All tagged weekend away

The Impossible City: Venice, Italy

One afternoon after Biennale, we were walking back to our apartment from Arsenal just as the sun was setting. The whole sky turned pink, then a fiery orange, outlining the gondoliers heading back to the grand canal and the distinctive domes and towers of the Venetian skyline. There is really no other city like this.

Going Dutch: Amsterdam, Netherlands

During our recent trip last September, we swapped Heineken for craft beer, skipped the Red Light District and coffeeshops, and didn’t just go to one, but four(!), museums. Fair warning: this post is a long one, but it’s compensated with lots of pictures! This Venice of the North is just so gosh-dern photogenic. Read on for Amsterdam, revisited.

Don't Be the Schnitt: Munich, Germany

Now, I knew the Germans were serious about their beer. In order for it to be even called beer in Germany, it must be brewed according to the Reinheitsegot (literally, the “Bavarian Beer Purity Law”), which only allows for the three ingredients of water, hops and malt. It’s been brewed this way for centuries. Breweries started in German monasteries, back when drinking beer was safer than drinking water. The monks knew their stuff (and how to start a lucrative international business). I knew German beer was a point of pride.  I just didn’t know why.

A City in the Alps: Innsbruck, Austria

From here on out, whenever I hear the phrase, “a city nestled in the Alps,” I will always think of Innsbruck. You hear that phrase a lot, mostly in travel writing, especially in articles about Switzerland or Austria. But if there was ever a place that accurately embodies this phrase, Innsbruck is it.

Bavaria, Biers, Brats: Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg. Famous (more like infamous) for yes, the WWII war crimes tribunals and hosting massive Nazi party rallies, but also more breweries per square capita than anywhere else, a charming medieval old town, teeny tiny little sausages, and an area literally named after Switzerland (Franconia Switzerland) because it, well, looks just like Switzerland.

Take the Fish, Leave the Cannoli: Sicily, Italy

It’s those unassuming cities that surprise you the most, isn’t it? Our weekend trip to Catania and Taormina caught me completely off-guard, in the best way possible. Sicily had been flying low on my radar, but these two little towns on the rock at the tip of the Italian boot certainly pack a cultural punch.

Mangiare a Milano: Milan, Italy

In a country like Italy where the city competition is truly fierce, I came to really appreciate Milan. It feels like an authentically Italian, no-BS working city, gritty and filled with contrasts, contemporary and up-and-coming, with undeniably great food and superbly cool style.