5 Posts for Journal Category

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  • Hey! What’s up?⠀ ⠀ Been back in Germany the last couple of weeks but a few days after arrival we had hubby’s family visiting.⠀ ⠀ Now, almost back to normal again. Kids are still on summer holidays but soon, they’ll be back in school again.⠀ ⠀ Our trip to Bali was amazing!! So amazing that we’re considering living there for a few years after the kids are done with school.⠀ ⠀ It was such a relaxing few weeks. I barely took photos and did much on social media. I did read the news but that’s about it. I ate and drank a lot! But the places I adored most were not the ones you’d often see of Bali. I had many meals at hawker stalls or not touristy warung for $1-$2/pp and they were delicious.⠀ ⠀ I know, not a lot of photos while in Bali, right? But that’s just how it went. Of the two weeks, we only spent one day sight seeing.⠀ ⠀ I haven’t looked to see if I have any decent photos to share. So in the mean time, back to Porto.
  • #allthealleys of Ubud, Bali and also an amazing door. I adore Bali doors!! Absolutely love Ubud! So many things to do and so peaceful. The centre is busy but go through some random alley or rice terrace and you get some fantastic peace and view.⠀ ⠀ The left of this photo is a small rice field. Lovely walk to our amazing lodging.⠀ ⠀ Tip: if you plan on visiting and staying in Ubud, make sure the lodging/room isn’t near the main street. It’s so peaceful in our little corner, about 100m from the main road. Once on the main road, so many cafes to choose from.⠀ ⠀ Ellie messaged me last night asking if we’re ok after the earthquake. I told her that we’re fine and if I wasn’t waken up, I would have probably slept through the event 😬🙈⠀ ⠀ She asked if I have taken lots of photos and I said no. My last 10 photos on my camera roll were beer on beach, beer on beach, beach warung (small traditional cafe, some are super simple or a cart) meals and laundry - I wanted to photograph our 🧺 before sending them off to wash 😂⠀ ⠀ In Legian now and I have read through the tsunami evacuation map. Just in case ya know.
  • Bali has so many awesome cafes and restaurants! It’s definitely an IG paradise and so different than the Bali I visited 20 some years ago!⠀ ⠀ It’s not just the physical aspect that has changed significantly. Now, foreigners can freely enjoy ice in their drinks or order fruit juices from pretty much anywhere. The ice here is government control, made with purified water, and cafes/restaurants would only serve purified water also.⠀ ⠀ It’s comforting to be able to take the family anywhere without too much worry of them getting sick. It’s also nice that they can try the many variety of foods, even from hawker stalls. In Sanur we visited Pasar Sindu. The stalls weren’t many but it was enough to get a good taste of the different street foods.⠀ ⠀ @kafe_ubud Delightful on the outside, inside and on your tastebuds.⠀
  • Puglia again. Locorotondo to be more exact. Pretty, ain’t it? Wrote a blog post on Puglia, mostly in regards to getting around using public transport. If you fancy a read or planning on going there sans car, link on my profile.⠀ ⠀ Prepping for our big holiday tomorrow. Taking the girlies to Bali for the very first time. I need to polish up my Bahasa. I can understand very well but when it comes to speaking... a bit broken 😂⠀ ⠀ I was born in Indonesia but have spent almost 2/3 of my life outside my birth country (moved to the US at age 5). When we lived in Indonesia, I spoke English with my parents and siblings and Indonesian with friends. I remember my mom sitting in class with me the first few months of moving back to Indonesia (I was maybe 11?) so she could translate the lessons 🙈 I did though get good at it. But, after high school, I never went back and also didn’t use the language. I did have Indonesian friends in uni but even then we spoke English. Now I can converse on a basic level but outside of that, let’s say if I want to have a discussion about Instagram, it’d be quite difficult for me and I’d most likely be speaking in Ind-Lish (possibly with more English) 😜⠀ ⠀ As for the girls... I think they can say and understand the word makan (eat) and terima kasih (thank you). That’s it 😬⠀ ⠀ We are looking forward to the trip and I hope I survive the 12hrs flight. Eeeek! I really dislike long flights! ⠀ Laters and hopefully my next post will be something from Bali ❤️😘⠀
  • View of Porto from Ponte Luís I, a bridge that was completed in 1887. At that time, this bridge was the longest in the world. The designer was Téophile Seyrig, the man who assisted Gustave Eiffel (yes, the Eiffel Tower designer) in the building of another bridge in Porto, Ponte D. Maria Pia.⠀ ⠀ one of the things you can do in Porto is take the seven bridge tour. It’s fairly inexpensive and you can get some awesome view besides a bit of learning.⠀ ⠀ Off to Bavaria. It’s for a conference but using the opportunity to also see the mountains and hike in a gorge. If I snap anything good I’ll share in my feed. If not, check out Stories sometimes Friday.⠀ ⠀ Laters!
  • Porto alley.⠀ ⠀ How many more photos of Portugal do you want to see? 😜⠀ ⠀ I’ll post a few more and then I’ll move back to Italy. Cause I still have many from there that I haven’t posted 😊⠀ ⠀ I am not a TV/movie watcher. Don’t have the attention span 😂 But, just binged watched YouTube videos by Mark Wiens. Do you know who I am talking about? While watching, specifically on Bali, I kept wondering how often he went to the loo. I mean, the amount of chillies that man eats!! 😵🤯😂⠀ ⠀ I love spicy food and I usually go for the max but Mark seems to take it to the next level 😂⠀ ⠀ Are you into spicy food? If yes, how much?⠀
  • That Lisbon tram photo. I suppose one can’t visit Lisbon without wandering through Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo and snapping one or ten photos of the trams that goes up and down this street.⠀ ⠀ Graffiti... I have a love and hate relationship with them. While I adore the art, and in this instance the colours, I have a negative feelings towards vandalism. I was raised to respect other’s belongings and to me, since many graffiti are on things that are not the artist’s and with no permission, it rubs my values the wrong way. I do admire the art though. Aaah, a hard one!⠀ ⠀ The teen is upstairs editing a video, the little is 🚲🚲 with dad, and I am cooking dinner. Chicken jalfrezi on the menu.⠀ ⠀ What’s your next meal looking like?
  • A charming alley in São Martinho, Sintra area. It’s always nice to see kids reading. Do you know that you can easily get to Sintra from Lisbon by using the train that leaves from either Lisboa Rossio or Lisboa Oriente station? Cost wise, €2.25 one way. I love visiting cities with awesome public transport and gorgeous l, easy to get to by public transport, day trips. ⠀ I started working out again and I am hurting everywhere. I have a month to lose a few inches and kilograms.⠀ ⠀ I have come to an honest conclusion that I don’t work out for health purposes. I workout for 💯 vanity reasons. I want to one day work out to stay healthy but right now, the way I exercise and for the first time, diet, it’s all so I can look somewhat adorable in a swimming suit this summer and not needing to go up a clothes size cause I eat so much 🙈😂⠀ ⠀ Do you exercise? If yes, for what reason and do you enjoy it? I have never really enjoyed working out. Even when I was doing it everyday for years. I can’t seem find the thing to change my mindset on this issue.⠀ ⠀ Have a great one!⠀
  • Porto cafe vibe. Adore the colours of this city!! Next to the river. Chilling and chatting with friends while watching the world go by. A few doors down is a yummy gelato shop. ⠀ ⠀ When on a popular touristy strip lined with cafes and restaurants, one needs to look at reviews to make sure the place is not a tourist trap. Bacchus Vini though is a good one for drinks and tapas.

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