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Visit Transylvania
Three recommendations with love, from the heart of Transylvania and one cliché, as usual. The historic region is synonym with mystery, but travelers must look past Dracula to discover it properly. It has much to offer, from nature, adventure, mountains, fortified cities, Saxon villages and yes, appropriately spooky castles.
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A year in the life
We measure something so abstract as time in days, months and years as is easier for us to shape it. 2020 was no ordinary “year”, not in perception or in facts. So I was reflecting and looked back as the year started with work, events and small trips. Winter had lights and music in Berlin. After that, Spring was marked by uncertainty. Summer was sunnier and bohemian in Hamburg, Prague and Munich, and Fall was emotional.
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Amazing Timișoara in 24 hours
Heading West today to Timișoara, the 3rd largest city of Romania. Still left to explore in this part of the country. Near the borders with Serbia and Hungary, Timisoara is beautiful and full of surprises. For generations, Romanians have lives here alongside Serbs, Germans, Croats or Hungarians. The city was chosen as the 2023 European Capital of culture and is truly a touristic destination.
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Helsinki White Night Moment
Once upon a time, I acknowledged the beauty of the European continent. When in Estonia for a summer school, we took the ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki with “Viking line”, because is “only two hours away”. Yes! I learned a Finish untranslatable word – “sisu”, that might be the definition of happiness. And the Scandinavian habit “friluftsliv”, useful now, in pandemic times.
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4 things to do in Düsseldorf
While sitting in the train from Berlin to Potsdam, I started writing about my last trip to Düsseldorf. Even though “dorf” means village in German, and the word is in the name, Düsseldorf is such an interesting dinamic city today. I visited it in summer and autumn. And two time in winter, for the Christmas market, as we have to admit the holidays are the only best part during the cold months.
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Vilnius goes Berlin
In a rainy October weekend, I attended the Lithuanian Film festival in Berlin, while mixing it with memories from a trip in the heart of Vilnius years ago. I started thinking of special friendships and remembered the Constitution of the “Republic” of Užupis, that claims “everyone has the right to make mistakes”.
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Chopin’s Warsaw
In Warsaw I traveled only for work many times. And the memories are a puzzle, while the seasons are changing. Summer after work on the main street Novi Świat or an autumn night, accidentally attending a Chopin piano concert in a bookstore. A winter morning, in a taxi seeing the city covered with snow or in spring at food market Hala Koszyki. Warszawa reminded me of Bucharest, that made me a bit melancholic. Polish language is also very different, but some sounds are familiar. I felt as I traveled in time.
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Destination: London
In an early Friday morning I am at the Brussels Midi train station, about to board the Eurostar and go to London for an extended weekend. My first time traveling with the Eurostar train. And I am looking around, listening to people speak French or English with a superb accent, thinking how lucky I am and how cool is Europe!
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Unter den Linden ~ From Berlin with love
Berlin has “Unter den Linden” and the central historical boulevard feels as an old postcard. Starts at the Brandenburg Gate and ends at Berliner Dom, passing by the Komische Oper, Zeughaus, Bebelplatz and Staatsoper. The name comes from the linden (lime) trees that once lined the boulevard.
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Oslo Opera House
From different cities there are moments, people and places that stay with us. When I think of Oslo, I remember first the Opera House. I never saw till this day a more impressive modern Opera. I haven’t been to Sydney yet, and the Copenhagen Opera is also contemporary. But I dare to say this one in Oslo is one of a kind.
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Art Walk Berlin
One thing I do really well is exaggerate. The previous weekend diary included many galleries, museums, a lot of coffee stops and masks thanks to a duo: 9th edition of Berlin Art Week and Galleries Weekend. This if we don’t count also the 11th Berlin Biennale for contemporary art, and all lighted up together by the Festival of Lights. I like Septembers.
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Venice – La Biennale 2020
September. Movies. Bella Italia. From today until the 12th of September, the 77th edition of the Biennale Cinema di Venezia will be held. The Venice Film Festival is promoting international cinema in all forms “as art, entertainment and as an industry.”
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Munich – Coffee meets Fashion
Munich is a very good looking city, dynamic, voted several times as the most livable city in the world. Home of Oktoberfest and Bayern München team, the Bavarian capital is traditional, yet hip – a winning combination in my books.
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Photo journal from Prague
Since I visited Prague twice, once in winter weather, and in summer, I feel I saw and photographed two different contrasting cities, both beautiful. I explored so far only districts Praha 1 and Praha 2. May sounds as Hunger games, but in fact Prague is more bohemian than entertaining, more Kafka than Hollywood, and this is awesome.
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Hamburg revisited
Moin. The return to Hamburg felt as seeing an old friend. I might exaggerate or I really missed being a traveller. This time, I revisited the warehouse district Speicherstadt (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and made 4 new discoveries – neighborhoods Blankenese and Altona, the park Planten un Blomen and lastly, Stadthöfen / New Wall.
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Baltic Coast
A train away from Berlin is the Baltic Sea (Ostsee). Windy and beautiful Northern Germany. I woke up missing the sea, so I booked a direct IC train to Rostock with a first stop in Warnemünde.
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Dubrovnik. Postcards from the past
Summer days in the Dalmatian coast. Sunset on a isolated Saint Jakub beach, Croatian wines between the walls of Dubrovnik on Stradun, piano concert, sightseeing, red-brick roofs and turquoise water, swimming in the Adriatic Sea, trips to Srd mountain and Island of Lokrum.
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In Bruges / Brügge
Revisiting past memories is an opportunity for closure and to look at things from a different light. With clichés and all. In my Belgian years I tried to travel often inside the country and understand Belgium as much as possible. What I remember about Bruges is the vintage atmosphere and smell of gingerbread mixed with melancholy, where I felt like Gretel.
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