The Street Food of Athens, Greece

… under the looming gaze of the Parthenon, lies the Monastiraki section of the city. Take a stroll through this bustling neighborhood where vendors sell fish, meat and vegetables alongside more touristy fare of T-shirts, worry beads and replicas of ancient vases, and you’ll come across one of my all-time favorite treats : roast chestnuts. You have to work a little at peeling back the crispy outer layer, but it’s worth it! Chestnut vendors sell roast corn as well — tastes great with a sprinkle of Greek sea salt on top.

The Hiding Place: Haarlem, The Netherlands

In 1940 the Nazi’s invaded Holland and before long were rounding up Jews and political dissidents, sending them off to prisons, concentration camps and forced labor. In a tall, narrow home just steps away from the Grote Markt, an elderly clock maker and his two unmarried, middle-aged daughters put plans in motion to save as many as they could.

Cortona For The Tuscan Food And Wine Lover

The first thing I think of when Italy comes to mind is food – well, food and wine. Our most recent trip to Cortona, Italy, proved to be more wonderful and delicious than I could have ever imagined. We stayed less than five minutes from the main village at the magnificent Villa Marsili. The close proximity to the rustic Italian village proved to be an advantage to our appetites, if a disadvantage to our waistlines.

City Break in Porto, Portugal

When visiting Portugal’s second city, Porto, I found it was possible to escape the rat race for a weekend and return relatively refreshed, with by a wallet that didn’t feel as though it had accompanied Paris Hilton on a shopping trip. Unlike much of Western Europe, Portugal still offers travellers excellent value for money, even in the main metropolises of Lisbon and Porto.