Nomadic alphabets

A while ago there was a blogger challenge to write something about every letter. I was meant to do this ages ago but I forgot… then I saw another blogger writing about this again, so I decided to write my own alphabets as well. I started this weeks ago, now I just finally finished it! Here they are, my nomadic alphabets. From Finnish towns I put only places where I have lived.

1. Australia. I have made 2 trips down under, total of 3 months there, and I love that place. One of my favorite places is Manly Beach in Sydney. I haven't been there in 12 years, but hoping to get there again. A is also for Austria, Amadora (I lived there in Portugal), Azores, Adelaide, Amsterdam and Andalucia (where I also have lived, in Malaga). A is also for airports, I have spent many hours at airports!

2. Brasov. Lived there for a year, absolutely lovely place! I got many great friends there and had the time of my life. B is also for banks, I have a bank account in 4 countries now, and it is not always easy to get all the documents needed for opening a bank account! I also have a lot of pin codes to remember. Other B's are Bucharest, Bulgaria, Beijing, Berlin, Bremen, Brisbane, Brussels, Bilbao, Bosnia and BlaBlaCar (a website/app for shared rides)

 

3. Chisinau. Visited there when living in Brasov. The roads in Moldova are even worse than in Romania. Hours in Moldovan bus was not my idea of comfortable travelling :D. C is also Canada, Copenhagen, Cascais <3, Cliffs of Moher, Cabo da Roca, Cologne, China, Croatia, Cairns, Cyprus and Canberra.

4. Dachau. When I was visiting Munich, I did a day trip to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. Very impressive and very emotional, I think everyone should visit some memorial site! D is also Denmark, Dublin, Dusseldorf and Dubrovnik.

5. Eastbourne. I turned 17 there when I was on a language course with a friend. 4 weeks away from home without parents, damn we had fun! But I also got more confidence in speaking English and taking care of myself in new situations. E is also for Estonia, and endless travel fever I have.

6. Finland. My home country. Even though I have no plans or desire to move back, it will always be the country where I'm from. F is also for Fuerteventura, France, and a lot of farewells for moving so much!

7. Galway. Lovely place, have to visit again! G is also for Germany, Gibraltar, Granada and Greece.

8. Hamburg. Visited 8 times, once when I was 17, and then 7 times when attending Wacken Open Air. I have spent most of my time in St. Pauli and Reeperbahn because the hotel has usually been there. Hamburg has a very special place in my heart for several reasons <3. H is also for Heinola, Hämeenlinna, Helsinki, Hong Kong and Hobart.

9. Ireland. My country of residence at the moment. Been here just over seven months now, and I made the right decision for moving here! I is also for Italy, Iasi, Imatra and Innsbruck.

10. J is for Jyväskylä, a nice town to live, I had a great time there (all 9 months). For some reason I can't think of any other place that starts with J!

11. K is for Kajaani. K is also for Kosovo which was very interesting place to visit, a new country but lots of history.

12. L is for Limerick, my current home town! L is also for Latvia, Lithuania, Lisbon, London and Lahti. I still enjoy Limerick but getting restless again...

13. M is for Malaga, where I lived in Spain. I have very mixed feelings for that place, but they are not about the city itself, but just my time there. I had the best time of my life, but I also had the worst time and experienced my all time low points there. M is also for Monaco, Munich, Melbourne and Macedonia. Or it is called North Macedonia officially now I think.

14. N is for Norway. I have only been in northern parts of the country, but the scenery there is totally breathtaking! N is also for Niagara Falls (another breathtaking place) and Nice. I wish to see more Nice one day. N is naturaloy also for nomadic lifestyle. On the other hand I regret for not doing thos sooner (started 3 years ago), but on the other hand it was exactly the right time. I've had the other life for 20 years, this is not a phase, this is me. Now I have the confidence and life experience, and I know what I want and I don't have to prove anything to anyone. If I want to settle down or go back to my previous life, I will.

15. O is for… Just blank inside my head. All I can think is Oulu, but I haven't lived there, nice place to visit though! O could be for official documents you need when moving to another country; social security number, tax number, references, leases, bank documents, work documents etc.

16. P is for Portugal, where I lived before Ireland. I loved the country, I experienced a lot, good and bad, but I feel like I never really settled in there. I think I just knew I would not stay long and therefore I just didn't get that “home” feeling there (same as Malaga). P is also for Porto, Ponta Delgada, Portimão, Peniscola (yes), Poland and Pristina.

17. Now this is a tough one… I don't think I have ever visited a place that starts with Q, so I will skip this one.

18. R is for Romania. Amazing country with amazing people, but unfortunately many people seem to have ridiculous prejudices toward this country and the people. Usually those people have not been in Romania or know any Romanian people, and haven't bothered to find any real information. Everybody, travel to Romania and educate yourselves! R is also for being restless, and I always start getting that feeling after 6 months in one place. As I said, it has already started. I will try to stay here for one year before moving on. I have everything good here; ok job with ok salary, friends and a nice place to live, I am able to save money for travelling. But still my blood is pulling me to the road, as the Finnish saying is. I haven't applied anywhere, and won't be applying until closer to summer. In my dreams the next place is somewhere in the Mediterranean, so most likely it will be Scotland. :D

19. S is for Savonlinna, a lovely town in East Finland in the Lake District. If you haven't had a morning coffee in July in the market square in Savonlinna, put that on your list of things to do before you die! S is also for Spain, Sydney, Stockholm (one of my favorite cities in the world), Switzerland and Skopje. Skopje is probably the place of all my travels that I have not liked that much :(.

20. T is for Tampere! If I had to choose a home town in Finland, I would choose Tampere. I didn't grow up there, but nearby, went to uni there and for me it is the best city in Finland. T is also for Toronto, Trieste, Tomar, Tiraspol, Tallinn and Thessaloniki. T is of course for travelling, the reason of my existence, that is the only way I can say what it is to me. It is what I am here for.

21. Another tough one… USA! Been only in Boston though, maybe one day visit a bit more. I really want to see Grand Canyon, and many other amazing natural wonders in that country. Unlike many others, I actually don't have that much interest for New York and definitely not for Las Vegas.

22. V is for Vancouver. What ever you are looking for in a destination, Vancouver has it. City, mountains, ocean and beach, everything. V is also for Vammala (grew up there) and  Varna

23. Waterford, very nice town in south! Famous for Waterford Crystal, definitely a place to visit!

24. Oh no… have to skip this letter too.

25. Sheesh my brains really stopped working totally!

26. Zermatt! My brains are still working! One of the world's most beautiful train rides takes you to Zermatt. There you can find Matterhorn, aka the Toblerone mountain :). Would be great to spend a week there hiking, but the place is ridiculously expensive, as all Switzerland I guess.

Å.  Åland. Can't think of anything else, even though I have never really been there. Been on         

          a ferry dozens of times at the harbour, but never actually went there. Ashamed to say it,    

          because I always thought I should visit, but still haven't!

     Ä. Ängelholm. A place in South Sweden, stayed there one night in a gorgeous hotel by the

          sea, and had amazing food at the hotel restaurant . Too bad I was there with the biggest

          mistake of my life.

     Ö. You have got to be joking… I don't think I have been in a place that starts with Ö? Sorry,      

           had to skip 4 letters, maybe one day I could fill them too!

Well, there you go, finally I finished this post! In 1,5 weeks travelling to Northern Ireland, first to Derry, then to Belfast, so that will be the topic of my next post. In mid April a friend from Finland is coming for a visit (woohoo!!), and then in the end of April I am flying to Astana, Kazakhstan, for two weeks trip in Central Asia (also Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan probably). I am really looking forward to that trip! I am still cycling to work almost every day, finally it is getting lighter and warmer, now it is even 15 degrees! A friend, former colleague from Portugal, is moving to Dublin this week, and will be meeting her when coming back from Belfast. That's it for now, otherwise life is just the same… :)

Mallorca

I had five days off at xmas, and I decided to go to Palma de Mallorca. I got flights from Lufthansa, change in Frankfurt, for about 200 €. I booked a studio in an apartment hotel, for 4 nights it cost me 140 €.

Again I had a ridiculous flight time, at 5.05 a.m. There are no busses at that time from Limerick to Dublin airport, the first bus would arrive at 4 so I didn't want to risk being late. So I took the bus on Friday evening already, and stayed the night at the airport. Sleeping at a floor is not really my thing but all the couches were taken already. Slept maybe 15 mins… better than zero! During the flight I was able to sleep about half an hour too! Considering that I woke up on Friday morning at 5.50, I was feeling just a bit tired when arriving to Frankfurt. I had a long stop, so I took the train to the city and walked around a little, until it started to rain. Went early back to the airport and I am glad I did! I knew December 22nd is one of the busiest days, but omg, I did not expect that Frankfurt airport is zero organized for the day! The line for the boarding pass control was just crazy and went through the airport with no control where it goes. There was ONE guy walking around and telling people which line to go to, and people were just running and rushing around, and no signs anywhere. After that the line to security check was even longer, but luckily there was some organising. After that I saw a lot of people just running like crazy trying to make it to their flight. I wonder how many people actually were late… but I had enough time for lunch before my flight to Palma :)

A few pics of Frankfurt

I was very tired and naturally then my flight is delayed about 2 hours. First an hour, then 30 mins more… and then another 30 mins more. I found a comfy chair to take a little nap though! It was already dark when I arrived to Palma, and my total sleeping time was about 1h 5 mins, so I just took a taxi to the hotel, that took only maybe 10 mins. Quick check-in, went to supermarket to get some food and wine, had a big glass and slept 10,5 hours. My hotel was Apartamentos Embat in Can Pastilla, just across the street from the beach. I had booked a studio, unfortunately all studios with sea views were booked, so I had a crappy view :D. But that was ok. Studio was quite small, but it had everything I needed and it was clean and quiet. The distance to Palma was about 7 km, but busses run frequently nearby, and the bus ticket costs 1,50 €. Sunday and Monday I spent in Palma. The weather was great, around 20 degrees the whole time, and lots of sunshine ☀. On Sunday I did a hop on hop off bus tour, the cost was 18 € and I got a good look on the city! Other than that I just walked around a lot, stopped at at a tapas bar when got hungry and had a glass of wine or sangria 🍹.

Pics of Palma

I wonder how how many bars are named Molly Malone? :D

Tuesday I stayed in Can Pastilla, walking mostly at the sea, and also dipped my toes to the sea but too cold for swimming! Tuesday was the warmest day, in the sun just a t-shirt was enough. Lots of people were walking and sitting in the cafes, even some small shops were open even though it was xmas day. It was just a short holiday, 3 full days, but I totally enjoyed the sun and the sea again. As I said after Cyprus, I love that mediterranean soft sea breeze! Wednesday was travel day again, and for once I had a good schedule :D. My flight from Palma was at 11.40, and after 2 flights (via Frankfurt again) and one bus ride, I arrived at home around 20.45. Of course on the first flight there was a screaming kid near me, yikes… I can't say I am expert in raising a child, but I am pretty sure the screaming doesn't stop when mom is screaming back *rolling eyes*.

Some pics from Can Pastilla

Last week I had a rough couple of days. First on Thursday evening a kitchen door crashed on me! I wasn't hurt and I even caught the falling door. Secondly on Friday morning I slept in! Me who have sleeping problems, have no memory of alarm that morning. I woke up at 7.47 and I start working at 7… Fuuuuuuuuuck!!! I got up faster than ever. Then thirdly on my way home from work on Friday, an idiot walker did not look anywhere, just walked straight to the cycling trail in front of me. I was able not to hit her totally, but just her backpack, which made me fall on my bike. Now, people, wear a helmet! My helmet got broken, otherwise it would've been my head. I have huge bruises on my legs, otherwise I am ok. And what does that lovely woman do? Walked away, and let me collect my things and fix my bike alone. Nice. I never ever cycle without a helmet. One more time; WEAR A HELMET!!! Since these things always happen in three, my bad luck should be over for a while.

I can't believe 2018 is almost gone… I started the year in Lisbon (that was one hell of a party by the way), moved to Amadora, had a few choices for my next destination and in July moved to Limerick. Found eventually a nice place to live, and at the moment I have co complaints about my life :). Weirdly I have no trips booked, but planning on a couple of trips in the next months. Hopefully some friends will visit me too. My next trip will probably be Northern Ireland in March, I want to visit before Brexit. I also have to visit Dublin, because I need to apply for a new passport, since I am planning on travelling outside Europe and my passport is expired.

Next I will finally post my nomadic alphabets, but I better not promise when. I just wish everyone a happy new year!

Cyprus

This time it took me couple of weeks to publish this post... the problem was adding the photos! But here it is, my week in beautiful Cyprus :).

Week off in late November, and I really needed some sunshine! Ryanair flies from Dublin to Paphos, and that is where I went. The flights cost just about 70 € with 10 kg checked in luggage, and the flight takes 5 to 5 and a half hours. My flight was in the morning, so I had to take the night bus from Limerick to Dublin airport again. Surprisingly I took a little nap on the bus and also on the plane so I wasn't that dead tired when I arrived. I had booked an apartment from booking.com, and they also arranged a pick up to the airport. The driver was waiting for me there (even had spelled my name correct), and took me to the apartment, even carried my bag to the door! Good service! Very nomadic :D.

The apartment was lovely modern one bedroom apartment, about 3 km from the centre. The owners had car sales and hire downstairs, very nice couple! The bus stop was right in front of the building, and the bus runs every 10 or 15 minutes all day, the cost for one ticket is only 1,50 €. They also have a weekly bus ticket for 20 €, makes sense to get that one. I saw hardly any locals using the bus, almost all tourists. One local told me that they drive everywhere, even very short distances and everybody has a car. If it is a family of 5, they have 5 cars, sometimes 6.

I also had a view to the sea from my balconies (I had 2 balconies), and it was nice to have breakfast on the balcony looking at the sea... I was of course out every day, first days I was walking around the city, visited an archeological site, went to the beach too, and ate lots of moussaka and halloumi cheese :D. And had a few glasses of local wine 🍷.

Pics of Paphos

View from my balcony, had breakfast looking at this view every morning...

On Wednesday I went to Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, and the last divided city in Europe. I chose guided tour, it cost just 22 € and it was a full day tour. We visited St. John's Cathedral first and then had a few hours to explore the city. I visited the Turkish side first and had lunch there. Now it is peaceful there, but of course the situation was different in the 1970’s after the occupation, Turkey occupied 37% of Cyprus, and thousands of people had to move, and many moved abroad. Guide said that 600 000 Cypriots (Greek Cypriots) live abroad. A local told me that all Cypriots consider themselves Cypriots first, and then either Greek or Turkish, and both just want to live in peace. Turkey is still the only country that has recognized the independence of North Cyprus, and most likely it will stay that way.

Photos of Nicosia

On Thursday I did another tour, to Troodos mountains and visited 3 monasteries. This tour also was a full day tour, and cost just 20 €. First monastery was Chrysorrogiatissa (can you say that fast 5 times after a few beers?), and only the abboth lives there. Next one was Kykkos monastery, that church was unbelievable! I have never seen a place like that in my life, literally my jaw just dropped when I entered. No photos are allowed at the church, so you just have to take my word for it, or visit yourself :). Twenty monks live in Kykkos according to our guide. After that we drove to Pedoulas to have lunch in a traditional tavern. And the last stop was Omodos, and the Monastery of the Holy Cross. Omodos was lovely little place with probably thousands of cats. I saw cats in the other monasteries as well, and everywhere in Cyprus, but Omodos was just full of cats! The scenery on this tour was just amazing, and it was a lot cooler in the mountains. In the winter they have snow for a couple of months even, and there is also a ski center. You can ski in the morning and swim in the sea in the afternoon :).

Photos of the Troodos mountains tour

Friday I just stayed in Paphos, visited the Tombs of the Kings, and enjoyed the sea and the sun. The temperature was over 20 degrees all week, about 22 to 25 every day, a couple of short rain showers but mainly the weather was just perfect. I really have missed the Mediterranean soft and warm sea breeze.

Photos of the Tombs of the Kings and the archeological site

I have a new phone with a decent camera (finally), and I took a lot of photos of flowers everywhere I saw nice flowers. Here's my flower photos.

I enjoyed my week in Cyprus so much! There's a lot to see and I could've stayed for 2 weeks and explore the island more. On Friday, my last evening, I even googled for jobs in Cyprus :). Not going to apply anywhere, at the moment, but Cyprus could very well be a candidate for my next location when it's time to move on again. But that of course depends on if I can get a nice job there first. Well, now I have to wait 1,5 weeks weeks until my Christmas vacation in Palma de Mallorca.

Otherwise weeks just go buy… It is getting cold and windy and rainy and sometimes cycling to work is not so pleasant. But I have good gear for that, just not waterproof shoes so I put plastic bags to my feet :). When I bought my sneakers, the sales person told me they are showerproof. Well bs! Every drop gets in, so thanks Foot Locker! After Mallorca I have no trips booked, so after that it is time to start planning and booking my travels for 2019 :).

I went to a lovely violin concert at University concert hall. They had 2 violinists (they are brothers originally from Slovakia), a pianist and a double bass. They played traditional Russian songs, like Moscow nights etc., and also more modern pop songs. It was so enjoyable, can't believe that kind of sounds come out of violin and you can play violin that way!

And one last note, I found my next eternal love; hot water bottle.