1. Mercato Centrale in Florence, Italy

Most people answered food when I asked about their favorite part of traveling. What I’m looking for in this food hall and market in Florence is simple; schiacciata bread with cheese and Italian meat (typically porchetta or prosciutto). That’s my favorite thing about Italy. You can’t go wrong with the food or coffee. Or at least you’d have to try hard to find dull food. A big reason why, I think, is their culture. Recently, I learned that the Italian police spend a lot of time being a “food police” as I like to call it. In 2015 they busted a mafia operation exporting pomace oil (extracted from olive pulp left-over) and labeling it as extra virgin olive oil, selling for 10x the prices (source: reuters.com). This damaged the reputation of Italian-made foods, which the police defended in cooperation with U.S. authorities. I believe this is a great testament to Italy’s determination to be reputable in quality foods despite the country being riddled with mafias, having nine mafia-style groups operating in the country according to the Global Organized Crime Index (source ocindex.net).

💡 Main objective: Try the (possibly) world’s best sandwich.

2. Bastei Bridge in Lohmen, Germany

Being two hours from Prague, Czech Republic, this bridge from 1851 looks like something straight out of Lord of the Rings or a typical movie scene, where the main character seeks the fortune of a monk living in the mountains. I can’t wait to be approached by Gandalf or the creature from Temple Run when I’m crossing the bridge. But joking side, it looks like a nature-rich getaway which I will be looking forward to after spending a lot of time in concrete jungles, especially being New York City and some cities like Vienna and Paris during my Interrail travel. Speaking of NYC, the next subject is about exactly that city - mainly Manhattan.

💡 Main objective: Feel like a main character.

3. McSorley’s Old Ale House in NYC

I tried a bar in Bulgaria called The Key in Varna, Bulgaria, and it was so chill and altogether had a great, cozy vibe. You could choose from 6 or 7 local beers displayed on this “helm”-looking ornament on the wall - helm being the word for ships’ steering wheel, which I recently learned.

Coming to probably the busiest city in the world, I’m gonna need a place to relax, so I’m looking forward to something as simple as a bar with good beer.

💡 Main objective: Try a beer with a cheese plate.

4. Pink Mamma restaurant in Paris

Some would say it’s odd to visit an Italian restaurant in France. I say, have you checked out their secret cocktail bar downstairs? I learned about this restaurant when I had an Instagram reel sent. After the people in the video enjoyed a meal in Pink Mamma, they went downstairs through what looked like a freezer door displaying “No Entry”. However, No Entry is the name of the bar! And so they treated themselves to a drink in the not-so-secret bar. It sounds like a gimmick, but I’m a sucker for gimmicks - especially in cool restaurants.

💡 Main objective: Check out the No Entry bar.

Work related, honorable mentions

Conference for UX/UI designers and digital creatives in New York

https://conference.awwwards.com/new-york

💡 Main objective: Learn to be a better graphic designer in the age of AI and learn about UI/UX tools, case studies, and emerging technologies.

Conference for frontend & creative developers in Valencia

https://conference.awwwards.com/valencia-developers

💡 Main objective: Learn to be a better web developer and make use of technologies making web design more exciting including WebGL, AR, VR, and AI.