European Guides
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for book lovers
Literary Travel Guide to Mallorca, Spain Inspired by Emma Straub’s “The Vacationers” Novel
European vacationing. Island vibes. Summer sun. Beaches. YA meets adulting perspectives that understand the complexities of relationships at any age. Emma Straub’s The Vacationers novel has everything you want in a beach read. And it makes you want to visit Mallorca (Majorca in English) while…
Keep readingFinding Tom Riddle’s Grave in Edinburgh (& Other Real Graveyards That Have Inspired Popular Books)
Low clouds hang over the damp night. A mist clings to the trees, particles of moisture illuminated as the castle’s roaming spotlights break through the darkness. This was the setting as I wandered the Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetery in Edinburgh in December on the hunt for…
Keep reading6 Amsterdam Must-Visit Places Along One Tiny Street You Likely Won’t See on Any Other Guide – But Will Love!
Spui is one of those magical parts of Amsterdam we think of when we envision the idealized Amsterdam. Quaint streets with bikes parked along brick-paved sidewalks, a lovely canal nearby to watch boats float by, taking us to some other time that is somehow both…
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Literary Travel Guide to Pont-Aven, France Inspired by Jean-Luc Bannalec’s “Death in Brittany” Novel
From page one, I was smitten with Jean-Luc Bannalec’s Death in Brittany novel (2012). To be frank, I’d never heard of this book, much less this series starring French police commissaire Georges Dupin, until the day I laid eyes on it in my local library’s…
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portugal guides
Museum Cafés for Art Lovers: London to Lisbon, Paris to Ann Arbor
Warm, buttery air envelopes me as I open the door to the UMMA Café, a hint of cinnamon acting as the exclamation mark to the comforting welcome from the cold winter’s day. This coffeeshop inside the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor,…
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My Week in Lisbon: Advice for an Excellent First Trip to Portugal’s Capital
From the heavenly floral bouquet of blooming Jacaranda trees to fresh salty sea breeze, there’s nothing like actually getting to Lisbon and finally experiencing the beauty of this ancient capital city in person with all your senses. Instagram might have pointed out its loveliness, but…
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DIY Walking Guide in Lisbon’s Famed Alfama
Crimson tile roofs juxtaposed with bright blue of the river Tagus, framed by the purple paradise of jacarandas and magenta bougainvilleas, all accented with blue and white azulejos. It’s hard to believe the views from Lisbon’s miradouras are real when you see them with your…
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After the Tragedy Aboard A Lisbon Yellow Cable Car: What Tourists Need to Know Now
September 4, 2025 UPDATE: After the horrible tragedy that killed at least 16 people, everything about Lisbon’s historic elevadors is in flux. Right now, the cable cars, also known as funiculars and ascensores, are shut down city-wide while the investigation into how Ascensor Glória crashed…
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France guides
Literary Travel Guide to Pont-Aven, France Inspired by Jean-Luc Bannalec’s “Death in Brittany” Novel
From page one, I was smitten with Jean-Luc Bannalec’s Death in Brittany novel (2012). To be frank, I’d never heard of this book, much less this series starring French police commissaire Georges Dupin, until the day I laid eyes on it in my local library’s…
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2 English Bookshops You Need to Visit in Paris (& a few more bookish places to see too)
Heading to Paris and just need to get your book fix? No problem. Here are two English book stores you need to visit… along with a few more bookish places to see while you’re enjoying this jewel of a city too. Shakespeare and Company If…
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Steal This Itinerary: Milan to London (or Amsterdam)
My first time in Milan was for my honeymoon. We had planned to take the train to Zermatt and around Switzerland, but then there were transportation strikes and had to drive instead to keep our pre-paid reservations. So we rented a car. I would not…
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Fab Paris Hotel with Triple Rooms
Romance… in the way of a love affair with a book or a dream of going to your long-awaited goal city that you’ve been drooling over on Instagram for years. That’s what the Hotel du Danube in Paris’s desirable Saint Germain des Prés neighborhood is…
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Canada guides
A Foodie Afternoon in Toronto’s Kensington Market
You can travel the world via the flavors of delicious foods all in a few small pedestrian-friendly blocks of Toronto’s historic Kensington Market. It isn’t a traditional market like Vancouver’s Granville Island or Detroit’s Eastern Market. (You’ll want to head to Toronto’s St Lawrence Market, if…
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5 Uniquely Toronto Things to Do
Toronto is just cool. The vibe here is welcoming, friendly, hip, modern and appreciative to the varied history of the people that make it such a unique place. As you drive in, you can tell in the architecture of the buildings that welcome you to…
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Shinola Cafe’s Quiet Luxury in a Cup
The best cup of coffee in Ann Arbor is located in the basement of the quietly luxurious lifestyle brand Shinola. The Detroit-based company’s Main Street building is squat and black with glass doors and an orange-lit interior. It has a large black clock hanging outside…
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Hazel Coffee: ‘There’s No Wrong Way to Enjoy It’
“There’s no wrong way to enjoy it.” That’s the motto of Ann Arbor’s new eatery Hazel Coffee Co., which opened its doors this fall, bringing the one thing we were missing: a coffee shop with southern charm. The staff greet you with a smile and…
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Charmed by Ann Arbor’s Eat Thai
“Good food is at the heart of a wholesome lifestyle,” says Ann Arbor’s new downtown restaurant Eat Thai. This charming addition to the South Main Street food scene is a lovely, locally owned restaurant that far surpasses expectations. Eat Thai Ann Arbor, which opened in…
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The Welcome of Adeni Chai at Socotra Coffee House in Ann Arbor
Nothing soothes the throat, calms the nerves, nor drives you to focus on the beauty around you like a cup of chai. The warmth you feel when you sip on a cup of warm, spiced tea isn’t a figment of your imagination; its roots reside…
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