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In operation since 1958, Mercado San Juan de Dios (also known as Mercado Libertad) is one of Mexico’s largest markets, with three floors and nearly 3,000 stands and stalls. Vendors sell everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to handicrafts and housewares. Even if you have no intention of buying a souvenir, a stroll through the market makes for a colorful, enjoyable experience.

Away from the busy city centre, on pretty Place Brugmann, in Brussels Ixelles neighbourhood, is local foodie favourite, Gaudron. Gaudron is many things: a catering company, a restaurant, a party venue, a deli, and a relaxing terrace to grab a drink after work. There’s one question however, in which the name Gaudron inevitably comes up – Where to get brunch in Brussels? Gaudron was one of the first of Brussels’ restaurants to catch on to the Sunday brunch concept and they haven’t looked back.You can choose from delicate, fresh pastries, egg dishes, or lunchtime favourites, like salads, croques and hamburgers. There are fresh squeezed juices and homemade smoothies and milkshakes. It’s a loud, bustling sort of place that’s filled with groups of all ages and is family friendly. With a huge selection of salads in the deli, it’s vegetarian and vegan friendly too. If you want an authentic Brussels neighbourhood feel, it’s worth escaping the centre for a trip to Gaudron.

Medellín’s botanical garden is a 35-acre oasis of green amid the bustling city. Stroll through lush tropical vegetation, towering trees, and flowering bushes to a quiet, picturesque pond amid the gardens. Or peek into a butterfly farm, a maze, and an orchid exhibit beneath an arbor. The gardens are a public space for all sorts of activities like yoga, martial-arts classes, and outdoor movie screenings; a farmers’ market for organic goods takes place the first Sunday of every month. The park is also home to one of Medellín’s best restaurants, In Situ, which in addition to its normal gourmet fare sells lunchtime picnic baskets—complete with red-and-white-checkered blankets and a bottle of wine—to enjoy on the garden grounds.

North of Buccament Bay, a turnoff leads to Layou Petroglyph Park, where you’ll find Amerindian writings (or petroglyphs) scrawled on the side of a large boulder. The meaning of the carvings is unknown, but historians estimate that they date as far back as 300 to 600 B.C.E. Lush vegetation grows in the surrounding ridges, making for a fun area to explore. There’s also a small pool where you can take a dip to cool down.

If you have time or money for only one memorable dinner in Bergen, 1877 is the pick. The restaurant’s menu transforms every six weeks based on the chef’s inspiration and the availability of local ingredients. Autumn brings apples, pears, and plums, while winter serves up fresh seafood from Norway’s ice-cold waters. Potatoes and other root vegetables are popular sides throughout the year. Book well in advance to enjoy simple Norwegian ingredients brought to life in a nostalgic setting.

The indoor dining room and lounge and outdoor patios surrounded by greenery at this chic waterfront restaurant in Brickell are elegant, and pretty much every table has an paralleled view of downtown Miami and the bay. The menu is Italian-influenced and consistently good, and the service is always on point. Lighter dishes made with quinoa and vegetables are on offer, along with favorites such as fried chicken and beef short ribs.

Located on Buffalo’s West Side, this farm-to-table favorite comes courtesy of award-winning chefs Steve and Ellen Gedra. Here, the menu changes daily to highlight locally sourced produce and sustainably raised meat, so diners are guaranteed something new every time they visit. Dishes are simple and straightforward to let their ingredients shine, while cocktails incorporate unique spirits like lavender gin and bacon-washed bourbon. Go for dinner and pair the vegetable lasagna with a classic manhattan, or swing by at brunch for the BS Griddle sandwich, featuring eggs, cheese, hash browns, and your choice of bacon or sausage sandwiched between two pancakes.

Chef Chuck Hughes’ first flagship restaurant remains one of the best good-time spots in Old Montreal, featuring a blackboard menu full of seasonal dishes and insane cocktails. The Caesar is a must-try and comes with a salad’s worth of vegetables and a whole snow-crab leg sticking out of a monster mug. After feasting on lobster salad, short ribs with cauliflower mash, or pan-fried sea scallops with carrot butter, hang out in this dimly lit joint and watch the night turn into a party, with the drinks flowing and the music thumping louder and louder as the cooks and waiters from nearby restaurants file in after their shifts.

Engebret Café is still as popular as when it opened its doors 157 years ago. Back then, it was known as a second home to some of the nation’s most prolific artists, including Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Edvard Munch, Knut Hamsun, and Edvard Grieg. The café still retains it artistic air, and is still favoured by writers, actors, and politicians, who come here mainly for the delicious open-faced-sandwich buffet. The menu varies throughout the seasons, featuring fish in the winter, seafood and vegetables in the spring and summer, and lamb, venison, and mushrooms during autumn. Whichever season you go, you’re sure to find something mouthwatering on the menu!

Chef Alex Seidel is more than a chef, he is the farmer of most of the fresh food being served. On his 10-acre farm, he tends to herbs, fruits, vegetables, flowers, pigs and bees. With the addition of sheep in 2010, he created Colorado‘s first Artisanal Sheep Dairy and Creamery. The Carbonara, which is the only item consistently on the menu, is infused with his delicious cheese. The cavatelli pasta is also topped with crispy pork belly and a poached egg for you to crack and mix into the meal. The rest of the rustic menu rotates seasonally and is a favorite among foodies.

Located in the chic, affluent area of Vitacura near Nueva Costanera, Europeo delivers a flawless fine dining experience in Santiago. The menu, overseen by executive chef Francisco Mandiola, incorporates European technique with seasonal ingredients. The dishes are perfectly seasoned and delicate. Try the spring tasting menu with dishes like tender spring vegetables with burrata cheese, or the unusual flavor combination of corn and octopus, all paired with top wines. The ambience is formal and they also put on a fabulous “executive” lunch that is very good price/quality ratio. Alonso de Cordova 2417 (between Vitacura and Nueva Costanera), Vitacura Phone: 56 (2) 2208 3603 Photo coutresy of Europeo Restaurant

It doesn’t get more quintessentially Australian than this: waking up to a symphony of kookaburras and the heady scent of eucalyptus, the sight of kangaroos roaming freely about the 7,000-acre nature reserve. You might be tricked into thinking you’d slept under the stars—if it weren’t for the four-poster bed, flicker of a warm fire, and sunrise reflected from the glittering private pool. A three hours’ drive west of Sydney, this luxury ecolodge feels worlds away, surrounded by sandstone bluffs and sweeping plains filled with leafy gumtrees and Wollemi pines. It has 40 homestead-style villas that are as eco-friendly as they are indulgent: materials sourced within a 60-mile radius, solar panels for hot water and lighting. Highlights include the Aussie cuisine, mostly grown and sourced within 100 miles of the resort (and included in the all-inclusive rate, along with a premium minibar). A fruit orchard and edible garden supplies organic herbs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.


The most intriguing aspect of the property is an original farmhouse, built around 1832, that hosted Charles Darwin in 1836. Today, the homestead functions as a museum that highlights the Indigenous, settler, and agricultural history of the valley. The comprehensive program of activities gets guests off the homestead: There are peaks to climb, glowworms to ogle, and horses to ride. Following a landslide in 2022, Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley has faced access issues. It is temporarily closed.

Vendors first set up shop at the Italian Market in the mid-to-late 1880s, and today, the spread of stalls, stores, and eateries runs all along South 9th Street in Philadelphia’s residential Bella Vista neighborhood. A trip here involves all the senses: sights, sounds, vibrant colors, and, most intoxicating of all, the combined aromas of spices, coffee, and just-baked bread. Along this stretch, shoppers can find fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, fish, seafood, meats, cheeses, pastries, homemade pasta, ice cream, chocolates, and tea. The 10-block market area also includes a great variety of restaurants. Overwhelmed by the choices? Stop at the Visitor Center for suggestions. The market operates all year round, and in all types of weather.

You’ve strolled the 1.5km of Istanbul‘s famous Istiklal Street for a spot of shopping, but hunger sets in and the purse strings are tight. Where do you go for a bite to eat? Answer: Helvetia, a modest lokanta (restaurant) tucked away on a quiet side street in Tünel. With its relaxed, no-frills atmosphere, this place is a local favorite for lunch and dinner. The food is deliciously fresh, generously served, and an excellent value for money. Plates overflow with homemade mezes featuring Turkey’s home-grown produce—olive oils, yogurt, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, spinach, kofte, chicken, and more. Choose among the mostly vegetarian mezes by pointing to the dishes lined up on the counter near the open kitchen. To get there: Follow the tram line on Istiklal to the Tünel funicular (tram) exit. With your back to the funicular exit, see a book shop on the other side of the road. Just to the left of this shop is the Tünel Pasaj, a pedestrian arcade lined with cafes and shops. Walk through the arcade to the end. You will see Helvetia on the corner as you exit the arcade.

I’m generally more of a details guy, but now and again there’s a place for a high-level, 30,000 foot view of a place (and cheesy sociology jargon). Kota Bharu’s massive central market is not for the feint of heart - or the vegetarian. The central section, depicted here, is generally where you’ll find standard fruits and veggies. If you wander deeper into the bowels of the complex, you’ll find a rather intense wet market (men chopping beef flanks like a lumberjack would fell an oak, pig intestines hung like festive garlands, and unscrupulous vendors hawking sea turtle eggs). We visited with a few travel friends, and I think I was the only one from the group who could handle the sensory assault. I found parts of this market particularly disturbing (just a whole lot of things going on I’m not used to seeing anyplace else), but as a travel experience - whoa, yeah. I’ll never forget this one. I must have shot more than 400 photos in the couple of hours I dragged our party through this complex. I’ll focus on the details in a future post.