TDM
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Transatlantic Cruise aboard Symphony of the Seas – Royal Caribbean (2023)
In late 2022, knowing I was going to drastically reduce my workload in 2023 and have more free time for travel, I asked JB to aim for a more flexible schedule so we could travel (even) more. We thought a real break could help him in this regard, do him good as JB can’t help but work even on weekends. We thought of: These three projects required planning several months in advance and were an excellent way to be forced to adapt the professional pace accordingly. After our cruise in the Norwegian fjords with MSC over 10 years ago, cruises have held an important place on our wish list. We…
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Repositioning Cruises: Sample Prices
If you enjoy traveling on the “giants of the seas” that are cruise ships, a “secret” for cheap cruises is well guarded. If you are flexible on dates, repositioning cruises might interest you! Repositioning cruises are cruises that have the particularity of not having the same departure and arrival port. These repositioning cruises are usually linked to the fact that the ship changes continent to adapt to the seasons. Mediterranean cruises are not very popular in the middle of winter, for example, while the weather is nice in South America at the same time. Some legs of these repositioning cruises can be difficult for cruise lines to sell. Rather than…
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Cruise: How to choose your cabin wisely?
We are in the middle of booking our next cruise! In October 2023, I will be fulfilling another one of my dreams: taking a transatlantic cruise. We will depart from Barcelona and arrive in Florida 15 days later. This is the second time we will travel on a “giant of the seas” after our cruise through the fjords with MSC in August 2014. In a completely different style, we also took a cruise on the Nile.. So the question of choosing a cabin for these two weeks of cruising arises. Let me share some food for thought. We are going with the company Royal Caribbean. There might be a few…
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Back to Barcelona (Spain): Travel Diary
Back when we didn’t travel much, we spent 2 weeks in Barcelona with friends and enjoyed it so much that it never crossed our minds to go back. Since our transatlantic cruise departs from Barcelona and we’re very afraid of something going wrong and making us miss the departure, we arrive 5 days early and have plenty of time to visit this lovely city once again. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal I had forgotten how expensive Barcelona is. Paying almost €100/night, we only get a room with a shared bathroom. It’s not a budget motel, but it’s clearly not as comfortable as a standard…
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Nice (France): a little taste of vacation
After Prague, I had to go to Nice for personal reasons that I’ll reveal soon. I was still drained of energy, so I didn’t explore the city as I should have, but I did the bare minimum, which is to enjoy its little streets, shops, restaurants, and bookstores. I booked an Airbnb and to pick up the key, I had to go to a bike/metro parking spot on the street and there were several small lockers with codes. Apparently, that’s how Airbnbs give keys to their guests in Nice. Funny thing is, two days later, it’s mentioned in “Nice Matin” that the city is going to remove these lockers for…
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Prague (Czech Republic): Jewish Quarter, Alchemists & National Museum
After Gdansk, I went to Prague, still all alone because JB was still in Nepal conquering the Everest Base Camp. We had spent a month in Prague a few years ago but I don’t know why this city didn’t leave me with many memories. Apart from the pretty bridge and the pretty castle, the rest has been erased from my memory, and when I found myself in front of Prague’s main square, I got a shock because I didn’t remember being there!!! aahhahha I got a private room in an Airbnb with an automatic code, and when I tried to lock my bedroom door from the inside, the key wouldn’t…
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Gdansk (Poland): a really pretty city
I realize I’ve never written about Gdansk. Right after my stained glass internship in Chartres, I flew to Gdansk in Poland. JB and I had planned to spend a winter month there, but we changed our plans (for better weather in Malta!). I took advantage of his absence (he was in Nepal in October 2023) to do a little solo trip around Europe. I wanted a much busier itinerary, but for various reasons, I only ended up doing Gdansk, Prague, and Nice. Gdansk is right next to the sea, so I thought it was a beach town, but it wasn’t. From the plane, you could see that the seaside was…
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My visit to the Musée de l’imprimerie et de la communication graphique in Lyon (France)
Luckily for me, due to lack of space and a fixed place, my bibliophilia is limited to only a few very beautiful books and many museum and library visits. After visiting the museum Gutenberg in Mainz, the museum Plantin in Antwerp, here I am in Lyon at the museum of printing and graphic communication. I hope you enjoy this article because we paid an arm and a leg for a room during the Rugby World Cup, just so I could have time to visit this museum before our return to Paris. Given the time I spent in the museum, even JB realized that I like it a lot, a lot.…
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Travel journal: 2 months in France, August – September 2023
If the blog is less updated than before, it’s because when we travel, we travel too much and no longer have time to blog, and when we rest, we rest too much and don’t feel like blogging either 😀 It will take me a long time to write the missing travel journals between April 2022 and July 2023, but we’ll try, slowly. August 2023 In August, after touring Europe (making a quick stop in Turkey), we returned to France to look after my sister’s cat while she was on vacation. As usual, JB rents us a Fiat 500 from Leclerc, whose price is always unbeatable for a one-month rental Since…
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Where to withdraw money without fees in Gdansk (Poland)
The first two things you do when you set foot in a new country’s airport: (1) buy a SIM card (2) withdraw cash. In Gdansk, I didn’t do either. For the SIM card, it wasn’t necessary because roaming in Poland was included in my plan. And for withdrawals, there are only Euronet ATMs at the airport, which charge a service fee of at least €4.05 for every withdrawal!! (even though I have an international card). Luckily, I was able to pay for my bus to the city center via an app and didn’t need any cash. However, even though all restaurants and supermarkets in Gdansk accept credit cards without any…
