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The gorgeous 1900 columned building on Moreland Avenue was a Victorian home, a Methodist church and a dance school before being renovated and becoming Wrecking Bar Brewpub. Today the upstairs is an event facility while the basement and patio are part of the bar and restaurant. It has been voted the top brewpub in Atlanta for the last two years. Wrecking Bar brews their own award-winning beers, including the “Jemmy Dean” Breakfast Stout, Baby Got Blackberry Wheat and Breaking Bob Kolsch. The menu is full of upscale bar food like sandwiches, cheese plates and entrees.

Who doesn’t need a pain killer once in a while? Take it in the form of a glass of wine from a pharmacy that is more than 100 years old, where the drugs were replaced by wine bottles in the glass-door cabinets. To accompany the wine, you can taste different Portuguese products or you can choose a plate with several types of sausage and cheese. The tables are made of old wine barrels and you can sit on some wooden benches.

As the stomping grounds for ladies who lunch, bridal luncheons, and baby showers, the Swan Coach House has been a Buckhead staple since 1965. A group of ladies opened the restaurant, gift shop, and art gallery to raise money for the arts while serving their family recipes on their own plates and silverware. Since then, the restaurant has become well known for Southern staples like their chicken salad, frozen fruit salad, cheese straws, and champagne punch. Be sure to visit the lavish Swan House at the Atlanta History Center while you’re there.

This stone building, called the Mother-of-Water Fountain, is an old cistern where Lisbon locals used to fetch the water that flowed to the city along the monumental Águas Livres Aqueduct. Now, inside the cool walls, a wine bar has been constructed. Journalist and wine critic João Paulo Martins has selected the 300 labels stocked in the wine cellar (some stored in bottles along the stone chutes that used to rush with water). Small plate selections like carpaccio, seafood, cheeses, and different kinds of cold cuts can be ordered to accompany your wine. During happy hour, between 6 and 8:30 p.m., several wines are available by the glass or in curated flights.

Just a few minutes walk from Antwerp, Belgium’s Berchem train station, is one of the city’s most beautiful neighbourhoods, the Zurenbourg. A handful of streets form the ‘Golden Triangle’ an area famous for its Art Nouveau and rival architecture. It’s a hodge-podge of styles: Gothic Revival, Neo-Renaissance, Greek Revival, Neoclassical, and British Tudorbethan; striking in their differences. A walk through the area is a lovely way to pass a few hours. The main streets of interest are: Cogels Osylei, Waterloostraat and Transvaalstraat. Be sure to look up so you don’t miss the stunning mosaic work that decorates many of the houses.

Hallerbos (Flemish) or Bois de Halle (French) is a beech forest just south of Brussels. It’s a popular spot for walking, cycling and horseback-riding. Every spring, for a few short weeks, the forest makes a magical transformation into a blue carpeted wonderland. Millions of tiny bluebell flowers bloom under the shade of the beech trees and people flock to the forest to catch a glimpse. Timing is everything, too soon and the bluebells aren’t out yet; too late and you’ve missed the show for another year. But that’s what makes seeing it so special.

A hot lobster roll from Neptune Oyster is summertime heaven on a butter-soaked brioche, and bivalve lovers queue up daily to sample the two dozen varieties of oysters chilling in the front window of this diminutive North End restaurant. Fresh-off-the-boat fish and creative takes on New England seafood are the draws here—the clam chowder is made to order, the fish-and-chips uses Acadian redfish (not cod), and it’s probably the only place in town where you can get lobster tacos. Yeah, it’s pricey—hot or cold, the lobster roll will set you back around $30—but share the Neptune Plateau raw-bar plate with your friends and you’ll truly feel like the king of the sea.

How do you make sense of diverse, dizzying São Paolo? Talk to the people who make the sushi, spray the graffiti, and build the giant watermelons.

Named among the best mountain restaurants in the world by The Telegraph, Chez Vrony sits on Rothorn Mountain, a short ski down from the Sunnegga Express in the hamlet of Findeln. Housed in a rustic-chic Swiss chalet, it’s been in operation for 100 years and continues to be extremely popular. Lunch reservations are a must; request a seat on the deck for Matterhorn views, then start with the charcuterie plate, which features house-cured speck, bresaola, salami, ham, cheese, and a scoop of homemade rosti. From there, move on to the burger—Chef Vrony’s family raises its own beef, hand-packs burger patties, and uses perfectly seeded buns slathered with coleslaw and a secret sauce, making this a must-order even if it is quintessentially American.

Glo Glo Bistro is a true hidden gem in Genoa - tucked way back into a slightly sketchy piazza off of the historic Vico Lavagna. Although it looks somewhat run-down from the outside, the inside is beautifully renovated, and they have an extensive wine list to choose from. You absolutely must come for apertivo, as they have one of the most delicious ‘snack’ plates in all of town - seriously, the platters brought to your table are heaped so full with delicious bites of focaccia and cheese and chips that you will not need to spend a penny on dinner.

On Main Street in downtown Bozeman, the Garage is a funky place for a casual meal. Car parts hung on the walls and license-plate-frame menus (not to mention the name of the place) reveal the eatery’s former life as a fix-it shop. Now the space serves suped up diner fare such as bison burgers with grilled mushrooms and Swiss cheese. Be sure to visit the self-serve “soup shack” where the cooks’ latest creations might include sausage and mustard, green chili pork, or Thai coconut soup. Save room for a huckleberry ice cream dessert.

Where in Montreal can diners hope for an affordable meal that isn’t drenched in oil or entirely free of flavors? At L’Gros Luxe, that’s where. This stylish neighborhood watering hole may look like a hip, Victorian-inspired and overall super cool place but the truth is that anyone is welcome; from ladies who lunch, young families who brunch or friends out to celebrate a birthday. Portions at L’Gros Luxe are smaller than a regular meal but bigger than tapas, and yet prices are always under $8 per plate. L’Gros Luxe strives to bring its customer the freshest, locally-sourced produce available, and the way they can afford to cut back on prices is by making literally everything in house - from sauces to veggie patties from scratch. Their poutine is quite a mouthful - tater tots, cheese curds, veggie gravy and green onions. A nice change, and something poutine aficionados should not deprive themselves from. Their legendary Ceasars, which are topped with a mini grilled-cheese, are simply mindblowing. And easy on the wallet.

Part of the Inn of the Governors, the rustic, casual, saloon-style vibes of Del Charro beckon one to relax and stay awhile. Try the signature house margarita (a mere $6.50), though the fancier, classic Silvercoin Margarita (a mix of Don Eduardo Silver Tequila and Cointreau) is mighty tasty, too. If you’re hungry, the green chili cheeseburger is a crowd-pleaser.

Jerónimos Monastery, also known as the Hieronymites Monastery, or Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Portuguese, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lisbon. This stunning building took 100 years to build and it’s no wonder once you experience the level of detail for yourself. I could have spent an entire day there, with my camera, photographing the stunning architecture. The archways surrounding the inner courtyard look like something from a fairy tale.

While the tourist hordes in beautiful Sintra, Portugal, are flocking to Pena Palace, head instead to Monserrate. The gardens here are massive and have been recently restored. We wandered here for hours without hardly seeing another person. The palace itself, although not as large as Pena, is just as grand, if not more so. Every inch of the architecture is covered in delicate carving. The Moorish and Indian influences work together to create a cohesive and beautiful design.