Bucket list

I believe that every person has something they want to do before they die, whether that be sky-diving or bungy-jumping, or mayhaps witnessing the beauty of the Taj Mahal in the early hours of the morning, just as the sun breaks through the horizon.
I know that I have a few things that I want to to before I die. Some are a little more ostentatious and crazy, whereas others may not seem as outrageous, but nevertheless incredible. Here are a few things on my bucket list:

One of the things on my bucket list, which I will be able to tick off the list sooner than I expected, is celebrate New Years in Sydney. On New Year's Eve, roughly 1.6million people congregate in the metropolis of Syndey, New south Wales, Australia, to witness the 7 tonnes of fireworks explode in the night sky.

Even though it might be a chilly night, I would absolutely love to spend a night in the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. Th whole concept of actually building an entire hotel of pure ice, mesmerizes me.

Planning a trip to Iceland has been on my mind for months now, and it may be happening sooner than I expected. Stefanie and I are really keen to go in January, to witness the beauty of the Aurora Borealis. Visiting the Blue Lagoon, Eyafjällajökull (I managed to spell that without using google!!), and hiking in the mountains is also on my list of things to do in Iceland.

When I really got into watching short documentaries of surfer girls such as Alana Blanchard, Lakey Peterson and Bethany Hamilton among others on YouTube, I was completely blown away by the beauty of Hawaii and its many islands. Above is a picture of Kauai; no words are needed. But what I really want to do is surf the waves on the coast of Kauai, even though I'm a rookie...

This is a very recent addition to my "Things to do before I die"-list. The Inca Trail is one of the most, if not the most, famous treks in South America. It starts in Chillca and follows a route up to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. I've always thought that the ruins at Machu Picchu seem unreal, perched up on that mountain, almost as if they belong to a folk-tale, but to witness them with my own eyes would be incredible.

Ever since I saw the Pippi Longstocking movie where she flies a hot air balloon, I've wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride. The location for my ideal hot air balloon ride would be over the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, East Africa. However, I am a little skeptical towards the landing, or should I say "crash-landing" of the hot air balloons...

Over the summer, my brother and I had a conversation about visiting Toronto, Canada. Toronto is a city made up of great cultural diversity, as it has one of the highest percentages of foreign-born populations. I don't just want to visit Toronto, I would actually like to live there. Something about the city just appeals to me

To make the big move down under, a.k.a. Australia, has been on my list for the longest time! People always ask me why I like Australia so much, and first of all, the accent is my favourite accent of all times, but also it's diversity in natural beauty, the food, the people, the lifestyle, the beaches, the desert, the animal life, the list goes on. I'll be visiting Aus in December, and I literally could not be happier :D Ultimately, I want to move out there on my own; get a flat, a job, live life, meet awesome people, and travel around the ginormous country!

My list is long, but these are 8 things I really want to do right now!!

Madrid day 5

I have completely muddled up the days and don't know when or what we did anymore…
I have completely forgotten what day we had beer in las Huertas, and when we went to del Prado… Anyway, we did squeeze those things in our tight schedule.

Wednesday morning I woke up with the rest of them and we had breakfast. I packed my bag and got ready during the time Helen was washing up, getting ready and bossing the kids around. I said goodbye  to Helen and the kids. It was pretty emotional, as it always is. I don't know when I'm going to see Helen next, but I hope it's soon as I miss that girl whenever I'm not with her!
I headed over to the metro station to go to the airport. I got there in about half an hour of traveling, and had to walk about 1.5km to get to the actual check-in desk… Ridiculous amount of walking in my opinion.

I checked in, went through security and headed over to my gate. I popped into the bathroom to change into my jeans as I was preparing for the long and chilly flight ahead. After that I headed over to a café to purchase I panino and a bottle of water. For 7 bloody euros… I hate airports. They're outrageously expensive!

Our flight was delayed by about half an hour, no surprise there. I finally landed in Stockholm at seven or so, and briskly headed over to the bus which would take me directly to Fridhemsplan on Kungsholmen. I walked the short distance home and stopped by 7/11 to get a few snacks for myself as I wouldn't be able to get into the flat as nobody was home and I didn't have the keys with me…
Thankfully though, my mum arrived only after about half an hour of waiting and I actually managed to connect to our WiFi out in the hallway!

Madrid day 3

At 9 o'clock on Monday morning I was woken up by Angel knocking on my door, telling me breakfast was ready. I headed out into the kitchen where Helen and Ester were waiting for me. Helen and I finished our breakfasts quite quickly, but as Helen has told me previously, the kids took quite a while to finish their minuscule breakfasts. After breakfast I helped clear up a bit and then I got ready for the day, which for some reason took about 2 hours.. I was faffing about with so many different things. Meanwhile the kids were doing their homework and playing 2048, while Helen was nagging them about finishing their homework before we headed to the park.
At 12 o'clock or so we were ready to head out to the park. It was quite hot today and within about 2 minutes I was already sweltering.. After half an hour at the park I decided to head to the pharmacy at the corner as I needed to get Compeed bandaids as I was feeling blisters coming. We didn't stay at the park for long after that. Once we got home we let the kids watch some TV while Helen and I prepared lunch. Which was absolutely delicious, but the kids took a long while to finish it, and they needed Helen's help. Shortly after we finished lunch Angel (dad) came back form work. This is when Helen and I decided to pop out for the day.

We headed to the underground which would take us to Parque del buen Retiro. This park reminded me so much of Giardini Estensi in Varese. We walked around for a bit before we decided to sit down in a café by the lake to have a Calippo. We then headed down towards the Crystal Palace which was absolutely incredible! This is by far my favourite building in the world. It was so incredibly beautiful and I was in awe the whole time we were there.
After a long rest of our legs, we headed towards the exit and headed up to Salamanca. One of Helen's favourite parts of Madrid. We wanted to get tapas at a tapas bar however, the one we finally ended up going into had really bad service. This is why we decided to just head back to Santiago Bernabeu and have tapas at a tapas bar right next to the stadium. One which we had discussed eating at one night.
The service was pretty bad again, but at least we finally got some food in us. We got back at about half eleven and decided to have a bit more to eat. We then went to bed and a brief hang-out in my room, before we went to bed at about one in the morning.

Madrid day 2

After quite an uncomfortable and sweaty night, I finally got up at 8.30 to get ready, pack my bag and get some breakfast. After my breakfast I headed out on a short walk around the neighbourhood, soaking up the beauty of the quiet streets of Madrid on the Sunday morning.
As Helen and I had decided to meet up by the Alonso Martinez metro station, I headed over to the plaza. After a short wait we were reunited again. Helen wanted to head over to Bilbao so we walked down Calle de Sagasta for about a 15 minute walk. We found a Starbucks and sat down with a coffee and decided what we would do that day. As were on the West side of the city, we decided that we would do the more touristy things.
Firstly though, Helen wanted to check out the sports section in the nearest Corte Ingles, so we headed over there. Helen has been wanting to get a Real Madrid football-shirt for a long time, and the shirts in the kid's section were 64.99euros. This is cheap compared to the 85euros one has to pay to get ''the real deal.''
We then headed out of Corte Ingles to go to the nearest metro station, Arguellas. We headed to Opera, to visit the Palacio Real. After a quick look on the map, we found our way over there. It was magnificent! Even though the shutters of the palace were closed, and the facade looked the same everywhere, it was pretty amazing. We then turned left and headed to the Cathedral which is right next to the Palace. We arrived just as mass was starting and we felt a bit awkward to be in there during mass, so after a brief look-see, I lit a candle and then we headed out.
We decided to go to Mercado de San Miguel for some food and a drink. On the way we saw quite a few interesting people and buildings. We passed by Plaza de Villa for example. Upon arrival at the Mercado, I was mesmerized by the atmosphere, it's just like nay other crammed market with people everywhere and food in masses! We found a place we liked, just by the entrance and decided to get a beer. This is where everything started going wrong. Helen and I were standing next to each other, and Helen ordered her cerveza. But the man didn't take my order, for some reason. He asked the next person, who arrived after us, and served him. This went on for about 10 minutes, he absolutely didn't give a rat's ass about serving me. I got fed up and asked Helen if she could order for me. At this point, a new person was working at the counter. Helen finally got served and bought a cerveza and salad for me (not what I had wanted, but we shared the salad anyhow...) After the quick lunch we headed to Plaza Mayor. Right in the middle of the square we encountered a 30-something man on a Segway  He came up to us and started advertising his company, and what kind of tours they do on the Segways. After a quick chat, he asked us if we wanted to try riding the Segway. Helen was skeptical at first as she thinks they look dorky, but in the end she went on it. I filmed a bit of her ride on it. It was then my turn to go on it and i really enjoyed it! this is now another thing I can tick off my bucket-list! Also, I decided to name the dude Cedrick.

On our way from Plaza Mayor we passed by Plaza del Puerta del Sol, or simply just called Sol. on the plaza we bumped into a few people dressed up as cartoon characters, there was Spongebob (whom we took a photo with), Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Bart Simpson and other goofy characters. They must have been sweltering in those thick costumes as it was bloody boiling. We finally ended up on Gran Via after a long walk where we got lost amongst the many streets and tall buildings, but proceeded down towards Plaza de la Cibeles. This is where we decided to finally sit down on a bench as our legs were hurting so much!!
At this point we decided that the best thing to do was go home, where we would grab something to eat, have a quick nap and
finally be able to put down my heavy backpack which we had been carrying around Madrid for the whole day...
At about four we headed back out again to go and visit the Real Madrid stadium, Santiago Bernabeu. We finally go to the bar where we got a drink voucher. We sat down by the window with our cervezas, overlooking the football pitch. I thought that the outside of the stadium was quite boring, I mean it was huge, but I feel like it could have been more extravagant. Helen was in heaven though, she says that the Santiago Bernabeu area is her favourite part of Madrid, along with Salamanca.
We finished our beers and headed out again. We walked around the stadium and headed over to the metro station. At this point my mind is a little fuzzy, you have to understand, it felt like this day went on forever. It's been a good long while since I have done so much in one day. And so much walking!

We got on the metro and headed over to a rooftop bar near Plaza de Cibeles. After a bit of searching, we finally found the place, payed the entrance fee of 3euros and headed up in the lift. Once we stepped out of the lift, we were greeted by a large group of people and a lovely view of Madrid. We decided to get our drinks and look at the sunset. Helen ordered two sangrias for us, but we ended up getting two Gin and Tonics instead... this was the second time our order was screwed up! Anyhow, after a quick photo-session we walked around the place looking for a place to sit, but the only free seats were reserved, which was a pest for us as our legs and feet were hurting after having walked several km's during the long and hot day. I think the rooftop bar was one of my favourite things about my trip to Madrid, it was just such a nice atmosphere and the view was impeccable.

We stayed there for about an hour and a half before we needed to head back home to have dinner with the family. It took a while for us to get down though as the lift was quite small and a lot of people were leaving at the same time as us.
Once we got back to the apartment the family was waiting for us at the table. We said hello and we sat down to eat. It was very good! On my bed there was something that looked like a note. On the front of the envelope, it said To Sofia, From Angel. I opened it to find a nicely drawn picture of a house, a tall building and a tree. Angel had been so thoughtful that he drew a beautiful drawing to me. My heart melted. After dinner we helped clear up and then Helen and I skyped Jen in my room. We stayed up quite late, and after such a long day I passed out almost immediately after my cold shower!

Madrid day 1

Barcelona Ariport

My backpack. It looks tiny but it's very spacious

My journey started in Stockholm. My flight with Vueling airlines was meant to leave at 13.35,which would take me to Barcelona. Upon arrival to Stockholm Arlanda airport, I realised that my flight was delayed by an hour and five minutes. I was disappointed, of course, but I also had a strange feeling that this would happen. Almost everytime I fly with a new airline, I am skeptical. Skeptical to what the future will bring onboard that flying vessel, and curious as to how many hours my flight will be delayed by... Anyhow, after a brief examination of the information screen, I briskly headed over to the check-in counter. I told them my situation; that my final destination that day was Madrid and that I would miss my connection in Barcelona due to the delay from Stockholm. (As a side note, I would also like to point out that I was nervous about my short 50-minute connection time in Barcelona... it's almost impossible). They told me that they could not help me book a new flight as the Vueling office was in Barcelona. This meant that I would have to wait until I arrived in Barcelona to book a new flight to Spain's capital.

As a frequent flyer, one is used to the many queues, mishaps, delays and hours spent at airports staring into thin air. You just get on with it. All I could do was say goodbye to mother and head on over to security. After a 15-minute wait I was trough and headed over to my gate. I made use of the free wifi that Arlanda offer (Yes Arlanda!), and when my time expired I started reading my Madrid-guidebook, soaking up information about the city I was about to explore. After a long wait we finally got to board our tiny plane, which would take us to Barcelona. I felt sorry for all the tall Swedes for the tiny legroom on the plane. It resembles any Ryanair flight but with better service (Thank the Lord). Even I, measuring at 1.66m felt claustrophobic in that tiny space, crammed between two people, and the seat in front of me.

Upon arrival in Barcelona, after an very uncomfortable flight, we stepped out of the plane onto the tarmac, greeted by a comfortable 23 degrees Celcius. As per usual in southern Europe (at least in my opinion), the transit busses took us to the termial. I quickly headed on over to the information kiosk to ask for information, racing several other passengers on my plane. They guided me over to the Iberia desk, where I would get help to rebook my flight. After a quick explanation of my situation and a short 5-minute wait I was presented with a new boarding ticket and a dinner- voucher (one of the perks of the day).
After a quick look-see in some of the many shops Barcelona airport offers, I made my way over to the canteen to eat some food. God it was good. Any other day I wouldn't have eaten that crap, but that day I didn't care; it tasted like heaven!

After a couple of hours wait in the airport, it was time to head off to Madrid, at last. After a short flight, and a long day, we finally landed. I quickly headed on over to the salida, where upon I headed for the metro, which would take me into the centre of Madrid. Line 8 took me to Nuevos Ministerios, where Helen kindly met up with me. We then hopped on the dark blue line (line 10) to Alonso Martinez. I was happily surprised that it was quite easy to find my way around the deserted metro stations. As well as the way to the hostel, where I checked in, received my key, and was to shown to my 2people dorm.

Day two of my Madrid adventure will be up tomorrow!!

Easter Break

I thought I would write a quick little recap of what my life has consisted of during my Eater break.

Once I got home from our weekend in London, I chilled in rainy Stockholm for two days. I strolled around the wet city, absorbing that special Stockholm-vibe that I always get when I am there. I ate some amazing food at several restaurants.
On the 2nd of April I took the train up to see my grandma. She cooked amazing food for me, I read my Game of Thrones book in the warm sun, we had a fabulous barbeque on the river. She has now sold her house and it was an emotional moment saying goodbye to that amazing place; the place where I spent most of my summers when I was a kid.
Two more days were spent in Stockholm doing practically the same thing as last time. I then took a short flight over to Helsinki. Jenny and Chris had flown over the day before, and for the majority of Wednesday we chilled in the house. Thursday we spent out in Helsinki, we went to Torni and Kamppi. Jenny and Chris baked cookies. We considered going to Tallinn on the Friday, but the boat is 2.5 hours one way, and in the end we decided that that was too long for us. On Friday night we watched Argo before we picked up Helina from the airport. The next morning Helen and I played badminton and then went into Helsinki for a quick shop and a bite to eat in Stockmann, before we headed over to the cinema to watch The Book Thief with Jenny, Chris, Roos and Naomi. I liked the movie, although it was quite sad. The highlight was probably a cute little german boy named Rudy (not in a weird way...). We then headed back to the Jacobson's for dinner with Roos' family and a ping-pong tournament.
I got back home in Örebro on Sunday night. Monday to Friday was spent chilling at home, shopping in town, eating sushi with mother, cycling around town in the sun, meeting up with Sangeet for a cuppa and a slice of cheesecake (which was phenomenal I might add), going out for dinner with family friends at an amazing restaurant, celebrating Easter on the Saturday with my parents and grandparents and then going out for drinks with Natalie in the evening (it felt like summer again, we were so happy!). On Sunday morning, my parents and I left for Stockholm, I drove half the way there before mother took over. I then left for Aberdeen early on Monday morning.

Stockholm

Getting back to Aberdeen felt very odd. Prior to the Easter break, I was just not feeling myself. I wasn't happy, I wasn't social and I was just fed up with university. Obviously, the break did help me a little bit and I feel revitalized for my last term of second year.

Peace!

Ayia Napa, Cyprus

Nissi beach

Cliff jumping! I jumped 3 times!

Sunset view from our kitchen window

Caught a glimpse of the magnificent sea caves from the glass bottom boat!

I'm back with a little update of my week on Cyprus with Helen. The week on Cyprus has been one of the hottest of my life! The temperature on Cyprus in mid-August isn't exactly ideal for some people to cope with. The temperature in the shade is probably around 35-38°C (but feels a lot hotter because of the humidity) and circa 40-45°C in the blaring hot sun! But since we laid out by the sea every single day, with a nice breeze every so often, we managed!
Ayia Napa, pronounced Aya Napa, is situated in the south-eastern coast of Cyprus in the Greek part. Even though it is technically "Greek," with the inhabitants speaking and eating Greek, I still felt like I was in a different country entirely.
The beaches we went to were pretty damn beautiful! Nissi beach especially. In the six days we were there we managed to go to 4 beaches in total; Grecian Bay, Sandy bay, Nissi beach and one more, but I have sadly forgotten the name of it... how embarrassing!
Our days consisted of cycling to the beaches, swimming in the luke warm, crystal clear water, burning, tanning, eating delicious food (!!), laughing, napping, reading, drinking many liters of water and iced tea and cliff jumping!! We also managed to squeeze in a trip on a glass bottom boat  and rent a moped, which we drove up to Fig Tree Bay and visited the beach that I've forgotten the name of. Of course we can't forget the most important part: souvenir shopping! Of course I bought a magnet for my collection, among a few other trinkets and Helen purchased a snow globe with a donkey in it.

Cyprus

Our hotel

Nissi beach

Sea caves

In 37 days, Helen and I will be on an early morning flight down to Cyprus!! Words cannot describe how fun it's going to be. I can't wait to get away from here to enjoy the sun and beautiful sea!

Freedom

Pheew! This year has been one of the most past-paced years of my life! I don't actually know how to process all of this, because time feels like it's literally slipping through my fingers as I write this!
However, I am completely content with my decision to move to a different country to study. I enjoy moving around to experience new things, and this was one of the main reasons for me to come here to the UK. I have met so many amazing people and experienced so many unforgettable things which I will cherish in my memory forever.
Next year will bring new possibilities and new memories and I am really looking forward to it!
Aberdeen, you've been good to me, I'll be back in September. But first, BRING ON THE SUMMER!!

Wanderlust Tag

1. Your most treasured passport stamp?
My most treasured stamp is the one I got when I went to South Africa in 2004. I like it because they stuck a small piece of legal paper in my passport and then stamped beside that. I think this was my first ever official stamp in my passport.

2. Can you recite your passport number from memory if asked?
No, I don't know anybody who has memorized their passport number...

3. Preferred method of travel; planes, trains or automobiles?
I would have to say train, if you're traveling a shorter distance. But obviously if you're going somewhere really far away then I prefer the plane. But I like that trains are so smooth and fast. They have comfortable seats and I like the atmosphere overall. Planes are dry, smelly and cramped. Horrible.

4. Top 3 travel items?
Hand cream. I hate, let me repeat, hate having dry hands. I especially get dry hands when I'm on airplanes. Music so I don't get bored. Lastly, earplugs. This is and essential for when you're traveling someplace far and want to sleep fairly peacefully. I used to always bring a book with me but lately I have realized my eyes get really dry while reading on airplanes... it's the God damned dry, recycled air they use!

5. Hostel or hotel?
I'd have to say hotel because it's a lot more comfortable and feels a lot safer. But if you're on a budget I would pick to stay in a hostel. Obviously, where you are staying depends a lot on where you actually are. If you're only staying for one night then I would suggest a hostel just because it's easy and very cheap.

6. Are you a repeat visitor or do you explore new places?
I hate to say it but a repeat. The reason why I say "I hate to say it," is because I want to travel to new places, but it's so comfortable going back to a place you've been before and know you'll have a good time. I want to broaden my horizons and experience new things so I want to explore new places! Hopefully I will get the opportunity in the near future :)

7. Do you read up on your destination (culture, history, safety) or do you wing it?
Yes, I think reading up on your destination is very important for everyone. I mean obviously you would want to know what kind of place you are actually traveling to. If it's safe, what kind of culture there is, where to eat, where to shop - that sort of thing. This is the way to go if you want to go make the most of your time there.

8. Favourite travel website?
TripAdvisor. I go on there to read reviews of places, written by people who have actually been there. The website is great if you want to know about the hotel you are going to stay at. I also tend to go on HostelWorld as well, to find cheap places to stay!

9. Where would you recommend a friend to visit? Why?
I think I'd have to say South Africa. For everything. If you want adveture, you've got it. If you want great food and wine, you sure as hell are going to the right place. If you want beautiful environments and landscapes, you've got it. I swear, South Africa has it all! It's magnificent. When you're there you have the perfect opportunity of going out to the bush and on a safari. It's the most incredible thing you'll ever experience. When we were there we stayed for five days in the bush (Umlani Bushcamp), and then the rest of the holiday near Cape Town.

10. You're leaving tomorrow, money is no option, where are you going?
Australia. Preferably to the Great Barrier Reef which is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres. I want to travel there and snorkel amongst the colourful fish and coral.
Or maybe to Bora Bora. If you Google Bora Bora you'll understand why this is. It just looks so relaxing and beautiful! The water, the sand, the huts in the sea... Perfection.