Tears for Granada
From cave hotels and Geopark badlands to olive mills, starlit observatories and the Alhambra itself, Tears for Granada follows Boabdil’s old kingdom across the Sierra Nevada, ending with flamenco in Granada and skiing within sight of Africa.
Hiking and Caving in the Zillertal
Three days in the Zillertal in Tyrol: We hike a smugglers’ pass, taste bergkäse straight from the copper kettle, descend into a marble cave shaped by colliding continents, and wittness a solar eclipse that has not aligned with the Perseids in a century.
Cycling the Flemish Coast
Ninety cycling kilometres of Flemish coastline looks flat and predictable on a map, no climbs, no detours, no surprises. On a bike it dissolves into horse fishers in the surf, Beaufort sculptures on the dunes and a fish market that never quite closes.
South Australia: Island & Outback
Adelaide is green, friendly and easy to navigate – then the other Australia begins. On Kangaroo Island an egg-laying mammal waddles through the leaf litter, in the Clare Valley a chef speaks of people who tended a valley rather than owned it, and from a Cessna two salt lakes appear at a scale nobody expects.
Up and down in Canada’s west
Alberta is famous for its vastness and hides the best just below the surface: white buffalo at Métis Crossing, a forest starting over after the fire, a mountain that has forgotten nothing for 7,000 years. Westwards, in British Columbia, the journey goes up – by helicopter onto ridges, glaciers and into a roaring gorge.
Gauja National Park in Latvia
You might very well call Gauja National Park, in the heart of Latvia, the oxygen-rich and spiritual soul of the country. Ancient beliefs are still alive, looming around every corner of the Gauja River, the meandering artery of the region.
Where Snow, Soil and Family Meet
When I check into The Social Hub’s Lavagnini in Florence, I don’t just drop my bag in a room; I drop myself into a living organism. It’s a community in motion, where students, entrepreneurs, and travelers blur together like brushstrokes on a Renaissance canvas.
The rooftop hums with energy as I meet Federico Bellanca, Florence’s cocktail whisperer. Federico, who writes for Forbes and Rolling Stone, is one of our ‘local heroes’—the people who turn the city into a living work of art. From the ‘Alchemist of the Rooftop’ to the inclusive beats of Sofia Chiellini’s ballroom nights, this isn’t the Florence found in guidebooks.
This is the Local Blender in action: a place where the city doesn’t just surround you, it welcomes you in. At The Social Hub, you aren’t just visiting Florence; you are becoming part of its heartbeat.
Hanging with the locals in Florence
When I check into The Social Hub’s Lavagnini in Florence, I don’t just drop my bag in a room; I drop myself into a living organism. It’s a community in motion, where students, entrepreneurs, and travelers blur together like brushstrokes on a Renaissance canvas.
The rooftop hums with energy as I meet Federico Bellanca, Florence’s cocktail whisperer. Federico, who writes for Forbes and Rolling Stone, is one of our ‘local heroes’—the people who turn the city into a living work of art. From the ‘Alchemist of the Rooftop’ to the inclusive beats of Sofia Chiellini’s ballroom nights, this isn’t the Florence found in guidebooks.
This is the Local Blender in action: a place where the city doesn’t just surround you, it welcomes you in. At The Social Hub, you aren’t just visiting Florence; you are becoming part of its heartbeat.
Antarctica expedition
Six-metre-high waves, gusts of wind reaching 111 km/h – anyone wanting to reach Antarctica must pass through the Drake Passage. Those who persevere are rewarded with icebergs glowing blue from within, orcas washing seals off ice floes, and a silence that makes you feel very small. An expedition to the end of the world.
Exploring Chiriquí, Panama
Panama is a country best understood in layers. Elevation, climate, culture and coastline shift within hours, sometimes within minutes. For adventurer and writer Simon Schöpf, this journey into Panama’s western highlands and Pacific coast is not about ticking off highlights, but about reading the land through its textures: volcanic soil underfoot, mist on skin, coffee in the cup, cacao shared at a waterfall, salt spray in the open sea.
