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Travel

in Czech Republic, Europe, Plzen, Travel

Video: The Best Things to See and Do in Plzen, Czechia

Plzen in Czechia (Czech Republic) may sound more like a destination just for beer connoisseurs and enthusiasts. That, however, is a major simplification of what the city has to offer. In today’s video, I compiled a list of the best things to see and do in Plzen – a city that actually has something for everyone. From learning more about its history, trying out the beer, and even getting your kids to be more interested in science and technology, there’s really quite a lot to do.

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A Day in Romantic Heidelberg
in Europe, Germany, Heidelberg, Travel

A Day in Romantic Heidelberg

I don’t think there’s any way for me to truly describe how beautiful Heidelberg is. Just a full day in this city and I was smitten.

If your idea of Germany somehow looks like a scene that came straight out of a fairytale, then this city would be a perfect fit for you. To me, Germany has always been a little more about sexy, gritty Berlin. Heidelberg, however, brought me back to the Grimm Brothers stories I read as a child.

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Kraków's Old Town: Where to Stay, Eat, & Some Things to Do
in Kraków, Poland, Travel

Kraków’s Old Town: Stay, Eat, & Some Things to Do

So my last post on our first trip to Poland is finally here! It was our first summer here in Europe when we rented a small car and took the eight-hour drive to Kraków. It was the perfect base if you’re also visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mines and Auschwitz.

To say that I fell in love with Poland is quite the understatement. True, it’s not the poshest destination in Europe so it doesn’t make it to people’s bucket lists quite often. However, Poland is a country that has a lot to offer when it comes to history and culture. Oh, and the people are so sweet and helpful!

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Visiting Auschwitz: Why I Didn’t Cry When I Totally Expected Myself To
in Europe, Oświęcim, Poland, Travel

Visiting Auschwitz: Why I Didn’t Cry When I Expected Myself To

Going to Auschwitz was always part of the plan. The Holocaust is a historical event that always hit a little too close to home due to some reasons I will not share here. However, one thing I can tell you is that those reasons actually helped me write an essay about the event that led me to win my first writing award. Later, I was sent to Israel for the 1st International Youth Congress on Holocaust Remembrance.

That week I spent in Israel made me go on a deep dive into history and somehow (try to) understand what happened to the people persecuted during the second world war. There wasn’t a day when my fellow congress participants and I weren’t crying as we went through the halls of Yad Vashem, looked through records and items left behind by the victims, and even when we met actual survivors of the Holocaust.

If you know me personally, you would know that I’m not one for crying in public. But the Yad Vashem Museum in Israel? Oh, that was an exception.

During the seminars, the talks, and even when we got to meet the late President Shimon Peres, Auschwitz was always mentioned. I knew what and where it was. We all know the horrors that happened there. We’ve read books about the Holocaust – from Anne Frank to Primo Levi, down to Elie Wiesel. Sure, it was painful to discuss knowing the suffering people experienced in these camps people talk about – especially Auschwitz – but they always felt a little too abstract.

That is, until I found myself there.

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How to Squeeze in Travelling When You're a bit of a Workaholic
in How-Tos, Personal Musings, Travel

How to Squeeze in Travelling When You’re a bit of a Workaholic

A question I always get asked by friends is how my husband and I manage to make time and set aside money for travelling – especially when they know that my husband hardly goes on leave at the embassy and that I usually have a ton of things to do for my freelancing career. Since we arrived in Berlin in April 2017, he’s only missed two days of work on separate occasions. To top it off, both were slow work days. One of them was even sandwiched between the weekend and a holiday.

In the past nine months, we’ve been to: Potsdam, Gießen, Bonn, Nuremberg, Hamburg, Schwerin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Heidelberg, and Cologne in Germany. We’ve popped by Krakow, Auschwitz, Poznan, and Warsaw in Poland. Went on a beach trip to Dubrovnik in Croatia, then popped by Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden to visit my family. Spent Christmas in Amsterdam in the Netherlands with my mom, and have also been to Prague and Kutna Hora in the Czech Republic. Oh, and Vienna in Austria.

That’s a LOT in 9 months. But yes, we’ve done it. Granted that some of those trips were related to his or my work and three cities here I actually went to alone, we were still able to squeeze in some time in between to do a little bit of exploring.

I often joke about how our only vice is travelling. We do it a lot and we enjoy ourselves. But – and this is a big BUT – we make sure our leisure time doesn’t get in the way of our work and responsibilities. Basic adulting, people.

Since you probably got to this post looking for ways to do this yourself, let me assure you – yes, it’s possible. And we’re going to go through some of the ways you can do it yourself! Read on for more details.

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Miniatur Wunderland: Not Just for Geeks & Kids
in Europe, Germany, Hamburg, Travel

Miniatur Wunderland: Not Just for Geeks & Kids

The first time we went to Hamburg, it was for work. My husband was there with a team of chefs from the Philippines to promote our cuisine and I was tagging along so I could write about it and help promote the work the embassy is doing. There was so much to see but we only made it up to the old town on the way home as there was a lot of work to be done. Alvin made sure that we’d come back though because he had a must-visit place in this city – Miniatur Wunderland.

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Almost Diplomatic - Schloss Bellevue - Bellvue Palace - Berlin - Diplomat's Wife - Blog - Germany - 607
in Berlin Travel, Berlin Where to Go, Europe, Germany, Travel

Visiting the Schloss Bellevue with Wilkommen in Berlin

I recently wrote about the first event I attended organised by Wilkommen in Berlin (WIB). After that, I was able to attend a couple more before the diplomatic spouse club went on a break for the summer. The break is over and I’m still not done writing about the events before it. No surprise there. As per usual, my plate has become pretty full. One of the said events was a tour of the Schloss Bellevue – the seat of the German president.

When I told my husband about us getting to visit this particular schloss, he pounced on it as another awesome thing about being the diplo-spouse rather than the diplomat. “You get to do the fun stuff while I deal with the stressful bits,” he laughed. Come to think  of it, I get to go on a tour of the palace before he does. Also when he goes, it’s going to be work. But I do the cooking and the laundry at home so I guess we’re even. 😛

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