Europe

Bougatsa is the One Greek Pastry You Absolutely Must Try

Bougatsa is one of those things that when you see pictures of it or read about it you instantly start drooling, even if you’ve never eaten it before.

Such was the case for us when we heard about it on Anthony Bourdain’s show “No Reservations,” and again from one of our friends who traveled to Greece.  (Okay, fine, so you have heard about it, but you probably have long since forgotten). 

So what is bougatsa? It’s a Greek pastry consisting of buttery, flaky phyllo dough wrapped around either a cheese filling or a sweet semolina custard filling.

Drooling yet? Yep, I thought so.

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When in Milos, Greece, Go For a Boat Tour on the Thalassitra

Our time in the Greek Islands of Crete, Santorini, and Milos was mostly spent enjoying the sights from the land either by long hikes or public transportation to the furthest corners the roads will take you. These experiences were some of the best any visitor to the islands can have, but there is one way you can enjoy it even more.

The absolute best way to get to know a Greek island is to see it from the sea.

We were holding off on taking a boat tour in Greece until our last island, Milos, because it is full of many unique geographical features that can only be enjoyed by being on the sea. 

In fact, if you don't plan on taking a boat tour of this particular island, you might not even want to bother going (although, it is still a pretty neat place if you decide to go anyway).

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French Croissant and Baguette – Making the Perfect Treat

One of my favorite things about Paris is the bakeries: they lure you in with their yeasty smells and their beautiful displays of croissants, baguettes, and sweets that are downright works of art.

On our recent trip to Paris, we made sure to visit as many bakeries as possible to scope out the best French baked goods.Usually we stuck with sampling traditional croissants and baguettes, partly because I have attempted to make baguettes and croissants at home before and know they can be somewhat tricky; therefore, these two ostensibly simple baked goods seem a perfect test of a bakery’s merit. 

We set out on our research phase in Paris to hopefully enlighten and inspire us to improve our homemade versions of these baked goods.

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The Pros and Cons of Vatican Tours at Night

During our travels, it is hard for us to find something that we are overly eager for.

By its nature, our long-term trip is full of so many amazing moments every day that it is hard to rank one experience over another. They're all incredible and make us excited to wake up each morning.

But on our recent visit to Rome we had one that stood out above all others- after hours Vatican tours of the Museums and Sistine Chapel with Walks of Italy.

We've never been on a closed-door museum tour before, and this particular tour only is authorized on select nights of the summer, adding more to its exclusivity.

When you market it like that, you know I'll be excited.

We don't want to give away the secrets of the Vatican museum in this post, those are for you to get on your visit.  Instead, we want to take a look into why an exclusive after-hours tour may be right for you on your next trip.

There are many pros and cons, much like any itinerary, but you'll soon see why a guided tour at this particular museum should be on your wish list the next time you're in Rome.

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