On my last weekend in Brussels I finally managed to go to Luxembourg, and now, after moving back to Palermo, I want to share some thoughts on what really impressed me about this amazing country :)
So click to watch (and please remember to like, share and subscribe, as it really helps me to move the channel forward!)
Yesterday I finally went to Ghent - one of my must-see destinations in Belgium (yes, I do have a list, and I'm basically flying through it!).
Ghent is a beautiful city quite close to Brussels (I don't think that it took me more than 40 minutes to get there from Brussels Midi station) and it always was one of my priorities for this three months in Belgium.
So... I kinda both liked and disliked it. Let me explain:
It's an absolutely beautiful city and I wish I could spend a few days (rather than a few hours) there. But it was one of those weird trips when way too many things went wrong - the weather was weird (it was sunny, gloomy, rainy, warm and ridiculously cold at the same time, I took the wrong tram from the station and had to wait for the right one in some unidentifiable place in cold wind, everything (and I mean everything - every shop, supermarket and bar, apart from those in the city centre) was closed, so I couldn't even hide from the rain until I arrived in the centre.
But... It was still worth it. Because Ghent is absolutely beautiful and charming, and I really need to visit it again, but in better weather and day of the week (I should've been used to the fact that almost everything in Belgium is closed on Sunday, but I still can't).
Anyways, check out my video and please don't mind my weathered looks - it was way too windy and cold to look nice.
Hello, amazing people! Today I want to share my recent trip with you.
A few weeks ago I was in a bit of a funny mood. You know, one of those times that make you reflect on things and also feel quite lonely, especially if you are living in a new country and don't have a whole lot of friends there.
So instead of sitting at home the whole Sunday and feeling sorry for myself, I picked myself up, went to the train station and bought a ticket to Antwerp.
And it was a great decision!
As you can see in the video, it's a very pretty and lively city, and I was very lucky to see a super cute fair on the main square, listen to street musicians and do some people watching while enjoying a great cappuccino with soy milk in one of the coffee shops.
So Antwerp gets my recommendations as a very nice weekend getaway, especially if you are new to Brussels (or Belgium) and tend to feel lonely sometimes.
Today I'm cheating a bit - instead of travel or minimalism/volunteering/mindfulness videos I have a tag. I know it's not the same, but I really wanted to film a sit-down video before I go back to Palermo for a bit, so this was the number one tag in my idea bank.
Please forgive me for the weirdest camera angle, I'm working on it.
And click on to see me rambling about some of the funny travel experiences I had in Europe and Asia over the last 4.5 years.
Since I was a very, very little girl I always dreamt about travelling. I don't remember ever wanting to marry a prince that badly, but I do remember imagining myself in various places around the world (mostly in Karnak or Acropolis) all the time, as I was reading every adventure novel I could find. Mind that in those times travelling, especially with a Ukrainian passport, wasn't all that easy.
So now, as my dreams started to come true 4 years ago, I already saw three places I was absolutely obsessed with - Angkor wat in Cambodia, Acropolis in Greece (only from afar, but I will go back there) and now the Atomium here, in Belgium.
I saw it for the first time when I was about 5 years old - my grandfather was working in Syria in the beginning of the 60s and he brought back many cool things with him, including a small device with a few boxes of slides from around the world. And I was spending hours looking at the pyramids of Giza, Greek temples, Damascus and its beautiful buildings covered in mosaics. And the Atomium, that was a very new thing at that time - it was constructed for the World Expo of 1958.
I instantly became obsessed with it - to the same extent, as some people who are mesmerized by Eiffel tower. It looked so cool and futuristic and modern, and just like something that I really wanted to see.
But as I was growing up I was adding more and more must-see destinations to my bucket list and the Atomium wasn't a number one anymore... Until July 2017, when I realised that - holy cow, I'm going to live in Brussels!
So yes, on my first weekend here I went straight ahead to the Atomium and had an amazing day dorking out at how weird, futuristic and old-school sci-fi it looks. I have a feeling I will go there a few more times till the end of November, because... just because!
For some more footage and photos check out my video and instagram, and subscribe if you like what you see :)
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that a few weeks ago I travelled to the North of Italy to conduct some interviews for my research. I've already visited Turin once (check out my blog posts about that trip here and here) and also been to Milan multiple times (I love to write about my complicated relationships with this city so you can check my previous posts here), but have never been to Bergamo.
And even though I was mostly working and didn't have much time to just enjoy my trip, I still manage to squeeze in some fun activities - a cup of cappuccino at the cat cafe, a few nice walks and the visit to the Museum of Cinema (last time we did only the elevator to the top of Mole to enjoy the view).
So let's go!
I came to Turin on the warmest, sunniest and loveliest day and, walking through the city centre with my suitcase, thought how lucky I am to find such a lovely weather up in the North of Italy.
Check out my travel vlog over at my YouTube channel (and remember to subscribe and switch on notifications not to miss any future videos)
The last day in Turin was lazy, warm and very good. Perfect for lazy walks around the city, picking up some last minute necessities, visiting Tiger for the last time (oh, I cannot even explain how much I love it!) and cooking a lovely lunch at our friends home.
In May we went to Turin - the city I fell for hard and fast.
Everybody was telling me that it's beautiful, but I never expected it to also be so comfortable, friendly and artsy (in the best sense of the word). I only do to spend three days there, but I want to come back there again and again, just because I felt so good and comfortable there. Let's put it like this - Turin became the leader of my goal cities for now (while Milan and Rome didn't enter into the competition at all).
I know that there are so many people that always wanted to travel, but never had an opportunity. Trust me, I was there - the first time I saw a sea I was 14 years old, and I've never left Europe until I was 28.
But the wonderful thing about traveling is that it doesn't have to include three plane flights and different continents, and it's okay to start small. A trip to another town can be a great experience and bring you a lot of positive emotions, meetings and a better understanding of your own country.
When I lived in Chiang Mai, any trip I wanted to take, be it to Vientiane, Bangkok or Siem Reap, always came with quite a bit of preparations. All of them came with at least 6 hours bus ride, so my travel necessities always included a travel backpack, packed for at least 2 days, some food, a travel pillow, a pair of socks, a hoodie for overly conditioned buses/trains and a lot of other things.
Since I came to Sicily, I cannot stop saying thank you to the universe – I can take so many of my “One -Day Trips Around Sicily” it’s mind-blowing. In 3-4 hours I can get to another side of the island, even if I need to change trains. As Sicily has so much to offer, it takes me basically no time to reach Greek temples and amphitheaters, ghost cities, volcanoes, salt ponds of Marsala, hot springs of Segesta, beautiful beaches, ski resorts and hiking routes. And I gladly take any opportunity to see new places.
I usually travel with the small studded backpack you already saw in many of my posts, as it is one of the honorary citizens of my “Trusted WEARdrobe”. Its size is absolutely perfect for a day of travel – not too big, but fits all of my necessities.
Asos backpack - my travel mug (bought in Lidl) - a pair of sunglasses - my Kindl Fire tablet in the Angkor Recycled cover (I bought on a night market in Cambodia when I lived in Asia three years ago and had to bargain for it like crazy) - my phone and a pair of headphones - my one and only bomber jacket (DIYed from a men's sweatshirt - let me know if you are interested in a tutorial) - the small notebook I bought in Budapest (my friend Racha and I have matching ones - what a great project it was!) and the pen - the only lip balm I can use (Nivea/Labello Pearl shine) and the smart lipstick from Kiko
Here is what I normally put there to discover Sicily:
In the end of March I participated in a great training course on migration, which is my field of work for more than two years and also one of the topics of my PhD research. It took place in a beautiful Swedish countryside (about which I will tell you a bit later, because for a week I was in my own personal aesthetic heaven), and on the way there and back I had a chance to visit also a bit of Denmark, particularly Copenhagen and Helsingør.
I know people who love Copenhagen, I know people who hate it. I honestly cannot tell you if I liked it or not. On one side - it's absolutely beautiful and doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before. On the other - as a city it gave a sense of anxiety and uneasiness. Everything is under construction now (I checked - it will be like this for at least 2-3 years), so there's a lot of dust, a lot of noise and a lot of inconvenience.
First time I've visited in Milan in October 2014, on my way to the study session in Budapest. In total I spent there eight hours, including debating whether I should go there, searching for a place to leave my suitcase and two hours spent on a bus - to get to central station from Bergamo and return back to the airport.
My second stay in Milan (four days ago!) lasted about 15 hours, mostly because my flight from Palermo was delayed for 5 hours. So I arrived there tired, sleep deprived and hungry, but still wanted to make a little trip around.
I really hope that one way I will be able to say "I stayed in Milan for __ day" instead of "I stayed in Milan for __ hours", but I don't know when it's going to happen - on my way back I will also have something around 18 hours there. But still it's a great experience, because it makes you really appreciate time and opportunities you get in life.
So what can you do in Milan if you only have a few hours?
