Liège // The city that never sleeps

It must have been the beginning of December last year, when we decided to take a quick trip away with just the five of us (four girlfriends and one brave male friend who is able to outface our gigantic dose of girlpower), before the Holidays to sneak out of Ghent and bond once again over some hot chocolate milk and pancakes. Since our budget was small (thank you Christmas gifts) and we didn’t have that many vacation days left (thank you roadtrip through Canada), it couldn’t be too far away or too expensive. Furthermore, we needed to make the decision of where, what and when to stay fast, because what kind of hotels, hostels or B&Bs are left when you’re last-minute decision makers? One round of voting and many discussions later, destiny decided we wanted to go to Liège, and lucky for us, Smartflats had one beautiful apartment left for us, right in the city center, near Le Palais and Belgium’s biggest Christmas market. 

USA // Death Valley: throwback to the hottest place on earth

I can’t get tired of the pictures I made at the US road trip I did this year. One of the most amazing, out-of-this-world and boiling hot places I visited this Summer was Death Valley. I’ve never seen anything like and I’ve never felt more like melting at the same time. For those who don’t know Death Valley, it’s the hottest place in North-America and is located in California, not far away from the Nevada boarder.

Belgium // Discovering Liedermeerspark in Ghent

I’ve been in love with Ghent for many years now. It’s by far my most favorite city in Belgium. The medieval feel and history of the city in combination with the many green parks make it so appealing for tourists. And especially those parks are a bonus for runners like me. The Zuidpark, Citadelpark, Blaarmeersen and Bourgoyen are well-known and during Sping and Summer, it’s almost impossible to hike or run there at ease. Lately, I’ve discovered a park just outside of the city boarder: Liedermeerspark. So I took my running shoes for a spin to figure out  what this park is all about.

USA // Breathtaking Grand Canyon National Park

Last summer I finally fulfilled a lifelong dream: travelling the West Coast of the USA. One month. One car. Eight people. More than 3000 km. Just following the road. One of the main attractions during the massive road trip of 2016 and one we were already looking forward to for months, was Grand Canyon National Park. Breathtaking is the only word that pops into mind when thinking about this park. It’s such an amazing place and it’s like looking at a postcard, no matter what side you’re standing.

Berlin // Wir gehen nach Berlin baby!

Everyone who knows me, can confirm ‘citytripping’ is my middle name. Since the start of my grown-up life, I’ve visited a whole lot of places and visiting capitals is one of my favorite things to do. I love culture, art, architecture, good food and new places to run. It’s a tradition I’ve been trying to keep up with every year: new season, traveling to a new destination on my bucket list for a few days. And so it began: earlier this month I took a plane to never disappointing, covered in autumn leafs city of Berlin!

Belgium // Autumn in the Ardennes

Fall is by far my favorite season. Not only do I celebrate my birthday during the most colorful time of the real, I’m one of the biggest Halloween fans and love to dress up every year, and it is the ultimate season to go out, discover new places (often those just around the corner) and enjoy the amazing color palette. Because Mother Nature is showing off, for sure. I can be intensely happy with some sunshine on my face, stroll through the fallen leaves (and kicking them high up in the air) and the orange, red, brown colors surrounding me, all bundled up in a cozy knitted scarf and hat, blushing cheeks because of the chilly wind. In love with fall? Moi?

Madrid // Putting on those running shoes

Running is my passion. It doesn’t matter where I am, what the weather is like, or what I’m doing. I always make time for my desperately needed run. Even when I’m travelling, my running shoes always have a place in my backpack (and all the other running gear, which takes up about quarter of the backpack ). So it was about time to talk about my running addiction in a blogpost, wasn’t it?

Tele travelling

It’s mid-October, which means we’re right in between the summer vacations and Christmas holidays. Autumn kicked in really hard last week, so amounts and amounts of rain and chilly days and evenings are treating us with weather that resembles winter just a tad too much. Since I don’t have a fairy godmother and still need my job to pay the bills, travelling is off the agenda at the moment. But that doesn’t mean we can’t go someplace, now can we?

Madrid // Staying at OK Hostel

I’ve already been to Madrid several times in the past and the city never ceases to amaze me. During my stays, I’ve been treated with the nicest hostels (because backpacking often includes living and travelling on a budget) and have been lucky to stay at Toc Hostel Madrid, right in the heart of El Sol and the more luxurious Praktik Metropol. Yet, this time, I was looking for something new, located in the heart of Lavapiés and La Latina, close to vintage shops, mercados, a more authentic part of the Spanish capitacl and El Rastro. And after browsing many websites and blogs, I finally stumbled upon the website of OK Hostel Madrid.

Belgium // Take me to Hasselt please!

Summer is sadly coming to an end – not taking the indian summer we are experiencing into account- and that’s the perfect opportunity to make the most out of those sunny days. Since all of our money went into a roadtrip on the South-West coast of the US, a citytrip in Belgium seemed like the perfect plan!