Düsseldorf – freezing, yet friendly 

by editaroundtheworld, posted in City break, Travel

I like to say that the unexpected ways of life take me sometimes to places I had no plan to go to. Surprisingly I even have friends to visit in such places. This way the long weekend was not only productive, but also a great occasion to catch up and discover a new city with the help of locals. 

Some time back I had a short layover in Düsseldorf already, not having enough time to leave the airport though. This time I wish I didn’t have to leave the airport – that was my first thought when the cold wind abbusivily blew through my body as I got out of the main train station. It was a really cold start of the journey, not the one you wish for when you are about to stride through the city. 

I fished out my warm scarf and gloves and in a minute I was prepared to win the battle against the inconvenient weather … at least for a while. 

I must admit there were not many fellows taking walks along Königsalle, so it wasn’t a hard job to take shots of the landscape without any people in them.




In the park it was pretty much the same situation, hence the pure beauty of the fall colors as they were.




As much as I cherished the lack of people in the above settings, at some point I started missing the sound of the everyday life and I decided to head towards the old town, where I knew there must be something going on with the occasion of the official Düsseldorfer Karneval opening day.

Karneval is a big deal in some German cities, Düsseldorf being one of the most important cities that hosts yearly the famous event. At 11 am of 11.11 every year the old town turned into a dance floor of the dressed up, already tipsy German ladies and gents and dozens of school kids. It’s a fun event and probably a great reason for drinking beer before midday. 


​However, it looks like it brings out the best of Germans, as they become instantly relaxed and totally laid-back, not to mention that they lose their reputation of being cold people, at least until the beer keeps flowing and the dj keeps playing their most beloved schlagers. 
Luckily the sun decided to show up on the sky for a short bit, just in time to be able to admire a blue Rhein, instead of a grey one.



A walk along the Rhein is a must while in Düsseldorf, especially if it’s a sunny day.

Further on it will look like I hopped over to Japan, because I’m just about to reveal the highlight of my trip: the stunning Japanese garden at Eko Haus. I learned that outside Japan, Düsseldorf is the city with the highest concentration of Japanese residents . I wonder what attracted them exactly to this city? I mean it’s nice city, no offense, but 11.000 Japanese it’s a semnificative number. That explains also the big number of Japanese supermarkets, book stores, restaurants and also the existence of this amazing place, EKO Haus, my favorite spot in Düsseldorf. It’s small, neat and complete: little lake, bridge, house, stones, colorful trees and above all: a peaceful piece of heaven, perfect for staying and reflecting or reading a book and relaxing – in summer ideally – my summer weekend getaway plan in Düsseldorf possibly. 



Happy 3rd one!

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Switzerland,hiking,mountains,nature, Uncategorized

Happy 3rd one!
On an October 15, 3 years ago I was excitedly departing London with destination Zurich, were I wasn’t yet sure what I’m gonna find. Didn’t know anyone, just had a job offer for 3 months.

 Now, I find myself in the same city 3 years after. Stuck in Switzerland! But so happy that life surprised me with this. At times it’s been a bumpy road, but always with a positive result and a collection of amazing memories and a better and more developed self, even a slightly improved German. 

I discovered here how important is for me to connect with nature and enjoy it’s beauty while hiking, biking or simply just wandering.

  
  
  
I started seeing winter not only a cold season, but a beautiful and energizing one by reinventing myself in the breathtaking Alps while snowboarding.

  
  
Managed to refresh a bit my German knowledge and picked up some funny expressions from the local dialect.

  
Danced my way around either in dirndl or lederhosen at the Zurichian version Oktoberfest.

  
  
 Ticked one of my bucketlist thing to do: paragliding.

  
I keep eating the best chocolate in the world!

  
Those above and many others formed me into a collector of memories and not things, into someone that appreciates little things cause they provoke big smiles.

  
Unexpected changes, good and not so, the arrival of special people and the bitter taste of their sudden departure from my life, that’s also part of the experience here, in Zurich. The city treats me with a permanent diversity in the matter of climate and in matter of people I come across with. Most of us seem to be passengers with similar history, sharing the same place, doing our best to blend in and take out the best of it. Although they all complain about the coldness of the swiss, I do feel it too to a certain level, gladly I experienced their warm side too. A nation that is well-known as distant, neutral and rather straight-faced, often refuses to deal with open, warm and outgoing personalities. With all these I somehow felt always accepted and welcome and didn’t mind showing my feelings even though they may have seemed a bit too much: ” you are too passionate”, ” you talk too much”, ” you simply can be too much for anybody” – my outgoing swiss friend would often mention with his best intentions. We have great laughs about it and life goes on… a mystery until how many more anniversaries… ‘Til then: cheers!

  

Mesmerizing views of Istanbul

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Istanbul, Turkey, Uncategorized

As in any city that I visit, once explored the streets, I have a great wish to see the place from above. Nothing feels better than being above the crowd, the busy streets and just enjoying the view. For me it’s the ultimate relaxation method while on the road. Luckily many cities have at least one fairly good viewing point which I make sure I never miss. In Istanbul I discovered quite a few, thanks to the popular roof top terraces, but I’ll point out two dear ones. 

Number one is Pierre Loti. It’s my personal favorite mainly because it’s in a natural setting, not a building or a comercialised roof top terrace. Yea, I know I did mention earlier those rooftop terraces too, they are great for a chill out evening and a glass of wine, but Pierre Loti was more than that for me. Let me start first of all with the way I got there. It’s located on a hill in the district called Eyüp, in my eyes the real side of Istanbul, where people hang their washed clothes out on the windows, kids run around barefoot and the place where I spotted more Muslims in one place than anywhere else in the city. However, it’s a cultural discovery to walk towards the viewing spot and it was a real interesting experience to observ the differences between Eyüp and the rest of the city, while walking by a nice square and also a market. 

   

   Further it will get even more exciting cause you gonna pass through a cemetery in case you decide walking all the way. For those that find this too spooky , there’s also a cable car, which will make life easier if you are not in the mood for a walk between the graves. 

Once reached the viewing point the view speaks for itself, or maybe rather leaves you speechless. 

  
  
At the conveniently located cafe there’s a big variety of beverages and the everywhere present, most popular Turkish caffe. Who wouldn’t enjoy having a sip with such a view?

  
In front of my eyes the sun went down and the lights of the city turned on one by one in the darkness that fell on the busy and vibrant Istanbul.

  
I think I could have spent the entire night admiring this panorama. But as all the nice moments quickly come to an end, it’s time to walk down and go back to real life. Still, the view catches my eyes once in a while and looks great even if there’s a grave in the first plan of the photo.

  
My conclusion : Pierre Loti a must-see spot, perfect for watching the sunset.
My number two favorite viewing point is the more touristy, but yet unique Galata Tower. As I’ve already seen Istanbul from above in the evening, my visit to Galata Tower on purpose happened around midday on a sunny day, when the water of Bosphorus is reflecting the lovely blue sky and the view is refreshing and mood boosting.

  
  
  
  
That being said, if you made it by here I’m assuming you liked watching Istanbul from above together with me. Also, if you know about another great viewing point in this city or any other, I would be happy to hear about it.

Relax, it feels safe in Istanbul!

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Istanbul, Turkey, Travel

Due to unexpected and surprising, but pleasant ways of life, I found myself in Istanbul in a period when everybody is avoiding approaching Turkey. Here I am for 3 weeks, right after some bombings, attacks and other scary events and believe it or not I find it safe and exciting. Well, the more than one hour waiting time in the line ( what line? ) , sorry, I meant chaotic crowd, at the arrival wasn’t very exciting at the airport, especially felling your comfort zone being invaded from every possible side. Skipping that part and ignoring the usual issue of this city: crazy, really crazy traffic – Istanbul has a great vibe!
Taksim square at any time of the day or night remains the central point of entertainment.

  
  
Obviously if I made my way until Taksim square I wasn’t going to miss taking the funicular along Istiklal avenue.

  

Istiklal avenue had everything that I could wish for: shops, restaurants, beauty salons, bars and a few really good cafes. 

Turkish people are good at many things, but what I certainly appreciate the most is their skill of preparing really delicious sweets . Sometimes delicious is not enough for them and then they make it also impressive. How? For instance with this enormous tower of sugar, honey and others they managed to attract quite a few customers, at least until the window to take a photo.

  The big variety of baklava certainly distracts, but it does worth giving a chance also for the local cuisine, which never dissapoints either . 

  
  

With full stomach of Turkish food and delights I’m feeling pumped to make the most of my free days in this awesome city full of varieties. Not that much interested in the touristy spots, but at least from outside it does worth checking out the Blue Mosque and the Galata tower. 

  
  

 Some other worth seeing spots are around the two above mentioned ones and with the small number of tourists in no time I checked them out too. 

  
   

  

  

While sipping a refreshing home made lemonade at a nearly empty terrace near the Blue Mosque , the waiter tells me how on a regular Sunday like this I wouldn’t be able to find a table. Now it’s different though…The number of visitors dropped so much that the staff are bored during the working hours…On the other hand the degrees didn’t drop at all, instead kept increasing, so actually I’m quite glad I have a spot with my lemonade.

  
 All energized I’m hitting the road, not too far I bump into the Basilica Cistern. 

  
   

In order to make it all complete a bazar must be included too . I head to the spice bazar at the suggestion of my just met American mate , not that much cause I want to buy any special spices, but more for the experience. We get to discover that the spice bazar is actually a kind of bazar of everything: soaps, towels, sweets, teas and of course spices too. 

  
   

 In case you didn’t know what a great advertising are Turkish sellers able to improvise , at a bazar you will certainly notice. “Everything is the best quality, the most intense and long lasting perfume, at the best price and just for you with a semnificative discount . If you have any doubts you can try it: have a bite of the baklava, a sip of the tea.” Still not convinced ? Maybe the names will make it easier. Lacking some love? At every stand you will find some love tea. Feeling weak today? Red bull tea for you. Having a boyfriend with issues? Hopefully one of these two will solve the problem! 

  
We didn’t purchase anything, but had heaps of fun! “Bazaring” it’s cool and Turkey, you rule!

  
  
  

Beauties of Bangkok: the temples

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel, Uncategorized

 

I was super excited to visit two of the most important attractions while in Bangkok. Even though I prefer the less touristy spots, Wat Pho and The Grand Palace can’t be missed. Both of them are extremely touristy, luckily when I went at Wat Pho it wasn’t such a huge crowd though. The ferry ride there is already an adventure itself, one of those adventures that I prefer not repeating. If the traffic on the roads of Bangkok seems unorganized and chaotic, check out the ferry on the river and you will kiss the ground when you get off. I didn’t like riding the ferry, but as I stepped to the fascinating Wat Pho I forgot about all the hassle I went through. The calmness you feel in this sacred place is probably better than any yoga session. First I was completely blown away of the beauty and the so meticulously decorated walls of the complex. It’s absolutely fascinating and I’m thinking what a hard work must be behind it.

  
Wat Pho is famous for the huge reclining Buddha, so my friend, Amita and myself make sure that we check it out. We are both impressed, it is truly big and it leaves us breathless for a second. Several notes around it, saying ” be aware of pickpocketers”. I can’t believe that in such a place some mean people can take advantage. It didn’t happen to us, but seeing those notes made us be more conscious and keep an eye on our belongings every second. Quite sad, because you don’t enjoy as much the whole setting when you know that someone closeby might rob you, do you?

  
However, the rest of the complex is calmer, tourists are all spread around, so we can explore every part in our own rhythm, calmly and observantly. I get excited at every step and probably repeat a thousand times : ” wow, that’s so beautiful”. 

  
With this occasion we can’t make it in time for the Grand Palace, so we leave that for the next morning and as we get there around 9 am is already so extremely packed with tourists from all over that you can barely move. Everybody is trying to get in but there’s no order whatsoever. That’s already annoying and for that reason I already think that I prefer Wat Pho. 

  
Finally we get in the complex but no chance to get rid of the big crowd at any time. Visiting the temples is another challenge, long queues and people pushing from all sides. When you eventually make it, at least inside you can relax a bit and feel a moment of calmness while admiring the Buddhas. As you may know, before entering a temple you need to leave your shoes outside, so just imagine what an aroma is floating in the air and your nose doesn’t know anymore what’s that fresh air. With other words, this visit is a fight for air, which is painful, but during this fight you see absolutely mesmerizing buildings, which somehow give you the energy to go on and survive in such conditions. 

  
I guess you could spend hours here, visiting several sights, but I gave up quite quickly. I’ve seen the most important ones and chose to escape the crowd. 

   
 It was way too much for me and if I end up again in Bangkok I will skip Grand Palace for sure. On the other hand I do recommend in for every first timer. Just have a lot of patience with you and some water, you will need one more than the other!

Trip to a Thai floating market 

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel, Uncategorized

   
As if the various markets going on all around the city were not enough, decided to check out a real special one. A market on the river.
After a two hours drive from Bangkok we reached this very touristy, but yet so authentic floating market, called Damnoen Saduak floating market.  

The bus drive there is way longer than spending time at the market itself, but it does worth the travel. More or less in an organized way – Thai standards – the tour guide directs us first of all to the long tail boat and in each boat board aprox 6 people. Off we go! Not more, maybe just less than 10 minutes of long tail boat ride and we had a sneak peak of the market. But that’s not all. 

   
   
Those people put out all their products to be sold and they definitely know to advertise them. In order to have a close look and literally float between “boat boutiques” we take this time a regular boat that a strong Thai gentleman is rowing around trying to avoid the boat traffic. 

  
That’s nearly impossible though, all the others trying to do the same thing. Boats everywhere, we are being pushed either from the right or from the left ,but also from front and back and our boat does the same thing to the others . Perfect location for socializing with people from the other boats. 

  
As soon as we get close to a boat full of souvenirs the seller quickly pulls the boat closer and the bargain starts. 

  
Seller: “1000 baht for 2 wooden elephants.”

Tourist: ” whaat? 400!”

Seller: ” 500″

Tourist: “350.”

Seller: ” ok”

And that’s how my friend, Jonas ended up buying his souvenirs for much much less than the initial price. Basically they accept any price you offer as long as you don’t give up on bargaining. When you give the impression that you are losing the interest they will accept your price instantly. 

The floating market is going on all day long, 7 days out of 7 and if you haven’t found what you’ve been looking for on the boats, there’s a chance to find it on the riverside. 

From clothes to souvenirs, the selection is vague. 

   
 You can easily empty your wallet, but fill your stomach. Food is present in several locations, great cooked meals or easy snacks and fruit salads, mango or coconut ice cream and my favorite of all: pancakes. 

   
 There is also an unusual attraction that I got the chance to meet from close and despite his scary behaviour , I enjoyed posing with the massive snake.

   
  
 Shopping, eating, snake cuddling, all possible at the floating market! Don’t forget sunscreen and hat, the sun is burning over there! But if you did forget, for sure you’ll find at the market! One rule: bargain rules!

Bangkok – a bit of a culture shock

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel, Uncategorized

I’m a first timer in the Thai capital and as expected, the adventure comes together with a bit of a cultural shock. Not as much the first evening , when I land and surprisingly the taxi driver doesn’t charge me double or triple fare. The boom is the next day, when I hit the road to explore this new city. What other way to feel the real lifestyle than riding a local bus? Now that’s gonna be a bit of an adventure!
  
What air condition, what ticket machine, what station announcement or punctuality? Not even rules, but still as chaotic as you could imagine the traffic – and frankly there’s quite a bit of a chaos – after a while I realize that I haven’t heard any honking or fights, that makes me think that those people must be having their order in the big disorder that I see.
  
However, the bus ride is endless, takes ages and people around me are sweating but with lots of patience and water you can survive it and it’s actually fun. Not many tourists opt for the local bus, so apparently I’m a bit of attraction for the locals, who give me shy smiles when getting on and off.  

I was curious to see a market that everybody has been talking about, but that didn’t impress me. Unless you are after cheap and not good quality products it’s a place to be, if you need good stuff better you go to a shopping mall I guess. In any case, checking out a market it’s one of the top things to do in Bangkok. The variety is huge: night market, day market, weekend market, food market and the list could continue. 

   
 Bangkok wouldn’t be Bangkok without the famous tuk tuks and their as well known drivers, who’s voice keeps following you everywhere : ” tuk tuk, tuk tuk”. 

   
 They all try to attract you to their tuk tuk and so kindly offer you the magnificent best price, which at first will be at least the double of the normal fare. Bargaining has never been my thing but I quickly improved my skills in such environment and proudly rode the tuk tuk around the city. 

  
The cheapest way to get around is still the taxi – cause riding the local bus is enough once – and it has air condition! 

As European ( and probably every other nation than Asian ) getting a lot of attention, compliments and smiles from all around becomes usual after a while when you just ignore it automatically because otherwise it’s just way too much to handle. Maybe it’s because it’s Valentine’s Day and you are solo in a park?! I don’t know…, but I don’t think I remember any other day of my life feeling so admired. Hilarious! 

   
 Also, you wouldn’t expect Asians celebrating love in such an intense way! I spotted dozens of romantic pals driving their scooter towards their partner with flowers, gifts or heart shaped balloons in hands. Love is in the air in Bangkok!

From my side all the love goes to the food and the marvelous pancakes I got the chance to eat every single day in Bangkok and later on in several other places in Thailand. Simply delicious and insanely cheap ! Also the street food is safe to eat, just adviseable to have a look from where you buy it. I’ve seen a few places where I wouldn’t have eaten for sure. 

   
    
 
   
 That’s Bangkok: everything happens just a step away from the busy traffic, on the street they cook and serve your meal, exchange your money, make your pedicure and offer you a massage. 

   
 Khaosan road, Silam and Chinatown are great examples for that and definitely must see spots while in Bangkok. 

 
   
 

 

Exciting Hong Kong-ing

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel, Uncategorized

When it comes to Hong Kong I doubt that someone would bring up the word: silent. For this reason now, when I look back I am so greatful that my plane landed at 6 am in this marvelous city. That meant I started my 10 hours layover very early, at 7 am on a Saturday morning wandering on the usually crowded streets of Hong Kong almost all by myself. I got the chance of experiencing a silent city, which was covered up with the previous nights party’s remains – those were not the most pleasant things to see, I have to admit that.   
The pleasant part though was present: watching how the city comes to life again. 
  
  

As I walk around the tempreture is remarkably rising, the humidity is high and even if it’s still early morning and I can’t even spot the sun, I can feel that it’s gonna be another hot day. The typical Asian attention and admiration is impossible to not notice, as polite and kind they are, the way they stare at me – I’m not Asian looking so they check well the differences and they are not really diplomatic at it – is slightly disturbing after a while, considering that I’m dealing also with a nasty jetlag. However, I just instinctively ignore the deep looks and go on exploring and discovering the city by the Star Ferry, which takes me to Kowloon, the part of the city that I found super exciting .

  
Victoria Harbour is fascinating and walking around is simply relaxing and refreshing. If you want to escape the real world you can always pop in the Space Museum, where I assume you meet a few more similar pals of the little green man.
  
  
Further down you meet significant people from our planet, well, I mean celebrities of Hong Kong, more precisely statues of them at the Garden of Stars.

  As we are all special and significant too, at least let me believe so, you’ve got the necessary setting to feel like a film start shooting the movie of your carier right now right here.

  
Obviously after meeting space creatures and celebrities, feeling both star – thanks to all the eyes pointed at you because of your non-Asian look- and space creature – dizziness that comes with jetlag seriously feels like having your head in the space spinning round and round – a walk in a park it’s necessary, especially when the entry looks so welcoming.
  
A well deserved chill time is indeed possible right when Hong Kong became the busy city I had imagined. Life is running in faster rythm outside of the park, but inside it’s all about relax, quiet, people chilling and stretching. 

  


 
  In the city of Hong Kong I met the unexpected diversity of dragons, refreshing and silent nature just around the corner from the busy shopping districts and kindness and polite attitude of the locals.

  
  
 This is how a good trip starts after all…   

  
 

❤️ AUSTRALIA ❤️ – When a dream comes true…

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Australia, Backpacking, Travel, Uncategorized

The Land Down Under was ( and it will stay forever) my number 1 country to visit on my endless travel list. A childhood dream , which came true at the age of 29, after a long wait and fantasizing about . It was my birthday present from myself to myself, cause yea, I deserved it. Three wonderful weeks in the most fascinating surroundings, mind blowing nature and exciting cities, scary but yet admirable wild life and above all: amazing, truly great people. 

If you like Australia before going there, once you reach it you will completely fall in love and leaving it behind will be much harder than imagined. Such an emotional, beautiful trip, the best of all and so private, that I’ll just release a few pictures that talk for themselves, for the rest just one suggestion : go there and experience it and then  you will understand what I mean.

Darwin

   
 
Brisbane

   
   
Gold Coast

   
   
Melbourne

  

Great Ocean Road

   
   
❤️ Sydney ❤️

   
   

Singaporean layover – excellent choice

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel, Uncategorized

When you are on your way to the charming Aussie summer, escaping the cold European winter, along the way you may end up enjoying the Singaporean stop over. I can only recommend it!Singapore looks appealing already from the window of the landing airplane you’ve been staying in for many many hours.
   
   

Finally taking off the last piece of winter clothing you have on and starting your summer vacation in the middle of December is epic. Singapore is warm and humid already in the early hours of the day, but that’s just a good reason to directly jump in one of the most famous swimming pools in the world. Not only the water is refreshing, but also the view is a buzz that will lift your energy up.

   
   

I’m talking about the Infinity pool, located on the 57th floor of the luxurious Marina Bay Sands hotel, where a room per night starts at the ” modest” rate of $400 and can reach the stars. Theoretically only the guests of the hotel can benefit of the pool, in reality if you are lucky and know who to talk to, you can find your way to the big attraction completely costless. I can consider myself fortunate in this case, because I wasn’t willing to pay insane amounts for such a treatment, yet still I was spoiling myself at this cool spot just like that, free! 

   
   
After some chill time, ready to explore the city that from above looks so interesting and diverse.

Singapore won’t disappoint anyone that appreciates quality, safety and clean surroundings. I would call it the Switzerland of Asia. It is indeed clean, safe, public transport is good and people respectful. A lot of nature at every step and no need to travel long from a spot to another.

Marina Bay Gardens is absolutely impressive, with a huge variety of vegetation and a cute Christmassy atmosphere.
  
   
    
    
   
  
Whether it comes to shopping or eating , Singapore is a good place for both. You can find from very cheap to very expensive, but in both cases you will not be disappointed. Though some areas are super cheap for eating out, it’s very safe for your stomach, I’ve tried and licked all my ten fingers a few times. Asian food is amazing and hospitality is their number one quality!
In my 15 hours layover I truly felt at the end of the day that I did explore the city and felt like I’ve spent at least a few days. 
    
   
    
   
I arrived to Singapore tired after a long flight, left Singapore refreshed to continue with another long flight, but in between I had a big smile on my face and nothing else matters…