Peaceful, pretty, powerful Thingvellir.
Usually I only dive in tropical waters. I quite enjoy immersing myself in the world of fish and coral, but not once have I seriously considered diving or snorkeling in cold water. That is, until my colleague signed me up for it. On a short, but sweet Iceland adventure I…
The world of black and blue
As part of my new job, I’m responsible for a team of tour leaders in Iceland. Iceland, being an island, is however detached from the continent and it seems like this physical distance is immediately creating an emotional distance as well. It almost feels like I manage two different teams,…
The world of Vappu
In my country, the 30th of April is not a particularly special day anymore since Queen’s day changed into King’s day and changed dates. In Finland, they go all out. Vappu, or Walpurgis night, is a big celebration in the streets and parks where people dress up and party. Students…
That time I got bitten by a dog in Asia
South East Asia has a lot of stray cats and dogs. I’ve seen them in all the countries I’ve travelled through. In some they looked worse than in others. Especially in Myanmar and Laos, they just scared me. I got into several situations where aggressive dogs made me change my…
Two weeks till thirty
I’m so happy with the choices I have made over the last few years. I could have done the standard thing, the expected thing, but I chose a different path than others. Instead of kick-starting my career, I packed a bag and left. I can only say I made the…
Travel theme: Gold
There is definitely no lack of gold in Myanmar!
The groundwork
When I started thinking about what to do this winter, my eye fell on South East Asia. It’s a region I’ve passed through on my way to Australia and New Zealand and has been on my mind on and off. I haven’t actually seen a lot of it though. Looking…
Touch down
I was brushing my teeth in my parents’ bathroom and suddenly I had night train flashbacks. Not that my parents’ house can be compared to a night train in any way, quite the opposite… Night trains are funny. In the movies they are always portrayed as the most romantic thing…
Like I’m buying a ticket to the moon
Getting train tickets is always a bit of an adventure if you need more than a few. In Italy you easily wait two hours. In Poland you meet a lady who stares at you for a couple of minutes before she answers your request. In Hungary, train tickets are still…
Laundry day
Doing laundry at a launderette is not nearly as glamorous as they claim in the movies. I dragged my stinky bag of laundry to the laundromat around the corner in Vienna. Instead of glamorous people reading books and working on their laptops, there are old people and overworked mums staring…