TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Hi, I am in Nice right now and the other night I had the ‘death by bouillaibaisse’ dinner experience at Chez Freddy. This seafood stew is so huge I could barely finish half of it! I think I am not going to eat now for the rest of the week. The humongous seafood stew I ordered that could feed 3 to 4 people! My leftovers, still a bowlful of seafood fare on it. Looks like I have barely eaten anything. You want some? Anyhow, I am completely exhausted. Wasted. Kapot. And this is all from work as this is a business trip. However, this weekend I am going to kick off my heels, relax, and visit the posh and charming villages of the French Riviera. The famous colorful and lively Cours Saleya market in Nice is beckoning me as well. Ah, I can’t wait. So looking forward to it. Stay tuned next week for stories and fotos! Travel Period: November-December 2007 Destination: Nice (Alpes Cote d'Azur - Provence-Alpes), France Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & L...

Before the trip to Barcelona, I have been researching low-keyed places to go outside the city. I know for sure that the busyness of Barcelona will dauntingly suffocate me, and it did. Don’t get me wrong, Barcelona is a wonderful city. The testimony that millions of visitors visit yearly makes Barcelona one of the most sought-after cities to holiday in the world. Even on a low-season November, the throngs of crowds in La Rambla are inevitable and Gaudi would have risen up from his grave seeing the hordes climb up his unfinished minster masterpiece. Unfortunately, the action was too much for me to bear. I got cranky. I need my space. Inertia! Our yellow cable car, Montserrat-Aeri that will bring us to the mountains. This is the Benedictine monastery in Montserrat about +-700 meters above sea level. On the ground floor are shops and above it is a big square and the basilica. There were a couple of options, Girona to the north being one of the strongest contenders in my poll of c...

I was just 10 minutes in Barcelona, waiting for my luggage, and I already got propositioned by an airport employee. Ah, rightfully so, welcome to Spain, lol. Most of my days in the city were spent working. My high heels were killing me and I would have died wearing them. For diversion, there was this nice spa, I was told, in the hotel but sadly enough I wasn’t able to make use of it. I was so tired and just wanted to stay in the hotel room after dinner (dinner starts at 9PM in Spain!). I was also not feeling well and had been taking medications - the spa/sauna would have dehydrated me. Actually whilst writing this blog entry I am at home and sick. Local male retirees with their canes having a chat session in La Rambla. I love this foto. Ultimately, I was looking forward to the weekend where I could unwind and get out of the city. Yes! Get out of the city. I know you people would probably raise your eyebrows in shock and say – Huh, are you nuts? You are in exciting Barcelona and you wan...

In Barcelona right now and I have been sooooooo busy and totally knackered. Help! My feet are killing me! A far away view of Barcelona, the capital of the Catalan province in northeast Spain. Foto taken from the airplane before landing. In the Metro trying to find the train that goes to Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I where I am staying for the week. It’s been all work and no play and I haven’t seen much of the cultural part of the city yet but in the weekend I will. Other than that, the weather is good, pretty much consistent at a mild 16C by day (7C by night) compared to 6C in Holland by day (and freezing point in the evening). The beautiful atrium lobby and interior of Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I. The glass walls are amazing in the evening because they glitter from the light reflection. This foto was taken inside, and from the vantage point of the glass capsule lift (while going up to my room which is adorable by the way). My room at Hotel Rey Juan Carlos. Big...

Due to its flat topography, the Netherlands is not only a great place to bike, but also to walk. The country has many protected nature quarters, and hundreds of walking routes through fields, forests, and along rivers. On that note, which is a reminder, I am really serious about my quest for fitness. With the busy schedule Dutchman and I lead, what better way to fuse in fitness as part of our weekend leisurely activities, and at the same time, indulge in culture and nature exploration. Sounds like it fits right to the bill! The 3 main walking routes in Lage Vuursche - we randomly picked the yellow route. Lage Vuursche is a little charming village, with just a couple dozen houses, cuddled by trees in the middle of the National Park Utrechtse Heuvelrug Forest in Baarn, Utrecht. Queen Beatrix used to live here in Castle Drakenstyn with her family before her rise to the throne. I didn’t have the chance to take a picture of the castle (it’s not open to the public anyway) because we didn’t ...

Big cities do not leave me struck and enamored anymore, unless it has pockets of charismatic quarters such as the Montmartre in Paris, or the seemingly town-y feel of Amsterdam where everything is within reach by foot. Huge sprawls of conurbation really turn me off. Maybe growing up in the city has completely robbed me of the magic. But it doesn’t mean I am scraping off big cities from my travel list. It’s just not as fulfilling as opposed to finding myself exploring little villages, ancient fortresses and forgotten ruins. Now, this post came upon when I was checking my online foto album, which is a work-in-progress by the way as I still have travel fotos that needed to be uploaded. I like to look back at the places I have visited and muse over my experiences, and savor again the sights. It’s also a great repository for people to refer to in their future travels. I do the same anyway, I search for fotos and stories online of places I like to travel and I am thankful there are people ou...

With the Euro always on a fresh high (appears to be a weekly thing now) against the weak US Dollar, and wild speculations seeping through the market that the €uro will reach to an imminent $1.50 exchange, I am on the brink of temptation to book a flight to SFO and LAS! Like, I will be totally reckless. Drop whatever I am doing, and succumb to my spending urges, quest for travel, and ultimate relaxation. Woohoo, a 2-week holiday in the US. It will be cheap for me there ;-) Anyway, the other day, I started checking flights online, Amsterdam - San Francisco - Las Vegas - Amsterdam and they came out between €450 and €600 in December. Not sure if that is a reasonable price but nevertheless San Francisco and Las Vegas will for sure be warmer and sunnier than Holland. A much better place to be. However, *pulling myself back to reality*, my big problem right now is ‘Time’, which is not a surprise really. Closing the year is not always, and never has been, an easy walk in the park. Hormones are...