Category — Europe

I am guessing you have never heard of Matera, a city in the far south of Italy. Despite its incredibly unique and beautiful architecture and its fascinating history, it doesn’t even make it into most Italy travel guides.  Truth be told, I had never heard of it until I saw an obscure article about a hotel housed in old cave dwellings. I put it on my mental bucket list and found myself thinking about it from time to time. When a family trip to Italy was in the works, I knew I wanted to make a special trip to check it out in person.

It is stunning.

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When cold winter is at its worst, I try to recall the sultry, summery days and nights in Taormina, Sicily – one of the most picturesque, fun, and delicious beach towns in the whole world. Oh, and there are some pretty incredible ancient ruins right in town, too. 

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Last year, in London, I ate a fabulous meal of North African tapas at Morito, a sultry wine bar with knee-to-knee barstools. One of the most memorable small plates that night was a simple plate of spiced fried chickpeas with little nuggets of  preserved lemon dotted throughout. Since then I’ve been meaning to try and recreate them in my kitchen, and finally got around to figuring out the perfect recipe. I think they’re great as a bar snack with a pre-dinner cocktail or glass of wine, but you can also serve them as a tapa or a side dish.

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Ah, Amsterdam. Perhaps you’ve come because the canals are picturesque, the folks whizzing by on bicycles are exhilirating, the museums are wondrous, and the design stores delightful… or maybe you just like drugs? Or are hardcore into tulips? No judgments here.

Whatever your reason, forget about all of that for a minute and focus on the food! If you find yourself in Amsterdam, here are seven special things you should seek out and shove down your gullet.

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Berlin is one of those cities that has something for everyone—it can be equally exhilarating whether you’re a sophisticated museum-goer, history buff, laid-back yuppie, family unit, or young partier.

I would have loved Berlin in my younger days, but the older, wiser me is happy that I got to experience and enjoy it without a single hangover. (Full disclosure: since I was 6 months pregnant during my visit, a hangover was not in the cards anyway. But I like to think that regardless, I would have behaved with more moderation than some of the 20-somethings I saw on the U-Bahn still drinking at 8 AM from the previous night.)

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I would love to tell you about all of the best restaurants in London, but London, of course, is enormous! It’s also expensive. So I will just have to tell you about my personal favorites. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s what works for me. In no particular order, here is what I like to eat…

Tea and toast at Paul Rothe & Son is a treat – and one of the cheaper things on this list. This generations-old shop in Marylebone is the perfect way to start a very English morning. Their white toast slathered with hunks of creamery butter and homemade jam go perfectly with a big cuppa.

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People ask me for travel advice all the time, and sometimes I just don’t get around to blogging about it in advance. Here’s your chance to ask me anything about anywhere! If I have any good intel–I’ll gladly share it with you.

The question: “This summer, I’m going to Italy- biking from Rome to Venice, through Tuscany, with lots of stops in between. What are your favorite things to see, eat, and do there?”

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One early morning in London I happened to walk up Middlesex Street, when I came across a bunch of letters painted on the closed up shops. It was such a nice surprise on a dreary day. I looked into it and learned it was the handiwork of street artist Ben Eine….

You know, Ben Eine. I’ll spell it out for you:

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People ask me for travel advice all the time, and sometimes I just don’t get around to blogging about it in advance. Here’s your chance to ask me anything about anywhere! If I have any good intel–I’ll gladly share it with you. This is the question that inspired the start of this new regular feature!

The Question: “Me, my wife, and my 2-year-old son are going to Europe for the month of May.  We fly into Berlin at the start of the month and we fly out of Rome at the end.  We will definitely make our way to Paris in between, but that’s all we have.  I’ve only been to London, Amsterdam and few cities in Spain, so I am completely overwhelmed with the many choices of where else we could go. So, I’m wondering if you know of any easy-to-get-to great locales in between Berlin, Paris and Rome. Also, any train advice you have would be helpful.  I know that flying between the cities would be cheapest, but I’m trying to avoid flying and airports as much as possible.

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