Wine, Escargots and a Warm Winter Sun

Yesterday I told you about Saint Paul de Vence in France. Well, I love this village so much I can write about it every day. Here goes. Three things you need to do when you’re there: Enjoy the views. Park your car outside the village walls and take in the scenery...

France’s version of Jaisalmer

Remember when I told you about Jaisalmer, the fort in Rajasthan made of mud and sand? Well, last week we were in the south of France and on one of our road trips we came across Saint Paul de Vence, a little village that – from a distance – looks a bit like...

Say a little prayer

In and around Leh we visited the most beautiful monasteries and one thing I like in particular are the prayer wheels. These prayer wheels are cylindrical wheels on a spindle you can spin round and round. The wheels are decorated with lines of prayers, so turning the wheel...

Jule! Jule! Jule!

Young ones. Old folks. Sales men. And even the kids playing on the streets in Leh say Jule. At first we had no idea what it meant, but Jule means a lot: it’s a friendly way of saying hello, nice to meet you, goodbye,welcome and how are you. It’s never been...

Stupefying Shanti Stupa

After cold nights in tents, altitude sickness on the high passes and 21 loop-roads we finally arrive in Leh. One of the most beautiful sights in Leh is the Shanti Stupa. While we visit we learn it was built quite recently by Indian and Japanese Buddhists. Of course the...

Be Gentle On My Curves

Two days after the Gata Loops we are driving on the More Plains. A plateau with huge, golden mountains on either side. There’s no road here so to get from one side to the other you have to drive through tons of sand. Some parts are more sandy than others and our stubborn...

Jain Temple

If there would ever be an award for most beautiful temple the Jain temple between Jodhpur and Udaipur would definitely be nominated. Don’t miss it when you’re in Rajasthan! It’s made of marble and has 1444 marble pillars. Every corner, wall or floor has...

1 road, 21 loops!

We continue our drive from Sarchu (the tented camp that you can read about here) and the first thing we come across is Gata Loops. This is not just some road with a few hair pins. No, this road has 21 hair pins in a row! 21! They take you from 4200 meters to 4667 meters...

Varanasi and the Ganges river

Everybody has their own rituals. Mine is a refreshing shower in the morning to wake up. Clean, fresh water. In Varanasi,  India people wash themselves in the river Ganges. Not to clean themselves, but because they believe that it’s a sacred place and that bathing in...

Camping in the Himalayas

I’m not the biggest camping fan but staying in a tent in the middle of the Himalayas, far from a living soul or village did appeal to me. And so we spend the night in Sarchu, first stop on the road from Manali to Leh. In a tented camp (the village named Sarchu...

The Roof Of the World

On the highway from Manali to…wait. Did I say highway? Correction: on the rocky, steepy, sometimes partly missing road from Manali to Leh you will pass Baralachala. A high mountain pass that is roughly some 4900 meters high. Try running at this height and you will be...

Bonne Nuit in Hôtel l’ Armoiries

I’ve never really thought of the Côte d’ Azur as the perfect winter getaway, but now that we’re here, the South of France during winter season has won my heart. Of course we’re lucky that it’s 17 degrees Celsius outside with blue skies and a...

Nice = nice

Cheesy, I know, but Nice is nice and that’s the truth. Especially the old part of town is great for a late lunch with spaghetti vongole, polenta, cheese salads and super thin crispy pizza’s. Today we walked the Promenade des Anglais, a boulevard as long as the...

Valbonne

Quite unexpectedly we ended up in the South of France this week. In Valbonne to be exact. Valbonne means “The good valley”  and it does its name justice. The history of this village dates back to the Romans. It is said that Roman military camps were the basis...

Little Vagator Beach

It’s rainy and windy in Amsterdam – some people call it a storm – and it’s during these days that I think back to all the different beaches we’ve visited over the years. Relaxing, cool and beautiful beaches. Little Vagator Beach in Goa, India...