Another week in the Netherlands that did not go completely to plan. On Friday I traveled to Rotterdam to see my sister and her family. She called us in advance that her baby was sick and that she was home with him, but we were already on the way so we trotted on. The first day everything was great and I had an amazing time. On Saturday, one after another person got SUPER sick, I won’t go into details (eeek nasty!), but it was not fun. Everyone went down except for my strong Mom (she’s amazing). We, therefore, all ended up in bed instead of going out and about. I was planning to take pictures in Rotterdam as well as Kinderdijk, but I don’t think this will happen now. So that is why you are missing a few days and in my photo diary, but there is nothing I could do.
Not a lot of people get the chance to fly business class, cause lets be frank, it is not the cheapest flight you will ever get. In September I flew home (to the Netherlands) for my yearly holiday. I have been sick in the last few months and I am a tad scared that my health will be suffering when I have to take such a long flight, I decided to book myself into a Business class seat. My number one airline is Emirates, I have been flying with them for years and years and I always feel comfortable and safe with them. So this trip I also booked myself a business class seat with Emirates. In this blog post, I will take you along my travels and what it was like to fly like fancy nancy does 😉
There’s something magical about Australia’s red centre. Maybe it is the jaw-dropping landscapes, the inspiring history or the spiritual significance. It’s also probably because the Australian outback is a unique place on earth. The red center is where the heart of the outback beats and home of the aboriginals. It has been a while since I have been to the red center, but I would love to go back soon. So I decided to dig up some old memories and write a post on this special place in Australia. In this blog post, I will show you some of the center’s best places to go to, whether you want to travel on your own or with a tour group. (If you are not interested in the upcoming information, I suggest you click on read more just for the pictures, they are epic)
If you follow me on Twitter or on Instagram then I am sure you must have seen that I am on holidays in the Netherlands woohoo!!. In this photo diary, I will sort of keep you up to date with what I have been doing in the last week. Last week was my travel week ( a 17-hour flight as well as a 7-hour flight) from Sydney to Dusseldorf. I also spend time at my parent’s house in Enschede and towards the end of the week, I traveled to Rotterdam to meet up with my sister and her family. Underneath you will see some photos of these occasions. (Some photos were taken with my iPhone, so the quality is a little lower then you are expected of me, my apologies)
I am so sorry, but yet again I have wandered the trails of Sydney. This time I did the 6.5-kilometer medium difficulty Taronga zoo to Balmoral beach trail. During this walk, I encountered stunning harbor views, nature at its best, while exploring quiet beaches and beautiful luscious bushland. After finally doing the Spit Bridge to Manly Walk a few weeks ago and the amazing Bondi to Coogee walk before that, I forced myself to do one final walk before I headed out to Europe for my yearly holiday. I have heard about this walk from a friend of mine who recommended it and told me the city views are absolutely stunning and not to be missed. So when the weather was nice and the sun was out, I hoped on the bus towards Taronga zoo to do another walking trail.
The blue mountains are located about a 2-hour drive from Sydney and offer a dramatic scenery with steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and charming villages. The mountains are densely populated with oil-bearing Eucalyptus trees. They give off a fine mist of eucalyptus oil from their leaves, the mist (combined with water vapor and dust) plays with the light and creates a haze which looks blue – hence the name blue mountains The mountains are Australia’s 14th World Heritage Area and are part of the Great Dividing Range which runs down the East Coast of Australia. For over a year I lived in the mountains largest town Katoomba. Every opportunity I got I went out to do a bush walk. I was skinny, healthy and loving life. So in this blog post, I will show you some of the amazing towns, bush walks, and scenic points that you should stop when traveling to the mountains.
If you have been following me for a while now then you know that I am originally from the Netherlands and I have been living in Australia for 7 years now. Once a year I hop on a never-ending plane trip back home to spend some time with my friends and family. Today is again that day where I am about to get on a flight home. In today’s post I will show you what my plans are for my 4-week visit to the Netherlands and what blog posts you can expect whilst I am away and from my trip.
If you are looking for a hands-on Australian wildlife experience then I advise you to go to Featherdale Wildlife Park in western Sydney. Pat a Koala, hand feed a kangaroo and meet all your favorite Australian animals in an outdoor bush setting. It’s amazing. I arrived at the park soon as it opened so it was nice and quiet, with most of the animals all awake(woohoo)! Favorite part was the different walkthroughs; Pademelons, Kangaroos, and Koalas. the park is very interactive and allows you to feed the kangaroos, touch the Koala’s and learn about lots of different species through keeper talks. In this blog post, I am taking you with me during my little trip to this park.
Viewer discretion is advised, the below is dealing with sensitive materials related to real human exhibits – muscles, organs, skin, bodies etc. Wow! when I heard/saw (on every billboard known to man lol!) that “Real Bodies” the exhibit was in Sydney, boy was I excited. As I personally love learning about all things to do with the human anatomy and physiology, I was quite curious as to what exactly this exhibit is about? I mean they’ve called it “Real Bodies” but surely that’s just the name, right? Ahh Nope… SHOCK! “Real Bodies” means Real Bodies! As in real humans who once roamed the earth! Ahhhhhh! Real Bodies the Exhibit presents the artful display of 20 REAL, perfectly preserved human bodies and 200 anatomical specimens – fancy wording for human organs (don’t worry I’ve got your back 😉), so strap in and prepare to be amazed and intrigued, because below are some pretty incredible pictures and some fascinating information. This one will knock your socks off, I guarantee it! I know that there is quite a bit of controversy around this exhibition, but after doing some research I decided I still wanted to go ahead with posting it. I was unsure if you guys would be interested in seeing a post on this, so on my twitter account, I ran a quick poll. The voting was unanimous, even though only 7 people voted lol. But nonetheless, I have decided to write a post for this exhibition. I will also dive into why this exhibition is so controversial so that you can make a well thought out decision if you wish to go or not. Again, if you don’t like to see bodies, organs etc then please don’t click on this post. Another quick disclaimer: I have taken the pictures with my iPhone so the quality is not as good as it is normally. But somehow I found it a tad strange and disrespectful to be taking pictures with my DSLR camera. So my apologies for that.
Lanzarote is an intriguing island with an extraordinary geology of 300 volcanic cones. There are great beaches, interesting sights and plenty of restaurants and hotels. The landscape has a stark and otherworldly appearance, with loads of unique black lava fields as far as the eyes can see. The island’s major sights have been aesthetically developed by the late César Manrique, a Lanzarote native, and artist. Houses must be painted white, other than wooden windows and door frames or wooden shutters which can be any one of two shades of green. There’s no billboard advertising, no highrise buildings, giving the island a unique atmosphere. So, in today’s blog post, I will show you some of the best things to see and do while on this amazing island, in my second mini island guide.
Taronga Zoo is a wonderful Animal park in a stunning location, located at a 15-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay in Sydney. It boasts stunning views, gorgeous animals and a free Gondola ride (Winning!). The zoo cares for 4000 animals from over 350 species, many of which are threatened. Elephants, giraffes, meerkats, bongos (yes bongos), Komodo dragons (truly awesome), seals, sea lions, penguins, lemurs and many Australian natives – crocodiles, snakes, kangaroos, emus, wallabies, koalas, echidna, wombats, and platypuses are just some of the animals you can encounter up close. A special feature is the new exhibit of Sumatran tigers. This is an amazing new exhibit and set up so well, but go early. The queues are long (very long). The keeper talks given throughout the day and with different animals are a great way to learn more about them and their habitats. Taronga Zoo has stunning views over the harbor back towards the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Which I think is almost worth the price of admission alone. Taronga Zoo is one of the best places to visit in Sydney, especially if you have kids or if you are an animal enthusiast. Read on for more information and lots of pictures.
Palm Beach is the place where some of Sydney’s wealthiest and most famous people escape on their holidays. It’s isolated, tranquil, charming and absolutely beautiful. In Palmy you could walk right by someone like Mick Jagger and not even know it. Celebrities such as Kelly Slater, Guy Sebastian, and Nicole Kidman and hubby Keith Urban also regularly visit Palm Beach during summer. Palm Beach is located 41 kilometers north of the Sydney CBD and is home to one of Australias most famous tv shows, Home and Away. The golden sands of Palm Beach curve 2.3km, from Little Head to Barrenjoey Point and is an excellent place to surf. You can also follow a trail to heritage-listed Barrenjoey Lighthouse which also offers splendid views of the coast, Pittwater and Kur-ring-gai Chase National Park. In this post, I will show you these amazing sights and why you should take the plunge and get over to Palm Beach as soon as possible.
Probably one of the most popular walking trails in Sydney, the Spit to Manly walk. This walk has some of the most stunning views imaginable: Crystal blue water, secluded bays and beaches, bushland and stunning cliff views. This walk is 10 kilometers long and is not super simple. The track, however, is so stunning that it will entice you to keep going. This walk has been on my bucket list since last summer. I attempted to do it, but I could not find that start of the walk, so I gave up. My friend the other day told me exactly where to go and what to do, so I did another attempt last weekend. If you follow me on Instagram, then you have already seen some of my pictures of this walk. I had such a good time, bringing me back to the time I lived in the mountains. I was so happy and I wish I had done it sooner. In today’s blog post I will show you some of the amazing sights that you will see during this walk.
Ahh Bondi Beach. If you are Australian or just someone who likes Australia, then you have definitely heard of this world famous beach. The suburb where the beach is located is only 7 kilometers from Sydney CBD and in summers gets run over by tourists and locals. The other day I did the Bondi to Coogee walk. But before I set off I wandered around for a bit. It had been a while since I had been to this famous beach, and I enjoyed it a lot more then I anticipated. This famous hipster suburb is home to some amazing shops, restaurants, walking tracks and swimming pools. So if you are planning to go to Sydney and want to know the ins and outs of Bondi then read on…
The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk is probably one of the most iconic walks that you can do in Sydney(or maybe even in Australia). Following the rough cliffs along the ocean with stunning views all over, 6 of the most famous/beautiful beaches and Australian wildlife surrounding you all along the way. If you follow me on Instagram, then you have already seen some of my pictures of this walk. I had such a blast and I loved taking pictures (so be prepared for quite a few lol) In this post I will show you all the cool sites, beaches and more.
The great ocean road is one of the most scenic drives you will ever do. The 234-kilometer long route takes you along some of Australia’s most amazing scenery. Rugged cliffs, blue oceans, quaint little towns, lighthouses and lots of Australian wildlife is just some of the things you will encounter when taking this road trip. In this blog post, I will show you all the hot spots of where to stop and what to see. If you are planning to drive this route, or want to enjoy some of Australia’s best towns, beaches and attractions then keep on reading.
I think most bloggers know what I am talking about when saying that being a blogger is a lot more than just writing posts. Social Media, Emails, Planning Content, Photography, Editing and so much more. There is so much more to blogging than just blogging – If ya know what I mean. For a while, I was struggling to get everything done on time. It is very important to update your blog consistently to keep it growing. So how do I get it all done? For me, staying on top of my blogging to-do’s is about 2 main things: Managing distractions and maintaining focus (YouTube is my downfall, Hello Shane Dawson) Knowing what tasks to focus on (What is important and what can wait for a bit longer) In order to get less stressed and more organized, I made some check-lists. Every day I know what to do in order to stay on top of my blog and not get snowed under by the workload. In today’s blog post, I will show some of my checklists and how I use them to maintain my saneness.
Sydney is such an amazing city. It is everything you’d wish for: A hustling and bustling CBD, a world-famous bridge and opera house, many many beaches and lush green parks where you can wander for hours on end. Today I am sharing with you 5 amazing activities that you can do in Sydney for free, yes you heard me right, FREE!
Perth, in Western Australia, is known to be a fairly sleepy and uninteresting city. The CBD is not the most hustling and bustling town center you will visit, but the surroundings around the city are some of the most breathtaking you will ever encounter. From the Pinnacles to White sand beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see or explore Rottnest with those adorable smiling Quokka’s. In this blog post, you will find what you must see, where you must stay, where to get a tan and where to entertain yourself during your city trip to Perth.
The first time I went to Canberra I was 5 and not really interested in anything besides the food, typical kid of course. Mom – We’re going to Canberra Me: do they have food there? Mom- yes Me: yay!! Let’s go to Canberra! Of course, the real reason she wanted to take me there was to immerse my young self in Australian culture and politics and to see the capital city of my dad’s homeland. To be completely honest, I don’t remember much except for getting sore feet (from all the walking) and I remember thinking we were in the jungle for some crazy weird reason? (btw it doesn’t look like the jungle at all) but kids imaginations and all that hoo-hah! So when my Mom and I decided to go on a road trip from Sydney down to the Mornington peninsula earlier this year, we decided that we would take the opportunity to stop in Canberra and spend a few days checking the capital out and MAN did it disappoint! Oh wait just kidding….. it was amazing! Hehehe! Tricked ya! Below I have listed a few of my personal must-see places of this incredible City, she’s no Washington but well at least you can see Roo’s here. Enjoy!
