Romain Pellerin's Blog - Travels

Things To Do In Budapest

Romain Pellerin — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 23:40:00 +0100

I recently spent a little over 48 hours in Budapest for the first time and I really enjoyed it! Here are my recommendations for a nice weekend in the hungarian capital. It's a mix of what I did and what I wish I had done.

First day

Check out the Citadella and the Statue of Liberty (Szabadság-szobor)
Rudas baths
Go for a run on Margaret Island
Get a drink at Twentysix Budapest Restaurant

Second day

New York café
Visit the St. Stephen's Basilica
Stroll in Zrínyi u. (that's where you'll find the Christmas Market in winter time) and Október 6. u.
Then head over to the Buda side by crossing the Széchenyi Chain Bridge
Buda Castle (free)
The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle (paid entrance)
Fisherman's Bastion and Church of Saint Mary Magdalene (combined ticket)
Head back to the Pest side
Go see the Parliament Building from the outside
Go eat/for a drink in the Gozsdu Court (Gozsdu udvar)

Third day

Heroes' Square
Check out the Lake of the City Park and the Gatehouse Tower (Kaputorony)
Spend most of the day in the Széchenyi Thermal Baths

Greece

Romain Pellerin — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 23:00:00 +0200

I recently spent a little over a week in Greece. Here is what I've learned and seen and would recommend.

Facts about Greece

Water usage

Most buildings in Greece have a hot water tank located on their roof, connected to a solar water heater (like a solar panel). This is how they heat up water and store it. Some buildings also come with electrical heaters to provide hot water at any given time.

Solar panels and a water tank

Speaking of water, locals often said that tap water should not be drinked on the islands. After some googling and trying it myself, it is quite safe to drink, at least on Santorini and Sifnos. It meets EU standard. The taste may feel a little weird as it is desalinated water... but nothing to worry about. I drank plenty and I'm still alive.

Restaurants

Tipping at restaurants is not such a thing but it is usually expected of tourists, probably because of Americans bringing their tipping culture. A lot of POS terminals even offer the annoying buttons to tip 10, 15 or even 20% when paying by card.

Rounding up to the nearest euro is what Greeks do when paying in cash, from what I gathered.

It is also quite common to be served a dessert or digestive at the end of a meal, on the house (for free). It is less common in very touristic areas though.

Pipes

Historically, Greece has had quite narrow pipes connected to their sewers. Narrower than most countries in the world at least. And they clog up easily. To prevent this, Greeks do not throw toilet paper in their toilets. You'll see such signs everywhere. Instead, they throw it in a bin next to the toilet.

In most places, throwing toilet paper in the toilet is forbidden

Driving

They drive quite old cars, especially on the islands. I saw cars that I haven't seen in Germany or France for like 10 years

On top of that, it is not uncommon to see damaged cars either, with parts missing or replaced with another one with a non matching color, or rusty parts.

A car not so new anymore

Although wearing a helmet when driving a scooter is mandatory, I have seen A LOT of people without one. Sometimes both the driver and the passenger. Not just on 50cc, also 125cc. Reckless!

I saw a lot of 30 or 40 km/h speed limits on road signs on the islands... but everyone was driving faster. Also, and that is valid for Athens too: paint on the road seems too expensive (or too useless?) to be maintained. Stop markings, pedestrian crossings: barely visible. It seemed like it was last painted 20 years.

Fun fact: on the islands, people seem to trust one another at a different level than what I'm used to. So much that they often leave their helmets and scooter keys... on the scooter!! Even at night. Crazy!

Trash management

Greece is infested with trash. It was pretty OK in Athens, but definitely not on the islands.

In Athens, sorting trash and recyling is a thing, despite not being generalized everywhere. On the islands, far from it. I pretty much never saw any recycling bin on Sifnos or Santorini. Everything goes in the general waste bin. I also got to see a massive landfill on Sifnos, a bit hidden behind the hills, far from the villages. Very gross.

Trash is everywhere in Greece - at least on the islands

Also, the islands are quite dirty. Outside the cities, there was trash everywhere: by the side of the road, in the fields...

Athens

Athens is really nice to visit! History is at every corner. Not only ancient history, but also modern history: things related to the Olympic Games, for instance.

Overall, the city is quite walkable. It is also well connected with subways and trains. A subway ticket costs 1.9 euros at the time of writing. Yet expect a lot of traffic.

The city is a mix of run-down buildings, some of them completely abandonned, and new modern buildings.

Athens - The Acropolis

I only spent two days in Athens, here's what I visited:

The Acropolis of course. A ticket costs 30 euros.
Went to the Lycabettus Hill Viewing Area, where the Holy Church of Saint George of Lycabettus is
Athens National Garden
Panathenaic Stadium: a must see for anyone interested in sports. A ticket costs 12 euros.

I highly recommend walking in the evening or at night around the Acropolis or in the Plaka neighborhood. It's lively and full of good restaurants.

Islands

Sifnos

Sifnos was a delight. Not very touristic, and not many people in general. Few villages, very quiet at night. Yet, beautiful beaches and many things to discover. There are also trails for those who like hiking.

I got to do:

An hour long hike from Vathi to a nice beach called "Paralia Fikiada"
The beach "Paralia Platis Gialos" is great because of all the cafes and shops next to it. And the view, facing south, is quite nice.
Apokofto beach and the Chrisopigi Monastery
Explored Kastro and saw the Church of the Seven Martyrs
We were staying in Kamares, at a hotel called Margado. 200% recommended! The Kamares beach is AMAZING for its sunsets.
Drove all the way up to Agios Symeon to enjoy the view
Had a great dinner at Sunset in Troulaki
Explored the most northern part of the island around the monastry "Ag. Georgios". Then we enjoyed the sunset from the Cheronissos beach.

Sifnos - Church of the Seven Martyrs

Renting a car or a scooter is advisable to easily explore the island.

Santorini

Santorini was... mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's way too touristic and filled with people. Every day, cruise ships come and let out thousands of tourists who flood the streets in no time. Most of them from the US it seemed. The car traffic is insane. And everything is over priced. It is very hard to find a main course under 20 euros. On the other hand, the geological features of the island are unique and truly stunning, it's fascinating! It is the remains of what used to be a volcano. Sunsets on Santorini are second to none.

Santorini - Three Bells of Fira

Even though buses exist in Santorini, I once again recommend renting a car. The island is full of quads and ATVs that tourists rent. Very loud and pretty annoying...

ATVs and quads in Santorini

I got to do:

Swim at Mera Beach, a.k.a. the black beach
Swim at the Red Beach
Tried to "hike" to the White Beach. But actually reaching the beach on foot was hard, so we did not do it.
Explored Oia, Fira and Imerovigli on foot.
We did a 5-hour-long boat cruise from the old port of Fira, to the Volcano, then Hot Springs, then Thirasia, and back. 100% recommended. Only 35 euros. Great value for money. We had a lot of fun exploring the volcano and swimming in the hot springs. There was nothing special about Thirasia but it was still nice to visit.

All in all, Greece was fun! It seemed extremely popular among French people. I swear, 1 out of 3 tourists was French. Still, I'll happily go again. Next time on different islands. Going from island to island is fairly easy thanks to the many daily ferries.

Canada

Romain Pellerin — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 13:30:00 +0200

I recently went to Canada for the first time of my life. Boy did I like it! It was grand! Truly a beautiful country, with very friendly people. And I've only seen a tiny part of Canada!

Alright, as I did in previous articles, here is a list of things to know about Canada before you get there, and then my very own recommendations on places to visit, based on my experience only.

Things to know

Like in the US, at a red traffic light, you can legally turn right if no car is coming from the left side, unless there's a sign saying "No right turn on red".
One can pass cars on any lane, on multi-lane roads.
Overall, most rules on the road are the same as in the US. Cars are generally much bigger than in Europe, but slightly smaller than in the US on average. You'll still see the occasional F150 or RAM truck.
People have a tendency to drive 10 to 20km/h faster than the speed limit, and apparently cops are fine with that.
Don't stick to cities, Canada is meant to be explored through its vibrant nature.
Like in the US, expect great customer service.

Montréal

Great city! People are extremely relaxed and chill. You won't hear any honking. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are very respectful of one another. Not much traffic, and no one is speeding. There are plenty of bike lanes. The city is beautiful, especially the Plateau-Mont Royal neighborhood.

You'll find plenty of water fountains in the city, mostly in parks.

Through traffic is blocked off in many neighborhoods, making the city rather quiet. In summer, they also close down many streets, giving them back to pedestrians and cyclists only. The city is pretty green, you'll see many many trees and parks.

Bixi is a great way to get around, it's their bicycle sharing system. It's pretty expensive though, and there is no day pass. Bixi is very popular among the locals.

In Montreal, buildings and houses are not very high, usually 2 to 3 floors, expect for downtown (the business center).

I've been told that anyone is allowed to enter any restaurant and use their washroom even if they are not customers/not eating. But I could not verify this information online.

The Montréal Skyline as seen from Mont Royal

There is not so much to do in Montreal, 3 full days should be enough to see it all. Here are a few things to do:

La Banquise (994 Rue Rachel E): go eat a poutine!
Mont Royal: great to run or cycle all the way to the top!
From May to October, Piknic Électronik at Parc Jean-Drapeau, on the weekend, really nice!
F1 race track "Circuit Gilles Villeneuve" (I did not get to see it): one can cycle there most days of the year
The Vieux Port and its piers
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
La Fontaine Park
Saint Denis Street and Ave Mont-Royal (closed in summer) are nice to explore, they have fancy shops

Rue Saint-Denis in Montréal

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

Québec (the province and the city)

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

Montmorency Falls, its bridge, the zipline and the stairs

Québec city: go walk on the Dufferin Terrace, see the Rue de Petit Champlain (I missed this!), explore the surroundings of The Citadelle of Québec and then head out to visit the Montmorency Falls by riding a local bus. 6 hours is enough to see it all (Montmorency Falls included).
Parc Oméga: a park that one can enter only with a car. You'll see many different species of animals: bears, mooses, buffalos, wolves, etc. Quite fun to do, if I'm honest. You can bring carrots and feed some animals (not all of them). You can also buy the carrots there. Plan at least 4 hours.

People feeding deers

Algonquin Provincial Park

To me, the highlight of the trip! We spent 3 nights camping in this park: two nights at the Rock Lake Campground, and one night alone on Rose Island, that we reached after a little less than an hour of canoeing (rental canoes). Wonderful!

Staying overnight in the Algonquin Park requires a permit than can easily be bought online. Same for the campground, it's easy to book a spot online. When you show up, there is no reception or whatever, you just go to your designated spot.

When entering the campground, you are greeted by signs than say you might encounter bears. 😱

Along the shores of Rock Lake or on its islands, a few (8 I think) areas have been designated for campers to set camp. If campsites are unoccupied, you may stop and spend one or multiple nights.

Our campsite on Rose Island

A typical backcountry campsite. Hanging food up a tree in a closed bag is required, to keep bears away.

In the park, there are many many trails for all levels. Some of them will offer great viewpoints.

Niagara Falls

Before going, I had been told multiple times that it was overrated. Truth is, it's not! The city they built next to it is non sense though, that I'll admit. But the falls themselves, and the little boat trip to the core of the falls are 100% worth it.

The are actually two falls: the American falls, with bolders at their bottom, and the Canadian ones, nicknamed the Horseshoe Falls, due to their shape. The boat trip will take you to both but will stay longer at the Canadian ones, the most impressive ones to be fair.

There are two boats companies that operate those tours, one from the Canadian side (you'll get a red poncho), the other from the US side (people get a blue poncho). They take turns and go one after the other. A trip lasts about 15 minutes.

One can cross the US-Canada border through a bridge, on foot or in a car, with a valid Visa or ESTA of course.

Like I wrote above, the city of Niagara Falls is a joke, I guess they tried to build a copy of Las Vegas here. At night, it's buzzing with thousands of people roaming the streets. There are many attractions to do, like a roller coaster on top of a Burger King, a go-kart track, a ferris wheel, a haunted house, and many many others. All of that is really only located on two streets: Clifton Hill and Victoria Ave. It's fun though!

To observe both waterfalls from a high point of view, they built the Skylon Tower. With hindsight, I would probably have liked to do it. But most tourists (like us!) enjoy the falls from the sidewalk along Niagara River Parkway for free, there is a long promenade that offers an amazing view. And at night, both falls are lit up in color illuminations. The light show lasts until late in the night.

The light show on the Horseshoe Falls, early evening

In summer, there are fireworks every night launched near the Canadian falls.

Toronto

There is absolutely nothing to see in Toronto. We stayed half a day there and I have a feeling I've seen most landmarks. Riding their "Bike Share Toronto" bikes made it easier and faster of course.

We went to the bottom of the CN Tower. Probably the view from up there is nice.
Go check out the Toronto Sign for a nice souvenir photo
Yonge-Dundas Square, the Times Square of Toronto
Go explore the Distillery District (and do yourself a favor and get an ice cream 😋 from Scooped by Demetres)

Of course they are plenty of activities to do, like museums or the aquarium, but nothing out of the ordinary, nothing at the scale of The Louvre nor MoMa.

Canada was awesome, go see it for yourself! 😃

eSIMs for international travel

Romain Pellerin — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 17:30:00 +0200

While data roaming has now become essentially "free" for most Europeans, traveling outside Europe and surfing the internet can be quite expensive. But since the recent massive adoption of eSIMs on our smartphones, some comparies launched a brand new type of business: eSIMs for travels, that give you only data (no phone calls, no SMS). These come extremely handy when only web browsing is needed. With apps like WhatsApp, who still uses the basic phone and text features of our phones anyways?

As I was recently traveling outside Europe, I did my fair share of googling and compiled here a list of websites and companies of interest.

Big players

Among the many comparies out there, some names will pop out more often than others. Airalo, Sparks, Airhub and Jetpac are some of these big names with great reviews.

I got to try both Airalo and Sparks, on Android, in Canada and the USA. All I can say is: they worked like a charm. The data consumption rate was matching the numbers reported by my phone, so they are not trying to rip you off. I was always either on a 5G network or on a 4G one, and the speed was very good. I did not perform any speed test, but watching Youtube in HD was no problem at all.

Price-wise, Airalo was a bit more expensive than Sparks. On top of single-country packages, they both offer bundles that include multiple countries. For instance, Airalo has a "North-America" bundle that includes Mexico, the US and Canada, called "Americanmex". I got that one, valid for 30 days, 5 GB, $25.50.

Downloading and installing their eSIMs was effortless and took less than a minute, directly from the airport, on the free Wi-Fi network. There were many options one could chose from: using a QR code, clicking a button from within an app, and a more "manual way". Activating the eSIM was instantaneous after that.

Comparison portals

Airalo, Sparks, Airhub, and Jetpac are not the only players. There are many more out there, and most of them are even cheaper. You can also grab better deals for some companies on marketplaces like MobiMatter, as opposed to directly on the company website. It's fairly easy to find referral codes (discounts) on Reddit for MobiMatter.

However, the best comparison website I've found is eSIMDB. Everything is there, this should be your go-to website before purchasing any eSIM. It's easy to find plans where 1 GB costs $1.

Here is another one (and here's a copy on Reddit, should the website ever go down). This one is not neutral though, it earns commissions through affiliate links.

Hope this helps!

Croatia

Romain Pellerin — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 02:00:00 +0200

I went this year for the first time of my life to Croatia. It is a beautiful country, that luckily for me recently changed its currency and adopted the euro. Unfortunately, this change came with major price hikes, confirmed by locals. Some items saw their prices double! Of course, the inflation that is currently hitting the Euro area did not help.

Croatia is a very touristy country. I got to visit multiple places, some are traps for tourists, abandonned by locals, others maintain a good balance. Many cruise ships stop in Croatia for a few hours, so it's not uncommon to see waves of tourists fill the streets of any city in minutes. We've been told many times that July and August are hell months, there's just too many tourists, it becomes a nightmare. I went in May and it was already decently crowded.

The sea water is crystal clear and pretty warm. In May, it was definitely swimmable, the temperature must have been close to 20°C.

Traveling thoughout the country

There are many ways to explore the country and go from city to city. But I found Croatia not so train-friendly, having few options to offer. Renting a car sounded like a viable option, but we opted for ferries and buses. They have many regular ferries that travel between major coastal cities, like from Split to Dubrovnik, multiple times a day, stopping along the way at every island, for less than 50 euros. The ferries travel really fast (lots of people got sick, myself included!). Most ferries are operated by TP-line or Krilo. Some bigger ferries will accept pedestrians AND cars.

FlixBus and other local bus companies are also other popular means of transport in Croatia. Going from Zadar to the Plitvice lakes on a bus is very convenient, for instance.

Split

Split is a lovely city, with a historical city center surrounded by walls that they call a palace. It's full of history, and you'll have no problem finding a walking tour. It's fairly crowded, but it's liveable, and you'll meet plenty of locals. Prices are ok-ish: expensive for locals, but affordable compared to Dubrovnik for example.

Some scenes from Game of Thrones were shot there, so if that's your thing, you can follow a guide and embark on a GoT walking tour.

Besides the palace, there is not much to do in Split. There is a park on a hill, that offers a nice view over the city. I would recommend to spend two full days in Split, not more.

Dubrovnik

Like Split, Dubrovnik is famous for its historical city center, also surrounded by walls, that you'll pay 35 euros to visit. Speaking of which, I recommend buying a daily city pass, which costs exactly the same price (35 euros), but includes a visit of the walls.

Besides the historical city center, there is nothing of interest outside the walls. Dubrovnik was bombed and very much destroyed in the 90's, so the popularity of the city is very recent. But it has gained so much popularity in so little time that every shop owner went crazy. Prices are insane. Any main course in a restaurant is at least 15 euros, most being around 20-25 euros. Margins on drinks are also ridiculous. It's common to get a glass of "house red wine" for 8 or 10 euros (which 90% of the time will be pretty bad).

Dubrovnik is loved by old people, visiting the city in massive groups. Most restaurants are open from 8:00 in the morning until 23:00 or midnight. No locals live in the historic city center. Souvenirs are ridiculously priced too: any mug sells for 20 euros, Game of Thrones pints for 90 euros (not joking).

However, I highly recommend joining a Game of Thrones tour. They last 2 hours, are not so expensive, and will take you everywhere in the city, in major filming locations of the series (the shame stairs, the place where Geoffrey celebrated its name day, and many others).

Hvar

Hvar is the party island of Croatia. They nickname the town Hvar the "Saint-Tropez of Croatia". You'll see many young and/or rich people, well dressed at night, partying. Prices are very high there too, you can easily find cocktails for 20 euros. Just enjoy the sea and the nature, and go out at night if you're in the mood.

Zadar

Pretty nice city, quite similar to Split, albeit less touristy and more reasonably priced. Locals are very nice, the city is lively and has a few nice beaches. The historical city center is small but nice to explore. 2 maybe 3 full days there will be enough. But while you are there, you should consider spending a full day at the Plitvice lakes, since they're not far and easily reachable by car or bus.

Plitvice lakes

The Plitvice Lakes National Park is a marvel! It's a park made of multiple clear blue lakes, on different levels (different heights), waterfalls, full of thriving life. You'll see fish, snakes, birds, ducks, frogs... The color of these lakes is out of this world. And they take every measure to preserve the park and protect it. There are multiple trails one can follow, with some segments taken on boat or bus. 100% recommended.

That's it!

Traveling Outside Europe as a Resident in Germany

Romain Pellerin — Wed, 29 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200

As a resident in Germany, you must have (by law!) a health insurance, even if unemployed. With this insurance comes a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), that grants you insurance in any European country plus a few (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) "under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country" (source).

But what happens when traveling outside Europe?

You're basically on your own, and it very much depends on the country you're in. Some will charge crazy amounts for any treatment or care (hello USA!), some are cheap. Also, what if you need repatriation?

Because you want to travel stress-free, I recommend taking out a private health insurance for trips abroad. For example, I am insured with TK and they offer two options, depending on how long the trips are. For trips under 60 days, the options are:

TravelPlus (TravelXN), via Envivas

It's a yearly subscription of 11.9 euros that you pay until you cancel it (you can cancel this anytime). And you're covered!

TK-Tarif Traveller, also via Envivas

It's a free contract (no charges), and it stops being free the day you need treatment abroad (but you won't pay more than 24 euros per year). It's a 3-year contract, that cannot be terminated earlier. Also, it's considered as an optional deductible tariff, meaning TK will let the Finanzamt (tax office) know that you signed up for this. The value of this "monetary benefit" is 11.90, and you'll have to state this in your Steuererklärung (tax declaration) and probably pay some tax off it every year (a couple of euros).

Der TK-Tarif Traveller ist ein Selbstbehalt-Wahltarif und enthält als Prämie eine private Auslandsreise-Krankenversicherung der Envivas Krankenversicherung AG für unbegrenzt viele Privat- und Geschäftsreisen bis zu einer Dauer von 60 Tagen. [...] Die Techniker ist gesetzlich verpflichtet, den geldwerten Vorteil des Reiseschutzes von jährlich 11,90 Euro zur Versteuerung an die Finanzbehörden zu melden.

Conclusion

I would recommend the first option, as it's very cheap, you can terminate the contract anytime, and it has nothing to do with your Steuererklärung. I would also only recommend taking out a private health insurance for trips abroad depending on your destination, how far from home it is, how expensive treatements in this country are... For the USA for instance, it's a no brainer, totally worth taking this out.

Online resources

Does my German health insurance cover me if I get sick abroad?

Living in Germany: From Berlin to Brocken Over a Weekend

Romain Pellerin — Sun, 08 May 2022 23:15:00 +0200

I am planning a trip from Berlin to the Harz, specifically the peak Brocken. As finding information turned out to be quite hard, I decided to sum things up here in a short article.

The train ride

Two options: ride a Deutsche Bahn train, any day of the week, almost any hour. Or ride the famous Harz-Berlin-Express (HBZ) operated by Abellio, but only on Saturdays and Sundays. Both types of trains can be booked on the DB website. You can also book the HBZ tickets directly on Abellio's website.

With a bike

Brocken is located in the german state called "Saxony-Anhalt", where taking a bike on a train is free (information found here and here). Therefore, when bringing a bike on a Deutsche Bahn train, just book a bike ticket only for the part Berlin-Genthin. In other words, in the DB Navigator mobile app, just get a VBB Fahrrad ticket for the overall network of VBB (3.6 euros).

If riding a Harz-Berlin Express train, you must book a 3-euro bike ticket. I could not find where to book them online, so do it at a train station.

Useful resources

More information about this trip found on another blog

Things To Do In Prague

Romain Pellerin — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 23:45:00 +0100

Prague is a relatively small city, for a capital. But it is gorgeous! The city center is almost exclusively made of pedestrian-only areas, with narrow streets full of live where cobble stones are king. The architecture is beautiful, and the city is overlooked by a castle. A perfect destination in Europe for a couple of days. I went there for just a little over two days, as it's only 4 hours away from Berlin by train. Here is what I recommend.

Go for a stroll in the park around the Prague Metronome.
Žižkov Television Tower: not the best point of view in the city but the tower is controversial and odd, that's worth taking a close look at it. Going to the top is relatively cheap.
Pass by the The Powder Tower.
Next to the Old Town Square, don't miss:
- Church of Our Lady before Týn
- St. Nicholas' Church
- Prague Astronomical Clock: every hour on the clock, the clock goes into motion. Don't expect anything fancy, but it attracts tourists.
I've heard the Národní muzeum is a must-see, although I lacked time to visit it.
The Dancing House is cool to see.
A classic, the very crowded Charles Bridge.
On the left bank, the Lennon Wall makes for a nice detour.
If you're headed to the top of hill via the inclided railway, stop by the Memorial to the Victims of Communism.
Speaking of the hill, make sure to go to the top of the Petrin Tower. A hundred times better than the TV tower, better viewpoint, more fun, partly outdoors.
There is another St. Nicholas Church to visit on the left bank. You can explore the inside and go to the top for a few Czech Crowns.
Last but not least, the Prague Castle. There are many things to do there, most notably the St. George's Basilica, plan for at least 3 hours.

While you're in Prague, you HAVE to eat a Trdelník (also called Trdlo). It is amazingly good!

Accomodation-wise, I recommend staying in the Hotel Leonardo Prague, it is fairly inexpensive for a 4-star hotel, and perfectly located, close to all the touristy places.

In Prague, you'll find many Nextbike stations and bikes in the city. It's the best way to get around!

Hope this helps. :)

Living in Germany: Things To Do In Berlin

Romain Pellerin — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 22:30:00 +0200

Before diving into the list of things to do, make sure to get yourself a bike to see the city, as it's the cheapest and oftentimes the fastest means of transportation. Nextbike and "Call a bike" bikes are my favorite ones. Register yourself through these apps in no time and start exploring the city!

Museums

Check out the Museum island!
DDR museum
Stasi museum

Viewpoints

Fernsehturm (TV tower) = 22.5 euros
Berliner Dom (cathedral) = 9 euros
Panoramapunkt = 7.5 euros. Make sure to also check out Potsdamer Platz.
Siegessäule (victory column) = 3.5 euros to the top
The rooftop of the Park-Inn hotel = 3 euros, I've been told

Fun activities

Tropical Island
Canoeing
Illuseum Berlin (museum of illusion): very fun, lasts an hour, 12 euros

Must-see

Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg gate)
Reichstag = book at least a month in advance, and get a free guided tour! One of my favorite activities in Berlin.
Wander in Tiergarten
Unter den Linden
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
East Side gallery and Oberbaumbrücke
Checkpoint Charlie
Tempelhofer Feld
Gendarmenmarkt

Restaurants

YAFO
Umami (in Prenzlauer Berg)
Cafe Anna Blume = go there for a nice brunch
Hofbräu Wirtshaus Berlin = AMAZING atmosphere, expect some singing and jumping on the benches! And loads of beer!

Bonus

Mauerpark and its Sunday flea market. Next to it is the Berlin Wall Memorial.
Berlin Unterwelten: nice tours in the underground Berlin, available in multiple languages, not just English or German
Teufelsberg: the ticket costs 8 euros. On Saturdays at 2pm it even gets you an hour long guided tour.
Nikolaiviertel
Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten
Go to one of the numerous flea markets that take place on the weekends
Mall of Berlin = there is a slide inside!
In Potsdam (outside Berlin): the Sanssouci Palace and the Neues Palais. Get a Sanssouci+ Ticket for 22 euros and visit them both but also the windmill, the picture gallery, and more, on the same day!
Klunkerkranich
Berlin Story bunker
Go watch a show at Friedrichstadt-Palast or at Wintergarten
Eat at Markthalle Neun
Visit the root terrace of the Humboldt Forum

Italy

Romain Pellerin — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 22:00:00 +0200

I'm just back from a 2-week vacation in Italy. Oh boy there are things to be said about Italy!

Things to know before going there

First off, a few warnings! Roada are race tracks for italians. On the freeway, when they want to take over, they drive as closely as possible behind, occasionally doing headlight flashing. Also, still on freeways, speed limit can drastically change from 130 to 60 in no time where there's road work, and no one seems to pay attention, they barely decrease their speed to 110. Oddly enough though, I saw a shit ton of electronic speed radars.

In cities, anywhere where there's asphalt, cars and scooters will go. Even in the narrowest streets. Don't you dare try to follow what Google Maps says, stick to the wide main roads. Italians mostly drive two kinds of cars: either tiny ones like Smarts, or SUVs. Also, a lot of them just don't give a shit about seatbelts. They'd rather hear the sound that reminds them to fasten it for 10 minutes than actually fasten it (I experienced several car rides with italians in Naples!).

I was shocked by the number of smokers. It's by far worse than in France. People smoke everywhere: train stations (apparently it was not forbidden), houses, and I even saw a bunch a young people smoke in trains (it is forbidden but no ones seems to care). Speaking of trains, there are unreliable. Expect most of them to be between 5 and 10 minutes late all the time.

The density of traffic in cities is incredible. Cars and scooters are everywhere, and pollution must be a serious concern. It smells like gas everywhere. It is not uncommon to find roads with 4 or 6 lanes (2x3) in cities, so no wonder why it's so polluted. Also be prepared to hear horn hooking all the time. I also saw scooters parked on the rightmost lane (not a parking spot at all) alongside the sidewalk, crazy! Likewise, Smarts park perpendicularly to the sidewalks.

A Smart nicely parked.

Helmets for scooter drivers was made mandatory in 2005 or something, but I've seen numerous people without one. Also, at red traffic lights, if there are 3 lanes, italians are gonna make 5 out of them, haha! It saw that in Rome many times.

Public transportation seems to be poorly developed. Even Rome has only 3 metro lines. Trains coming from the suburbs to Naples run once an hour, so plan in advance.

The garbage collection system is also not ideal. It is not uncommon at all to see overfilled street collectors.

Trash management, italian style #1.

Trash managemnt, italian style #2.

Last funny fact: the water tank of toilets is... unusually located.

A classic italian toilet.

Now, let's move on to cities.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is meant to be visited by train or hiking, forget about your car as the roads are narrow, steep, with series of switchbacks. Trains run every 20mins or something between the 5 villages, and the day ticket costs 16 euros. Hiking takes a full day at a relaxed pace (6+ hours).

Pisa

Obligatory picture.

There is not much to do in Pisa, appart from the leaning tower of course. The city center is very beautiful, a lot of streets are car-free, with tons of pedestrians and cyclists. I recommend discovering the city on a bike.

Rome

Trevi: reality.

I highly recommend doing guided tours, as opposed to solo tours, especially when visiting the Vatican museums, the Colosseum and the Roman forum.

Don't buy city passes, it's in most cases cheaper to buy tickets individually.

Prices for the Colosseum.

If you're on a tight schedule as I was, I found this map very helpful when it comes to visiting main highlights efficiently.

Rome highlights in one day

Naples

Funny fact: every night, there are fireworks in the city, usually between 22h and midnight. I asked why and was told that it's to celebrate weddings, parties, etc... anything that's worth celebrating. Regular people do that.

When visiting Pompei, do a guided tour! You'll find plenty just as you walk out of the train station. The one I did was 12 euros per adult for a 2-hour group tour. Official guided tours, located just by the ticket office, were 2 euros more expensive if my memory serves well.

The city of Naples is not very interesting as it is. I recommend spending a day in the city, not more. Make sure to eat the best pizza in town at Gino e Toto Sorbillo. Then, you can visit Mount Vesuvius (reachable by car!), Pompei (train is the most efficent and cheapest way to get there), Sorrento (same train as Pompei) or Capri (take a ferry, it's a 40-ish euro ticket for both way).

That's it! Hope it helps.

Spain

Romain Pellerin — Wed, 08 May 2019 23:50:00 +0200

I know very little about Spain, I only got to visit Barcelona and Madrid. Nonetheless, here's my 2 cents.

Barcelona

Beautiful touristic city. A lot of young French people go there in Summer to party. An hour up North is Lorret De Mar, a smaller city, even bigger on parties.

Madrid

The capital can be visit in 4 days tops. It's a pretty city but there's not much to see, it's more about the atmosphere, the Spanish way of life, tapas, flamenco, etc. I recommend:

Walk the calle Grand Via
El Retiro Park: don't miss the Palacio de Velázquez, the monument to Alfonso XII and Madrid's Oldest Tree.
Nearby is the Real Jardín Botánico. Pay only 4 euros to get in (guarden only, 2 extra euros to access the exhibitions)
Puerta de Alcalá
Cibeles Fountain
Prado museum (no photos allowed!). Everyday, the last two hours before closing are free for everybody on most days.
Plaza de Santa Ana
Almudena Cathedral
Royal Palace of Madrid (no photos allowed in most rooms!). Again, last two hours are free most days for EU and Latin American citizens.
Puerta del Sol
Plaza Mayor
Mercado De San Miguel

Good to know: taxis are slightly more expensive than Uber. Average price I have seen for Uber from the airport to the city center is 25 euros, whereas I paid 30 euros for a taxi (it's also the maximum price by law).

Also, I searched for hours for a comic book store that sells the latest English comics, I could not find any. I found a few that sold months old English comics though (Red Flack Comics was one of them).

Last but not least, I would advise to visit Madrid in late May, as the weather is perfect, not too hot and not too cold (25 degrees on average in the afternoon), and the crowds of tourists are not there yet.

That's it for now!

Things To Do In Paris

Romain Pellerin — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 23:20:00 +0100

Le Louvres
Tour Eiffel - go to the third floor
Champs Elysees
Notre Dame Cathedral + towers
Arc de Triomphe - go to the top!
Montmartre - artistic elevated neighborhood
Restaurant Indianafé Café Maine - nice restaurant, great decoration, with English speaking clients and staff - http://www.indianacafe.fr/restaurants-clubs/46/maine.html
Ground Control - one of my favorite places in Paris for chilling - https://www.groundcontrolparis.com/
Bercy Village - a pedestrian street filled with restaurants essentially - https://www.bercyvillage.com/
Le Comptoir Général - amazing jungle bar - https://www.lecomptoirgeneral.com/ - PHOTOS ==> https://www.instagram.com/lecomptoirgeneral/
La coulée verte - elevated linear park - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coul%C3%A9e_verte_Ren%C3%A9-Dumont
Palais de Tokyo - museum
Musée du quai Branly - museum
Centre Pompidou - AWESOME MUSEUM!! - https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en
Musée d'Orsay - museum
Père Lachaise Cemetery - Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, and others are buried there
Pigalle - "hot" neighborhood with the famous Moulin Rouge, music shops, prostitutes, artists, etc
Catacombes de Paris - underground ossuaries with actual skulls and bones
Hanging out on the banks of the Seine
Les jardins du Luxembourg - park
Musée Grévin - wax museum with celebrities - https://www.grevin-paris.com/en
Le Marais - What Castro is to SF; gay neighborhood, very eccentric
Street Art in Belleville - http://streetartparis.fr/visite-street-art-belleville/
Palais Garnier
La Conciergerie
Sainte Chapelle
Château de Fontainebleau
Château de Versailles
Pantheon
Musée Rodin
Musée de l’Orangerie
Musée national d'Histoire Naturelle

At night

Lido
The Crazy Horse
Le Moulin Rouge
La Nocture du samedi - Le Louvre

Here are some additional places of interest.

Germany

Romain Pellerin — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 23:50:00 +0100

Recently, I got to spend a few days in Düsseldorf and Cologne. Here is my take on Germany, its social differences, and the cities I got to visit.

Generally speaking, Germany can be slightly more expensive than France, excepted for food and drinks. Housing in Berlin is also much cheaper than Paris. Supermakets are really affordable everywhere. Same goes for restaurants. However, note that tipping is still a thing in Germany, as opposed to France where hardly anybody tips.

Travelling to western Germany from France can be done by riding a train, usually Thalys. Quite pricey but very convenient. Farther parts can be reached via cheap flights.

One funny fact - and sometimes irritating: not many businesses accept credit/debit cards,they tend to favor cash. Be prepared!

One thing that I hate about Germany is that most of the time, restaurants do not serve tap water. They usually have a large variety of bottles water, still or sparkling. They're always reluctant to serve it, and when they do, they might charge you for it. It happened to me once in Berlin: 1.40 euros for a glass of water. Some people argue that restaurants make little money out of serving food and therefore want people to buy drinks, through which they make more money because of bigger margins. Other people argue that tap water is seen as unhealthy by some people, although quality standards for tap water are much higher than bottled water in Germany. As it turns out, no one really knows why tap water is a taboo matter in restaurants.

Germans like to stick to the rules. Specifically, I've never seen any local jaywalk. However I've never been told off for doing it myself so far.

Germans are also big on ecology and biking. To my greatest pleasure, I've seen countless bike lanes. But, surprisingly enough, it's still very legal to smoke in some bars.

Moving on to cities now...

Düsseldorf

I recommend a little walk in Düsseldorf's old town, Altstadt. Walk by the Rhein, enjoy the fresh air.

A very nice place to chill out and enjoy a nice view at sunset is 25hours Hotel Das Tour. Go to the bar at the top, get yourself a drink, it's very affordable!

Finally, if you're into getting high... check out the Rhine Tower. 9 euros, if my memory serves well.

Cologne

Unfortunately, I did not get to spend much time there. However, I can still recommend the Cathedral. Most of it is open to the public for free, even a few parts of the crypt.

Going to Cologne from Düsseldorf is cheap, only 11.5 euros by train. I heard one could get even lower prices, depending on the type of train.

Munich

Such a beautiful city! It is the third-largest city of Germany, and yet it does not feel so big. The must-see places include:

Isartor
Marienplatz, the main square of the city, and the New Town Hall, which you can climb to get a view of the whole city
Ratskeller München, a restaurant right in the city hall courtyard
Nearby are a bunch of churches: Peterskirche (you can go to the top), Heiliggeistkirche
The world famous cathedral with its Devil's footprint: Frauenkirche
Theatinerkirche, next to the Residenz (a 3-hour long museum)
Feldherrnhalle, a monument between Theatinerkirche and the Residenz
Deutsches Museum: again, dedicate at least 3 hours, and don't forget about the mine in the basement, a fun experience!
Siegestor: a triumphal arc
In the Englischen Garten: Monopteros, Chinese Tower and its beer garden
Schloss Nymphenburg
In Olympiapark: Olympiaturm (a tower, 7 euros to get to the top, with a rock museum at the top), BMW Welt (free) and BMW Museum (paid)
Pinakothek der Moderne, a modern art museum - I did not really like that one, as opposed to others like Centre Pompidou in Paris or the Tate Modern Museum in London
Maximilianstraße, a beautiful street
Asamkirche, a tiny and surprising church
Müller'sches Volksbad - pro tip: at night after 8pm, for 13 euros you get both spa and swimming pool
And of course, the iconic Hofbräuhaus München

I also highly recommend the Tollwood Winter Festival. That's where we spent 2018-2019 New Year's Eve, and it was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S. They even had lockers for us to store our fireworks. Anyone could freely walk in and out, as long as they showed a stamp on their wrist to get back inside. Plus the bands and the music were great!

Pro tip: most museums cost 1 euro on Sundays! The Deutsches Museum does, at least.

Transporation tip: buy a weekly IsarCard. Also, I hear the CityTourCard is a good deal, with 80+ attraction discounts included. We did not try it though.

Berlin

Compared to Munich, it's a lot less pretty. Nonetheless, it's a city with so much history. It's also energetic, young, eclectic, and unpredictable. Berlin is so big that anything inside the Ringbahn is considered downtown. A few notable places I've been to:

East side gallery
Oberbaum Bridge
Checkpoint Charlie
Jewish Museum (2 hours is enough to see it all)
The Remains Of Berlin Wall, on Niederkirchnerstraße
Poostdamer Platz, the most central point of the city. Make sure to visit the mall of Berlin, there's a 2-story high glide inside.
Caro's music and drinks bar: open 24 hours, smoking permitted inside. Cocktails are quite pricey: I paid 12 euros per Tequila Sunrise.
Maximilians restaurant: a Bavarian-style bar and restaurant. They serve "quick lunch" for 6.95 euros (on weekdays only perhaps).
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Brandenburg Gate
Reichstag Building
Siegessäule
Berliner Fernsehturm: 16.50 euros to go to the top. Wait time is usually an hour.
Rotes Rathaus

That's it for now! Until next time...

Interesting links on Germany

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Berlin

Portugal

Romain Pellerin — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 23:50:00 +0100

I recently went for the first time of my life to Lisbon, Portugal. We stayed in a Airbnb perfectly located in the heart of Lisbon, very close to Avenida Da Liberdade.

It was a great trip. The weather was decent although we had a rainy day. It averaged between 15 and 20°C, quite warm for early November. It very much reminded me of San Francisco, not only because of the identical bridge but also the hills, cable cars and sunny weather.

All in all, most things can you buy are quite cheap, especially food.

When you get to Lisbon, go to the visitor center and buy a 72-hour Lisboa card. It offers a great deal of discounts + free entrances to some places + unlimited public transporation for free. Let's now move on to the things to do...

Transportation means

I highly recommend you ride a Tuk-Tuk, it's fun and cheap. A few are electrical.

However, if you're more into getting old fashionned, ride the 28E tram. Fun guaranteed! It goes throughout the entire city and allow you to see it in no time.

Finally, the three cable cars are also real fun. The ride is short, it takes some time, but it'll help you climb steep hills. The Ascensor da Glória is a nice one, with all the graffiti in the street and on the car itself.

Places

Cristo Rei

A crazy big Jesus monument, just across the water. We went there by boat, and came back by taxi, just for the fun of driving on the famous red bridge.

Once at the monument, climb to the top and enjoy the view over Lisbon. It almost feels like San Francisco up there.

Belém

A little far from the city center, I suggest you spend a full day there - that's what I did. Three main places to see: Torre de Belém, Padrão dos Descobrimentos (you can go to the top!) and Jerónimos Monastery. One thing, apparently famous, but overcrowded, is Pasteis de Belém. Never managed to get in though, the line was crazy long.

City center

In a random order:

Comércio Plaza
Arco da Rua Augusta: going to the top is fun
Lisbon Cathedral
Santa Justa Lift: 1-hour long line, for a view over Lisbon.
Castelo de S. Jorge: don't expect anything crazy, it's mostly about the view.
Square Pedro IV
Praça da Figueira
Praça dos Restauradores: that's where the Hardrock cafe is
Monument to the Dead of the Great War
Igreja de São Domingos
Carmo Convent: unfortunately I did not get to see inside, because we went there at night
TimeOut Market: one of my favorite places. A large range of food options, from sea food to pastries, pizzas, burgers, etc.
National Pantheon: I did not get in
Church of São Vicente of Fora: I did not get in
Basílica da Estrela
Jardim da Estrela

Parque das Nações

A place quite far from the city center, not as far as Belém though. Many entertaining activities to do there. We rode the telecabine. I wish we had time to go to the observation platform at the top of Torre Vasco da Gama. Also, the Oceanário de Lisboa is supposedly nice.

Different yet interesting on a rainy day is the Centro Vasco da Gama. I bought shoes there. LOL.

Fun facts

Lisbon's only international airport is more of a shopping mall than an actual airport. Once the security checks passed, travellers end up in the middle of dozens of shops, from the luxuary ones to McDonald's and KFC.

That's it! Next time, we'll most likely go to Sintra, as it appears to be a real nice place to see...

Finland

Romain Pellerin — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 23:40:00 +0200

Late March this year, I went to Finland for 3 days over the weekend. As a first-timer, I was not expecting so much snow and ice this late in Winter. We had two sunny days, slightly above 0 degrees celsius. The third day was all snowy.

I got to visit Helsinki and Tampere, the two major cities of the country. I found these two cities incredibly empty, in terms of population. The country has only 5.5 million inhabitants. The artichecture is rather different than that we have in France, yet familiar. The cities were pretty small. I wished I could have gone out of cities to explore the countryside. Next time probably.

A few fun facts and pro tips

A weekend was more than enough to spot major differences between Finland... and the rest of the world.

R-kioski is to Finland what 7-eleven is to the USA. In other words, R-kioski stores are everywhere (I even found 2 or 3 stores inside the very same train station in Helsinki, separated from one another by a few meters).

Almost every house with more than one floor has its own wall ladder that reaches the roof. From what I heard it is used to remove snow in Winter.

Also, most houses have two doors and double windows, to protect them from the cold.

A window in Finland

Public announcements are given in English on the train line that connects Tampere and Helsinki. I believe all main train lines have public announcements in English. Also, the train to Tampere is pretty cheap, I paid 18 euros for a one-way ride.

To get to the city center from the airport, ride the I or P train for about half an hour. You'll find the train station undeground, underneath the airport.

I was told that the sea shore and all lakes are completely frozen from December until April every year. Frozen to the point that people do activities on lakes, such as skiing, riding snowmobiles or four wheelers, ice skating, walking their dog, sledding, biking, and even kiteboarding (true story!). I also witnessed a snowplow that was making a road on the ice for bikes to ride.

Not swimming, but walking on a frozen lake

There is a showerhead connected to sinks in every bathroom, apparently used to... better wash one's ass, after wiping it.

A bathroom in a restaurant

Last but not least, we found this very peculiar wall cabinet in our AirBnB room. Extremely useful! Apparently, it's a thing in Finland. Smart people!

A drying cabinet

Oh, and saunas are a major thing there...

Nice places to check out

Helsinki

Recatta
Sibelius Monument
Suomenlinna
Market Square
Senate Square
Helsinki Cathedral
Uspenski Cathedral
SkyWheel
Temppeliaukio Church
Kamppi Chapel
St John's Church (though I did not get to go inside)
Mikael Agricola Church (did not go inside either)
Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma (did not either)

For sushi lovers, check out "Fuku", close to the train station: amazing buffet!

Tampere

Tampere Orthodox Church
Tampere Cathedral
Näsinneula Observation Tower
Särkänniemi

View from the tower in Tampere

That's it!

The Netherlands

Romain Pellerin — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 23:20:00 +0100

Dear Amsterdam, it's been a long time. Too long, actually. I miss you from the bottom of my heart... ok maybe not that much, but still!

Joke aside, I lived in Amsterdam for 6 months, from 2015 to 2016. Oh boy did I enjoy the city. I was living the good life doing an underpaid internship but who cares, right?! Since then, I went back to the Netherlands a couple of times. This articles sums up what's so cool about this country and the Dutch people, and why it's a must see for every European out there! However, gouda, tulips, clogs, windmills, etc, all of this is meant for tourists (although their windmills are quite awesome and Gouda is one of my favorite cheeses), so I won't talk about these. This article is mostly about my experience in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam

The best city of Europe of course! Well, not to everyone but to me at least. Great music venues, great people, shitty weather but awesome canals, boats, and bridges. Also, they've got good beer and probably the coolest bikes on Earth.

Not everything is great though. Finding an appartment in Amsterdam was a pain in the ass. I ended up renting the creepiest of all kinds when I first got there, a tiny 10 square meter apartment on the last floor, with a broken sink, no stores and a direct access to the roof with no railings whatsover, even though it was a damn 4-story building. Plus the bathroom was on the landing. Fucking GREAT. As you guessed, I did not stay there for long. Shortly after, I found a nice shared house just outside of Amsterdam but easily reachable by metro. Speaking of which, their metro system is really good!

My wonderful first room in Amsterdam.

So big. Great sink.

Alright, what about the people, you may wonder. Well, too many times I've heard that Dutch people no longer lived in Amsterdam and that the streets were filled with stupid tourists and that one could barely hear Dutch in Amsterdam... I've got to say, it's partly true... which means it's partly false. Yeah I agree, too many French tourists only there to smoke weed, too many Brits there on weekends only to get shit-faced. But again, who cares? I like tourists. I like people who travel, no matter their purpose. And I met a shit ton of Dutch people, proud residents of Amsterdam, fully embracing the 21st century and globalization. And it was fucking great!

The Dutch are overall super friendly and their English is probably the best among non native English speakers in the world. SO FUCKING CONVENIENT.

Alright, with no further ado, let's see what places are the best in Amsterdam:

Paradiso: the best nightclub on Earth. Seriously! The place is an actual abandoned church that was turned into a nightclub. Unique experience inside!
Melkweg: another great nightclub.
Dam Square: the central square of Amsterdam
Bier Fabriek
Amsterdam Language Cafe: such a great place to meet people, both locals and expats. I met most of my friends there! The guy behind this concept, Koen, is amazing. Go talk to him!
Red Light District at night
Ride the ferry! It's fun and free and takes you to the upper Amsterdam in no time.
Thee Sisters bar: my favorite bar in the whole city
Hannekes Boom: nice place to chill when the sun is out
Amsterdam Roest: same as above
Coco's Outback
Vondelpark
Rembrandtplein
I Amsterdam sign
Foodhallen
Bloemenmarkt
Check out one of the numerous Wok to Walk restaurants, it's so good!
Don't forget to go on a boat ride. It's definitely worth it! You can also rent one privately, it's not that expensive. I remember using this service.
Also, consider renting a bike or going on a free walking tour (aka "pay a you wish by tip").

That's is basically for Amsterdam. Now, let's see some other cities in Holland.

The Hague

Pretty nice city, on the North Sea coast of the Netherlands. Very pleasant, especially in Summer.

Go check the beach out!
Westduinpark: there's Highland cattle
China Town

Rotterdam

A city which was bombed almost entirely during WW2, then rebuilt. Its architecture is rather surprising and ultra modern, thus worth seeing.

Kijk Kubus (The Cube Houses)
The Markthal (Market Hall): an indoor market with a wide variety of food
Erasmusbrug (Erasmus Bridge)
Willemsbrug
Go for a walk between the Willemsbrug and Kijk Kubus, by the water
Boompjes Promenade (Boompjeskade) up to De Boeg
Euromast: go to the top! Also, the park nearby is quite nice.
Go for a walk on Holland Amerikakade
Fenix Food Factory
Check out the big statue called Santa Claus, alias Kabouter: big surprise there!
Take one of the numerous watertaxis, it's a unique experience! What's more, not too pricey!
They also have boat tours, that take you throughout the gigantic port. Lasts about an hour, maybe two, can't remember. Not to expensive and fun to do. For the one I did, the boarding was right by Erasmus Bridge.

Cube Houses

Delft

Small town yet very nice. My only recommendation is to check out the Nieuwe Kerk, a church, for it is a place of history and the climb to the top is definitely worth the effort. Then, wander around randomly in the streets.

View from the top of Delft's church

Utrecht

Probably the city with the most students of the entire country. I've been there once, as far as I remember. Only thing I remember is the Dom Tower, a very impressive tower with a pathway underneath.

Haarlem

Another small town, very close to Amsterdam. Not much to do there except a few old fashion bars and shops, and a nice Mexican restaurant.

That's it!!! Go to the Netherlands, you won't regret it!

Let's end this article on a Dutch saying that I like a lot: "Op een oude fiets moet je het leren" (I ain't gonna translate it, Google it :-) )

Doei!

Ireland

Romain Pellerin — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 23:50:00 +0100

In 2015, I landed in Dublin! Yay! With a friend, we were en route to Galway to visit another friend who was doing a sort of internship there. Roughly, we spent a week in Ireland: from Dublin to Galway and back, we also went to some exotic places such as the Cliffs of Moher or Connemara.

In this article, I'll walk you through the most iconic places I've been to so that you get the most out of YOUR trip.

Dublin

You definitely don't want to miss the Temple Bar district and its iconic pub The Oliver St John Gogarty
The Barnacles Hostel Dublin on Temple Ln Street is one of the cheapeast you can find in the area, although we did not get to sleep there for it was fully booked
Trinity College campus is fun for hanging out during the Summer days
Stephen's Green Shopping Centre
Shopping streets: Grafton street and Henry streets
Also don't forget to check out the churches and cathedrals

Galway

A beautiful small city on the West coast!

We stayed at the Celtic Tourist Hostel. Highly recommended for their very affordable prices.
William St and Shop St
Naming all the pubs I went into would take ages, my recommendation is to check them all in those two above-mentionned streets
The Galway Cathedral
I also highly suggest you simply wander in the streets, near the Eglinton canal
The Long Walk and the Galway City Museum
The shore and the causeway to Mutton Island

I am also pretty sure we spent a night at the Barnacles hostel (it's a chain, there's another one in Dublin as I wrote above).

Other places I've been to

Connemara: do a bus tour!
Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden (in Connemara)
Aillwee Cave: after the visit, do climb up the hill, it's fun
Cliffs of Moher
The Burren

As far as I remember, we took a 2-day bus tour that took us to both Connemara (we stopped for a couple of hours at Kylemore Abbey) and Cliffs of Moher (+ the Burren and Aillwee Cave). It's definitely worth your money!

Other places to go I wish I visited

Cork
Apparently the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is great
Aran Islands

Belgium

Romain Pellerin — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 23:00:00 +0100

In late 2015 I went for the first time of my life to Belgium... for a very short time, 24 hours actually. The only city I got to see and walk in was Brussels.

I'll likely update this article in the future when I get the chance to go back to Belgium.

When I went there, it was shortly after the November 2015 Paris attacks. The police was actively looking for terrorists in Brussels, troops were deployed and basically nobody was out there in the streets. The atmosphere was somehow surreal and very strange. I stayed the night in Brussels and left the city the following morning so my experience is very limited. Yet, here is my advice, for what it's worth.

Brussels

Go check the Hard Rock cafe out, it's one of the best I've seen in my life. Great stuff inside.
The Delirium Cafe is a must see, along with the Manneken Pis (the peeing kid statue), which is right by its side.
The Grand Place is stunning, either at night or during the day. Old buildings surrounding an imposing square.

Hong-Kong

Romain Pellerin — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 15:48:00 +0100

The above is a video from my trip in Hong-Kong, in 2016. We stayed at Oi Suen Guesthouse, located at 83 Argyle Street (8th Floor).

Things to know before going there

They drive on the left, because it is a British colony.
Just like most countries in East Asia, they have convenience stores everywhere. Most of them are open 24/7.
For transportation, buy an Octopus card. It is refundable (a charge will be applied though). You can also use it in many shops as a payment method.
There is free Wi-Fi at subway stations.
Most people speak good English.

Things to do

Victoria Peak (known as The Peak) offers an incredible view of the city. You can either take a bus or a taxi to get there. The latter option is not so expensive if the cost is split between several people. Pro tip: go there right before sunset to enjoy the view during daytime and at night. Do not forget to go to the highest point for a few dollars.
A market, like Ladies Market.
Tian Tan Buddha (aka the Big Buddha). Get there by taking the Ngong Ping 360 (an aerial tramway).
Star Ferry Pier at Tsim Sha Tsui (view over Hong Kong's bay). If you can afford it, go for a harbour cruise and attend the Symphony of Lights show at 8pm (price: 200 HKD).

England

Romain Pellerin — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 01:01:00 +0100

England is so much more than just England. This article sums up my past trips and my advice about what to do or see there.

London

London is to England what Paris is to France, plus the shittier weather minus all the monuments. It's a brilliant mix of new and old buildings, pop culture and traditions. All in all, here is my advice on what to do in London:

London Eye
Big Ben
Buckingham Palace (go see Changing the Guard)
Tower Bridge
The British Museum (it's free!)
The Shard
30 St Mary Axe
The Walkie-Talkie (aka 20 Fenchurch Street) and most specifically the Sky Garden: check out the opening hours cause walk-in guest access is restricted. Booking in advance is advised (it's free!).
Camden Town (cool district!)
Tate Modern (awesome modern art gallery)
Harrods (luxury department store)
Platform 9 3/4 and the Harry Potter shop, at King's Cross
Tower of London (aka Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London): the Jewel House is truly amazing!

Advice for first-time visitors

No need to tag off when getting off buses unless you want to get charged twice
Sometimes, buying an Oyster card is more expensive than a 1-day travelcard (around 12 pounds if my memory serves well). It's a paper ticket that allows you to ride buses, tram and the tube within the London travel zones, anytime after 9:30am Mondays to Fridays and all day on weekends.

Manchester

A beautiful small city, with a lot of industrial legacy. A couple of interesting stuff to do:

Beetham Tower
Check the pubs out, some of them have live bands playing at night, pretty much like in Ireland
Museum of Science and Industry

Liverpool

Land of soccer and the Beatles. Great city with plenty of activities. Quite close to Manchester. I remember going to at least two of these three places:

Merseyside Maritime Museum
The Beatles Story
Tate Liverpool

You should definitely check these places out!

The one time I went to Liverpool, I had the chance to attend a soccer match, Liverpool v Everton. What a great experience! The atmosphere was unique, everybody was cheering and acclaiming and drinking!

Bristol

Not too much to do there but yet quite a nice town, very typical. If you're just passing through, make sure to stop at the Clifton Suspension Bridge, an impresive highly suspended bridge! If you're afraid of heights, pass on that on.

That's it for now!

The USA

Romain Pellerin — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 01:00:00 +0100

Update: this article was updated in 2018 and 2024, following recent trips to the USA.

In 2016, I went to the US for the first time of my life. Here is a list of things I did and tips I gathered.

In short, I went to NYC for a week. Then I flew to Los Angeles, where I joined my friends. The following days we went to:

Santa Barbara (State Street is amazing).
Baker, CA, Kelso, CA and finally Kingman (slept in a motel).
The next day we discovered Kingman and then went to Williams (slept at The Historic Hat Ranch).
The next day we did a trail (Bright Angels) next to Tusayan, in the Grand Canyon. We went sleeping at a campground in Monument Valley (Goulding's Campground, if my memory serves well)
The next morning we rode horses in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (exact GPS coordinates: 36.934405, -110.070929). The afternoon was spent at Antelope Canyon. We slept near Page.
The next day we did the Horse Shoe Bend and swam in the Lake Powell. At night we slept in a hostel at Kanab.
The next day some of us went to Bryce Canyon. I went to Las Vegas.
The rest of the trip was spent in: Death Valley, Yosemite (for some of us) and San Francisco.

Now let's move on to my advice.

To know before getting there

At a red traffic light, you can legally turn right if no car is coming from the left side, unless there's a sign saying "No right turn on red".
There are many passes for American national parks which are great deals. If you plan to visit many parks, you definitely want to check them out before buying any individual ticket.
Same for most cities: CityPASS
In Arizona, it is legal to camp in any national forest, in dedicated areas, for free
If you rent a car, any additional driver must come and be physically present with their driving licence the day you're getting the car, otherwise the employee won't add them as an authorized driver.

Things to do in NYC

Manhattanhenge. Find the right spot, for the best picture. Happens only twice a year.

CityPass is a must for most travellers, it gives access to 6 major places, with incredible value.

Edit 2024: they updated their offers. There are now 3 different bundles, with increasing prices: 3 attractions (C3 - $104), 5 attractions (CityPASS - $146), or 10 (C·All $229).

I've been to NYC a couple of times. Here is a list of activities I did there (or did not but I would have loved to do).

During daytime

The following fews places are doable in a single day, in the following optimized order:

Little Italy, Chinatown and Soho: you can go for a free tour or do it by yourself. These neighborhoods are very close to one another, you can visit them in 2 hours.
Washington Square Park
Flat Iron & Madison Square (there are cute squirrels) & the video portal to Dublin
Empire State Building (up to the 86th floor)
Grand central: the train station
Rockefeller Center (late afternoon/early evening, to enjoy the sunset)

The rest is more time-consuming:

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: take the ferry, there are tours which include both locations for $18 (if my memory serves well). Dedicate half a day to that. The line to the boat from Battery Park can take up to an hour and a half. If you book it early enough (at least 3 months), you can also visit the crown of the statue.
Charging Bull, in Wall Street: I recommend you do it after coming back from Ellis Island, in the evening. It's less crowded.
Edge, Hudson Yards
The MoMA (Museum of Modern Art): at least 3 hours, the best floors are the 4th and the 5th
The MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Central park (don't miss out the Balto statue)
The American Museum of Natural History
The 9/11 Memorial Museum (it can take up to 3-4 hours, and at the very least 2 hours):
First, go down to the lowest floor, then make a left and head towards to room under the North Tower: it's the best part of the museum. It easily takes an hour, maybe an hour and a half to go through it.
Then, do the rest of the museum.
Don't forget about the 11-min film called "Rebirth", under the South Tower.
Coney Island
St. Mark's Place, in East Village
In Brooklyn: Williamsburg and Dumbo

The following places offer a great view at any time of the day. If you want to enjoy them as much as you can, my advice is to get there at around 7pm and stay for about 2 hours. This way you'll get the view at night also.

Times Square: don't forget to say hi to the Naked Cowboy
The Brooklyn Bridge, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and the piers below
Dumbo - Manhattan Bridge View
One World Trade Center
Check out the Bean Sculpture a few blocks away
The High Line (careful, it closes at 10pm)

At night

Broadway (the district referred to as, not the street): many theaters along Broadway Street and Times Square. Go watch a musical if you can!
Greenwich Village: it was the center of the folk music scene in the early 1960s. MacDougal Street was the Main Street of Greenwich Village. The most popular folksingers played in clubs on MacDougal.

Going to and from airports

LaGuardia

The LaGuardia Link Q70 bus line is fare free. Otherwise, they are other paid buses one can ride.

EWR - Newark Liberty International Airport

This one is tricky, there are many many options. Here are two, the most convenient + fastest one, and the cheapest one (from my experience!):

Convenient+fast: in 30 mins and for a little less than $20 and a single ticket, go to/leave from New York Penn Station and arrive directly at the aiport by riding the NJ TRANSIT train to Newark Liberty International Airport Station, then switch to AirTrain (using the same ticket), that will take you to your terminal.
Cheapest: in just under 60 minutes, go to/leave from New York Penn Station riding the NJ TRANSIT train to Newark Penn Station ($6), then get on the bus 62 (less than $2) to your terminal.

Paying for public transport in NYC

You can basically buy a MetroCard, pay directly with your phone/credit card by tapping it, or get OMNI. All 3 options are essentially the same, with subtle differences worth knowing if you want to save a few dollars:

My best advice remains: ride a Citibike!! (it's not cheap though 😂 - $19 per Day Pass)

Things to do in Philadelphia

Good to know: street parking there is pretty cheap, about $2.5 to $3 per hour.

Museum of Art
Rocky steps and Rocky statue
Washington Square
Liberty Bell
Independance Hall
Chinatown
Reading Terminal Market

Things to do in Washington

Arlington National Cemetery: JFK Gravesite and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Then, drive towards downtown, park somewhere cheap, and rent public bikes (Capital BikeShare)! It's only $8 per day, with unlimited 30-min rides.

Albert Einstein Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (quite big!)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
D.C. War Memorial
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
World War II Memorial
Washington Monument
The Capitol
The White House
Lafayette Square

If you're staying more than a day, then maybe you could visit the Pentagon.

Things to do in Atlanta

The Beltine is a must-see!
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park
The King Center
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tomb
King Jr Martin Luther- Birth Home
Jackson Street Bridge (famous scene from The Walking Dead)

We were told that the CNN studios tours are fun, as well as the Coca Cola factory. Also, Piedmont Park.

Outside of Atlanta, drive an hour south and go to Senoia, a filming location of The Walking Dead, featuring the Waking Dead Cafe, an official shop and Chris Twellmann's amazing shop! Thistown was used to film Woodburry and Alexandria.

Things to do in Orlando or nearby

An amusement park. However, be aware that DisneyWorld Magic Kingdom is stricly identical to Disneyland Paris, except for its price. Twice as expensive as its French counterpart.
3 Sister Springs
Wekiwa Springs
Cocoa Beach

Things to do in Miami

Check the Go Miami Card out, it might be worth buying one. It's more or less like a CityPass.

The Keys: allocate a full day if you plan to going to the southernmost island.
A air boat ride in the Everglades. We went with Gator Park. It's very cheap, about $20 per person, but we only got to see one alligator in the wild. Apparently, April to September is the nesting season so very few are out there, visible.
South Beach
Downtown, Hard Rock Café

Tips for Las Vegas

Old city center
The Strip, of course
You can drink any kind of beverage in casinos as long as you are playing (even if gambling only $1). Of course tipping is highly recommended.
Watch Las Vegas in 24 hours
Really funny slot machines:
Bamboo Panda in the Mirage Hotel
Aladin and the Magic Lamp at Casino Royale
Encore Beach Club is a nice place to go to
Omnia, in Caesar's palace, is a great nightclub
Same for XS Las Vegas
Looking for a good Airbnb host? Mine was great. Here's the address: 605 S Royal Crest Cir UNIT 20, Las Vegas, NV 89169

Places to see in Los Angeles

The Hollywood sign and Hollywood boulevard
The Perch (a rooftop bar)
Homer Laughlin Building
Santa Monica Pier
The Observatory (so much to see inside the building, plus the view of course)

Places to see in the Grand Canyon

Havasupai
Horseshoe bend
Antelope canyon (the Lower tour is supposedly better than the Upper): try to go around noon for optimal lighting.

Nice places to stay in Arizona

Hat Ranch: a Airbnb ranch in Williams
Travelodge in Kingman

San Francisco

Need some last minute gear? There you go!
Best bar EVER: Madrone Art Bar
Alcatraz
Mr Tipple: nice jazz bar, drinks are a bit expensive though
Golden Gate Park: do the Japanese garden and botanical garden, both are awesome
Golden Gate Bridge, of course
Castro
Chinatown
Japantown
Ride a cable car and visit for free the Cable Car Museum
Union square: check out the Love Sign at Grand Hyatt
Twin Peaks
Haight street
Lombard Street
Mission Dolores Park
Baker Beach
Martuni's: amazing piano bar
Isotope, on Fell Street: best comic shop of San Francisco. James, the owner, is a great guy, very friendly and helpful
Painted Ladies
Patricia's Green
Pier 39
Musée Mécanique: great stuff in there, prepare a lots of coins to spend

Other places to see

Death Valley: do the 3-hour horse ride
Sequoia National Park
Muir Woods National Monument
A Six flags park: there are such parks in most states
Mount Rushmore
Go to a drive-in theater, it's definitely worth it

Zion

If you go to Zion Park and happen to be in good shape and fearless, do the crazy Angels Langing trail! Book a full day for it though.

You will find here a more thorough description: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/angels-landing-trail

Don't have the time? Too scared? This one looks awesome too!

You might also want to check out other trails.

Yosemite

Do the round-trip trail to Glacier Point: awesome view!!!

Airlines

Romain Pellerin — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 12:50:00 +0100

This is a draft article about airlines I got to fly with.

Air France

Kind personel! Usually the crew is very welcoming. Great meals.

Aeroflot

They guess when you're thirsty (basically any time I would press the "Fly Attendant Call button"). However, their TV screens are slow as fuck. And yet they have the latest movies available. Sleeping masks (very comfortable by the way) and kind of slippers provided for free (economy class). Meals were good. WiFi is expensive (5 USD for 15 minutes). Meals were good and of different kinds.

Peach

Really cheap but very little service. I flew once with them, for barely two hours, maybe three.

Air India

Good personel. Great meals.

China Airlines

Great company although I don't remember much about the one time I flew with them.

easyJet

Small aircrafts, do not expect anything crazy, it is a low cost company. No meals, no Wi-Fi, no TV screens.

Ryanair

Same as easyJet.

Virgin America

Paid Wi-Fi (can be bypassed using a VPN, though). Drinks are free.

WOW air

Supposedly a low cost company. They charge everything else though, even my normal sized carry-on bagage. What you get for free is a tiny bag, not bigger than a backpack. No meal included (on a 9 hour flight). No Wi-Fi. No TV screens on seats. Even water is paid ($2.99).

One time, we showed up at the airport and the service agent could not find one of our paid hold luggage on our booking: she believed we hadn't paid for one piece, although we had. She had us pay at the desk in order to check in. Several weeks later, it took many emails to and from them to convince them it was an error from her to make us pay. I eventually got refunded.

Norwegian

Pretty much the same as WoW air, although they have TV screens. As far as I remember, you don't get any food or drinks for free. I was lucky enough to get on their first flight to New York City. Nice lighting in the cabin right after landing.

Oh, and they offer free WiFi.

Tui Fly

Nice one. On a 9 hour fly from Miami to Paris we got dinner and breakfast, plus sodas for free. Alcoholic drinks were paid. Seats are equipped with TV screens and fairly recent movies are available. No free or paid Wi-Fi on board. Quite big aircrafts, mine was a Boeing 787, Dreamliner.

Vueling

Low-cost spanish company. No free drinks or meals. When I flew with them, the had shortages of food, not everything on the menu was available. No TV screens. No wifi. Not much room for the legs. A classic low-cost airline, to sum it up.

TAP Air Portugal

The official portuguese airline? Even on short flights (~2 hours), we had a free meal and a beverage. No TV screens on the seats. Not much space for legs.

Joon

Owned by Air France, doomed to merge with Air France some time in 2019. I only flied with them to go to Berlin from Paris and back. Each time, I was served a snack or a sandwich with a drink (with or without alcohol) for free. No TV screens on seats. One time, I was denied boarding because you know, all airlines do overbooking, and that time I was one of the two lucky guys who checked in at the very last minute. Unfortunately, every expected passenger showed up, so no seat for me. They offered a 175 euro voucher + a night at a nearby Ibis hotel + taxi to and from hotel. I took the next morning flight for free of course but still, a pain in the ass...

United

On a 7+ hour flight, they served us two meals, fairly light if I'm honest (and looking at the calories tags! - around 600 to 700 kcal if I recall correctly). One right after taking off, one about an hour before landing. The second was the lightest one. Besides that, friendly staff, I could ask for more food after they were done serving everyone. Decent catalogue of movies to watch. Shitty buggy TV screens. We got a blanket and a travel pillow by default. They did not bother me with my overly big backpack (Decathlon Travel 100, 60 liters) when boarding.

Air Canada

Only flew with them on sub 2 hour flights (NYC -> Montreal, Toronto -> NYC). On one flight, the plane was small (4 seats per row, 2 on each side). It was a Embraer 175. Looked quite outdated. We got a snack (a drink and a cookie). Nice staff. Could not figure out where to plug the earphones lol. They did not bother me with my overly big backpack (Decathlon Travel 100, 60 liters) when boarding. Very big offering of movies (even Apple TV was available).

SWISS (Swiss International Air Lines)

Decent company. One regular carry-on + one small hand luggage included in the economy fare by default, for free. They also will transport ski equipment for free! Food and drinnks are paid, but got one bottle of water and a small chocolate bar for free. Would definitely and happily fly with them again!

Japan

Romain Pellerin — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 01:00:00 +0100

The above is a video from my trip there. If you can't play the video, click here.

In late 2016/early 2017, three friends of mine and I went for the first time of our lifes to Japan. In this article, I explain a few things about this fabulous country and I tell our trip.

A few words that you will need

Hello:
- Ohayō gozaimasu: in the morning (pronunciation: oh-hah-yoh goh-za-ee-muss)
- Konnichiwa: basically anytime, or most specifically in the afternoon (pronunciation: kohn-nee-chee-wah)
Thank you: Arigatou gozaimasu, although gozaimasu is optional but more polite (pronunciation: aligato goh-za-ee-muss)

Good to know

They love green tea, you will get some in almost every restaurant.
They drive on the left hand side. So, be careful on escalators, in most cities people will stand on the left hand side and walk up or down on the right hand side (not in Osaka though).
There are few public benches and garbages bins for mysterious reasons (1995 attack or overload of trash, homeless sleeping on benches...?). You will however find convenience stores (called konbinis) at every corner in which there are trash cans that you can use.
Buy a Suica card or Pasmo card for transportation (bus, subway, trains), so convenient! Both will work in most cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nara all accepted my Suica card). They basically do the same job.
Wishing to buy English books in Tokyo? Go check out Kinokuniya in Shinjuku or Book 1st, both separated from a walkable distance.
Regarding cash withdrawals, ATMs from 7-Eleven do not charge fees.
Most convenience stores are open 24/7 (7-Eleven stores are almost everywhere).
There are cheap lockers inside train stations that you can use to avoid carrying your luggage, when travelling (prices vary between ¥300 and ¥700, depending on the size).

My trip in 2016, city by city

On the first day, we landed at night at Haneda and went straight to our hostel, ARTNSHELTER. The next day we visited Odaiba and saw the Giant Gundam Statue. Then, we took a night bus to Osaka, quite pricey! The next morning, we arrived in Osaka around 7am. We did the whole city in a day: Umeda Sky Building (we could not go up there though because it was not open yet, we were too early), Osaka Castle and an amazing street on which there is a famous tower named Tsūtenkaku, located in Shinsekai. At night, we took a train for Kyoto.

We had booked a comfortable Airbnb, very cheap and well located. We stayed there for 3 days and 4 nights. Here is what we visited in Tokyo during our stay there:

Kinkaku-ji
Kiyomizu-dera
Higashiyama-ku and Shōhō-ji Temple (in the same ward)
Fushimi Inari-taisha (we went to the top, wonderful!)
Arashiyama: Iwatayama Monkey Park and the Bamboo Grove
Sanjūsangen-dō: an astonishing discovery
Kyoto Imperial Palace

Pro tip: during one day, we rented bikes which allowed us to go around more easily for only a few euros (roughly 10€ per person if my memory serves me well).

One evening, we went to a very nice bar, BAR ZAZAVIE (ザザビー). Great atmosphere, a bit expensive though. The one time we went there we were lucky enough to witness a jazz music concert. Address: 67−3 Kitanoshimohakubaichō, 603-8326 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Kita-ku. Another evening, we went to a great restaurant called Kushihachi. It has delicious sushis and the staff is friendly. Address: 33-1 Kitanokamihakubaichō, 603-8325 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Kita-ku.

Then, we left Kyoto and took a train for Nara. There we did the city in a day: Tōdai-ji, Nara Park, famous for its deer and Kasuga-taisha. At the end of the day, once again we took a night bus, for Tokyo this time.

We spent some of the remaining days in a cosy Airbnb, not too far from the Tokyo Skytree that we did a few days later. Here is a list of some of the places we visited:

Shibuya and its world–renowned crossing, which can be observed from the first floor of the Starbucks. Furthermore, Shibuya has a restaurant we enjoyed many times, Sushi-Nova: sushis served on conveyor belts, automatically; quite cheap (or at least very affordable). GPS coordinates of Sushi-Nova: 35.660140, 139.698121.
Asakusa and the Sensō-ji temple: great area! If you get a chance to find a hotel or a Airbnb room there, go for it! It is very relaxing and quiet.
Ueno Park and its zoo (the zoo was closed though)
Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine
Two towers: as I wrote above, the Tokyo Skytree plus the Tokyo Tower (the one that almost looks like the Eiffel Tower)
Tsukiji Fish Market
Shinjuku
Roppongi: Maman (a giant spider sculpture). There's an observation deck at the top of the building next to the sculpture, if you're willing to pay (we weren't).
Akihabara: the video games/manga neighborhood

Eventually, the last day we left Tokyo from Narita airport. The cheapest and most convenient way to reach that airport from downtown is by riding one of THE ACCESS NARITA's buses.

Things I wish I did

Go kart in Tokyo. Note that it requires a driving licence translated in Japanese (it costs a few euros).
The Shinkansen high-speed train
Hiroshima
Get a better view of the Mount Fuji (go closer?)
Witness sumo wrestling

Interesting online resources

Why do Japanese people wear surgical masks? It’s not always for health reasons

Travels: tips and tricks

Romain Pellerin — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 23:35:00 +0100

During the last 12 months, I've had the chance to travel quite a lot (The Netherlands, Belgium, UK, US, South Korea, Hong-Kong, Japan). Thanks to these experiences, I have gathered quite a few pieces of advice regarding how to prepare, organization, etc. I'll keep updating this article as I travel.

Before departing

Carry-on: make sure you have a few clothes in the cabin, don't pack everything into the hold luggage.

Make sure you have VLC installed on your Android phone to watch movies and/or TV series. VLC in more convient for that it supports a wider variety of formats and allows one to add subtitles. Also, you should have an offline access to what you intend to watch on your mobile phone or laptop, along with subtitles.

You may want an Internet access. Most airlines will offer Wifi for a few dollars, however if you have a VPN set up somewhere in the world you might be able to access the Internet for free using it. More importantly, even though you decide to pay, you may want to protect your privacy. How so?

It is better to know your VPN's IP, it makes things easier.
OpenVPN is handy, and there's an Android app for that (free!)
The VPN server should be reachable on ports 80, 443, 53 (DNS) or any other random one. Indeed, those are the ports less likely to be blocked. 53 is the preferred if you want to reach your VPN without paying.

Last but not least, take outlet adapters (practically all planes are US outlets compatible). In addition, a USB to AC converter would come very handy, as there are more often USB outlets than AC power plugs. This way you can use a laptop.

Before ending this ending, very few people know that but French citizens can get the taxes they paid back if they miss their flight or if it gets cancelled. Source: Peut-on se faire rembourser les taxes si on rate ou annule son voyage en avion ?

General advice for travelers

Plan two activities per day TOPS, if you want to enjoy them as much as possible and avoid being in a rush all the time
Bringing little gifts from your home country to your Airbnb hosts is always a good idea and will please them
Plan you trip in advance and thoroughly, and make that plan available to everyone in your group so that no one has to worry about anything

Don't get lost

Here are two great Android apps that you can use for free to find routes and points of interests in most cities in the world.

Google Maps, with the "Offline" feature. It allows you to download maps so that you can use them offline (it does not work in a few countries though, those that do not let Google access their maps, such as South Korea). This app is pre-installed on Android devices.
OsmAnd, available on the Google Play Store. It uses OpenStreetMap's data so it is basically available everywhere, thanks to users' contributions. Likewise, it has offline features which provide a great level of details.

Useful link for travelers

South Korea

Romain Pellerin — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 00:35:00 +0200

Update January 12, 2017

During my stay in South Korea, we also went to Busan (we slept at Kimchee Guesthouse which I highly recommend). There, we went hiking in the mountain to reach Seokbulsa Temple. We also went to beaches, namely Gwangalli and Songjeong. At the end of the semester, we went back to Seoul and had a chance to visit Gangnam. In addition, we went see the gigantic and impressive Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in OECD and the 5th tallest building in the world.

The Changgyeonggung palace.

I was given the opportunity to go abroad do an exchange program, during the 2016 Fall semester. My destination? South Korea! My school there? Apparently one of the best of the country, KAIST, in Daejeon. It had no idea about its ranking back when I applied for this school.

Seoul

In August 2016, I landed in Seoul. With other people from my French school we spent a week there, mostly visiting and discovering the Korean culture. Our guesthouse was located in a great neighborhood called Hongdae. Very lively area!

Views from the N-tower (pictures above and below).

A Korean barbecue.

The Gwangjang market.

The Gyeongbokgung palace (pictures above and below).

Rooftops.

Funny facts about South Korea

Korean full names (given name + surname) have usually three syllables in total.
Korean men wear sandals all the time, even in winter, with socks. The same kind of sandals you see at the swimming pool.
They have loads of convenient stores open 24/7, at almost every corner. Main companies are 7-Eleven and GS25.
In these shops, you can buy instant coffee and other similar beverages for less than ₩1,000 (roughly €0.80). What's cool about that is you can make your coffee yourself, right after payment by pouring hot (or cold) water in a paper cup. Most of the convenient shops have such kind of machines, and it's free.
Similarly, box noodles are very popular and pretty cheap (less than ₩1,000). However, always ask a Korean about spiciness. If they say "it's OK, just a little bit spicy", then it means it's hot as hell.
Windows and MacOS are the main operating systems used. Unfortunately, Linux is rarely encountered.
Talking about computers, the Koreans have no problem leaving their laptops unlocked in public spaces.
Spitting seems OK outdoors. However, blowing one's nose is considered rude. It's pretty hard to find tissues in shops.
Driving there, especially in Seoul, is crazy. Taxi drivers try to go as fast as possible, they don't give a shit about traffic lights and speed limit. They don't use their seat belts.
Most drivers have dash cams under their windshield. In some taxis there is also a camera filming the interior.
One would expect pedestrians and cyclists to have priority over motorists. Nah! You'd better watch out before crossing.
One thing that's pretty cool is the Internet speed. In addition, there are Wi-Fi access points everywhere and most of them are free.
In general, cost of living is slightly lower than in France. However, some goods can be expensive such as cakes or pastries. Conversely, restaurants are very cheap.
Everybody is naked in saunas and hammams.
Smoking is quite common but not as much as in Europe. It's very rude to smoke while walking. In some places, there are smooking booths in the streets. Yet smoking is permitted in night clubs, even on the dance floor.
Some scooters have funny flashy LED strip lights.
In the subway, in each car there are seats reserved for the elderly or pregnant women, at far ends. Do not try to seat there even if they are all unoccupied.
Receiving and giving must be done with both hands. For instance, when giving money to the cashier.
People take off their shoes when entering houses. The reason is likely the Korean lifestyle: people used to eat on very low tables back in the day, and still today in some restaurants.
Most people are very quiet in the subway or in buses. Making a lot of noise is considered rude.
It's pretty hard to find trashcans in public spaces.
Many Koreans dress up in matching outfits, especially young couples.
Most young Korean girls pose very weirdly for photos: either the "peace" pose or they let their heads float on their hands (or shape their hands in a V around their head).
Korean cities are colorful and full of neons. But they also have huge apartment blocks, which make them very ugly.
Young couple use love motels to... well, have sex.
They use a different age system. Basically, as soon as someone is born, that person is one year old. Then, the next 1th of January, everyone gets one year older. For instance, if someone is born on the 31th of December, he will be 1 year old that day. The next day (January 1), he will be two years old. And a year from that day (so next January 1), he will be three years old. Korean people use the birthday age system (the one most countries in the world use) rarely.
Some toilets are... confusing.

KAIST (Daejeon)

One funny thing about KAIST is that, when you mention that you're studying at KAIST, people are very impressed and respectful. They almost immediately assume you're very smart. Weird feeling at first, then you kind of get used to it... ha ha. Let us now talk about what it is like to study there.

The campus is just gigantic.

With more than 10,000 students, it has any kind of facilities you might expect, and even more:

1 sports complex
Dozens of dormitories
7 fitness centers, open 24/7
3 cafeterias (you can have lunch and dinner for less than ₩4000 and yet be sated)
Restaurants (prices vary from ₩4000 to ₩6000, on average)
Fast food restaurants
A bike shop
A barber
A clinic and a pharmacy
Cafes and a bar
A swimming pool
An auditorium
Libraries
A LOT of classrooms
A stadium
Tennis courts
A bank

All dormitories are not mixed and most of them are made of small rooms shared by 2 people of the same sex. My roommate is a French man studying Computer Science as well, called Bastien.

My bed is the one on the left.

I took 4 courses for the whole semester:

CS453 Automated Software Testing
CS459 Services Computing
CS540 Network Architecture
KSE652 Social Computing Systems Design and Analysis

For every course, I have two classes per week, each of them last for 1 hour and 15 minutes. So in total, I have 10 hours of class per week, which may seem very little but on the other hand we get so much homework to do. Most of the time, between two classes of the same course, we have a bunch of papers (publications) to read online, that we're supposed to sum up. Sometimes, we even get questions to answer. I'd say we have an average of 6 hours of homework per course per week. By the way, all Fridays are off. Here is my timetable:

During our first week at KAIST, we had the chance to attend many performances in the auditorium. It was kind of a welcome ceremony.

Finally, here are two photos taken in Daejeon.

This term, there are more than 250 exchange students, mostly coming from Europe.

Travel tips

Buy a T-money card, it works in almost every city for buses, subway and trains. Most convenience stores are open 24/7 (7-eleven stores are almost everywhere).

Things I wish I had visited

Nami Island
Petite France

Useful links

Learning A Foreign Language

Romain Pellerin — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 17:20:00 +0100

Learning a foreign language is not easy whatsoever. In this article, I try to gather all the techniques and tips I used to learn a foreign language, English. I also put into perspective all those years spent learning. For the last couple of months, I made some research about languages. I'm actually really into being as fluent as possible in this language, my ideal goal would be being completely bilingual and sound like a native speaker (although some people might find the French accent "cute").

I was lucky enough to get taught English early, when I was around 9 or 10 years old. As of that period, I've never stopped having English classes. But as the world knows, French people really suck at English and disregard it completely. I would also add that our educational system regarding foreign languages is not that good. People don't get involved. It might be one of the reasons why our level is not as high as our European neighbors'. However, from a personal point a view, I've always been extremely interested in English, whereas I completely gave up Spanish after high school. English is the Wold language thus I see no point in learning a third language, despite Spanish might be more spread than French. What is more, English is ubiquitous in Computer Science.

A few years ago, right after graduating from high school, I started being even more interested in English, willing to work harder in order to improve my level. As I was heading towards Computer Science studies, I realized how important this language would be for me, in the long term. That was the starting point of my English learning journey. A sheer dive into that language.

Stages

There are a few stages one has to go through during the process of learning a foreign language. What follows is about how English is taught in France.

Education

The very first step is learning the basics, simple sentences, etc. That's what school is for. Being able to introduce yourself, talk about your family and interests, ask simple questions or get help from passers-by. That's basically what we learn in France in elementary school. At the end, pupils are supposed to have a A1 level (it's a European level). Then, comes middle school and more complex grammar. You get to know the tenses, and have dozens of irregular verbs to learn by heart. You also learn how to express common feelings or whishes and build conditional clauses. This will leave students with a B1 level. For the next three years of high school, teaching would continue, going a bit further, to finally reach a B2 level (supposedly, in facts most of people don't have such a level).

Then starts higher education. Students can choose freely to keep studying English or not, mostly depending on their studies. I did continue.

After that period, unless they were actually studying languages (or English), most people feel like they hadn't made huge progress over their college years. It seems like they've reached the peak and can no long make any significant progress. Of course you improve your vocabulary, you get used to new expressions, your general oral and reading comprehension increase a bit, but not that much. Unless you decide to take the bull by the horns, on your own.

Active and passive vocabulary

It has been demonstrated that each individual has two categories of vocabulary for each language they know: the active vocabulary and the passive one. The latter is basically made of known words but that you wouldn't use normally, out of the blue. You know the definition or the meaning, you just don't use it. If you hear it or read it, you would understand. On the contrary, the active vocabulary includes all the — known — words you would daily — or often — use, either when talking or writing.

According to this website, native English speakers have an average of 20.000 words in their active vocabulary whereas they have around 40.000 in their passive. This is a gigantic difference.

My guess is that all along your course to learn a foreign language, your two types of vocabulary evolve like this:

When you take up classes during childhood, your two kinds of vocabulary are mixed up. A some point they slightly fork, like after elementary school. Then, when you have your first experience abroad, your amount of passive and active vocabulary will usually soar. But still, the gap between the two of them increases, making an even bigger difference.

I personally reached that stage where I can fluently read an English book written by a journalist without having to look words up too frequently. And yet, my oral expression is not that good.

Consequently, the following parts of this article will then be dedicated to finding efficient and handy ways to reduce that growing gap.

Let's code something

From September 2015, I'm having my longest experience abroad, taking place in the Netherlands, a country where every single person speaks English (which is really awesome for a French country boy like me).

In November, I decided to start writting down all the unknown vocabulary or expressions I would come across, in a text file. Then, as the file was growing bigger and bigger, I thought I needed something else. Going back through that long list would have been painful and not convenient. I needed something I could do wherever and whenever I want. Most of all, I wanted to keep a trace of my improvements.

I spent some time for reflection and I eventually came up with an idea: a mobile app. Indeed, I carry my smartphone everywhere and thus can use it at any time. I also thought that a Tinder-like app might just be perfectly suited for my need. The idea was to swipe left if the word was unknown, swipe right otherwise. The definition would appear on a swipe left.

With such an app, I would get exposed to my vocabulary list frequently, many times a day. The words swiped left would be more likely to appear often, whereas those swiped right would appear rarely.

Today, I'm proud to announce that the project is officially available on Github. It's open source, so feel free to contribute. Moreover, the app has been published on the Android Play Store. Finally, here is the website to create an account and add words or expressions to lists.

Let's now move on to other ways to reduce that gap between active and passive vocabulary.

Reading

Reading is key to a drastic increase of your vocabulary. You stumble upon loads of unknown words, complex expressions, strange clauses and so on.

Online newspaper are a great solution to get used to expressions commonly written. Specialized newspapers are great as well to meet specific vocabulary.

Books (novels, journalists's books, comics) are other rich sources of knowledge and vocabulary. It might be of any kind but what's sure is that you will learn. I find comics really useful when it comes to learning some slang.

Watching

TV series are the equivalent of comics: full of slang vocabulary, hardly enunciated, whereas movies are richer. Nonetheless, they are really efficient and most of the time they will teach you the correct pronounciation of unknown words. It's also easy to get acquinted to British and American accents.

One can alos watch the news. Journalists normally have a good pronounciation and use fairly simple vocabulary.

Listening

The Internet is full of high-quality podcasts, take advantage of them if you don't have much time to spend reading or watching.

Writing

Finally, I need to mention writing. It's not well known, and that's a pity. But writing is one of the most efficient ways to put into practice what you daily learn and make sure you don't forget it. It's just like rehearsing. Write blog posts, write comments, send out emails, but get out of your comfort zone and do it in a foreign language!

If you have the opportunity, write reports in English as well, or give presentations in English, and so on.

There's no frontier to knowledge, embrace a foreign language right now :-)

Resources

Here is a really good blog to go even further with foreign languages. And the guy who owns the blog also gives talks sometimes, here is one from him, about reading comprehension:

To conclude, try to read this. Good luck!

Going further with German

5 of the most cringeworthy mistakes I’ve made in German

Going further with English

I decided to gather here all the little things to know in English, which are not obvious.