TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Geia sou! (Γειά σου) That’s “hello there” in Greek =) This is our cute pool at our small boutique hotel resort in Nydri, Lefkada. I will blog separately the hotel resort and mention its name after the holiday. The nice thing about this hotel is that the pool is located in front of the breakfast/restaurant/cafe area. From the eating area we enjoy a lovely view of the blue curvy swimming pool, the pool bar, the decked sunbeds and the inland lake of the marina. We could see the boats passing by. After breakfast we would usually hang out here at the pool before we go on an excursion in the island with our rental car. There was a day that we just hanged out here the whole day as well. Today, we will hang out here again, and perhaps go somewhere later in the afternoon to find a cosy beach, and in the evening, have dinner at a nice place. Because this is a small hotel, the pool area is never crowded. One of our biggest pet peeves are large holiday resort hotel complexes (think alon...

Kalimera! Greetings from Lefkada Island! We were supposed to stay in Geni, a small peninsula jutting out of Lefkada island like a tiny pinkie. But a week and a half before the actual start of our holiday, we received an email from the holiday operator that the place is fully booked. We were utterly devastated as we were really looking forward to staying at this accommodation, even dreaming of what it is like waking up in the middle of nature and having breakfast with the view of the other side of the water. I also already had ideas on where to go and what to do in the area. So the holiday operator gave us 2 other options and we chose the one in Nydri which is a small and cozy boutique resort hotel on the marina. The place we originally booked in Geni is a group of stand-alone small holiday villa apartments surrounded by trees and gardens with flowers. The ambiance is very country, low-key and Greek, which is what Dutchman and I prefer for our summer holidays. It has all the ...

Early this year I went to the province of Drenthe for an extended long weekend. I stayed at a small village called Westerbork in the middle of nowhere between Meppel and Assen. In Assen I had dinner. I found the Restaurant Touche online and it had good ratings at iens.nl and Tripadvisor. However, before dinnertime, I came across this glasshouse beside the new modern theatre and library. I parked the car under the building, so when I went up with the lift and stepped outside, I saw this stunning glasshouse construction. After a closer look I realised it was a restaurant called Fellini. I thought—Hmm, I think I may need to come back here for dinner tonight!? Well, I did came back, but only to be told by the wait staff that they are fully booked for the evening. Argh. It was a Saturday evening, and although Assen may seem to be a small and sleepy town in the northeastern part of the Netherlands, the going out scene here is quite active! I was impressed, haha. The weather must ...

I sometimes think that I have come a long way when it comes to the not-so-popular subject matter of religion. I grew up thinking that religion, and in this case god, is everything, the ultimate. He is the centre of the universe, the reason of being and nothing else. Church of Saint Sava in Vracar, Belgrade. As you can see, the interior is still not finished. This is a fairly new church. When I reached my 20’s I began doubting the whole essence of god. I have a seeking and very restless mind. Perhaps my fault? But I have a lot of questions, and I only want to read and listen to real facts that can answer these questions. It is also to my understanding that religion existed and is largely shaped because of the culture of a specific people, ergo the country. Because of the complexity of religion and culture, so intrinsically entertwined with each other, that trying to get out of religion is similarly seen as turning your back on where you came from. It is not always the c...