The iconic Scheveningen pier appears to have finally left behind its most troubled years. After costly renovations, fires and several years of decay, it eventually went bankrupt and was closed for a few years. In 2014, a new owner was found and Holland’s only pier got another chance. It reopened a year after and has been subject to ongoing improvements. My mum was very keen on visiting the Scheveningen pier, thanks to the most notable change: the addition of a ferris weel in 2016. We decided it was about time we took a day trip to the seaside to check out the new and improved pier.
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Review: Saal Digital wall decor
Ever since moving here a couple of months ago, I’ve had plenty of time to get settled into my new home. It’s about time I added some finishing touches. I love having my favourite travel photos on the walls. That way, they form a daily reminder of my best moments on the road. The only thing that was still missing, was one of my panoramic photos. Thankfully, I was able to do another test for Saal Digital. Just like when I tested their photo book, I received a discount in exchange for an honest review. There is only so much that can be said about this, so I suppose I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
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5 reasons why you should visit San Marino
Small countries fascinate me. That was my main reason for adding a visit to San Marino to this summer’s road trip plans. I wasn’t sure what I’d find. I’m not even sure what I expected of the country that proudly calls itself the oldest republic in the world. In the two days I spent there, I didn’t really find out what sets it apart from the country it’s surrounded by. Nor did I find out how a country with less inhabitants than the city I live in manages to have a successful economy. What I did find out, is why it’s one of the most charming places I’ve ever visited and why everyone who is travelling to Italy should consider taking a small detour. These are my 5 reasons why you should visit San Marino.
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Travel Journal: Two days in Rome
As it turns out, big cities aren’t exactly ideal road trip destinations. During my tour of Italy, this became particularly clear in the capital city. Despite that, I only needed two days in Rome to fall in love with this city. I can’t wait to return for a more extensive visit of Rome and the smallest country in the world: Vatican City.
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Travel-inspired recipe: Portuguese black-eyed beans and tuna salad
One of my favourite things about travelling is getting to know the local cuisine. I take pictures of nearly everything I eat abroad. I often try to replicate one or two dishes from a trip. Travelling has provided me with many great recipes of dishes that take me straight back to the place where I tried them for the first time.
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How to take panoramic photos with your DSLR
Whenever I’m taking a panoramic picture with my DSLR, there is always someone who laughs and asks, “why don’t you just use your phone for that?” The answer is very simple. Although the process is a little more complicated and time consuming, the result is always worth it. The quality of the panoramic pictures I take with my camera is far better than of those taken with my mobile phone. For most people, the photo quality of a mobile phone is sufficient. However, I think it’s worth the effort to take panoramic photos with your DSLR. Many people don’t know how this is done. Hopefully this guide will help.
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Where to next?
As some of you might know, I do not aspire to become a full time traveller. That said, the traveller in me does get a little antsy when there is no trip at all to look forward to. That might be why – less than three weeks after returning from Italy – I booked a new trip.
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Travel Journal: The worst day of my Italian road trip
Travelling is hardly ever a continuous series of perfect, carefree days. Every trip is bound to have a bad day. The worst day – technically it was the worst night – of my recent trip to Italy started when my friend and I arrived in a coastal village in the vicinity of Rome.
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The truth about Cinque Terre: What you need to know before you go
During my recent road trip through Italy, I visited the famous coastal towns of Cinque Terre. I instantly fell in love with them. There is an abundance of information out there on visiting this area, but I feel like a lot of what I’ve read is incorrect or outdated. The trip was quite a bit different than I’d imagined it to be. Despite the multitude of blogs that have already been written on this topic, I felt like the internet could do with an honest and updated post about visiting Cinque Terre.
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Travel journal: Life on the road
‘Turn left here.’
I take a look at the road Dom’s pointing at.
‘Are you sure?’ I ask him. The road doesn’t look very inviting, but he’s sure it’s the correct one, so I turn left. We’ve been on the road for nearly 16 hours and all I want is to find a place to sleep as soon as possible. My car is protesting quite heavily and threatens to stall a few times as it fights to climb the incredibly steep and narrow road, at the end of which is the most picturesque agriturismo I have ever seen.
Earlier in the day we’ve taken a detour over the St Gotthard pass to avoid the long traffic jam at the tunnel. At the top of the pass we discussed our plans for the day and decided that if we wanted to make it to the Italian coast on the first day of our trip, we’d have to find a hotel instead of a campsite. So here we are. Unfortunately the challenging trip up the mountain road has been in vain. The agriturismo is fully booked.
After an equally challenging trip back down, we try another hotel, which turns out to be so busy I can’t even park the car. Dom attempts to ring another hotel, but after repeating “Pronto?” four or five times without understanding our replies, they hang up on us. A quick check online doesn’t leave us with many options, so we decide to revert to our initial plan. Let’s just find a campsite before the sun sets. Thankfully, the first one we try has plenty of free spots. It’s a small campsite right next to the motorway, but it’s 9 o’clock and we’re losing the light, so it’ll do for now.