Memories for Life!

Working, living in Budapest and travelling has been beautiful these 7 months and Budapest will be rocking another 2 months.  Life is too short to have regrets: That’s why I love to live the life that makes me happy: Travelling, experiencing new places, interesting people, saying yes to just about anything. If there’s an adventure available, I’ll go for it-it! Can you pin down the pivotal time in your life when you really felt: now I am an adult? For me, it was when I left the comfort and security at home to go living abroad and travelling, living an independent life. Working abroad changed my life in so many ways and I have never been happier and more self-confident than I am now. I am grateful for the things that my travel experiences have taught me and I look forward to learning more about the world around me. 


In front of the Opera, ready to watch Snow White

I am now 7 months, 30 weeks, 210 days and 5,040 hours in Budapest, leaving the rainy and cold weather in the Netherlands behind. And I fell in love with this city. After a few months in Budapest I realized that next to my home in the Netherlands there is a second place in the world to call home.
The best way to explore Budapest and what I love to do is to aimlessly potter around its streets, admiring the architecture and discovering the tiny, quirky shops and cafés. Budapest is famous for its Spa Culture and its Tea Culture and it has many book cafés and lovely bookstores. YES, GREAT! Because I love reading books and a cup of tea (or more) with carrot cake! Reading is a rich psychical pleasure for me and the combination of books, tea and carrot cake is pure happiness!  My favorite book café in Budapest is definitely Massolit, because 1. Their carrot cake is delicious and 2. There is a lovely garden.

Having fun with amazing people, in the train to Bratislava

Another thing that I love is that public transportation in Hungary is cheap! That means TRAVELLING! I love to search on the Internet for nice towns to visit in Hungary and to plan my trip. During these months I have been to these small, lovely cities: Szentendre, Esztergom, Vác, Gödöllö and Keckskemét.  When my boyfriend Daniël was visiting me we have been to Bratislava (actually I have been there twice, during the winter and the spring) and I have been to Prague with friends. Vienna is still on my bucket list!

Budapest gave me good feelings and continues to give me! The persons I meet here are amazing and it is hard to say goodbye every time someone goes back to their home town. Tonight I had to say goodbye to Barbara, a friend from China. She is a really good friend and I really loved hanging out with her, going to parties, pubs, going out for dinner and going to Bratislava. She wrote me a beautiful letter about the time we spend together and gave it to me tonight. I am really grateful to have met such a good friend here in Budapest! When I have the chance, I will go to Peking and visit her!
In Budapest, it feels like everything has its own soul and that gives the city a great atmosphere!

Will be continued….

Bratislava, the little big city!

 

Travelling from Budapest to Bratislava

Budapest is beautiful, but if you want to see more of the beauty of Eastern Europe you can travel very easily to other places by train. Last weekend my boyfriend and I went to Bratislava. We took the direct train at Keleti Pályaudvar. The train shuttles approximately every 2 hours from both train stations. You can only buy the tickets at the train station. For only 18 Euros we had a return ticket and after 2 hours and 40 minutes we arrived at Hlavná stanica, the main train station in Bratislava.

It was only a 20-25 minute walk to the city centre. Later on, we realized that all of Bratislava’s historical sites are within walking distance. We could get to know the town on foot! Amazing for a capital city!

The Danube flowing directly through Bratislava adds to the unique atmosphere of this city. So do the narrow streets, the colourful buildings and the many surprising statues. Around nearly every corner you will discover another statue: Paparazzi is watching you, a man invites you to wear his hat, another man is sticking out a hole in the pavement, and you will find a stooping man in the façade of a house. At the main square you will stand next to the man that is overlooking the square while your companion will capture this moment on camera for sure! All these statues will feed your curiosity!

If you start wondering around the centre you will probably notice the small polished brass plates in town in the form of a crown embedded in the floor. Did you know that there are 178 of them? No, I did not count them if that is what is running through your head! I read it in the travel guide we received in the hotel. The crown represents the original route walked by the monarchs.

You need to be ‘’fairly fit’’ to climb the several hundred steps up to Bratislava castle. However, believe me, it is really worth it. When you are at the Castle Hill you will be rewarded with an incredible view of the town, the New Bridge and neighbouring Hungary and Austria. You can enjoy the same view if you take a trip on the lift up to the UFO, while at the same time enjoying a cup of coffee or a meal in the restaurant.

Another attraction that caught our eye was the Blue Church! Many people want to marry here (yeah, how many people can say that they have married in a blue church?!) so the waiting list is very long.

Instead of putting ourselves on the waiting list we went to a coffee house, Coffee and Co! Bratislava has many cosy coffee houses and this is one of them! It has a great atmosphere and the hot chocolate was delicious!

If you like Irish Pubs and live music you should definitely go to ‘’Dubliner’.’  We amused ourselves there for hours!

Bratislava is a one of a kind city. Put it on your bucket list, it is well worth a visit, especially as a daytrip from Budapest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Budapest, a new experience!

It has been a while since I wrote my last blog, it must be time for a new one! Time flies! 2 months ago I said YES to a new opportunity in my life, working in Budapest at a social media agency! 29th of November 2012, I was packing my bags ( fitting it all neatly into only one suitcase wasn't that easy for a girl like me, but I made it), heading to the airport, saying goodbye to my loved ones, and then the new adventure could begin! When the airplane made his journey through the sky, I was thinking " What will Budapest bring me, where will it takes me''?

Now 2 months later, Budapest has brought me joy and happiness, self-reflection, freedom, friends from all over the world, new perspectives on life, the beauty of the nature and the city ( Budapest is really one of the most beautiful cities in Europe), and the Spa culture ( Not bad, to relax in the spa and to wind down after a busy working day I can tell you :P). The Széchenyi Baths are my favourite! They have 3 outside pools ( one where you can do some laps, and then two others where you can relax in water of a temperature of 36-38 degrees ( so nice to go here in the winter, the combination of hot and cold). They also have many inside pools.

Budapest also took me to 'ruin bars', ( they are not as bad as the name will suggest ;)). I will tell you what these '' ruin bars'' are. These are bars in abandoned buildings and courtyards. It has taken over the nightlife in Budapest a few years back. The first time I went to the most famous ruin pub in Budapest, Szimpla Kert in Kazinczy Utca, I didn't not really know what I could expect. But, it was amazing. What a charm and vibe! It looks like it is put together from a selection of second-hand electronic devices ( also not that bad as it sounds, if you like the vintage style! :) It has also a selection of old Russian cars, pre-historic things and old bikes. All these things makes the pub alternative :) There are many different rooms, there is a cocktail bar, and in the summer it is nice to be in the '' open air room''. You can sit in an old car while enjoying your cocktail! I really like the concept! This concept should be exported to the Dutch market ( so that when I will be back home, there would be '' a little bit of Budapest in Tilburg city'' , so that I will not miss it too much)

Then the second ruin pub I visited was Instant, also an amazing experience. The theme of this pub is '' forest'' and that was absolutely clear , since there were animals everywhere ( ok, not real animals ofcourse :P) I'm sure I will visit more ruin pubs during my stay here! Really curious about the other styles.

In my next blog ( I promise you you don't have to wait so long this time) I will tell you more about the things that are worth a visit in Budapest and the things I am up to.

Here you can see a picture of the Instant bar and Szimpla Kert to get an idea of the atmosphere ( but you really have to go there once you are in Budapest, to experience it yourself) And enjoy watching the timelapse of Budapest by clicking on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92DwUuAL0gE

The little things in life that make me smile!

I think and I hope that you all have sometimes that incredible moment that you have such a happy feeling without any reason ( you think). These kind of moments I often have when I am driving in my car, driving through beautiful landscapes, driving under a crystal clear blue sky, watching birds that make their journey through the sky. I make photographs in my head to capture the grandeur of what I see.  The radio is on and I listen to the sound of music, I start singing aloud and I cannot stop smiling. Music, art and nature can trigger one´s soul and  so do the other little things in life. Such moments do me realize that the small things in live can mean so much more than the big things. More of the little things in life that make me so happy are the on-going small gestures of kindness from the person that loves you, from friends and from strangers. Other little things that fill me with bliss are:

• A smile from a stranger
• When it has stopped raining. Everything smells fresh and clean
• A beautiful sunset and sunrise
• The sun shining in my face
• Playing games I love when I was a child
• A massage
• Sanadome with friends
• Thoughtful questions from people that want to know me better, want to know what makes me happy
• Reading a good book
• Music of Bon Jovi
• Watching soaps or movies on a cold, rainy day.
• When it is really cold outside, drinking warm chocolate with cream
• Cute tea and coffee houses, sitting there with friends, chatting and enjoying a cup of tea/coffee. 
• Holding hands with someone I love and loves me.
• Something so funny that makes me laugh aloud.
• A sweater straight from the dryer on a cold day
• Feeling comfy and warm in bed
• Travelling, meeting inspirational people, amazing cultures and landscapes.
• It feels good to know you will add to someone else's day, even if you don't know them.
• And since a month, I like to cook!  For some people this must be unbelievable and they will laugh aloud, Amanda and cooking? But now I really like to cook, I am not joking!

Take a few minutes to think about the little things that make you happy and do not forget

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you make look back and realize they were the big things.”

 

 

The Book Worm

“The more I read, the hungrier I become. Each book seemed promising, each page I turned offered an escapade, the allure of another world, other destinies, other dreams.” ― Tatiana de Rosnay, The House I loved

Today I will write about, the title and the quote from Tatiana de Rosnay already give you some idea I guess,  my biggest hobby, reading books. As of a young age, I am interested in books, literature and language. I  remember that I was an enormous fan of the book serie: Floortje, the Kameleon, de Olijke Tweeling, Snelle Jelle ( yes, yes, as a young girl I loved to play football with the guys, to get bruises was not a problem at all and when I was not playing football,  I was reading the books about a boy that wanted to become a football star). Children gave me books as present for my birthday. Also at ‘’ Pakjesavond’’ ,  the Sint knew that I love books. I was and I am still a real ‘’ book worm’.

After a while I found my  new favorite authors and I could not stop reading their books: Carry Slee , Jacques Vriens and Francine Oomen.  I also read books about the Second World War like ‘’ De Vos van de Biesbosch’’.

Spending my time in the libary, finding new and interesting books, was an challenging task  for me, time after time. Nowadays I still love to make a walk through the book store, I like the atmosphere and I enjoy reading the backsides of books, looking for a great book that inspires me!

When I was in Oslo I read the book, Eat, Pray and Love which was really a wonderful and brilliant book, full of spiritual insights. It gave me  food for thought, inspired me to think about the meaning of life. That is what good books do: they let me think about everything, about the world, other cultures, people and myself. Every story learns you something. Great books will be seared in my memory.

My favorite authors at the moment are Tatiana de Rosnay and Jenna Blum. I think you all know Tatiana de Rosnay  from her international bestseller ‘’ Sarah’s key , but she has more great stories to share, like the House I love and A secret kept. The two brilliant books of Jenna Blum are Those who save us and The  Stormchasers.

This was it for today, right now I am going to pull up a chair and make myself comfortable for reading a book while sipping my favorite  kind of tea! Does this surprise you? ;)  

 

 

 

 

About me

Hi, I am Amanda de Laat and I welcome you to my blog.

I am 22 years old and currently living in the Netherlands. During my bachelor International Business I got the great opportunity to spend one semester abroad, a once-in-a-lifetime-experience. I decided to go to Oslo and to study at BI Norwegian School of Management. There, in Oslo,  I wrote about my experiences that had such a huge impact on me. I realized that I like to discover new cultures and to meet people from all over the world. I honestly did not know what to expect when I packed my bags on 15th August 26 months ago, but the adventure that I took has changed how I look at life and how I spend my days.  I was thrown into the deep end by going to Oslo all by myself, but now I have seen different cultures and atmospheres that other places have to offer, I know that there is a lot more to discover in the world and I am ready for that big adventure!

My time in Oslo did me realize the benefits of blogging. I was reading back my experiences and it is really funny to read what I have done. Therefore, I thought why not starting a blog? It will be awesome to read back all the crazy and great things I have done throughout my life, nowadays but also when I am an old granny, laughing about the funny and awesome things I did when I was young.

 Now, I am looking for an internship or job abroad to gain international workexperience and to do things that I have never done before, meeting again inspirational people.  Like as in the movie Yes Men, I will say yes to everything, to the wide world and experience the world as it is, amazing!
At the same time I would like to share my thoughts and perspectives on life with you and the things that I am up to.