HLD by Renée

Before we decided to live in Bulgaria for a while, we had never heard of Plovdiv. We knew Sofia, but that was about it. On average we spend about 84 days in a country, but to do it in the same place is a bit boring, so we started looking around on Google maps and found this little gem!  Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria and one of the oldest cities in Europe. The history of this…

For the past month, Paul and I have been getting back into a healthier routine. We try to exercise at least five times a week, get enough sleep and eat a little better. Not that we weren’t eating healthy, but we also both love cheese, pizza, chocolate and beer, and that got a little out of hand. So it was time to take better care of ourselves. I can honestly say that we are doing very well at…

Vegetarian lasagna (recipe included)

The new year is upon us and I don’t know about you guys, but I am done with 2022. Paul and I started our journey almost 4 years ago and had so many plans, but no one knew that a pandemic would postpone those plans. So 2023 will be the year to restart our big plans! The first half we will finish some things here in Europe, but then the world is calling again! If all goes according to plan, we will…

Carrot cake (recipe included)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had the best Christmas, because this year was a special one. We are currently living in Spain where Paul’s parents also live. To make it even more special. My mother is there too! Since it is not often (never) that both of our parents are together for Christmas, I wanted to do something special for this occasion. I decided to bake a carrot cake from…

Dutch pepernoten (recipe included)

Lately I’ve been craving pepernoten and other Dutch treats, like licorice. It probably has everything to do with the arrival of my mother next week, and my best friend in January. I miss home sometimes. Not living there, but my family, friends and Dutch food/snacks). Pepernoten are actually very similar to ginger cookies (according to Paul). Since I no longer live in the Netherlands, I can’t get…

Central Perk – Skopje

Yes, yes, yes!! As you know, Paul and I are both HUGE fans of the series Friends! So, you can only imagine how we felt when we discovered there was a Central Perk in Skopje. Oooh-Myy-God! We have to go there! And we did! It was a bit of a walk, because it’s not in the city center, but actually in the outskirts of the city. Make sure to take out Google Maps when you walk there or take a…

Fluffy buns for lunch

While taking a break from blogging, I actually have been cooking a lot. It was nice to take some time and think of new recipes. We both have adopted a healthier lifestyle and really had to think about a nice recipe for lunch.  In between our classes we don’t have a lot of time to eat, so it had to be a fast, healthy and tasty lunch. We both love hummus, but we also needed something a bit…

Belgrade, you’re a beauty!

This was our second time around in Belgrade and it was so much more fun than the first time. Okay, the first time we were there during lockdown, so we didn’t really have a lot of opportunity to explore this amazing city. This time we did!! Craft beers Where do I start?! Well, if you are craft beer lovers like us, there are a lot of nice places to go. A year ago, they opened a new brewpub…

My hearty ‘Bolognese’ pasta (including recipe)

I’m back!! I know it has been a while since I wrote something. To be honest, I simply didn’t feel inspired to write. Sometimes life can get really busy and it’s important to know when to hit the ‘pause’ button. So that’s exactly what I did. At least for my blog. In the meantime, Paul and I have been extremely busy with our own online teaching businesses, and we’ve been putting a lot of hours into…

We are so lucky with the life we lead. This year, we spent the full Summer in Vlora, Albania. I didn’t really know what to expect of this country, because it was never on my radar before this year. We rented a nice top floor apartment with a big roof terrace that had a view over the sea. Every evening we saw the most beautiful sunsets! So, what is our honest impression about Vlora? It is a…

Moroccan Veggie ‘Tagine’ with couscous (including recipe)

I know, the name of this recipe is a bit misleading, because I didn’t prepare this dish in a tagine, but if you have one, it’s recommended to use it! As you know we don’t always have the right kitchen equipment or ingredients, because of our travels, but it forces me to be creative.   When we lived in Serbia I bought a lot of different spices, because they are hard to find in the Balkan…

It’s our weekend and there’s only one place we want to go to: the beach! As I am sitting on the beach in Vlora, looking around, it makes me happy to see everyone is enjoying themselves again. After the many lockdowns we had to endure, it’s time to enjoy the Summer again as we used to do.  There is an interesting dynamic with this many people together. Everyone is kind of living in their own…

Since I was young, I have had a love-hate relationship with water. On one hand I loved playing in the pool, pretending I was a mermaid, on the other hand I got fearful as soon as the water got deeper. There is something about that sensation of not being able to touch the ground, and even worse, not being able to see my feet!! And I’m also not a strong swimmer. It also didn’t help when I saw the…

A few snapshots of Vlora – Albania

At the moment, I’m not really active with my photography, because it’s just too hot! The average temperature in Albania is around 35 Celsius. But that doesn’t mean that I never take photos anymore. Currently we live in an apartment with a big roof terrace. Every evening we see the most beautiful sunsets! These days a smartphone can take some really nice photos as well, as you can see. This time a…

Soft Tortilla Wraps (including recipe)

My cooking is slowly improving, and it makes it easier to try and make new things. As vegetarians, options can be a bit limited when you want to save a bit of money. Because let’s face it, we live in a world where unhealthy food is often cheaper than healthy food. The same goes for soft tortilla wraps. I’m not saying these are super healthy, but they are also not very bad for you. Depending on…

Garlic Naan (including recipe)

As I was saying in my previous post, I feel inspired to cook again! Over the last couple of days, I have made some really yummy meals! I’m not even going to be modest about it, haha!! Paul also really likes my cooking and that is a great motivator to keep going and trying new recipes. Hmmm, what shall we have? I know! I’m going to make some garlic naans, because we love Indian food!! Our freezer…