Two blondes and a travelblog

Let me first introduce myself before taking you on an adventure around the world: My name is Alianne, 36 years and the proud (single) mother of the second blonde mentioned in Two Blondes and a travel blog:

Besides being a fashion addict, foodlover, full-time working mum and booknerd, we have this part-time gig on the side which is travelling the world.

Often people are wondering how I can travel the world as a single mother. The idea of this travel blog started by wanting to change your mindset and give away the tips and trics to see the world on a budget. Life is not meant to stay in one place.

And so the adventure begins….

In this blog I will explain to you why Curacao needs to be on your travel bucketlist. Besides the picture perfect of Caribbean holidays, Curacao has so much more to offer.

Bring your snorkel, step into the ocean and pretend to be a mermaid while meeting new friends exploring the clear blue underwater world. Never have we seen so many different colours and shapes of fish, turtles and dolphins. We found paradise.

The cheapest solution to the travel around Curacao is by bus. The only thing is that you are never sure if the bus shows up on time or at all. Because we missed our bus stop at the dolphin training academy and ended up in Punda, we found ourselves wandering the colourful streets of Willemstad. Some things are meant to be.

Go where you dreams take you. I would rather look back at my life and say I cannot believe I did that instead of saying I wish I did that. So we went swimming with dolphins in the open sea. Dreams came true that day.

We stayed at Morena, a lovely eco resort next to Jan Thiel beach. We have been spending most of our time around Jan Thiel beach just relaxing, reading and enjoying the local cuisine and cocktails. And the area comes with free wifi, a must for a 13 year old.

A bumpy boatride took us to a deserted island called Klein Curacao to have the proper Robinson Crusoe experience. We had to travel to hell (motion sickness) to find paradise. But in the end it was all worth it.

One of the sights we had to visit was the flamingo sanctuary. We went on a 10km hiking trail through the old colonial salt plains where now wild flamingo’s claimed their residence. It was extremely hot but definitely worth it. We can now claim to have befriended wild flamingo’s.

Travel makes you realize that no matter how much you know, there is always more to learn. Every trip we take teaches us more about history, culture, nature and wildlife.

And remember, not all classrooms have four walls.

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After exploring the most fashionable city in Italy we took a train down south to Florence. Travelling by (high speed) train we would highly recommend as your mode of transportation in Italy. Driving a car in Italy is challenging and the traffic is insane. Plus parking spots are hard to find.

We found the perfect hotel (La Croce di Malta) for us next to the train station with a swimming pool and a cocktail bar overlooking the city.

After the colloseum in Rome and the leaning tower of Pisa, the Duomo of Florence is the most recognisable item of Italy and not to be missed on your trip to Florence.

The best way to explore a city is by getting lost in it. We found the Ponte Vecchio after dinner in our favourite Ravioli restaurant (Raviolo è Raviolo) trying to find our hotel.

You cannot leave Florence without a visit to the Uffizi Gallery where you can find the most famous renaissance masterpieces such as works by Giotto, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian and Caravaggio.

This city is also known as art lover’s paradise.

After a couple of days exploring the city we felt the urge to explore more behind the cityscape into the Tuscan hills.

Tuscany, with its rolling hills, vineyards, and medieval castles and villages is one of the most picturesque regions in Italy.

Our travels at some point need to involve horses, so we booked a horseriding tour with Fun-in-Tuscany to explore the Tuscan vineyards on a horseback and ending the tour with a winetasting experience. A fabulous manner to combine both my passions for wine and horses. Needless to say, the best experience in Tuscany.

Visitors are universally spellbound when they discover San Gimignano. This ancient walled city on top of the Tuscan hills is called medieval Manhattan.

The towers of San Gimignano were not just displays of wealth, they also represented the power of the families who built them. The taller the tower, the more important the owners appeared to be.

Another reason you need to add San Gimignano to your trip, is the award winning gelato. These Italian gelato connosseurs have tried gelato throughout Italy and have to agree with this winner.

After spending these glorious days in Tuscany, the time comes to explore some more. With train tickets in my hand, we’re departing to the ancient city of Rome.

To be continued.

As we are still unable to travel to faraway lands and stuck at home due to this Covid pandamic, we decided to keep on exploring close to home. On this blog we are showing you where to go in one of the most touristic cities this world has to offer.

We stayed at this wonderful hotel in the city centre in a normal world way too expensive for us but during the pandamic pretty affordable. One of the perks of travelling in this period of time.

The disadvantage of exploring Amsterdam during lockdown is that all restaurants and bars are closed. But it also gives you the possibility to find the best lunchspots with the most incredible views.

Positive thinking is key in creating happiness.

One of the best cities to take your daughter on a shopping trip definitely is Amsterdam. A magical place where you can spend money on dreamy items you want but not necessarily need.

The must visit for every girl between the ages of 10 and 14 is on a free ferry ride away in Amsterdam Noord. In this museum you can experience the world of Insta art and play. You can book your tickets online on www.wondrexperience.com to release your inner child.

As real tourists would, we bought stroopwafels at Van Wonderen located in the Kalverstraat. The shorter one just couldn’t wait for the photo to be taken and tried a bit along the way. Not so Instagrammable but they were delicious and that’s what matters most.

The secret church on the attic is must visit for history lovers. This small museum takes you back to the 17th century with all the original details in this upper class canal house. We had a lovely time exploring the past and learning about life all these years ago. You can book your tickets online on www.opsolder.nl

You cannot leave Amsterdam without visiting the Anne Frank House and to see the masters of art in the Rijksmuseum. Children can enter these musea for free, so brilliant for budget travellers.

We found this bench while wandering around Amsterdam trying to locate Dunkin’ Donuts on the shorter one’s request.

The best way to explore a city is to get completely lost. Even at home we manage to do so.