TDM
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Serbia: How to Withdraw Money (ATMs, Exchange Offices, Airport)
In Serbia, the currency is the Serbian Dinar (RSD); here is some useful information for withdrawing money at minimal cost. Exchange Offices At Belgrade Airport, in March 2023, here are the exchange rates observed at the exchange office. If you’re not used to reading this type of table, look at the first row for the Euro zone and the first column labeled “Buy.” In other words, this exchange office gives you 114.8 RSD for 1 EUR. That day, the “real” exchange rate was 117.36 RSD for 1 EUR. That’s a spread of 2.63%, which is fairly honest. Every time you exchange 100 EUR, 2.6 EUR goes to fees. ATMs On…
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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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Attending an AS Roma football match (Italy)
In 2018, I took advantage of our stop in Turin to watch a match featuring Juventus, and another one with Torino (great memory!). During our long stay in Rome in 2020, matches were played behind closed doors due to covid. So it wasn’t until March 2023 that I got the chance to attend an AS Roma match with a great lineup: AS Roma vs Juventus! Buying the tickets Having only planned our trip to Rome two weeks in advance, the match was already sold out by the time I looked into it. I therefore decided to buy a ticket on the resale platform Viagogo. It’s something I generally wouldn’t recommend.…
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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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[tips & advice] Interencheres.com, how does it work?
As an eBay regular, I’d never bothered with in-person auctions. But when JB attended auction sales at Drouot, and an influencer I follow regularly wins Hermès scarf auctions… I figured “why not”. Then one day, Nadia, a digital nomad who knows my passion for Hermès scarves, sent me a link to interencheres.com, where 400 Hermès scarves were up for auction with crazy estimated prices!! I browsed all 400 scarves and signed up on the site ASAP. It was my very first online auction with an auctioneer, so I didn’t win anything, but I figured out the rules of the game. Note: this post is NOT sponsored, I paid for everything…
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My Current Favorites [February 2023]: Yi King, The Book of Changes
There are books that come into my life late but exceptionally. As a Vietnamese person, I am strongly exposed to Chinese culture, but it was only after a special Saturn transit in my birth chart (the kind of event that happens only 2, at most 3 times in a lifetime) that this book was placed in my path. It absorbs all my thoughts because its philosophical depth has a “boom” effect in my head. How did this book come to me? I’m going through a complicated period right now, and to distract myself, I watch shows that don’t require too many brain cells. It all started with the show “Mind…
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[review] Book Review: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism: Cults, MLMs, and Network Marketing
After researching manipulation techniques (and marketing inspired by manipulation), Reddit generously recommended the book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism. This book is an attempt by a linguist to explain how cults (and MLMs/Ponzi schemes) manage to attract so many people.The book is only available in English, so here’s a quick summary for non-English speakers. According to the author, cult victims are not victims of brainwashing. There is no “brainwashing”: they are victims of manipulation, conditioning, coercion… but in reality, you can’t make someone believe something fundamentally different from what they want to believe. For example, the victims of Heaven’s Gate truly believed in the existence of UFOs and aliens. This…
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Adult Acne: How I got rid of it. Before/After Photos (The Ordinary, Mario Badescu, SkinCeuticals, Uriage, Benton, Drunk Elephant, COSRX, Rosette)
Stumbling upon old photos of myself, I realized my skin has literally transformed. Even during my period, I no longer get hormonal breakouts. I never thought that day would come, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way. If you’re on the brink of despair like I was a few years ago, here are some leads that might possibly help you. Before, during my teenage years, I had breakouts concentrated on my T-zone. My cheeks were spared. After dealing with it for about ten years, I went to see a dermatologist who wanted to prescribe Roaccutane, which I refused. Instead, I got 3 months of antibiotics –…
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Round-the-world travel insurance: how much it costs in 2026
When planning a round-the-world trip, you shouldn’t overlook the insurance budget. Let’s see why insurance is a must-have, with a comparison of the different options available. Why get insured on a round-the-world trip? There are countless insurance policies that offer to cover your expenses in case of flight delays, lost luggage, theft, or a broken phone, … While these events are unfortunate, they’re manageable. I tend not to pay for insurance for that. What you need to plan for is the worst-case scenario: you crash a scooter in Bali and need emergency surgery or a medical evacuation. In many cases, that’ll run you tens of thousands of euros. And in…
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Fabric printing techniques
I put together a mini guide on fabric printing techniques on Instagram and I wanted to keep a record of it on the blog because it’s a really interesting topic. I’m not a fabric collector, but this topic has stuck with me for several years. I have to say that I visit a lot ofartisan workshops during my travels, and I’m a DIY enthusiast (do it yourself), so I have a lot of knowledge in this area. I really enjoyed my visit to the Museum of Printed Textiles in Mulhouse, which I told you about here. Dyeing The very first technique, and we’re not talking about patterns yet, is dyeing.…
