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Europe

Athens Insiders, Monastiraki Square
Blog, Greece

Athens Insiders Tour: Uncover the Hidden Stories of the City

I told her I thought she was courageous to have built her own company with her partners.  She answered: “What else do you want to do when the unemployment rate in your country is 25%…” I met Natalie, the co-founder of Athens Insiders, at the Monastiraki Square after our day of exploration. My boyfriend and I decided to visit the Acropolis and the Arch of Hadrian by ourselves during the day, and we were kind of saturated by historical facts when we met up with Natalie. Specialized in tailor-made experiences, she asked us what we wanted to do. “Anything but historical sites. We want to see the modern Athens, and we love street art!”, we said. We were in good hands to discover the city like locals with Athens Insiders. Monastriaki Flea Market With its piles of colourful chairs, antiques and bizarre wicker motorcycles, Monastiraki flea market was lively. People didn’t seem to mind the rainy day and walked around at a fast pace. It was a good starting point for our walking tour around Athens’ neighbourhoods. We followed Natalie through the streets and she soon stopped to buy a koulouri. Half-way between a bagel and a pretzel, koulouris can be found anywhere […]

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What to do on Naxos island
Blog, Greece

Road Trip on Naxos : From Door to Door

Sometimes, you meet a man who is supposed to be a one night stand, and finally you end up in a beautiful love relationship with him. I feel the same thing happened with Naxos.  If you’re not familiar with Greek islands other than the outdoor shopping mall that is Santorini, Naxos is the biggest of the Cycladic Islands. It’s also a place where bus schedules don’t coincide with ferry schedules in September, leaving you with no choice but to rent a car. We could also have chosen to rent a scooter, but in that case, I would have had to abandon my boyfriend or my backpack. And since I would have had to carry my backpack by myself in both cases, I decided to rent a car. “Can you drive standard?”, I asked my boyfriend. “I could in 2003.”, he answered. After several humiliating attempts, we managed to leave the car rental company. I did a thumbs up to the owner to reassure him that we would find a way to bring back the car, ideally in one piece. The man was not impressed. We were! Naxos is the real thing. Of course, when you get off the ferry, there are tons […]

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Blog, Destinations, Moyen-Orient, Réflexion, Turquie

Istanbul, 12 janvier

Les attentats, ça arrive toujours ailleurs. Sauf que quand on voyage, ailleurs c’est parfois ici, au coin de la rue. Ce matin-là, on était devant la Mosquée Bleue, en bons touristes, tout près de l’Obélisque de Théodose. On décidait de notre plan pour la journée quand on a entendu le bruit sourd. Un bruit qui vous traverse les os. Pas d’envolée d’oiseaux qui suive, que le silence, comme si tout avait été mis sur pause pendant une seconde. Notre première réaction a été de regarder les Turcs autour de nous pour voir si c’était normal. Tout est nouveau à l’arrivée dans une nouvelle ville: les odeurs, les lieux, les bruits. Mais, à voir les réactions, on a su que ça n’allait pas. Les marchands sortaient de leurs boutiques, les serveurs laissaient leurs clients, les gens couraient pour voir ce qui se passait. En sens inverse, d’autres couraient pour s’éloigner, en nous disant de ne pas aller là-bas. « Il y a eu une bombe. » On entre dans la première boutique qu’on voit. Entre deux racks de foulards et des versions miniatures de la Mosquée Bleue, on se colle, on fait de la place aux autres touristes pendant que le marchand nous […]

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