Mosel, Germany: Gorgeous Cochem Panorama Skyline

The Mosel/Moselle Valley is one of the most beautiful places in Germany and in Western Europe. The evidence is this lovely village called Cochem.

Dutchman and I were here last year in the fall (September) for a long weekend holiday. It was not my first time to in Cochem and in the Mosel Valley but it was for the Dutchman who was quite smitten about the place, mainly because it proved to be a great backdrop for a hiking activity through the terraced vineyards.

I can perfectly understand because I too had the same reaction when I visited 12 years ago. Yup, it's been a long time ago!

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Sightseeing & Lunching Paris: Galerie Vero-Dodat, the Louvre, Angelina and Cafe du Pont Neuf

No matter how beautiful the place is and how excited and full of energy and positive vibes you have for the trip, if the rain comes, it comes and it will dampen everything.

Grey weather and light rain showers at the Louvre... this was taken before the heavy downpour.

Staying out of the rain and a very late lunch at Cafe Du Pont Neuf.

Ugh. Everyone just hates rain, right? I do. We were rained down in Paris on our second day and our plans of visiting Ile de la Cite and the Notre Dame Church have been thrashed down the bin. We have no choice but to duck away from the pouring rain.

But before the heavy downpour came, we experienced some minor showers, which were quite doable though. I mean, you can still walk around and sightsee. The light showers won't melt you down. But then bad news, the weather took its turn in the early afternoon...

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Typically Parisian and French: Galerie Vivienne and Le Petit Déjeuner at Bistrot Vivienne

Paris has slowly grown on me. The short visit last December is making me want to visit her again. And soon I hope.

Breakfast at Bistrot Vivienne.

The Galerie Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris.

Because I have been to Paris many times, going to the city of lights and romance is not anymore like going on a little holiday. It's starting to become like going to Amsterdam and having a nice lunch or dinner there whilst enjoying the architecture and cultural things. It's become like a lifestyle?

That said, I really want to go back soon... and discover new things to see and appreciate.

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Métro de Paris: Métropolitain Snapshots

If you want to experience the authentic Paris, then you have got to take the Paris Metro to explore the city! It truly opens up to a whole new Parisian world. Seriously.

Trivia: Did you know that the metro in Paris is the second busiest metro in Europe after Moscow? And the tenth busiest in the whole world? It has more than 4 million daily commuters.

The Paris Metro has 16 lines, 303 stations with 62 transfers between lines and runs 214 kilometers, mostly underground.

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Paris, France: Dinner at the Monsieur Bleu

Late last year I had an idea of going to Paris for a quick getaway before the end of the year. It was just an idea though.

Yours truly. Oops, I just finished my glass of martini.

Dinner at Monsieur Bleu which has a direct view of the Eiffel Tower and posing just outside of the restaurant.

I had a few days off between Christmas and New Year and thought that Paris would be a good idea, however, I didn't want to go alone. When Pinpin, my old time high school friend who is now based in the Hawaiian Islands messaged me that her feet are itching to go to Europe again, but only for a few days, I knew the little getaway idea is going to become a reality.

She said she wants to visit Paris or Rome...

Wait, did she just said, Paris??? Did she just steal my idea? Haha

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Most Beautiful Dairy Shop in the World: Pfunds Molkerei in Dresden

Although this place can be a chock-full of tourists, this gorgeous dairy shop is a truly gem and really worthy of visiting.

You have got to love their paper bags, those cherubs are just too cute =)

It's the Dresdner Molkerei Gebruder Pfund or Pfund's Molkerei, a dairy shop turned into a major tourist attraction in Dresden, Germany. I can't blame the owner for overly exposing the shop to mass tourism because this shop is truly a beautiful place, a lovely piece of historical art and architecture.  And of course, the owner'ss got to earn their keep as well.

The milk shop is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998 as the -- Most beautiful dairy shop in the world. I really believe it is.

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Dresden: German Cuisine at Kuppel Restaurant in der Yenidze

The first dinner in Dresden was at this mosque-like restaurant...

German cuisine dinner at the Kuppel Restaurant in the Yenidze building.

But the building wasn't really a mosque at all but a cigarette factory in the past and is now an office building. The Yenidze is one of the iconic buildings that grace the skyline of Dresden.

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Dresden, Germany: Swinging it at the Dresden Zwinger Palace

Perhaps the most famous building and attraction in Dresden!

The whole palace estate, which is composed of galleries and gardens was built in the early 1700's by Augustus the Strong. It's located in the core center of the Old Town across the Residenzschloss and beside the Opera Theater / Theaterplatz, very near the Elbe river waterfront.

This is a MUST SEE when visiting Dresden. What more, it is FREE to enter so there is nothing to lose except your time. Really worth it =)

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We Stayed at Affordable Design Hotel - Motel One Palaisplatz in Dresden

I don’t do sponsored posts alright but I just have to blog about this budget design hotel we stayed at in Dresden, Germany.

Moi at the reception sitting in a nice chair. Bubbles was joking around that I look like the owner or manager of the hotel because of the colour of my jumpsuit. I totally blend in harmoniously. Maybe the model or the mascot? lol

Yup, this budget design hotel has a trendy resident bar of its own. Quite cool huh? It's a great place to sit down for a nightcap before retiring to the hotel room =)

We are very pleased!

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Dresden, Germany: The Furstenzug Mural, the Neumarkt, the Frauenkirche and Augustiner's Apricot Dumplings

Guten tag! As they say "Good Day" in Germany =)

The gorgeous Frauenkirche on the Neumarkt.

At the beginning of April last year, I visited Dresden, Germany. It’s one of those cities that’s on my list for quite a long time. Luckily, Bubbles who visited me last spring wanted to go here. That proved to be a great excuse for me to go as well.

I remember the late Dutch father who fondly talked about Dresden. He said it’s a beautiful city with very remarkable and historical buildings. I was very keen on checking the important ones when I am in the city.

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My Daily Life in the Netherlands #006

Hi! Oh wow, the first quarter of 2018 is almost over. Time flies so fast, and it's time again to blog about what has transpired in the last 2 months, January and February, the deep winter months of the Netherlands and Europe.

The highlights were our wintersport holiday in the French Alps, calling in at 2 Dutch towns, Kampen in the northeast and Gorinchem in the southwest (click on the read more link and scroll down) and visiting suppliers and design ateliers for our house project.

Let's start with January...

Dutchman and I tend to keep the Christmas tree up until the second weekend of January when we finally bring it down. We have a fake tree but when we move into our new house, which is almost twice the size of what we have right now, we are open to having a real pine tree for Christmas. Although the house will be delivered at the end of this year (2018), it won't be ready for Christmas just yet as we still need to do some interior design and furnishing. So the real tree will have to wait for the 2019 holiday season.

January was spent mostly working on the house, with deadlines on the electricity, plumbing, bathroom, kitchen, extensions, etcetera. It was a bit stressful since it is difficult for us to foresee how we are going to live in the new house. One would only truly know your home habits and how you live when you actually live in the (new) house. So having an electrical plug near the dining table might not be handy as initially perceived.

In the picture above is a sample of a kitchen and dining room of the model house we have. We will have a kitchen island as well but it will be more than twice bigger and wider than in the picture.

January for us also means wintersport holiday in the Alps.

We have been going to the French Alps for years, other times we go to the Austrian Alps. This year we went to Val Cenis ski resort in the French Alps for a week of skiing and snowboarding. I will be posting more pictures and stories about our holiday there soon.

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A Day Trip to Antwerp, Belgium

Another spring trip I did last year was to Antwerp, Belgium.

The Groeneplaats, a huge city square in Antwerp.

My mussels lunch.

The city of Antwerp is so near to Utrecht, I can literally commute here every day or every week if I want to. So when the weather is good, Dutchman and I might go for a quick dinner in the city.

However, this post is a quickie trip I did last year with a friend, Bubbles. She has never been to Antwerp, so we planned this day trip for her when she visited last spring.

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Delft, Netherlands in Spring

It is almost spring! But it is still cold in the Netherlands...

So I have some pictures here taken last year during spring in Delft, approximately 11 months ago in April of 2017.

A very spring look =)

The Oostpoort (Eastern Gate) of the city. The city played a major role during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century).

I have been to Delft a few times before and I went here last year in spring because a friend of mine visiting the Netherlands, Bubbles, wanted to specifically see the city. She has heard about the place and was very curious.

It was very timely as well that I had a (career-related) meeting in Delft so we managed to plan our visit around the meeting, wherein after my appointment in the morning, we went straight to Delft and spent the rest of the day there. Sometimes things just fall in the right place without having to push it.

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Skiathos Island: Traditional Greek Dinner at Platanias Taverna in Agia Paraskevi

This is one of the best tavernas and dinners we have been to in Skiathos Island.

The food and service here at Platanias (officially Platanias Venue Restaurant & Lounge Bar) were just incredible. We enjoyed our dinner and evening here very much. We highly recommend this place if holidaying in Skiathos, Greece!

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Skiathos, Greece: Fresh Pasta Dinner at La Cucina di Maria

I must admit though that I am not a huge fan of pasta dishes. I don't know why, perhaps because I find pasta too starchy for my liking? On the other hand, I can’t live without noodles. Now that's a bit of a contradiction, haha. Must be the Asian genes in me.

In Skiathos, Dutchman and I had dinner at this really cool restaurant in the old town center called La Cucina di Maria. It is an Italian restaurant specialising in fresh home-made style pastas and thin-crust pizzas. The reviews were very good and the restaurant was always full every time we pass by.

Hmm, they must be doing something right, huh?

Skiathos Island, Greece: Maratha Beach (Our Favourite!)

Maratha Beach was one of our great finds last summer in Skiathos. This was "our kind of beach".

A picture of a very relaxing holiday without having to spend ludicrous amounts of money or having to fly across the globe in search of the sun! The Greek Islands are just around the corner from Western Europe.

The beach is down a small path from the main road.

We found this beach after checking out a series of beach spots and resorts on the southern coast. Dutchman and I have an exact idea of what “our” beach would look and feel like, so when we saw Maratha Beach, we were like – YEAH! This is it!

We were so glad to have found a pair of unoccupied sun loungers. We quickly settled.

If we went here during peak season, I am sure it would be impossible to find an available sun lounger, unless we come here really early or very late in the afternoon. The perks of going off-peak season.

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