March 30, 2025
We all have that one story of how the travel bug bit us. Mine? It started back in university. I was leading the school publication, and the student body president and I were invited to a nationwide student leaders’ press con… in Boracay. That was nearly twenty years ago. Since […]
March 29, 2025
I moved to Munich, Germany in November 2021. Despite being three hours by train away, Paris never appealed to me and only traveled there in December 2022 to meet some dearly missed friends. Traveling to Paris in December has its own charms and pitfalls. I would love to visit the […]
January 16, 2025
When I learned that Vienna has a Shakespeare and Co, I knew I had to visit. As someone who fell in love with its Parisian counterpart, stepping into its Viennese location felt like revisiting an old friend in a new city. Nestled in the heart of Vienna, this cozy bookshop […]
January 9, 2025
After living in Hanoi for four years, I often found the city’s unrelenting energy both exhilarating and exhausting. On days when the honking motorbikes and narrow alleyways felt too constricting, I would escape to Ninh Binh. Just a few hours away, it became my sanctuary—a place where life moved at […]
January 8, 2025
Living in Hanoi made me long for the vast quietness of the countryside. Ninh Binh was always my weekend fix during my four-year stint in Vietnam’s capital. Ninh Binh’s huge rafts of farmed white ducks wallowing in its many waterways, with the expanse of rice fields in different shades of […]
December 22, 2024
For book lovers, the State Hall of the Austrian National Library is more than a repository of books—it’s a living testament to Austria’s cultural and intellectual legacy. Nestled within the Hofburg Palace, this awe-inspiring space merges history, art, and literature in a breathtaking display of Baroque grandeur. The State Hall, […]
December 16, 2024
It was a serendipitous find, really. While crafting a walking route to maximize my day in Vienna with a mix of sightseeing and whimsy, I stumbled upon photos of the Hundertwasserhaus on Google Maps. Its colorful, eccentric façade instantly captivated me. Designed by the visionary artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, this architectural […]
December 14, 2024
Having roamed over 15 European cities since planting roots in Munich, I can confidently say Vienna holds my heart—seconded by Prague. This imperial treasure along the Danube composes a symphony of culture, history, and effortless elegance. From its grandiose palaces to its unparalleled classical music legacy and its coffeehouse culture […]
December 14, 2024
Vienna in winter is like stepping into a snow globe—a city suspended in time, encased in the cold glow of centuries-old architecture, blanketed with the softness of snow. For someone like me, raised in the warmth of the tropics, the thought of winter felt daunting, heavy with its layers of […]
December 14, 2024
When I still lived in Hanoi, we played guess the word game over food and alcohol. I was with my group of friends, the usual ones. I badly wanted our team to win. When it was about cities, I knew it was my turn to shine. They gave me the […]
October 25, 2024
Prague in winter is a city straight out of a fairy tale, with its cobbled streets dusted in snow and gothic spires piercing the cold sky. As someone who has lived in the tropical warmth of the Philippines and the humid buzz of Vietnam, experiencing Europe in the depths of […]
September 9, 2024
Hanoi: chaotic, mesmerizing, and utterly captivating. After three months of exploring this city’s vibrant streets and a month of wandering Vietnam’s diverse landscapes, I knew Hanoi was the place to drop anchor. Four years later, my love for this city has only deepened. As a digital marketing manager turned teacher […]