These are the best Christmas markets in Europe for sipping warming glühwein and munching on kartoffelpuffers (potato cakes), for shopping for artisanal Christmas gifts – from old-fashioned, handcrafted, wooden children’s toys to hand-knit woollen scarfs, mittens and beanies – for buying homemade edible souvenirs, such as Christmas cakes, biscuits, honey, and preserves, and for gawking … Read more
Aimed at helping travellers staying in holiday rentals and settling into a place for a while, Price Check is a series of posts in which we reported every two weeks on the prices of groceries at each destination we stayed on our yearlong grand tour. This post is a comparison of our Price Check posts, … Read more
One of the things we love most about holiday rentals over hotels is that we’re able to cook and eat ‘at home’. Because unless you’re Keith Floyd (one of my inspirations as a wannabe cook in my 20s), you can’t just rock up to a hotel kitchen and whip something up. You can, however, do … Read more
Having just spent our first full winter in Europe, we thought it was time for some reflections on the last four months of our grand tour. Having lived in Sydney for many years, it’s fair to say that winter was of little consequence in Australia. Sure it gets chilly, but you have to drive a few … Read more
We open the door to our Budapest apartment rental and in walks Gábor Bánfalvi of Taste Hungary, pulling a canvas shopping cart on wheels behind him like the one my grandmother used to use. I’m midway through drying a dozen wine glasses I’d washed in preparation, which it turns out aren’t necessary. Gábor has come … Read more