2020 and beyond


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Published: March 28th 2021
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COVID-19 is the global chaos and the hottest topic of 2020. I had unknowingly landed on places where the virus has spread globally. I was lucky enough to make it back to Amsterdam a week before the world went mad about toilet paper.

I got pretty sick the day after my arrival back to Amsterdam. I caught the nastiest virus, which knocked me down completely. My stubborn arse went back to work while still feeling unwell, and of course, that stupidity sent my sorry act back home for two weeks of quarantine.

During my recovery, I remember people around me were in an extreme panic because of the virus I possibly brought from China while vaccines were still unavailable. My colleagues and GP were terrified of me. They did not want to be anywhere near me. I rang the GP and had a clash with her assistant as she refused to give me an appointment nor willing prescribe a drug for my body pain.

When the GP finally called me the next day, she did not bother to conduct a covid test on me. She concluded that it was a stomach bug and told me to sick it
out and swallow paracetamols when needed. I was reluctant to give her a way out and had to agree to disagree since I had no energy to argue. To this day, I am still wondering how are these people qualified in the medical fields of both humans and animals.

As the world faces the total lockdown, many people struggle with so-called the "new normal" of being home 24/7. On the other hand, I found 2020 has been a blessing year. It has been an uneasy beginning to be home that much, but my survival instinct kicked in, and I quickly learnt to accept and adapt to the change.

A constant bumping into neighbours and seeing the same faces is part of my everyday life. I take that opportunity to get to know them more, expand my network, make new friends with the local dog mamas & papas and explore more of my surroundings.

In my experience, the pandemic serves more ups than downs. I enjoy spending more time with my girl. I consume more greens in my diet. I have more time to improve my weekly runs, which are now faster and more frequent.

I train
more in the pool to become a stronger swimmer and practice yoga and meditation, helping me stay present.

The most important lesson from this madness is to be less ambitious, be less of a type-A individual and live more. Once I learnt to let it go, I found myself having less stress dividing my time between my girl, work, study, hectic social life and future career change.

The year 2020 taught me to breathe, reset and let go of all the things that are not serving me, including friendship and relationship circles. It is the chance to shift my focus towards myself and my goals. Okay, enough story about the 2020 experience.

Now let's talk about travelling 😉

So, where have I travelled in 2020? NOWHERE much at all. Yes, you are reading that sentence correctly! I had no choice but to postpone my travel plans due to the pandemic.

Amid uncertainty and leaving home becoming difficult, we were lucky enough to embark on a road trip to neighbouring countries, such as Belgium, Germany and France. We didn't need to prepare for the trip in advance, except throw some clothes in a bag and leave
Amsterdam early to beat traffic.

We felt the need for extra space as if the social distancing was not distanced enough and figured that Nissan Qashqai was the perfect candidate for it. This baby is massive. There is plenty of room for the two of us. We entertain ourselves with good music, sing out loud, roll down the windows and yell "PATATJES" whenever a Dutch plate is driving among us. The laughter after yelling at random people at shops or streets in a foreign lingo was probably one of the COVID side effects we've experienced.

We managed to cross the German border without drama, then spent a few days at a small village of German winery where there was more fun. Such a beautiful scenery that comes with delicious German foods and tasty local wines.

So, what activities have we done in that small German village? Well, a lot of wine, food consumption, and daily walks to the vineyard! I reckon these are pretty awesome laidback activities.

Depending on our moods, some days we were lazy. We hang out by the pool with local wines and beers in the sun. Aside from that, forest hiking and
winery visits are a must. Unfortunately, there were not many activities or places to see. The nature of the holiday spot is all about relaxation. We didn't mind but were grateful that we could leave Amsterdam during the madness.

So, what's my take on the local wine? It is not cheap, and the flavour wise is quite different. Sauvignon Blanc is one of my fave whites; theirs was rather sweet than dry for me.

The wine is less aromatic than the average one. The flavour and colour are closer to Riesling, which is sweet and mellow yet refreshing. They also produced sparkling red and white wines.

The flavours of these wines were sweet, fruity and easy to drink. The beverage kind that satisfies summer thirst.

On our way back to NL, we stopped in a small village in France, which I don't remember the name of, and it totally doesn't matter because memory counts. I find pastries and wines are better in small French villages. There were plenty of local patisseries to enjoy during my stay, and I made sure to stuff my face off before returning to Amsterdam. One of my best ideas is to
spend time during a difficult time.


Additional photos below
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31st March 2021

Good having you back
Nice that you’re still able to move around despite the lockdown. Great photos too ???
4th April 2021

I miss travelling. You were so lucky to have made it to all those places before the chaos. Nice pictures
16th May 2021

I enjoy reading your stories :)
17th August 2021

Very fun story to read. I enjoyed it :)

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