When I’m traveling solo, like on my Baltic Explorer adventure, I sometimes pick a restaurant from Tripadvisor or guidebooks, but most of the time by walking around and finding one I like. The Cock, a self-described “eatery, rotisserie and bar”, was one of the latter. Two places I had looked up online were closed and […]
Probably the most popular tourist attraction, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and my personal favorite, the sea fortress Suomenlinna should be on the top of your list for a visit to Helsinki. Between the gorgeous setting on the islands, six museums and lots of cafes and restaurants, there should be something for everybody to enjoy
The Radisson Bu Plaza Helsinki was the second hotel of my Baltic Explorer trip and I was looking forward to staying at an upscale hotel in the center of Helsinki with all the sights in easy reach! I booked the hotel with points, using the (now expired) Bonus Award feature of the Club Carlson affiliated Club
My first trip to Helsinki was in the middle of winter with the city covered in snow and ice. I was hustling from airport to client to hotel in freezing temperatures and didn’t get to see much, so I was eager to return in friendlier weather to see all the city has to offer. It
There are a lot of cultural sights all over Europe and many cities offer a treasure trove of historic buildings and the remains of empires long gone! And if there is one city that manages to seamlessly blend 2000 years of marvelous history with modern life, it is Rome, making it the most fun place you
AirBerlin just launched another sale, with flights starting at EUR49 to Vienna, Copenhagen or Mallorca (one-way) and as little as EUR349 to Chicago (round-trip)! you can book from August 25-31 and fly from October 1, 2015 to March 16, 2016. That’s a great sale for anybody living in Germany. And if you live in North
After the ASEAN Explorer earlier this year, I planned a second major trip for this blog and this time I’m covering North-Eastern Europe and explore Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, in combination with a trip to home to Northern Germany! I have never been to the Baltics or Poland and am excited to see
We ended our holiday trip through Europe in London at the Radisson Blu Eduardian Hampshire hotel in Leicester Square. After a less than perfect stay at another Radisson Blu property across the street, I wasn’t sure how well this would go – and I ended up very pleasantly surprised! This ended up as one of
Update 2019: When traveling in Europe, I usually prefer trains instead of short flights of under 2 hours – it’s usually quicker and cheaper, I avoid all the hassles involved with airports and, most importantly, I get to see more of the country I’m visiting. On my recent Baltic Explorer trips, I was looking for
Our trip to Paris for the New Years celebration, one of the most expensive times of the year for hotels, send me looking for an upscale hotel we could stay with points – and the Radisson Blu Champs Elysees was our first place to rest our heads. It turned out to be a beautiful hotel
The Louvre is the largest museum in the world. With 35,000 objects and over 60,000 square meters of space, you better bring your walking shoes to explore it. And with more than 9 million visitors each year, you need to plan ahead for your visit. And visit, you should, not only to see the Mona
For New Years eve, we chose the Radisson Blu Le Dokhan’s Hotel, Paris Trocadero. It’s a charming hotel not far from the Eiffel Tower, yet in a neighborhood that is not dominated by tourists, making it a great choice for visitors! And it’s neo-classical style makes it a perfect fit for a romantic getaway to