MANCHESTER: The City Where Rockstars Are Born

Some big stars such as Oasis, Take That, The Smiths and The Bee Gees are from Manchester, the sixth largest city in the UK. A good reason to come over here and check out the atmosphere. Get an impression of this beautiful city with the following pictures:

I spoke to a few locals and I really managed to understand them, even though I was struggling now and again. One of the first questions here seem to be, which football team do you support: Manchester United or Manchester City? Well, I am not really into football. Could we please talk about something else? ;)

The first time I came here was for the BBC's "Blue Peter New Presenter" casting. They only invited 30 people to their studio, that's why I was well excited to be there! Still cannot believe that I was chosen from 20,000 applicants and as the only foreigner.

The BBC is based in Salford and you can only get there by tram. My first experience was that they are not very reliable. Sometimes they just stop or do not come on time, how they are supposed to!

What I also liked about Manchester is that they have so many great vintage shops! I got this lovely fur jacket from there. Love it!

EDINBURGH: Blown Away

Finally I also made it to Scotland! That is probably the most far up North on the globe, I have ever been in my life! And yes, it is beautiful up here.

So much nature, people are so open and the accent is very funny. Some Scott's I spoke to, I could not understand at all!

We did some hillwalking up to the Arthur's Seat, it was a nice workout to get up there, but as soon as we arrived on the hill, it was really hard to keep up with the wind, see here:

And yes, I also tried the traditional Scottish dish, Haggis, which is a savoury pudding, made of sheep's heart, liver and lungs. Sounds pretty awful, but is not too bad, as it is nicely spiced with pepper.
The night out in Scotland was insane! Most pubs closed at 11pm and everyone was just rushing down their drinks. I haven't seen so many drunk people so early on the streets as in Scotland, not matter which gender!

LONDON: Feeling A Bit Royal

I guess everyone in the world knows about the stunning Ritz hotel in London. I just wanted to realize one of my dreams, which was to have a proper English afternoon tea in a very very posh environment!

The Ritz hotel is just perfect for this. The pictures will tell you why.

Probably the best scones I have ever had in my life!

Such a beautiful architecture!

Munich: Prost!

Germany's most biggest beer festival (and probably the world's largest fair), the Oktoberfest is great fun, as you meet loads of people from around the world. You sing, dance and drink together with strangers, but in that moment no one seems to care, everyone just wants to have a great time!
The event goes on for 16 days and the second weekend is usually an Italian weekend, as most Italians come over to Munich for the Oktoberfest.
Trust me, Germans can figure this out, as Italians generally get drunk very quickly.
Here are the lyrics for the most played song on the Oktoberfest, "Ein Prosit".

GREECE: Atatürk Museum

Having spent six days in a quiet place like Afytos, I felt like going back to a vibrant city, the closest was Thessaloniki. It's a very pretty city with a few sights, like the white tower, the Hagia Sophia church and more importantly the Atatürk Museum.

The first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was born in today's Thessaloniki and there is a museum documenting his life.

Having seen Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Madame Tussauds, I find that the one here looks more real than the one in London. They also told me that the production of this figure was more expensive with better use of material.

Me and the legend!

Isn't he handsome? ;)

GREECE: Greek Cuisine On The Test

Afytos might be small, but after the third day you realise that the food is similar in every restaurant. There are probably around 10 restaurants and all you get is the same food everywhere. I am not complaining that it is not tasty, I just wished to have different variations now and again. 

What I really liked was the baked feta cheese and the delicious, juicy, green olives. 

One of the must-tries is also sardine fish and the chicken stew, Souvlaki. My Greek friend told me that on every Greek table, an octopus is a must. The more sand on it, the more likely it is fresh, they say, but I'm not so sure. Also, they love spending hours and hours at the table and sharing different dish together. Ouzo is not necessarily a must on the table, but it goes nicely with the fish and makes you eat more. For beginners I would suggest mixing Ouzo with water to make it less strong. 

When you ask for the bill, it might be possible to wait for more than half an hour until the waiters come back. Not sure why that is or if they do not even want us to pay. As a little gift, they usually offer a dessert from the house for free.

I also realised that it is very difficult to find chicken Gyros, but we were lucky and found two places in a week where they had a Greek kebab. 

I had seen so many Greeks drinking a type of coffee with three layers, so I tried one as well. It was okay, but did not beat our Turkish mocha, I'm sorry!

GREECE: Quiet Holidays

I have not been to Greece before and, especially being Turkish, you should definitely go there once in your life, even just to confirm that our country is more gorgeous and our cuisine much more varied and amazing than the Greeks!

Having arrived in Thessaloniki airport, the first thing I realised was that Greeks are as cheeky as the Turks. It started with the taxi ride from the airport to the bus terminal. He literally tried to convince us to drive us all the way from Thessaloniki to Afytos, which is a 1.5 hour drive. His arguments were hilarious, such as "it's much more comfortable in the taxi", "you have to pay more for the bus" etc. All of it was nonsense. The bus ride was much much less and at the same time very comfortable.
At the end he charged us an extra amount of money, just because he had to put our luggage in the boot!

Having arrived in Afytos, we realised how small this part was! There were hardly any people and if you saw any, they were Germans! That's why most of the waiters could speak either Greek or German, hardly any English.

Probably not the cleanest part of the beach, but still enjoyable ;) !

BERLIN: Hipster City

Berlin is the place to be. Last time I was in the capital city was 3 years ago and, oh my god, how "hipster" did it get? Look at you! Everyone seems to follow the hipster-trend, dressing up as stylishly as possible; the more you stand out, the better. Hasn't that already been the motto in London already for many many years? Good morning Germany, there you are, still a bit late with the fashion!
I spent most of my time around Rosenthaler Platz, Helmholtzplatz and Kastanienallee. It is a perfect place for meeting up with friends, as they have plenty of good cafes, bars and restaurants, but also some new fashion label stores. If you fancy some Lebanese food, check this one out: Babel Restaurant. 

As a Turk, I obviously had to also drop by Kreuzberg, to feel at home. It is unbelievable how many Turkish shops opened up here. It really feels like you are not in Germany. If you fancy a tasty Döner, you should definitely drop by the Kottbusser Tor and get one at Tadim restaurant.

Look at this variety of nibbles!

..Turkish delight paradise!

Hmm Simit!

BERLIN: History Of Berlin

Berlin is just so vibrant, creative and colourful. There is always plenty to discover. One thing I still hadn't seen was the DDR museum, that's why I gave it a go this time.

On the way to the DDR museum, passing the river Spree.

I probably spent 3 hours inside, which might seem a lot, but when you see the size of the museum, you will understand why. It's super-informative and, the best thing, it is interactive for both adults and children! 

Beautiful Berlin Cathedral.