The beginning of a short beautiful road trip in Transylvania. Arrived in Bucharest and rented a car from the airport.

Arrived in Sinaia, a mountain resort. Visited the town and Sinaia Monastery. Spent the nght in Sinaia.

Took the cable car to the top of the mountain. 

From there hiked to a panoramic point on top of the mountain

Also visited the Sphinx, a rock with sphinx like features.

ended the day in Brasov, town in Transylvania. 

Visited the Black Church and Strada Sforii, a narrow passage street, iconic place in the city.

another beautiful city in Romania. A point where different cultural influneces met: Romanian, Hungarian, German. Picturesque streets. Spent the night in Sibiu.

one of the most beautiful roads in Europe, through the mountains with stunning views. There are many trails that you can follow if you want to hike.

4 days in Transylvania 

Lesbos is the third largest island of Greece. It has pretty much everything that tourists would seek, from historic sites, amazing coastline, beautiful towns and villages to mountain trails with wonderful landscapes. We arrived on the island by ferry.

We arrived in the beautiful island's capital of Mytilene. As we were approaching and set foot on the island, we were already in love with the place. Beautiful harbour surrounded by good looking houses, churches and cobbled streets filled with nice cafes and restaurants greeted us.

First of all we rented a car so we could properly explore the island. We visited Castle of Mytilene sitting up on a hill above the town and the harbour. The castle covers a large area and offers beautiful views over the island and across the sea to Turkey.

We settled in Petra village. It's a beautiful villages set around a sandy bay. The shoreline is filled with many cafes an nice tavernas. After we took a few steps on the streets of the village and along the bay, we spent the last part of the day at Petra Beach.

Today we checked some other spots of the island as well.

After a short drive from Petra, we arrived at Molyvos. We did not find many tourists while stolling on the streets of the village. There were only nice local people smiling and talking to us.

We reached Molivos Castle sitting beautifully on top of the village. It's a large impressive Byzantine Castle hiding within its walls an incredible amount of history. It was there during Venetian era, Catalan era, to the Genovese and the Ottoman period. There are magnificent views over the village and the sea from there.

After the hike to the castle and down, we went towards Eftalou hot springs. We bathed in the communal bath. The temperature of the water was pretty high, so we relaxed in the hot bath for a few munites before heading to the cold sea.

Back in Petra, we visited Panagia Glykofilousa Church, a remarcable church built on top of a rock

We spent the rest of the day at Paralia Tsichranta Beach. It's a quiet beach with clear waters and pebble beach. There are two lovely tavernas here as well. 

Leaving Petra, we checked a new spots on the island.

The name of the village comes from the words “safe” in Greek and Venetian and it reffers to the harbor that is very safe and can accommodate all sizes of vessels. In Sivri, we tried the food specialty horta, a type of spinach, boiled and served with salt and lemon. We really liked it.

The place is famous for the great sandy beach, where we relaxed for a while.

Skala Kallonis is a nice fishers’ place. We loved to watch the fishermen doing their business around the shore and the beautiful coloured boats there. We sat at a nice taverna and enjoyed the views and, of course, the food.

We arrived in Agiasos in the evening just to accommodate for our last night on the island.

Today we explored Agiasos, the town that lies on the slopes of Mount Olympus. We walked the tiny cobbled streets for a long time, enjoying the traditional architecture, tiled-roof houses, and smiling inhabitants. It's one of the most visited places on the island with many nice tavernas and cafes.

We returned to Mitilini, where we took the ferry from and left the beautiful island behind.

Lesbos

To be honest, I have't heard of Folegandros Island till recently. We were actually looking for a place to go on a small relaxing holiday, but beautiful enough to joy our hearts when we saw some photos of this island, part of the Cyclades, in Greece. We arrived there by ferry in the evening.

The small island has just around 700 inhabitants and is mostly unknown to tourists, so if you, like us, are looking for a fine island where you can mingle with locals and enjoy the beauty of a Greek island, this is the place.

We started our first full day in Folegrandos with explroing Chora, the main town. We walked the cobble streets of Pounta Square with beautiful views and into the heart of Chora where there are fine taverns, shops, and other smaller squares.

We stopped to eat at Araxe, we had some absolutely delicious pasta, then walked towards a nice ice cream shop, The Uncle.

We zig zagged the town till we arrived at the Church of Panagia, on top of the town.

In the evening we had dinner at this fine restaurant, Piatsa.

Today is for some more exploration of the island. We rented an ATV to do that.

We started with breakfast at Pounda. It has a superb back courtyard and small tables, just for for two in the front of taverna, just fine for watch passers by. 

Finally we arrived at the beach. There's a hike down to the the beach through a forest. Towards the end of the hikethe path is a bit eroded, but it should be fine  for anyone. It's a beautiful beach surrounded by cliffs.

We then visited the town of Ano Meria. It has a nice local feel. We walked on its street and then went downwards, towards a gorgeous beach, Ambeli Beach. It's

Ambeli Beach is a at the end of a narrow channel of water that comes in with caves to explore if the water is calm.

Back to Chora, we had dinner at O Kritikos, situated in a beautiful square. in Chora.

On the last day on the island, we spent perfect time at this beach away from the town, Katergo Beach.

We then headed back to the city and prepared for leaving.

The Hidden Gem of Greece

Arrived in Cluj, Romania's vibrant city, with vibrant night life as well.

Visited around. I liked this neighbourhood on a hill with nice view over the city.

Also, Botanical Garden Museum is very nice. 

Rented a car and went tu Cheile Turzii are, beautiful mountainous formations. Did a hike there with nice views from there.

Then visited Turda Salt Mine, huge and unique, with an amphitheater and fun attractions.

Visite Rimetea, one of the most beautiful villages in the country. It is small, with white and green houses and with spectaculat mountain rock in the "backyard".

You can hike up to the peak, in Piatra Secuiului. Absolutely gorgeous.

Went to a mountainous resort, Marisel. Had luch at "Cabana Moţilor" hut, traditional Romanian food, super delicious. Then hiked the Transylvania hills around.

Four Days In and Around Cluj, Romania

Arrived in Belgrade, Serbia's capital. We started a city tour. The best place in town is by the Belgrade Fortress. Up on the hill, you have a beautiful view over Danube, actually the very point where Sava River flows into Danube River. You can watch a beautiful sunset from there.

Belgrade has a mix of high culture with a fun-loving spirit. You can sense this spirit best on Skardarlija neighbourhood and on Skardarska Street, the Bohemian street, car free. We liked to walk around, gazing at the urban scene.

Ada Ciganlija is an island in the middle of the city, with a beach and wild nature.

Visited Gardoš Tower, a monument from the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, over the right bank of the Danube.


On the last day, we took a boat trip on Danube River.

Four Days in Belgrade

Sifnos is a small mountainous island with beautiful villages, pretty bays and nice beaches. We were looking for a quit destination for our holiday and decided on Sifnos. We had an evening arrival on the island, coming by ferry.

We transferred from Kamares port to Apollonia village, where we stayed.

The day started so beautifully with coutryside surroundings from our B&B. It was exactly what we were expecting. Then we stopped for breakfast at a cafe in Apollonia, a place with a balcony and countryside view.

After we walked a bit on the streets of Apollonia, we went to the beautiful Faros Beach. It was quiet perfect place. We spent a few hours here, swimming, reading and relaxing.

From the beach we followed a trail and ended up at Chrissopiggi, one f the most famous churches in Sifnos sitting on a small peninsula between Faros and Sifnos. We spent some more time swimming and resting in the shades on the beach here.

Then moved to Platis Gialis, also a beach resort.

In the evening, we got back to Apollonia, where we stayed, by bus. We actually caught the last one.

Today we headed to Cheronissos, a remote bay on the northern part of the island. It was a beautiful quiet corner with only two tavernas and nothing else in Cheronissos.

In the afternoon we moved to Vathy, one of the main beach resorts of the island. We spent the rest of the day here. It's beautiful, but not as quiet as Cheronissos Beach.

We took a taxi towards Kamares port. Before leaving the island, we had a late breakfast at a waterfront terrace.

Summer on Sifnos Island

The island of Milos is one of my favourite spots in Greece with its diverse spectacular beaches and colourful fishing villages. You can either visit it as part of an island hopping in Greece, either as a separate destination. I arrived on Milos Island by ferry. In summer there are plenty coming from Athens or the nearby islands.

We decided to stay central, in harbour town of Adamas.

On the first day, we decided to explore the old city and its surrounding attractions. To do that, we rented an ATV an later we congratulated ourselves for that as we passed some tight turns roads.

Klima is a lovely fishing village with small colourful buildings lined along the water. The houses belong to fishermen, it's where they keep their boats, but some have been transformed into to accommodation houses and souvenir shops.

We stopped to eat and drink at Astakas, which has one of the most picturesque views around.

Up the hill in Klima, we visited two archeological attractions, the Catacombs and the Ancient Theatre. To do that, we had to take the car and cirle around the road to get there. The Catacombs are one of the most unique catacombs sites and have been ranked as one of the top three in the world.

We visited some more small villages, like Pera Triovassalos, and Triovasalos, and got an idea about how locals live.

We ended up in Plaka, the capital of Milos Island. The village spreads on the sides of a hill and it's a beautiful place with traditional whitewashed houses, coloured doors and narrow and winding stone streets.

We made our way to Kastro, the so called Venetian Castle sitting on top of Plaka village. There are only some ruins around, but the view friom there of the Gulf of Milos is simply spectacular, especially at the sunset.

We ended the day with dinner at Avli-Milos.

Today we visited some of the most beautiful natural spots of the island.

We headed to Pollonia, on the other side of the island. It's a seaside village with cald waters and excelent restaurants in the harbour. We wandered on the pedestrian strees and along the beach.

We chose to sat at Enalion. They serve local fish and seafood and vegetables from the family garden.

We then drove to a stunning place on the island, Papafragas. It's a rocky coastline with two incredibly narrow inlets that have a beach at the beginning of the inlets.

We then drove to the most amazing beach in my opinion. Paralia Sarakiniko is like a lunar landscape with whitened volcanic rocks and beautiful blue waters.

We then drove to another beautiful fishing village, Firopatamos with its colourful boathouses, beautiful church, and ancient ruins.

We ended the day in Mandrakia village, one of the most picturesque villages and caught an extraordinaty sunset in the harbour.

We spent some time on the streets of Adamas town and in its port with shops, restaurants and a great harbour view.

Then we headed to Tsigrado Beach, a beautiful spot with a small sandy cove surrounded by rocky cliffs. We reached the beach descending on a ladder.

Then checked the wider beach nearby, Firiplaka Beach. As it was the last day on the island, we tottaly enjoyed our time at the beaches before heading back to the port.

Milos is a gorgeous island where I would come back at any time.

Milos Island Itinerary

Arrived in Bordeaux. Explored the city on foot. Visited Le Musée du Vin et du Négoce. Spent all the nights in Bordeaux.

Explored Bordeaux surroundings through Saint Emilion vineyards on bike.

Visited Arcachon’s Bay in the Atlantic Coast.

Climbed Pyla's Sand Dune, the biggest sand dune in Europe. 

Bordeaux and Surroundings

The city of Naples is a city which is excellent for walking around. It's pretty different from other major cities in Italy, like Milan or Florence, it's a picturesque and crazy city.

We started our full day in Naples with a walk in the old Spanish quarter of Naples, stolling the picturesque narrow streets with laundry hanging between buildings and balconies.

To be honest, we really did not care that much about Naples museums or tourist attractions, because we think that's not what Naples is about, we prefered to walk the streets and feel the vibe of the place, but we did check a few, like the landmark Piazza del Plebiscito, a beautiful square, home to the neo-classical Royal Palace.

Then we took a walk along the very beautiful promenade by the sea, Lungomare with a nice view over the city and the sea. You can actually see Mount Vesuvius from there.

And paid a visit to the beautiful castle Ovo Castle standing on a small island of the sea connected to the mailnad.

And also visited the touristic port of Mergelina, where fishermen sell their freshly caught fish. There's a nice cityline view from there.

While in Naples, we had to check the pizza. They say it's the best pizza in the world. And it is. The most famous pizzeria in Naples is L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, indeed we had the most delicious pizza ever.

Today we booked a guided tour to Pompeii, the archaeological site, the reason for our trip in the area.

Pompeii is a vast and impressive archaeological site South of Naples, the destroyed Roman city that was buried by volcanic lava in 79 AD. Visitors can freely explore the excavated ruins of streets and houses and the Roman city remains.

The guided tour we booked included a visit to Mount Vesuvius as well that we could admire the previous day from Naples. We hiked to the summit of the volcano where you can look into the crater and and admire the views of the Bay of Naples.

Before we left we walked on some more narrow streets of the city and checked a local food market with lousy 

Naples and Pompeii

Arrived in Thessaloniki. Explored the city center a bit. Spent the night here.

Rented a car and started exploring around Halkidiki.

Headed to Halkidiki Peninsula. Started with first "finger" from the west, Kassandra.

Spent good time at Possidi beach. Infinite turquoise water and golden sand.

Explored Afytos Village. It's built on a hill. You will find terraces with super beautiful views. Spent the night here.

Started the day on the footsteps of Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, in Stagira

Continued with the second "finger", Sithonia. Best beaches around we explored: Vourvourou beach, Sarti beach, Orange beach

In the afternoon explored Agios Nikolaos village, traditional village, tiny and picturesque. Spent the night here.

Took a boat trip to admire the third finger, Mount Athos, a holy place and a wonder of nature, because it is not open to public, you are not allowed to visit.

Went to Ouranoupolis for a meze lunch. Called also “Gates of Mount Athos” is an ancient city.

Four Days in Halkidiki

Arrived in Munich, the departing point of our Bavaria trip, South Germany.

Probably the best known castle in Germany, it is almost all the time full with tourists. It can only be visited by guided tour. Must be booked in advance.

Germany's highest elevation in the Alps. A beautiful panorama.

a small town in Bavarian Alps. It is well known for its wall paintings.

Einstein's birthplace. Visited around, climbed up the tallest church spire in the world.

Visited the city center, with 11th-century St. Mary's cathedral and the Fuggerei, a 16th-century social housing complex still in use today, but it can also be visited.

Bavaria, Germany

Tel Aviv is a vibrant city with a beaches, boardwalk, many restaurants, bars and markets and nice relaxed atmosphere.
And I adored the hummus I ate there.

Walked around Old Jaffa neighbourhood, the old capital.

After urban touring, we ended up on the beach, just relaxing.

The next day, we headed to Dead Sea. Bathing in the Dead Sea is wow. So strange to float in the salt water. 

Four Days in Israel

We declared Chios our favourite island in Greece. It conquered our hearts with its medieval villages, welcoming locals, exquisite beaches and traditional food and goods. After we arrived on the island we went to rent a car.

With our rental car, we drove to Emporios, in the south of the island where we settled. We explored the nice streets of Emporio a bit.

In the late afternoon we went to the beach. Mavra Volia is a beautiful beach made of volcanic stines. We relaxed there till the end of the day.

We returned in the village after the beach. 

We had a late breakfast and went to explore the coastline some more.

We took a nice walk along the path of this beatiful Emporios Beach.

We then took the car and headed to Mastic Museum where we learned about fascinating Mastic culture of the island. We found out that the Mastic tree was the reason for many foreign attempts at conquering Chios, that led to the fortification of many of the villages on the island.

We returned to Emporios and walked its beautiful pedestrian streets then stooped at a bar where we had some Mastic liquor. We spent a second night in Emporios.

From our base on the island we drove to other fine spots of the island. Today we explored the medieval villages on the south part of the island.

Our first visit for this day was the village of Pyrgi. It's known as the painted village because the houses here are decorated. 

We visited The Church of Agioi Apostoloi in Pyrgi, the beautiful Byzantine church that dates back to 13th century. 

We moved to Mesta village, which is pretty popular among tourists as it has a lot of options in accommodation. It's  one of the best preserved medieval village on the island. Beautiful streets, buildings and flowers climbed up stone walls.

We then arrived in Olympoi. It's a beautiful medieval village with one entrence that all the houses were attached to. Betweent the villages of Mesta and Olympoi there is a pathway connecting the two villages that passes by ancient churches and beautiful farmland.

We spent some time in Karfas village, on of the popular destination on the island because of its beaches. We enjoyed some sun and swimming here before leaving the island.

We returned to Chios and left the wonderful island of Chios.

Chios, Greece

We arrived in Tallinn, the capital Estonia. We took a walk in the peaceful city starting in the Town Hall Square, the main square of the city, to Toompea Hill, the spot where you can admire the city from above and take fine photos. On the way back, we walked the beautiful streets of the old town.

First stop was at Turisalu, beautiful spot of coastal limestone cliffs. The kind of place you go for meditation or to clear your mind.

We then visited the beautiful Keila Waterfall on Keila River, not far from Türisalu.

In the afternoon, we arrived in Haapsalu. We paid a visit to Haapsalu Castle founded in the thirteenth century. It used to be the residence of local authorities, now a museum. It's the home of Estonia's famous ghost, White Lady.

Haapsalu is actually a seaside resort, so in the evening, we had a walk at the beach.

From Haapsalu, we headed back north. We explored around Lahemaa National Park. The park is renowned for its diversity and it also covers some fishing villages and one of the most beautiful manors in Estonia, Sagadi manor.

At the end of the day, we returned to Talinn. Spent the night here.

Today we took a walk on this interesting part of Tallinn, The Paljassaare conservation area. It's home to over 200 bird species, a third of which are protected species. There are two observation towers in the park with nice views over reeds, meadows, bushes and the sea.

We then took a walk along the nearby beach, Pikakari rand

Short Estonia Tour

The Black Forest is a fine mountainous region of south-west Germany. The Black Forest itineray take tourists through this beautiful region connecting towns and villages through nice scenery in the mountains, from forests to lakes and waterfalls and into towns and villages.

We started our Black Forest itinerary in the lovely town of Freiburg. We took the day to explore the town and its lovely old town.

We started our urban exploration of Freiburg with Munsterplatz, the main square of the town, and we walked on the beautiful streets of the town from there.

We took the time to check on Munsterplatz Market, which is a colourful market open daily. It's a nice way to see local people and theri habbits and products. And to buy fresh fruit, vegetables and not only. :)

We also visit Wiwilíbrücke, The Blue Bridge, it's painted in blue - it's a nice place in the town with views over the area. 

We creossed the bridge and visited Sacred Heart Church that stands at the end of the bridge

At the end of the day we stopped at Cafe Huber for dinner. We spent the night in Freiburg.

From Freiburg, we took the car and drove to Baden-Baden through nice beautiful scenery. We stopped avery now and there, admiring the lanscape, taking small walks or to eat.

We arrived in Baden-Baden in the afternoon. We checked in and spent the rest of the day on a spa resort. The area of Black Forest is known for its several spa towns. Baden-Baden is one of these spa towns, actually the most famous one, so we could not miss the experience. We enjoyed it a lot. Spent the night in Baden-Baden.

The next day, we had a small tour of the city center in Baden Baden, just to see the place a bit and grab a nice breakfast.

We got in the car and continued our trip in the Black Forest. We stopped in the small town of Triberg. It is quite small, but it's home to the tallest waterfalls in Germany.

It was a short hike trough the forest till we reached Triberg Waterfalls. It's a beautiful multi-level waterfall. The path is not very well marked, but we found our way to the forest and even climbed to the top of it. We enjoyed the hike.

Got back in Triberg and got back on the car. 

We arrived in Feldberg in the evening and spent the night there.

Feldberg was the last destination area of our trip in the Black Forest. We explored the beautiful area.

We went to Feldsee Lake. The lake is hidden in the forest and can you have to take a short-medium hike to reach it. From the car park it's around one hour walk. We liked the area a lot.

We next paid a visit to Lake Titisee. It's among the most touristic attractions in the Black Forest area. The lake is very beautiful and is surrounded by green mountains where there are plenty of hiking trails.

We ended our journey in the Black Forest in Feldberg. It's a beautiful area, a ski resort in winter and a popular mountain destination in summer.

Black Forest Itinerary

Greece is all wonderful, all places we visited in Greece are fantastic, but Kalimnos Island is somehow our favourite spot on the country. It's very peaceful and beautiful with dramatic mountains and deep blue water and it's where you cand have some more authentic experiences.

We arrived in Pothia and explored the area a bit before renting a car and heading to a more remote village on the island.

We arriived in Vathy village. We checked-in for the one night and went to explore the village. The area resembles a fjord. The houses in the village are places on a valley that ends into a fantastic gulf with turquoise water. Beautiful views over the village from the water as well. In Vathy, there are also rock climbing activities. We spent the first night in Vathy.

From Vathy we headed north, to Emporios village. It's the most remote village with just a few residents. We loved the place for its quiet and authentic feel. It'a a beautiful place for leisurely walks, exploring the local cafes and tavernas and enjoying a quiet little beach away from the crowds. We stayed here the whole day and spent the night here.

We drove south, along the coastline and stopped at Massouri village. We explored the village with its whitewashed houses, restaurants and a nice bay where we enjoyed a swim and some sunbathing.

We continued our tour of the island with Myrties village. It's one of the most popular spots of the island due to the rock climbing activities happening nearby. There's also a small beach and, of course, tavernas.

We ended the day in Katouni village. We loved Platis Yialos Beach. It's frequented mostly by locals and has a relaxed vibe. We spent the night in Katouni village.

Today we enjoyed some more beach time before heading back.

Kalimnos Island

We booked a short holiday in beautiful Sicily, especially to enjoy time by the beautiful beaches on the Mediterranean. We arrived in Palermo.

From Palermo, we transferred to Mondello, a neighbourhood of Palermo that I knew it had beautiful sandy beach. Indeed, it's a long stretch of fine sand beach where we enjoyed our day. Spent the night in Mondello.

We started the day with breakfast in the Mndello and took a tour of the beautiful old center of Mondello.

We took the train to Cefalu, the gorgeous little town on the coast of the Mediterranean, the real beauty of Sicily, with its dramatic stone cliffs, cosy beaches and beautiful old buildings looking at the sea. We enjoyed the rest of the day on the beach. Spent the night in Cefalu.

In the morning, we took a walk on the winding streets of historic Cefalu. After the breakfast in city center, we decided to go on a light hike.

We climbed Rocca di Cefalù. La Rocca is a rugged mountain top that looks over the town, offering panoramic views over the Cefalu coast. We definitelly enjoyed the walk and the fabulos view from the there.

We spent the rest of the day on the beach of Cefalu.

We took the train back to Palermo and rented a car just for the day to enjoy one of the finest beaches around.

San Vito Lo Capo has a unique incredible beach on a sheltered bay overlooked by Mount Monaco. We spent the day on the huge absolutely beautiful beach with crystal clar water.

Sicily Getaway

Flew to Milan. Went to Piazza del Duomo, in the center of the city, admired The Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral and simply watched people passing by.

Flew to Milan. Went to Piazza del Duomo, in the center of the city, admired 

Spent the whole day in Verona, walking the streets and visiting most important objectives in the city, including, of course, Juliet Balcony. <3

Spent the whole day in Verona, walking the streets and visiting most important objectives in the city, including, of course, 

Walked the beautiful city streets and canals up to Piazza San Marco, in the heart of Venice. The place is filled with people and restaurants and full of life. You can also take a gondola ride from there. Spent the night here.

Walked the beautiful city streets and canals up to Piazza San Marco, in the heart of Venice. The place is filled with people and restaurants and live. You can also take a gondola ride from there.

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