Who loves good food? I DO! Yes, I absolutely adore finding delicious, interesting things to eat along my travels.
From tasty BBQs in the Caribbean and shave ice in Hawaii to nasi goreng in Indonesia and tasty tapas in Spain – these are the posts to fuel your foodie side.
Time to make my own Magnum at London’s Magnum Pleasure Store.
Hi… I’m Chloe. Self-confessed foodie. Lover of gourmet. Possessor of the ultimate sweet tooth. A standard day may start with cake… but that’s ok, right? So when an invite arrived in my inbox entitled: Magnum Pleasure Store, I hit reply and planned my visit.
The luxurious pop-up store is located in the heart of Covent Garden, right next to the Royal Opera House. I heard it was popular… and could see for myself when I spotted a queue snaking out of the door.
Find out what it’s really like to visit Helsinki in Finland.
A very grand overnight cruise transported our Busabout group from Stockholm to Helsinki. 41 EUR gained us a two-hour feast in the Grand Buffet (including wine). We gorged on everything from smoked salmon, to roast beef to chocolate mousse! Delicious! After dinner, we checked out the on-board entertainment, before dancing the night away in the nightclub!
Check out Part 2 of the video of my Scandi-Baltic Adventure now, and scroll down to read all about my time in Helsinki.
On arrival in Helsinki there were a few sore heads, but with little over 24 hours there, we were all keen to explore the city.
Being so fond of Stockholm, I expected to love Helsinki too, but it had a very different vibe. As most of the city burned down in 1801, it was redesigned from scratch in a Neo-Classical style – full of big boulevards and grand buildings.
One of my favourite discoveries was Signora Delizia – a cute Italian café in Katajanokka, just around the corner from Moomin creator Tove Jansson’s childhood home. It used to be a tobacco store, and was full of quirky charm, plus the coffee was excellent.
In July 2015, I went on an amazing Scandi-Baltic Adventure with Busabout. Over 8 days I visited Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Finland and Estonia, checking out the sights, sampling the local delicacies, and enjoying the nightlife!
Stop two on my Scandi-Baltic Adventure was Latvia’s vibrant capital. Riga’s reputation preceded it… I knew it was a prime location for rowdy British stag dos looking for a cheap weekend with buzzing nightlife. Thankfully, I found there was plenty more to the city.
Check out Part 1 of the video of my Scandi-Baltic Adventure now, and scroll down to read all about my time in Riga.
We stayed in the old town, close to the picturesque 17th Century Powder Tower – previously used to store gunpowder. Around a third of the population of Latvia live in the capital, but it didn’t feel congested or horribly built up. I think this was partly due to the number of squares and green spaces (particularly Bastion Hill Park by the Freedom Monument) – something very important to the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. Latvia’s treacherous past was visible – with the Latvian Riflemen Monument and the Freedom Monument standing tall in different parts of the city.
Unofficial “tourist attractions” include the Radisson Hotel – which, as the tallest building around, was once inhabited the KGB. McDonalds also holds some significance in Riga as it was the first to be opened in the Baltic countries. It was seen as a symbolic moment – marking the end of communism. In fact, the queues on its first day stretched around the block!
Time to check out Divota Apartment Hotel in Split.
As I got off the bus in Split, I was met by a handful of people flashing signs and pictures, trying to entice new tourists to their budget accommodations. There was something charming about seeing this old fashioned marketing technique still working. I, however, had somewhere to be…
On my first night in the city, I checked into Divota Apartment Hotel. I wandered through the characterful Veli Varoš neighbourhood – a labyrinth of tiny cobble stone streets once home to farm labourers. Just 5 minutes from Diocletian’s Palace and the promenade, but out of the tourist hustle and bustle, it seemed like the perfect location.
After checking in, I was shown to my apartment. The area felt very ‘local’ – people were going about their daily business walking dogs, going to and from work, carrying shopping and hanging out their washing. Traditional green wooden shutters hung off the old stone houses. I couldn’t stop taking photos!
