Films set in the European Union

In this article, you find film recommendations that allow you to travel to all 27 European Union states from the comfort of your armchair. From silly to classic drama to modern-day hits, all films offer a unique perspective. All stories provide insights into the complexities and experiences of life in each EU country. These films explain socio-political dynamics, society, history, and cultural dynamics while being set on location.

Bookshops recommend the best novels to transport you to their hometowns

Sitting in a bar by this swimming pool. Sipping espresso. Looking into the far distance. There is loud music playing. This is heaven for all the ones who only like music when played loud. The sky is of a bright big blue, the day is almost too hot. Right next to me sits what seems to be a large family. An elderly woman, most likely in her eighties, she is tiny and wrinkly. There are a few who could be her children, and these also brought their children along to the gathering. One of the younger couples has a baby, wearing a onesie with round ears. They take family photos. Making memories. They do it in every line-up and arrangement possible. The young dad wears a t-shirt and cap that tells everybody how much he loves Miami. I never meet the grandpa and I probably never will. (Vinales, Cuba). 

Travel Greece. Day Trips to UNESCO World Heritage Sites near Athens

Greece in south-eastern Europe is a country with thousands of islands in the Mediterranean. There are innumerable ancient sites, all of which are silent and strong eyewitnesses of history and legendary myths. Have you visited Athens? If not, plan to go. Athens is not only the capital of the country but also the historical capital of Europe. It combines everything captivating about capital cities, plus the charm that only a town on the Mediterranean Sea offers. A variety of museums, engaging nightlife, vivid street art, a slow lifestyle, sunshine aplenty, wholesome food, beguiling history and ancient ruins.

Travel and Feel the Vibe. Street Art explains places

Imagine a life full of blue or red balloons, dogs that wear golden crowns, flying hearts, little black men in street signs, sunglasses-wearing elephants, cheeky video game characters, cherubs who carry devil horns... When travelling to a location, one wants to see the hotspots – the Tour Eiffel in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, the Tower of London, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the list goes on. But what about all the street art that is out there? Some call it vandalism. Vandalism according to the Oxford dictionary is: Action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. When I travel I hunt for street art and I see it as art. Next time when you see street art as vandalism, think again. Please, it tells you so much about a place. 

How Can Tourists Act Water-Sensitive During a Drought and Water Crisis?

When you talk to people about their reasons to visit places, a big one is the weather. The endless summer, the warm days, the big blue sky and the brightest sunshine one can imagine. These are the perfect conditions for a summer vacation for tourists who wish to get away from the grey and miserable weather at home.

Let us say for example Cape Town, a place in a water-scarce region, and when we visit, we should remind ourselves that we are vacationing in such one. It is hard for people living in countries with sayings like “Oh, it is summer, the rain is warmer,” and where people look like they had just been lying in a river when they get back from grocery shopping on a rainy day.

Travel: Fact-checking populist tales - This is the truth and nothing else

Squirrel in South Africa

Is the world safe, is Europe in trouble, is Europe on the brink of collapse? These are probably the questions everybody asks right now or has been pondering about for a while. I saw a clip of a local newspaper where a fellow Berliner in his 70s stated that he is so upset because security measurements on Munich Christmas markets are so much better than the ones in Berlin. This guy obviously never travels, or at least he hasn’t been to Munich’s Christmas markets recently. I visited many of them this year and also a few in Berlin, there is no difference in security whatsoever, at least for the untrained eye, I mean I’m no double agent, no idea what goes on behind the scenes. It is all pretty much the same. I wonder where people take these statements from. Who puts these ideas in their heads? Why do they spread information about things they haven’t even experienced themselves? I have to admit, chances are that guy is in the know because he is a double agent.

Travelling is so exciting. The people, the food, the passion, the fun. Nothing is ever only black and white. It pays off to talk to locals and try to understand their point of view, try to understand their way of life, and with understanding them comes empathy. This year I visited South Africa, the Czech Republic, Greece, France, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Hungary, UK and Denmark. I will tell you about the experiences I had this year on my travels. Wherever I go I ask people about the situation in their country, how they feel about it, and about their opinion about populism and the rise of right-wing parties. I do things like this a lot and people usually don't mind to have a chat.

Follow me around, to learn where I felt threatened and unsafe.

A travel guide to Lindos: smell, feel, sleep, see, touch and take

Updated June 2025

At night you can almost touch the stars over Lindos. Warm summer nights and the scent of jasmine. I first heard about Greece at the age of five or six. The moment I laid eyes on the book “My donkey Benjamin,” a story about a little girl that finds a baby donkey in Lindos on Rhodes. I started to call all donkeys by that exact name and imagined Greece to be one of these magical far-flung places.

 

Lindos - Where to eat on the island of Rhodes

Updated June 2025

Do you love food? Do you relish the benefit of service and authenticity? Do you fancy eating in gorgeously decorated surroundings? These places are for you.

 

Athens Street Art - Part 5

So much street art in Athens, unbelievable, I had to come up with another follow up article of Travel Greece. Street Art in Athens. Artists like to Tag without Hash. Street At Athens - Part 2. Street At Athens - Part 3. Street Art Athens - Part 4.

Travel Greece. Street Art in Athens. Part 4

Really there is so much magnificent street art in Athens that I had to come up with another follow up article of Travel Greece. Street Art in Athens. Artists like to Tag without Hash. 

Travel Greece. Street Art in Athens. Part 3

What can I say; there is so much street art in Athens that I had to come up with another follow up article of Travel Greece. Street Art in Athens. Artists like to Tag without Hash. 

Travel Greece. Street Art in Athens. Part 2

It is simple; there is so much street art in Athens that I had to come up with this follow up article of Travel Greece. Street Art in Athens. Artists like to Tag without Hash. 

Travel Greece. Street Art in Athens. Artists like to Tag without Hash

There are roughly 100 museums in Athens, reason enough to visit, right? Tourists usually visit Athens to eat, and to learn about ancient history but the recent history is in fact just as fascinating. The Greeks are obviously upset about what is going on in their country; they are disappointed in their politicians who (they feel) let them down.

In Ancient Times People "Wired" Money

Travel Greece: Guided food tour - culinary safari through Athens

Updated: August 2023. Reading time: ten minutes.

This article is about a food tour in Athens that tells about the history and culture of Greek food through the eyes of an Athenian. Find scented trees, try middle eastern honey pies, find out what Greeks eat for breakfast, learn about the importance of cheese, olives, and Mastiha, and spoon sweets while wandering the streets of Athens, visiting small independent shops, markets, and cafés.

One summer years and years ago as I stepped out of a plane and into the sunshine on a Greek Island, I decided that Greece is a seriously beautiful place, and whenever I am back in the country, I see I am right. People often ask what my very favourite cuisine is. Next to the great taste of food, I am equally fascinated by its history. Food connects people from all over the world, no matter their background. Who would have thought that there are so many details I didn’t know about Greek food and Greek traditions? Today there are dishes that are still as firmly anchored in the Greek diet as they were thousands of years ago. Centuries ago, Greeks cooked with grain products, vegetables, fruits, and olives. The Persians later added yogurt, rice, nuts, honey, and sesame seeds. Arabs spiced things up with for example cumin, cinnamon, and cloves. The Greeks then started enthusiastically using potatoes and tomatoes in their cooking when these food staples were first brought from the Americas.

 

Why dressing like a local doesn’t make sense

You know there are lots of people who believe to be the best thing since sliced bread, smarter than Albert Einstein, better dressed than James Bond or I don’t know what else they think of themselves. Just throw all of this overboard, the most important thing is to feel comfortable with who you are, I know it sounds too easy, and it is true. 

I didn't dress like this local in Cambodia but we had a friendly chat

There is big advice everywhere where others tell you what best to wear, when and how to wear it and it doesn’t make any sense to me at all. There are people who truly believe it might be the very best to wear a cork hat when in Australia but that is their opinion. There might be others who tell you it might be awesome to wear a money belt, yes, let them do it. And there are the ones who tell you to best wear trainers on city trips, but no, no, no, ... How can someone else know what is best for me or you?

How to dress when travelling

Trust me, packing clothes for vacation really depends on

Travel and Eat: The taste of travel

My twitter friends Ever Thought of Trying asked me to share my very own menu selection. Thanks so much for your interest and the nomination for the #tasteoftravel challenge. A lovely part of my life is to eat at restaurants, at least 2 to 3 times a week. As it out of a sudden occurred to me, I hardly have any pics of food, and here is the thing; just imagine you are a chef at a restaurant and you work a long time to get the dish as fantastic as you would like it to be. The end result, as in the food that ends up on our plate, is all about the right ingredients and preparation and composition, as well as it is about the presentation, the selection of the china, and they probably even think of the right cutlery and whatever else there is to think about.

Than the day arrives when we come in and order this dish, it gets served, the lighting at the restaurant is intimate, all is set in a romantic and welcoming way, and bang what do we do instead of starting to eat and acknowledging the beautiful creation in front of us? We start taking pics, and in most cases we do that poorly. Come on, we all have seen it, people share everything on social media, blurry pics of cafes, restaurants and of food (sometimes even of half eaten portions). How do you feel when someone takes a very inappropriate pic of you or your work? Just saying …

Back to the challenge. I have the best memories of last year and eating at organic restaurant The Plant Café in San Francisco, USA, the vegan Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre in West Hollywood, USA, The Test Kitchen in Cape Town, South Africa, and the Catalonian restaurant 7 Portes in Barcelona. Oh well, I shall not forget my Berlin favourite where I go to as often as I can, Wintergarten im Literaturhaus. Did I mention that last week I had lunch at The Pot Luck Club in Cape Town, South Africa? I had many more outstanding foodie experiences, and believe it or not, I never took a pic of what I ate. Still, I managed to find a few images on my phone of the food I love to eat.

As a starter I would like to go for Dolmades = Stuffed vine leaves with rice and herbs, Melitzana Salata = Aubergine salad, Tzatziki = Yogurt dip with garlic, cucumbers and olive oil with crusty bread and a Frape = Iced coffee from Greece.

As a main I would like to go for grilled vegetables, halloumi cheese and balsamic glaze from Greece.

For dessert I would like to go for syrup coated Koeksisters from South Africa.

I would love to nominate the following three for the #tasteoftravel challenge, because I well know they all love to eat.

1. The one and only Franca and Dale from Anglo Italian follow us (I promised, but still haven’t managed to invite them over for dinner).

2. The ever so entertaining Sam and Zeb from Indefinite Adventure (I hope they are going to come over to my place for dinner soon).

3. The truly magnificent Pola from Jetting Around (I had dinner with her in December at Lutter & Wegner Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin).

Is it OK to take pics at restaurants? Do you ask for permission before you take a picture of your food? What do you think? Can’t wait to hear from you.

From Berlin with love