What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?
My favorite holidays aren’t defined by one place or one trip. When I think about them, I think about my father, my Aba, and the way he made travel feel like so much more than just going somewhere new. He didn’t just take us on vacations, he made us a part of something he truly loved. From sitting by the window on the Pacific Coast Amtrak train watching the ocean stretch endlessly beside us, to long drives from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe filled with conversations and quiet moments, every journey felt complete simply because we were together.
Some memories still feel almost unreal, like climbing over a thousand steps to reach Mount Saint Michel in France, exhausted but happy, or traveling across Europe from Paris to Zurich and Amsterdam, experiencing new places while holding onto that same sense of closeness. Aba always said his trips would feel empty without us, and now I understand what he meant. It was never about the destination for him, it was about sharing those moments with family, about making sure we were there with him in everything he experienced.
Now when I look back, those memories mean everything to me, but they are also bittersweet. I sometimes think about going back to the same cafés and places just to feel close to him again, even though I know it won’t ever be the same. And maybe that is okay. What stays with me is not the places, but the feeling he created, the warmth, the togetherness, and the quiet happiness of being there as a family. I have already lived my favorite holidays and most of my wish list. I was 29 when I lost my father. He is a big part of me and will always be. I dream of him often and find comfort in that.
I really wanted to visit Paris ever since I was a kid specially because of Disneyland. I am so glad when the first time I went to Paris I was 22 and the memories I have are so clear. Kids don’t remember anything!! The best age to travel is actually when you can remember what you did, where you went and all those amazing strolls down the aesthetically pleasing streets! You need to stay in a good neighbourhood so that you can actually walk and enjoy your trip. Shopping and cafe culture is something you cannot miss out on in Paris. You need to dress a bit formally in Paris; unlike Los Angeles. They have the biggest Sephora in Paris and you can literally find anything! There was even a cute little Sephora next to our hotel as well. I hate how convenient shopping is in Paris and you literally end up buying whatever catches your eye. Which means you end up buying things you don’t need.
Amsterdam;
This is definitely the most safest city after Zurich. Literally everyone is so sweet and kind. I love the tram culture in Amsterdam, you can never get lost in this amazing dutch city. The canals, weather, food and super easy going lifestyle is what attracts people to visit this amazing place over and over again. You need to try seafood here, particularly the famous SeaFood bar. The weather is super pleasant and you might even need a jacket after sunset (that is if there’s no heat wave). Avoid going to Amsterdam in June & July since chances are you might get caught in middle of a heat wave and it might just ruin your trip. Personally for me, I hate summers and I hate hot weathers. The best time to visit Amsterdam is definitely Autumn and spring.
Norway (Fjords);
I have never visited Norway but this is on my bucket list for the future. Not every trip has to start and end at Champs-Élysées or Rodeo, You need to experience naturally aesthetically pleasing sites too. Fjords are a slice of what heaven would look like. If you don’t know what an amazing piece of land Norway is you need to start looking up (specifically their Fjords). I am grateful to my father to have told me about this amazing piece of land and one day I plan on going there with him and the rest of my family. I’ve always traveled with my entire family and I don’t understand how people can just fly off themselves whilst leaving their families on one side of the world. My father always included us in his plans and I will forever be grateful to him.
Los Angeles;
Flights to LA can be hell tiring and the the jet lag takes at least a week to get over. But is it worth it? HELL YESS!! As soon as you get out of LAX the cool breeze can make you forget about the long flight and how tired you actually are. You just need someone who knows all the places. You need to stay in a safe neighbourhood. I absolutely loved Glendale. The apartment where we stayed was a 5-6 minutes walk from Americana The Brand. I used to walk by myself every single time. People are extremely warm and welcoming. Three things I loved the most was my salt & straw ice cream, In-n-out burgers and Boiling crab. You need to try these things if you’re in Los Angeles(or some other city). I prefer walking when I’m travelling, I hate using any sort of transportation. Absolutely loved Laguna beach and Malibu Beach there, you just need to make sure you don’t slip when a wave comes right at you, just hold your ground. I once had my back towards the ocean, a huge wave just came right at me and I had to make sure I didn’t budge and stand perfectly still( i’m extremely bad at swimming); almost went into the pacific. Sharks are on of my major fears ever since growing up (probably because I watched ever single scary shark movie) I was the only one that close to the water. But oh well I was brave I guess. I just love walking on the beach, soaking my feet in the water and enjoy the sound of the waves. The skies in California are literally out of this world.
Iceland;
This place is yet again on my bucket list. You’ll see geothermal hot springs billowing with white smoke, moss-covered lava fields stretching into the distance, dazzling white glaciers slicked over mountainsides and if you’re lucky you’ll see the Northern lights too.
Nothern lights – Iceland
Peak viewing season for the northern lights is always September through March when the nights are long, during winters darkness can extend for approximately 19 hours. Arrive about five days before a new moon, and you will have a very dark week ahead, perfect for seeing the lights. List of places in Iceland where you can witness Northern lights;
– Hella
– Reykjavík
– Höfn
– Skógar
– Snaefellsnes
Next attraction is the Blue Lagoon. It’s a a geothermal spa, located in a lava field near Grindavík and in front of Mount Þorbjörn.
Lake Tahoe, Nevade;
I went to Lake Tahoe last year, it was summer the season, the lake had all shades of blue and it was so pretty. South Lake Tahoe is a more touristy spot and but you can definitely spot some secluded places with minimal or no people for your photography. Emerald bay was a bit crowded but definitely worth the views. Tahoe has lakes, Greenery and snow capped mountains at the same time. If you plan on going to The States do add driving to Lake Tahoe, you’d love it.
Yosemite National Park, California;
If you truely want to be awed and experience mother natures true beauty you need to visit Yosemite National Park. It includes peaks, canyons, cliffs, domes, rivers, lakes, immense waterfalls, lush green meadows, wildlife, and forests. If you’re lucky (or unlucky) you can also spot a bear just strolling around you. Just don’t feed them and don’t walk off by yourself since the park is packed with wildlife. I saw the biggest squirrels at Yosemite. Literally huge and fat. You’ll see the worlds tallest sequoia trees here too. You’ll feel like you stepped into a fairytale.
I’ll be adding more places to this amazing list. Stay tuned for more✨
Sehr 🩷
P.s if you’ve ever been to any of these places don’t forget to reach out and share your experience!
Hey guys! I hope you’re all having an amazing day. Today i’ll fill you in about how amazing this beautiful city of love/lights is! If you’re on your Euro Tour you cannot skip Paris. I remember the first trip we had planned for my 22nd birthday and everyone loves this city since then. On both our trips we stayed for at least 10 days in this city more than a week. Staying less than a week in Paris is of no use. There’s always so much to do and see.
Firstly it’s very important to choose a good place to stay specially safe and clean. I would not recommend staying in the middle of heavy crowds or sort of downtown areas since they get quite unsafe later at night. Safety is number one priority when it comes to travelling. And there is no point of staying in Paris if you cannot go out all by yourself regardless of what time it may be. We stayed in Saint-Germain. I absolutely loved our hotel location, we had Galeries Lafayette on a 7 minute walk, Le Bon Marché 8-9 minute walk away, Sephora a street away, Zara on a 3 minute walk and tons of outdoor cafes and amazing bakeries. Walking your way through to places is such a nice feeling specially when the weather is amazing, meaning there should not be a heatwave. Or just take a cab if you want to go to far off places. We stayed in this area on both our trips twice. It was super safe, we used to go for late night walks and never found anything off or strange! Prior to staying in Saint Germain our travel agent wanted us to stay right in the middle of Champs-Élysées. Thank God we didn’t. That place is heavily crowded and has too much tension going on. Not a fan of heavy crowds at all. You’re just surrounded with tons of designer stores and Arc De triumph. Whereas we could go to an authentic french cafe and enjoy an amazing cup of coffee, a strawberry and Nutella crepe, a good English Breakfast and the list goes on, that too a couple of minutes or even seconds walk away from our hotel, with less crowd and safer environment.
Next best thing you need to do in Paris is shop. I would prefer going to Champs-Élysées, Galeries Lafayette or Le Bon Marché for shopping (don’t forget to get a tax refund receipt) and a picture of your passport in your phone for all the details. Benefits of shopping in the malls is that you don’t need to keep changing shops in order to get what you want. Or just go to Champs-Élysées if want a full on Paris vibe. French and Italian brands are cheaper in Europe than America or UAE. They have huge variety of products there as all. Literally everything you need or article you need is right there. They also had a disney store there, and it made me want to be a kid all over again. I would have gotten so many things had I been a child, but I ended up buying a Little mermaid mug instead. And I still haven’t used it. Once you’re in Champs-Élysées you definitely need to go to Ladurée for a coffee/dessert or just get their macaroons. This is the prettiest bakery/cafe i’ve ever been too! The interiors and details will blow your mind. The staff is amazing as well.
You definitely need to take a cruise in Paris, particularly right before sunset, in order to see the amazing orange skies and the surreal architecture. Dinner cruises are just fine, you just enjoy the food and forget about enjoying the view completely (wouldn’t recommend that if you want to enjoy the views).
Lastly you need to go to Latin Quarter (it’s not as good as Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, but definitely does the job). Explore it while walking. There are some amazing hand made chocolatiers there and they had Häagen-Dazs there too(our must stop). This is a couple of minutes walk away from the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral(which got closed down due to a fire since 2019) but the outdoor views are still spectacular! Definitely worth exploring. We went inside of it in 2016. But it was closed down on our last trip.
Heyy guys! Today’s blog will be about things you need to do in Amsterdam & places you need to visit once you’re there.
DAM SQUARE
This place has everything on a good walk/distance, every event or shop is super close to this area. You’re literally in the middle of everything. So you definitely will have to go this place and lets not forget the amazing pictures/videos you can take in this location. The aesthetics are amazing.
Vleminckx Sausmeesters (1887)
The most amazing fries ever. No one recommended this to us, I discovered these fries while strolling across the street with my younger brother (while rest of the family was busy shopping). We saw a huge queue of people in order to get fries so we joined them and made an amazing discovery. We Went to this place multiple times on our second trip to Amsterdam. p.s I got plain salted fries but their garlic mayo ones were good too.
Paddle boat
This was by far a very fun experience! You need good amount of strength in your legs in order to keep up with who you’re with or just be with someone who’s physically stronger than you so you not need to put in that much effort. And I had my younger brother with me here. He didn’t complain when I stopped paddling. Good old times. We both paddled our way through the canal. This was in July, the canals are frozen during the winter season.
Cycling
This is good as long as you have company and you are aware of the routes. There was a bike/cycle lane right next to our hotel and we rented cycles from our hotel and went out. The only thing is that I got super confused when we got on the main road and the bicycle/bike lane merged with the main road with actual cars. I don’t drive and nor am I good at those skills. I almost got hit by a bike (due to my confusion) and when my parents found out about our little adventure I was scolded and told never to get the cycle again. And this was our first trip, I didn’t even bother renting the bicycle on the next trip.
Take a train to Delft
The train ride was for about 50 minutes and the weather here was super pleasant (while Amsterdam was facing a really bad heatwave). We booked a golf cart/ golf buggy which took us around this super cute yet historic city. Definitely worth the trip. We got back to Amsterdam after a tour and lunch at delft the very same day. There are multiple trains going back and forth from Amsterdam to Delft.
The Seafood Bar
If you like fish or seafood in any way or form, you need to visit this amazing place. This is our go to place whenever we’re in Amsterdam. Sort of a family tradition to go there almost everyday specially the Van Baerlestraat branch. They have multiple branches in Amsterdam but this is where we went all the time. The staff, the food, ambiance, menu everything was perfect! I Had king crab for the very first time here and I was never into crabs or lobsters before. This place just changed my taste buds!
D’JUICE HOUSE
They have an amazing range of smoothies! And some of them were super healthy too and filled with nutrients. I got the beetroot and apple smoothie all the time! This was next to the area we got our Belgium fries from.
The people in Amsterdam are super sweet and welcoming. They have trams which are super easy to understand and you can never lose your way. Plus it’s super safe. Just be careful to not interact with shady people (specially towards dam square).
I hope you all are having an amazing day. Today I’ve written about some amazing things you should try whenever you’re in Paris♥
Crepes:
If you have a sweet tooth and want something with your evening or afternoon cup of coffee, I would highly recommend an authentic french crepe, preferably with Nutella and Strawberries (YUMM). We had a lot of restaurants near our hotel, in Saint Germain and the thing I love the most about Paris is their outdoor cafes. The weather in July makes the experience even better. And they have the most amazing Cafe Lattes, I’m a coffee addict so i extremely love a good cup of coffee what else can make it even better? Amazing Nutella and strawberry crepes.
Macaroons:
If you have not tried macaroons, or have no idea what they are, you should definitely try these delightful cookies. Trust me when I say this, they are extremely addictive. My favorite flavors were of-course:
Chocolate
Vanilla
Coffee
Caramel
Strawberry Candy
Pistachio
The best places to get these amazing cookies are preferably Ladurée and PAUL. This is the best option for you, if you want something light and sweet with your coffee.
*However if you’re in some french country side I would highly recommend trying macaroons made by local bakers. The macaroons I had in Bayeux (France) were the best! Made freshly at home by local bakers*
Baguette
These are amazing and healthy sandwiches if you’re looking for something local, healthy and yummy. This is a healthy, more fresh and authentic version of subway. They have a variety of flavors and topping and they are all wrapped in amazing french bread. The french are very much careful about their breads and it is amazing. This is the best thing to get if you want something quick for your lunch or mid day snack.
Cafe au lait
I’m extremely careful about my coffee, I extremely love having an amazing cup of Cafe au lait, something not to bitter but also not extremely sweet. I would highly recommend local coffee shops rather than Starbucks, we can get Starbucks anywhere, but if you’re looking for something more authentic and amazing you should try these outdoor cafes. There is a happy hour too, for the ones who’re on a budget. But it is worth every Euro. On average a Cafe au lait costs 3€, and it’s amazing. If you’re a coffee addict i’d highly recommend these outdoor cafes. You can even add a crossiant to it, for breakfast.