I can highly recommend the architecture tour an the Chicago River. A lovely way to get to know the city and its marvellous architecture better. Staff on board is very professional and the guide really knew a lot about the buildings. She was also open to extra questions.

Boats come equipped with toilets and a café, if you like some beverages during your trip. The inside of the boat has air conditioning, but we preferred sitting outside to have the best views.

It doesn’t matter if you take this boat ride during the day or during the night. You will definitely enjoy it.

Wendella Sightseeing Boats, 400 North Michigan Ave, Departing from Michigan Ave at the historic Wrigley Building, Chicago, IL 60611
https://www.wendellaboats.com/
+1 312-337-1446

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Wendella Sightseeing Boats also on TripAdvisor.

What a beautiful place: full of beautiful architecture and history (Napoleon once staid here). The beautifully landscaped gardens are full of flowers and statues. The view on the lake is breath taking. The name Isola Bella couldn’t be more right.

Entrance for the palace and the gardens is a bit on the pricey side, but I feel like I got my money’s worth. Don’t drink anything in the garden café though, it is horrible overpriced.

Palazzo Borromeo, Stresa, Isola Bella, Italy
http://www.isoleborromee.it/imadre-palazzo.html
100

Visited June 2015. You can find my review about Palazzo Borromeo also on TripAdvisor.

Isola Bella in itself is a gorgeous place to visit. We arrived at lunch time, so we went looking for a place to eat. In all honesty we didn’t expect much, because the place is really touristy. But hey, a short walk from where the ferry docked, we found Ostera del Crimine. I was charmed by the lovely terrace in the sun (don’t worry, there are also tables in the shade).

We decided on taking the ‘tourist menu’, hey, we were tourists after all. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The menu was actually quite good and service was friendly. As as starter I had a ravioloni stuffed with see bass and leek with courgette cream, which was very savory. My fish main course, the fillet of see bass with mediterranean sauce and salad was basic but tasty. To top the meal of my boyfriend and I enjoyed a very well made tiramisu. We never had to wait long to get the next course. Not bad for less than 20 euros.

Osteria del Crimine, Via del Voltone 13 Isola Bella, 28838, Stresa, Italy
https://www.ristoranteisolabella.it/
+39 0323 934630

Visited June 2015. You can find my review about Osteria del Crimine also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

I can’t comment on the food in this place, because we only had ice cream. The ice cream is really excellent: fresh and made from the milk of the cows from their own farm. No wonder the line was so long when we ordered our gelato. Do try the ‘milk’ flavour, a taste you won’t find in many other ice cream shops.

This really is a great place to visit with kids. There are various playgrounds and different animals to look at or even pat on the back. You will find the classic farm animals and even some llamas and ostriches. It is possible to ride on a pony also. Children will definitely have a blast here.

Fattoria Pasque’, Via Primo Maggio 11, 21020 Casale Litta, Italy
http://www.pasque.it/
+39 0332 948307

Visited May 2015. You can find my review about Fattoria Pasque’ also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

We went for dinner in restaurant Shanghai after a visit to Pairi Daiza. We parked our car right in front of the restaurant, very convenient. We sat outdoors on the terrace looking out over the garden. Tip for parents: there is a small playground for the children in the huge garden. The restaurant itself is big and spacious. A little tacky maybe, but it is an Oriental restaurant after all.

Staff was friendly and accomodating. On the menu you’ll find Chinese and Thai cuisine. We all opted for Thai cuisine. The food arrived quickly and was great, considering the price. I only paid 13,50 euro for my Ti pan with beef. The portion was big en the meat was served sizzling in a small pan. The duck was a little bit dry, but besides that, the taste of the dish was great.

If you’re a fan of oriental food, this is a great place. Prices are low, so you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.

Shanghai, Rue du Sewoir 115, Lens 7870, Belgium
+32 65 22 99 72

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Shanghai also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.

You don’t find many restaurants in Belgium who serve Korean food, so I was happy to discover there was one close to the town where I grew up. We went there for a nice family dinner on a sunday evening in june. It was rather quiet in the restaurant, so we had lots of tables to choose from.

We went to sit in the back, were there was lots of light thanks to a big window in the ceiling. Staff was super friendly and offered to give some more explanation if needed.

We ordered two portions of mandu to share between four persons. The waiter kindly brought four plates so we could share without problems. Both the mandu kimchi and the mandu meat were excellent.

For the main course I ordered Japchae, noodles made from sweet potatoes with sliced beef. It was the first time I tried this dish and I really loved it!

I was a bit disappointed though that the bibimbap that my boyfriend ordered didn’t turn out to be dolsot bibimbap (served in a hot stone bowl). But he enjoyed it nonetheless.

Hanasaki also serves sushi (Korean as well as Japanese sushi). You’ll also find some Thai specialities on the menu and some teriyaki and wok dishes. Prices are affordable. A typical main course will cost you between 11 and 20 euro.

I’m still surprised to find this restaurant in this rather rural town. If you love Asian food, this is a great place to have lunch, dinner (or just order take away).

Hanasaki, Gemeenteplein 20, Lummen 3560, Belgium
http://www.hanasaki-lummen.be/
+32 13 30 85 99

Visited June 2015. You can find my review about Hanasaki also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

We went for dinner at Bel Puur, because it was situated in the same building as our hotel. Bel Puur serves typical Belgian cuisine. It has a terrace in the front and one in the back with a little playground for the kids.

We choose to sit in the front terrace to enjoy the setting sun as long as possible.

Service could be more attentive. For instance, our table, though clearly dirty, wasn’t cleaned up, the stains were just covered by the paper placemats. And the waiter came back 3 times to clear our table.

I ordered scampi Bel Puur and my boyfriend ordered Koninginnenhapje. Dishes arrived after not too long a wait. The sauce of my scampi was served boiling hot though, so I almost burned my tongue. Food was decent but nothing exceptional.

This restaurant serves draft Westmalle, a regional specialty.

Bel Puur, Antwerpsesteenweg 503, Malle 2390, Belgium
http://belpuur.be/
+32 3 322 01 06

Visited June 2015. You can find my review about Bel Puur also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

This place is ideal to take a little break when hiking or biking through the beautiful countryside of Malle. This cafè is owned by the famous Abbey of Westmalle and is situated right across the abbey. You can enjoy the draft beer of Westmalle double or triple or even go for a mixture of both of them. The café also serves the cheese made by the Abbey, which can only be bought at the Abbey itself.

Staff is very friendly en efficient, which is needed, because I can imagine this place can get very crowded. I find it a bit of a shame that the architecture of the place is so uninspirational. It is clearly built to serve as many people as possible. It is nice though to relax on the comfy terrace. There is also a playground for the kids.

We ordered the Westmalle cheese, a sangría (sorry, no beer lover here) and a Westmalle half/half. I found 9 euro for a plate of cheese rather expensive, but the cheese accompanied with good mustard sure was nice.

I can understand why they ask a fee for going to the toilet (30 cents), but nevertheless in my opinion toilet use should be free for customers. Toilets were very clean though.

Cafe’ Trappisten, Antwerpsesteenweg 487 Westmalle, Malle 2390, Belgium
http://www.trappisten.be/
+32 3 312 05 02

Visited June 2015. You can find my review about Cafe’ Trappisten also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.