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Showing posts from July, 2021

Emily in Paris locations

Emily’s apartment on Place de l’Estrapade The first season of Emily in Paris was the most watched romantic comedy show on Netflix in 2020 with 58 million households worldwide watching the show in its first 28 days. Not everyone loved it but it was a great escape from a long period of self isolation due to the pandemic and our inability to travel. The good news is that the second season of this series will be on air soon.* Emily Cooper’s apartment is on the fifth floor. Chef Gabriel also lives in the same building. Place de l’Estrapade The square in front of Emily’s apartment is a few steps from the restaurant where Gabriel works as a chef. This is a nice and quiet neighborhood. Gabriel’s Les Deux Compère Restaurant and the Boulangerie Moderne The restaurant where Gabriel works is the Terra Nera in real life. The Boulangerie Moderne where Emily gets her croissant from is next door (it was closed when I passed by because it was Bastille Day). Emily’s office Emily is a marketing executive

Graz, the City of Design

  Graz is the second largest city in Austria. Just two and a half hour by train from Vienna, it's the perfect long weekend getaway. With loads of history, architectural diversity and lots of terrace cafés, this UNESCO City of Design has plenty to offer and will easily keep you longer than planned. The Kunsthaus or art museum has been called many things - the friendly alien, whale and porcupine. It looks like a giant pickle to me from this angle. The rooftop of the Kunsthaus that gave it the nickname, friendly alien. View of the red rooftops of the old town with the Rathaus in the center, taken from the Schlossberg. Old town Graz is a Unesco designated World Heritage Site. How to get up to Schlossberg (Castle Hill)? There are 206 steps to climb to the Schlossberg. Thank goodness there are other choices to reach the top. There’s a lift at the bottom of this hill and a funicular just down the street. The funicular fare is included with the day transport pass and the lift fare is €1.30

Zagreb - City of Museums

Church of St. Mark’s Zagreb is a city of museums. The Museum of Broken Relationships tops the list of the most intriguing place to visit in the capital city of Croatia. And I must say that I had some of my best meals in Europe in Zagreb. Here are some highlights from my recent visit.  The 13th century Church of St. Mark’s bears the coat of arms of Zagreb (3 towers) and the medieval emblem of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia. This colorful tiled roof was constructed in 1880. Ban Josip Jelačić Count Josip Jelačić was Croatias’s ban (governor) from 1848 and 1859. He was the military leader of Croatia under the Habsburg Empire and during the Hungarian revolution (1848-1849).  Jelačić Square This is a busy square leading to the main shopping street of the city. There are lots of outdoor cafés here and the funicular to the old town or if you prefer, the stairs to St. Mark’s Church and the Museum of Broken Relationships are close by. The high reliefs of this building caught my eye. I wonder if

Lake Bled - I feel Slovenia

According to legend, Lake Bled was created by fairies. Bled Island was the setting for their joyous dancing on starry nights. No wonder this place is magical.  Bled Island I walked along the south shore of the lake from the pletna boat station near the Grand Hotel following the trail that’s parallel to the Cesta Svobode road. I passed some beautiful mansions, an abandoned house and a tunnel on the way and stopped at a lookout point where I had a good view of Bled Island. Forgetting to bring a hat was a huge faux pas as the sun was so unforgiving. It was an easier walk back to the center of Bled with the sun behind me. I did bring bottled water and that was clearly a bright idea. Pletna Boats These colorful boats take passengers to Bled Island for 12 euros. There is a scheduled hourly departure. It doesn’t include the entry fee to the Church of the Mother of God and the Clock Tower. Bled Castle and the neo Gothic Church of St. Martin Notice the turquoise blue waters of the lake and ho

Ljubljana, the City of Dragons

Triple Bridge Ljubljana is a compact city and easy to navigate. Start with a free walking tour from Prešernov trg Square to learn more about the history of the country and the significance of their landmarks. Then take the funicular to Ljubljana Castle for a panoramic view of the city. End the day at a terrace café by the river and order some of the fine Slovenian wines.  At Triple Bridge (above) with Prešernov trg Square and the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation in the background. Jože Plečnik is the architect of this famous bridge. Dragon’s Bridge One of four large dragons guarding Dragon’s Bridge. Slovenia’s mythological history is entwined with Greek mythology and the story of Jason and the Argonauts. Butcher’s Bridge Butcher’s Bridge is also the love bridge. Notice the thousands of love locks rusting away with age. I hope the same is not true of the love shared by owners of the padlocks. In the background is Jože  Plečnik’s covered market. Terrace cafés by Ljubljanica River Ca