Souvenirs from Sicily: Easy Pasta alla Norma

Souvenirs from Sicily: Easy Pasta alla Norma

Here is my version of an easy pasta alla Norma that you can cook in under 30 minutes.  My way to make my Sicily holiday last longer.  Or put it on repeat a couple days a week! A real  Sicilian classic Pasta alla Norma is 

Holiday’s 15 Stylish gifts for Travellers

Holiday’s 15 Stylish gifts for Travellers

Every morning when I drive to work, I hear them now, adverts for Black Friday, mixed in with the first Christmassly chimes. It’s time for my gifts for travellers post! My mother decided to spend Christmas  in Spain and is heading off, which gets me 

Buying quality sustainable gifts in 2020

Buying quality sustainable gifts in 2020

With the holidays coming closer, and Germany going into another lockdown for the month of November, gift shopping has suddenly become a pleasant pastime here. Never have I thought about gifts this early. But quality sustainable gifts aren’t just restricted to the holidays. Normally, when 

Is Filicudi the hottest Sicilian Island?

Is Filicudi the hottest Sicilian Island?

Looks like we  just visited a real  a hotspot, with Filicudi the hottest Sicilian Island or at least a contender,  travel restrictions and all. This year, we were happy to realise just the one holiday, a week in Sicily. A few days after returning from 

How I made my own wedding dress  (and did not turn it into a disaster)

How I made my own wedding dress (and did not turn it into a disaster)

As I skipped through my Forties, little hope did I have to marry at some point in my life.  That I made my own wedding dress is an added bonus, really. Well… “It always comes as a surprise” is a rather fitting tune from the 

Shopping in Sicily

Shopping in Sicily

My Shopping in Sicily post will be relatively short.  But it’s not to say there aren’t many wonderful things you can bring home from Sicily. Despite the dreaded virus, I finally managed a weeks holiday this year! We went to Sicily. And, as usually, I 

Travel in Sicily in times of coronavirus – my socially distant summer holiday

Travel in Sicily in times of coronavirus – my socially distant summer holiday

When the main holiday season, here from the beginning of the school holiday in late June to some time in early September came, we were still at home, watching as our government suddenly offered free (!) COVID tests to all travellers.  Many went abroad for 

Flying in Europe during COVID-19

Flying in Europe during COVID-19

For someone who catches the travel bug easily, I have been travelling only a little this year. Flying in Europe during COVID-19 can’t be fun –  or is it not that big a deal? Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, I did travel a bit, including flying 

Hotel Review: Nomads Hotel Petra, Jordan

Hotel Review: Nomads Hotel Petra, Jordan

This January, when COVID-19 had been heard of but not experienced, I went to Jordan for a week. I was looking for winter sun but got my first snow of the winter. Despite the loess than favourable weather,  I fulfilled a long-held dream by visiting 

Fabric Shopping in Nuremberg, Germany

Fabric Shopping in Nuremberg, Germany

Fabric shopping in Nuremberg – a totally gratuitous post, you may ask? Is she scraping the bottom of the barrel now as she’s stuck at home with all the COVID-19 issues going on, sticking essential travel only (business, a funeral and visiting my in-laws)? Well, 

Hotel Review: Kerme Ottoman Palace Akyaka

Hotel Review: Kerme Ottoman Palace Akyaka

Between the large resorts of Bodrum and Marmaris lies a small village-like resort deep in a protected bay that really is not on the radar of most international tourists: Akyaka. It is yet another “Slow City” on Turkey’s Aegean Coast and a beautiful stop for 

What I learned about face masks

What I learned about face masks

Not a stranger to the surgical  mask, the last six months have been pretty taxing in terms of extreme caution. Throughout this time, I have used medical-grade FFP3, FFP2 and surgical face masks as well as made  homemade masks. From my first feeble attempts of 

Review: Hotel Aeginitiko Archontiko, Aegina: a small hotel with charme and history

Review: Hotel Aeginitiko Archontiko, Aegina: a small hotel with charme and history

Want to soak up the sun and enjoy a city but only got a few days? Go to Aegina, and stay at the Hotel Aeginitiko Archontiko. You could do worse than fly to Athens, take a bus to Piraeus, and be in Aegina and on 

Thank You Japan Airlines! Japan Airlines refunds due to COVID-19

Thank You Japan Airlines! Japan Airlines refunds due to COVID-19

Japan Airlines refunds due to COVID-19 are, in my experience straightforward, fair and don’t take long to process.  I would like  to thank Japan Airlines for their responsible handling of the Coronavirus travel restrictions and flight cancellations. This goes to show that with so many 

Flying during the coronavirus pandemic – what can you expect?

Flying during the coronavirus pandemic – what can you expect?

Is flying during the coronavirus pandemic advisable? And if not, why on earth would I fly anyway? Well, let me tell you. While previous summers  saw me working, tending our garden and enjoying a bit of quiet, this summer kicked me in the guts real