Getting a Schengen Visa at the Netherlands Embassy: What You Need to Know
* * Both the Netherlands Embassy website and the VFS Global Services website contain useful information on the application process for a Schengen visa. (VFS is the company that assists the Netherlands embassy in processing visa applications.) It can be a little confusing, navigating both websites and all their visa-related pages, so we put together […]
The Great Wall of China (Gubeikou)
When people say they’re visiting the Great Wall of China, they may not actually be visiting the same place. The Wall is over 8,000 km long — for context, the length of the Philippines from north to south is a mere fraction at only 1,850 km — and can be visited at several places along […]
The Frioul Islands
The Frioul archipelago is a group of islands off the coast of Marseille. It includes the island of If, which is where the Chateau d’If of The Count of Monte Cristo fame is located. Ferries to the islands leave from Marseille‘s Vieux Port at regular intervals. Attracted by a sign in the ferry ticket office […]
Marseille
Inspiration from the Provence episode of No Reservations–where Anthony Bourdain played pétanque, toured vineyards, and dipped summer vegetables in homemade aioli–led us to Marseille, France’s second city and the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
3 Things That Will Surprise You About Paris
* * 1. The French are nice. * Parisians in particular have a reputation for being aloof and snobbish, and as tourists from a third-world country, we were prepared to be ignored or looked down on. Surprisingly, none of the French people we met were even remotely rude. Hotel receptionists were friendly and helpful. An […]
The Schengen Visa: General Information
A Schengen visa allows you to travel to any country in the Schengen Area. In other words, once you obtain a visa from any of the Schengen countries, you can travel to all of the Schengen countries. (For avid travelers like myself, this is the drool-worthy equivalent of an Unli-Plan :-).) As of April 2014, these are […]