Quick pics from Singapore

5/12/2013-9/12/2013

When I stepped out from the airplane I felt the warm breeze and I smiled - back in Asia. The air has been on the both days warm and humid all the time but I don't mind. It's freezing at home and I can walk bare feet again - love it !

Besides warm weather also this made me happy !

So on the first day I think we did small Asia-tour - first we visited Chinatown to see all the fuss, then we left to Little India (<3) for lunch and in the end (after fifty shopping malls - where they all come from?!) to Marina Bay to see the modern Singapore. Interesting and lovely day !

Chinatown

Little India

Lunc place in Little India - and the Bollywood music on the background !

Come to mama !

Especially I had waited for the Indian food and to see the Marina Bay which I skipped the last time. We were supposed to visit there but in the end we stayed until the sun set and stayed for hours. We just layed on the wooden stairs and admired the city and the sky. I don't know what but big cities are by night something incredibly beautiful. The lights, the athmosphere, the secrets which the night hides .. Fascinating !

Day ...

Marina Bay

Lisää kuvateksti

 And evening ..

We visited also the Gardens by the Bay and went there again next day but it wasn't at all that interesting than by night. In the evening it was like you were in the middle of Jurassic Park movie but the daylight made the athmosphere vanish ..

Gardens by the Bay

Sometimes you need to have a nap

On the second day we went to Chinatown for lunch and rest of the day we visited shopping malls as it started to rain. Which probably the only option to do if it does rain. In Europe you go to museums or stuff but not here .. Here it's serious shopping ! Or watching Teletubbies show (secretly from the upper floor as you're scared to be too old).



And you never know what you will see or whom you will meet ...

 But this was just a quick visit - Bali is waiting next and who knows what tubbies comes ahead there ! But Singapore .. I like you.

Here we go again !

5/12/2013 In Singapore - writer is happy, tired and confused

This girl just can't stay too long in Finland. Again I needed to go and escape the hard Finnish winter somewhere warm. This time the plan is to visit old friends and at the same time see some new places too. Now I'm in Singapore and I'll stay here three days until I'll fly to Denpasar, Bali to meet my close friends from Finland, Australia and Bali. Where the adventure continues from there ? Let's see, even I don't know! And perhaps I don't even want to know. Let it be a mystery ! The adventure begins here - now

Old pic from Bali '12

Vi kommer alltid ha Paris - We will always have Paris !

27/5/2013 - 31/5/2013

Well what can I say. It's an amazing city. And I think 45 million tourists every year are a good proof of that. It's one of the most popular tourist destinations and I could recognise it. In Marseille I heard hardly English. But in Paris. Immediately when I arrived to the city I heard girls next to me speaking English with a strong American accent. Perhaps they were doing the famous "Euro-trip" and trying to find love from the most romantic city in the world. Which Paris truly is. There are bridges full of lovers' locks, lovers sitting in the park and flower shops in every corner. There is romance everywhere ! The city itself is beautiful: it is full of more and more beautiful buildings and tremendous monuments which are reminding from the history and the glorious days when there were still kings and queens. I'm not saying democracy is not good and the glorious days are over. I think it's good that the tax payers make sure that the money is not spent for making a statue of king's dog (probably there really isn't but I just want you get the point) but some monuments just makes me gasping. And I also think why we don't have those in Finland?

Salut Paris !

Lovers ..

Beautiful river Seine

.. and some more lovers

I don't unfortunately remember the walls name - but amazing !

Vive la revolution !

 I think what is great in the city is that you really don't need to worry where you will stay. I stayed in four different places and from allt hose places it was easy to go anywhere with the metro system. Places I can recommend are Aloha hostel and Le Montclair Hostel. Aloha is within walking distance of Eiffel Tower, Boulevard Montparnasse and many other sights. Le Montclair is situated in Montmartre which is bohemian and artistic subvision in Paris. There you can climb to see the city from Sacre-Coeur or go and see Moulin Rouge. (And then visit Aussie bar where the bartenders offer free drinks, be aware !) Actually Moulin Rouge was little disappointment from outside. The mill looked like a plastic cup. Or then I just were disappointed as Ewan McGregor wasn't there singing to me and promising to love me forever. Ha.

View from Sacre-Coeur

Moulin Rouge

Paris is full of things to do and I would love tell about them all but here are pictures of my favorites and places which are must-see.

Jardin de Luxembourg

Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris

Ponte des Arts

Eiffel tower

Champs Elysee

In the end I have to tell you what the other French people like Parisians. I don't have huge range of answers but here are some things which repeated every time I asked: Parisians are busy, arrogant, not helpful and they think they are better than others. When again the people from Marseille are thought laughing, relaxed and slow. People from North are laughing and little bit simple (I wonder what this means?). It was interesting to notice that at least the difference between the pace was true. In Paris people are running and they don't have time to chat but in Marseille .. People are walking and taking slow. Also the hospitality is way better in Marseille than in Paris. Of course there are always exceptions and I'm just generalizing. But I noticed the difference. Luckily tourist has all the time and I didn't need to rush. As still Paris is the best place just to wonder around and get lost in the city. Which you should definitely do - it's full of secrets and the best way to find them is to get lost.

May in Marseille

17/5/2013 - 27/5/2013

I have been lucky to meet lot of people around the world while I have been travelling. But I have also got really good foreign friends also in Finland. I met Antoine and Mehdi years ago in a cafe in Turku and finally it was time to go and meet them in Marseille. Nowadays I'm not good to make those short "weekend city breaks" as I think you don't really get good image what the city is really like. I really want to know what is it really like. Where the locals go to eat and after work? How they act in the subway? What they talk about? What the schools are like? What they write in the newspapers? What they watch from the TV? Then I can actually say I have seen the place. So I spent ten days in Marseille and I thought "well if I go to France I must go to Paris too" so I also went there for four days.

My trip began with the famous party boat from Turku to Stockholm. From Stockholm I took the plane to Marseille. Thanks to Ryanair the plain tickets were third of the price what they would have been if I flew from Finland. Though I almost succeeded to miss the airport bus and then my flight. Why? Well let's just say that never forget to put your alarm on the right day. I didn't see much Stockholm but the little I did I started to think - why I never visit it more? It's just on the other side and it's more than cheap to go and visit. 

Archipelago on the way to Stockholm

Stockholm

But so I made it to the plane and I got to Marseille. And it was grey. Rainy. Cold. And I had only my summer clothes with me. I was going to South of France. I thought it must be warm ! Actually it wasn't. Couple days I could wear shorts but then .. I wasn't lucky with the weather but luckily I had the best guides in the world. Mehdi and Antoine showed me around and hosted me so well ! I even felt little bit spoiled sometime. But seriously Finnish men should learn some manners from the French. The bets are on the table Finns !

My home in Marseille - loved it !

My guides - the best !

Marseille

 Marseille is famous for being dirty and dangerous. I didn't see neither of them. As I was lucky to go there when Marseille hosts the Cultural Capital City of Europe this year. The city has been cleaned and I had my two bodyguards with me all the time so I were safe. For me Marseille is made from delicious cakes, beautiful streets, lovely harbour, friendly people and lot of fun !

Old part of Marseille

The cakes .. Oh my !

The harbour - amazingly beautiful and my favorite in Marseille

Because of the cultural year the city was full of these exotic animals - trying to find them all could be nice game while you visit there !

Luckily as I had the best guides I visite some other places near Marseille also. Actually I can't imagine how many great places there are just next to the city which we outsiders don't know. All these small and narrow streets just waiting for me. I could walk around and just loose myself in the middle of the streets. They're full of nice little cafes where you will have more and more delicious breads, cheeses or croissants. Yummy ! Here are few place where we visited and which I will miss a lot and just dream about going back !

Allauch

La Ciottat

Aix-en-Provence

Calanque

After great time in Marseille it was time to move up North - au revoir Marseille, salut Paris !