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The next city

Villa Augustus – My Secret Garden (Well, Not So Secret Anymore)

As soon as the first warm rays of sunshine peek through the clouds and the buds dare to bloom, I too emerge, like some sleepy bear stepping out of hibernation. I always say it, loud and clear: I do not like winter. Full stop. But spring? Spring gives me wings. Literally. Like in that famous energy drink ad, but prettier and more poetic.

The sun lures me outside like a mischievous child waving a secret, and I can’t resist. I toss a book into the basket of my bike and start pedaling. I cross the Merwede by ferry, that charming little detour, and lose myself among the narrow streets of Dordrecht, a town that’s been around since 1220 and proudly holds the title of the oldest city in South Holland.
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The next city

24 Hours In Köln

They say that once you visit your first German city, you’ll be hooked and I’m here to confirm: it’s true. One glimpse at the mix of centuries-old architecture, war-era scars, and modern glass-and-steel giants, and your curiosity gets greedy. It wants more. And more. And more.

We started our adventure with a weekend visit to Frechen, a small, sleepy town just 12 kilometers south of Cologne. From there, we took the S-Bahn, Germany’s über-punctual suburban train system, into the heart of the action. The ride? A quick 18 minutes. The entertainment? Unexpectedly fabulous. Our fellow passengers were dressed for Karneval: feathers, glitter, painted faces, and wigs that would make Lady Gaga proud. Cologne’s “Crazy Days” were about to begin, and it was clear we had arrived just in time for the pre-party.
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Atlas

A Winter Escape in The Gambia – Part 3

Let me start with a confession: I don’t do 5 a.m. wake-ups. I’m not one of those sunrise yoga people. I’m more of a “snooze-button Olympics” kind of girl. On a regular weekday, I wrestle myself out of bed at 7:30 a.m., groggy, unenthusiastic, and half-human.

But then came Gambia. Suddenly, I was springing out of bed at 5 a.m. like a caffeinated meerkat. No alarm. No grumbling. Just me, excitement, and the road. Turns out, curiosity and wanderlust are better than coffee. Read more

Atlas

A Winter Escape to The Gambia – Part 2

Once upon a time, say, the 13th century, the land we now call The Gambia was home to Wolof, Fulani, and Malinke tribes. Fast-forward a couple of centuries: Portuguese explorers stumbled upon the Gambia River in 1455 (as explorers tend to do), and by the 1600s, British traders had settled in. Today, Gambia is a cultural patchwork quilt, stitched together with tribes and tongues. Mandinka is the largest (38%, they helped build the Mali Empire), followed by Fula (21%), Wolof (18%), Jola (4.5%), even the (now ex-) president hailed from this tribe. Read more

Atlas

A Winter Escape to The Gambia – Part 1

For years, I had a dream: to welcome the New Year not wrapped in wool and sipping mulled wine, but barefoot in a bikini under the palm trees. There was just one catch, I’m a Christmas-at-home kind of woman. So, that left exactly eight days to jet off somewhere warm during my daughter’s winter break. The rule? It had to be sunny, not too touristy, and no more than six hours away by plane.

Enter: The Gambia. Read more

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Atlas

China – Lost in Translation, Found in Shanghai – Part 5

Shanghai is the glammed-up, cosmopolitan cousin of Beijing, sleeker, shinier, and with enough skyscrapers to give you instant vertigo. It’s a city that sweeps you off your feet whether you like it or not: luxury hotels, a riverside promenade steeped in colonial history, and a skyline that looks like a sci-fi movie set. You don’t visit Shanghai, you surrender to it.

With over 24 million people, Shanghai is the most populous city in the world. For perspective: Romania’s entire population in 2013 was 21.7 million. Shanghai is basically a country in itself. I remember waiting at a crosswalk to cross a street with five lanes in each direction, staring at the human tsunami on the other side, imagining my tiny self being trampled in the urban stampede. Walking in Shanghai feels like playing human pinball and that’s on a good day.
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