summer memories

It's quite nice in Stockholm, in the summer; the temperature rarely goes above 30 degrees Celsius and the wind is mild. It almost makes up for the cold and dark winters.
I always tend to get surprised when the temperatures start to drop, at the beginning of September.
These shots are all I have left now from the summer that seems to have vanished without a notice...

Archipelago

I have been meaning to publish this since February, but only managed now ...

A particular chilly February morning we decided to kick the Saturday habit of sleeping late and went out for a day trip.
We started the day by driving to Stavsnäs in order to get on the ferry that goes to Sandhamn; a place we had not been to, but had read about recently on a website.
Later, we headed to Lidingö to photograph the sunset. (I am in love with Swedish sunsets.)

I pasted some pictures below to let the nuances of this trip speak for themselves.


The icy Baltic sea seemed to have stuck mirrors to its surface.

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A cozy village just a short boat ride away from the city; lots of these idyllic places can be seen along the archipelago...

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A backstreet alley leading to the sea shore in Sandhamn...

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The garden of a coffee place waiting for the summer...

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A gate pillar decoration ...

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I have a thing for close ups, nature's...

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:) remains of redecoration, in the back yard...

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a drop in the sea...

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Shore view in Sandhamn.

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Sunset in Lidingö (more shots below)...

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so, Dalarna...

I don't think there's a lot of people that would say 'no' to a skiing vacation... I know I'm not such a person. So, when I got 4 days off aligned I figured it's just the right thing to do, especially in winter time.
Finding the place to go to was the time consuming bit, but once we figured that out the rest was easy (book a hotel, rent a car etc). So, we ended up in Borlänge - Dalarna ... not bad at all, if you ask me.



We could have gone by train, but we decided to take the car as we thought we'll see more things that way; and we weren't disappointed.
Getting out of the city took some time and gave us the impression/realization that the city is quite larger than we thought. And it has lots of interesting sights: the Haga Park with its Fjärilshuset, the Upplands Väsby neighborhood ... really nice sights (no photos here, though).



And then Dalarna, which is mostly how one would expect it to be: lots of forests and lakes ... very idyllic in some places. (Another attraction, besides nature's sights & small towns, are the stores (mostly outlets) and restaurants along the highway.
:) But that's optional ...)















Borlänge is a small town that just happens to have a really neat ski resort 10 km away; I'm talking about Romme Alpin. Very handy.









I really like the narrow streets in the center, the nice little shops, the cafes, the thai restaurant around the corner from one of the side streets... just a good ol' relaxing felling over all.











It's definitely a place I'll revisit.

Budapest

So, I finally got a real vacation after more than 4 years and I managed to get myself driven by melancholy into going back east, with the first stop being Budapest.
Now, after 'surviving' the relatively short trip, I think that I would have enjoyed Greece twice as much, if not more.

Anyways, it wasn't all that bad... I just didn't feel very happy or relaxed after the experience; these, supposedly, being the feeligs people are supposed to return filled with after vacation.
I did learn something after going back to those parts of the world: eastern Europe does bring out the worst in me (and I will include Budapest to the category, because despite their boast of being the center of Europe, most of the times the people's behaviour would qualify as 'eastern european').

These are the pluses i give to Budapest:
- the interbellum athmosphere all over the city;
- the bus and boat tours;
- the food and service at some restaurants;
- very nice souvenirs (but you have to really look);
- the Buda castle;
- their approach to tourism in general;



These are the minuses i give to Budapest:
- street maintenance repairs everywhere near the city center, done even on the weekend, starting at 7 am;
- very few people dealing with tourists are friendly (this includes hotel staff, restaurant staff, sales clerks etc);
- some waiters grossly overcharging the bill (common practice it turns out; even mentioned in a city audio tour);

The place has a great potential and I will probably go back there for a visit, but not before 3-4 years or so.

Amsterdam, or how I fell in love with Holland

It happened all of a sudden. We were looking for last minute trips for a long weekend and we had been hesitating between different destinations and price tags. And so, in the middle of all that, an idea came to me about Holland.
Their national team had just defeated my country's at the Euro championship and I decided to go and see for myself what they were about. Call it crazy, but I think it was worth it all the way.


We arrived at Schiphol airport on a busy Friday afternoon and found it really easy to get to Amterdam. The train took us there in 20 minutes and it took 20 more to figure out that we can buy a tram ticket from the driver and get to our hotel. (It didn't make sense to buy the usual 15 trips tickets as our tourist cards covered the public transport routes for the weekend.)


The trip by tram to the hotel was like riding a rollercoaster from the sudden shaking point of view. As someone put it, you wouldn't want to ride a tram in Asterdam if you have kidney stones.


However shaky the tram trip may have been, the glimpses of the city's beauty gave us a preview of what the next few days would be like. The wonderful architecture of the squares and the buildings, the bohemian air felt everywhere, the ever charming cannals creating these amazing settings; it was breathtaking.


The hotel was exactly what the reviews said about it, therefore I wasn't dissapointed at all. It served its purpose completely. (I wouldn't have minded paying less, but I think we got a good deal anyways.) We didn't spend much time in the room, but the hotel was within a walking distance of the main attractions and that was really an advantage.


Walking on the streets of old Amsterdam and along the cannals is an experience in itself; it feels like the city IS the main attraction... you don't know what to look at first (the pavement, the buildings, the bridges, the cannals, the boats, the bikes/ bikers, the people, the birds etc.) and it always leaves you with the mildly frustrating feeling that you've missed on something or haven't paid enough attention to some details. It's just overwhelming; but in a great way.


Back to the city, I don't know what to start with. Maybe the bikers and their huge number, which is an aspect that I noticed straight after exiting the train station. Everybody's riding a bike and they all have their own style and they're very pushy in their traffic behaviour. It's just crazy.
You are in more danger of being hit by a bike when crossing a street in Amsterdam than you are of being hit by a car.


But I have to give it to the city as a whole. It puts a spell on you and there's no going back.


We started our trip with a boat ride on the city's charming cannals and I have to say that it was the best decision; we got an introduction to the main historical attractions, which has helped us in planning the rest of our stay.


We managed to see, among many other memorable locations, the Rijk Museum (the Art Museum), the Van Gogh museum, Rembrandt's house, De Oude Kerk, the Pijp, the Dam, the Flowers Market, Our Lord in the Attic chappel and, not least, the much talked about and notorious Red Lights District (where the smell of pot still floats in the air early in the morning).

And we have not seen it all. Two days was not enough time for us, therefore we have made a promise to return as many times as needed. And it will be a pleasure to oblige. :)


Cheese everywhere...


The old observation tower


Rembrandt Square


Rijk Museum


Sarphati Park

A place called Helsinki

Helsinki brought back memories from my childhood. It has this familiar air to it for everyone who's a native of Eastern Europe.
Maybe it's the gray and unimpressive buildings, or the low key way the people dress and act, or maybe it was just the chilly air of spring blowing on the semi-empty, 'socialist' looking like, streets of the city on that Saturday morning when our ship reached the Helsinki harbour. Whatever it was, I just felt sad and melancholic.

This was my first trip on water over such long a distance and I must say that it was quite a nice experience. I was surprised to see how much people enjoy making these trips and how comfortable it actually feels when compared to my initial beliefs.
And also I was quite puzzled to find out in the end that people coming on these trips most likely do it for the cheaper alcohol; there's a tax free store on board.
And that is a winning argument for any nordic country resident, considering the high tax on alcohol in Norway, Sweden and Finland.


I only had one day to fall in love with Helsinki and I must confess that had it not been for Suomenlinna I don't think I would consider going back.
It's a nice little town that does not leave a big impression on a visitor, unless that visitor comes from a smaller town and it's their first trip away from their home.
It may sound dissapointing, but that was my impression of it.

Photos are below:









(A Finn told us that the impressive dome building has little to boast with on the inside...)






(The beautiful Suomenlinna fortress.)

Bits of south western Romania

I've been on a trip back to my home country just recently and if I were to sum up my impressions in just a few words, I'd say "wow, things are finally beginning to change".
And I think that "beginning" is the right word for the process that the country is undergoing. You can see the land being worked again and new constructions rising everywhere around you, and people are smiling again.


...But let's go chronologically about it.
We entered the country after a relatively short ferry trip on the Danube, from Vidin to Calafat. And I must confess that it was quite some trip.
First of all, there's no set schedule for the ferry to be found anywhere; and, tipically in this part of the world, the only answer you get when reaching the border is: "the ferry leaves when full". So, trust me, that can be frustrating.
I had spent almost an hour days before that trip, trying to find a ferry schedule on the internet. No such thing. From that point of view I think the Vidin-Calafat ferry traffic gets a thumb down. It's just messy. Then comes the fee. Supposedly it's 3 euros (we crossed as passangers, with no cars), but if you get lucky it's less; and, more often than not, you don't even get a receipt in exchange for the money. It's like a "deal" between you and the ferry people. And don't get me wrong, this isn't just a bulgarian or just a romanian thing; on the ferry we came with, the crew was from both countries.

But anyways, enough about that... Calafat was a nice view compared to what I had expected. Of course, it's like any decent village on the Danube, but it really surprised me in a nice way the fact that the houses looked well maintained and the fields had been worked. People had gotten back to work and the place seemed to have thrived as a result. And this was something that we saw along our way to my home town in Caras Severin.


I must confess that it brushed away my nervousness regarding what I was gonna find when returning to the country I had left almost four years before.

The trip to Orsova, along the Danube, was just as I remembered ... filled with amazing views. I simply loved that part of our journey. I just wish that one day we'll take some time and go on a cruise along the Danube; I'm sure that the inspiring views will be worth it.


The night set just as we were passing by Orsova and therefore any other place we passed after that did not leave much of an impression; which does not mean that they lacked the appeal, on the contrary.


I felt sorry we did not get to see Herculane during the day. I can't say much about it's present state (as we didn't have the chance to go there on this trip), but there are so many things that really must be seen and experienced there.
Herculane, a place that I hope to revisit on my next trip to Romania, is a thermal water resort and it has existed ever since the Roman times. Which can give you a hint of the atmosphere of the place. (Look it up, if curious. :) )
And this brings me to Resita, my hometown. Oooups, I forgot to mention Caransebes, which is the last city we passed through on the european road before turning on the national road that took us to Resita.

Resita is your average (former industrial) town, striving to make an impression on the first time visitors.


The town is somewhat aware that they mainly transit the streets in order to get to the attractions on the hills and mountain surrounding it: Secu Lake, Crivaia, Garana, Trei Ape, Semenic ... most of which having become vacation villages for people from the region, the rest of the country and even from western Europe.


So the town of Resita is not usually the biggest attraction. But in our case it was. I wanted to rediscover it, to see it with fresh eyes, to see why I had kept it with me as a treasured memory for all these years.


To me it's still special.
Nowadays it has changed as well, maybe to keep in sync with the rest of the country... people seem happier and more content with themselves; new buildings have emerged (hotels, banks and residential and industrial buildings) and old ones have put on new facades and have undergone interior reconstruction(the swimming pool complex in Govandari).
The place has changed a lot, but still has managed to keep the same 'small town' feeling; which I personally enjoy and hope that it won't go away.


As for the surrounding travel destinations, Garana just outstages everything else for me. It's just this small and peaceful village that puts you in a special place where you forget your worries and find your inner peace. It's were my soul's "home" is and it's the place that I would recommend to anyone looking for relaxation and stress relief.


It's not a place where you find luxury, although the inns and restaurants of the village will give you their best, but you shouldn't come here if material things are your only concern.



P.S. I will add some trip photos to my website's photo gallery soon. Check them out.

4 months in Wells, Maine

I have spent almost 4 months in Maine about 4 years ago during the summer of 2004.
It turns out I've had quite the summer that year as a lot of interesting things kept happening all of a sudden and a sweet feeling of adventure was floating in the air.
When I got off the plane in Boston I remember feeling very tired and quite disappointed of my surroundings. My first impression of the Boston's international airport was that it resembled a poorly organized train station where the employees were not very helpful. However, I managed to find my way around and to find the bus that was supposed to take me to Maine, my destination at the time.
After about 2 hours or so on the bus, I got to some bus station in what seemed to be 'the middle of nowhere', by one of the freeway's exits close to Wells; and 2 hours or so later, I was finally at the dorm house in Wells, taking a long awaited shower and finally washing off the tiredness of the long trip.
Also that day, I managed to get introduced by the hostess to a group of Romanians that were gonna turn into my friends during the time spent there.
But there was one thing I was dying to get introduced to and the moment kept eluding me: ... the big ocean. I could only manage to go and see it after a few days, as it turned out that 'the ocean view from the bedroom window' that was so charmingly described to me during the recruiting meeting in Romania was only 8-10 kilometres away.
However, I wasn't any less impressed; I took a first deep breath of the ocean's breeze and exhaled slowly, as if trying to retain some of that refreshing flavour.
I've always had a thing for the sea... but this feeling I just can't decribe. It was pure happiness. Ever since then, whenever I got to spend some time by the ocean (be it the Atlantic or the Pacific) I just felt at home.
I'd like to just pick a spot on the sand, sit on top of my sweater and let the wind tell me its stories...
And that was not the only gift that I was given in Maine; the others were the warm and friendly people, the beautiful landcapes, the charming small towns that I visited (Ogunquit and Kennebunk were just superb...), and also my slowly ascending into 'life on my own'.
I hope I'll have the time one day to go back for a trip. I'd love it, for sure!

Not a "resolution"...

Since I haven't made any New Year resolutions this year I can't really feel bad about myself if things don't really come up the way I would want them by December. However, from the point of view of my travelling ideas let's just hope that the lack of pressure will just make more of them possible :).
For instance, I plan to visit a few of the places that I've always wanted to see since I was a kid; places like London, Amsterdam, Paris (which I've only seen from a distance and through a dense fog), Barcelona, Lisbon, Berlin, Prague, or Rome for that matter.
Some would say that I want to see "Europe" in the American sense of it (well, more like the western Europe), but that for me would only be the begining.

I wanted my first post to be about my first trip away from home, at least the first one that I can remember, but instead my fingers started typing about the future.

There's room for all of it here anyway: past, present, future...