Tag: City Break

BRUSSELS and Beyond: Day Trips to Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent

Posted onAuthorRenata Green110 Comments

Going on day trips from Brussels to the other Flemish medieval jewels such as Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent is fun, easy, and surprisingly affordable. Just hop on the next train that will take you to each of them in less than one hour and for under 10 €uros.

Renata Green in a day trip in Bruges, Belgium
Dreaming of being a princess? Well, I go all the way and become king!

I’m a busybody with a chronic case of FOMO.

But Belgium got the cure.
It is relatively small, in fact, the fifth smallest country in the European Union. It slumbers there nestled between Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Luxembourg, pretty much undisturbed in the middle of the continent, not bragging about its beauty.

And beauty it has all right!

During my stay in Brussels, Belgium’s and secretly also Europe’s capital, I actually managed to visit three other beautiful cities, one more intriguing than the other, so that I list them here fair and square in alphabetical order: Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent.

This Way to the Whole Story ->

Guide to POTSDAM: How Frederick Made a Small Town Great

Posted onAuthorRenata Green96 Comments

In this guide, I’m taking you to the small town of Potsdam, which King Frederick II made great. Although it sounds like a cute, drowsy hamlet, everyone is amazed by the rich cultural and political heritage of this place, where Europe’s history was written and rewritten again.

Sanssouci palace in Potsdam, the great small town, introduced in this guide
Sanssouci Palace is Potsdam’s highlight, no matter what.
This Way to the Whole Story ->

BERLIN – a Guide to the Wild Wild East

Posted onAuthorRenata Green51 Comments

This is a guide to Berlin’s Wild East, hence, the part of Germany’s capital Berlin that used to be behind the proverbial Iron Curtain, obviously.

Mural at the East Side Gallery in Berlin introduced in a Guide to the city's Wild East
At the East Side Gallery, on this picture by street artist and wall painter Birgit Kinder you can see a Trabant – aka Trabi. It was one of two types of cars that were manufactured in the former GDR. The Trabi is crashing through a wall – guess which one. Its license plate reads Nov 9, 89, hence, the date the gates to the west were opened and the wall came down.

Formerly the capital of the GDR, Berlin’s Eastern neighborhoods actually changed really fast for the better and cooler. Today, they are more exciting than the full and settled West.

This Way to the Whole Story ->

Guide to MEDELLÍN – And a Day Trip to GUATAPÉ

Posted onAuthorRenata Green20 Comments

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

Posted onAuthorRenata6 Comments

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

Posted onAuthorRenata2 Comments

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

Posted onAuthorRenata4 Comments

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

Posted onAuthorRenata8 Comments

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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Best Street Art in COPENHAGEN: The Open Air Gable Gallery in Nordvest

Posted onAuthorRenata2 Comments

Copenhagen is an amazing mix: There are waters and greeneries, romantic castles and quirky neighborhoods, the world’s oldest amusement park and exciting contemporary art, luxurious restaurants and communal eateries. Obviously, there is also urban art, and some of the best street art in Copenhagen can be found in the city’s least touristy, residential area of Nordvest.

Mural in Copenhagen.
A warm welcome to Copenhagen’s Nordvest.

In this post, I’m guiding you to the murals that were created on the walls alongside Møntmestervej and Rentemestervej. So tie your trainers, polish your camera’s lens, and just follow me.

This Way to the Whole Story ->