Spring is here – Festival of the Iris in Brussels

Two days of free concerts, activities, clowns, magicians, costumed performers, and buzz in Brussels center is happening this weekend. The Festival of the Iris/Iris Day (Fête de l’Iris) is a celebration of the symbol of Brussels. On January 12, 1989 a new law created the Brussels Capital Region on the territory […]

European desire for closeness – Living in Brussels

Living as a Canadian expat in Brussels, there are a lot of cultural and social rules that one needs to learn and adjust too. One social quirk that I just cannot get accustomed to is the Europeans’ desire to be close to other people. In Canada, or at least in […]

Special Saturday Guest Post on Bucharest, Romania

Yesterday I guest posted at Lesley Carter’s blog “Bucket List Publications: Indulge – Travel, Adventure & New Experience” about one of my favorite cities: Bucharest, Romania. Bucharest is the most lush, sweet and pleasing-to-the-eye city I’ve visited and the best part is that nobody “knows” about it. What I mean is […]

Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic – A mountain city for rest and relaxation

Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad in English, but I like the Czech name better), is famous for its hot springs, with a dozen main springs, about 300 smaller springs and its warm Teplá River, which runs through the center of the city. Karlovy Vary, which translated means “Charles’ Bath” was named after […]

Alicante, Spain: A city full of perks and quirks

When it starts to feel like winter will never end and I pass people on the sidewalks wearing heavy coats, toques (in non-Canadian English, this means fuzzy warm hats) and boots, I start to wish for a little escape. Oh how I would like to vacate the grey skies of […]