself in beautiful French wine and food which was more than enough to satisfy my demanding taste buds. I didn’t quite get Paris syndrome after holiday (Yes, it is real. It is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some individuals visiting or vacationing in Paris or elsewhere in Western Europe), though I do miss this place so much.This is what I like about Paris – the romantic streets, bridges, chic Parisian style (red lipstick, scarf around the neck, no-makeup-makeup and cigarette), full of history and modern at the same time, creamy colour buildings, gorgeous boulangeries every other streets, the art of pastry… After a long walk, about 25km pretty much non-stop, we were absolutely exhausted by the late afternoon and were already heading to the hotel without even realising it. As a result and me wanting to have a nice shower, wrap myself in bathrobe and have my feet up, we spent that evening on the bed with French wine and nibbles which were picked up at the Mono Prix next door. Red wine, lots of cheese, crackers, black olives, nuts – what else do you need? I must admit it was surprisingly a memorable and comforting dining experience 🙂Very last meal in Paris was escargots and grilled goat cheese on toast for entree. Main was divine – Provence style braised squid with quinoa and duck breast with honey and raspberry sauce. We were wowed by presentation and then seduced by the flavour.What an incredible holiday in France. It was sad to leave when I was just getting close to perfecting “Bonjour” and “Merci”. I hope we will meet again soon.

When I woke up to this sky in the morning in Paris I was comforted by the stillness and peacefulness. Another spectacular day ahead of me:) Paris has a charm different to that of Nice or Avignon. Of course it is one of the biggest holiday destinations, so you see touristy places full of crawling people. Then you take a turn to narrow side streets and find yourself away from the hustle and bustle. So easy to get lost. Oh I never walked this much in my life >.< We walked average 20km a day while staying in Paris. Cobblestones look pretty but not that great for my feet. I strongly recommend to take super comfortable walking shoes when going to France.
We started walking along the Seine to say a quick hello to Eiffle tower on the first day. Oh I so enjoyed pretty Autumn colours in Paris – yellow and red colour-changing leaves, beautiful sun and cool breeze. People were casually having a sunbath and drinking French wine along the river.

My first encounter with this charming city was about 10 years ago. There are many beautiful places around the world that want to go back to. Paris is one of those that keeps calling me back and makes my heart flutter. I was there with my brother in my early 20s and visited obligatory touristy places. This time it was nice to step off the tourist track and wander around quiet back streets. I cannot put in words, but compared to 10 years ago, it definitely felt different when I went in my 30s. Would that be different again in 40s? I will find out…
These love locks have gone viral all around the world, even on these old bridges in Paris. Unstoppable lingering thoughts – what kind of love story these love locks have, are those people happy now together, have they ever come back to find their locks again, how many keys are under the Seine? I wonder.
Vintage markets on the street, rose petals after the wedding, couples doing wedding photo shoots, cute little arcades… all the things that we discovered by walking, not using metro or bus. Sore feet were worthwhile in the end.I absolutely enjoyed poking in and out gourmet shops and groceries in Paris. This restaurant was one of them, very hidden in the back streets. Why not stop for a quick dejeuner? A platter of grilled vegetables, slices of cold meat, Parmesan cheese and a basket of baguette was simple yet delicious. Affogato was surely a nice finish to the amazing meal.

Never sick of more espresso and French pastry 🙂
And French wine…Avignon is on the left bank of the Rhone river. It is filled with ancient streets, mediaeval ramparts and Gothic architecture. We stayed only one night there on the way to Paris.
On the way to the Palaise des Papes, I couldn’t just walk pass this creperie. I’ve chosen a savoury option. Family-pizza sized thin crepe smeared with tomato paste and basil – so filling, good enough to share between two unless you are quite hungry. I will definitely try to recreate this at home for sure. Amazing French food experience continues. One day we had chicken salad and confit duck with crispy potatoes. I loved how it was cooked as it should be. Confit duck dish was super moist inside and crispy outside, cooked for perfection and seasoned just right. French red wine was perfect to match the dish. Spot on!