UnDiplomatic Wife

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Good to Know Guide: Buying a Real Christmas Tree

January 8, 2014

Buying a real Christmas Tree for the first time was not as smooth sailing as we thought it would be, especially because we were on a tight budget and we don't have a car. I asked several Germans for . . .

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2 Comments · berlin shopping

BERLIN BITES: Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market

December 28, 2013

Many Weihnachtsmarkt or Christmas Markets are closed after December 26 but there are some Christmas Markets that are still open like Gendarmenmarkt, which we went to last night. I went there before . . .

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1 Comment · berlin food & drink, berlin to do

Gold Christmas Decor Theme

December 24, 2013

We finally had our Christmas decor up a week before Christmas! And just in the nick of time too! We had a hard time getting a real Christmas tree and until I had a Christmas tree up, I didn't have the . . .

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7 Comments · Diplo Home

Christmas Candle Carousel

December 23, 2013

For me a Kerzenkarussell or candle-carousel is like a small, edited and modern version of a Christmas Pyramid. I find both these the candle-powered carousels so pretty and enchanting that I wanted to . . .

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1 Comment · Diplo Home

How to Make a Decorative Tray with a Picture Frame

December 20, 2013

This project is so easy that it literally has 4 steps and needs only 4 materials. I did it in less than 5 minutes. It's not only for Christmas but can be done to match any theme or colour. I hope you . . .

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7 Comments · Diplo Home, Diplo Tips

BERLIN BITES: Schloss Charlottenburg Christmas Market

December 19, 2013

For December the Group Leaders of First Steps in Berlin (an activity group within the Willkommen in Berlin) decided to take us to their favorite traditional German Christmas Market in Schloss . . .

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3 Comments · berlin to do

DIY Advent Wreath

November 24, 2013

As promised in my previous post here are pictures of my finished Advent Wreath. I thoroughly enjoyed making this project. Germany's master florist, Jürgen Herold, taught us how to attach the different . . .

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2 Comments · Diplo Home

WIB Meets German Master Florist of 2013

November 21, 2013

I am part of the Design Group in Willkommen in Berlin and I was very fortunate to be able to attend this amazing event the group leaders organized with Luxury Department Store Quartier 206 and . . .

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3 Comments · What's Happening

Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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GENEVA FINDS: Victorinox Souvenirs

Patisserie Sofia Geneva

Natürlich Geneva

DISCLOSURE

I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

GOOD TO KNOW GUIDE

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SANTA CLAUS MAIN POST OFFICE So one really meanin SANTA CLAUS MAIN POST OFFICE

So one really meaningful part of our trip was @santaclausmainpostoffice which is right outside of @santaclausoffice.

🎄 @diplobaby wrote a postcard for Santa

🎄 He also wrote some postcards to his friends

🎄 I wrote a postcard to @diplobaby to remember our many firsts in this trip.

For the last 2 we were lucky that our hotel @glass_resort  had many FREE POSTCARDS  and STAMPS and we didn’t have to go to the post office. They conveniently sent it for us.

His close friends were happy to receive them and I also loved getting our own post. So cool!

Please don’t forget to LIKE this post to see more family adventures & travel tips!

If Finland is on your bucket list then definitely SAVE THIS!

#udwinfinland #udwinsantaclausvillage #diplobaby #diilofamily
SEEING SANTA Everyday is Christmas Day in @santac SEEING SANTA

Everyday is Christmas Day in @santaclausvillage_rovaniemi! 

While we were walking back to our hotel @glass_resort guess who passed by and was sweet enough to roll down his window to say high.

Roll down for the quick conversation. I’m glad I caught it on camera.

TD was pretty impressed that his car is also red. 😂

Mind you his facial hair looked totally real!

#udwinfinland #udwinsantaclausvillage
NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 2: For the 2nd Museum we cho NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 2:

For the 2nd Museum we chose
SAINT PETER’S CATHEDRAL ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE

🤍 Impressive cathedral even from the outside. If you are interested in the Church’s history, or even just history, this place is a must!

🤍 Off to the right is the stairs to go to another time, to see the ruins underneath the current cathedral. 

🤍 You get to see what was built here before the cathedral even up to the years before Christ.

🤍 I was really impressed with the mosaic tile flooring

🤍 You can see how Christianity evolved in Geneva over millenia 

🤍 There were a lot of deep wells. I wonder how they dug them out during simpler times? Some people even dropped credit cards. Be careful because once something falls out of your wallet, it’s gone. 

🤍 If you have fear of heights there are parts on the floor where there is a bigger distance from the ruin to the flooring. I got a bit scared in those parts.

🤍 We explained what we learned to @diplobaby and he was very fascinated with it. From the coins of the old days, the combs, how baptisms were done and how old these things were… he soaked it all up.

🤍 It’s so important not to underestimate our kids. If we share what we read and explain things to them even a museum like this is interesting. 

🤍 When we got out at 11, we walked back to the shuttle to get back to TD’s office. We saw some things like canons that made us realize how little we have explored of @ville_de_geneve! Must come back for more!

🤍 shuttle was like a private bus coz there were only 2 other people with us!

Night at the Museums is a great way to explore the city on a budget!
#UDWinGeneva #diplobaby #diplofamily #undiplomaticwife
NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 1: Last 13 May we went with NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 1:

Last 13 May we went with some colleagues & their families to check out Night in the Museums for the first time!

A FEW TIPS:

🤍 Doing the “Nuit des musées” is another way to see more museums in Geneva on a budget.

🤍 To avoid long lines, you can buy tickets online for chf10/adult. Kids are FREE.

🤍 BUT you might not get the pink lanyard/ID if the museums run out. No worries, nobody checked us.

🤍 Included in your ticket are FREE shuttle buses to take you from different points to another. So no need to buy regular train/tram tickets.

🤍 There are less people in the shuttles too, so this is good if you don’t like crowds. 

🤍 It starts at 5pm & ends at 12mn. But some museums close earlier

🤍 This year we started at 7pm and only got 2 museums done. If you get 2 in one night, it’s already worth it. 

🤍 Next year we will definitely start at 5 to see more museums.

🤍 And it’s better to schedule & book where you will have dinner, otherwise everything is totally full. 

🤍 For our group of about 20 (coz we were with 2 other families) we were able to get tables at McDonalds. 

🤍 If it’s rainy, use a lightweight hooded down jacket that can easily be folded like our favorite @uniqlo UltraLightDown Jacket. The cool thing about it is if you have not time to go to a coat check, you can roll it into it’s own bag.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM @museum.geneve 

✨ We prioritized this because we knew the kids would love learning about the animals, the environment and even the crystals.

✨ It’s interesting because it’s also interactive. 

✨ It’s small but packs a punch and has several floors so the kids didn’t even want to leave. 

So happy we are exploring @ville_de_geneve more!

#UDWinGeneva #diplobaby #diplofamily #undiplomaticwife
TRUFFLE TIPS When buying truffle products, it’s TRUFFLE TIPS

When buying truffle products, it’s important to know what you are buying. I’m not an expert but I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned over the years. 

Did you know that many TRUFFLE OILS only contain faux truffle flavoring?

⚡️Try to buy oils that contain small truffle bits to know that it’s a genuine truffle infusion. 

⚡️If the oil is clear (or even if it’s not), it’s important to read the ingredients list & make sure that it lists truffle/truffle infusion as an ingredient. 

⚡️Truffle flavor(ing) is not real truffle.

⚡️Black truffle is more common & cheaper than white truffle.

⚡️TRUFFLE SALT is cheaper but less flavorful than truffle oil. It’s great to layer on top of truffle oil when making truffle popcorn, eggs or pasta. But used alone the flavor isn’t as strong as time goes by. It’s good bang for buck though!

⚡️TRUFFLE POWDER is nice to have to give that truffle color, but not a must. It’s also more expensive coz it’s pure dried truffle.

Swipe to see how much we get them for at @tkmaxxat. We always go to @tkmaxxde when we go to Germany to get fancy things to fit within our limited budget.

As for the @turci_firenze traditionally infused truffle oil, we get them at an affordable price in @elcorteingles when we are in Madrid.

We don’t have it all the time, but when we want to treat ourselves at home we make our favorites:

1. Truffle popcorn for movie nights
2. Truffle scrambled eggs for weekends
3. Truffle cream pasta for special meals

What are your other truffle tips?

What are your favorite truffle dishes? #diplotummy
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