TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

What can I say? I have fallen in love with Porto (Oporto in English)! I could not believe I have waited this long to discover her. She is a gem. Transavia direct flight, Amsterdam to Porto So I arrived here Friday night after a 2-hour flight delay. There were technical problems, something to do with the sensors of the plane and they have to be replaced. Everyone was already strapped on their seats inside the aircraft when the pilot announced the bad news. We really had no choice but to sit tight, complain and get bored. Here in the car, Dutchman sending me off to the airport. Flight delay, we were trapped in the aircraft for almost 2 hours. No where else to go. What to do? I ordered red wine and did FB and read BBC on my iPhone. Everyone was doing the same thing, busy with their smartphones. Porto brand spanking new airport I did not checked in my bag but because the plane was full and I was one of the last to board, they had no more space for me. So they took my bag and to...

Ola! I am going on a solo trip to Porto, Portugal... in just a few hours. Flag and Coat of Arms of Porto. The fiery flag of Portugal Looking forward to spending my Easter there. Travel Period: March 2013 Destination: Porto, Portugal Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Wijchen is located in the eastern part of the Netherlands in the Gelderland province, just beside the city of Nijmegen and very close to the German border. Wijchen Castle ‘Wijchen Castle’ circa 1392. The castle underwent major developments and annexation which led to the now castle in renaissance gothic architecture style. Kasteel van Wijchen (in Dutch) is now a museum and is partly being used by the city hall (i.e., renting out the castle rooms for events, parties, etcetera). Wijchen Centrum A quick peek into the town’s centre... a bit quiet for a late afternoon. De Oude Molen (Windmill) Windmill ‘De Oude Molen’ circa 1799. Like the castle, she also underwent several restorations. Visit Period: March 2013 Destination: Wijchen (Gelderland), The Netherlands Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

On our last skiing day that our ski passes are still valid, which was a Friday, it rained and to add insult to this bad weather, I had a mild migraine. So I decided not to ski and spent the morning indoors recovering from the pain. Around noon time the migraine eased up a bit and I was looking to get out for some fresh air. The plan was to take a walk around the 1540m village all the way up to the 1650m village. I was looking forward to score a nice item or find some gourmet stuff but all these would depend on what the shops have to offer. Now come with me for a little walk around this mountain ski resort village including a quick peek to the local gourmet shops. Saint Francois Longchamp 1650m. The numbers of the village corresponds to the altitude of the sub villages in Saint Francois Longchamp. On the way to the main village. Saw a group of children by the ski school ready for a snowshoeing journey. I was in dried sausage heaven! The bakery-chocolaterie-gourmet shop. ...

Officially it’s spring in the Netherlands now but we are still very much in winter conditions. Along the coast, waters have frozen into beautiful forms, the temperatures still hover under 0C by day and the omnipresent wind is making sure it feels like -10C. But this did not stop the Dutchman and I in going out for a walk in the forest. It has been a long time since we did something like this. In fact I have been curling up at home in my chair for the past weekend’s mainly because every weekend was themed with horrible weather—grey, cold, rainy or snowy. You do not want to get out when the weather is like this, except that, I’ve had it. I’ve really had it. It is supposed to be spring, and I don’t care if the weather is not cooperating, I’ve had enough of staying in! I am going out =) Mollebos forest walk in Utrechtse Heuvelrug We decided to go to Driebergen-Rijsenburg in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug because its nearby. The Utrechtse Heuvelrug is a massive national park forest in Utr...