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Taking a Week Off: My Journey Through Tuscany
To say that I was drowning in work would be a lie. To be even more honest, I would not consider my life stressful. Working on my Ph.D. is hard, but that’s to be expected. Additionally, I write on the side and occasionally work on my app.
I consider work only stressful when it is outside of my control. That is when a deadline lingers, and I cannot progress in my work. Thankfully, until now, I was always able to get my things done in time.
Still, after 12 years without leaving Germany — and no real vacation under my belt — it was time to leave town.
Sometimes we just need a change in scenery, and if you have the financial capacity, it is best to leave the vicinity and explore the frontiers.
Why that is? The further you go away, the more different the culture will be. In the end, you will appreciate the experiences, and the memories will be much more fond.
The best thing is, such vacations don’t have to be overwhelmingly expensive — not at all. For a place to stay, I booked a room in the middle of the countryside for seven nights and paid 210 € for two adults. The place is nothing fancy, to be honest, and it does not have to be. We simply needed a place to sleep — nothing more. And since it is in the middle of nowhere, it is the perfect motivation to grab our road bikes and ride daily.
