European Guides
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for book lovers
6 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…
Keep readingReview: Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets
Dan Brown revolutionized the historical thriller genre when his book The Da Vinci Code was published 22 years ago, in the process elevating literary tourism in the European locations featured in the novel. Now Prague is hoping his latest in the Professor Robert Langdon series,…
Keep readingLiterary Travel Guide to Prague inspired by Dan Brown’s “The Secret of Secrets” novel
Prague is the shining star The Secret of Secrets of Dan Brown’s latest novel starring beloved genius Professor Robert Langdon (brought famously to the screen in the adapted film The DaVinci Code, played by Tom Hanks). Long overdue to be the featured character in a…
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portugal guides
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 in person and finally experiencing the beauty of this ancient capital city in person with all your senses. Instagram might have pointed out its…
Keep readingDIY 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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What to do in Lisbon After You Land Before Hotel Check-in
I think this might possibly the most asked question in the Portugal Reddit boards. I’ve answered it countless times for my fellow travelers excited for their upcoming journeys. So I thought I’d share my hot tips here too. You can apply the gist of this…
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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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Art-Nature Walk to up your Mental Heath for free in Ann Arbor
“Live in the sunshine” and “drink the wild air.” These words of the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson are ones to live by. Add them to these by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “Only thoughts that come by walking have any value,” and you’ve got a recipe…
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What to do “downtown” Chicago
Downtown may be an American way to say “city center,” but it’s not really a Chicago thing. Here, people are more specific, defining the particular parts of downtown, as in “The Loop” (the heart of the city) and expanding out to “The Mag Mile” and…
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Get in on the Full Michigan Fall Experience with a Trip to a Cider Mill & Orchard
There’s something about reaching up into a tree, picking a ripe apple directly off a leaf-lined delicate limb, polishing it to shine on your jeans and biting right into its crimson skin as sweet juice bursts on your tongue that is quintessential Michigan. It’s even…
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International Eats in Ann Arbor
You can travel the world on your taste buds as you eat your way around the city of Ann Arbor. It shouldn’t be a big surprise that there’s a variety of international cuisine here, given that the University of Michigan is said to have the…
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