Category — Europe

Berlin is one of those cities that has something for everyone—it can be equally exhilarating whether you’re a sophisticated museum-goer, history buff, laid-back yuppie, family unit, or young partier.

I would have loved Berlin in my younger days, but the older, wiser me is happy that I got to experience and enjoy it without a single hangover. (Full disclosure: since I was 6 months pregnant during my visit, a hangover was not in the cards anyway. But I like to think that regardless, I would have behaved with more moderation than some of the 20-somethings I saw on the U-Bahn still drinking at 8 AM from the previous night.)

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I would love to tell you about all of the best restaurants in London, but London, of course, is enormous! It’s also expensive. So I will just have to tell you about my personal favorites. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s what works for me. In no particular order, here is what I like to eat…

Tea and toast at Paul Rothe & Son is a treat – and one of the cheaper things on this list. This generations-old shop in Marylebone is the perfect way to start a very English morning. Their white toast slathered with hunks of creamery butter and homemade jam go perfectly with a big cuppa.

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People ask me for travel advice all the time, and sometimes I just don’t get around to blogging about it in advance. Here’s your chance to ask me anything about anywhere! If I have any good intel–I’ll gladly share it with you.

The question: “This summer, I’m going to Italy- biking from Rome to Venice, through Tuscany, with lots of stops in between. What are your favorite things to see, eat, and do there?”

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One early morning in London I happened to walk up Middlesex Street, when I came across a bunch of letters painted on the closed up shops. It was such a nice surprise on a dreary day. I looked into it and learned it was the handiwork of street artist Ben Eine….

You know, Ben Eine. I’ll spell it out for you:

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People ask me for travel advice all the time, and sometimes I just don’t get around to blogging about it in advance. Here’s your chance to ask me anything about anywhere! If I have any good intel–I’ll gladly share it with you. This is the question that inspired the start of this new regular feature!

The Question: “Me, my wife, and my 2-year-old son are going to Europe for the month of May.  We fly into Berlin at the start of the month and we fly out of Rome at the end.  We will definitely make our way to Paris in between, but that’s all we have.  I’ve only been to London, Amsterdam and few cities in Spain, so I am completely overwhelmed with the many choices of where else we could go. So, I’m wondering if you know of any easy-to-get-to great locales in between Berlin, Paris and Rome. Also, any train advice you have would be helpful.  I know that flying between the cities would be cheapest, but I’m trying to avoid flying and airports as much as possible.

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You might have noticed by now that I love meat. Steak, especially! I also have an incredibly detailed memory for all of the food I have ever eaten in my life. So if you are wondering about my very favorite steaks, look no further. Here is a handy list of some of the best steaks and related steak-like items I have found in my time and travels thus far.

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Palermo, Sicily is a city of contrasts. It’s the fifth largest metropolis in Italy, with over a million people in the metro area. It’s also a very old city–almost 3,000 years of continuous existence. Most people think of the mafia when they hear “Palermo”–but the city is textured and interesting far beyond the Cosa Nostra connection.

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My friend Garrick leads a life that in many ways is similar to my own life. He is fabulous, in fact even more fabulous than me, and he knows how to live, eat, and travel in a way that allows one to maximize hedonism while fiercely appreciating the situation. He and his lovely wife Amy returned from what sounded like a bang-up trip to London, Spain, and Morocco and were kind enough to distill their months of research and planning and experience into one sweet little hotel guide for me! So if you find yourself going Iberian in the near future… by all means, you WANT to listen to these people. Trust me on that one! They have not yet led me astray. And, you will notice that in some cities they even tried out a couple of different places.

So consider this a guest post… Garrick, take it away!

GRANADA – Palacio del Patos
This is the place Amy said was way too cool for her.  It is probably the most stylish room I’ve ever stayed in.  In true TabletHotel fashion, style trumped substance, but what a fun place to stay!

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