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What to do if your Rimowa luggage won’t open?

April 17, 2022

When we arrived in Madrid, we excitedly tried to open our WHITE ESSENTIAL TRUNK PLUS RIMOWA (PLASTIC) so we could change & freshen up after our flight from Geneva to Madrid. Imagine our . . .

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Leave a Comment · Spain

How to Sell Your Decluttered Stuff Online

November 27, 2020

If you are an expat or diplomat who moves every 2-3 years, the dreaded question before the end of each posting is "How do I get rid of things that I can't bring to my next destination?" Below are . . .

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Leave a Comment · berlin good to know, Diplo Tips, DiploPosts, jakarta good to know, manila good to know

TRAVEL DIARIES: Favorite Things To Do in Asia

November 12, 2014

One of the things I loved about living in Asia is how easy and affordable it is to travel to many Asia-Pacific destinations and how diverse the cultures and attractions are. With a few minutes . . .

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3 Comments · Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand > Phuket, TRAVEL DIARIES, Vietnam

TRAVEL DIARIES: Amsterdam Favorites

May 27, 2014

A last-minute trip to Amsterdam mid-April - supposedly the best time to go if you want to see famous Holland Tulips in their full glory. Thanks to quick searches online and recommendations from Deepa, . . .

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6 Comments · Netherlands > Amsterdam

TRAVEL DIARIES: Amsterdam Transport, Tickets and Hotel

May 23, 2014

I'd like to give you some information on our Amsterdam trip last April considering that it was very last minute, our budget is limited and TD doesn't like to bike. How we got there & back: . . .

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4 Comments · Netherlands > Amsterdam

MADRID INFO: Value for Money Tips

March 29, 2014

TD and I try to plan our vacations and budget well. We always try to get the best value for money. It's hard earned money and we try to balance out saving while enjoying ourselves. So here are the . . .

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Leave a Comment · Spain

MADRID TRAVEL DIARIES: 7 Day Itinerary

March 27, 2014

We were recently in Madrid for a family vacation/reunion. It was my very first time in Spain and visiting Madrid was a dream come true. It was a dream I had, to experience the Madrileño lifestyle, . . .

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1 Comment · Spain

TRAVEL DIARIES: 4 Days in Frankfurt

January 28, 2014

I had a list of things to do for Frankfurt which I compiled from online research and many came from the City Guide Booklet provided in the Marriott Hotel room. This informational booklet that they . . .

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3 Comments · Germany

Budgeting for a Trip to Berlin

January 21, 2014

I am really excited because my best friend, Jenn is planning to visit me in Berlin. And we are trying to plan it together with a girls trip to Paris. It's so exciting. I am sure it will be epic! She . . .

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4 Comments · berlin good to know

JAKARTA EATS: Kopi Luwak Cafe

November 18, 2013

When TD’s brother visited us in Jakarta, he was eager to finally cross something of his Bucket List: to try the Kopi Luwak (or Civet Cat poop coffee) which is the most expensive coffee in the world. . . .

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Leave a Comment · jakarta food & drink, jakarta good to know

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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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Recent Posts

Glass Restaurant Rovaniemi

Glass Resort Finland

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

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

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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