TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Contemplating on where we are going to eat for the evening in Karlsruhe, my colleague came to my, rather, our rescue and showed me Tripadvisor. Question: Do you plan where to eat during your travels based on Tripadvisor rankings? Well firstly, I do not particularly use Tripadvisor for my restaurant meals selection because I have this feeling that the rankings does not really reflect the face of reality, or at least my own expectations for that matter. It does not mean though that I do not check out Tripadvisor. On the contrary, yes I do, but I do not always base my decisions on them. I prefer reading a wide variety of sites, mostly blogs and I also leave a bit of spontaneity and personal discovery. However, it is indeed a reality that many people resort to websites such as Tripadvisor for restaurant recommendations, such as in the case with my colleague. Now this ‘ El Toro ’ tapas bar ranked number 3 on Tripadvisor’s Karlsruhe restaurants. My other colleague, who was hankering...

Romania is a country rich in art nouveau and Viennese Secession inspired architecture. Many of which are not yet totally reconditioned back to its old glory. Such as in Oradea, a city near the Hungarian border which I visited last year in May, I found many of these stunning buildings. I love the colourful old trams in Oradea. There are very few tourists in the city and I really felt walking around between the locals which is a very nice experience. The Raiffeisen Bank Agentia Vulturul Negru, stunning in Viennese Secession. With a touch of art nouveau design, the building appears more feminine. I have a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts with a major in Interior Design, which sadly I do not practice anymore, but a part of this previous life will always remain in me. This is one of the reasons why I love travelling to many European cities. I enjoy seeing and appreciating the stunning architecture in the continent whilst travelling back in time and learning about its history. I just ca...

I have been thinking lately of -- What if I buy a classic car? In the Netherlands you do not have to pay road tax for cars older than 40 years so that is one of the advantages of owning one. But then, which classic car should I choose? I am not a fan of big cars and definitely not a two-seater type as well as I need room for luggage and such. These classic cars on exhibit I saw at the Aupark Shopping Centre in Kosice last year. Could you ID these classic cars? Travel Period: May 2014 Destination: Kosice (Kosice), Slovakia Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)