TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

We are leaving in a few hours. We will be going to the same ski area we went to last year but will be staying in a different village. Dutchman and I loved the slopes here because they are a kilometre wide! This is the ski village. Just look at how wide the slopes here are. We have visited this village last year, Dutchman several times, while I, I think twice in the afternoon. It was a rather quick visit as it is located at the other side of the mountain range where we were staying. The ski lifts connecting both mountain villages closes at 4PM sharp, so we were always in a hurry. Nevertheless, I will be blogging during the holidays, internet connection permitting. On other news, this weekend the whole Netherlands will be ice skating on the frozen lakes. Here is a Volkskrant article (Dutch) about the ice skating tours this weekend all over the country starting today Friday: Schaatstochten trekken 50.000 recreaten   (Ice skating tours attracts 50,000 holidaymakers) See you ...

After much googling of possible cool with great reviews places to eat seafood in Rotterdam, I came across Hotel New York’s Oyster (& Seafood) Bar. Ah, give me seafood anytime and I am a very happy island gal. Fruits de Mer at the Oyster Bar Platter of Fruits de Mer. Souvenir shop of vintage items at the Hotel New York Rotterdam located beside the entrance of the restaurant.  So glad MadamE could join me for Saturday lunch when I was staying in Rotterdam for a weekend. She told me that she had some clairvoyance moment, that she was picturing herself eating seafood very soon. Well she’s right. We arrived at the height of lunch time and it took awhile before we were led to our table. This place is incredibly buzzing! It is hands down a super popular place for people from all walks of life to lunch during weekends. I cannot blame them really because the Oyster Bar alone is enough to tempt and beckon seafood lovers like moi. Finally we were seated and pouring...

It’s been antartica here in the Netherlands. For 2 weeks already. This is what it’s like living inside the fridge. My lease car from work died on me the other day. I think the cold triggered the problem. I haven’t heard from the garage yet. It looks like they are struggling to find out what is wrong with the car. In the meantime I’m driving a loaner car. My other private car is doing fine. We make sure to turn it on and drive the car to the in-laws in the weekends so that it won’t die like the last time. If a car is left unattended for a longer period of time, especially during winter in below zero conditions, it will eventually die, albeit temporarily. I had a stroll with my client during their lunch break. In Dutch we call it, ‘We gaan even een frisse neus halen.’ This means, ‘Let’s go get some fresh air.’ However, if literally translated it should say, ‘Let’s go get some fresh nose.’ Hehe. These things, the nuances in the language, you only get to learn in time. After ...

I mentioned awhile back that I have stopped running because I hated this sport . I really do hate it but it seems that this is the only sport that I can do and tolerate in order to keep myself in shape. Plus you get some fresh air, which is a bonus. I am 42 years old and my metabolism has slowed down in the last 10 years and it has only become worse as I enter into serious middle age. No makeup on. Just curious, would you wear make up when running? I do watch what I eat, not religiously though and sometimes I cannot help but indulge. It helps that I am not a big meat eater and I am not into sweets, bread and baked goods. I love fruits and vegetables! Anyway, I have since went back to running and I do this during the weekends. I am also alternating it with dancercise at home. It is a combination of dancing + exercising with music on headphones for proper concentration. These two types of physical activity are the only ones that I can endure. The gym is not for me really. I am too...

Luxemburg (or Luxembourg) City is a very small cosmopolitan city. It is a trilingual city, locals speak French, German and Luxemburgisch. I guess it should be quadringual if you throw in English into the equation which most people speak anyway. The country has a reputation of being a tax haven which is the reason why it is rich in the first place. Now, many people who come to visit the Grand Duchy find themselves wondering where to go, what to see and what to do here other than shopping. Shopping in Luxembourg is definitely better than PC Hooftstraat in Amsterdam, and that is if you are into signature labels. But other than that, in order to enjoy this city, you really need to know where to go. The easiest resource in order to get to know the city would be Luxemburg Tourism’s website and of course some intensive googling, which is the reason why I blog my travels in detail; experience by experience and bit by bit. It is my way of giving back to the travel world for all the grea...