GUEST POST OVERVIEW Istanbul, was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. Been a long time gone, Constantinople. Now a Turkish delight, on a moonlit night. Man, those lyrics have been running around in my head since first hearing that They Might Be Giants song on Tiny Tunes when I was a kid. Now, Aleix has written in with this great description of Istanbul,…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: I prefer pizza above all other foods. Though I must say, there's nothing quite like an Italian deli meat sandwich. Man, this new guest posts from Aleix is making me hungry! Time to stop thinking about food, go get a snack, and let you read on... . . . . . . . Italians love their food, we all know that, but this is a guide how to eat the Italian way, when and what.…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Aleix is back with yet another great article about Barcelona. This time, he looks at some typical Catalan activities that will really give you an idea of what it's like to be a local. * * * * * * * If you come to Barcelona and you enjoy partaking in authentic and traditional local activities, here's a few that you can do in the Catalan capital that will give you a small…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Love me some Lisbon! Or at least, I love the idea of the city and photographs I’ve seen of it. In the mean time, I’ll just have to visit it virtually through this new guest post by Aleix. . . . . . . . Lisbon is one of Europe’s most vibrant cities, although it’s not as obvious as in some other places. The best of the Portuguese capital’s nightlife is hidden in the Bairro…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Sometimes I can spend 30 minutes going down the street in rush hour traffic. Imagine being able to get from Florence to Bologna, one of the most beautiful towns in the world, in that same 30 minutes? That’s what Aleix is going to talk about in this week’s guest post. : : : : : : : Florence’s beauty is unquestionable, and spending a few days in the Tuscan capital is an…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW:New York City! The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. AKA, my home town. A place where delicious food is sold on every corner, 24/7. My personal favorites are slices of pizza, street vendor pretzels and the Halal rice and lamb guys by Wall Street.  For a different take on some great street snacks in New York City, Aleix has written in with this great guest post...……

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: The Hungarian capital Budapest is in fact two cities, Buda and Pest, divided by the river Danube. The two parts of the city could not be more different, as Aleix describes in this week's guest post. Special thanks to Pedro Szekely for the amazing Budapest photography featured on this post. I plan to visit the country soon and can only hope to capture shots as elegant as…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Let's be honest, in addition to romantic and beautiful, rude is a word that pops to mind when you think of France. In this week's guest post by Aleix, he attempts to dispel that conception. Parisians have a reputation for being rude. However, this statement is quite obviously a generalization that some wish to lay upon the people of Paris and quite an unfair one. Here's a…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Where would I be right now if some of the world's most famous explorers had not gotten into a boat hundreds of years ago? Certainly not backpacking my way across Thailand, as I am doing right now. In this week's guest post, Aleix gives us a fascinating history lesson about Portuguese explorers.   "Portugal is today far from what it was 600 years ago. Back then, the…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: If Aleix keeps sending me these guest posts on Rome, there's no way I'll be able to avoid the wanderlust taking me there...possibly on my current trip! Purely from a personal point of view, although I'm sure many will agree, here are some of the best places to enjoy during your trip to Rome. When one has been to Rome many times, as I can happily say so for myself, one…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Madrid and Barcelona are the two biggest and most popular cities in Spain. Despite enjoying some similarities between them, they are quite different in certain aspects. Which differences? Read on to find out.   It's that time of the year again when you have to plan your next trip. It's been raining and dark where you live so you fancy going somewhere warm and…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: One of my favorite European vacations was a solo-backpacking adventure to Germany. Though I spent most of my time in Bavaria, I was extremely interested in the culture of Berlin. So, that's what Aleix is going to talk about in this week's guest post.   Berlin is one of Europe's most cosmopolitan cities, with people from all over the world living in the city. Every…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: High on my "return to" list is the canal-filled city of Venice, Italy. I was last there in high school on a class trip and would love to experience it again through the eyes of an adult. In the mean time, I have this week's guest post from Aleix to get me ready.   "I remember the first time I got to Venice, Italy. I got off the train at Santa Lucia station and as I…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Man, if there's one thing I hate it's lines. Right now I'm backpacking across India and while there may not be giant lines, there sure are some huge crowds. Like they say here, same same but different. Anyway, if you happen to find yourself visiting Florence, Italy's, most famous attractions, lines are something you will have to deal with. Unless, that is, you follow the…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: The more guest posts I get from Aleix about Portugal, the more I'm convinced that Carrie and I are destined to head there after we finish our adventure in India. Lisbon, in particular, sounds absolutely amazing!   Lisbon is one of Europe's most beautiful and amazing cities and yet it doesn't get as much attention as other cities. However, it has some of the most…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: I still remember reading The Catcher in the Rye in my New York City high school English class, so this guest post is especially fascinating for me. "New York City has produced some of the greatest artists in the world, whether they were actually born there or used the city as inspiration for their work. American culture and literature from the first half of the 20th century…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Today's guest post comes from my old friend Aleix, who writes about a must-see location in Barcelona: the Ciutat Vella...aka, the Old Town. "Barcelona's old town is known as Ciutat Vella, which translates as Old City. This part of the city is divided in three parts or subdistricts: the Raval, the Gòtic and Born. Today we will break down these three places and discover places…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Federico Fellini is one of the most important, if not the most, Italian film directors in history. His comedy films perfectly depict Italy's society after the war and his films won many international awards, including many Oscars. Federico Fellini Italian culture is famous around the world for many reasons, whether it's the gastronomy, the open character of the…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: As I prepare for my next adventure, a one-way ticket to India, I also find myself thinking about finishing the trip in Europe. So, should I find myself in Portugal, it will be great to have this info on hearing some great Portuguese guitar...aka, fado.   Portugal is a country that's sometimes overlooked at the time of choosing a destination for our next holiday.…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: History here. Get your history here! Thanks to our friend Aleix, I am proud to present a fascinating lesson on one of the most famous families in Madrid's history: The Habsburgs.   "The Habsburg dynasty, known as 'Los Austria', is the family who reigned in Spain during the 16th and 17th century. This time span coincided with Spain's golden era as the most powerful…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: Man-o-man, do I love Paris in the Spring. That's why I asked my friend Aleix to write up a post about the City of Love.   Paris is one of Europe's focal points when it comes to entertainment, culture and art events. The French capital has plenty of things to offer this spring so here are some of them that will hopefully give you the final push to visit this amazing…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: If you're going to visit Berlin, this guide is a good place to start. All the photos are from my trip to Berlin in 2013. All of the text was written by my friend Aleix.   Most of Berlin's important history has taken place in the 20th century, with World War II and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall as its main exponents. These events have left a considerable mark…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: The last time I was in Italy or Rome was in 1997 on a high school trip. Needless to say, I would love to go back! In the mean time, here are some handy tips to consider before I book my trip, written by our old friend Aleix.   "If it's our first time in the magical city of Rome, here are some tips that can come in very handy during our stay in the city and that can…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: At one point, Carrie and I planned to be in Barcelona, Spain, this summer. Plans have changed, so instead of celebrating the Gràcia street festival in person, we'll have to read about it in this week's guest post by Aleix.   "One of the most highly-awaited festivals of the city of Barcelona is back this August. The Gràcia street festival is a whole week of…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: I've been known to travel thousands of kilometers out of my way, just to explore an ancient ruin. The feeling of history as I stand in the same place that ancient kings and peasants stood gives me chills. Plus, of course, I love photographing every inch of any ruin I come across. For all these reasons and more, I'm happy to post Aleix's lastest article on the ruins of…

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: I spent a week in Germany in 2006, but never managed to make it to Berlin. In this week's guest post, Aleix tells me - and all of you - why it shouldn't be missed again. Berlin, Germany Berlin's Wasserturm Prenzlauer Berg -- photography by Patrick Wilken -- http://www.radiant-flux.net/ It's a city without the architectural beauty of Barcelona, the weather of the…

ABOUT THIS GUEST POST: Toledo is one of the most beautiful and culturally significant cities in the history of Spain. In his weekly guest post, Aleix will tell us all why...   If Spanish history had to be resumed in one city, that would be Toledo. From Roman times until today, Toledo has been one of the epicentres of Spanish history, seeing or being part of all the main landmark events…

ABOUT THIS GUEST POST: Ahh, Venice. The canals. The gondolas. The buildings. The filming locations from Moonraker: James Bond's mission in 1979! It's one of the most romantic places on earth and the subject of Aleix's weekly guest post. Venice is a city that's so special that you have to treat yourself to all the delights that the city has to offer. There is no point in going to Venice and not…

GUST POST SUMMARY: When I was last in Spain, I was 14 and my pallet was still very afraid of most foreign foods. Now, I would love to go back and sample some of these tasty-sounding Spanish dishes that Maike has written about in this delicious guest post...   Everyone knows that the Mediterranean diet is probably the healthiest one. In Spain, most food is cooked this way but, if we go to…