Sunset in NYC

Simply love that city.

Going West. New York City

I believe that traveling alone is great. Yes, a road trip with your friends is a fantastic thing to do, but when you’re going to a place you’ve never been before, you’d better go on your own. Selfish? Maybe. But that way you get out of the safe harbor, free yourself and open to new experiences. It is only you and your emotions and feelings.

New York City welcomed me like no other city on a beautiful Sunday evening. It appeared as a gorgeous mass of steel and glass with a fast beating heart. It seemed monstrous outside, but incredibly ~soulful~ inside. I loved its chaotic lifestyle. It seemed perfect in its imperfections. Everything, absolutely everything was inspiring about New York. Busy and loud, it was creating a symphony. And it felt right being there. Have you ever had this feeling when you come to a new place and you immediately feel like this is the place where you’re supposed to be? That’s what I felt in NYC. Even its confusing subway that I read so many things about appeared to me extremely easy and right. But nothing really compares to the people that make New York what it is now. Without them, it would be just a huge park surrounded by skyscrapers. They shape the city and bring it to life.

I can go on and on about New York, but should I? There are SO many interesting posts, stories and videos about it. I would just suggest one thing: before reading those stories, come to New York first. Alone. Get lost in its inspiring madness. And simply walk and explore the city and let the city explore you.

As the sun was getting down on a warm Monday evening, I headed further to the West. To a place that I call my second home – Colorado.

Vyborg Pt1

I’m back! 🙂 That was a tough week, but I loved it. Got so many surprises for you! But, first of all, how have you been?

So, you probably know that I love to travel and this summer I happened to visit Vyborg, a city in Russia that used to belong to Finland. It has a very rich, interesting history; and the city itself is amazing.

“The Hanseatic city lies in the boundary zone between the East Slavic/Russian and Finnish/Scandinavian worlds and has changed hands several times in history, most recently in 1944 when it was retaken by the Soviet Union from Finland during World War II.”

Centuries ago Vyborg was used as a fort. Vyborg Castle,  medieval fortress that was built in 13th century, is still in the city and remains Russia’s only fully-preserved monument of Western European medieval military architecture. Vyborg is a really beautiful city. Because it used to belong to Finland, Vyborg looks exactly like any Finn city: old, colorful houses, narrow, cozy streets, little cafes where you can warm up in a cold, rainy day, sipping hot coffee with a blueberry bagel. I spent only one day in Vyborg with my nephew Kate, but that day was really one of its kind, an unforgettable experience.

As always, it all started on the road…

Look how beautiful this is. Cones. A piece of art.

 

That’s a 13th century Vyborg’s Castle. About it and many other things I will tell you in the next post.