Sadly, The Market Experience had to permanently closed down as a result of COVID-19, but their parent company “Expique” still offers the food tours in Bangkok

So far, In Asia, I got to take cooking classes in Vietnam and India and enjoyed the experiences very much. That’s why, before flying out to Thailand, I decided to look up a Thai cooking class with a special twist. After a lot of internet research, I came across a cooking class at a culinary school belonging to Expique, in Bangkok. What excited me about the class was that it was held at a flower market and included a tour of the market as well as a somewhat less traditional take on Thai cooking.

I booked Roman and I a spot for a 09:00AM cooking class.

How to get there?

You arrive at the Pak Khlong Talat flower market and go in. About half way through, you’ll see a pink ATM next to a flight of stairs. You go up those, there you’ll find a sign pointing the way to the cooking class.

 

Cooking class in Bangkok’s flower market

We arrived at class and met one of the instructors, Tam, who is a professional chef who’s worked in Australia for 10 years. Tam told us a bit about the class and the market’s history. The flower market has a long history, it used to be a floating market, then became a fish market and was later converted into today’s produce market, selling fruit, vegetables and more for over 60 years.

The market’s focus shifted from produce to flowers when the Talat market on the outskirts of Bangkok became a more attractive location for wholesale production. He taught us all manner of important expressions in Thai, such as “Sugar free” or “Mildly Spicy”.

We were a small group, including me, Roman and three very nice girls from Singapore. We gathered in a room and sat down at a table. Tam offered us butterfly tea, which is hugely popular in Thailand. It’s a very dark looking tea that turns purple when you add lemon to it.

The timetable for our class was making an appetizer, a tour of the market and then 3 additional dishes.

Making the first dish in cooking class

For starters, we prepared an appetizer called Miang Kham, to start the morning off with something tasty. The process took place outside of the room, where we had a view of the market. We met the other instructor, Alyssa, who’s also a professional chef and had spent several years working in Europe. Both Tam and she were really nice and spoke excellent English Alissa gave each of us cutting and cooking jobs to prepare the dish.

She told us about the ingredients and offered possible replacements for the ones we don’t have back home. The appetizer was a mix of flavors – sweet, bitter, salty and sour. We put all the different ingredients on a leaf of lettuce, dipped them in a sauce we made and ate them in a single bite.

 

Tour of the flower market

After making the appetizer we went for a tour of the market with Alyssa. She gave us a tour of the food portion of the market. While the market is wholesale and sells to hotels, restaurants and more – tourists can shop there as well. Alissa told us more about the ingredients we saw and bought a few of them for the cooking class. During the tour, we came across a stall selling “butterfly tea”, so Roman and I bought some to bring back to Israel with us, as did the girls from Singapore. The tour lasted an overall of about 30 minutes, then we went back to the lesson.

 

 

Making the rest of the dishes in cooking class

For the second dish we made a fruit salad with a twist. We cut many fruits and put them in a bowl, then made ground pork cooked with garlic and mixed it in. I know it sounds a bit odd, but it was very good. The sweet and salty flavors complimented each other. If you have certain food intolerances or foods you avoid, it’s no problem to notify the chefs when booking the class and they’ll accommodate accordingly. When the fruit salad was done, we placed it in an Pineapple shell and ate it.

Then we moved on to the next to dishes, Curry cream (You can choose between green curry, which isn’t as spicy, and a red one) and Pad Thai.

Each of us had a station with all the needed ingredients. Alissa stood at the head of the table and showed us what to do, and we cooked according to her guidance. Tam helped us, and another instructor joined to help with the preparation. The Pad Thai we prepared with purple noodles and it turned out to be a very pretty dish.

 

 

 

When the two dishes were done, we went over to a set table and got a glass of coconut juice and a place of rice for the curry, each. We all sat at the table together, Roman and I, the three girls from Singapore, Tam and Alissa.

It felt like a restaurant dinner with friends. We sat and chatted and got to know each other better, and in addition to the great atmosphere, the food itself was amazing!!! The curry cream was the best of all curry dishes I had in Thailand (And I got to have many).

Everything was made from fresh materials and seeing as Tam and Alissa are chefs, they put a lot of effort and attention to detail into the preparation. The Pad Thai was amazing, and just the sweetness and spiciness I like (It’s nice to be able to taste the food as you’re cooking and adjust it to your tastes).

 

Things we liked about the class

Tips and notes on the class

To summarize the class

If you’re looking to do something cool in Bangkok, have a local experience at the market, combined with great food you learn to make yourself – This is the perfect cooking class.

 

A year ago, when I worked as a trip planner for a short period, I had planned a day trip from Bangkok for a family. The trip was with a personal driver named Tom and included two markets (A floating market and one with a train passing through it), as well as several other attractions along the way.

The trip actually cost them less with Tom than as part of an organized trip, as they were a 6-person group. They were very pleased by both the trip and the driver. Following their warm praise, I had recommended Tom’s services to additional clients, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. And so, upon booking our flight to Thailand, I already knew we’d want to go on a trip with Tom as well.

I’d contacted his wife, Dee, who’s in charge of reservations (Dee And Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox) and told her we would like a tour to both markets and on to Kanchanaburi. She suggested we add bamboo rafting and a visit to waterfalls the following day, which sounded like a wonderful plan. Since I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Dee both personally and professionally while I was a trip planner, she offered for her and her baby to join us on the trip and get to know us face to face. We liked the idea of a family trip a lot.

Tips before traveling to Kanchanaburi

SIM card

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in Kanchanaburi

I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.

You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in Kanchanaburi

You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.

Where to stay in Kanchanaburi

You can search for places to stay in Kanchanaburi via Booking.

Day 1 – Railway market, Floating market and Kanchanaburi (Trip with a personal driver)

At 9AM, Tom, Dee and their baby were waiting for us outside the guest house we stayed at in Bangkok’s China Town – Pho Place (Dee And Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox) . We hadn’t had breakfast, so we asked Tom to stop for a bite along the way. On the outskirts of Bangkok, Tom parked at a gas station area that held many restaurants as well. We had coffee and a small meal, then headed back on the road.

Dee speaks English very well, and Tom knows some as well, so we talked throughout the drive.

Maeklong Railway Market

We arrived at Maeklong Railway Market around 10 and a quarter. The train passes through the market several times a day, so it’s important to know the schedule and arrive one time. It’s best to arrive before 10:30, as it passes both at 10:30 and at 11 and you can enjoy the experience twice. (:

What makes this market unique is that the stalls are built directly on the train tracks and a few minutes prior to the train’s arrival an announcer calls for people to move away from the tracks. All the peddlers move their stalls back and fold some of the stands. It all happens very quickly. We tried finding a place to stand but the peddlers kept moving us. Since the market’s become very popular, there are many tourists wanting to take pictures and creating clusters – so there are certain areas the peddlers ask people not to stand in, since it disturbs their work. We found a spot and the train passed. The train goes right through the market slowly.

Dee told us it used to be much faster, but ever since the market became popular accidents had been on the rise, with tourists not knowing where to stand. So, the government issued an order for the train to slow down to a crawl as it cross through the market. You can also ride the train, as it stays in the market area. If you do arrive before 10:30, I’d recommend going to the market itself at 10:30 to watch the train pass and then board it. Then, at 11:00, follow it through the market. We haven’t done that, but it seems like a very nice experience.

Dee told us it used to be much faster, but ever since the market became popular accidents had been on the rise, with tourists not knowing where to stand. So, the government issued an order for the train to slow down to a crawl as it cross through the market. You can also ride the train, as it stays in the market area. If you do arrive before 10:30, I’d recommend going to the market itself at 10:30 to watch the train pass and then board it. Then, at 11:00, follow it through the market. We haven’t done that, but it seems like a very nice experience.

Amphwa floating market

From the railway market we continued to the floating market, which is only a few minutes away by car. We arrived at the area before the market proper, where you can board a boat to the market. Dee recommended sailing as being the best way to see the entire market and not just a part of it, as well as being an interesting experience. We chose the hour and a half cruise (You may opt for an hour, hour and a half or two hours). The cruise itself is really cool. We got to see the floating market from the boat and even buy fruit from the merchants on the other boats.

The entrance to the market was crowded by boats for tourists, and according to Dee things get even worse on weekends. So, I’d recommend taking this trip on weekdays. At one point we stopped at a coconut farm. We also got to pass by the residential buildings on the river. Seeing how people live there was very intriguing. Put shortly, it was a unique and interesting experience.


After the market we went to have lunch at a local restaurant. We asked Dee and Tom to take us to a restaurant they would have eaten at, as opposed to a touristic one, and so they did. The place we ended up going to only have menus in Thai, so we told Dee what we liked, and she ordered for us. We ordered many dishes to share. The food was tasty, and we enjoyed the meal. The bill amounted to 420 baht for the 4 of us, and we had ordered 6 dishes.

Kanchanaburi

First, we headed to Baan Ma Fueng guesthouse to check in and store our things, then on to Kanchanaburi. The guesthouse was very nice and clean and houses a café with good coffee and breakfasts. It’s located in a somewhat less touristic area.

Cemetery in memory of prisoners of war and bridge over the Kwai river

Afterwards, we drove to a cemetery built in memory of prisoners of war (World war II), who were killed while constructing the railroad (They were held under horrendous conditions), then on to the famous bridge over the Kwai river – construction of which began in 1942 and lasted a year and four months.

The goal was to build a railway from Thailand to Burma to transport supplies to the Japanese. We took many pictures of the bridge and had the pleasure of being there towards the sunset – so the skies were beautiful. We also climbed down to take pictures of the bridge looking up. On our way back, a train passed as we were crossing the bridge and we had to stand on little platforms by the side of the track.


Dinner at night market

Afterwards, we went back to the guesthouse and agreed to meet Dee and Tom at 9am the next day at the guesthouse café. After resting in our room, we went out to have dinner in a night market close by. It’s a local street-food market and most visitors are locals, there were almost no tourists. The food there was really good, we ate there twice more during our stay in Kanchanaburi. The market is next to the clock tower. Map.

Day 2 – Waterfall and rafting (Trip with personal driver) and return by local train

We had breakfast at the guesthouse café, then Dee and Tom joined us and we went rafting. On our way there, we stopped by the beautiful Sai Yok Noi waterfall.

We had breakfast at the guesthouse café, then Dee and Tom joined us and we went rafting. On our way there, we stopped by the beautiful Sai Yok Noi waterfall. The rafting turned out to be more like a relaxed cruise on a bamboo raft. It was very pleasant. I’d recommend bringing a bathing suit, as you can jump in the water. I got a bit of a tan and enjoyed the view. The area houses hotels with rooms by the river.

Given more time, we’d have loved to stay there for a night or two – the place seemed calm and beautiful. The cruise lasted about 40 minutes, it’s length may change according to the river’s flow.

We then headed to the train station, at which point we said goodbye to Dee, Tom and the baby. Dee was the one to suggest the day before that we take the train back from the rafting area, as the way back is very pretty, which seemed like a great idea. We were a sorry to see them go, as we really enjoyed spending time with them. They’re lovely people – Picking Tom to be our personal driver was a great idea.

Our entire trip was at our own pace and focused on the things we wanted to do, whether we wanted to spend more or less time at any given place, et cetera. Whenever we wanted coffee or food Tom drove us accordingly. It was a great experience, and at a very good price. They offer driving services to many different locations and travel packages including attractions and lodging. The part I loved was being able to plan our trip’s route with Dee according to what we were looking for and have her make suggestions based on the preferences I described. (Their website – Naka Service)

Train back to Kanchanaburi

The train station is surrounded by many restaurants, so we had lunch at one and then came back to the station. We bought a ticket for 100 baht per person and boarded. The ride was about two hours and the views really were very pretty. The seats were relatively comfy and there were fans and open windows, so the air was pleasant. It’s a nice way to have a local experience but with good conditions.

Day 3 – Erawan waterfalls, riding a local bus

The next morning, we rode the bus to the famous Erawan Waterfalls. You can read about our trip there in my post “Erawan Waterfalls in Kanchanaburi”.

After getting back from the falls, we went for a rest in our room, then out to dinner in the market near the guesthouse. After our meal, we decided to go out to the touristic area where many bars are for a bit. Roman saw a little street bar with a sign saying you can get drunk for 10 baht and decided for us to sit down (Get drunk for 10 baht). After seeing the 10-baht whiskey, he decided to order the 20-baht whiskey mixed with coke (Costs another 10 baht).

Don Rak Road is a main street with many bars, restaurants, cafes and more.

Return to Bangkok from Kanchanaburi

The following day we returned to Bangkok. The bus ride is approximately 3 hours, as opposed to a train which takes 4-5. There’s a central bus station with busses leaving for Bangkok every half an hour, but the busses are old and have fans (The ride costs 100 baht). Map.

Just before you reach the central station lies a travel agency’s office – there you can get on a new bus with air conditioning, which also leaves every half hour, for 120 baht. Map.

On our second visit to Thailand we decided to travel to Kanchanaburi, which we heard many good things about – And truth be told, we weren’t disappointed. We arrived with a private driver, Tom from Bangkok ( Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox) . We went on a two-day trip with him, which included stopping at markets, rafting and more.

How do you reach the falls from Kanchanaburi?

We took a bus from the central bus station in Kanchanaburi. Map. The ride costs 50 baht and it takes about two hours to reach the falls.

The bus’s timetable:


There are buses back to Kanchanaburi, the last of which leaves at 17:00.

*I’d recommend getting to the station 15 minutes early, as the bus might be filled to maximum capacity forcing you to either sit on the floor or wait for the next one.

Entry price

Entry costs 300 baht per person. We weren’t aware of the price and hadn’t brought enough cash with us. There aren’t any ATMs in the area, so be sure to have enough money on hand for transportation, entry, food and drinks. Luckily, we met a nice Israeli couple and asked them to loan us some money, making a transfer of funds back to them later. (Part of what I love about traveling is meeting nice people on the road).

Erawan falls

The waterfall area is very large, containing seven separate waterfalls. If you wish to visit all seven, you should consider the time it takes to travel from one to the next – It is a 2 kilometer climb to the seventh fall. The climb itself isn’t too hard, but from the fifth waterfall onward it becomes steeper and more difficult.


I would recommend bringing comfortable walking shoes and not sandals (Put those in your bags). The best way, in our opinion, is to go straight to the seventh waterfall, followed by the others. That way you can beat the crowds there by arriving early, and you’ll also have more energy for the comparatively difficult climb to the seventh waterfall. Most of the walking is in the tree-shade but the difficulty comes from the high humidity and heat (We went at the end of January), so it can nonetheless be quite tiring.

Another important suggestion: Bring drinks and snacks with you or buy them at the entrance to the falls. We only bought a single large water bottle, only to later find that at the falls themselves there’s nowhere to buy food or drinks, and the climb up to the seventh waterfall left us feeling thirsty and peckish.

The first waterfall lies about a 20-minute walk from the entrance, and the walk itself is pretty much planar. The first few waterfalls are close to one another, and a few minutes later you’ll arrive at the 2nd, 3rd and 4th falls.





The waterfalls themselves are really stunning and I think it’s worth it, at the very least, to make it to the 4th and 5th falls. It was also a great deal of fun to jump in the water after walking in the heat.

Personally, I found the water to be too cold  (But I think it might have been only me, since I hadn’t noticed anyone else complaining about it 🙂 ) and the water houses many fish that eat the dry skin off your feet (Some girls were very alarmed by it, so it’s important to be aware of).

Food

The entrance area has many restaurants in which you can either sit down for lunch or buy food to take to the falls. We ate at one of the restaurants and the food was good. It’s touristic Thai food, but it’s not bad at all.


How to return from the falls to Kanchanaburi?

We took the four o’clock bus, which is one before last. We arrived at 5 minutes to four, by which time the bus had already been filled up. I found a seat and Roman sat on the floor. The ride isn’t terrible, but having a seat is better.


Conclusion of Erawan falls

They are definitely worth a visit if you’re in Kanchanaburi. The falls are beautiful. The tips I included in this post are important to pay heed to, as we weren’t aware of them at the time and it ended up hurting our experience somewhat.

Tips regarding the falls

The perfect resort for a prestigious vacation in Phuket

Phuket is known for a variety of amazing resorts, which people from all over the world travel to Thailand to visit. So, even prior to our trip to Thailand, we knew we wanted to visit Phuket and stay at incredible resort there. We looked for a sea-side resort with an interesting design that is extra pampering – That’s how we came across The Slate. It had excellent reviews and it looked beautiful. We picked it as our winner and booked an upgraded room with a private pool, hoping it will live up to our expectations.

We arrived at Phuket on a flight from Bangkok. The resort is situated about 10 minutes away from the airport by car. (If you take a cab, make sure you opt for a metered rate, as it’ll be twice as cheap as the fixed price they’ll ask for at the airport.)

The Slate resort

The moment we entered the hotel lobby, we knew it was the heaven we were searching for. The lobby is extremely luxurious, and we were immediately welcomed with a smile and refreshing drinks, a cold towel and a flower bracelet.

 

We arrived at 11:00 and were told the room will be ready at 14:00, so in the meantime we decided to go to a pool with a bar and indulge ourselves with a shake in the pool. Since the resort is very large, we were handed a map of the area (We spent the whole first day with it, which was enough to memorize the locations) and driven to the pool in a golf cart.

The pools

The hotel has 3 pools, two of which are for adults only.

 

As we arrived at the pool, we were brought glasses of cold water right away. We went in the pool and, before long, ordered shakes at the pool-side bar and mini-skewers to snack on. The bar offers a variety of drinks and special shakes. I chose the mango, coconut milk, cashew and spinach shake – Yummy! It was so good, I ended up ordering it every day we spent at the resort.

The water was pleasant and the atmosphere at the pool was calm and quiet. Most vacationers were reading books, and so did I at some point (After we finished having fun with the sea mattresses we brought with us).


Our room

After the pool, we went back to the lobby to check into our room. We rode the golf cart again. My first response upon entering our room was “Wow”, and honestly, I was really excited. It is undoubtedly the most beautiful room we had ever stayed in.

It had a walk-in wardrobe, bedroom with a giant and very comfortable bed, mini-bar, dresser, television and sitting area, shower room with a luxurious stall and two sinks! Outside was a bathtub, tanning bed, sitting area and pool! The room was absolutely perfect. It was meticulously designed with attention to every little detail. Moreover, the hotel produces soaps and body products – so they were all high quality and smelled great.


Room service

We ordered room service, as we decided we don’t plan on leaving the room anytime soon. We ordered an Indian chicken dish, hamburger and ravioli. It arrived within twenty minutes. The food was very tasty, especially the Indian chicken dish.

We had the pleasure of ordering room service another time during our stay at the resort, that time we had pizzas which were also delicious.

 

Not only did we not want to leave the room, we didn’t want to leave the resort area either. It has everything! Two bars, one of which is a really cool sports bar with billiard tables, a dart board, and large selection of alcohol and pleasant atmosphere.

 

The restaurants

The hotel has four restaurants – We had coffee and a nice cheese cake dessert at one of them.

Another has sandwiches per request. They have many different types of breads, cheeses, hams, sauces and more. Roman had a cheese and ham sandwich, and I picked avocado, egg and ham in mine. The chef toasted them, so they were served warm, crunchy and very well made.


There’s a barbeque place right next to the exit to the sea which we, unfortunately, didn’t get a chance to eat at. The crown jewel of the hotel’s restaurants is Black Ginger. As soon as you see it, you’ll know why that is. The entrance is one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen to any restaurant – You enter by sailing a pretty bamboo raft over a little lake, pulled along towards the restaurant by one of the employees.

We booked a reservation at the Black Ginger as soon as we arrived, as it is in high demand. We ordered lobster salad, a fish soup and curry dish with meat. We were first served an appetizer, on the house, which proved an excellent beginning to a delicious meal. The salad was refreshing with lots of quality lobster meat, the soup was subtly flavored and made with fresh fish and the curry was just as good (I’d recommend asking for the dishes to be less spicy, since even when you do ask, they’re still slightly piquant).


Breakfast

One of favorite things about hotels is breakfast, and I have to say The Slate resort had one of our best breakfasts ever. There were so many options it was hard to decide what we should have.

There’s a per-request egg station, a pancake station and a Belgian waffle station. A variety of dim sum, Thai food, imported hard cheeses, hams, many different freshly baked breads, fruit, vegetables, selection of dips, sauces and pastes, pastries and desserts. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough room for all the different options, but the ones we did have were great.

 

 

 

The hotel also has a club for kids and a gym which of course contains a very high-quality spa.

The spa

When we arrived, we decided on getting a 90-minute thai massage and ordered it for the next day. When we arrived, we were once again welcomed with a smile, cold tea and towels. We filled out forms about our health and which areas of our bodies we would like the masseuse to focus on. We were then taken to the care area. At first, we sat outside with our feet in tubs of warm water, then they washed our feet gently with lemon water.

This was already very soothing and pampering. We then went into a room, changed into the appropriate clothes and lay on the massage beds. The room held a very pleasant aroma and had calming music, many candles and the unique atmosphere of a prestigious resort spa. The massage itself was so good, I felt it was over too quickly – even after 90 minutes. I wanted it to last forever.

 

Beach Nai Yang

The hotel has two exits to the beach. The Nai Yang beach isn’t very widely known in Phuket, which is excellent, as it makes it less touristic. It’s the perfect beach for a relaxed vacation. The beach itself is just smooth sand and no stones, rocks or plants, and so is the crystal clear water – making it a perfect experience. By the beach are restaurants offering good food at rather low prices and a shake stand. We of course ordered a mango-banana shake and went in the water with it.


To sum up : The Slate resort

The service at the hotel is 5+ stars. All employees speak excellent English, are easy to communicate with and are extremely courteous and nice. The whole resort area is designed gorgeously and makes you feel like you’re at a secluded oasis. This hotel was just perfect for an amazing vacation. It went above and beyond our expectations.

The only downsides we found were: The coffee wasn’t very good, and the private pool was roofed and therefore cold and less enjoyable to be in. However, there’s no doubt that whenever we’re next in Thailand, this will be a hotel we return to. I can’t wait to go back. If you’re in the search for a hotel on a whole different level, this is the one to be at.

 

Our trip started in Rome, then on to Lucca in Toscany and lake Como and a flight back from Milano.  Throughout the trip we stayed at Airbnb apartments, where we also had our breakfasts. Our Rome apartment was at an excellent location near the Campo de Fiori market, although it wasn’t as good as the other two we booked, which we liked a lot.

Italy trip itinerary

Rome 4 days

Day 1 – Rome

Free walking tour of the city with Romes Ultimate. The guide was excellent and told stories in an interesting, humoristic fashion. The company’s tours are for small groups of up to 15 people – which is quite important, as larger tours make asking questions difficult and the guides tend to be less attentive to each individual member.

Lunch at local Italian pasta restaurant, Pasta Imperiale. We passed by this restaurant during our tour and the guide spoke of it with very high regard. He claimed it was a cheap and excellent place for pasta. We went back when the tour was done. It offers a variety of pastas and sauces to mix and match from.

Piazza Navona – Our favourite piazza in Rome.

Tasty ice-cream at Venchi. The wait in line was somewhat long, but we decided to stick it out and it was definitely worth the wait. I had caramel ice-cream in a chocolate and almond coated cone, while Roman had a strawberry-mango sorbet in his.

Local dinner through Like a Local website. A full course dinner with wine at the hostess’ house. Great local meal at a lovely home.

 

Day 2 Rome

Visit to the pantheon and a a visit in the bone church Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini church. The church holds more than 4000 bones and skulls of Cuppuccini order monks. I didn’t know what to expect, and honestly it was a bit unnerving, but also curious to see all the bones and what was done with them.

Campo de Fiori market. This market is extremely charming. It isn’t swamped with people, full of stalls of all kinds, colorful and offers many tasty treats.

Pasta Carbonara for lunch and Mercato Hostaria restaurant, near the market or pizza at Forno Campo De Fiori.

A walk through the alleys surrounding the market area

A standing café, Roscioli caffe, near the market. This is a very popular café near campo de Fiori. If you need to recharge with a quick coffee and a sweet dessert along the way, this is the place to visit. Address
Via Plauto, 33, 00193 Roma Italy.

Vatican in the evening – We booked entry tickets ahead of time online. The entrance was 16 euros, 7 euros for audio guides and an additional 4 for booking online. The Vatican is one of the must-see places in Rome, But I’d like to introduce an option you might not have known existed. From the end of April through to the end of October, every Friday, you may visit the Vatican during the evening hours instead of in the morning. We were lucky enough to be there on the first Friday available and were very pleased with this option.

Cheese and wine at Makasar bar. The waitress was very nice, and the place was quiet, with good music. The cheese and wine were excellent and the design lovely.

 

Day 3 Rome

Visit to rose garden. There are benches along the stairs overlooking both the garden and the city. You can sit and enjoy the beauty or even have a little picnic on the bench.

Visit to an orange garden, around a ten-minute walk from the rose garden. It’s not as impressive, but also very beautiful and offers a pretty view of the city.

Martin Gallery and café – A new, recently opened coffee house, full of brightly colored paintings. The silverware and vases are all covered in paintings as well.  Address Via dei Cerchi 55A.

Trattoria Da Enzo – Local restaurant with great Ricotta.  Address Via dei Vascellari, 29, 00153 Roma, Italy.

Colosseum and Palatine Hill – The whole area is magnificent. It’s ginormous, full of ruins and unique buildings. Even the gate by the Colosseum is one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen. Definitely worth dedicating a couple of hours to walking around in this area.

Dinner at Casa Savoia, prestigious restaurant. Roman took me to this restaurant as a birthday surprise. I fell in love with it the moment we arrived. It sports a beautiful, luxurious design.  Address Vicolo del Gallo, 14, 00186 Roma, Italy.

Jerry Thomas Speakeasy cocktail bar – The atmosphere at the bar is really cool, the waiters and bartenders are dressed in 20’s outfits, and the whole bar is vintage and uniquely stylized.  Address
Vicolo Cellini, 30, 00186 Roma, Italy.

 

Day 4 Rome and Lucca

Shopping for Cheeses, breads and more at Campo de Fiori market.

Collecting a vehicle from rental company. We rented it through Papam Papam’ website.

Drive to Lucca – An about 4.5-hour drive with a stop for a picnic and gas station coffee ?

Cheese picnic break

Arrival at Lucca in the evening, to a lovely Airbnb apartment.

Shopping at a nearby supermarket

Dinner at the apartment.

Day 5 – Lucca and the area

Drive to a vineyard for a tour and wine tastings, followed up with a drive to Monte Carlo. Stroll through town and pizza for lunch, then a visit to an impressive castle.

Post I wrote about our experience of the town and vineyard.

Return to Lucca and dinner at the excellent Ristorante Cantine Bernardini Lucca. I highly recommend this restaurant, it was one of the best we visited during our trip by a significant margin. Address  Via del Suffragio, 7, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy

 

Day 6 – Lucca

Coffee and pastry at Bottega del Caffe Dersut.

Climb up the clock tower for a vantage of the city. It takes climbing some steps to reach the top, but not too many.

Bike rental from “Tuscany ride a bike” store. Ride along the walls and in the city.

Quick pizza lunch.

Walk around the city.

Dinner at a nice restaurant, Osteria Da Rosolo Lucca. The prices were low and the dishes very tasty. Address Corte Campana, 3, 55100 Lucca LU, Italy

 

Day 7- Drive to Lake Como

Drive to lake Como – a 4-hour drive with two stops, one for coffee and one for a sandwich at gas station along the way.

Arrival at a stunning Airbnb apartment in the town of Dervio.

Dinner by the lake at Bar Ristorante Pizzeria Le vele. Address Via lungo lago degli ulivi 6, 23824 Dervio LC, Italy

Day 8 – A walking trek

A walking trek – The track starts of relatively planar with a few ups and downs, an offers a beautiful view of the lake. We passed by small villages and enjoyed the walk. At some point we began a climb and understood that’s how it was going to be the rest of the way. The track is an orderly path between forests and villages. There are markings all along it, so you can’t get lost. The trek we did was “B”.

Dinner at an amazing Restaurant, Osteria Quatro Pass. The best meal we had during our trip. Every dish was an absolute winner. Address Via XX Settembre, 20, 23829 Varenna LC

 

Day 9 – Bellagio

Detailed post about our day at Bellagio.

Drive to Varenna, a ferry to Bellagio and then a visit to Villa Meltzi and pasta lunch at Bar Caffe Rossi. I had spaghetti Bolognese and Roman had pasta with spinach and cheese. Both were really good and reasonably priced. As far as we saw, the coffee and cakes they had looked good. Address 22, Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini

Visit to lovely fishing village and a walk around town. Following a long walk, it was time for wine, cheese and fish tasting at a wine bar.

Back to the ferry to Varenna and the apartment.

 

Day 10 – Bellano and flight home

Detailed post on half-day at Bellano.

Drive to Bellano, coffee by the lake and then a visit to the Orrido di Bellano gorge.

A sandwich from a deli for lunch.

Drive to Milano airport (1.5 hours), returning the rental car at the airport and flight back.

End of trip in Italy.

 

We really like cocktail bars and so, before the trip to Athens, I tried to find one that was truly special. An online search brought me across Momix bar, a molecular cocktail bar. The photos looked super cool and besides, we’ve never been to a molecular bar before.

I’ve seen very good reviews about the place and immediately added it to our Athens to-do list. The experience we had at this bar was amazing and we ended the night drunk and happy. It’s not everyday you get to experience a culinary phenomenon of high-quality alcohol combined with a fascinating molecular show.

The coolest bar ever - A molecular bar in Athens - Traveling outside the box

Momix Bar

We arrived at the early hour of 8 o’clock. We were hyped about the place’s cool design since before even entering. We sat at the bar, so we could see the action. The bartender, Fotis, gave us the box shaped menu (So we could think outside the box :)) and we decided to start the evening off with a molecular cocktail in a spoon, along with a bubbling cocktail and a gelatinous textured one in a syringe.


The cocktails

That’s when the show started – Lots of smoke, mixing of drinks and when it was done we were served our drinks. It was such a success in our minds that ten minutes later we ordered 2 more cocktails, with more to follow. Consider yourself warned, those drinks are addictive! They’re so special and of such a high-quality that you just can’t stop drinking them.


Before we came to the bar I didn’t really know what to expect, I thought it might be more about a gimmick than good cocktails, but I was proven completely wrong. They mix high-class, professional drinks. The best way to tell the quality of drinks is the following day. We had perhaps eight kinds of cocktails, if not more, and in the morning – I felt fresh as a pickle

 

At some point we got to meet the owners, Aris and Thodoris,. We complimented their establishment and Aris offered to give us a tour of the bar’s lab. That’s where he spends days and nights trying to concoct new molecular drinks. He does tons of experiments, and so they change the cocktail menu every 6 months. The lab is very impressive – They give bartending training, lectures and classes there as well.

Aris started the job some 10 years ago. Momix has 2 bars – One in Athens and another in Santorini and they enjoy great success among locals and tourists alike.

 

They also have a bar food menu we tried two items off – One chicken dish and another of dates filled with Roquefort cheese and wrapped in bacon. The food suited the bar’s atmosphere perfectly. Roman claimed the chicken was the best he’s ever had, and I must agree with him. It was succulent and even tasted more like meat than poultry. Both dishes were surprising in flavor and we really liked their concepts.

I’d consider this bar a “mandatory recommendation” for anyone looking for a cool, intoxicating experience full of new flavors – With great service and of the highest quality.

We didn’t get to go on many food tours in the past, but after our recent one in Athens – we might go on many more in the future. We booked our tour through Alternative Athens. I’ve seen several companies offering food tours, but the length (4 hours) and number of culinary stops (8 stops) seemed an extremely worthwhile deal considering this tour’s price.

The choice turned out to be an excellent one – Our guide Andreas was charming and knowledgeable; his English was very clear and his stories were a joy to listen to. We finished the tour full and very satisfied. I think any foodie who likes to try new dishes, learning about the city and its cuisine all the while, will really enjoy this one as we did.

The food tour

We were a small group of five, along with our lovely guide Andreas. We met in the morning hours at a central location and our first stop was a local café for some traditional coffee. This was already a good start, as I didn’t have the time to get coffee beforehand. To be honest, we didn’t have breakfast either since we wanted to save room for the tour – and a lucky thing we did, as the tour definitely offers an impressive amount of food.

The tour included many food stops, but a lot of walking as well – we got to see all of Athens’ central areas. Additionally, the guide had many riveting stories to tell us about the city. We got to learn of the Greek culture and of Athens in particular through the local cuisine.

 

I don’t want to go into specifics when it comes to each dish we had, so as not to spoil the surprise for you – But I will mention some things and show a few pictures so you can get a feel for the culinary experience. We got to try a plethora of local foods and Greek-made products. The food was of really high-quality. And although at one point I was already tipsy and stuffed (Yes, wine was included in the tour), I couldn’t help but try every dish.


 

I liked that we were a small group and got to converse during the tastings. We had a couple from England with us and a guy from Sweden, who turned out to be a photographer who’s been travelling the world for the past 19 months and is planning to travel the whole globe in about 4 years. How crazy is that? Tours are a great way to meet new people from all over.

If you have an allergy or food intolerance you’re welcomed to let the organizers know ahead of time, and it will be taken into account during the tour. I recommend wearing comfortable shoes for this tour, as you do quite a bit of walking – and of course come on an empty stomach since the amount of food is staggering 🙂

The Greek food is delicious and the tour was very diverse. I felt that meticulous thought was put into the choice of dishes and the tour’s fun route. We usually take a walking tour at each new destination, but the food tour encompassed a lot of historic information about the city and took us through it’s important locations

We finished the tour satiated and extremely pleased. I think that if you’re a foodie who likes trying new things and learning about the city and the cuisine all the while, you’ll have a great time as well.

We really like drinking wine, and love learning about the wine we drink. Through wine, you can always get the feeling that you’re touring the country – which is always great fun, especially in countries known for their good wine. Before our arrival in Athens I did some research and discovered Greece has very high-quality wine.

We wanted to tour wineries, but since it was December (Early winter), I couldn’t find any tasting tours in wineries – But I did find wine tastings in a bar complete with a detailed explanation by a sommelier. It sounded to me like a great time and so I ordered them through Athens Walking Tours. Our tastings were scheduled to 18:00 and we were given the name of the bar they’ll be held at.

We arrived at a lovely bar with a modern design. We met the owner, Mike, and the sommelier, Vangelis, and both were super nice. Micky told us a bit about the bar and the wine, then we started the tastings. We sat at the bar and started off with rose wine. We followed it up with white and red wines.


At one point, we were served a plate with two kinds of cheese, sausage and breadsticks. Nothing goes better with wine than cheeses. They were really good, just the type of hard cheese I like, and the sausage was of very high quality as well.

The tastings were carried out in a calm fashion, according to our wishes. We could enjoy each served wine and I got to take many fun pictures, since we were the only ones there. Vangelis told us extensively about each wine, each one being from a different region of Greece – Vangelis even told us of the regions themselves. Mike drew us a little map of Greece, and Vangelis marked the map with each new wine served.

Vangelis’ knowledge is rich and he made us feel as if we were traveling along with him among the different wineries and tastings their wares. If you like wine, and enjoy learning more about it rather than just drinking it – This experience will suit you well.

It’s a great combination of taste and learning. We really liked the wine itself, which was of high-quality, and the staff were really charming. The combined effect of the wine tastings, the nice food plate and the explanations themselves served to turn our hangout at the bar into a fun and enriching time. Read more about the wine tastings and our experience there.

As you’ve probably gathered by now, Roman and I really like bike tours. We love the combination of physical challenge and the opportunity to see as much of our destination as possible. On a bike tour, you’ll get to see much more than by foot. Each kind of tour offers its own unique pros and cons, which is why we usually opt for both.

Before arriving in Athens, I’ve looked into interesting bike tours. Since I knew we’ll be doing a food-tour in Athens’ central areas, I focused on tours in other parts of town. That is how I came across “Athens by bike”, a company offering several bike tours, such as “Athens Riviera ride” – A tour mainly focused on the city’s shore line. A ride along the sea seemed to fit my criteria perfectly, and as it turns out, it was truly an amazing, relaxing and challenging tour.

In the morning, we arrived at the company’s bike store, which is located right next to the Acropolis metro station. As it turned out, we were the only ones to book a tour for that day, and so we got a private tour. Our guide was Dimitris, a charming and funny guy who was really patient and interesting and made the tour a huge success.

We started the ride in the city itself and Dimitris took us to a vantage point overlooking the Acropolis. It’s a lesser known spot and so without many people, yet a beautiful place to picnic with a lovely sight of the city.

We could see the opera house that’s by the beach, where Dimitris said we’ll be riding. From there we went on a bike trail leading to the opera house. I thoroughly enjoy riding long bike trails, it’s quite and calming and we could see different areas of Athens along the ride.

 

We stopped occasionally and Dimitris told us of the places we passed along the way. When we got to the (very impressive) opera house, we locked our bikes away and went up to a vantage point off of the building itself. There’s a free ice-skating arena there and you can even sign up online for free ice-skating lessons (A great kid’s attraction).

Additionally, there’s a yoga class on the lawn next to the building every morning, which you can sign up for online as well. There are many more free activities – Here’s a link to their site.

 

We also visited the library which is very elegant and pleasant. It’s only been open for a year and the books haven’t arrived yet, so it’s currently a book-less library, but has computer stands and people come to just sit and have coffee.

 

We continued riding along the beach. The weather was an excellent 20 degrees. We then had a coffee break by the sea, which is something I absolutely adore – enjoying the little things in life


On the way back, we stopped for traditional Greek food, a type of Bourekas (Only much tastier in my opinion) that is sweet or savory and is one of the tastiest foods there are. We tried it on the food tour as well – It’s served fresh, straight out of the oven, and is really crunchy and excellent. It’s highly addictive. It was a nice stop for recharging your batteries so you can keep riding. I liked that the tour included a stop to try local cuisine, which was unexpected.

 

Since we had some time to spare, Dimitris decided to take us on a short graffiti tour, as well as to several beautiful churches in the area. He does that sometimes when there’s extra time, which is really nice.

 

The tour was about four and a half hours long, and while you don’t spend all that time riding, a certain level of physicality and ability to ride a bike for long are required. If you’re unused to riding – this tour might prove a bit long for your taste, however the company offers many more tours that are shorter. The ride itself is quite planar and Roman didn’t feel a physical challenge, but I felt drained when we were done.

This tour is definitely recommended for those who like riding a bike and are looking for another way to explore Athens – and not just it’s central areas. Additionally, after the tour Dimitris sent us a document with recommendations for many things to do in Athens and we tried a local restaurant off the list – which was really good.

We took a Segway tour with  Paphos Segway Tours company. We were a group of eight and had two super nice guides, Liam and Callum.

Segway instruction

After all the group members had arrived, we went outside for an instruction on the Segways. The guide explained how to operate it really well, after which each guide took one of the tour members personally for a test drive on the Segway, to make sure they can handle it well and to boost our confidence. When every member had gone through a personal instruction, we started the tour.


The tour itself

During the tour, we went through several interesting sites on Paphos, stopping at each one while the guide told us about the place. The stories were truly captivating. At every stop the guide also took our pictures, giving us small choreographic instructions (A few days later they uploaded the pictures to Facebook, so you can save them with no additional cost).


The tour was light, funny and the weather was great (Early November). If you take the tour during the summer, I’d suggest going on either the early or the afternoon tours. The one we took started at 11AM.

We rode along the sea a lot – it was really relaxing and I didn’t want the tour to be end. I have to mention that I went on a Segway tour before and didn’t really enjoy myself, to be honest I was quite frightened then – But this time, the two guides were really responsible and gave a feeling of security. Even if you’ve never been on a Segway tour, you have nothing to worry about and I’d even highly recommend this as your first try, that way you’ll get fun and professional instruction.



The company has longer, special tours for those already experienced with Segways. Maybe next time we’re In Paphos we’ll try one of the advanced tours.

To be sure, this is a great attraction and experience, and a wonderful way of seeing Paphos. They also have colorful Segways which are really cool 🙂