Visiting Ancient Olympia from Katakolo in the Greek Peloponnese

I’ve already rated Greece as the number one in my ranking Map of the most beautiful Countries, as well as one of the best in terms of Historically Rich destinations around the world. Ancient Olympia is one of those places that was on my list and this year it was time to pay it a visit. Birthplace of the Olympic games, Ancient Olympia was the chosen location to build the famous games which were hosted from 776 BC and have been played there for 1169 years before it was destroyed by an earthquake and later rediscovered by German archeologist. Since its opening to the public, it has become a popular touristic place to visit while in Greece, mostly for its significance more than what is left. In fact, very little is left. It seems more like a graveyard of stones laying everywhere than an actual Olympic site. Nevertheless, it is impressive to imagine that such an important sports traditions have been hosted here for so long. Several tours are […]

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Visiting Valletta, Malta: World Capital of Balconies

Malta is one of those European countries that “awe’s” me as soon as I set foot on its streets. The proof that a city doesn’t need any fancy activities to make it a great one. A short walk around Valletta, Malta’s tiny capital of less than 10000 people, will convince anybody that preserving its authenticity and showcasing its historical traits is the secret to making any city a great one! I’ve been in Malta for the first time in 10 years ago, and it hasn’t changed that much since then, except for the obvious restorations of the walls. At the time I had the opportunity to dig deeper into the suburbs of Valletta and all around the Island, which is definitely worth it! Mdina is the other highlight that I wish I had time to visit again, but this time I was on a short visit to the country and I would concentrate on the Capital only. Beautiful view of Valletta from the Mediterranean Sea […]

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Menorca: The Baleares Islands Best Kept Secret

You know the feeling when you go to the cinema to see a movie you have hardly heard of and see it with little expectations? And When you finally leave you are amazed by it? Well that’s what happened to me when I visited Mao, the capital of Menorca, the lesser known island of the 3 Baleares island. If you haven’t heard of Menorca you probably have of its bigger brothers who will surely ring a bell. Mallorca’s beaches and Ibiza’s Party have stolen the show for many years, but Menorca definitely deserves some credit as an amazing destination. My guess is the more people end up going, the more it will gather attention in the next few years which will help it grow exponentially, at the expense of its “little town” charm. Already, the mainstream cloth shops such as Zara, Mango, and Stradivarius have found home inside its old center, so make sure you hurry to pay this one a visit before Mcdonald and Burger […]

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Cadiz: Oldest City in Western Europe

Ever since I visited the Romain ruins in Cartagena where I was told there was an even older city than Cartagena in Spain, I have had my eye on coming back to Cadiz to explore it more profoundly. Some claim it is as old as 3000 years old, built by the Phoenicians at the 8th century B.C. there is a lot of history around the small city, set as a port town fortified with walls and forts on a small peninsula. It breaths Andalusia at every corner, with orange trees lining the narrow streets and balconies on houses built and stacked so close together it wins the title of the densest city in Spain. Even Cristopher Colombus came here as a starting point on two of his first voyages to the Americas! Plaza de la Cathedral is the heart of the city, but there are also 3 other squares which form the epicenter of Cadiz. The others are Plaza San Juan de Dios, plaza de […]

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Tangier: The Moroccan Doors to Africa

Tangier used to be an important gateway to Europe (or to Africa) and seems to have caught up on its lack of interest for travelers which traditionally valued more others cities in the country such as Marrakech, Fes, Tetouan or Essaouira. This was the case when I first came to Tanger back in 2003. The city was known for high crime and was not recommended by most book guides out there, considering it a port of arrival rather than a touristic destination. That was the case for me at the time, having spent only 2 days in the cities before rushing south to more “attractive” destinations. However, this year’s visit surprised me. 15 years later, the Medina definitely has been pumped up with restorations to make it more appealing to the touristic eye. Most of the highlights will be around the Medina (historic old town) so it won’t be necessary to venture too far. However the Medina is set up on a cliff, with the […]

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Hong Kong: The Great Asian Metropolis as a Hiking Destination

Hong Kong is a beast of a city! Every time I come here I am amazed how quickly it changes here and there every year, ever more into a megapolis of the future. Since it was handed back to China in 1997, it enjoyed the 7% plus growth that the mainland has had over the years. Being here just feels like everything is economically going well. Investment pours in, modern roads and bridges all around the island and none stop flow of Teslas Model S roaming its downtown streets. Thanks to its strategical location and history, hong kong really feels to me like the Capital of Asia. Financially, it definitely is, only rivaled by Singapore. But thanks to the Casino mecca of Macau next door, and Disney land Asia, without forgetting its great airport, its no wonder why it brings in so many tourists on a layover or on a holiday! I noticed a great amount of publicity advertising the “touristic Wonders” of Hong Kong […]

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The Canary Islands: What Every Island on Earth Should Look Like!

After a nice 4 months in south-east Asia where I had the chance to visit four countries while settling in their capitals to get some work done, it was time to hit the road again and like almost every year, I am back to Europe on time for Spring and the Summer Holiday! I’m pretty excited about many pans I have for the next months and since it’s still a little cold on the continent, I am starting my adventures in the Canary Islands off the coast of western Africa, more specifically on two of them: Tenerife and La Palma. I’ve visited many islands through my travels, actually I visited all of the islands countries of the world. Among them, many of the most popular islands still “under control” by European nations. I must say that contrary to what many people think, staying on an island is not always “paradise”. They look great on pictures, the palm trees, the golden beaches and the blue waters are […]

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My Secret to Stay in Shape while Travelling Long-term? Eat Enough Protein

It’s not a secret that long-term traveling takes a toll on our bodies. People leaving on a 1-week holiday won’t see a big difference eating unhealthy for a week because it’s not enough time for the body to suffer from a radical change of eating out. But for long-term travelers, what I have observed for more than 10 years on the road is that women will gain weight, while men slightly lose weight. Girls have been complaining how unfair this is, but my reasoning about all this is pretty simple: The loss of weight in men is due to loss of muscle which causes a decrease in weight, compensating for the gain in weight caused by extra fats gained as much as women. Those who know me for long enough know that I have been health-minded all my life. And being on the road for more than 10 years has had me testing different diets and strategies to keep in the best shape as possible, all […]

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3 Best Russian Itineraries You Must Do On Your Next Trip

Following my series about Russia, I describe in this article the best itineraries to be done in this vast countries, from my own experience and personal researchers while on the field, and while talking with other travelers. Itinerary 1: Moscow and around Many people will only have a week to dedicate to visiting a country. And in a country as big as Russia, that means traveling very little distances. Limiting a visit that short will constrain to focus on Moscow and St-Petersburg. This is the itinerary that I have personally done in 2010, arriving by plane in Moscow and leaving the country on the western border into Estonia. Moscow deserves 2 to 3 days to visit all of its highlights, including the Kremlin, the Red Square, and the St-Basil Cathedral. Moscow Subway is also a must, and can easily be taken to go around the city. From there, you can decide to concentrate on the Golden Ring, ancient cities close to Moscow that can be […]

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The Trans-Siberian Train: The Ultimate Russian Challenge

My most recent interest since 2013 has been to dig into the cultures of the ex Soviet Union when I moved to Moldova and Ukraine for the summer 2013. Having more than 144 million native speakers, and the seventh most spoken language worldwide and especially in the 18 ex-soviet nations, I knew it would be a very useful tool for my adventures. It was especially interesting to me since I wanted to travel through the 5 Central Asian “Stan” countries, as well as in the Caucasus. So I went ahead and started learning Russian grammar and practiced through my travels and finally made it with at fluent conversational level in Russian by now. I have been back living in Ukraine for several months during the war of 2014 and after the war, back in 2016. My goal in learning the language was primarily to help communicate with locals to make my travels more interesting, as it is the intermediary languages in all 18th ex-soviet countries […]

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