Hello Munich
In January I visited Munich for a few days. Despite getting a migraine the day before the trip and having to get up at 3AM it was nice to take a break from the hectic school life and get to wander around a new city. I was mainly there for the Ispo fair but I have to admit it was all the Bavarian castles that got me to book the trip in the first place. The fair was really overwhelming so I spent most of my time wandering around the city and in historical buildings. I even made to the most visited castle in Europe (probably in the world) but more on that later. If you've been here before you know I have a thing for museums, even when they're considered to be huge tourist traps. I really enjoyed walking through the Munich Residence, talking a gazillion pictures of all the chandeliers ( I think I've always liked them but the Hermitage took it to a new level) and silly mirror selfies (when you're travelling alone and don't have a selfie stick). Another favourite was the Nymphenburg Palace. Even though it was grey and chilly, it was nice to walk…
The Gilded Wonderland
Before we even arrived to the Hermitage Museum I was told of one (of many) theories the locals have, that in order to see all the contents of the museum, you would need to visit the museum five days a week for seven years! That still didn't prepare me for the overwhelming grand golden overdose that was to come. I don't think I've ever seen so many chandeliers in my life! I don't really know how to describe it, hopefully the images give you just a hint of the extravagance of the place. At some point I couldn't even look at the paintings anymore because there was so much else to see within the rooms themselves. When I visit grand and heavily adorned castles like this, I at some point think about how wealth was so unevenly distributed back then (some would argue that things haven't changed that much). I can only imagine how the poor lived if this is what the rich and privileged enjoyed. At the end of the day it's the craftsmanship and history that draws me to places like this. I'm not saying we should go back to this way of building and decorating, I'm just appreciative…
Hello Saint Petersburg
One of my new rules regarding travelling is, if someone offers to guide you around their home town, find a way to make that trip happen no matter how tight your budget is. You experience a place in a completely different way when you're with a local. Saint Petersburg is a city I've always been curious about but because of the crazy world politics, I didn't think I'd visit the city for a very long time. So when my friend suggested a group trip to her home town, I jumped at the opportunity. She had told me so many stories of this city and this was my chance to see it with her. So on an early Wednesday morning we got on the train and headed to the historical city not really knowing what to expect. The dreaded interrogation by the border patrol and customs didn't happen (our passports were checked by officers with very serious looks on their faces and we were asked what we had in our bags, and that was it) and a few hours later we had arrived to a very sunny Saint Petersburg. What followed was three days of incredibly fun and intense sightseeing which…
Copenhagen is always a good idea
I've been really fortunate in the past few years that I've gotten to visit Copenhagen several times. At this point I have a nice Copenhagen routine going. I'm usually there by myself and most of my visits tend to be brief but they're always fun and eventful. There are certain places I often return to but I also try to explore a new areas, shops and restaurants each time. This trip was a bit special as I got to act tourist guide to my mum on one of the days. We were on our way to Lund for my brother's graduation. So what did I do this time? I visited The Botanical Garden for the first time, tried vintage shopping but found nothing, ate some delicious food at places I've wanted to try for a while and visited a friend. I don't have images of all those things because sometimes I just forgot and sometimes I just chickened out. Like that time I was eating my yummy artisanal ice cream on Elmegade, watching cool Copehageners cycle by and couldn't bring myself to go full tourist mode with my camera. Well, there's next time, I'll make sure of it.
The return to the cosy city
The city I'm talking about of course is Lund. The city I briefly visited almost two years ago because I wanted to see where my youngest brother lived. This time I returned with my mother to see him graduate and to see Lund in its full summer glory. This was a short visit as well, you can't pass through Copenhagen and not see Copenhagen (more on that later) but we also made a quick detour to Malmö since we were in the area. All in all we attended a graduation ceremony, got a tour of the big university campus and did some sightseeing. I was in my usual tourist mode, taking pictures of all the cosy houses and buildings. I kicked it up a notch when we visited The Botanical Garden. I probably took a hundred pictures and I only photographed some of the pretty flowers. We didn't plan to but we ended up visiting the garden twice and it was just as pretty on the sunny day as it was on the rainy day. Now that my brother has graduated, i don't think I'll be visiting Lund again anytime soon but I'm glad I got to see more of it and in summer time.
Everyone is welcome
I recently bought a Museum Card as a birthday present to myself. With the card you can visit over 240 museums all over Finland and it's valid for a year. I think the card is a brilliant idea since museum entrance usually costs 10-15€. It's great to give as a gift and I think you end up visiting museums more often once you have the card. But let's not forget that for many people going to museums is just something they can't afford. That's why I like the UK's approach to museums, all national museums have free entry. So everyone has access and everyone is welcome! On our last day in Edinburgh, we visited the National Museum of Scotland before heading to the airport. I didn't know anything about the museum before we went so I was expecting it to be about the country's history. This national museum however had some surprises in store. Besides Scottish history there were artifacts from cultures all over the world, animals, minerals and a whole lot more. It's like the people who put this museum together decided to put a little bit of everything in it, just for the fun of it. They also have very friendly guides who tell you…
Out and about in London town
During easter I headed to London for an extended weekend trip. I have a friend that I had been promising to visit for years but I also wanted to get reacquainted with this metropolitan city. The last visit was probably 10 years ago! I went without a detailed plan, I knew I wanted to go to a few stores and visit the V&A but the rest I left to my mood and company. The perks of staying with a friend is that you get to see parts of the city that you probably wouldn't visit as a regular tourist. It was a fun trip filled with long conversations and new discoveries. I hope I'll be able to visit more often in the future, the city has so much to offer. We were supposed to go for a walk instead we had afternoon tea and talked for hours! I think it was the first time I had a proper afternoon tea. It's definitely something I want to have more often. I didn't do much shopping but I really liked looking at all the beautiful window displays. Despite the grey weather (this is Britain after all), there were signs that warmer weather is coming. Took some…
The Grand Adventure
Ok, so I might be misusing that word, adventure. I didn't do any extensive hiking, visit a remote village or anything like it, I was technically on a city vacation. Yet an adventure it was! It was one of those life altering, confidence boosting and really inspiring trips. Not only was it the first time I visited Japan but my first time in Asia. I spent most of my time wandering the streets of Tokyo observing everything that I saw with heightened curiosity. I took a lot of pictures and I'm gonna be sharing with you over the coming months but here's a bit of a teaser.
Holy Craftmanship
Sometime when you travel you'll have one attraction on a list you plan on visiting if you run out of other activities. For me, on our trip to Edinburgh the attraction was St. Giles' Cathedral. It's usually stained glass windows and their vivid colours that bring to the cathedrals but I'm also intrigued by the architecture and ornaments. Strangely enough we walked pass St.Giles' a couple of times at the beginning of our stay. I was maybe expecting it to be much bigger so I didin't pay attention to it. Then one day when were buying jewelry across the street, I suggested we go in and have look since it was raining and we were not in a hurry. Am I glad we went inside! While my travel companion befriended the kind ladies in the cathedral's shop, I walked around and studied the details of this architectural gem. I really liked the blue colour of the ceiling, it was so vivid. The chandeliers had a modern look almost futuristic look, like something that could have been in Jupiter Ascending.
Bonny Edinburgh
Scotland is one of those places that has been on my travel list but usually at the lower end behind countries like Japan, Egypt and South Africa. Then a series called Outlander came and all of a sudden my friends and I were longing for the Scottish highlands. We started talking about a roadtrip for the following fall and all the castles and lochs we'd like to see. The problem was that next fall was almost a year away and that's when we started looking into a shorter trip to Edinburg. So that's how Kea and I found ourselves in Edinburg last december. Though it was windy and rained a lot I still think Edinburg is an incredibly beautiful city. I loved how the narrow streets and old buildings occasionally gave me a feeling I had travelled back in time. Hogwarts crossed my mind a couple of times. I also liked how close nature the city is, especially if you're close to Arthur's Seat. I had my camera with me at all times but having now gone through the images I've noticed that there's a lot I didn't photograph. Like the endless amount of shops selling wool and cashmere products. You could buy all sorts of sweaters…
2015/2016
2015 was an event full year in many ways. I turned 30! It was a birthday I feared might cause some sort of existential crisis but what I found motivation. I decided to stop putting off things I want to do, 'cause if not now, then when? I guess it was me finally realising that with some things there's never really "a perfect moment" so waiting for thos moments is a waste of time. For me, the thing was travelling. It's what's always on the top of all my new year's resolutions and what I in 2015 vowed to do something about. So I decided to treat every trip like an adventure, even if it was the antiques market an hour from where I live. Sometimes it was only for a day or a weekend but I still found something to marvel about. I also rediscovered the perks of travelling alone. It's not worse or better than travelling with friends or family, it's just different. Like walking through museums and shops at your own pace? Awesome! Dining alone in crowded restaurant? I'm working on it! What are my goals for 2016? Definitely more travel and stepping out of my comfort zone but also better time…
Even when you’re grey, you’re lovely
That how I felt when I made I made a brief stop in Copenhagen on my way to Lund. I've been to this city before, I've even lived here for two months years ago. Though the weather was horrible I was still reminded how much I love this city and how glad I was to be back even for just a brief moment. I didin't do anything special, I visited a few stores and met up with a friend. I didn't take that many pictures because I was busy just walking around thinking if I could possibly afford living in some of the beautiful buildings I was passing. With the risk of sounding very cheesy, Copenhagen is just one of those cities that have a special place in my heart.
Cosy Brick Galore
In the past few years I've been trying to be a better big sister and that recently led me to the cosy city of Lund in Sweden and my youngest brother. It was a brief visit that involved a quick stop in Copenhagen (but more about that in another post) and an overuse of the map app on my phone. While strolling through the Lund University campus, I thought how wonderful it must be to be in those grand old buildings on a daily basis. I even found myself longing for the academic life. Then I remembered how easily I get restless and went back to just admiring the architecture. Even though I didn't get to see much of the city, the little that I saw convinced me that I have to return.
Watch out for the tourists!
The last time I went to the old town of Stockholm it was on a school trip and it was during the dark winter so on my recent trip I revisited the neighbourhood. It was partly because I didn't remember much from my previous stay but also because I wanted to visit some handicraft stores I imagined would be there. Now the savvy traveller would have done some research and found out where the stores are. A savvy traveller would also have known not to go there on a Sunday morning when it's packed with tourists! Well, I've learned my lesson.Some people say that once you've seen one old town in Europe you've pretty much seen them all but I don't agree. I found the one in Stockholm to be quit tranquil. Once I stepped away from the main crowded streets I could walk along the many steep alleys almost undisturbed. So I walked around, looked at old buildings and did some window shopping. Most of the stores are on the main streets so those handicraft boutiques that I had in mind were left unvisited. All in all , Stockholm's old town is beautiful and worth visiting, you just need to have plan when you go there.
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