Top 5 hidden hot-spots in Amsterdam
| July 19th, 2010 | No Comments » | Netherlands, Sponsored Posts, Travel Tips
Note: This is a sponsored post from Easytobook.com. As you know, I normally do not accept sponsored articles on Pause The Moment unless I feel that the article is relevant to the site content and if it may be of interest of my readership. I chose to accept this article because I felt that it may be useful for some of my readers who may be planning on visiting Amsterdam in the near future. Feel free to leave a comment below if you find this article useful.
Amsterdam is one of the most popular European cities to visit in the world. The beautiful canals, green parks, stressed-free atmosphere and obviously the Red Light District and coffee shops- all make it a desirable location to visit over and over again. Because many visitors tend to come back to Amsterdam for a second or third round, we gathered here some of the best hidden hot-spots which are not mentioned in the standard guide books but still worth visiting:
1. “Ctaste”- dining in the dark restaurant – Address: Amsteldijk 55 1074 HX Amsterdam
Tel: +31-(0)6 22335366:
This is a truly unique experience for everybody! Enjoy an evening where you will be using your all senses- except seeing naturally.
The food is served by blind individuals and before entering the dark eating room, you will be welcome in the restaurant’s lounge area where you will get a wide explanation about the whole experience. For those of you who are allergic for some kinds of food- no need to worry- the waiter will give you the chance to inform him about things you simply cannot or do not want to eat.
2. “Café Vertigo”- Address: Vondelpark 3, Amsterdam, NH 1071 AA Netherlands:
This charming café could not be located in a better spot-right in the middle of the famous Vondelpark, underneath the Dutch Film Museum. Not only the location will blow you away but also the décor and the delicious food. The combination of the green surrounding, relaxed environment and the sounds of birds- will all make it an incredible after noon. The greatest advantage of this café is the option to visit the film museum after a pleasant lunch. 
The Top 15 Photos from our Travels to Egypt!
| July 16th, 2010 | 15 Comments » | Egypt, Photography, Travel
1. Waves crashing on my friend Crumb in Alexandria, Egypt.
2. The Alexandria Library (Bibliotheca Alexandrina)
3. Just another day on Egyptian Public Transportation.
4. Mmm, Egyptian Tea!
Milos, an island with more than 70 Beaches!
| July 14th, 2010 | 2 Comments » | Greece, Travel
Believe it or not, the island of Milos has more than 70 beaches! Yes, 70! It’s hard to believe considering the island measures only 14 miles from East to West and 8 miles from North to South.
The four of us decided to rent a car or the day and split the cost which made it very affordable at 35 Euro/day. Minutes after Nick signed his life away, we were on our way to see only three of the seventy plus beaches that saturate the quiet island of Milos.
Our first stop was one of Milos’ most famous beaches, Sarakiniko. When we arrived we realized exactly why it was one of the best beaches on the island.
Sarakiniko
Sarakiniko beach is the most photographed landscape in the Aegean Sea. This isn’t your typical beach back at home. Sarakiniko is made up of bright white volcanic rock that takes its form from being cut, and carved by the wind and the waves of the sea. There are many caves that line the edge of the sea and there is even a small natural bridge that can be crossed.
If you’re an adrenaline seeker, there are many cliff jumping opportunities here! As usual, make sure you swim out to the spot first to find out what the depth is before jumping!
Pahena
Pahena is a less known beach on the north side of the island located just down the street from the town of Pollonia. We originally had planned on visiting Papafragas but we ended up parking ourselves at Pahena for a few hours after we saw how nice of a beach it was. Plus, the waves were crashing and I couldn’t wait to go for a swim!
Pahena was a sandy beach with some big waves. Nick and I must have spent an hour or two riding the waves, and just enjoying swimming at this beautiful secluded beach as the girls laid out in the sun. There were only seven people on the beach at the time when we were there, including us four!
Paleochori
This cliff side beach was much different than any other beach that we had visited that morning. This beach seemed as if it was more suited for families. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as secluded and private as the other beaches we had visited. I like to visit beaches that don’t offer sun chairs, and beaches that aren’t so commercialized. I’d rather find a gem of a beach hidden behind some cliffs. For families and tourists, Paleochori beach might be your best bet. There were umbrellas and sun chairs to rent here, and even cliff side cafes that offered full menus.
No matter where you go in Milos, you’ll surely run into a beach. I would highly recommend this island if you’re looking for a lesser known Greek island with an assortment of beaches. Since the island isn’t so “popular”, it doesn’t get half the tourism that Santorini, Ios, Mykonos, or any other famous Greek island gets which is good in my book.
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FYI: Renting scooters can be an issue here if you do not hold a motorcycle license in your respective home country. In Santorini, it’s no problem. No motorcycle license necessary. In Milos, the police have a problem with it and the rental agencies won’t rent to you unless you have a MC license because if you get pulled over it’s not only you that has to pay a fine, the rental agency does too!
If you have 2-4 people and you’d rather enjoy your day in a rental car, you can do so for around 35-45 Euro. Shop around, there are many places to rent from and the prices vary. The first shop we went to offered us a car for 45 Euro/day. The second shop which was 100 yards down the road offered us a car for 35 Euro/day. Deal!
How to visit the Greek Islands on the Cheap
| July 11th, 2010 | 11 Comments » | Greece, Travel, Travel Tips
Everyone wants to visit the Greek Islands at some point in their lives, right? I mean, how could you resist the famous sunsets of Santorini, the beautiful beaches of the somewhat undiscovered island of Milos, or the all night parties on Ios, and more.
Getting to Greece
As far as getting to Greece itself, I cannot give you too much advice other than to keep an eye out on Kayak.com in order to try to find a decent flight from your country to Greece. They’re generally pretty expensive if you’re traveling from outside of Europe. For us, we flew from Cairo to Athens for a mere $145 USD including all taxes and fees. You can actually find cheaper flights to Athens from Cairo from time to time.
Another idea would be to find a cheap flight to somewhere in Europe or Northern Africa (Egypt) like we did and then find a budget airline from that flies from there to Greece. If you have the time to layover for a few hours in between switching flights it can definitely save you a lot of money rather than going direct to your destination. As for finding budget airline carriers, check out this website called WhichBudget.
Getting to the Islands
It’s very easy to travel to the Greek islands from Athens. The main port in Athens is called Piraeus and is easily accessed by Metro/Train from almost anywhere in the city. The metro and trains are very efficient in Athens and they run from 6AM to 12AM which is pretty convenient if you ask me!
You can book your tickets for the island of your choice by going down to one of the many ticket offices at the port of Piraeus. The most popular lines are Megajet, Blue Star, Anek, and a few others. Figure out where you want to go and what the ferry timetables are by going to (Greekferries.gr).
Once you figure out where you want to go and which ferry company you will need to take then either head down to the the port of Piraeus to purchase your tickets, or make it easier on yourself and purchase them online at your ferries official website. If you purchase online, you will receive a booking reservation number which you will have to provide at the ticket office before boarding your ferry. You’ll also receive your hard copy tickets at the ticket office on check-in.
FYI: Ferry Prices from Piraeus (Athens) to Santorini: 34 Euro. Prices vary when you travel from island to island. For example we paid 16.50 Euro for our ferry from Santorini to Milos.
Wheeling and Dealing in Santorini
| July 10th, 2010 | 6 Comments » | Greece, Travel
We pull up to the port of Santorini with no reservations. We’re hoping that we’ll find a better deal on accommodations by simply just showing up at the port and haggling a little bit with the hundreds of hotel and apartment owners. As we step off of the ferry we’re bombarded by these hotel hawkers yelling at us asking “Where do you want to stay?”. “Fira, Oia, Perissa”, they call out excitedly.
I step up to talk to a guy trying to advertise his hotel in the capital of Fira. He explains that his hotel is just two streets back from the famous “caldera” view. “Only 40 Euro per person” he says. I tell him to take a hike and all of a sudden a man steps into our circle and says “Why not try Perissa?”. I take a quick look at his brochure and after talking with him for a few minutes I feel that he’s somewhat trustworthy so we decide to spend the night at his place which is supposedly a two minute walk from the black volcanic sand beach known as “Perissa Beach”. I’m also thinking that we’ll check out the rooms first and get the free ride from the port to Perissa. If we don’t like the rooms, we walk down the road and find something else!
CouchSurfing adventures in Athens
| July 9th, 2010 | 6 Comments » | Greece, Travel
It’s just after midnight in Athens and we’re just arriving. We spent the last sixteen hours sitting at the Cairo International Airport and then we hopped on a very short two hour flight from Cairo to Athens. We’re exhausted!
We pass through immigration, snatch our bags from the luggage belt and find our way to the public bus which will bring us to Dafni. Dafni is bus station and also a metro station that is very near to where we’re staying tonight. The last time I spoke with our soon to be Couchsurfing host, she said she would meet us at the Dafni bus stop. Fifty minutes later we find ourselves at an empty bus stop. There’s not a soul in sight. It’s 1:00 AM and my mobile has no credit left on it. We’re two foreigners with oversized backpacks full of gear, and no backup plan. Plus, right about now we’re looking like the perfect targets for a robbery, something that happens quite often in Athens. Especially at night.
Review: Sham’s Restaurant Dahab, Egypt
| July 2nd, 2010 | 1 Comment » | Egypt, Reviews, Travel
Greetings from Sham’s Restaurant here in Dahab!
We loved Sham’s so much that we ended up spending a lot of our days here. It’s okay though, because we have nothing else to do! Sham’s is a relaxing sea side restaurant with bedouin style seating with hundreds of big puffy pillows, colorful rugs, and small sit down coffee tables.
The staff make this place a fun atmosphere to hang out at, and one of the most important services that Sham’s offers is the free Wi-Fi internet. As far as food goes, Sham’s has the best value for the money. The food quality is excellent and tended to taste much better than the other restaurants that we tried during our visit to Dahab. The prices are on point and are much cheaper than our hotel’s restaurant (Penguin Restaurant).
We’re known here on a first name basis now. As I walk up to Sham’s each and every morning I hear one of the owners yell “Hey, my brother from another mother!”. They treat us very well here, and usually bring out desserts on the house, give us discounts on meals, and more. If you’re in Dahab and you’re looking for a chilled out spot with good food and good prices, head to Sham’s.
Pictorial: Snorkeling at Eel Gardens in Dahab
| July 1st, 2010 | 6 Comments » | Photography, Pictorials, Travel
Last City: Pai, Thailand
Current City: Chiang Mai, Thailand
