Early afternoon of a freezing cold day of March, somewhere in the southern outskirts of Saint Petersburg, we were boarding a Soviet-style bus bound for the town of Pushkin, located some 24 km to the south of the city. It was first founded as an imperial residence called Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar Village), in the year 1710, soon after the city of Saint Petersburg, at the location … [Read more...]
Ice Swimming in Neva River, Saint Petersburg
Having grown up by the seaside, I’ve learned to always enjoy a good swim, and I have developed a second-nature kind of liking for water. Furthermore - despite that seaside of my childhood being of the sunny, warm kind - I've come to become aware of the exhilarating effect cold has on one's mood and to believe in the benefits swimming in cold water arguably gives to one's … [Read more...]
A Trip to Kronstadt on Kotlin Island in the Gulf of Finland
Some 30 km off the city of Saint Petersburg, on Kotlin island in the Gulf of Finland, there lies Kronstadt. There is the main port of Saint Petersburg and the traditional seat of the Russian Admiralty and the Russian Baltic Fleet's base. The island was captured by Great Peter's forces from the Swedes during the Great Northern War, in the year 1703. The island then served as the … [Read more...]
What to see in Saint Petersburg in one day
It was a freezing cold March morning in the erstwhile capital of Imperial Russia, now the country's second-largest city: Saint Petersburg. The thermometer showed -20 degrees Celsius, though the sky was perfectly clear and a fierce sun was bathing the glorified city in profuse sunshine. I just had arrived in the city the previous day. Now it was the right time to head downtown … [Read more...]
Impressions after first day in Russia
Most of you out there will probably agree with me that setting foot in a country for the first time produces an unparalleled, enthralling feeling. This is especially true when the subject country is one you've been dreaming to visit for a long long time. That was the case with me and Russia. Ever since I started to become acquainted with the world's geography and history: right … [Read more...]
The Dude Who Swallowed 4 Grams of Cocaine Inside the Police Station
The hero of this story, who, for discretion’s sake, will be referred to as G, used to be a good friend of mine. By used to be, I don’t want to mean that he at any point stopped to be my friend, but simply that he altogether ceased to be. His passion for drugs drove him to an early grave. G has long been dead, but his legacy lives on in the memories of the … [Read more...]
A Random Girl, a Random Night in Cape Town
...Quite a few hours must have passed since the moment we were clinking the first beer glasses in an Irish pub until the next vivid memory I have: wondering “where the hell am I?” while drifting wasted along a dark narrow street. Only a few blurry images remained in my recollection from the blank interval in between: a Rastafari guitarist playing a Gibson off the … [Read more...]
Drymonas Waterfalls and Mount Xiron (Xiron Oros) on North Evia
This is a post about a hiking trip to Drymonas Waterfalls and Mount Xiron on North Evia Island in Greece. If you are looking for information and inspiration for planning out your hiking adventures throughout Greece, check out this resources page. It was one of the first days of 2018 which found me and my good company at the village of Mantoudi on the north of the island of … [Read more...]
Two Days in Meteora in the Winter
It was a dark and cold winter daybreak in a vacant parking lot somewhere in Larissa, the capital city of Thessaly Region in central Greece. We were sitting in the car, crouching and shivering inside our thick jackets while waiting for the engine and the interior of the car to warm up and the frost on the windows to melt. We would soon start driving towards one of Greece's most … [Read more...]
A Winter Trip to Mount Pelion in Magnesia, Greece
This is a post about hiking on Mount Pelion in Magnesia Region of Central Greece. If you are looking for information and inspiration for planning out your hiking adventures throughout Greece, check out this resources page. It was about noontime of a freezing-cold, overcast day we were crossing the bridge over the straits of Euripus separating the island of Euboea from the … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- …
- 33
- Next Page »