Café A brasileira - Lisbon, Portugal
Time travel (23.05.2008 10:02)
This cafe is a 100 years old coffeehouse in Art Nouveau style. In the 1920s it was a popular hangout of Portuguese bohemians, among them writer Fernando Pessoa whose statue can be seen in front of the cafe. I can't recommend this cafe during daytime: overcrowded with bus loads of tourists served by annoyed waiters. But it is a very atmospheric place at night (it closes around 2 a.m.). [more...]

Diplomat - Florence, Italy - April, 2008
Disappointing (22.05.2008 16:51)
To say the good things first, this hotel is conveniently located next to the railway central station. The bathroom was modern, clean and well maintained. But from a 4 star hotel with very high prices I expected more. The room was so small that I always hurted myself at the edge of the bed when I tried to open the window. The TV didn't work at all at first hand, and when the staff fixed it, the TV [more...]

Cantina Barbagianni - Florence, Italy
Friendly restaurant off the beaten track (22.05.2008 16:18)
Cantina Barbagianni is a charming small restaurant just 5 minutes to walk from the famous Piazza di Santa Croce. This means it is close enough to the historical centre of Florence for having a lunch break after some sight-seeing. And it is far enough from the main tourist's paths so you can be sure that this is not one of the many tourist traps in the center of Florence that serve low quality for [more...]