It was cold in Amsterdam this past February. The temperatures dropped. Then it snowed, a lot. The Westerpark was beautiful. And it was even cold enough that the canals froze over and we were able to skate on them. It was a wonderfully wintery February. Wishing for another one in 2013!

The city of Rome is beautiful. Every building, every street, every corner you turn… Rome is beautiful. This recent trip included… a cozy bed & breakfast on Via Margutta (known as the address of Joe Bradley’s apartment in the classic film, Roman Holiday, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck), minutes walk from both the Piazza di Spagna and Piazza del Popolo // a spontaneous coffee tour including the historic (and my favorite) Caffè Greco (Via Condotti 86), which dates back to 1780, and Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè (Piazza di Sant’Eustachio 82) // admiring the Roman highlights including the Pantheon, Fontana di Trevi, Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, the Colosseum (from afar) and the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano // people watching in Piazza Navona // tasting classic Roman dishes such as carciofi alla Romana (Roman-style artichokes) and ravioli di zucca al burro e salvia (pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage) // admiring the three Caravaggio (1571-1610) paintings in Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi (Piazza di San Luigi de’ Francesi 20) // sampling the most delicious pistacchio gelato at Giolitti (Via degli Uffici del Vicario 40) // devouring pizzas at the smallest, noisiest, busiest and most-Roman pizzeria in a hidden corner of the city // spending Sunday morning wandering the streets of Trastevere // browsing antiques, vintage posters and postcards, and old Roman newspapers the Porta Portese flea market // stumbling upon a Sicilian bakery around the corner from Campo di Fiori and sampling traditional mini cannoli filled with ricctta, pistacchio, vanilla cream and chocolate // all under the motto, Romani de Roma, or, “do as the Romans do”.

This very spontaneous, last-minute visit to London included… classic fish & chips at the famous Poppies Fish and Chips (6-8 Hanbury Street) in Spitalfields // a visit to Hampstead to assist the making of a video about collecting photography for Unseen Photo Fair // lounging in Hyde Park in the afternoon // coffees-to-go and a boxed slice of carrot cake from Yotam Ottolenghi‘s trattoria in Belgravia (13 Motcomb Street) // visiting the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens for the Yoko Ono exhibition, To The Light (19 June-9 September) // admiring the setting of the sun in the park that afternoon // delicious burgers at Honest Burgers (4a Meard Street) in Soho that evening // a classic American breakfast off eggs, bacon and blueberry pancakes at The Diner (18 Ganton Street) in Soho // wandering the streets // stopping by the National Portrait Gallery for the exhibition, Road to 2012: Aiming High // passing through Covent Garden on a busy Sunday afternoon // 5 o’clocktails at All Bar One (19 Henrietta Street) // wandering through Fitzrovia on a quiet Monday morning // a delicious coffee at Tapped & Packed (114 Tottenham Court Road) // and a quick stop by Liberty London (Great Marlborough Street) before heading back home.

See photographs from the 2012 trip to Paris and previous Paris visits.

See photographs from previous visits to Paris.

I hope to pick up amsterdam insights again in the new year. Expect a different schedule of posts, as this blog will only feature an Amsterdam City Guide with places to grab a coffee or a bite to eat, culture and art, shops to browse and sights to see (see navigation on the right). I’ll also post the occasional photograph of Amsterdam and overviews of city trips. Stay tuned!