milan Archives

European Shopping Destinations

This post is expected to raise interest to shopping lovers. Below you’ll find my favourite five European shopping destinations. The following cities offer you the ability to make purchases ranging from cheap buys up to expensive designers – the choices are endless. London Oxford Street 1. London, UK London is one of the best places for shopping, specially during its big sales during the Christmas period. The best places are the famous Oxford Street, Carnaby Street and Covent Garden. Other areas which are enjoyable for shopping include Russells Square (Brunswick) or Enfield Town (Palace Gardens). There are also many shopping malls e.g. Westfield and Hammersmith Broadway. Here you’ll find all the high-street shops with the best prices. Brent Cross shopping centre is another place you can go shopping in North West London. For more luxury purchases visit Knightsbridge and step into Harrods. Don't forget Selfridge & Co in Oxford Street. For a more characteristic shopping taste visit Camden Markets in Camden Town. Sales Period: The big sales start on Boxing Day (26/12) and end around mid January. Summer sales start around min June and end around mid July. If you’re in London beginning the sales period make sure to go shopping early in the morning. 2. Athens, Greece McArthurGlen Athens Outlet I love shopping here. You can find anything from leather goods around Monastiraki area and its surrounding small markets - called Monastiraki Flea Area. You will find chic stores in Kolonaki and Tsakalof Street or by visiting Attica. For more down to the earth shopping try Ermou Street and the Mall of Athens. If you wish to purchase branded clothing visit the McArthurGlen Athens outlet or the Factory Outlet. I prefer McArthurGlen since it's big with many brands and it's surrounded by cafes and restaurants. Sales Period: Summer sales start mid-July and run throughout the end of August whilst winter sales begin mid-January and run throughout the end of February. 3. Brussels, Belgium Avenue Louise in Brussels In Brussels you can find all sorts of shops in Rue Neuve and Avenue Louise. In the lower part you’ll find exclusive designer shops (Avenue Louise) and in Rue Neuve you’ll find [...]

Bergamo, a city in Lombardy

A short stay in Bergamo I've never thought of travelling to Bergamo, Italy. Even though there are direct flights from Cyprus to Bergamo - Milan, most people take the plane, land in Bergamo and go directly to Milan and other Italian cities and don't visit Bergamo. The purpose of the trip was to travel to Pisa for a Business meeting with a colleague, and the only suitable way to travel there, was to take a Ryanair flight from Paphos to Bergamo, then travel to Milan and from there take the train to Pisa. So according to our schedule, we planned a one night stay in Bergamo in order to get the train the next day to Pisa. Taking the Taxi We arrived in Bergamo at about 8 at night and got a taxi from the airport to the old town. The cost was 30 Euros, fixed price, which seemed quite expensive considering the distance from the airport to the hotel but the driver indicated that the price is fixed. We went straight to the AgnelloD'Oro Hotel. The Hotel To be honest, we didn't expect the hotel to be that nice. The location was in the heart of the medieval town. It's a nice cosy hotel, whilst the decoration downstairs is all over the place. Too much! But I guess that's the hotel's concept. We paid 50 Euros for each single bedroom which included breakfast. Most important thing was that the hotel was very clean and the people there were very friendly and helpful. Spectacular Views The town has two parts, the upper city which is called 'Citta Alta' and the lower city known as the 'Citta Bassa'. The two parts are connected by the funicular and footpaths. Through these you can enjoy the spectacular views from both parts. We walked from the upper city to the lower city and enjoyed the views from both parts. You should walk all around the old city via the 'viale mura' and 'della fara' road/paths. Food & Drink Before visiting Bergamo we checked Tripadvisor and found a few places we could dine & [...]