The backstory The application The interview The permanent residency visa The departure Finland (from my diary) 11 November 1992 Overslept and missed breakfast. Tried to keep to bed until lunch. Better after eating. Rocking increased in the evening. At night everything in the cabin rattled and got thrown around. It rained. The ship left the […]
From Russia to Australia by freighter: Germany Read More »
The backstory The application The interview The permanent residency visa The departure (from my diary) 8 November 1992 Departure. Left after 5 pm. Arrived in Kotka at night. Shortly after the departure from St. Petersburg the first mate gathered all passengers in the ship’s saloon for an introduction. There were not many of us. A
From Russia to Australia by freighter: Finland Read More »
From Colombo, Sri Lanka we flew to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My husband Sergey spotted on the Internet cheap tickets Kuala Lumpur – Singapore ($87/round-trip ticket) and we decided to add it to our South Asian trip. Singapore is a sovereign state that consists of just one city situated on the main island and
Singapore, April 2016 Read More »
Unawatuna Unawatuna is close to a much bigger city called Galle. The Portuguese built there a fort that was later expanded by the Dutch and British. We took the bus from Unawatuna to visit Galle Fort. I tried hard to enjoy sightseeing in Sri Lankan heat and humidity, but it was difficult. The Lonely Planet
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Kandy – Ella – Unawatuna Unawatuna is a town stretched along the Indian Ocean coast. We arrived in it late afternoon, hungry and sweaty after two bus rides that took practically all day. The heat was sweltering and the buses were not air-conditioned. We were now only 6° above the equator. It felt like being
Sri Lanka (Unawatuna), April 2016 Read More »
September – October This trip to Europe was different from all my previous trips. Whether it was with my husband or by myself there always was a fixed route to follow. This time I had a return ticket Denver ‒ Munich and 7 weeks between my arrival and departure dates. It was up to me
Kandy – Sigiriya – Kandy The Kandy to Ella journey by train is often described as the most scenic ride in the world and it truly is. Even those who are not interested in visiting tea plantations will enjoy the ride. It can also be a cheap way to see the country. The train slowly
Sri Lanka (Kandy – Ella – Unawatuna), April 2016 Read More »
Lake Balaton The train from Hungary arrived in Graz at noon. The night before leaving the Lake Balaton, I made a reservation at Comfort Appartementhaus Blümel which is between the railway station and the old town. At the station, I picked up a city map and a booklet with Graz attractions. I had no specific
Graz, Austria 2017 Read More »
Budapest The train from Budapest to Lake Balaton was slow. In fact, I had to take 2 trains to get to my destination, a town of Keszthely. The lake is shaped like a long sausage and Keszthely is located at the farthest end from Budapest. The railroads go alongside both, north and south shores of
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Smederevo After the second night in Smederevo, I parted with my kind hosts who treated me like family. The day was Friday, the 13th and I was a little worried that things could go wrong. I needed to get by bus from Smederevo to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and from there to take the
Smederevo, Serbia – Budapest, Hungary 2017 Read More »
