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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…
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Public transport: bus from Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport to the city center (Poland)
There’s a public bus that goes directly from Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport to Gdansk’s train station (and city center), it’s bus 210. To get off in the city center, get off at the stop Hucisko. When you exit the airport, cross the road and look for this area that looks like a coach parking lot. Look for the black sign, that’s where you need to go. There’s a machine to buy tickets… But I found it quicker to buy directly on the app Jakdojade. You search for your route, choose the schedule of the bus you plan to take, then you can buy the bus ticket right on it. The…
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[review] Stained Glass Workshop in Chartres (France): Glass & Lead
A long time ago, while spending a weekend in Chartres, we happened to run into a couple of friends on the street. We asked them what they were doing there and learned that the friend’s mother was taking a stained glass workshop in Chartres. That bit of info stayed in my head for about ten years because I was really impressed to learn that people still did it as a hobby and that there were classes—it totally aligns with my obsession with gothic cathedrals. In May 2023, I returned to Chartres (right in the middle of a pilgrimage) and went straight to the stained glass center to inquire and sign…
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Visiting Illiers-Combray, in the footsteps of Marcel Proust
After my bookbinding, I went to visit Illiers-Combray. I could have visited it when I was in Chartres earlier this year, but at that time, I wasn’t reading Proust and Illiers-Combray didn’t exist for me. Illiers-Combray is the only commune to be renamed after a fictional place from a novel. Right now, the house of “Aunt Léonie” is under renovation (until April 2024). It was in this house, which belonged to his uncle Jules Amiot, that young Marcel Proust spent several of his Easter holidays as a child, between 1877 and 1880. Thanks to the support of its members and patrons, the SAMP opens this house to the public, transformed…
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Visit to the Richard de Bas paper mill in Ambert (France)
For someone who loves working with paper, it’s a bit surprising that I had never visited a paper mill before. During our stay in Rhône-Alpes, we discovered that a traditional paper mill still existed in Ambert, a 1-hour drive away. I thought it was difficult to visit, because someone mentioned online that it was better to book, but as we found out on a Saturday in September, there was a tour every 15 minutes. We booked and paid online, but we could have just shown up and bought tickets on site. This site was the favorite spot for paper mills thanks to its favorable location: not too far from Lyon,…
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Prepaid 4G SIM/eSIM in Canada: How Much Does It Cost? Where to Buy One?
If you’re heading to Canada for a trip, make sure your mobile plan covers the country. If it doesn’t, it could end up costing you a fortune. For example, with Orange, using your French SIM card in Canada will cost you: So you’d be wise to find a more economical alternative. Buy a SIM card before you leave The simplest solution: order a prepaid SIM card before you go, and it’ll be delivered to your home. As soon as you land in Canada, just pop it into your phone and you’ll have instant internet access without worrying about the bill. There are deals on Amazon (like this example) and they’re…
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Rhônexpress price (Lyon-Saint-Exupéry): don’t get caught out!
Needing to get to Lyon and Paris, I mistakenly bought an Ouigo train ticket that departed from Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport and not from Lyon Part-Dieu as I had wanted. This mistake turned out to be a good deal: €73 for two people, luggage included, hard to beat! It remained to find an economical way to reach the airport. The solution is called Rhônexpress: a shuttle that every 15 minutes connects Lyon Part-Dieu station to the airport in 30 minutes. The service is reliable and fairly comfortable, it’s perfect. As I like to plan ahead, I bought our Rhônexpress tickets online: €15.20 per person. It was only on site that I…
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Visiting the Brochier Soieries Workshop in Lyon: Silk Scarves & Screen Printing
You know my love for Hermès silk twill scarves. However, Hermès is not the only one mastering the art of screen printing. In Lyon, you can visit the workshop of a company that still makes silk scarves using flat-bed screen printing, known as “à la lyonnaise”. Passing through Lyon, we barely had time to visit the workshop, even though Brochier Soieries also has a museum and several shops. The workshop overlooks an inner courtyard, and without an appointment, you can push open the doors and watch the artisans at work. There are no tickets; visitors give what they want. We got a private tour because we came early enough. We…
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Easter Island: Sernatur accommodation list
Since Easter Island reopened after two years of COVID closures, tourists must have booked accommodation accredited by Sernatur (Easter Island’s tourism agency). The list of accommodations isn’t very easy to find. I finally tracked it down after some research, and I’ve done the work of identifying which ones are bookable on Booking.com. For the others, you’ll need to get the accommodation’s email address from the Sernatur website and contact the owner directly. Don’t delay in your research—there are 357 lodgings in total, but not many are bookable online, so availability can run out quickly. Accommodations bookable on Booking.com Accommodations not bookable online
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Easter Island: Entry Requirements and Paperwork
During our first trip to Easter Island in 2016, I don’t recall having to go through any special procedures before entering (except having to throw away Anh’s honey, much to his dismay, for biosecurity reasons). Since then, COVID came and went, and Easter Island remained completely closed for two full years. When it reopened, the island, with its 7,750 inhabitants, decided to limit the influx of tourists. Previously, you could fly there from either Tahiti or Santiago. There were two daily flights, and 160,000 tourists landed each year. Now, there are only two flights a week, exclusively from Santiago. With about 300 passengers per flight, that’s no more than 32,000…
