Travel Journal
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Our First Trip to Amsterdam (Netherlands): Travel Diary
After thoroughly enjoying the tulip festival, JB and I decide to spend a long weekend (3 days) in Amsterdam. It’s our first time visiting this city. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Accommodation Because of the very high prices of hotels and Airbnbs in Amsterdam, we stay away from the city center but right next to a metro station. That way, we can get to the center in just 15 minutes. Here’s the Booking link for our hotel. Expect to pay €200/night in high season and €167 the rest of the time. The hotel’s common areas are very beautiful; I often go there to read.…
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The Hague (Netherlands) in 1 day – Travel diary
We had always wanted to see the tulips in bloom in the Netherlands, but the opportunity never arose. It was only in 2023 that we finally got motivated to come see the blooming tulips, and to optimize costs, we decided to stay in The Hague, not far from Lisse and Amsterdam. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal We left Serbia very early heading to Amsterdam, then took a train to The Hague. From the plane, I was very excited to see fields as far as the eye could see, but was very worried to see that only a few were in bloom. Finally, we saw…
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[Travel diary] Keukenhof 2023 and Tulip Fields (Netherlands)
After years of telling ourselves “we really must go one day,” we finally made it to the Netherlands in late April 2023 to see what the famous “tulip festival” is all about. It was our first trip to the Netherlands ever, and we made the most of it. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Very high prices Accommodation around Amsterdam has always been expensive, and it’s even more so between mid-April and mid-May, when millions of people flock to see millions of tulips in bloom. With the travel skills we’ve picked up over the years, we know we need to stay away from the city…
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Back to Rome (Italy): March 2023
I’ve fallen so far behind on the blog that some travel diaries are going to be written in summary form, like this one. In March 2023, we spent 10 days in Rome. It wasn’t planned at all, but since we were in Malta, and then in Sicily, then to Pompeii, and Naples, we just had to push a little further to get to Rome. All roads lead to Rome, right? I also have two good excuses to go to this city that has become overpriced again after Covid: (1) I need to see my Italian dentist (2) I need to see my friend Simona. Simona, whom I’ve talked about at…
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[review] All’Oro: Michelin-starred restaurant in Rome
With our card American Express Platinum, we get 200€/year to enjoy a gourmet restaurant abroad (and 200€ for a gourmet restaurant in France, which JB got to enjoy all by himself). We chose Rome to take advantage of it, because we wanted to taste Italian dishes differently. We opted for the restaurant All’Oro, one Michelin star. Reservations are made online, and you have to leave your credit card number to guarantee the reservation. The restaurant is located in a luxury hotel, but we couldn’t tour the hotel, as we were quickly taken to the basement, where the restaurant was. The dining room was very cozy, well-heated (which felt good because…
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What to do in Syracuse (Italy) in one day? Syracuse on Foot – Sicily Trip #1 (Italy)
We leave Valletta (Malta) bright and early and arrive in Pozzallo (Sicily) by ferry. I’ve been a bit off lately, so the trip planning is a bit botched. I should have opted for the €10 transport offered by the ferry company to get to Catania by bus, and from there, do a day trip to Syracuse. On the one hand, because there are more affordable hotels in Catania, and on the other, because it would have cost us less. But what’s done is done. Between Pozzallo and Syracuse, we simply paid for a shared taxi, €70 (two people with luggage) because the train times didn’t suit us. Part 1: Travel…
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Loire Castles: Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Ussé (France)
It’s very rare for me to take complete vacations. Since I work part-time, I theoretically have time to recover the rest of the week (even if in 2022, that wasn’t really the case). But the fatigue that’s been building up for a long time is starting to take its toll, and we’re taking advantage of a week off to rest and a long weekend to visit some Loire castles I’ve always wanted to discover. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Remember, we visited a few before our round-the-world trip and during our 2020 road trip in France, but I saved the best for 2022. I’m…
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Isla, Birgu, Kalkara (Malta)
We’re staying in the heart of Valletta but take advantage of the many boats to get to the Three Cities across the water. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal What I absolutely love about Valletta and its surroundings is getting around by boat. From Sliema, there’s a boat that takes you to Valletta in just a few minutes for €1.50. Then, from Valletta, at the foot of the Upper Gardens (Google Maps link), there are water taxis to take you to Birgu for €2. From Birgu, we walk to Isla and Kalkara. There are three types of boats: The first time, we took the regular…
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Valletta (Malta): St John’s Co-Cathedral, Upper and Lower Gardens
Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal It was driving to Valletta that made us realize the car wasn’t the ideal way to explore Malta’s capital. It’s better to get around by bus, boat, or on foot. Buses are plentiful even if they’re not always on time. You can pay by card, €2. There are tons of buses right by Pjazza San Publiju or Valletta Bus Station, which serve other Maltese towns. Malta is small, so when I say “other towns,” it could just be 15 minutes away, the next town over. Valletta is like a massive fortress, and you really get that from this very…
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Amora show by Cirque du Soleil in Malta
During our stay in Malta in December 2022, we saw advertisements for the Amora show by Cirque du Soleil. Since we really enjoyed Alegria in Montreal, JB insists on buying us tickets for this show adapted for the Maltese audience. It’s smaller than Alegria because they’re in a regular theater, not well-suited for the acrobatics that Cirque du Soleil shows offer, but the price is the same (90€/person). We only have Alegria in mind, so we can only compare it to the Montreal show, and indeed, Amora is far less impressive. However, they managed to adapt the sets, and you can find typically Maltese architectural elements. As usual, there’s a…
