Ode to the sea

What do you miss the most from your travels while you’re at home? To me it used to be the sea or water in general.

My childhood home is on the riverside and when I was little me and the kids from the neighbourhood used to go swimming there from early spring till late autumn. I remember how we used to go on a little rock in the middle of the river, every time someone was standing on it and the rest of the children would swim around it. When there was a high water in the river older children ran from afar and jumped straight into the water. When we weren’t in the river we were beside it playing or fishing, or listening to music and writing poems (yes, we really wrote those, a lot). There’s a little artificial lake in my hometown too, that’s another place where I’ve got the most of the memories of my childhood summers. I remember the days when school year ended and we cycled to the lake so fast, we used to spend the whole day there no matter how cold the water was.

My first touch to the sea as long as I remember is from television. I used to watch a series called Rosa and Roope, which was about two children who lived on the archipelago. They had those red life jackets and they went sailing with their father. Oh, how I loved it! I dreamed about living on a seaside too. Another recollection is from my friend’s summer cottage which was on a little island. I remember pines on big rocks over the sea and its chilly water.

Over the years I have swam in different lakes, lagoons, rivers and ponds and in addition to the Baltic Sea in Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian, Pacific and the Southern Ocean. Even though I spent the whole childhood inland I have always loved the sea. Nowadays I have realised that there’s actually something similar in a view of the sea than the surroundings in Pohjanmaa where I’m originally from. Pohjanmaa is known for its flat landscape, fields and barns, and when I look at the sea the view is somewhat the same, smooth and even, and you can see as far as your eyes are able to.

Couple of years ago we went for a RTW trip and I’ve called it some kind of a turning point afterwards. Not only because we had the baby news there but also after the trip I’ve been more aware of what I want from my life and step by step I seem to get closer to it. One of those things is to live by the sea. It wasn’t the thing I really thought about when we were searching for a new home but when I first came to the area I fell in love with its “vacay-feeling”. The sea is so beautiful in every season and in every weather, rough or calm.

I’ve recently been thinking what it is, that I love to do on beach holidays. I have figured out that the most of those things I can do at home if I want to. So this summer I have attended to a kayaking course, I have bought a SUP board of my own, I’ve gone to swimming and boating. I’ve started my mornings doing yoga on the beach and I’ve done tens of sand castles with my daughter. Ok, maybe the water is not as clear or warm than in many places, but hey versatile it certainly is! Next winter I’ll attend ice swimming group and go skating and skiing on the sea too. I have realised that my life doesn’t have to have it all, but the key is making the most of what I do have. At least I don’t have to miss the sea anymore.

“Smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly.” 

Memorable moments in Montenegro

Our previous trip abroad was a tour of the Balkans. Our initial plan was to go just to Montenegro and Albania but because we couldn’t find affordable flights to and from those, we decided to fly to Croatia and fly back from Greece. So all we had to do was to plan the route from Dubrovnik to Corfu. We flew to Dubrovnik and spent a couple of days there. We actually had a dinner there with our Australian friends (not planned to be there at the same time!) After that we took a bus to Kotor, Montenegro, and from there we drove to Durres, stayed in two places in Albania and then finally took a boat to Corfu, from which we flew back. I’ll get back to rest of the places later, but now we’ll focus on beautiful Montenegro.

We came by bus from Dubrovnik to Kotor. The distance is only about 130 km but a bus trip took 4.5 hours instead of 1.5 that it was supposed to. Well it was a great opportunity to get to know the elder lady who sat beside me and my daughter. She was Croatian and was going to a funeral of her sister-in-law in Tivat. She had lost her husband earlier this year too and was devastated by the losses. She also told us proudly about her daughter who had got married to a German and lived happily in Munich at the moment. She talked to my daughter as they’ve known each other for ages and we all were in tears as they hugged at the bus station as we had to jump off. You know those moments that you share with someone and never meet again afterwards. To me travelling is all about those memorable encounters with strangers. People who manage to impress you one way or another in a short time. People who you can have a proper conversation with without even speaking the same language. 

Kotor bay is all that you could possible imagine of Montenegro, absolutely breathtaking, mountains rounding clear waters and impressive walled old towns. Kotor, however is not a best destination for beaching but to enjoy the views and have nice grilled food. It is also a great place for budget travelling as you could still find accommodation with a seaview only 30 euros/double/night.

One thing that has made us laugh after the trip is our daughter who still keeps saying "bammmm bammmm" as she was amazed and shocked by the voice of big church bells while having the dinner one night in old town. She says it espesially when eating pizza, so it really made her a big memory trace.

If you want to go to Montenegro but your dream spot is more about swimming and sunbathing, then Budva is your place-to-be. It is Montenegro’s biggest beach destination on the Adriatic coast. The beaches are so pretty, whether they’re small and more intimate ones or bigger and busier ones, your choice. The old town of Budva is rather small but worth visiting with its little shops and pizzerias. 

One day we took a boat from Kotor to Perast, little town on the Kotor bay that is just stunning. We spent there just a day but it became my favourite spot in Montenegro. It had a Capri-like feeling though it’s not an island. You can see all the nice restaurants right away as you arrive from the sea and many colourful boats parked here and there. It is absolutely charming with its rustic houses and green ivies on the walls. On the way to Perast we also visited the place called Our Lady of the Rocks, which is a cute little island with a church of the same name.

When I think about Montenegro in whole, my first thought is the view from the balcony. The moment in the morning when you have barely open your eyes and the view is so amazing that you're not really sure are you still dreaming. That's how divine it is.

“You may have the universe if I may have Italy.”

What is it that comes to your mind when you hear the word Italy? Pasta, pizza, olives, Nutella, Rome, Etna, football, wine, Pinocchio, The Leaning Tower of Pisa maybe? For me among all those things Italy means great food, warm people, rustic buildings, huge hydrangeas, lemon trees, picturesque landscapes and oh so many great memories.

When I got to Italy for the first time I was nineteen and had just graduated from high school. I had decided to spend a gap year and had got a job as a bartender/waitress in a little trattoria in Lombardy. I remember looking at the Lake Como and noticing little boys playing football everywhere when driving from Milan to my new home in Mazzo di Valtellina. It was a cute little village between the Alps just before Swiss border. My career there didn’t last for long as I was missing my just found boyfriend (husband today). After two weeks he came to meet me up in Milan and we took a train to Venice and spent all of our money in a weekend there. Couple of years later we came back and we have kept returning ever since.

In this blog we will as well return to Italy multiple times and I will tell you about my favourite places, tips, and dreams. The name of the blog “Viaggio e Limoni” means “Journey and Lemons”. Journey for the one long journey which is a lifetime travel as well as many travels within. Lemons because Amalfi Coast is one of my favourite spots and it is known for its sweet lemons and Limoncello. Everyone knows the saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” or different variations of the same meaning. Lemons for me mean sour taste in mouth but I like it. My life has no doubtly given me some lemons and that’s actually one reason I decided to start a blog and add positive thoughts via it into my everyday life by looking back at many great memories and daydreaming about new explores.

When I think about Italy I remember having the best pistacchio gelato ever on the little island called Vulcano near Sicily. I also still taste the most delicious pasta I got when I didn’t know what I ordered in Umbria. I go back to see Venice for the first time and us being extremely in love in gondola. I see myself in Emilia-Romagna jumping into Adriatic See from a little boat with my brother, laughing out loud and taking silly pictures. I feel the perfect moment watching the sunset with the cute little cat and having a glass of rose on the balcony facing Capri in Praiano. In my memories we drive around Italy with a perfect Fiat 500 through olive groves and see wild boars and cows on the sides of the roads. I laugh when I think of us getting locked in on the balcony in somewhere in Veneto and how I had to climb down fire ladders with just my underwear on, I was pregnant too!

I’m still amazed how the dog called Rita quided us through the cycling tour in beautiful winery Borgo Valle Rita in Campania. I still dream about the houses we went to see with a real estate agent in Tuscany and how close we were to buy one. I remember how fireflies sparkle in the dark country side. I hear the church bells and see a Vespa loaded with fresh onions in a little town in Calabria. I smile when I recall the man who wanted me to see George Clooney’s picture in his barber shop in Laglio. I watch my little daughter turning five months on a roadtrip in Sardinia. I secretly cheer for England when watching the World Cup game England-Italy in Lecce. I see two of my childhood friends in a table enjoying espressos and tiramisu near to Campo de’ Fiori. I imagine myself being in a Woody Allen film as I hear a French man talking way too much when I try to enjoy my alone moment on Piazza de Popolo and how I ran into the same man by accident for three times on that holiday. I feel the sun in my back as I snorkel and hunt for pearls at the southern tip of Puglia. I’m still happy for my goddaughter who found the perfect shoes in a vintage market in Monti.

Italy has become really important to me and my family, it is our true home away from home.
Like Giuseppe Verdi said: “You may have the universe if I may have Italy.”

Viaggio e Limoni

It was Kerimäki, Finland, of all the places in the world, that I finally decided to start writing a blog. I've had an idea of the blog for a couple of years already but now the timing for it felt right.

Viaggio e Limoni is about spectacular Amalfi Coast, lavender fields in France, falling in love in and with Rome, urban beaches of Rio, rice field cyclings in Bali, missing colleques in New Zealand, remote working in Hawaii, everyday exploring in Southern Finland, doing a pregnancy test in San Francisco. And how there, right there it started to be a whole different journey.

It's about travelling, tourism, aviation, making a journey, experiences, plans, dreams, cultures, food, wine, mountains, oceans and most of all learning from all of it.

I'm 32 years old Italy-obsessed traveller, living in Espoo, Finland, insurance professional and soon-to-be Master Student in Aviation and Tourism Business. I'm grateful for being mom for the sweetiest girl in the world and married to my best travel partner. With this blog I wish to share my thoughts of all kinds of journey making. My aim is to focus on positive and learn to be thankful for all the lemons life's giving me.

"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,

To gain all while you give,

To roam the roads of lands remote,

To travel is to live."

- H.C. Andersen

Come on let's go on a viaggio!