I love Harry Potter. I’ve been a huge fan since childhood, have seen all the movies in theatres (which at this stage is admitting how old I am), and a nice collection of Harry Potter plushies. I even once hosted a Harry Potter-themed Christmas.

But you don’t need me to tell you how much Harry Potter means to millions of people around the globe. I don’t need to convince you to visit London’s Harry Potter Studio Tour. You’re already planning a trip there and screaming “take my money!” to see props, costumes, and behind-the-scenes looks at eight movies that helped … Continue reading

There are a lot of easy day trips from Split to take, even if you don’t have a car. Split’s an excellent city in its own right, but it’s also a great place to base yourself to explore northern Dalmatia. Though I didn’t get to visit all the amazing places around Split, here are six places I did visit and what I thought of them.

Hvar

When I was researching where to visit in Croatia, Hvar was a name that came up repeatedly. I have to admit that I didn’t see much appeal in visiting Hvar since I’m more of … Continue reading

On my way from Split to Zadar, I opted to make a few stops at different towns to see the most of Croatia. One town I’d heard good things about was Sibenik, a little bayside town with a lot of charm. It’s a bit of a hidden gem but easily accessible, so I stopped in little Sibenik for a few hours. It was incredibly gorgeous and one of my favourite stops in Croatia.

The History of Sibenik

Sibenik (chi-ben-ick) has an unusual history for Croatia since it was founded by the Croats. It’s first mentioned in 1066 and was made … Continue reading

Admittedly, I sometimes like visiting countries for the sake of it, and I opted to take a day trip down to Montenegro (Kotor and Perast) when I was in Dubrovnik. It was beyond my expectations and so worth a trip. Kotor actually ended up being one of the highlights of my vacation and both places are on my list of favorite towns in Europe!

So without further adieu, here’s a wrap-up of Perast and Kotor in Montenegro.

Perast, Montenegro

A little bit of history: Perast’s most notable history is a lot more recent than some surrounding areas. It became … Continue reading

I have to be honest: Madrid was not at the top of my bucket list. Even though the museums were a huge draw to the city, I felt I wouldn’t like it as Madrid’s a lot “newer” than other cities. But in the wake of the pandemic, I found a cheap flight and decided to take the trip. Now Madrid’s actually one of my favourite cities!

A Brief History of Madrid

Madrid started as an Islamic city in the 9th century, though it of course fell under Christian rule. It remained a relatively sleepy town until 1561, when King Philip … Continue reading

Ljubljana is one of Europe’s smallest capitals but a gem of a fairytale city. During my trip to Croatia, I was eager to see more and decided on a day trip to Slovenia. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time, but I have a different take on the city: it deserves more than a day. A lot of people say it’s so small, you can see it in a day, there’s not a lot to do there, etc. A day is “enough” but I wish I’d stayed longer. Read on to learn why.

Ljubljana’s History

Ljubljana dates … Continue reading

Even though it’s on Croatia’s coast, the city of Zadar is sometimes overlooked for other cities like Split and Dubrovnik. However it was actually one of my favourite places on the Adriatic Sea. This city is so filled with relics of its centuries-old past and lively present.

The History of Zadar

Zadar is said to be the oldest settlement in Croatia, dating back to the 9th century BCE. It turned from a Roman establishment to a medieval Croatian town and was actually sold to the Venetian Empire in 1409. Since the Venetians came in and redid a lot of the … Continue reading

Dubrovnik is Croatia’s most visited city, largely because of its filming locations for Game of Thrones. But beyond that, the city is absolutely beautiful and a unique, well-preserved part of Dalmatia’s history. I absolutely had to visit this gem and see Croatia’s hottest destination for myself, and it was amazing.

(Note that I’m not a Game of Thrones fan so I didn’t do anything from that fandom.)

The History of Dubrovnik

What makes Dubrovnik so special in its history is that it was actually its own Republic for hundreds of years. Only relatively recently did it become a part … Continue reading

On a trip to Andalusia, I had to visit Spain’s oldest city: Cadiz. I was super excited because I love old cities and this was really the old city. This beautiful seaside area has a history that spans thousands of years and is still magnificent to visit today.

The History of Cadiz

According to some sources, Cadiz is the oldest city in Europe, dating back about 3000-3500 years or so. It’s actually said to be the island of Erytheia in Greek mythology,

“Towards Spain [in the Atlantic Ocean], at about 100 paces distance, is another long island, three miles wide,

Despite being Croatia’s capital, Zagreb is often overlooked as a tourist destination. Many people visit Croatia’s beautiful coastline but don’t go inland to see what the rest of Croatia is about. I was a bit different – I was actually excited most for Zagreb because I’m a fan of medieval cities. Though Zagreb wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, it was still one of my favourite places to be in Croatia and it’s a very worthy travel destination.

Zagreb’s History

Zagreb’s history dates back to Roman times and is interesting because it was actually a few different towns that merged … Continue reading