21 Things That Surprised Me About Germany

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When I first set out on my 3 month digital nomad/travel excursion we had just planned on staying in Germany for about 3 weeks, but that turned into 2 months! Whoops. And during that time I really fell in love with Germany – it’s such a lovely country!

Lübeck in northern Germany from St Peter's Church — [Lübeck is a beautiful town in northern Germany, and an easy day trip from Hamburg; this view is from St. Peter’s Church]

I’d been before – to Berlin for a couple of days and then Starnberg and Munich for Oktoberfest. But this visit was the first time I’d really spent an extended amount of time in one country, and in one city no less!

We were in Hamburg the bulk of the time and Berlin for 10 days, but I was also able to squeeze in some day trips and visit the Saxony region for a weekend, too. Here’s what surprised me most about the country itself:

5 Winter Day Trips from Basel, Switzerland

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We LOVED Switzerland. Like, I would go back there in a heartbeat. Except for the stupid stupid expensive sad prices 🙁

But everything else – the nature, the beautiful cities, the food (aka cheese)…We loved (and ate) it all.

Tiled rooftops in Basel, Switzerland in February — [Pretty rooftops in Basel]

We had our original itinerary written out, and then our AirBnb hosts were like, nahhh we have MUCH BETTER IDEAS FOR YOU. So, here’s what they suggested we do (keep in mind this is a winter, like beginning of February itinerary – not sure if it would be different if we visited in summer!).

My Favorite Vegetarian European Food Dishes & Desserts

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[The array of Stroopwafels at van Wonderen Stroopwafels in Amsterdam]

Like pretty much every other human out there, I LOVE FOOD. And when I’m in a new country the first thing I want to do is, well, try ALL of it (the vegetarian options, that is).

Because I don’t have a bottomless pit for a stomach, I haven’t had EVERY veggie option out there, but these are the things I’ve tried and liked and felt compelled to share. If you have any suggestions, feel free to share! I’m always looking for new things to stuff into my stomach.

[Stuffing my face with Swiss Alpine Macaroni]

8 Reasons I’ll Miss Living in the Bay Area

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Why I'll Miss Living in the Bay Area — [Views of the Bay from an airplane]

So contrary to what you may believe from my last post about why I WON’T miss living in the Bay Area, there are actually plenty of things I love about the Bay, too. I lived there for about 23 years in total, so of course there are things I really appreciate about the Bay!

Here’s what I’ll miss the most:

8 Reasons I Won’t Miss Living in the Bay Area

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Why I Won't Miss Living in the Bay Area — [Even though there’s a lot I don’t like about the Bay, parts of it sure are pretty!]

Ahh the Bay Area – land of start ups, the word “hella”, giant tech companies, the best burritos (yeah I said it), the Golden Gate, and so much more that I could never fit it all into one sentence without violating all kinds of grammar rules. It’s a wonderful melting pot of a place.

I grew up in San Jose and was living in Fremont the past 2 years. I will always love the Bay (and there are plenty of reasons I’ll miss it, too), but I’m also very ready to leave. It was a good run, but here’s why I’m not looking to return:

Doing What I Want Instead of What I Should

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Oh howdy ho, fellow blogreaders!

LOL who am I? Please ignore that sentence and read on. I promise the cheese stops there.

SO. There have been some pretty big, like WHOA life changes as of late, and I really wanted to address that before publishing the other posts I have waiting in my blogging queue! So here’s what’s up:

I quit my job, and am traveling through Europe for the next few months. How’s that for a big, giant cliche?

The Truth Behind the Photos #2

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Here’s my second installment of the Truth Behind the Photos! It’s nothing crazy, but just a compilation of photos that may look great on social media, but don’t tell the whole story. SO, I share the real stories with y’all below!

Get Out of Paris & Run to Lyon

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Why I liked Lyon better than Paris — [Old (Vieux) Lyon is soooo pretty]

Okay, so sue me – I am really not a huge fan of Paris. And I really don’t find it very romantic LOL. But Lyon won a place in my heart! My bf was also on the same page as me, and enjoyed Lyon a lot more. I know, I know, don’t hate me, but here’s why I preferred Lyon over Paris:

Where to Stay Outside of Munich During Oktoberfest: Starnberg

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If Munich is Too Expensive, try Staying in Starnberg, a Cute German Town, During Oktoberfest! — [If Munich is too expensive, or you want to stay somewhere with a little more nature, give Starnberg a try!]

UPDATED: September 2019

Full disclaimer: I don’t know if this will ALWAYS be a cheaper option, but for us it was! Plus, ima be honest, I really just wanted to stay OUT OF THE CITY since we had just come from a couple days in Paris and a few in Lyon.

But I digress – for us, it was the cheaper (and prettier, in my opinon) option!

So – STARNBERG.

Starnberg Lake (Starnberger See) near Munich in September That’s right. You heard me. STARN. BERG.

It’s a pretty little town with and here’s why I loved it so:

Travel Journals Make the Best Souvenirs

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Do y’all keep a travel journal? Or any kind of journal?

I’m definitely a journal person. Like, DEFINITELY a journal person. I’ve been keeping them since I was 6 years old…

My first entry was just one sentence about going to the “beatch”. I was so excited I even put an exclamation mark at the end of it, complete with a very enthusiastic heart.

That was pretty much the peak of my journaling journey.