JEONJU – Cradle of Korea’s Cultural Heritage and Home to the Country’s Best Food

When you look at pictures of Jeonju’s famous Hanbok Village, you might think that we are dealing with a cute small town where time has been standing still for centuries. But no, with almost 700,000 inhabitants, Jeonju is actually a bustling’n’busy mid-sized city. Nevertheless, the cultural heritage is the most celebrated side of Jeonju – together with the best food Korea has to offer.

Roofs of the old town of Jeonju in Korea.
Jeonju’s historic Hanok Heritage Village from above.

Mind you, Jeonju’s amazingly rich culinary scene even catapulted the city onto the list of Creative Cities for Gastronomy as part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in 2012. Hence, it’s no wonder that Jeonju is one of Korea’s most important tourist centers.

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The World’s Largest Mural in Incheon

Basically, all visitors to Korea have heard about a place called Incheon – for the simple fact that the city 28 kilometers west of the capital Seoul is home to the country’s busiest airport. But this major hub has also an amazing superlative in store: According to the Guinness Book of Records, Incheon is home to the World’s Largest Mural!

The world's largest Mural in Incheon seen from the Wolmi Sea Train.
16 books are guiding the young boy through life.
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INCHEON – Best Things to Do in Korea’s Only Chinatown

Basically, all visitors to Korea have heard about a place called Incheon – for the simple fact that the city 28 kilometers west of the capital Seoul is home to the country’s busiest airport. But this major hub is by far not all Incheon has to offer. In this post, I’m sharing with you the best things to do on a day trip to Korea’s only official Chinatown.

Chinatown Incheon
The backside of Incheon’s famous Paeru, the entrance gate into Korea’s Chinatown.
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BERLIN – a Guide to the Wild Wild East

A complete guide to Berlin ‘s Wild East – namely the part of Germany’s capital that used to be behind the proverbial Iron Curtain, obviously.

Mural at the East Side Gallery in Berlin introduced in a Guide to the city's Wild East
At the East Side Gallery, on this picture by street artist and wall painter Birgit Kinder you can see a Trabant – aka Trabi – one of two types of cars that were manufactured in the former GDR and everyone in the west made fun of. The Trabi is crashing through a wall – guess which one – and its license plate reads Nov 9, 89 – the date the gates to the west were open and the wall – and finally the GDR – came down.

Formerly the capital of the GDR, Berlin’s Eastern neighborhoods actually changed really fast for the better and cooler and are more exciting than the full and settled West today.

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All You Need to Know Before Visiting a Korean Spa

An important part of Korean culture is the so-called Jjimjilbang. A Jjimjilbang is a public bathhouse consisting of traditional saunas and pools. The latter are not used to cleanse the body; this should be done thoroughly before entering the thermal pool. The Jjimjilbang’s facilities are designed for leisure and relaxation. Therefore, it is unsurprising that some establishments even allow customers to sleep there overnight. When visiting a traditional Korean bathhouse, certain procedures are expected, and strict rules must be followed. In this post, I have put together everything you need to know when visiting a Korean Spa so that you don’t make any mistakes even as a first-time visitor.

SPA in Seoul, one of the best things to do in Seoul, hence here is All You Need to Know Before Visiting a Korean Spa.
Insendong’s cozy SPA.
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Best And Most Beautiful Bookstores in Seoul

If every country was like Korea, amazon, kindle, and co. wouldn’t stand a chance: The number of bookstores and public libraries is just incredible – almost like in ye olden days of literature. There are actually entire streets lined with good old-fashioned stores where you can smell the scent of freshly printed pages, hear the rustling of paper, see beautifully designed covers – in short: A feast for all your senses. The shop owners have tried to give their stores an individual touch and arrange and present the books like works of art. Cozy reading corners and integrated coffee shops invite you to browse on-site and make Seoul’s bookstores and libraries wonderful places to spend a rainy afternoon.
In this post, I’m introducing my personal favorites among the best and most beautiful bookstores in Seoul.

Renata Green at the Seoul Book Bogo, one of the best and most beautiful bookstores in Seoul.
Mesmerized by a tunnel of books.
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Best Things to Do in SEOUL: The Must-Dos And the Hidden Gems

No matter if you stay two days in Seoul or two weeks: This exciting city has so much to offer that basically any stay will be far too short. However, to ensure that you get to see not only the most significant must-dos but also some of the countless hidden gems in Seoul, I clustered this guide according to eight very different neighborhoods. This way, you save on commuting and can invest all your precious time in the best things to do in Seoul.

Change of the guards at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
Despite Korea’s booming economy and industrialization, there is still a lot of culture and heritage to indulge in.
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PARIS for Free!

In my last post on Paris, I introduced the Paris Museum Pass* which makes every culture vulture’s stay in the self-proclaimed city of light smoother and, most importantly, far cheaper.
While that’s already pretty great, it actually gets even better: There are tons of fantastic things to see in Paris for free! Whether inspiring museums, amazing views, lush parks and gardens – the old saying that the best things in life Paris are free is absolutely right!
So leave your wallet at home and let’s explore Paris completely free of charge.

Eiffel Tower and a Carousel in Paris. Paris for free.
You can make Paris your playground without breaking the bank.
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One Day in SOLLER, DEIA, and VALLDEMOSSA – Famous Places for Famous People

Although Soller, Deia, and Valldemossa are three of the most beautiful towns and therefore secondary residences of many rich and famous, they can be conveniently visited on a self-guided day trip by public bus. All you need is an elaborate timetable which I put together for you in this post.

Soller Deia Valldemossa, famous places on the Westcoast.
Pleasingly arranged buildings’n’bushes at the center of Deía.

As a matter of fact, there are two versions: One includes a ride on the historic Tren de Sollér, and the other one even a couple of relaxing hours on the beautiful beach of Port de Sollér. All that’s left to do for you is to choose.

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Best Street Art in PARIS: How Mehdi Ben Cheikh Transformed the 13th Arrondissement Into An Open-Air Gallery

Yes, there is the Eiffel Tower. D’accord, you need to pay the Louvre a visit. Okay, let’s go on a walk alongside the River Seine. But besides all this, make sure to pay also some of the lesser-known and underrated arrondissements a visit. Because it’s right there where the best street art in Paris is waiting for you!

Mural by Pejac - the best street art in Paris.
If you cannot see right away why this mural by Pejac is simply genius, you need to take a closer look. Or check out the zoom below.

Under the aegis of Parisian art dealer and cultural entrepreneur Mehdi Ben Cheikh, the 13e arrondissement in particular has undergone an impressive revival from an a bit run-down part of the city into an open-air gallery.

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