Different than many other festivals, DAS FEST was established with the aim to offer something for every age class despite their socioeconomic background, which is why it has always been free to attend. Only recently was it forced to charge an admission of a 5€ per day for the main stage, but other attractions and music stages are still free. The official festival takes place July 20-22, but there are many smaller attractions and regional artists the week prior to the festival.

What does the festival offer? On a Sunday morning you can have your breakfast while listening to the sound of classical music. Classical music not your cup of tea? How about dancing away to electronic sounds in front of the DJ stage? A wallflower? What about watching sports competitions, such as skating, beach volleyball and freestyle frisbee contests?Otherwise, you can take your time and collect as many freebies as possible, get your make-up and hair done by dm Drogeriemarkt (you guessed it, for free!), and best of all, watch famous artists and bands perform while sitting on a hill with with an excellent view of the stage.

View from the hill onto the main stage

Eat your breakfast while listening to classical music.

Sports competitions

Many activities for adults and kids!

Many of the artists for 2012 are German such as Culcha Candela, Maximo Park, Deichkind, Jupiter Jones, Casper and the Curbside Prophets, and many others. Smaller artists and DJs have not yet been announced but can be found via this link as soon as it is updated. Tickets may be ordered online or picked up in many stores in Karlsruhe (see the full list here).

Accommodation during DAS FEST:

Unfortunately there is no camping space close by, but there are a couple of other possibilities:

- Private and shared accommodations via housetrip, wimdu, 9flats and gloveler.

- Youth Hostel

- Couchsurfing

- Camping site (a bit remote)

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All pictures via dasfest.net

The area around the small towns of Dominical and Uvita, on the Pacific coast of southern Costa Rica, is one of my favorite places in the world. I’ve visited the region four separate times over the course of six years, and although through that period of time there has been many changes, the overall energy of the magical region remains untouched. More hotels and restaurants are popping up constantly; but thankfully, surfing, nature, and late night bonfires are still the main draws. Every time I’ve visited I’ve been on a tight budget (Like always, I would never be able to travel like I do on a waitress’ salary if I wasn’t!) but I’m managed to have an amazing time nonetheless. Here is a collection of the spots that have made my visits memorable. Pura vida!

Beach
The main attraction are, of course, the beaches and the thriving culture they inspire. Uvita’s are picture perfect with endless white sand and lush jungle lining them. The waves range from soft and mellow (by the beach house me and my friends rented south of town there was only a slightly surfable wave every ten minutes) to perfect even beginner waves near Flutterby House, my all-time favorite hostel. Uvita’s beaches are part of Marino Ballena National Park, and while you are supposed to pay to use them all, (Shhhh…secret!) the beaches by Flutterby are not regulated. In all my experiences in Uvita I’ve never seen the beaches crowded. Not to miss: the famous Whale’s Tail, the pinnacle of the National Park.

Alternatively, the sands of Dominical’s beaches are covered with rocks and driftwood. The waves are famous for their long rides and perfect barrels, and consequently have made the small town a surfer mecca. Watch out for the riptides! They are strong and dangerous. Please listen to the muscular, tanned, and perfectly sculpted lifeguards when they tell you where to and not to swim. The beach of Dominicalitos south of town is a fun excursion and has friendlier waves.

There are surf camps and schools everywhere. If you’re a beginner and on a perpetual budget like me, I recommend finding a local or expat teacher on the beach. They are everywhere, and will charge about $20-30 for a lesson, which could be an hour or many hours. Many times you can cut the price by offering to spring for beers after class. Because they are not associated with a company they don’t have to pay a company commission and therefore can give you a much better price. If your goal is just to stand up and learn a bit about how the local tides work, than you do not need to pay $100 to be in a class with 5 other people. That’s my opinion anyways…

Another warning: be careful leaving belongings on the beaches! Thefts are common in both Uvita and Dominical.

Yoga
Visiting Bamboo Yoga Play in Dominical has become an integral part of my experience. The large raised studio is set next to the jungle and ocean, and is right off the main road. While in the studio you can feel the fresh breeze wash over you, and hear tropical birds chirp all around. There is honestly nothing that simultaneously uplifts and grounds me as much as a great open-air yoga session. Although there is a wide range of yoga and movement classes to choose from, I highly recommend Koha Yoga with Whaca and Sara if you are lucky enough to catch them. One session might literally change your life. If you are looking for something different to immerse yourself with, there are constantly workshops, performances, and retreats going on at the studio, check the website for the latest offerings.

An insider secret: at Bamboo there are three different rooms for rent in the downstairs area. Email ahead to ask about renting a room or check in the reception inside the Bambootique. The rooms are all unique and made of modified shipping containers. There is a communal deck with couches, and an open kitchen area showcasing views of the Baru River. The beach is minutes away, and you have full use of the yoga studio while classes are not in session. Namaste.

Explore
Tired of the beach? Both Uvita and Dominical have their own waterfalls! The Dominical one has a large swimming pool and lots of large rocks to recline on. The Uvita waterfall has a rock waterslide. Be careful about jumping off. The locals make it look easy, but they’ve probably been doing it their whole lives. Still want more waterfalls? Up the road towards San Isidro you can also hike or horseback ride to the epic Nauyaca Waterfall.

There are tours all around where you can find anything to do from rock climbing to zip lining to parasailing to boating… you get the picture. Shop around for the best prices, and get recommendations from other travelers.

The area is also rich with volunteer opportunities at organic farms. Volunteering is a great way to live for very cheap or free, get in touch with nature, and see a part of the country you might not have found normally. In addition it is a fast way to form genuine friendships. Hippy girl secret: check out WWOOF or make your way inland to San Isidro for the Thursday Feria when all the gringo farmers come out to sell their organic vegetables and gluten-free cookies.

Party
While in Uvita my partying consisted solely of drinking beer and rum in Flutterby and staying up late with new friends around bonfires on the beach. Except for the amazing Envision Festival, an art, yoga, sustainability, and music festival that took place in Dominical in 2011 and in Uvita in 2012. The music went on all night long and had me dancing in the jungle at sunrise every day I was there. The festival has many ties to local communities; and the owners of Bamboo Yoga, Maracutu, and organic farms in the country help to produce it.

In Dominical the party scene is more cultivated, and although you should still only expect some late night bar to beach mischief instead of an out club night (read: flip flops vs heels), on the right nights you can easily drink and dance the night away, pausing only to realize the sun is beginning to rise. The party night moves nightly from bar to bar. Ladies’ Night at Maracatu is definitely a worthwhile event to shitshow at. Free shots for the ladies! Literally free! I’ve had some fun times there, I only wish I could remember all of them.

As a general rule: to find the night’s hot spot just ask around in town and follow the crowd to where the music and drink specials are. Happy partying!

Eat
In Uvita I loved Creperia Marquesa in town. The whole place is bright and cheery, the owner is a sweetheart, and the food is European yummy. Last time I was in town I stayed in a house right by Bob’s Roadhouse169, south of town by the mile 169 marker and found a second home. The space is a great open-air restaurant with regular live music and events taking place. The Tex-Mex-Tico food is bursting with flavor, and the bartenders pour stiff drinks with easy smiles. Say “hi” to Bob, for me. If you’re lucky (like I was many times) you’ll get to taste test the night’s special for free.

While in Dominical, the beachfront surfer hangout Tortilla Flats is my all-time guilty pleasure. They have, literally, the best nachos I’ve had outside California. More of my guilty faves include the coconut-crusted mahi-mahi, seared ahi steak with wasabi coconut cream, and the fried calamari. San Clemente Bar and Grill is also an affordable fun place to spend a few hours eating, dancing and drinking. The whole place is covered with broken surf boards; if you bring in your own you can sign it and leave it to commemorate your legacy and get a free taco and beer in return. Maracatu has the greatest seafood and vegetarian food, and there is live music what seems like every night (and ladies’ night for the winning point).

Budget advice: hit up San Clemente’s margarita and taco night.

Sleep
My new favorite hostel in the whole world is Flutterby House in Uvita. It has a magical hippy vibe with its tree houses, bright murals, open-air dorms, and shirtless staff. The location is to die for with a flawless beach minutes away. It is easy to lounge the day away on one of the numerous couches with a cold Imperial and a group of new friends. For some low-key adventure time they have surfboards, bikes, and more for rent. If you want to be near to town I’ve also had friends stay at Tucan Hotel and recommend it. If you made the trek out to Flutterby and they’re full, or if you something more private, continue along the dirt road and follow the signs for Esmo’s Cabin’s. They are even closer to the beach, and the prices were lower than any other cabins I’ve ever found in Costa Rica.

In Dominical I always stay at Pyramis, another brightly painted beach hostel with funky rooms, an open air dorm overlooking the ocean, and the best burgers in town. To find it keep on walking south on the beach road, and about two minutes out of “town” you’ll find it. I’ve also stayed at Tortilla Flats and Cabinas San Clemente, both are decent surfer crash pads, but aren’t anything memorable and get really noisy at night time.

If you’re really on a budget people camp every day on the beach in Dominical, just watch out for your belongings!

Ah! I miss Dominical and Uvita so much! Additional and duplicate shout-outs to Josh and the hot bartender from Maracatu; Soffiah, Brandan, Waca, Sara,Leah, and Yasmine from Bamboo Yoga Play; that old blonde surfer dude from Orange County who gave me a free lesson for a beer; Juan-Carlos from Tortilla Flats; and Bob from Roadhouse169. See you all in time for Envision 2013.

photo credits: ziplining: VITAMINDEVO, beer and fire: flickr, all others: taken by me and all in and around Dominical and Uvita

(Pura vida.)

I’ve recently moved to Amsterdam from London and though I’ve adjusted to the constant stream of bikes, the unusual smells that emerge from “coffee shops” and navigating the criss crossing of canals, I’m still adjusting to living in an area where kids play happily on the street and bikes are left unlocked outside homes. These are nice things to adjust to, the former particularly and I’ve noticed many of the kids like to indulge in one activity in particular; drawing in chalk on the pavement or the sidewalk as our North American friends would say.

I’d all but forgotten doing this as a child but seeing the colourful markings of hopscotch grids, names being written and stick figures on the ground remind me how much fun using concrete as a canvas can be.

And then there are those who take it to a whole other level…

I stumbled upon these photos of some of the coolest side-chalk paintings around the world and had to share them with you. Have you ever seen chalk drawings like these on your travels?

One of the most renowned artists for this type of street art is UK born Julian Beever who has drawn on pavements and sidewalks of over 28 countries. He started out on the street as a busking artist who travelled the word thanks to the profits of his street art, which brightened up the streets of Europe Australia and USA. Fast forward a few years and he’s now regularly paid considerable amounts of money to travel for corporate and private commissions across the globe. So, is this the coolest job in which you get to travel the world? I’m off to buy some chalk and join the kids outside my new home and maybe I’ll find out!

Photos from JulianBeever.net, Huffington Post and Nick Cannon.

Michael and Rick have been to the Dominican Republic and met the very farmers who grow their cocoa beans and set them sailing towards the Brooklyn harbour in giant burlap sacks. They take these beans to their factory on North 3^rd street, where you can step inside, and as the pungent aroma of the cocoa hits you, witness for yourself the story of the Mast Brothers chocolate unfolding in front of you.

Rock music plays loudly, stations are set up around the space where teams are carefully placing the fragrant bars in that glorious gold wrapping. It’s incredibly fun to watch the whole process take place right there. With stacks of gold-wrapped chocolate bars lying around everywhere, it’s hard not to compare the experience with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – or Amelie for that matter. All your senses are alert to the sights, sounds and smells of chocolate in the making.

Once I pop on a protective hat, I’m granted access to the kitchen towards the back, where the chocolate is tumbling happy in giant mixers. This process takes place for a couple of days and the only other ingredients added are olive oil and a slight amount of sugar, and most bars are over 70% cocoa. The chocolate is then set out in platters and allowed to „age“. You can pick up bars such as Maine Sea Salt, Hazelnut, Almond, and Serrano Chile. There are also other handmade treats such as „Seasonal bark“ with cranberries and pecans, or brownies and truffles – all made with the Mast Brothers chocolate.

Before going in the giant mixer, the beans have already been roasted – during which, the shell of the bean comes off and this is discarded, though not wasted of course. A local brewery in Brooklyn takes these leftovers shells and uses them to create a rich chocolatey stout – on another outing I stumbled across this and tried it out – fantastic.

I take home a few bars of the Mast Brothers Chocolate and experience a taste like never before: rich, luxurious, and unique flavours of indulgence, you only need to nibble on a few squares to feel thoroughly satisfied. When I meet old friends and new during my New York trip, everyone is raving about it, people are genuinely excited to learn about the Mast Brothers chocolate.

„There’s a lot more to it than just making chocolate and selling chocolate to our customers, the chocolate itself represents more than just a candy bar. It represents a new way of hand-crafting food. An old mentality, that’s now new again. And I think it’s spreading like wildfire too.“ – Rick Mast.

More about their craft is explained in this wonderful video about the Mast Brothers, produced by The Scout.

Visit the Mast Brothers chocolate-makers at 111 N 3rd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11249

Open every day, 12p – 7p

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*Text and photos by Elizabeth Rushe. Read Elizabeth’s post on Cafe Leuchtstoff in Berlin here

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That sounds silly, you might say and yet I bet at one moment in your life (which you may or may not remember) you’ve pictured yourself that way. Admittedly, I haven’t thought of princesses and knights in a good few years, but when I arrived in Perugia, Umbria back in April to attend the Travel Bloggers Unite conference I was instantly taken with the sheer beauty of the land, the clean air and the endless lusciously green fields.

The resort we stayed in, the Valle di Assisi, spreads over a wide area  with many independant country-style ensuring a quiet and peaceful stay without any disturbing neighbors, pumping nightclubs or street noise. It’s that sort of place you imagine writers go to for a month, where they find their centre and get the inspiration they need to produce bestselling novels. It was the first time I ever had to walk for 15 minutes to get from my room to reception.

The way to reception.

The house we stayed in.

Thankfully the resort does offer bikes at your free disposal on the terrain, so getting to reception could be done within 3 minutes and be quite fun actually.Speaking of bikes, the only thing I wanted to do when I first arrived was to ride around and take in the beauty of the land. Most of the streets lead along green fields of sorts with no shortage of panoramic views. One afternoon Lea and I played naughty by taking the hotel bikes out for a spin (you’re not officially allowed to leave the resort area with them) with the goal of cycling up to the old town of Assisi we had heard so many good things about.

Lea happy on her bike

The wind blew mildly and the air was warm when we headed out, just a couple of hours before sunset. Grey and white clouds assembled dramatically, but the sun still managed to shine our way to the ancient capitol of Perugia, that was once built by the Romans in a terrace shape and onto the Monte Subasio mountain, providing inhabitants with generous views onto the surrounding landscape.

We cycled and stopped and snapped photos and then cycled some more until we arrived in the center of the old town where we got off the wheels and explored the small cobbled streets by foot. 28.000 people live here and although there are some touristic tendencies, like the souvenir shops and restaurants equipped with dfferent language menus, we still found this town to be as charming as many of the other Italian cities we’ve ever visited.

In the short time we walked around town, we witnessed an awe-inspiring sunset, some pretty interesting ham& cheese shops and a monk who walked the streets barefoot, holding a stick and chatting to us about prophecy and god. The whole thing was a little surreal but along with this historic setting it was fun to imagine what life was like some 2000 years ago, when barefoot monks were probably the norm and people assembled on the town square for festivities, announcements and markets.

Eventually we ran into some more people from TBU and we all sat down on a cute piazza where a new restaurant called La Piazzetta dell’Erba (Via San Gabriele dell’Addolorata 15b) had just opened and invited us all to free wine and food while the owner’s newphew performed Italian rap songs on the mic. I can’t be sure but I think I overheard him slip a few dirty words in there, too.

Around 10 we got tired and decided to roll our bikes back to the resort but not without a final pitstop at the gelateria for some amazing pistacchio and chocolate ice-cream. Perfect ending to the day really.

Elena specialises in conceptual underwater digital photography shooting the majority of her work with a Canon 5D II with underwater housing and a 28 or 50mm lens. Having long been lovers of underwater photography here at Travelettes HQ (see here and here) its amazing to come across a photographer who injects such a unique and magical style into her water adventures and her photos make me want to jump in a pool and experiment further myself with this art.

The last 3 photographs have been taken from her incredible Alice in Waterland series, inspired unsurprisingly by her favourite childhood book. The whole collection is incredible and very unique so to see more of these take a look at her portfolios here, here and here.

Finally, if the underwater photography skills of Elena haven’t left you dreaming then her film Underwater Carousel will certainly leave you longing for a mermaid tail of your very own..

Photo by: Kai Müller | kaimueller.eu | Stylespion

Once upon a time on a Saturday morning… well exactly at 8:30 in the morning last Saturday, a bunch of bloggers got on a train at Berlin Hauptbahnhof for a short field trip to Prague in order to attend the Electronic Beats Festival, see a bit of Prague and have a jolly good time. The line up was promising and so were my companions: Pierre from Mit Vergnügen, Nike, one half of This is Jane Wayne, Marcel from Amy&Pink, Katja from LesMads, Kai aka Stylespion, Frank from iheartberlin and Jessie from Interview Germany. An award-winning constellation that could only mean one thing: F.U.N.



Above two photos by: Kai Müller | kaimueller.eu | Stylespion

The 5 hour train journey into Prague had us all bubbling over with school trip-like excitement and after the obligatory seat hopping getting to know everyone and a sip of Prosecco we arrived in the “Golden City”. Luckily we had some time for some sightseeing before the beginning of the festival during which we enjoyed a peak at the infamous Charles Bridge, tasted some Langos and sausages on Charles Square and finally zigzag walked back to the hotel laughing giddy with excitement like proper grown ups.

Prague is a very beautiful city with its colourful art deco buildings, neat squares and delicious food, but i did learn one thing: Avoid. Touristy. Areas. At all cost. They are usually packed with people and can get pretty annoying after a while. Especially when you are on a trip with 8 bloggers that stop every few meters to take pictures, find free WiFi or need to pee. I think our dear guide Pierre now knows what it must feel like to a teacher to a class full of fleas. Sorry, Pierre!

After having dinner at the Café Imperial, we headed over to the festival venue just in time for the performance of Woodkid. Commanding drum sounds filled the room at Archa Theatre like a thunderstorm and the Czech crowd went completely wild.

Then Whitest Boy Alive hit the stage with well known songs such as “Keep a Secret” and “1517″ putting our best dance skills on public display. After the band left the stage the Czech showed us how to ask for an encore: Screaming, clapping and stomping on the floor caused the second thunderstorm that night, something I wasn’t used to from concerts in Berlin. Those guys certainly knew how to make a band feel wanted.

Photo by: Kai Müller | kaimueller.eu | Stylespion

I danced and laughed and drank and danced and then danced some more and just when I thought I couldn’t move another leg for the life of me mister Mike Skinner and his phenomenal DJ set lured me back to the dance floor giving it my last best and last, shaking what i had to shake.

Just when I thought that the evening couldn’t get any better Whitest Boy Alive came over to us for a little chat and photo session. Very nice lads indeed and never shy of picking up a girl at random to allow her friends to snap some photos, as happened to Nike (pictured below).

Photo by: Kai Müller | kaimueller.eu | Stylespion

Sleep wasn’t much of an issue that night but after a hot shower and a quick breakfast at the hotel, we headed out into town to enjoy our last few hours in the city, not without a pivotal pitstop at Topshop, located at the Premium shopping center, as well as a refreshing cranberry lemonade at  Le Court Galerie Cafe, which we found on a whim inside a neat hidden yard.

Before I could blink our time was up and we were seated in the train back home to Berlin. Less drinking this time and more sleeping but with big smiles on our faces and a happy heart.

Farewell, class of Prague Bloggers 2012, it was a good ol’ time…..

Tent life

fforest Farm in South Wales – Just a hop and a skip and a plane ride and a train ride and another train ride and a car drive away. Finally arriving in the Welsh woods, we immediately feel like being on a Harry Potter movie set. Through the branches we make out people gathering around an open fireplace, sheep grazing on green hills under a cloudy sky – and all sorts of tents: small tents, big tents, round tents and even a tent that looks like the speaking hat from Hogwarts.

There’s no such thing as bad weather…

…Only bad clothing! When packing for our five-day-trip to Wales, we acted against all our inner urges and left the high heels in the closet. The weather probably wouldn’t suit fancy shoes – we figured as much. (Although Katja still managed to include some height in her footwear, as you can see in the pictures below…)

Cold at night

We left behind a blue and sunny Berlin sky, willing and even enthusiastic to spend the next five days jumping into puddles and inhaling some fresh country air for a change. Little dit we know of just HOW cold it would get at night (…in retrospect the farms’ url did sound suspicious though: http://www.coldatnight.co.uk/) and how it would feel to spend  24/7 under a constant cover of cloud and rain. But the magical atmosphere made up for all of it and we managed to adjust to the wet circumstances by getting glued to our umbrella and drinking lots of tea (well, when in Britain…)

And eventually, the sun did come out and bestowed us with the most beautiful colours at twilight.

Kitchen delights

People who heard about the Do Lectures before probably have seen videos of the talks on the internet. But there is a lot more to it. You become part of an open-minded community with whom you share your thoughts  - and your meals. And they are delicious meals! From breakfast over supper and little snacks to dinner, a fun and committed kitchen crew serves yummy, freshly prepared, homely meals. Even the bread is made from scratch!

Around the fireplace

The afternoons and evenings are dedicated to spending time with the other attendees. In several workshops from digital storytelling to bread making and painting you get to know everyone and time simply fades away over a talk around the fire while listening to incredible musicians and poets.

Inspiring talks and amazing people

In the fifth year of the Do Lectures everything seemed to evolve around the fact that life is short and whatever it is that gives you sleepless nights, you have to go out there and make it real. We heard some amazing talks by storytellers, illustrators, designers, creative directors, zen priests and artists that got us thinking a lot. Instead of retelling what we heard, we recommend visiting the Do Lectures webpage, where you find all of this years’ talks (and all the previous ones as well) and leave you with a few striking quotes we picked up during the lectures as well as a short interview we made with a young, amazing woman named Anna Felton, who was part of the Do Lectures since its very first hour.

“Perfection is the enemy of the do.”

“Trust your intuition, your certainty will give you wings.”

“Trust is the vital part of success.”

“Do the thing you love and if you change, do that.”

“There’s serendipity found on twitter.”

“Practise not doing and everything will fall into place.”

A few days in New York is never enough, in fact I don’t think a lifetime is enough to appreciate this amazing city. On my bucket-list for my last trip to the big apple was spending time across the river in Dumbo & venturing into Brooklyn, an area I’d never explored before. As luck had it, or didn’t have it in this case, my 4 day Brooklyn sejour was cut short to only a day but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t try and make the most of the 12 hours I did have!

Our first stop, fresh off the subway was Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Wandering down the streets checking out the hip families that have relocated to this neighbourhood it is easy to understand why it’s so popular; beautiful buildings, great cafes, lots of art galleries and community space… oh, and friendly people all around.

We headed towards the Brooklyn Bridge park to sit in the grass, take in the view and watch the early morning joggers run by. On entering the park there is only one thing I’m looking for – that iconic landscape of the city that never sleeps!

Having resisted the urge to Pony Up on the carousel (we would have been the oldest people on it by a good 25 years), we leave the park and head towards the Brooklyn Flea. It’s a nice day so we decide to walk rather than jump on the subway. We stop off at a cool new market built from discarded shipping containers called the Dekalb Market (138 Willoughby Street at Flatbush Ave) to pick up iced coffee. It’s a community initiative with lots of surprises ranging from an onsite radio station and a great urban farming project as well as a few great eateries, shops and cafes.

It’s a Saturday, meaning that the flea market is being held at Fort Greene (176 Lafayette Ave. btw. Clermont + Vanderbilt) – on a Sunday the market is in Williamsburg (East River Waterfront btw. North 6 + 7 St.) We get there early and wander quietly through the rows of sellers before the crowds arrive later in the afternoon. You can read lots more about the market here.

Having bought up too many vintage dresses and drooled over all the 50′s and 60′s kitchenware which sadly wouldn’t fit in my backpack, we decide to hop on the subway and head over to Williamsburg. On the way we spot lots of great community gardens – waste land that has been claimed back and turned into vegetable patches or just perfect places to hide away and read a book for a couple of hours.

Before I’d even bought my ticket to New York I knew where one of my major stop-off’s was going to be; none other than Beacons Closet. Their Williamsburg store is the biggest of their 3 in NY (situated at 88 n 11th street) and was the cavern of vintage treasures that I’d always imagined it to be. 2 hours of my life whizzed by in what seemed like 10 minutes and I was finally dragged away with a huge bundle of vintage (and newer designer pieces) for next to nothing. They also buy clothes too so if you’re short of a bit of cash on your travels why not think of selling some of your own clothes etc. before continuing on your adventures?

Wandering down Bedford avenue there were plenty of great shops, cafes and bars to duck in and out of – it was just great to walk and take in the atmosphere pretending that this is where I actually lived (one day I tell myself…) As the sun disappeared over the tops of the buildings we headed to The Rabbithole (352 Bedford Avenue) for dinner, beer and cocktails; they serve killer burgers and have a great terrace out back.

Photos via Bethany.K & me

At the end of the most perfect lazy day there was no better way to head back to Manhattan than to hop on the East River Ferry and sail back up to mid town.

Next time I’m in New York I’d love to have more time to spend in Brooklyn, a day was not nearly enough to get a feel for the place – have you got any tips to share with us?

However, here are five more unusual date ideas you could consider should you ever meet a girl or a guy worthy of your company in one of the world’s best cities.

1) The Harry Potter Tour

This walking tour of London takes in many of the tourist sights and scenes while showing you the exact spots where scenes in the Harry Potter movies were shot. One of my good friends was taken on this as a date and despite not originally being potty for Potter she was so impressed with her date’s imagination and enthusiasm for JK Rowling’s books that a second date was already planned before they’d even got to Kings Cross station and platform 9 ¾, where you can push a disappearing trolley into the wall.

2) Dans le noir

A mile or so away from the suit-packed City of London in a typical Regency terraced house in Clerkenwell is a place to enjoy wonderful food, great conversation and fine wine; all in the dark. There are a couple of these “dining in the dark” restaurants around the world, but Dans le noir has been going strong for a few years now with this experience aimed at heightening the diners’ taste and experience. This is the perfect blind date for a…er… blind date!

3) Hip Hop Karaoke

Every Thursday night a small group of those in the know head down to The Social in the west-end for one of London’s most talked about nights out; Hip Hop Karoke. This is the date for you if you know all of the words to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” or MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This”. I sadly never went here on a date but if I had, well let’s just say that the lucky guy may have had “99 Problems” but I wouldn’t have been one of them that night.

4) Gordons Wine Bar

Gordons isn’t really a secret anymore sadly but if you live in London, have never been and/or have the right person to impress you could do a lot worse than taking them to this underground cellar wine bar. Said to be the oldest in London and once frequented by Samuel Pepys and Rudyard Kipling over the years, this is where many go to imagine what London was like in a time that has all but disappeared. A popular choice thanks to its excellent wine list this is a good choice for a mid-week date or maybe a Sunday afternoon drink, but is the perfect charm-filled start to a date in London.

5) The Jack the Ripper Walk

It may sound grim, and indeed many elements of this tour are a little morbid as guides tell the tale of London’s most notorious Victorian serial killers but this walking tour has been getting rave reviews from Londoners and tourists alike. Done at night under the cloak of darkness guides show you where the murders take place, the clues the police were left with and relay eerie rumours of the victims’ ghosts who are said to still haunt this part of town. This is one to scare your date into falling for you!

Photo 1: Author, Photo 2: Source, Photo 3: Source, Photo 4: Source, Photo 5: Olga Pavolvsky via Source, Photo 6: Source