Visiting Prague, Czech Republic

I never knew about Prague until a few years ago, but I have to say that after our visit there last month, it is one of my favourite places to visit. With its castles, churches and cathedrals, it has the charm of the traditional Europe that made me want to visit it when I first learned about the continent back in grade school.

Visiting Vienna, Austria

I love Europe. There’s something about its cities and historical monuments and castles that excite me. Which is why, when I insisted to Hubby that our family take a vacation this year during the kids’ summer holidays, the only option I gave him was Europe. After all, Canada was good but the fares were just too much. And Philippines, well, it’s rainy season. Fortunately, he agreed and I set to work looking for packages from different agencies and researching on how to get a Schengen Visa.

The end result: we visited Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Bratislava in 8 days! That’s approximately 48 hours (more or less) in each city/country, so you can bet it was like an Amazing Race ☺

How to Apply for a Schengen Visa to Austria from Dubai

You’d think with the free time we have during Ramadan, I would have blogged more, right? Well, I really wanted to, but I opted to spend the time with my family more…until it was too late and the blogging part of my brain couldn't form a simple sentence to start a post ☺  Anyway, here I am pushing myself out of my blogger’s block to come up with something that will make up for my silence this past month.

And since our family is going on a trip out of the country very, very soon, it was only fitting that I share our experience on how we applied for our Schengen visas this time.  Yes, this time because before this one, I had already applied for three Schengen visas to two different countries (Germany in 2005 and 2014 and Switzerland last year). 

So, here’s how you can apply for a Schengen visa to Austria from Dubai:

Sisters in Switzerland: Kempinski Grand Hôtel des Bains

Judging from the title and my previous post about our trip, I’m sure you’d have guessed that my sister and I stayed at the prestigious Kempinski Grand Hôtel des Bains when we were in St. Moritz last year. Unbelievable huh?!  Even I still can’t believe how lucky we were!

The hotel certainly lives up to its name. Everything about it shouted luxury and grandeur.  Very impressive!

Sisters in Switzerland: Train Ride from Zürich to St. Moritz

The third day of our Switzerland trip was a Sunday, so in the morning, all the shops were still closed and Zürich was pretty quiet.  Plus, it was drizzling.  Still, my sister and I decided to go out because we wanted to find a church to say a prayer of thanks before leaving the city.  We came across this church, and although it wasn't a Catholic one, we still went in to talk to God because we didn't want to go too far and get lost.

Sisters in Switzerland: Mt. Titlis and Lucerne

Augh! I am so behind in my Switzerland posts.  Bear with me, please.  Life has just been really busy lately. Anyway, here's the continuation.  Just a friendly warning though: this is a photo-heavy post ☺.

The following morning after breakfast, Ate Ning and I headed to the pick-up point of Gray Line Tours that would take us around the tourist spots.

Originally, we wanted to go to Mt. Pilatus; but upon checking out the flyer and talking to the guide/driver, we changed our minds and decided to visit Mt. Titlis because it sounded more fun.  And I'm so glad we did because it was absolutely amazing!

#GPinCanada: Goodbyes and Going Back to Dubai

Finally, here’s the last part of our 2015 Canada trip. To be honest, I (sort of) intentionally delayed blogging about it because (1) I wanted to continue reminiscing about the great times we had in the North, and (2) I wanted to post about it exactly 1 year after it happened. Why? No reason, actually. Anniversary kunyari. Trip lang ☺

So anyway, the one thing I haven’t blogged about during our vacation is, of course, our last day…when we had to say our goodbyes and fly back to the other side of the world :(

Sisters in Switzerland: Crowne Plaza Zurich

As I mentioned in my previous post, Ate Ning and I stayed in Crowne Plaza Zurich during the first half of our trip.

Staff & Service

Despite our tired bodies when we arrived at the hotel on our first day, we couldn’t help feeling energized by the cheerful Guest Relations staff who warmly greeted us as soon as we entered the lobby. When we told them it was our first time ever in Switzerland, they were more than happy to assist us.

Like most hotels, they have contacts with local tour companies; and once we decided what we wanted to do on our second day, they made the arrangements and explained how to reach the pick-up point. We didn’t have to worry about anything else.

Sisters in Switzerland: From Dubai to Zurich

Early this year, my sister and I went on a trip. A trip that was really memorable because it allowed me to accomplish 3 things on my bucket list. Not only that, it was also our first time to travel together, just the two of us, to a place that neither of us had ever been to.

Honestly, I never imagined it would happen. With her being so busy with work, and me having my own family whom I would usually prefer to travel with, it just didn’t seem likely.

But one day in October last year, Ate Ning showed me a voucher for two nights stay in a hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland and told me that it would be a pity if they went to waste because she didn't have anyone to go with. To make the long story short, and as you can expect, we used that voucher in January and had a blast for 5 days!

Applying for a Schengen Visa to Switzerland in Dubai

And I’m back in the sandpit!

Actually, we arrived yesterday morning. While my sister went home and had the day off (lucky her), I headed to the office directly from the airport and went straight to work. Not a good idea, I tell you. Since I had been travelling for around 16 hours (via train and plane), and taking into consideration the difference in the time zones, I felt tired, dizzy, and groggy. Thank goodness my work load was manageable and there weren’t any major deadlines to meet. Now, I’m still a bit jetlagged, but 9.5 hours of sleep somehow helped.

Of course you can bet I'm still over the moon from my recent trip.  Switzerland is truly a place that everyone should visit at least once. I’d definitely want to go back there with my family. I’m so excited to share all the details, but my blog posts about this vacation will have to wait because I still have to sort out the photos...plus I haven’t finished blogging about our Canada trip yet! Augh!.

In the meantime, here are the steps I followed to apply for the visa…you know, just in case my posts in Instagram, Facebook and Twitter inspired, tempted, and/or convinced you to visit this beautiful country ☺

Hello from the Country of Finest Cheese, Chocolates, and Watches

Hi everyone!

Yes, you guessed it...I'm currently in Switzerland! Woohoo!

My sister and I flew in to Zurich on Friday morning and we'll be back in Dubai on Wednesday.  That means we're halfway through our trip already. Time sure flies when you're having fun...and we're definitely having a great time here!

So far, the best was yesterday when we joined a tour to Mount Titlis in Engelberg which is 10,000 feet above sea level. It was my first time to experience snow and see the alps so you can imagine I was like a little girl, all excited and happy. It was absolutely awesome!

The Swiss are so friendly and helpful, and the places we've gone to are so beautiful! It's no wonder Switzerland is one of the best places to visit.

Anyway, we'll be checking out of the hotel we've been staying at a bit later, and then we'll catch the train that will take us to St. Moritz where we'll spend the next half of our stay.  From the looks of it, there will be plenty of snow for us.

Do you wanna build a snowman? ☺

P.S. If you can't wait for my blog posts about this trip (and knowing me, it'll take a while), you can stay in the loop by liking my Facebook page (Glimpses of Pam), and foĺlowing me on Twitter and Instagram (@glimpsesofpam). Since we have free wifi where we stay, I've been able to tweet and post photos and videos from time to time. Yaaaay!

#GPinCanada: Secondary Investigation at the US-Canada Border

Visiting Seattle in the US was part of our itinerary that week, but Kuya Boy suggested that we do a quick visit to Bellingham on Monday night (the same day we visited Whistler) to get the Secondary Investigation over with so that we would be able to cross the border easily when Ate Evelyn and Salman were with us (they’re Canadian citizens so they don’t have to go through Secondary unless the officer suspects something). So right after dinner, the five of us headed to the US-Canada border at the Aldergrove-Lynden Crossing.

Before our vacation, Hubby and I watched clips and episodes of Border Security: Canada’s Front Line on YouTube, but even though we were “clean and innocent” and had a general idea as to what usually happens, I still felt nervous as we approached the border.

#GPinCanada: The Neighborhood

Despite going to bed quite late the night before, since our bodies were still following UAE time, our family woke up early the next morning at around 6:30am. Actually, our jetlag lasted for almost a week so we were always the first ones awake in the house.

Our routine was simple: we would get up, do whatever we needed to do in the bathroom, then walk around the backyard and neighbourhood. And since almost everyone was still asleep, we were able to enjoy our daily walks in peace and quiet. The area had a common playground for kids so you can imagine our girls enjoyed going there each day where they had it all to themselves. Here are a few pictures of some of those precious mornings:

#GPinCanada: From Dubai to Langley

Now that the shock of the unauthorized use of our photo has passed, I can now move on and share with you the details of our vacation in Canada. Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we? No, not the ABC’s (sorry, I just had to put that in ☺), but our flights to the land of maple trees.

It might not have been the best decision, but because of our tight budget, we decided to book ourselves on the cheapest flights available. Considering the fares on all options to the other side of the world were pretty high, the tickets still put a significant dent in our savings…to the amount of Dhs23,000! Aacckk!

A Quick Hi From the North!

Hi everyone! If you're following me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you'll understand why this blog has been pretty quiet lately...it's because we're in Canada...Langley, British Columbia to be exact! Woohoo!!!

We've been here for almost a week (since the night of July 17) and so far, everything has been great!

Applying for a Visit Visa to Canada in Dubai

When your child starts going to school, family vacations always need to be planned around the school calendar. Unfortunately though, in Caila’s school’s case, the holidays they have don’t exactly fall on ideal dates for us to go to the Philippines. Their school break, for example, falls between June and August which are the rainy months in our home country. Term breaks are December to January and March to April, wherein flight tickets are priced unbelievably high because of the peak seasons (Christmas, New Year, Graduation and Holy Week).

Applying for a Schengen Visa to Germany in Dubai

Hubby and I have wanted to go to Germany for so long (since 2011) to visit our family, but something always comes up to cancel our plans. However, “good things come to those who wait” and finally, finally, we’ll be pushing through with our trip next month. Hurray!

Although I had applied for a Schengen visa before, that was way back in 2005 and my application was part of our group for the World Youth Day; no personal appearance was asked of me then. This year was the first time we would apply without any help (i.e. travel agency or guide) so I made sure I gathered all the information I needed to apply for our visas.

All the basic things you need to know can be found here (including the forms) but allow me to share what we did so you have an idea about the process.

First thing we had to do was make sure our passports and visas were at least 90 days valid from the first date of our trip. It was a good thing I did my research back in November last year because that’s when I found out Caila’s and my passports were expiring in April and June 2014. Once we received our new passports, I realized that my visa was expiring in July. Fortunately, when I explained the situation to my manager, he understood completely and instructed our PRO to renew my visa 4.5 months prior to when it was due.

Finally all of our passports and visas were valid. Since we weren’t going to Europe as tourists (meaning we knew people there and were being invited to visit), they had to send us a Formal Obligation (“Verpflichtungserklärung” in German) as part of the requirements. We had sent copies of our passports to them in December, and we received the document in March. Once we received the Formal Obligation, that’s when we booked our appointment online. We had to pay a total of Dhs411 for the VFS Service Fee which was automatically charged to Hubby’s credit card.

That done, we started gathering the rest of the documents we needed, and on the 25th of March, Hubby and I headed to VFS in Wafi City with all of these in hand:
• Completed Application forms
• Signed Instruction forms
• Original passports with UAE Residence Visas
• Original Formal Obligation
• Original Employment certificates
• Bank statements of the past 3 months
• Flight booking
• 2 Photographs each (white background)
• Overseas medical insurance
• Photocopies of our passports, visas, and the Formal Obligation
• Printed copy of the Appointment Schedule

There weren’t that many people applying so we didn’t have to wait long before our number was called. However, as there were 4 applications in our group (Hubby’s, mine, Caila’s, Sophie’s), it took the staff almost an hour to sort everything out. Caila and Sophie are below 6 years old, so we didn’t need to bring them along for personal appearance. However, we did have to complete a couple more forms (which the staff provided) as their parents. After she had made sure the documents were in order, we waited for a few minutes and then another staff took our fingerprints. And once that was done, we were given our passport copies with a receipt of all the fees we paid for that day:
• Visa Processing: Dhs300 × 2 (Caila’s and Sophie’s applications were free!)
• SMS Service: Dhs5 × 4
• Courier Service: Dhs30 × 4

We were told it would take at least 2 weeks, but to our surprise, we received our passports on the 2nd of April…just 8 days after we applied. Yaaaay!

Just a month to go and we’ll be in Europe. I can hardly wait!