Tag: wanderer

Travel Rant: Insane Courage

Published on by LostViivi18 Comments

 

I’m addicted to getting lost.

Walking unknown paths, not having map, getting scared of unfamiliar streets.

Some people would say I am crazy. And maybe that is why I keep most of my lost adventures secret from my loved ones. Traveling alone as twenty something girl looking all lost in country you have never visited before. Crazy? For me not.

It’s living. Having the feeling of something. Finding new places you would have never seen if you hadn’t taken the step towards scary and uncertain. Meeting people you would have never believed to know and finding unexpected friendships.

I used to live safely and never take the risks. My life was miserable and I didn’t know what was wrong with me. One quote changed my life. A couple of sentences that I chant in my head if I feel like going back to my safe but grim life.

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” -Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo

It took me twenty seconds to book my first three months solo trip to Japan.It took me twenty seconds to say yes when I was asked to come and visit people I didn’t even know properly to France. Twenty seconds insane courage to talk with stranger in train. (Later on because of her I got to see the local side of Tokyo.)

So when I go and don’t look my map. When I don’t know where I am or where should I go. I count the twenty seconds and follow the first idea coming to my mind. And then I go. Maybe I open the door of closest shop or take the small dirty looking back alley. I may be stupid doing it. I may even end up being scared for my life and safety. But never do I regret those twenty seconds.

I hope you will remember this later on in your life. Some decisions don’t need thorough thinking but bravery. Now ask yourself what you want to do with your life. 20 seconds what comes to your mind? For me it’s to travel and if you are reading my blog I bet for you it’s too. So another 20 seconds, don’t think too much and make your life your own.

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I have been busy lately and got thrown to totally new environment without warning. So I thought this text was fitting one for me to publish now. It has been on my drafts folder for ages and I just haven’t found the right time for it to appear in my blog. No I needed reminder of that 20 seconds. It really helps.

With love,

Viivi Severina

Travel Diary: My Lovely Helsinki

Published on by LostViivi23 Comments

This past week has been busy one for me. I have been traveling around Finland and even did cruise abroad. A lot of new places and experiences on short time so a lot of travel diaries to write for you.

Today I’m going to tell about weekend adventure I did with one of my best friends. The idea for this trip started a few weeks back but we only bought the tickets week before leaving. Our destination was Tallinn, Estonia, but first we decided to spend day in Finland’s capital city Helsinki.

Today’s diary is going to be shortly about that day in Helsinki. Enjoy!

Our day in Helsinki was full of stormy clouds and rainy weather

Helsinki in Day

My mum drove us to the bus stop after nine in the Saturday morning and we had hour before our ride would leave. I had been bright like I’m every morning and decided not to take jacket with me. MISTAKE! We used the remaining hour to buy warm clothes from the super market close by.

The weather wasn’t on our side. It rained when we ran towards the bus and it rained the whole two hours ride to Helsinki. Rain became the norm of our trip. Whatever we decided to do the water was coming down from the sky. We didn’t let that dispirit us.

We had decided to start our day in Kiasma modern art museum. I have been there probably too many times and it’s one of my family’s yearly day trip destinations. My friend on the other hand had never visited this amazing museum.

I loved the exhibitions they had this time. Colorful and spectacular.

So after our daily dose of culture it was time to find something to eat. We of course decided pizza -eat as much as you can- buffet. No need for fancy meals because we were still in Finland.

Stomachs full we walked around in the rain. Saw some big attractions like Helsinki Cathedral. We even got lost in middle of running race in the bay area. The traffic was stopped and even trams weren’t moving. No idea what it was. All respect for the runners, I’m so lazy would never take part to event like that.

One of the amazing experiences we had happened in Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral. I have never seen Orthodox ceremony but ended going inside just in the middle of one. So interesting! It was more powerful and showy when compared to the Christian one I’m used to.

A little by little the black clouds were going away and the sun was starting to shine. What did we do? Went and bought ice creams! It’s Finn syndrome… Sun makes us crazy because we don’t see it enough.

We enjoyed the last sun beams and then walked towards the cruise terminal. Everything went fine in the boarding (odd because we had never done it by ourselves so I expected more problems!) we arrived to our cabin’s door safely and from there the “fun” began.

In the photo you can’t even see our cabin’s size. But basically it was made of toilet and living are. The toilet took over half of the cabin leaving just enough walking space for us. We had known it would be small but it’s size still surprised us… Fortunately it was going to be just one night so we survived.

After the shock and laughs for the situation we started to examine our “new home” more closely. That’s when I found information paper stating that we should leave our cabin before 6.45 at morning. Before seven!! Too early! Who the heck makes these cruise plans?

Because of the early wake up we then wanted to sleep early but next problem was waiting for us. The bottom bed was meant to come out from the sofa taking over half of the living area. We were pulling it with all our strengths but could not open it. We tried good five minutes and were going to give up and go to the reception for help. Then I magically pullet and pushed and can’t even remember how but it finally opened.

After all the hassle it was time to sleep. Reluctantly we put our clocks to wake us at six and tried to rest the remaining few hours in the wildly swinging boat.

 

 

Next time: story from Tallinn’s old town

Wait for my next travel diary to hear about the day we spend in Tallinn! Have you ever been in cheap cruise? I think starting from now I will only take day cruises to Tallinn…

I hope you are having amazing day.
With love,

Viivi Severina

Disneyland, Paris

Published on by LostViivi20 Comments

Welcome to our second Wanderlust Wednesday! Today’s destination is Disneyland because who doesn’t love to let their inner child out? If you didn’t read the first part of this series check it out HERE. And to put shortly this idea every Wednesday I will introduce new destination I have fallen in love with and recommend it or everyone.

But now back to today’s topic!

Disneyland

Where? Paris, France

How to get there? Take train from center Paris.

When to go? Check out the official website for what is happening in park. There is different themes depending on when you visit. (For example Halloween.) Go at morning because you will spend whole day but don’t leave the park too early because they have amazing firework show at the closing time.

How much does it cost? If you have time and want to safe money, try to find perfect deal for you. The prices are changing a lot but usually it’s about 50€ or more for one day.

Why to go?

Well, it’s Disneyland. Do you need other reasons?

I have always been the girl who loves stories and fairy tales. Disney movies were the start of everything so when I got to visit Disneyland year ago I was totally thrilled. My three years younger sister was almost as keen to see the magical land of happy endings as I was.

My younger brother instead wasn’t that into it. He was complaining and following behind us with my dad when we explored the huge park. So maybe not good place for teen boys but I recommend Disneyland for families with young children and all ages of true princesses.

8 Reasons to Visit Disneyland

1.Time to return back to your childhood! My childhood was full of Mulan, Pocahontas and Mickey Mouse. Even now years later my inner child was screaming from happiness when I saw in real life all the characters I used to love. So many memories came back to my mind.

2.Perfect photography material. Don’t we all want to brag about our amazing experiences? Taking cute photos with Disney characters or crazy photo in front of the scary rides will be guaranteed social media hit among your friends.

3.Shooting game rides. I don’t know if there is official English name for these (please inform me if you know…) but I mean the rides where you sit in small moving car and have laser gun to shoot targets. You get points depending how many/what targets you hit.

Well whatever the name is I loved these. My sister is super good at shooting (scary right?) so we competed which one of us was better. I can’t recall who won so it was probably my sister. My brother and dad didn’t have a change against us.

4.Alice in wonderland Labyrinth was my favorite place in whole Paris Disneyland. I used to think this was boring movie when I was child. But I always identified myself with Alice. (Fun fact: Alice’s name is Liisa in the Finnish version of this story!) You will not get lost in this labyrinth but there is change of finding interesting paths and corners.

5.Cool Rides (aka the ones where children aren’t allowed) are one side of Disneyland. I’m not friend of them so can’t really tell you if it’s good reason to visit. I listed it here because the people coming out of them seemed happy. Roller coasters are scary…

6.Fireworks. One word: fireworks. Every day ends with amazing show in Disneyland. At the closing time you should try to find good place to see the princess castle. There will be light shows, story time and firework show beyond compare.

7.To buy souvenirs and hunt for the perfect stuffed animal. There is souvenir shop in every corner of Disneyland. You can’t even exit some of the rides without walking through one.

8.To end up in crazy ride you didn’t want to go… And hate it but feel like you will survive from anything after that experience. Some of the rides in Disneyland are crazy. Or maybe it’s just because I hate theme park rides?

Well however if you are as scared of dying when the ride accidentally breaks down just when your ride it (very likely…) don’t go to the big tower where someone is screaming constantly. Because I’m dummy we went there with my sister.

There was today’s Wanderlust Wednesday! Have you visited Disneyland in Paris or elsewhere? Or is it on your bucket list?

I’m currently traveling around Finland and even traveled to Estonia. Those stories will be out this weekend and later on. And of course new Wanderlust Wednesday is going to come out in week. So see you soon!

With love,

Viivi Severina

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Published on by LostViivi31 Comments

It’s time for first Wanderlust Wednesday! This is new blogging series that will have new post every Wednesday in my blog. (This is mostly for me to keep writing something every week… But don’t worry! I will still publish a lot of travel articles in other days too.)

The idea of this series is to recommend places for everyone to visit at least once in their life time. Kind of like bucketlist but destinations I have experienced and loved. The topics will be everything from countries to small attractions and even cozy accommodations. So follow my blog if you want more inspiration to travel!

Today I’m going to introduce one of my favorite places in whole world. If I could only do one trip before dying I would probably decide to go here. This place is beautiful, calming and full of secret trails. It’s full of tourists but also locals. So what place am I talking about?

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Other names: Fushimi Inari shrine, Mt. Inari, Mount Inari

Where? Kyoto, Japan

How to get there? I always walked because my hostel was only two kilometers from the entrance (and I had a lot of time). You can also use train. It takes about 5min and costs 140 yen.

When to go? Fushimi Inari is always open. I loved the autumn leaves but don’t know about other seasons. I recommend going on early evening and walking to the top when it is still bright. Then stop at the observation/restaurant spot and admire the sun setting over Kyoto. (PS. At dark the place is scary but magical.)

How much does it cost? Totally free! Just remember take water and snacks with you because the ones they sell are pricey. And you may end up buying souvenirs from here or crave for ice cream on your way to the top. So you should budget some money to do that.

Why to go?

If I should persuade someone to visit Mt. Inari I would just show them some photos of the Torii gates covering all the paths up. Why I fell in love with this place, is a much difficult matter. So let me tell you one of the many tales from my visits to Mount Inari.

My Story (To Get You Visit This Beautiful Place)

It was my second time on the top of Mt. Inari and it was starting to get dark. I knew the sun would be down before I would get back down. Fortunately the main trails have street lights so it was only a little scary to walk.

I was only one in sight but was able to hear other hikers somewhere far away. Everything glowed in green and red lights and big shadows came out of the shrines I walked past. There were no humans but several cats kept following me. If I tried to approach them they would run away and disappear to the darkness but soon after another cat would follow me again.

I was almost back to the main shrine and bottom of the mountain. There was more and more people around me, mainly locals at this hour. The cats were long gone because of all the talking, laughing and screaming. It didn’t seem so scary anymore. Then I decided to do something crazy that would either end up being catastrophe or once in life time experience.

There was small trail with weaker lights going steeply uphill and away from the way I was going. It took only seconds from me to decide and start walking there away from all the people. After me followed one family and two Japanese boys. We kept walking towards darkening forest and soon the family turned back because it seemed like this path would not go anywhere.

Then with flames that looked real fire lighted shrine came to our view. The boys behind me were laughing and having fun and probably wondering what I did here. I totally fell in love with the small shrine. Only for that my walk would have been worth it. The boys decided to walk ahead when I still admired the cozy shrine.

I had to do another bad decision. To walk more or to return back. The path going on didn’t have lights anymore. The forest was getting more and more dense and the only light I saw ahead was the phones of the two boys walking. Of course I decided to walk to the darkness.

I saw the boys turning and starting to walk towards me. I though maybe they decided it was too scary to go on. For me this trip was all about winning my fears so I took my phone and lighted  it up. At that point the boys realized I -the foreigner lost looking girl- had decided to walk more. They quickly turned and continued to walk towards.

Maybe it would have been embarrassing for them to turn back if I was going on? Well, whatever the reason was they kept walking and I kept walking. Sometimes their light would get lost behind the trees and at those moments the darkness surrounded me. Scary.

After a long walk I saw light getting closer and closer after every step. Soon the two boys walked towards me, said soft hellos when going past me and continued laughing and talking. I decided to continue towards the light even if it meant I would now be totally alone in the forest.

The light ended up being yet another shrine and small waterfall. My night walk was becoming more and more worth the scared feelings. I think this was one of the most beautiful and peaceful sights I have seen. There is no words to describe the beauty I saw and unfortunately no photos because of the darkness. But maybe that is just a good thing so I was able to fully enjoy the moment.

So then I walked back the dark forest path and didn’t feel that scared anymore. I got safely back to the hostel and have now memory to last forever. I hope I can return here one day in the future… I returned to that exact spot later on but when it was sunny and warm. In day light it wasn’t as magical but still beautiful.

This was my small story from Fushimi Inari. I would have hundreds of them to tell but we don’t have time for that. So instead I will just say that you should go and experience it by yourself.

Did I wake your wanderlust? Have you ever visited Fushimi Inari or is it already on your bucket list? I hope you enjoyed today’s subject.

With Love,

Viivi Severina

Travel Rant: Being Scared

Published on by LostViivi26 Comments

Once upon a time social phobic, shy and scared of everything girl decided to go and travel the world. Everyone though she wouldn’t do it, even the girl herself. But now year later she is here writing for you and wanting to share one message she has leaned.

Never let your fears take over your want to live.

Everyone is scared of something but I have seen that usually the ones being scared of leaving are the ones needing it the most. At least that was the case with me…

Traveling may seem dangerous for someone never been outside of their comfort zone. You will always hear about the dangers on world. Robbers, rape and terrorists. Getting lost, conned or not fitting in. Everything familiar at home transforms scary when in new place. Going to see the world is like deadly affair with your dreams.

The reality is different from our scared imagination. On my travels I have met the most kind people. If I am lost someone is always helpful to walk me back to my hostel. If you use your common sense getting conned isn’t problem. There is always someone who will make you feel like in home.

Show the people who are not believing in you that everything is possible. Small town girl can survive alone in the big dangerous cities. Nothing can stop us if we just try our hardest.

So go and travel despite your fears. Trust me those who fear traveling the most should do it as soon as possible. It will open your eyes and heart. It will make you braver than you ever though you would become. 

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So this was “travel rant”. Me talking about random things concerning travels. Did you like it? Well, I will probably write more of them even if you don’t want so I’m sorry for that. I’m still asking: do you want more of these kind of writings or should I just stick with the travel stories?

With love,

Viivi Severina