It’s one of the gateways to the one which is nicknamed the Quartier latin of Amsterdam, the cosmopolitan De Pijp district. For a long time, it was the place to stay of the workers and the migrants. It’s now the land of the bohos, one of the landmarks of the artists, the students, and the homosexual community. De Pijp is…
Category: DESTINATIONS
The chimney-cake: kürtőskalács or trdelník
Winter is the best season to taste this typical Central European pastry. A lot of ephemeral food stands will sell you these cakes in the streets of Czech or Hungarian cities. You can warm up near the wood-fire, above which they are slowly glazed, you can divide them and share them with friends. And if you don’t know any better,…
The Wilson Opera hotel, Paris
It was my refuge when Paris knew some terrible days at the beginning of this year. The Wilson Opera is a little three-stars hotel, so discreet that we could keep the address secret. Its name could make you think that it is located on the Grands Boulevards, but you’ll find it in the little Stockholm street instead, at a stone’s…
The tram line No. 2 of Budapest
The tramway network of Budapest is one of the most important in the world: 155 kilometers of tramway routes! The tram line No. 2 stretches along the Danube and winds between the buildings that made Budapest famous. On the Pest side, be lazy and let yourself be let – the tram No. 2 will allow you to enjoy the finest…
Eurotrip in Central Europe, day 4: a day in Bratislava
Bratislava is astonishing. If you expect a capital, you’ll be disappointed, if you expect an open-air museum of communism, you’ll be disappointed, if you just expect a Baroque town, you’ll be disappointed. Bratislava is a little bit of the three, and much more. Vienna and Bratislava are the two closest capitals in the world (65 kilometers as the crow files).…
The Sachertorte: a sweet story about a Viennese legend
« Don’t make me feel ashamed, it’s the only thing I ask you… ». The story of the most emblematic Viennese pastry begins with these words. And it’s often the same story. Exactly like the Madeleine of Commercy in France or the Trdelník of Skalika in Slovakia: one day, an earl, a duke or a prince orders to his pâtissier a special…
The Berlin Wall in 10 numbers
For the 28 years it stood, it was an open wound between the two Germanies, the two Berlins. Today, the German capital commemorates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and organizes a lot of events to celebrate this decisive episode of the recent European history. Five years ago, in 2009, I followed the official ceremonies which gathered together…
Eurotrip in Central Europe, day 3: eclectic Vienna
It’s already my last day in the Austrian capital. Bye, Sisi: from the Baroque to the Vienna Secession, it’s time to explore this part of the local History. The MuseumsQuartier The sky is low this August 19th, 2014 and a few raindrops escape from it. The Secession building is a twenty-minute walk away from my hotel. I go through the…
Impressions: the Café Central, a Viennese institution
I said so: Vienna has more than a thousand coffeehouses. But this one is like no other. The Café Central is a living museum, a swarming institution that makes us familiar with an old way of life. « To understand this, we must understand that the Viennese coffeehouses are an institution with no equivalent anywhere else in the world. It is actually…
Eurotrip in Central Europe, day 2 : Vienna, a Sisi marathon
A Sisirathon. The Sisirathon is my Viennese marathon entirely devoted to Sisi – Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (1854 – 1898). It was the program of my second day in the Austrian capital. It is possible to visit the two main palaces of Vienna, the Hofburg and Schönbruun in just one day. You just have to like trekking…
