From luxurious road trips in Italy, to the freshest food in Spain and exciting travel adventures in Scandinavia and The Baltics, find out the best places to travel to in Europe here, in my Europe travel blogs.
Happy exploring!
Just a short journey from London lies White Cliffs country. I’m talking about the towns of Dover, Deal and Sandwich with their endless beautiful views, tonnes of history, outdoor adventure activities, delicious restaurants…oh and some gardens owned by the stars of Gogglebox! So why should YOU visit?
Daniel Boulud may have two Michelin stars at his stateside restaurant, but even for me, jetting to NYC for lunch felt a little extravagant… So I popped along to Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park to check out his London base.
When I had the opportunity to visit Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental for lunch last week, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. One of my sisters happened to be visiting from Sweden and was more than happy to be my date. It was shaping up to be the perfect girly catch up!
We entered Bar Boulud, passed the long sophisticated bar and took our seats in the heart of the buzzy dining room. Service was friendly and it wasn’t long before we were deliberating wine options while simultaneous eyeing up every plate that appeared from the kitchen. Sky-high burgers, colourful tapas and delicious seafood aromas breezed past us, causing us to change our minds several times!
Other than the song by the Beautiful South, I didn’t know a lot about Rotterdam. I’ve visited Amsterdam countless times and loved it! It’s fair to say Rotterdam is Amsterdam’s lesser-visited, modern little sister. As the majority of the city was bombed during the war, it’s become a playground for forward-thinking architects. Along with the uber-cool architecture, there are plenty of fashionable restaurants, a great nightlife scene, top summer festivals and a little something I’d describe as community spirit! The best time to visit? I’d say the Summer. But don’t just take my word for it, take a look at a few of my top pics from my recent travels.
1. The city’s skyline is one of the most unusual I’ve seen in a while. Best place to check it out? From the tallest building – the Euromast, and be sure to visit in the evening as the lights start to illuminate the city.
2. One of my favourite spots in the city is Markthal. It’s not just the city’s top food market, it’s also another architectural masterpiece!
3. The crazy ceiling of the Markthal was designed by artist Arno Coenen and features giant fruit and vegetables.
When it comes to foodie cities, I never expected Helsinki to be a top destination. But, with 4 Michelin starred restaurants in the centre, and plenty of spectacular waterside locations to dine at, it’s a city that really took me by surprise! During my week staying at Visit Helsinki’s #HelsinkiSecret Residence I spent an evening at Olo Restaurant (Ravintola Olo) enjoying their 9 course tasting menu (entitled ‘The Shorter Way’) with wine pairings.
I don’t think I’ve ever sat at a restaurant table to find something totally uncooked waiting for me. But, sure enough, as I took my seat beside the window at Olo, as a beautiful rainbow draped itself through the sky, there was a dish of unbaked sourdough. “It’s rising” waitress Melanie said. “I’ll take it off to be baked and bring it back when it’s ready.” Nice touch I thought…
