WOW 02: A Hotel Room with No Walls

Following last Tuesday's post about going barefoot in New Zealand, here's another interesting travel post from Switzerland. I think this may be the start of a new blog series called WOW: What in the World! where I will feature fun facts about places all over the world. Yes, why don't we do that? (I have just added 'WOW 02' on my post title.  WOW 01 being the post on "Barefoot in New Zealand").

 

So there's a hotel in Switzerland that has re-opened last July 2016 called  Null Stern Hotel. To fully experience the beauty of the Swiss Alps, designers Frank and Patrik Riklin, together with hospitality professional Daniel Charbonnier came up with a hotel that allows you to sleep in rooms with no walls. That's right, no walls!

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Sleeping with no walls means you get an unobstructed view of the swiss alps during the day and you get to sleep under a canopy of stars during the night. The room just comes with a bed, night tables and lamps. You have a butler on hand who can serve you breakfast in bed and address your other requests. However, the nearest toilet and bathroom is about 10 minutes away.

photo source

Staying at the Null Stern Hotel costs 250 Swiss Francs per night and they only accept guests during spring and autumn seasons for obvious reasons. They also allow for last minute cancellations due to bad weather.

Interested to experience sleeping in the wild? Check out their site here.



#WOW Series: What in the World!

 

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WOW 01: Barefoot in New Zealand

I have not been to New Zealand.  It has been on my travel list for quite some time now but the dream has not come to pass. When I think of New Zealand, I think of beautiful views, sheep sheering activities, and a lot of cows and nature. It sounds like an ideal place to have a vacation.  Beautiful and relaxing.

 

Last week I learned something that made New Zealand a tad more interesting for me. A lot of locals (kiwi) leave the house on barefoot. It does not matter whether it's a trip to the mall or you're heading to school, it's okay to go shoe-less.

all photos from Pinterest

Now isn't that another reason to visit New Zealand? I want to see how they do it, why they do it and, if I am brave enough, dare myself to try it. There's seems to be so much to learn about their culture.

 

Cheers to New Zealand!  You are definitely climbing the charts on my travel list.

#WOW Series: What in the World!

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Stop Your World From Spinning!

So I had Vertigo a few years ago. When they say that Vertigo makes you feel like the room is spinning, I never thought they meant it as quite so literal. When I had my first Vertigo attack, it was the strangest thing.  The room was really spinning!  I did not know how to make it stop and felt even worse when I closed my eyes. It was like I was in a ride that never ends.

I went to see the doctor and learned that Vertigo is often caused by an inner ear problem.  I have always had congested nose which often translates to congested ears. The feeling is akin to getting your ears closed when an airplane is landing.

 

Vertigo is often triggered by a change in the position of your head. This explains why I can no longer tumble like I used to without getting dizzy (why I still try to tumble at this age will remain a phenomenon).  Furthermore, this means that I will  have to carefully select the rides that I take at theme parks to avoid spoiling my day. Now this becomes an issue for me because I love enjoying roller coasters and amusement rides with my children.

 

I did some research and here is a list of foods and beverages that we need to avoid to help ease our Vertigo symptoms:

• Foods and beverages that are high in salt or sugar.
• Caffeine. This includes coffee, caffeinated tea, and chocolates.
• Alcohol
• Aged cheese and meats such as salami, pepperoni, liverwurst, Swiss cheese, brie, cheddar and ricotta cheese
• Bananas
• Nuts and seeds

It's not easy. I still drink tea, eat bananas, nuts and cheese almost every day.  But I will consciously try to avoid them when we're about to visit theme parks with the kids. I think that's more manageable for now.

You may learn more about Vergito here.

 

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Don't Live in Hindsight

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The alarm clock sets off and you realize it's Monday morning. You start wishing and counting the days before it is Friday again.

 

Then there's the perennial need to have a vacation after a vacation. You come home from a vacation immediately hoping and anticipating for the next one.

 

We all love to do this, don't we? While it is not wrong to look forward to events, we must also not dread the 'in between'.

 

Life happens whether we like it or not.  If we remain passive about it, we are simply wasting our lives away.

 

I love what writer Jennifer Lee says. "Let's not wait until we come across an old photo, only to realize we walked right past the happy that was in front of us all along". It's so true, isn't it? We rush the days ahead yet we look back with longing hoping to turn back the time. The irony of our lives.

 

Don't waste your life wishing for a better tomorrow and regretting yesterday's mistakes.

 

Hindsight is a painful teacher.

 

So whether you are reading this post on a Friday or a Monday, I pray that you enjoy Today.



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