There was a time when I would go to Riga constantly. One semester I went there three times. Why? I just loved the people there, I loved being there.
One time I went with my friend to lead a small conference. Our task was to make the members motivated to join the organization. We were sleeping at one of the members, he was a team member of organizing committee for the conference. We had a mission there to take back our organization's mascot that Latvians have taken during another conference. Our mascot is a huge teddy bear called Džeikas, and we tried doing that, we really tried, but they kept taking it away from us. After the conference we went to celebrate in one of the bars, can't really remember the name. Actually, we went out every night to see the night life. People were in the bars, looking happy, discussing their life. The city seemed alive.
The second time I went there, it was to celebrate the organization's birthday. I went with another girl and we were staying at another member's place. He was organizing the birthday, so at some point before he left us with another member who was a photographer and we had a little photography session. He's really good even though sometimes he thinks he's not. But that's usually how it is, if you are good at something you keep asking more and more from yourself and you can't do anything until you reach perfection. The birthday was in a Rock bar, it was great, we had games, we had dances, we had songs and we had cake! Next day we looked around Riga, we went to one scenic place where you could see the bridge and had a little sit down there. It was peaceful.
The third time I went to Riga and stayed over at my Latvian friend together with a girl from Estonia. You could say we had a little Baltic evening representing all countries. Next day we went to a conference near Jelgava. It was the end of June and the mosquitoes almost ate us alive. But we had fun: we had sessions and seminars during the day and we had party in the night. The organizing committee was so nice that they brought cupcakes for everybody in the morning and there was plenty of tea and coffee. We shared our stories there, gave each other advice and it was also time when the new leading people took over. So in the last night of June there was a little giving away ceremony after which everybody joined in the fun. The new people - celebrating their upcoming success and the people who gave their crowns away - celebrating the success they had. I stayed a few more days in Riga after that: just wanted to walk around it. But I had to leave as well.
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Netherlands
Another trip with my mom!
This time the post will be a little bit different, because I was filming my adventures and I made a clip, so you're welcome to take a look and enjoooy! (sorry for crappy camera quality)
This time the post will be a little bit different, because I was filming my adventures and I made a clip, so you're welcome to take a look and enjoooy! (sorry for crappy camera quality)
Going through Poland
Going through Germany
Netherlands!
Birthday present: trip to Stockholm
What's the best birthday present? Trips!
After TWIN conference I had acquaintances all over Europe and more, so I decided that I should visit at least one of them. I chose the girl from Thailand who was living at Stockholm at the time. Too bad that it was winter time as I needed double space for my warm clothes. But who cares! I was going to Stockholm! And in the summer I read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so I just HAD to see all the places the book was taking place.
I flew to Skavsta's airport where I took a bus to Stockholm. No ferry this time. I met my friend at the bus station and then we proceeded to the metro station to go to her place. She lived in the dorm, not in the center, so the next day I had to buy a metro card (still have it!) to go to the center and old town. I was exploring Stockholm the way I wanted to: on foot. I realized why most people living there look and probably are so fit: whole Stockholm is full of hills it's all ups and downs and after a long day of walking you can really feel your legs. There is one nice place on one of the hills where you can look over most of the Stockholm (the girl I was living with was so nice to show it to me. She was also so nice that she made traditional Thai dinner for me. Good thing I like spicy food because that stuff was HOT).
And I achieved my goal: I wen't and seen all of the places mentioned in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was quite funny when I was looking for one place, so I asked one person how to get there and he was "well, just take the metro and it will be two stops". Two stops? Can't I walk there? "No, it's too far" the person answered. I found a map and walked to the place I needed in twenty minutes. Some people really don't like walking if they think that twenty minutes of walking is far.
Talking about Swedish, how cool is that their official greeting is Hey? I mean you can walk into the royal palace and you meet the royal family and you're like "Hey!". Their whole language is very melodic. It's actually my favorite language to hear. Even the metro stops sounded like the lady was singing them.
Stockholm was getting ready for Christmas (it was December) so there was already decorations and Coca-Cola trucks standing everywhere. Sadly there still was no snow.
At nights we went to bars, and can I say, Swedish people are really friendly when they had a few drinks (like most people actually). But I didn't have 20 (it was a week until my birthday) so we weren't allowed to some bars. Oh well, I guess I'll have to come back one day.
After TWIN conference I had acquaintances all over Europe and more, so I decided that I should visit at least one of them. I chose the girl from Thailand who was living at Stockholm at the time. Too bad that it was winter time as I needed double space for my warm clothes. But who cares! I was going to Stockholm! And in the summer I read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so I just HAD to see all the places the book was taking place.
I flew to Skavsta's airport where I took a bus to Stockholm. No ferry this time. I met my friend at the bus station and then we proceeded to the metro station to go to her place. She lived in the dorm, not in the center, so the next day I had to buy a metro card (still have it!) to go to the center and old town. I was exploring Stockholm the way I wanted to: on foot. I realized why most people living there look and probably are so fit: whole Stockholm is full of hills it's all ups and downs and after a long day of walking you can really feel your legs. There is one nice place on one of the hills where you can look over most of the Stockholm (the girl I was living with was so nice to show it to me. She was also so nice that she made traditional Thai dinner for me. Good thing I like spicy food because that stuff was HOT).
And I achieved my goal: I wen't and seen all of the places mentioned in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was quite funny when I was looking for one place, so I asked one person how to get there and he was "well, just take the metro and it will be two stops". Two stops? Can't I walk there? "No, it's too far" the person answered. I found a map and walked to the place I needed in twenty minutes. Some people really don't like walking if they think that twenty minutes of walking is far.
Talking about Swedish, how cool is that their official greeting is Hey? I mean you can walk into the royal palace and you meet the royal family and you're like "Hey!". Their whole language is very melodic. It's actually my favorite language to hear. Even the metro stops sounded like the lady was singing them.
Stockholm was getting ready for Christmas (it was December) so there was already decorations and Coca-Cola trucks standing everywhere. Sadly there still was no snow.
At nights we went to bars, and can I say, Swedish people are really friendly when they had a few drinks (like most people actually). But I didn't have 20 (it was a week until my birthday) so we weren't allowed to some bars. Oh well, I guess I'll have to come back one day.
TWIN or how I haven't slept for almost 10 days and never regretted it
Here we goooo, another trip to Germany! But this time I was going to an international conference.
Me and another girl from my town got ready for a loooong drive: we were going 28 hours in a hot bus (it was the end of June) with drivers who spoke only Polish (good luck understanding how long they are stopping and how long till the next stop). But we made it to the beautiful city of Karlsruhe! We nearly lost our minds, but we made it! We were greeted by a German girl from the organizing team and she drove us to her apartment where we stayed for a couple of days. After we took very needed showers we decided to join her in the organizational weekly meeting. Apparently we were the first participants to arrive, so when we were introduced, everybody started clapping. I might say, it is a good feeling when a hundred people are clapping for you. Later we joined them for a beer where we met my friend's host (we would be living with hosts which is an awesome system as you get to know the culture better, not to mention you make friends more easily).
Conference started after a few days and that is also when my sleepless nights began, because c'mon you are in a once in a lifetime opportunity where there are 16 nations in the room, everybody's eager to share their stories and they are a bunch of interesting people! The 16 nations were Thailand, China, Latvia, Lithuania (that's us), Kenya, Tunisia, Iran, Serbia, Macedonia, Germany, Poland, UK, Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia. Overall we were a group of around 40-50 people, so you can imagine that over the week we got to know each other very well.
The conference topic was about whether money brings happiness and what is wealth, is it just money and so on. I know at first it sounds oh my deaaar, that is soooo abstract, but actually we got into sooo much discussion and we talked so much we touched everything: health, education, family, environment, business...I don't think there was a thing that we haven't talked about. And after long day of discussion we would go to party so everybody just stuck together. I'm still in touch with some of the people from the group and that is great.
The people really made it all. They were always smiling, ready to help, just talk, discuss serious topics or just party. Talking about parties, they were awesome. One German guy showed us this super great drinking game which is really fun. I have no idea what it's called, but you get this children's toy where there are four people and they have to defend their part from a plane which goes round and round. And if the plane hits one of your chips, you have to take a shot. We also had cultural dinner one night, so we were stuuuuuffed with German goods (and no, it's not just beer). And what is a trip without a little romance? Yep, there were sparks flying, and promises to visit and late night kisses until he realized that he doesn't want a long distance relationship. Oh well, his loss. No, but seriously, I hope he's doing fine, he's a nice guy. Actually, every person in that conference was nice, especially the organizing team which was always ready with a smile or coffee at times that you needed it most.
And the whole city was so welcoming. I guess it's because it's a student's town, not very big - around 350 thousand people. And ladies, 70% population are guys, so yeah... But it's not the only reason the city grew on me: I loved the trams, the night life, the smiling people, my life at the dorm (which was so funny as my host would be always sleeping when I came back and still sleeping when I left. But overall she was a great girl and really took care of me, even though sometimes I wouldn't even return to her place to sleep. Cause we would be three of us sleeping in a tiny room, so I would sometimes end up sleeping at another host). I loved that the city is green, and I loved that they're building a metro! The city is not that big, but they are thinking about the future, that's great.
There was one bad thing though - my foot swelled up and it was hard to walk or especially dance. But hey, I was not about to let that ruin my trip! Bandaged that baby up and lumped all over our tours. The swelling went down on my last day - haha, very funny, greaaat.
During this trip we not only walked to and through Karlsruhe, but we also visited Strasbourg, where we went into the European Parliament, climbed a veeeeery high church (I'm not a huge fan of stairs, but me and my friend realized that most probably why "stares" and "stairs" sound similarly is cause when you are climbing stairs you usually end up staring at somebody's behind) with a beautiful view. We have also been in Heidelberg and Stuttgart where we half of us visited the Mercedes Benz museum and half of us went to the zoo (I went to the museum) and then we chilled in the little park. That's also the town where I said goodbye to the person I mentioned before. We still called each other and talked a lot for a few more days, but it's one of the things that I learned while travelling - people always leave. And when they leave we usually grow apart - it's very rare to keep in touch and if you can do that, consider yourself a lucky person (I mean, I kept in touch with just one person from that group and I consider myself lucky for that. Sure, the whole group would be very communicative at first, but if there's still somebody left that you enjoy talking after two years like I have, don't be sad, one person is a lot). So I became used to goodbyes, and I stopped missing people that leave (yes, I know it's odd that I don't miss people, but what can I do?). Because in the end, I usually have just memories left. And I'm very thankful for those. I always remember every person who made me smile, but I also learned that not many of those people will stay. And that's ok. It's sad, but it's ok.
The conference ended with a huge global village party, which means each nation had their special food and drinks prepared. The amazing 10 days were over and it was time to go home. I slept all of the ride home.
Me and another girl from my town got ready for a loooong drive: we were going 28 hours in a hot bus (it was the end of June) with drivers who spoke only Polish (good luck understanding how long they are stopping and how long till the next stop). But we made it to the beautiful city of Karlsruhe! We nearly lost our minds, but we made it! We were greeted by a German girl from the organizing team and she drove us to her apartment where we stayed for a couple of days. After we took very needed showers we decided to join her in the organizational weekly meeting. Apparently we were the first participants to arrive, so when we were introduced, everybody started clapping. I might say, it is a good feeling when a hundred people are clapping for you. Later we joined them for a beer where we met my friend's host (we would be living with hosts which is an awesome system as you get to know the culture better, not to mention you make friends more easily).
Conference started after a few days and that is also when my sleepless nights began, because c'mon you are in a once in a lifetime opportunity where there are 16 nations in the room, everybody's eager to share their stories and they are a bunch of interesting people! The 16 nations were Thailand, China, Latvia, Lithuania (that's us), Kenya, Tunisia, Iran, Serbia, Macedonia, Germany, Poland, UK, Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia. Overall we were a group of around 40-50 people, so you can imagine that over the week we got to know each other very well.
The conference topic was about whether money brings happiness and what is wealth, is it just money and so on. I know at first it sounds oh my deaaar, that is soooo abstract, but actually we got into sooo much discussion and we talked so much we touched everything: health, education, family, environment, business...I don't think there was a thing that we haven't talked about. And after long day of discussion we would go to party so everybody just stuck together. I'm still in touch with some of the people from the group and that is great.
The people really made it all. They were always smiling, ready to help, just talk, discuss serious topics or just party. Talking about parties, they were awesome. One German guy showed us this super great drinking game which is really fun. I have no idea what it's called, but you get this children's toy where there are four people and they have to defend their part from a plane which goes round and round. And if the plane hits one of your chips, you have to take a shot. We also had cultural dinner one night, so we were stuuuuuffed with German goods (and no, it's not just beer). And what is a trip without a little romance? Yep, there were sparks flying, and promises to visit and late night kisses until he realized that he doesn't want a long distance relationship. Oh well, his loss. No, but seriously, I hope he's doing fine, he's a nice guy. Actually, every person in that conference was nice, especially the organizing team which was always ready with a smile or coffee at times that you needed it most.
And the whole city was so welcoming. I guess it's because it's a student's town, not very big - around 350 thousand people. And ladies, 70% population are guys, so yeah... But it's not the only reason the city grew on me: I loved the trams, the night life, the smiling people, my life at the dorm (which was so funny as my host would be always sleeping when I came back and still sleeping when I left. But overall she was a great girl and really took care of me, even though sometimes I wouldn't even return to her place to sleep. Cause we would be three of us sleeping in a tiny room, so I would sometimes end up sleeping at another host). I loved that the city is green, and I loved that they're building a metro! The city is not that big, but they are thinking about the future, that's great.
There was one bad thing though - my foot swelled up and it was hard to walk or especially dance. But hey, I was not about to let that ruin my trip! Bandaged that baby up and lumped all over our tours. The swelling went down on my last day - haha, very funny, greaaat.
During this trip we not only walked to and through Karlsruhe, but we also visited Strasbourg, where we went into the European Parliament, climbed a veeeeery high church (I'm not a huge fan of stairs, but me and my friend realized that most probably why "stares" and "stairs" sound similarly is cause when you are climbing stairs you usually end up staring at somebody's behind) with a beautiful view. We have also been in Heidelberg and Stuttgart where we half of us visited the Mercedes Benz museum and half of us went to the zoo (I went to the museum) and then we chilled in the little park. That's also the town where I said goodbye to the person I mentioned before. We still called each other and talked a lot for a few more days, but it's one of the things that I learned while travelling - people always leave. And when they leave we usually grow apart - it's very rare to keep in touch and if you can do that, consider yourself a lucky person (I mean, I kept in touch with just one person from that group and I consider myself lucky for that. Sure, the whole group would be very communicative at first, but if there's still somebody left that you enjoy talking after two years like I have, don't be sad, one person is a lot). So I became used to goodbyes, and I stopped missing people that leave (yes, I know it's odd that I don't miss people, but what can I do?). Because in the end, I usually have just memories left. And I'm very thankful for those. I always remember every person who made me smile, but I also learned that not many of those people will stay. And that's ok. It's sad, but it's ok.
The conference ended with a huge global village party, which means each nation had their special food and drinks prepared. The amazing 10 days were over and it was time to go home. I slept all of the ride home.
Saaremaa
After being in Hiiumaa we decided to check out Saaremaa as well, we have been there just a couple of time though. But the island is full of tourists and I guess most people like it that it's not so away from civilization like Hiiumaa. But that's exactly why we liked Hiiumaa more than Saaremaa.
None the less, Saaremaa has some things to offer.
First thing that I liked the absolute most is Kaali crater. Why is it so great? Because it's hardcore: if you get close to this baby (you can actually even go near the water, dip your hand in it, dogs drink from it) you might get a headache or your phone might stop working. Say whaaaat? Yeps, it's true. The crater was made by a huge meteorite and later it filled with water. I'm not really sure why the phones stop working or why you get a headache....radioactivity? But then I don't think tourists would be allowed to go so near it if it would be very harmful. Anyway, if we ever get small Kaijus (you know what I'm talking about if you've seen Pacific Rim), my bet is on this place.
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Kuressaare castle is now a museum, which you should totally check out as in one of the rooms you get to hear a dragon (quite frightful if you're there the first time and it gets you by surprise) and it tells you a lot about the island's history. Also next to the castle there are workshops and archery range and ponies!
Ok, I wouldn't be talking about a shop if it wouldn't be cool. So in the middle of Saaremaa there's Good Kaarma soap shop where you not only can get natural hand made soap but you can also book a tour and make the soap yourself. Or you can just go there for a nice cup of tea and cookies and walk through the barefoot path.
Panga cliff - it is so cool, but don't go here if:
a) you are afraid of heights
b) you're drunk (as you might slip and fall to your doom)
You can walk on top of it and just check it out, I am not sure if people are climbing the cliff, so if you are a climber I can't really help you there.
So yeah, like I said, we haven't been to Saaremaa many times, but it is worth checking out!
None the less, Saaremaa has some things to offer.
First thing that I liked the absolute most is Kaali crater. Why is it so great? Because it's hardcore: if you get close to this baby (you can actually even go near the water, dip your hand in it, dogs drink from it) you might get a headache or your phone might stop working. Say whaaaat? Yeps, it's true. The crater was made by a huge meteorite and later it filled with water. I'm not really sure why the phones stop working or why you get a headache....radioactivity? But then I don't think tourists would be allowed to go so near it if it would be very harmful. Anyway, if we ever get small Kaijus (you know what I'm talking about if you've seen Pacific Rim), my bet is on this place.
Ok, I wouldn't be talking about a shop if it wouldn't be cool. So in the middle of Saaremaa there's Good Kaarma soap shop where you not only can get natural hand made soap but you can also book a tour and make the soap yourself. Or you can just go there for a nice cup of tea and cookies and walk through the barefoot path.
a) you are afraid of heights
b) you're drunk (as you might slip and fall to your doom)
You can walk on top of it and just check it out, I am not sure if people are climbing the cliff, so if you are a climber I can't really help you there.
So yeah, like I said, we haven't been to Saaremaa many times, but it is worth checking out!
Germany
This trip was also organized by my mom's coworkers, but this time it was not only me and mom, but we also took my sister and my best friend. Yay!
During the trip we visited Berlin, Potsdam and Dresden and it was amazing!
We started with Potsdam and Sansoucci palace. We started at the park and since it was spring break it was already quite hot in Germany. Not to mention our tour guide didn't have the greatest qualifications you would want: he would always make historical mistakes (we were studying history very hard at the time, so we could spot his mistakes) and when confronted about it, he wouldn't admit it. There was also one funny accident when we started walking in the park and we had to reach the palace, even our tour guide was not sure which way to go, so he asked some locals in German. The trouble is, I understand a bit of German and I could understand that when the people answered "Ich weiss nicht" that means they do not know. It does not mean "A kilometer in that direction" how our tour guide translated it. But in the end we reached our destination, took a couple of pictures and headed to the bus.Thankfully, the bus was waiting next to the palace and we didn't have to walk back in heat.
Next stop - Berlin! We had a great walk in Unden den Linden avenue, we took photos at the Brandenburg gates, we had a stop at Starbuck's (since we got the souvenirs we wanted and walked the alley to and from couple times and walked around as well) and had some coffee and listened to an amateur band playing next to Brandenburg gates. I have been to Berlin twice and I still haven't seen everything! I have been to Hard Rock Cafe there, I've been in Reichstag building, but mostly we would drive around with bus and just see the sights very fast and I don't really like that, I'd like to walk through, and yes, I know Berlin is huge, but the best way to know a city is not on bus, it's on foot.
And theeeen we reached Dresden. Now first of all, why Dresden was awesome is cause we got to live in a four star hotel. And I shared a room with my best friend. And we could see the hotel's kitchen through the window so we were joking that we were watching live cooking show. One night we kind of went crazy, cause Wolverine was on and Gambit was one of the characters and I had a deck of card, so we ended up throwing cards all over our room. It was quite a mess. But at least we had fun. We also did evening trips around Dresden and during daytime we checked out the old town and Zwinger palace. It was beautiful.
Soon afterwards we headed home.
P.S. One night we slept in Poland and there was Viva with German subtitles. Guess who ended up singing Pokerface and I'm Too Sexy in German? *proudly raises hand*
During the trip we visited Berlin, Potsdam and Dresden and it was amazing!
We started with Potsdam and Sansoucci palace. We started at the park and since it was spring break it was already quite hot in Germany. Not to mention our tour guide didn't have the greatest qualifications you would want: he would always make historical mistakes (we were studying history very hard at the time, so we could spot his mistakes) and when confronted about it, he wouldn't admit it. There was also one funny accident when we started walking in the park and we had to reach the palace, even our tour guide was not sure which way to go, so he asked some locals in German. The trouble is, I understand a bit of German and I could understand that when the people answered "Ich weiss nicht" that means they do not know. It does not mean "A kilometer in that direction" how our tour guide translated it. But in the end we reached our destination, took a couple of pictures and headed to the bus.Thankfully, the bus was waiting next to the palace and we didn't have to walk back in heat.
Next stop - Berlin! We had a great walk in Unden den Linden avenue, we took photos at the Brandenburg gates, we had a stop at Starbuck's (since we got the souvenirs we wanted and walked the alley to and from couple times and walked around as well) and had some coffee and listened to an amateur band playing next to Brandenburg gates. I have been to Berlin twice and I still haven't seen everything! I have been to Hard Rock Cafe there, I've been in Reichstag building, but mostly we would drive around with bus and just see the sights very fast and I don't really like that, I'd like to walk through, and yes, I know Berlin is huge, but the best way to know a city is not on bus, it's on foot.
And theeeen we reached Dresden. Now first of all, why Dresden was awesome is cause we got to live in a four star hotel. And I shared a room with my best friend. And we could see the hotel's kitchen through the window so we were joking that we were watching live cooking show. One night we kind of went crazy, cause Wolverine was on and Gambit was one of the characters and I had a deck of card, so we ended up throwing cards all over our room. It was quite a mess. But at least we had fun. We also did evening trips around Dresden and during daytime we checked out the old town and Zwinger palace. It was beautiful.
Soon afterwards we headed home.
P.S. One night we slept in Poland and there was Viva with German subtitles. Guess who ended up singing Pokerface and I'm Too Sexy in German? *proudly raises hand*
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Czech Republic
My mom was organizing another trip to check out how rural communities are living in Czech Republic and asked me to come along. Needless to say, I said yes.
We got on the bus, had a looooong drive through Poland, and reached Czech Republic.
So on this trip we checked out a couple of things: first of all it's Prague. The thing that we wanted to see was Charles Bridge and the famous Prague clock. Dooone! Actually, Prague's clock is not that big...I mean yes, it is beautifully made and it is awesome, but you know when people the The Prague's Clock, you kind of expect something more....majestic. What I do remember very well is that there was some kind of parade at that time and it had storm troopers in it. Storm troopers always grab attention.
The second city we visited was Brno. And I don't really remember a lot about the sights, but we did go to
Budějovický Budvar, There we had a whooole brewery tour. I still have bracelet from there. What can I say about the brewery tour? It was interesting - to see how all the beer is made, how it is poured to bottles, how the bottles are shipped. But in the part when beer is fermented it reaaaaally smells.
Good thing when I'm on a trip with my mom's coworkers is that I'm usually the youngest, so everybody's taking care of me: I get extra snacks, I get extra attention and everybody's asking me advice when they want to get presents for their sons or grandchildren. So I'm in a kind of center of attention. I like attention, but I would feel better if they would be my age.
Also, in her trips, you can really see the country, because we don't just go to big towns, we visit little villages and see how people are doing there, how they are dealing with youth and general community. They also usually have common native foods and drinks, so you now only see the culture, but you can taste the culture as well!
The people who are going there on the trips get valuable insight on how people are dealing with rural communities and how they are making them grow and solve appearing problems. So I guess it's a win-win, they get the information they need, I get another country of my list.
We got on the bus, had a looooong drive through Poland, and reached Czech Republic.
So on this trip we checked out a couple of things: first of all it's Prague. The thing that we wanted to see was Charles Bridge and the famous Prague clock. Dooone! Actually, Prague's clock is not that big...I mean yes, it is beautifully made and it is awesome, but you know when people the The Prague's Clock, you kind of expect something more....majestic. What I do remember very well is that there was some kind of parade at that time and it had storm troopers in it. Storm troopers always grab attention.
The second city we visited was Brno. And I don't really remember a lot about the sights, but we did go to
Budějovický Budvar, There we had a whooole brewery tour. I still have bracelet from there. What can I say about the brewery tour? It was interesting - to see how all the beer is made, how it is poured to bottles, how the bottles are shipped. But in the part when beer is fermented it reaaaaally smells.
Good thing when I'm on a trip with my mom's coworkers is that I'm usually the youngest, so everybody's taking care of me: I get extra snacks, I get extra attention and everybody's asking me advice when they want to get presents for their sons or grandchildren. So I'm in a kind of center of attention. I like attention, but I would feel better if they would be my age.
Also, in her trips, you can really see the country, because we don't just go to big towns, we visit little villages and see how people are doing there, how they are dealing with youth and general community. They also usually have common native foods and drinks, so you now only see the culture, but you can taste the culture as well!
The people who are going there on the trips get valuable insight on how people are dealing with rural communities and how they are making them grow and solve appearing problems. So I guess it's a win-win, they get the information they need, I get another country of my list.
Saturday, 26 October 2013
Hiiumaa: strange, wild and relaxing
Some years ago our family decided to follow our best friends and go for holidays in a little Estonian island called Hiiumaa. We have been going there for over 5 years now, so we come to love the little place and going to a cabin with no wifi, surrounded by forests next to the sea, which is so clear and sometimes full of pink jellyfish... It became our little get-away, our little shangri-las, with no people unless you drive into the city, with your thoughts, with your books, you and the nature.
Actually the nature is so close here, during one thunderstorm, a bat flew into our cabin. Can you imagine how terrifying it was when thunder is roaring and something is clasping wings under your bed? In the morning we saw that it's just a small bat, my sister named him Lupe. In the evening we set him free. Also, we would always hear owls in the woods and we saw eagles, deer and bears.
But it's not only nature that we started to love. First of all it's the ride with the ferry. Feeling the sea breeze on your face, looking at the waters and seeing the land go away and appear in front.
Soon after you reach the land and start driving the (most probably) empty road you will reach Kardla, the island's capital. Now this capital is in my memory for one thing: coffee. Yes, you read it right. The town even has a legend that a meteor hit it and formed it like a coffee cup. But that's not all, they even have a cafe festival every year (which I attend every year of course) where fifteen cafes have different themes. You get a map with those cafes and events (it would be more helpful if it would be not only in Estonian) and of you go on you coffee hunt. (if you want more info go to http://xn--kohvikutepev-pcb.ee/en/)
Now in this cafe festival there always is one cafe that I absolutely adore (and it works not only during festival for which I am so grateful). They always have very helpful waiters (one of them according to my parents is my boyfriend..seriously...the things my parents make up...), great coffee and chocolate pie. Oh dear gods of sweets, the chocolate pie! If you want to experience that, the cafe is called Gahwa.
What else you should check out?
If you are a panorama addict like me, then lighthouses.
You might get a little claustrophobic while climbing the stairs as the ceilings are really low and the stairs are very steep.
It stands next to the memorial for sunken ship "Estonia" (the one with the bell).
We used to live 5km from this lighthouse, so me and my sister decided to walk there and buy ice cream. Sadly, when we reached it, the kiosk girl told us that they were out of ice cream. Oh well.
It has very narrow passage way, so you have to nearly squeeze yourself in the wall to let people pass.
You can climb right next to the light.
But Hiiumaa is not only for relaxation. If you are a fan of windsurfing, this is the place to go, they even have a place called "Surfer's Paradise" where are the perfect conditions for windsurfing.
They also have museums for history people and abandoned and haunted places for adventure hungry people. Ah, there's some more weird places I have to tell about. One of them is
Yes, it is that creepy as it looks.
It is a tradition to go there and make a cross for you and your loved ones and if you make a cross and leave it there, you will find true love.
Random piles of boulders. Nobody knows how they got there. There's some myth that the Devil was trying to throw them at the church and tear it down. Well...he missed. By a long shot.
I just think that people from the past trolled us.
or the Tongue as we call it. So there were giants living in Hiiumaa and they wanted to reach another island called Saaremaa so they started building a road in the sea. The cool part is, the more you go, the more you think it will never end and the more it seems cooler, because there you have a path in front of you and if you go a step right or left from it you will slip into deep sea.
The thing is there are a lot of weird stuff there. You might take a wrong turn and end up in a swamp or in some ancient burial place or a town that is not on the map or you might find the perfect beach. That's just how this island is. It's wild and raw but on the other hand it's so relaxing and calm. That's why I keep going there. Cause you never know what you might find next year.
Actually the nature is so close here, during one thunderstorm, a bat flew into our cabin. Can you imagine how terrifying it was when thunder is roaring and something is clasping wings under your bed? In the morning we saw that it's just a small bat, my sister named him Lupe. In the evening we set him free. Also, we would always hear owls in the woods and we saw eagles, deer and bears.
But it's not only nature that we started to love. First of all it's the ride with the ferry. Feeling the sea breeze on your face, looking at the waters and seeing the land go away and appear in front.
Soon after you reach the land and start driving the (most probably) empty road you will reach Kardla, the island's capital. Now this capital is in my memory for one thing: coffee. Yes, you read it right. The town even has a legend that a meteor hit it and formed it like a coffee cup. But that's not all, they even have a cafe festival every year (which I attend every year of course) where fifteen cafes have different themes. You get a map with those cafes and events (it would be more helpful if it would be not only in Estonian) and of you go on you coffee hunt. (if you want more info go to http://xn--kohvikutepev-pcb.ee/en/)
Now in this cafe festival there always is one cafe that I absolutely adore (and it works not only during festival for which I am so grateful). They always have very helpful waiters (one of them according to my parents is my boyfriend..seriously...the things my parents make up...), great coffee and chocolate pie. Oh dear gods of sweets, the chocolate pie! If you want to experience that, the cafe is called Gahwa.
What else you should check out?
If you are a panorama addict like me, then lighthouses.
Kopu lighthouse
was built in 1531 and is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world, so it's really worth a visit.You might get a little claustrophobic while climbing the stairs as the ceilings are really low and the stairs are very steep.
Tahkuna lighthouse
is the tallest lighthouse in the island and actually it was mixed up with Ristna's lighthouse (how can you build the wrong lighthouse??).It stands next to the memorial for sunken ship "Estonia" (the one with the bell).
We used to live 5km from this lighthouse, so me and my sister decided to walk there and buy ice cream. Sadly, when we reached it, the kiosk girl told us that they were out of ice cream. Oh well.
Ristna lighthouse
was built by the same guy who designed Eiffel tower. Yes, you heard me correctly, the Eiffel tower.It has very narrow passage way, so you have to nearly squeeze yourself in the wall to let people pass.
You can climb right next to the light.
But Hiiumaa is not only for relaxation. If you are a fan of windsurfing, this is the place to go, they even have a place called "Surfer's Paradise" where are the perfect conditions for windsurfing.
They also have museums for history people and abandoned and haunted places for adventure hungry people. Ah, there's some more weird places I have to tell about. One of them is
The Cross Hill.
Yes, it is that creepy as it looks.
It is a tradition to go there and make a cross for you and your loved ones and if you make a cross and leave it there, you will find true love.
I just think that people from the past trolled us.
Saare tirp
or the Tongue as we call it. So there were giants living in Hiiumaa and they wanted to reach another island called Saaremaa so they started building a road in the sea. The cool part is, the more you go, the more you think it will never end and the more it seems cooler, because there you have a path in front of you and if you go a step right or left from it you will slip into deep sea.
The thing is there are a lot of weird stuff there. You might take a wrong turn and end up in a swamp or in some ancient burial place or a town that is not on the map or you might find the perfect beach. That's just how this island is. It's wild and raw but on the other hand it's so relaxing and calm. That's why I keep going there. Cause you never know what you might find next year.
Friday, 25 October 2013
There's no seaside in Evora
"Take your swimsuit, we're going to be by the sea" said my mom as we were packing bags to go to Evora in Portugal.
I know what you're thinking - hey, there is no seaside in Evora! Yeah, we kind of realised that after we drove around 100 km inland from Lisbon. Oops. On her defense, apparently Evora WAS on the seaside. Around 5000 years ago. Or more. A little mishap, but hey, it happens.
So the trip started with my first ever flight from Vilnius to Amsterdam where we took a plane to Lisbon. Now there was a fun thing in Amsterdam's airport. We checked to which gate we should go and since we had some time we walked around the duty free zone. We had to pass another security check. We were checked by a guy who started asking if we have any hair gel. I kind of think he's addicted to it as his hair had a biiiit too much of it. When it was just an hour left we went to our gates.
We had some kind of sixth sense that something is not right, so we decided to check the flight number. And you know what? WE WERE AT THE WRONG GATES. Let that be a lesson for you travelers out there - always check the flight number. We made it of course, but it was a nervous run.
We landed in Lisbon and continued by bus to Evora. One bad thing though - my ears didn't pop after landing, but I couldn't let that to make my mood go down. Our first night started with a culture shock. It was just 7pm, so we decided to go out to the city to eat. The city seemed dead. But the thing that surprised us most was that every bar and restaurant was full of men and no women were in sight. After a few angry glares and glimpses at us we decided that maybe we should eat in the hotel's restaurant and explore the city next day. Now here's the thing - Portuguese eat A LOT. And I eat quite a lot, I admit it, but I ordered a small portion of pasta and I was full after half of it.
But let's return back to the town. Evora is very nice, with palm trees along roads, beautiful houses, parks with peacocks (roaming free! I tried to catch one but it got away...) and churches. They are catholic, so you know there was a lot of attention put into building the churches. And the weather - we went there in November and in my country I already had to wear a winter jacket and here the temperature was above 17 degrees. You could almost sunbathe!
Oh and another thing - remember when I said that in the evening there were only men and no women were in sight? Well apparently all the women go out to the cafes in the morning where they have their coffee and cigarettes. Actually while exploring the town at various hours we noticed that at six o'clock town goes empty - there are no more children or women seen anymore. It was a strange feeling because Portuguese assumed that I'm local because of my looks and I kept getting angry glares probably cause they were expecting me to be at home after 6pm. But that's not how I roll. There was one night when every bar was FULL of people AND it was after 6pm. There's a very reasonable explanation: football.
Last thing I can add, that this was a great birthday present. Trips will always be the best present for me.
I know what you're thinking - hey, there is no seaside in Evora! Yeah, we kind of realised that after we drove around 100 km inland from Lisbon. Oops. On her defense, apparently Evora WAS on the seaside. Around 5000 years ago. Or more. A little mishap, but hey, it happens.
So the trip started with my first ever flight from Vilnius to Amsterdam where we took a plane to Lisbon. Now there was a fun thing in Amsterdam's airport. We checked to which gate we should go and since we had some time we walked around the duty free zone. We had to pass another security check. We were checked by a guy who started asking if we have any hair gel. I kind of think he's addicted to it as his hair had a biiiit too much of it. When it was just an hour left we went to our gates.
We had some kind of sixth sense that something is not right, so we decided to check the flight number. And you know what? WE WERE AT THE WRONG GATES. Let that be a lesson for you travelers out there - always check the flight number. We made it of course, but it was a nervous run.
We landed in Lisbon and continued by bus to Evora. One bad thing though - my ears didn't pop after landing, but I couldn't let that to make my mood go down. Our first night started with a culture shock. It was just 7pm, so we decided to go out to the city to eat. The city seemed dead. But the thing that surprised us most was that every bar and restaurant was full of men and no women were in sight. After a few angry glares and glimpses at us we decided that maybe we should eat in the hotel's restaurant and explore the city next day. Now here's the thing - Portuguese eat A LOT. And I eat quite a lot, I admit it, but I ordered a small portion of pasta and I was full after half of it.
But let's return back to the town. Evora is very nice, with palm trees along roads, beautiful houses, parks with peacocks (roaming free! I tried to catch one but it got away...) and churches. They are catholic, so you know there was a lot of attention put into building the churches. And the weather - we went there in November and in my country I already had to wear a winter jacket and here the temperature was above 17 degrees. You could almost sunbathe!
Oh and another thing - remember when I said that in the evening there were only men and no women were in sight? Well apparently all the women go out to the cafes in the morning where they have their coffee and cigarettes. Actually while exploring the town at various hours we noticed that at six o'clock town goes empty - there are no more children or women seen anymore. It was a strange feeling because Portuguese assumed that I'm local because of my looks and I kept getting angry glares probably cause they were expecting me to be at home after 6pm. But that's not how I roll. There was one night when every bar was FULL of people AND it was after 6pm. There's a very reasonable explanation: football.
Last thing I can add, that this was a great birthday present. Trips will always be the best present for me.
Saturday, 19 October 2013
Runaway spots in Latvia
The first time I went abroad was to have summer holidays with my parents in Latvia.
It was still in the time before we got into EU, so there were custom checks. I didn't even have a passport then, I had travel documents. Small little paper with my name, nationality, identity code and picture.
I remember I was really nervous when the officer approached the car, asked for our papers and was thoroughly checking it, also looking at the picture, is it really me. And then we passed. Another country! Yay!
It was still in the time before we got into EU, so there were custom checks. I didn't even have a passport then, I had travel documents. Small little paper with my name, nationality, identity code and picture.
I remember I was really nervous when the officer approached the car, asked for our papers and was thoroughly checking it, also looking at the picture, is it really me. And then we passed. Another country! Yay!
Pape
If you are going to Pape, be prepared for a completely empty beach. Well I don't think that would be surprising as it is a very small village. It is so small that people say hello to everybody they meet. But it does have its charm - if you are into fishing, there is a great lake where you can catch a few beauties. Also there is a small lighthouse and you can climb over the rock trail that leads into the sea. Talking about the sea - I hope you like shallow sea, cause that's how it is in Pape. You could be walking and walking and it would still be just up to your knees. Plus if you are into amber - there's heaps of it on the beach (best way to collect a new bracelet).
Rucava
If you are staying in Pape, Rucava will probably be the place where you will go shopping (food, toys, whatever). You should also check a spring which is next to Rucava - fresh water is always nice, plus you can fill up bottles and bathe in it while hoping that it will regenerate your skin (I have no idea if it will, but hey, you can try).
Why is it a good runaway spot?
There is rarely any signal here, so it is perfect if you want to just get away and have a good excuse why you can't answer when people want to contact you.There's more than just the beach in Palanga, Lithuania
Ahh...the seaside...
I would be going to trips with my parents or my grandma or just with friends to this town called Palanga. It's sort of the beach party town (of course, when I was little I would be going here "for the clean seaside air"). The only thing I did not like is that the beach would be always packed by people and you could not so easily find a free spot. And if you want a shade you have to go near the forest, where the ant problem might arise (nobody likes ants when all you're wearing is a swimsuit!).
So our little party beach town (or pensioners resort, depends in which part of town you are)... I can't really say I love it, sure it's fun to go there with friends once in a while, but since I don't like clubs too much (more of a pubs girl), I can't find the true charm of this town. But there are a few things that I like here.
I would be going to trips with my parents or my grandma or just with friends to this town called Palanga. It's sort of the beach party town (of course, when I was little I would be going here "for the clean seaside air"). The only thing I did not like is that the beach would be always packed by people and you could not so easily find a free spot. And if you want a shade you have to go near the forest, where the ant problem might arise (nobody likes ants when all you're wearing is a swimsuit!).
So our little party beach town (or pensioners resort, depends in which part of town you are)... I can't really say I love it, sure it's fun to go there with friends once in a while, but since I don't like clubs too much (more of a pubs girl), I can't find the true charm of this town. But there are a few things that I like here.
Birutė's hill
Birutė was a guardian of fire (vaidilutė in Lithuanian) which meant that she sacrificed her life of protecting the eternal flame (which meant she couldn't get married) but the great duke at the time Kęstutis saw her and fell in love. Sooo...he sort of "released" her from her duties as fire guard and asked her to marry her (this is a very important point as he did not MAKE her marry him, he ASKED her and only after she said yes, he married her). So every time Kęstutis would ride into battle, Birutė would come on this hill and wait for him (aaawwww). After he was killed she returned to live here and she was buried on top of the hill.
Lurdas (I have no idea how it is in English)
This is the place where she supposedly took care of her fire and this is also a place to pray for everybody (that's why there's a Saint Mary's sculpture).
Birutė's park
Yes, another thing named after Birutė (she was taking care of Palanga after all) and yes, the statue you see there is Jesus. Yes, like the one in Brazil. Only that in Brazil it's huuuuuuuuge, and here we have the smaller version. I'm not really sure why. But this park is cool, there's a small botanic garden, amber museum and ponds with swans (careful, they might bite!). Great place to have a walk, read a book or take your date.
And I can't finish the story about Palanga without a few legends.
Eglė the queen of grass snakes
There's a story of how a girl Eglė was bathing in the sea with her sisters and when she returned to her clothes there was a snake in them. Wanting to get rid of the snake she had to promise to marry him (weird, I know). The parents were trying to trick the snake king, but he finally arrived for his bride (turned into a handsome guy as well) and took her to the seas. They had four children (three sons and a daughter) and when they turn adolescent Eglė starts missing her home. So she does some quests in order to have the permission to leave and before she goes, her husband Žilvinas teaches her a chant to call him out of the sea:
"Žilvinas, dear Žilvinas,
If alive - may the sea foam milk,
If dead - may the sea foam blood..."
Unfortunately, angry family members learn about this chant and kill Žilvinas and when Eglė finds out about that, she gets really furious and turn herself and her children into trees as a punishment for her family's betrayal. Her daughter is turned into common aspen as a symbol of her weak will and telling the angry family members about the chant. The sons are turned into oak, ash and birch and Eglė turns herself into a fir tree (which by the way is eglė in Lithuanian).
Jūratė and Kastytis
This is sort of our version of little mermaid story. Kastytis was a fisherman and one night he was out in sea and since it was a stormy night his boat started sinking and he was saved by Jūratė, the queen of all sea and sea life, and taken to her amber palace under the Baltic sea. She was actually the one who made the sea stormy as she wanted to punish Kastytis for fishing in her waters, but she fell in love with him. Buuuut the thunder god Perkūnas found out that Jūratė fell in love with a mortal man and destroyed the castle (that's why you can find amber in the sea - it's the remains of the palace). He was so angry that he killed Kastytis and chained Jūratė to the floor of the sea. And it is said that to this day you can hear her mourn the loss of her lover in the sound of a stormy sea.
5 tourist spots to start exploring Kaunas, Lithuania
The town itself is not so big, just around 350000 people, and most of them are Lithuanians. It's a student town, so the clubs are full on weekends (not that I'm very big on clubs, but if you are, I recommend trying DeJavu). You can walk through the main pedestrian avenue (Laisvės alėja) and the old town in roughly 30-40 minutes.
The places to go to:
This avenue is the main pedestrian avenue. If you stand in the middle of it for two hours you might probably meet at least 50% of people you know in Kaunas. It is full with little cafes and shops AND there's free WiFi. The cafe culture is strong in Lithuania and cafes are not just a place to run in and take your coffee and flee - it's a place to meet friends, sit back, relax, enjoy the tastes or just have a moment for yourself. My favorite cafe is Mio, but Vero Cafe and CoffeeInn are good as well. The avenue starts with Soboras (the big white church you can see) and ends with Vilnius street, where the old town starts.
The places to go to:
Laisvės alėja
The Naked Man
Yes, well...It's art, ok?? The most famous sculpture in Kaunas, tourists love taking pictures of him and near him. One person actually almost got late for his flight because he refused to leave Kaunas before taking a picture with this guy. He's weird, but he's our naked guy and you should see the look on people's faces when you tell them "You have to see the naked man!"
Vilnius Street (Old Town)
It's not the old houses that usually gets people going here: it's the variety of bars, pubs, cafes and bakeries. This street is crawling with little shops with friendly staff who are ready to serve! Bars worth checking out: Gyvas (you get live beer there, variety of Lithuanian beers), RePUBlica (awesome atmosphere, great beer). Yzy - with a cozy atmosphere and sweet cherry beer. And check out Groovy (in the old town square) - cheap and good cocktails to go.
Aleksotas hill
You can either climb stairs or go with a funicular to see the beautiful Kaunas panorama. You get a great overview of Kaunas old town and you see not only the center from up there as well. (I'm not putting the picture of panorama, so you have to go see it yourself) It's a great place to just stop for a minute and relax (and you need to rest after those stairs as well!).
The top of Resurrection Church
More climbing! Yay! So yes, you can climb to the roof of this church (4Lt if you take the stairs, 8Lt if you take the elevator). On top you will get a great view of the center and old town and you can see Aleksotas hill from here as well.
Of course, there are other nice places to see in Kaunas: Pažaislis and its monastery, Ąžuolynas (the oak tree forest), Santaka (the place where Neris and Nemunas - two main rivers - meet into one), War museum courtyard (eternal flame and memorial in there), Kauno marios (artificial lake), Lampėdžių karjeras (you can go swimming there), but the ones that I've mentioned are the first five you should check out.
Can you be a traveler without leaving the country?
The usual definition of a traveler is
“a person who travels a lot”, and don’t get me wrong, I do agree with this
definition, but I believe some people are travelers even before they leave the city
boarders.
You can view the start of your
traveling history by a few ways: first time you left your home area, first time
you left the city, first time you got to another country… But there is also an other
way – some people view the start of their travels as their birth.
Now this might sound weird, but we
all know the cliché saying that your whole life is a journey. As much as it’s
used everywhere, it does carry some truth. There is a possibility to travel the
world without leaving your country; there is a possibility to have journeys
every day.
Traveling is more of a state of
mind, when everything new is exciting. Of course, it is best felt when you are
trying a new dish in a country you have never been before, or talking to
someone from a different culture in another city’s hostel. But in all essence
it is the new factor that excites travelers most.
If you are a traveling person,
chances are at least once you’ve said to yourself “I have to try something new”
and went away to a particular place you haven’t been yet. This
trick also works without leaving the country.
As long as it’s something untried
before, you can fool your travel bug into believing that you are traveling. This is why travelers are so great at working in a fast changing environment - it fuels their essence and keeps their travel bug asleep.
As another cliché saying goes, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the
journey. And this saying again carries truth to it.
Do you have the travel bug?
Have you ever been in a situation where you might be studying,
perhaps relaxing with a book, or maybe you are out with your friends and you
just get this strange feeling that something is missing? If that feeling is
like an itch you have to scratch and after a second you realize you HAVE to go
somewhere, it might be the travel bug.
Travel bugs usually have a few things in common:
·
They rush
over suddenly, almost out of nowhere;
·
You
feel like your life is very boring and you want adrenaline;
·
You
have the urge to experience something different;
·
You
look through plane/bus tickets even if you are not planning to go anywhere;
·
You
subconciously calculate how much money can you spend or how many days you can
take off.
If you have answered yes to a few of these questions, chances are
you have a travel bug. These travel bugs can be very dangerous as if you
dismiss it and don‘t travel for a long time you might end up in rapid mood changes,
general sadness. Not to mention you might start thinking what is the point of
everything.
That is why you should take into consideration your travel bug.
You have to care for it so that it wouldn‘t bite you back. That is what I do as
well.
A good way to maintain your travel bug for a longer time is
writing about your experience. And that is what you can find here alongside
with my impressions, tips and suggestions.
Hopefully I can help you take care of your
travel bug.
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