A Day Trip to the Haeinsa Temple the Easy Way

Although Haeinsa, the most significant Buddhist temple in all of Korea, is tucked away on the slopes of Mount Gaya, this architectural and spiritual gem can be visited on an easy day trip from various cities like Busan and Gyeongju even by public transport.

Gate at Haeinsa Temple.
Please, step into the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Seon Buddhism.
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Guide to MALMÖ – a city in search of 24 more nations

Let me guide you to Malmö, a city that combines in a very intriguing way the folksy charm of Astrid Lindgren’s children’s tales and the hip atmosphere of a students’ town – which it is, actually.

View of the Västra Hamnen, Malmö's "city of tomorrow" with the iconic "Turning Torso" from the city beach Ribersborgsstranden.
View of the Västra Hamnen, Malmö’s city of tomorrow with the iconic Turning Torso from the city beach Ribersborgsstranden.

In fact, Malmö has 320,000 inhabitants who share 77 square kilometers. This makes it, believe it or not, Sweden’s third-largest city – after Stockholm and Göteborg.

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7 Best And Most Beautiful Coffee Houses in Busan

In Korea, a rich coffee culture is a crucial part of the modern lifestyle. Not only do you find far too many Starbucks branches. No, there are countless cafés where you find peace’n’space to study, work, or just relax while enjoying a house specialty. In Busan, they even have a so-called Cafe Street! For you, I bit the bullet and immersed myself in the city’s vital café culture. This allows me to introduce you to the 7 best and most beautiful coffee houses in Busan.

Space And Mood, one of the Seven Best And Most Beautiful Coffee Houses in Busan
One of Busan’s literally hidden gems, the Café Space And Mood on the 13th floor.
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Best And Most Beautiful Bookstores in Seoul

If every country was like Korea, amazon, kindle, and co. wouldn’t stand a chance: The number of bookstores and public libraries is just incredible – almost like in ye olden days of literature. There are actually entire streets lined with good old-fashioned stores where you can smell the scent of freshly printed pages, hear the rustling of paper, see beautifully designed covers – in short: A feast for all your senses. The shop owners have tried to give their stores an individual touch and arrange and present the books like works of art. Cozy reading corners and integrated coffee shops invite you to browse on-site and make Seoul’s bookstores and libraries wonderful places to spend a rainy afternoon.
In this post, I’m introducing my personal favorites among the best and most beautiful bookstores in Seoul.

Renata Green at the Seoul Book Bogo, one of the best and most beautiful bookstores in Seoul.
Mesmerized by a tunnel of books.
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Guide to MEDELLÍN – And a Day Trip to GUATAPÉ

Let me guide you to Medellín – which is also a great gateway for a fantastic day trip to the mesmerizing town of Guatapé.

Fernando Botero La Muerte de Pablo Escobar
Fernando Botero La Muerte de Pablo Escobar
Escobar was shot and killed by the Colombian National Police already in 1993, but like all the rest of this beautiful country, since then, Colombia has progressed a lot; sadly, without the world taking notice. I wish my post would change that at least a bit.
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Best Street Art in PARIS: How Mehdi Ben Cheikh Transformed the 13th Arrondissement Into An Open-Air Gallery

Yes, there is the Eiffel Tower. D’accord, you need to pay the Louvre a visit. Okay, let’s go on a walk alongside the River Seine. But besides all this, make sure to pay also some of the lesser-known and underrated arrondissements a visit. Because it’s right there where the best street art in Paris is waiting for you!

Mural by Pejac - the best street art in Paris.
If you cannot see right away why this mural by Pejac is simply genius, you need to take a closer look. Or check out the zoom below.

Under the aegis of Parisian art dealer and cultural entrepreneur Mehdi Ben Cheikh, the 13e arrondissement in particular has undergone an impressive revival from an a bit run-down part of the city into an open-air gallery.

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Best Street Art in LONDON – Part II: Shoreditch

In the first part on urban art in London, I guided you through Camden Town where there’s barely a street you can walk down without spotting some amazing murals. In this post, I’m proving that it gets even bigger’n’better by introducing you to the best street art in Shoreditch in the Eastern part of London – since that’s where it basically all began.

Mural in Shorditch. Best Street Art in London Shoreditch.
Nuff Said.
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Best Street Art in LONDON – Part I: Camden

In all its different shapes and forms, urban art has been a crucial part of London for decades. Visiting neighborhoods like Camden or Shoreditch, there’s barely a street you can walk down without spotting some amazing murals. In this post, I’m introducing the best street art London offers in the area around Camden. Then, in the second part, we continue our chase for street art in the hunting grounds of Shoreditch in the Eastern part of the city.

Mural of Amy Winehouse by JXC in London's district of Camden.
Camden’s most famous daughter: Amy Winehouse who sadly joined the infamous Club 27 in 2011. JXC painted this memorial.
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Best Street Art in FRANKFURT

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced the 25 best things to do on a weekend trip to Frankfurt am Main, mostly known as Germany’s financial power station. One of the activities I recommended was getting to know the best street art in Frankfurt. Because not only is the city home to some of Germany’s best art museums. It is also a cradle of some of the most amazing urban artists such as Case MaClaim and Hera from the artist duo Herakut. In this post, I’m introducing you to some of Frankfurt’s best urban artists.

Mural by Justus Becker aka COR.
Mural by Justus Becker aka COR.
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