As an annual habit my boyfriend and I gift each other a weekend getaway as a birthday present. The first year I gifted a trip to Le Sanglier des Ardennes in Durbuy in the Belgian Ardennes as in 2021 COVID restrictions still kept us inside of Belgium. In 2022 I took him to London as…
Tag: Michelin
REVIEW | Renfe AVE in Premium from Barcelona-Sants to Córdoba
Six days. Five overnight stays in five cities in Spain. Lunch in Paris. Stopover in Barcelona. Then Córdoba, Seville, Granada and Málaga. An Andalusia Whirlwind Tour where we visit the Mezquita and the Alhambra. We’re touring Andalusia in October 2023 to follow the trend of travelling to hot spots outside summer, as we did with…
VANCOUVER | St. Lawrence Restaurant
In May and June 2023, we travelled from east to west across Canada. From Halifax in Nova Scotia to Montreal in Quebec, to Toronto in Ontario, to Vancouver and Whistler in British Columbia. Along the way some night trains and commuter trains, the Niagara Falls and – imagine this – a bus journey. A true…
Antwerp number 1 of 40 most exciting cities to visit in 2024
For the British newspaper of record The Sunday Times, Antwerp in Belgium is the number one exciting city to visit in 2024.
Antwerp Taste Masters or Smaakmeesters Deluxe culinary festival from 12 February to 3 March 2024
A new edition of Taste Masters Deluxe or Smaakmeesters Deluxe will take place from 12 February to 3 March 3 2024. Smaakmeesters position themelves as a “culinary event in the city of Antwerp with a refined twist.
2024: rising prices affect travel plans and vacation activities
On 1 January 2023, we wrote 2023 would be a year of coping with staff shortages and industrial action. While both themes were present in 2023 – and still will be in 2024 – they felt less pressing. Perhaps we learned to live with staff shortages and strikes and not dramatize them (anymore). But it…
Condé Nast Traveler praises Antwerp as one of the Best Places to Go in 2024 in Europe
Renowned travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler praises the “diamond capital of the world” (dixit the Antwerp press office) as one of the 24 best travel destinations in Europe for 2024.
REVIEW | Restaurant Fred in Rotterdam
For years, I have been celebrating my birthday abroad, unless it was impossible due to COVID-19 restrictions. In June 2023, Steve and I went to Rotterdam in the Netherlands in a deal combining a dinner at Restaurant Fred and an overnight stay at Marriott Rotterdam including a champagne breakfast.
REVIEW | Restaurant Neon in Lier
In October 2023, the ‘education crew’ of Frank, Steve, Philippe and Nicolas, and myself (not an educator), dined at Restaurant Neon in Lier. Located in a former school, Neon prides itself of sourcing local ingredients.
In search of Belgian or Flemish cuisine in Antwerp
The Loodswezen on the Scheldt Quays in Antwerp is to become the Smaakhaven. The Flemish Government is investing a whopping 38 million euros to create a Flemish Culinary Centre. But what is Flemish cuisine, in extenso Belgian cuisine? Of course, Flanders being Flanders, and being governed by Flemish nationalists, it underlines the Flemishness of the…