Tucked against the shores of the Thames River, over in Southwark, just across London Bridge, is…
During the winter months, so many of us pine for the hot sun and relief of blistering wind chill. So it’s rare that we would seek out a winter vacation anywhere that doesn’t involve sunlight and warm weather. But, for the first time in my life, I decided to opt to travel to the cold and darkened streets of wintery Scandinavia over the holidays. And if that doesn’t sound appealing to you, I implore you to read on! I was utterly mesmerized by winter in Scandinavia and found it to be absolutely magical.
For many people visiting Lisbon means one thing, trying as many Pastel de Natas (Portuguese Egg Tarts) as possible! We made it our mission while we were there to eat one every single day – for research, of course! You’ll find these famous baked treats in almost every bakery window you pass by. From mom and pop bakeshops to fancy patisseries, there are thousands of different tarts for you to try! But if you’re only in Lisbon for a short time or just don’t have the room in your stomach to try them all, I’ve made a list of our favourite places! I divided the list up into the various neighbourhoods to makes it easy for you to try a tart while exploring that particular area of town. And it was interesting how the different regions personalities were actually reflected in the desserts themselves.
Having just returned from my trip to Lisbon, I wanted to put pen to paper right away to share all the things I learned when travelling to Portugal for the first time! Lisbon is just as wonderful as you hear it is, the streets are as vibrant as the personalities, and it’s a tremendously laid back and yet bustling city all at the same time. I was so busy leading up to this trip, so I felt more unprepared than usual and as such made a few blunders which I felt like needed to be shared for other, just as unknowing travellers, to learn from.
When visiting the famed area of Asakusa and the Sensoji shrine you’re bound to work up an appetite! Luckily, Nakamise Shopping Street and the side streets around it, have a plethora of amazing street foods to choose from. I decided to make a day of this the last time I visited. Come HUNGRY because there are so many different things you NEED to try! This one area offers up so many traditional Japanese street foods, each one costing only a dollar or so. You can easily spend under $15 for an entire 10-course meal! There are plenty of food tours of this area, but it’s so easy to do it yourself. While having a guide is a great way to ask questions and find out more from a local’s perspective about the area, doing it on your own means it’s up to you to find your way around and interact with the locals yourself.