Waffles and Rooftop Hooks: Why You Should Start an Observation Notebook
With a surprise at the end for fellow travelers
Part of the beauty of traveling is all of the new things we can learn. Most of the time it’s by observation or from locals who show you something new. Throughout the 13 countries and 30+ cities I visited this year, I kept a journal where I would quickly jot down things I observed in each place.
The observations I wrote in my notebook are just bullets, so I will copy them here as I wrote them originally. I hope this inspires us to really look at the world around us be curious and ask questions. It’s not everything I wrote but just some of them.
Everything around us has a purpose, let us not forget to wonder how it got there or why it exists. Everything has a backstory.
(Read till the end as there is a little surprise for anyone who enjoys traveling or wants to do more of it)
In Belgium, home of the waffles, waffles are eaten plain, without syrup.
French fries aren’t French, they are Belgian. During WWI American soldiers in Belgium had fried potatoes for the first time and they thought they were in France because they heard French around them, but they were actually in Belgium
In Germany, many roads don’t have speed limit signs.
In Amsterdam, the houses/buildings have hooks on the building outside at the very top so that when people move they can use. Pulley system to raise the stuff up to the window and put it into the house that way. This is because the houses are so narrow and there are no elevators so things have to be moved from the outside. Nowadays many moving trucks have lifts that will lift stuff up to the window, bu the pulley system hooks still exist if you look UP!
In Amsterdam, the trams have a worker at a booth in the middle of the car. They have a microphone and yell at people to get into the tram quickly and they also sell tram tickets directly there. That’s as if every subway car in NYC was equipped with a kiosk operator selling tickets.
In Italy at the Uffizi museum: art used to be commissioned by the church or by rulers. So it wasn't entirely freedom of expression until more rebel artists came along.
In Bern, Switzerland during summer people commute to work by floating down the river. They jump into the river upstream with a dry bag with their stuff and float down all the way to downtown.
Small towns in Switzerland have mural paintings above each door. The reason is that in old times there were no such things as addresses and buildings didn't have names because people couldn't read, so they drew pictures instead.
Trains and railways were what started punctuality in the world. Before that, each town had its own way of keeping time. There wasn't a global or regional standard. Now with trains running and connecting cities and countries, it forced the world to be aligned on time.
Vending machines in Japan don’t sell snacks, they only sell drinks. There also on every street corner, even in neighborhoods.
When cashiers give you your change back in Japan, they put it on a little tray then they pass you the tray.
In Japan, restaurants put little bins next to each chair so that you can put your purse or backpack in rather than putting it on the floor.
Kangaroos are the squirrels of Australia. They are in everyone’s front yard.
Recently a friend from France came to visit Austin, Texas for the first time. She, for example, observed things that I had never realized in my eight years of living here. Another friend told me that while traveling in Prague one of the wonders you can do is just look UP! It’s incredible how shifting our point of view can cause us to be more curious about the world and come up with new ideas by connecting all of the observations we learn.
That’s why keeping an observation journal or even on our phones, can be a great way to train our minds to be curious and observe the world around us.
Now for some fun news 🥁 … Many of the stories in this newsletter have been about traveling and adventure. From going paragliding with my Uber driver in Medellin, Colombia in 2022, to traveling around the world in 89 days this summer. In the past two years, I’ve been to 15 countries and well over 50 cities.
While traveling sometimes a big question that gets asked is what happens if you get sick? What happens if you get COVID? What happens if you have to go to the hospital or see a doctor?
Being in a foreign country while staying in hostels and not being familiar with the healthcare system is extremely overwhelming. It’s my least favorite part of travel and one that doesn't get talked about enough. I haven’t been a stranger to getting sick while traveling. I got a horrible stomach bug in Mexico for an entire month and I got a bacterial infection while in Australia.
That’s why it’s imperative that if we choose to travel to a foreign country, even if for a few weeks, we must consider traveler’s insurance. Whether as a digital nomad living abroad or if you are traveling for two weeks to a new place for fun.
If you are traveling in 2024, I’m excited to share that through It’s your World newsletter I partnered with SafetyWing, which is the travel insurance I have used for the past two years. They make it seamless and easy to get travel insurance (I’ve used their Nomad one twice now). If you use this link then they will know that you found them through this little newsletter.
It at least gives you tranquility that if you get sick or injured on your travels, you will have coverage and guidance. It’s also very affordable and flexible to the number of days you will be away and the countries you will be in.
It makes me so happy to see where this newsletter has gotten in the past two years and that I have never even met more than half of the people who are on this list. Nothing brings me more joy than reading the comments from strangers and messages from you. The ones that talk about the magic of travel and how some of the stories here have inspired some of you to pursue your adventures.
As 2024 approaches, I hope it brings more opportunities for adventure and growth that comes with traveling. I too hope that if you are plotting any trips abroad, you can remember SafetyWing. Here’s to soaring to new adventures next year with full confidence. Plus, don’t forget to start your own Observation notebook!