Long weekend in Brussels

Long weekend in Brussels

In November, I took my second solo trip of 2022. I traveled to Brussels to visit my niece who has been living here for years. Small boutique hotel in Saint-Gilles I flew to Brussels on Thursday and arrived quite late so the hotel reception was 

Conference in Los Angeles

Conference in Los Angeles

Work and life have kept me super-busy in recent months. I’ve also suffered from writer’s fatigue. All this resulted in the blog being left on the back burner. With another trip looming in a couple of weeks I felt it was high time to try 

My birthday bash in Italy

My birthday bash in Italy

This post is so overdue it’s not even funny. Work has been super busy lately and I’ve also been away for a while. Well, I guess sometimes life just gets the best of you. Dinner with all our guests Wednesday saw the arrival of our 

Eating out in Sagginale

Eating out in Sagginale

There had been some talk of people possibly wanting to go explore Florence on Tuesday. Me, hubby and my niece had explored the city a few years back when celebrating my mother’s 70th. So we had no plans to go to Florence this time around. 

First couple of days in Tuscany

First couple of days in Tuscany

We had two other people arriving at the villa on Saturday evening. We did some shopping in the nearby village to have something to eat once the first guests arrived. Then hubby dropped me off at the villa and went to pick up our friends 

Rental villa in Tuscany

Rental villa in Tuscany

We spent the last week of August in a rental villa in Tuscany with family and friends to celebrate my 50th birthday. The rental period was Saturday-Saturday and we had people arriving between Saturday and Wednesday. How I found the villa I had dreamt of 

A weekend in Vääksy

A weekend in Vääksy

Last Friday we took a weekend trip to Vääksy. Exploring the village We arrived on Friday afternoon and checked in at Vääksyn Apteekinmajoitus. The B&B is located in the old village pharmacy and decorated in a nice old-timey style. The room was spacious and functional. 

National Palace of Pena, Sintra and Cascais

National Palace of Pena, Sintra and Cascais

For our last day in Lisbon, I had booked a day trip to Sintra and Cascais. The meeting point was at a hotel where we got arranged into vans and each group consisted of 8 people plus the guide/driver. National Palace of Pena The first 

Sightseeing in Lisbon on a hop-on-hop-off bus

Sightseeing in Lisbon on a hop-on-hop-off bus

On our last day in Lisbon we opted for an activity I enjoy in almost any city. We took a couple of hop-on-hop-off bus tours. Belém Line First, we took the Belém line through the main avenues and the city center to Belém. We hopped 

Stunning views over Lisbon

Stunning views over Lisbon

Our second day in Lisbon was filled with more walking and some shopping. Funiculars and Bairro Alto After breakfast, we headed out to find the Elevador da Bica. This funicular or tram connects Largo do Calhariz to Rua de São Paulo and is one of