After hitchhiking from Freiburg im Breisgau to Bern, we had half a day plus one night’s stay in the Swiss capital. The next day, we departed Bern toward Geneva by train for a catsit. Contents1 Bern Ticket: Free Public Transit in Bern by Staying One Night2 Bundeshaus and Bike Infrastructure3 Wandering Around Bern Altstadt4 Pride Flags, Crossing the Aare, Bearspotting5 Following the Aare, Taking the Tram6 Gurtenbahn Funicular for Vistas of Bern7 Next time in Bern8 Map of Exploring Bern on Foot9 Helpful post? Ponder buying me an apple juice10 Wish to share this article? That’s simply wonderful Bern Ticket:Continue reading
Author: Iris Veldwijk
Hitchhiking to Bern from Freiburg im Breisgau—Jonas’ First Time in Switzerland
All this happened on Wednesday the 17th of May, 2023. We kissed Moritz goodbye after catsitting him for two weeks in Freiburg im Breisgau. We walked to a hitchhiking spot to travel from Germany to Switzerland. Jonas hadn’t been to Switzerland before and we were both excited to go hitchhiking to Bern. Doing the Research for Hitchhiking to Bern During our stay in Freiburg, Jonas and I had to decide how to get from the catsit of Moritz in Germany to the one in Switzerland. I really wanted to hitchhike and I really wanted to visit Switzerland’s de facto capitalContinue reading
Walk + Work Day 1: Vlissingen to Westkapelle
This hiking day happened on the 16th of March. On our first day of traversing the Dutch coastline, we walked from the city of Vlissingen to the village of Westkapelle on the island of Walcheren. This ended up being a 16.2-kilometer hike. Departing Vlissingen: Meeting the Paalhoofden Though we aimed to leave Hotel De Concurrent at 8:30, it was only at 8:50 that we walked across Bellamypark through some small streets to the waterfront. We walked on the seawall past people on their morning routine going to work while walking out of the city. At the restaurant near the windContinue reading
Walk + Work the Dutch Coastline: the Idea, Long-Distance Hiking Preparations, and Interactive Map
After traveling by hitchhiking for long distances and kayaking a generous portion of the Danube, we felt it was time to return to the basics: feet. As Jonas and I were both born able-bodied, walking was our very first mode of transportation as little shitlings. And now we’d like to experience traveling on foot for a bit. But because our fitness levels for hiking are atrocious, we decided to make the first long-distance hike something easy and flat: the Dutch coastline. Here’s how we planned for this trip. Contents1 Mind of a Hiker2 Famous Long-Distance Hiking Trails3 Mapping the DutchContinue reading
How to Get an Ethiopian SIM Card
We arrived in Ethiopia on the 26th of January, 2023 and immediately bought an Ethiopian SIM card at the airport. Here’s our experience and how you can get mobile data in Addis Ababa and beyond. Contents1 Ethio Telecom Monopoly2 Buying the Ethiopian SIM Card at Addis Ababa Airport (ADD)3 Where to buy a SIM card in Ethiopia?4 How to top-up your Ethiopian SIM card?5 How to buy a data package?6 FAQ6.1 I’m entering Ethiopia via a land border, where can I buy a SIM card?6.2 Where can I find my own number?6.3 How to check my balance?6.4 Should I downloadContinue reading
Ethiopian Food and Drink I Scarfed Down as a Vegetarian in 30 Days
As a traveling vegetarian, Ethiopia is quite an easy country to visit. Many national dishes are vegetarian or vegan. These are the Ethiopian food and drinks I wolfed down during my one-month stay in Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, and Lalibela. Contents1 How to Find Out Which Ethiopian Foods are Vegetarian?2 Ethiopian Food and Drink Diary3 Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony3.1 No popcorn, just popcorn3.2 Full coffee ceremony at Alem Restaurant, Lalibela3.3 Introduction to Tana Adam3.4 Popcorn!4 Helpful? Please consider buying me a flaxseed juice!5 Spread your love for Ethiopian food How to Find Out Which Ethiopian Foods are Vegetarian? Ever since theContinue reading
Bete Amanuel, Lalibela: Wonder of the Ethiopians
We visited the wonder on the 7th and the 10th of February, 2023. Bete Amanuel is a spectacular church carved out of a single rock in northern Ethiopia. It makes an appearance in the video game Age of Empires II as the wonder of the Ethiopian civilization. Contents1 One of the Reasons We’re in Ethiopia2 Want to visit Lalibela with Mas?3 First Visit to Bete Amanuel4 Second Visit to Bete Amanuel5 Bete Amanuel as Represented in Age of Empires II5.1 AoE2 Bete Amanuel vs. the Real Deal5.2 Campaign appearance of Bete Amanuel5.3 Why Bete Amanuel and not the arguably moreContinue reading
Madagascar for Digital Nomads: A New Frontier
This guide to Madagascar also appears under the Digital Nomads Guides brand Contents1 Why Madagascar?1.1 Introduction to the Red Island1.2 Which Digital Nomads can make it work in Madagascar?1.3 Income + language skills + experience2 Money3 Internet4 Plugs + Power Cuts5 Accommodation5.1 Laundry + services6 Food6.1 Restaurants6.2 (Super)markets6.3 Vegetarian food + dietary restrictions7 Transport7.1 Entering Madagascar7.2 Local transport in the cities7.3 Road/rail transport between cities7.4 Boat travel7.5 Domestic flights8 Business Hours9 Visa10 Culture, Language & Religion11 Safety11.1 Traffic11.2 People11.3 Health11.4 Nature12 Useful Facebook Groups13 Final Words Why Madagascar? Introduction to the Red Island Madagascar is basically its own continent. ThoughContinue reading
Getting a SIM Card in Madagascar: Orange, Yas (ex. Telma), and Airtel
We bought our Malagasy Orange and Telma (now rebranded to Yas) SIM cards on the first full day in the country, the 16th of November 2022. The last SIM card in Madagascar, Airtel, was trickier to get in the capital. I’ll explain below why we’re getting multiple SIM cards from different providers. Contents1 TL;DR Which SIM Card in Madagascar Should I Choose?2 Our Experience Buying a SIM Card in Madagascar3 Orange SIM Card in Madagascar3.1 Where to buy an Orange Madagascar SIM card3.2 Topping up your mobile data via Orange Money3.3 Checking your Orange data and balance4 Telma Yas SIMContinue reading