“Marmotjes!”

My husband and I just visited their museum somewhere at the mountain top in Grossglochner.   I had already expected that I’d only see these creatures on screen or at their “most preserved” forms.

“Turn around. Look!” hubby was calling me out in a forcible hush tone, so as not to scare them and run away.

We stopped walking, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. “For real, I’m finally meeting my furry kinds at last!” I jokingly reacted.

A marmotje as I am and as spring is getting near, I’m now gradually waking up from deep slumber; so is my yearning to blog – it’s back again!

A lot of things happened for us this year.  Mostly good things, yet even more, big changes for us – the move from Switzerland to Belgium, getting myself integrated into my new ‘Belgian’ way of life, striving to learn another language that’s called Flemish (or Dutch), getting ourselves back in the work-life grind, spending a lot of time with family and friends, turning our plans of settling in as a family here in Belgium into a reality… We find it interesting how these events are conveniently falling into place.  And if you ask me, I’m also feeling cozier at home in Belgium now.  It seems to be that we’re meant to stay here for a long time.

So, yeah, 2015 marks the year for me to truly discover Belgium.  I’m no longer visiting; I’m finally living here! Yet, of course, we wouldn’t skip a chance to explore other places outside my newfound home, too.

Perpie in Pinas 2015

Mahal and I visited Sablayan province on Mindoro island, my father’s hometown.  Days before we left, we stayed at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. At this trip, I was able to capture images of a rustic, rural life juxtaposed with scenes of an ever-bustling, skyscrapers-filled city in the Philippines. Every place has its own charm, and as always, it’s another closer peek through the Filipino culture and traditions I grew up with.

More of Belgium: The Belgian Seacoast and the Ardennes

We visited Oostduinkerke-Koksijde last April and July and enjoyed the beach, the sand dunes and the views – sailboats, seagulls and all.  Luckily, I was able to witness horseback shrimp fishing in a grey early morning, thanks to the dedicated people of Oostduinkerke who have kept it alive.  In 2013, UNESCO declared this 500-year-old tradition as intangible cultural heritage.

Over the summer, I had my first taste of the Ardennes, having spent quality time with family in a cozy Wallonian-style chalet in the middle of the forest in Ondenval. Then this time with friends in November, we got back not only to the Ardennes per se but particularly also Durbuy.

Dutch Up at The Netherlands

My trip to Amsterdam around four years ago was not enough for me, so revisiting the city again (plus other nearby places) was a chance to dig deeper and see what The Netherlands truly has.

It was a perfect spring season when we visited The Netherlands – their colorful tulips are standing ever proud and growing abundantly all around!

We first visited Castricum that is known for its tranquility, space, and beautiful nature, as it is also part of the North Holland Dune Reserves.

The next day, we revisited Amsterdam. I have longed for visiting Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum, but it was so hectic on that day that we called it off, and instead, we spent our time wandering around small streets and along the canals.

On our last day, we went to see a windmill museum and Volendam.  These two are very popular tourist destinations as these really speak all about the Dutch.  Even more, an up-close and personal experience is donning on the traditional Dutch costumes!  I didn’t spare my reluctant husband from doing it; though he still gave in, just for me to have fun over it.  Aaawww moment, of course.

Summer Holiday 2015: Germany, Slovakia, and Austria

Our feet must have been missing something after we left Switzerland that the mountain goats in us are calling the Alps back. We then decided to explore Austria for our holiday.

But before reaching our summer destination, we stayed in Frankfurt for a couple of days, since hubby still had some work to do over there.

Then off we stopped by at Linz, which got known as Hitler’s “hometown.” He wanted this city to become the main cultural center of the Third Reich. Linz is also an interesting touchpoint to see the Blue Danube, also known as the Donau river, which is the longest river in the European Union region. We stayed a couple of days in Vienna, the stunning capital of Austria. I personally enjoyed walking around the Viennese streets, as we discovered impressive landmarks, richly divine Austrian coffee, interesting artsies, non-stop potatoes, sausages and schnitzels, and some surprising finds.

We also crossed from Austria to Slovakia and spent the day going around the old town of Bratislava.

Then we went on to happily stuck ourselves for few more days in the Austrian Alps, staying along the lakeside in Weissensee and later waking up in Bad Hofgastein.  We crossed over the Grossglochner High Alpine Road and hiked our way down from the Alpine Mountain. We finished off our Austrian trip with a 2-night stay in Salzburg.

So…What’s up for 2016?

I will still try my very best to blog more about my travels in a timelier manner and catch up on other travel stories that have been queued up on my list for a long time. Our travel plan is a bit more definite for this year and that includes visiting a few more places in Belgium, weekend stays in the beach coast and in the port city of The Netherlands, a city tour in Hungary, summer holiday in France with quick stopover in Luxembourg, and possibly (crossing my fingers), a vacation in the Philippines once more.