Category: travel

Following the Trail in Hamelin
europe · travel

Following the Trail in Hamelin

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I realized that I voluntarily brought my two small kids to a town famous for losing all of their kids mysteriously overnight — have I lost my mind?!

Hamelin’s golden rat guarding over the bridge

Before our trip, my curiosity was piqued while listening to this Hamelin podcast episode from Stuff You Should Know, which claims that the legend of the Pied Piper is one of the few fairy tales which might actually be based on truth. Strange circumstances, like a very specific date in the tale itself, to numerous artifacts referring to the sad day when the town “lost its children”, made historians take a closer look — and made me want to take a peek at the town as well.

To be honest, I was in for a surprise when I first caught glimpse of Hamelin. Perhaps I was expecting something, well, more like a hamlet? A small, almost theme-park-ey town devoted to a fairy tale? What we met was actually a bustling, sprawled-out city — not exactly as busy as Hamburg, but Hamelin was bigger than I thought and had more to offer than simply rat-themed tourist traps.

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Discovering Ochsenhausen
europe · travel

Discovering Ochsenhausen

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It’s been already a year since we moved to here to the south of Germany, but I feel like it’s only until now that I’ve been able to really sink my teeth into exploring our new home. In between settling into the new apartment, and then giving birth just a few months later, now I’m finally able to catch my breath, loosen up, and open my eyes to all the wonders that are barely 3 kilometers away from where we live. Sure, I’ve been to Ochsenhausen a thousand times before, visiting my in-laws every other weekend, but a few sights that I’ve just visited with my kiddos only recently had simply made my brain go, “What? This glorious thing was here the whole time?!” And the best thing is, all of the places below are accessible for free! Country life does have its perks.

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Raritätenzoo Ebbs: What New Thing Will You See Today?
europe · the mom life · travel

Raritätenzoo Ebbs: What New Thing Will You See Today?

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To be honest, visiting a zoo for exotic animals was not the first thing I thought of when I was planning a short visit to Austria, but here we are.

Before seeing it with my own eyes, I had no idea that this animal existed.
(Coati or Nasenbär, native to South America)

I was simply looking for a good place to stay overnight as we made our way back to Germany from Kärnten, and I stumbled on a few sights in Inntal, grazing the border of Austria and Germany.

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How Stuttgart Airport Made Time Fly By While Waiting with Kids
europe · the mom life · travel

How Stuttgart Airport Made Time Fly By While Waiting with Kids

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After two years of not flying anywhere, I found myself positively giddy on my first time back at an airport — even if I wasn’t the one getting on a flight at all. We were bringing my sister to board her flight, and we had the whole gang in tow: me, my husband, my 3-year old and my 6-month old.

I barely remembered how small Stuttgart Airport was — you could probably walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes (maybe 5 minutes if you’re late for a flight and are running). We arrived at the airport with a lot of time to spare before boarding time, so we roamed around trying to find a decent restaurant where we could settle down with the kids while we wait.

Aside from the McDonald’s and a rather well-stocked Edeka supermarket, there wasn’t much going for options (the big buffet restaurant is now unfortunately closed). What we did stumble upon had no food, but was actually a better option for keeping the little ones entertained.

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Insel Mainau: Come for the Flowers, Be Awed by the Playground
europe · the mom life · travel

Insel Mainau: Come for the Flowers, Be Awed by the Playground

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Visiting beloved flower gardens during spring is always a good idea; it’s time for Mother Nature to show off her vibrant hues and delicate silhouettes.

The last time we went to Insel Mainau, though, we did not have two kids in tow yet. Now that I’ve seen the park through the eyes of an ever-alert parent, I just realized how much of a refuge it can be for families with small children.

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It’s Wild in Pairi Daiza
europe · the mom life · travel

It’s Wild in Pairi Daiza

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I never really thought of visiting zoos as a children’s activity; I’ve always enjoyed meandering in zoos as an adult whenever I travelled. Now that I have a toddler who is thoroughly fascinated with making monkey and lion sounds all day, now I see the appeal of taking along your kids to see living, breathing, amazing animals.

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It’s in the Bag
gibberish · the mom life · travel

It’s in the Bag

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Back in my previous life as an oft-solo backpacker, I almost had packing down to a precise ritual. A typical packing list for a weekend getaway would look like this:

  • At least 1 pair of denim shorts
  • 2 tank tops
  • A dress, if space permits
  • Small notebook and pen
  • Kindle (or a compact book)
  • My handy-dandy wrist wallet
  • Passport
  • A shoelace (just in case I need to tie anything)
  • A pair of flip-flops
  • Plastic bag for dirty clothes
  • Underwear
  • 2 pairs of swimsuits (the bikini tops are to be used as bras)
  • Deodorant and travel-size bottle of shampoo (to be also used as body wash)
  • Very light shawl (to double up as the flight blanket)
  • Camera (optional)
  • Phone and phone charger
  • Small accessories (earrings, necklaces, or bracelets)

And that was it. Everything would fit in my impossibly narrow but somehow spacious carry-on backpack. My mantra was to pack as little as possible, and improvise for whatever I left behind.

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Wackenwald: The “WOBBLING” Forest
europe · travel

Wackenwald: The “WOBBLING” Forest

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I was today years old when I found out that in Germany, there’s a forest where the ground is so soft, that the trees shake when you jump. Talk about wacky!

When my in-laws told me about a forest with “natural trampolines”, I just thought that they meant that the ground was just mushy. I foolishly just brushed it off, until on an extremely sunny weekend, we checked it out on a whim. It was so cool in real life! See the video below:

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The Lifesaver That Is Mövenpick Boracay
asia · philippines · travel

The Lifesaver That Is Mövenpick Boracay

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** This is a looooong-overdue post, from my journal entry from almost exactly a year ago, when we first brought my then 9-month old son to the Philippines. Hopefully, when a COVID-19 vaccine is available and things clear up for travel again, we can come back and create memories in Mövenpick once more.

Here I was in Boracay, one of my happiest places on the entire Earth, and I was downright miserable. Things were awry starting from when we got to the island. The supposedly “premium” transfer airport-to-hotel service we book was so awfully coordinated, that a DIY would have gone much smoother. The hotel I booked was also nothing like I expected. Is there nothing worse than being greeted by cockroaches in the bathroom for 3 days straight? My morale was dangerously spiraling down to zero. I definitely needed a break from this vacation.

Enter Mövenpick to the rescue. After my husband (sanely) talked me out of wasting money by rebooking another hotel, we decided to find a compromise and “splurged” on a day pass on one of the fanciest hotels in Boracay. At 2k pesos with 1.6k pesos consumable, I actually found the day pass rates downright reasonable for a hotel of this caliber, for the refuge and facilities they offered.

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20 Alternative Ways to Travel In The Time of Coronavirus
travel

20 Alternative Ways to Travel In The Time of Coronavirus

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Three years ago, I wrote 25 Travel Goals to Set For the Year (for Those Who Can’t Wander Very Far), back when I just quit my job to move to Germany, and had to think of ways to satisfy my wanderlust without breaking the bank. I thought I’d update that list to keep up with what every travel-addicted kindred spirit is probably struggling with right now: how to feed that same wanderlust, when you’re not exactly allowed to travel as far as you’re used to.

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Ribe: A lesson on Vikings and Hygge
europe · the mom life · travel

Ribe: A lesson on Vikings and Hygge

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Since we were gluttons for punishment, we set off for another long road trip, barely a week after we had our first international excursion with our 7-month old son. This time, we were off to the north to Ribe, the oldest existing town in Denmark, founded in the early 8th century.

To be honest, I wouldn’t know the difference between 8th century history from 18th century history, but I do know a charming old town when I see one. The drive through the fields was utterly soothing, although my husband didn’t really appreciate the very low speed limit (As for me — yay, somewhere I could drive!).

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