Valentinas Travels

"Italy is always a good idea" . That's what me and my friend thought when we were thinking about where to spend a long weekend in May. The choice fell on Bergamo, a city in the Lombardy region, about a 1-hour train journey from Milan.  And the choice was a good one: Bergamo is a great city. Compared to its sister city Milan, it is small and cosy, less crowded and ideal for simply strolling around and going from aperitivo to aperitivo. The famous Dolce Vita.  And the fact that Bergamo actually consists of two towns (an upper and a lower town) makes it even more special. Bergamo is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and a trip there is definitely worthwhile!  Here are a few tips for a city trip to Bergamo before I let the photos talk: Getting there: It takes around 4 hours by train from Zurich to Milan and a another hour to Bergamo. A flight would therefore not be worthwhile. The train ride was easy and without any problems.  Duration: Bergamo is smal...

Yeees, I know, I've already written several posts about Finland ( here and here  :-) ), one of the countries that I absolutely love the most. But how could I not share some of the newest highlights with you?  So here is a little report about my latest trip to Finland earlier this year. I spent a few days in the capital, Helsinki, before I met two friends with  whom I traveled to Lapland. We enjoyed a week full of highlights - and winter at its fullest.  Cold days, warm heart When I landed in Helsinki, it was freezing cold, dark and snowing. Quite a rude welcoming. But the next morning, the sun came out and I had a lovely (still cold though!) walk in the city. Off course with a lot of cinnamon buns and coffee during the warm-up breaks! :-)  Walking on (frozen) water  Another highlight was a walk on the frozen Lake Töölö. I love this area just a bit outside of town, with its old villas and the beautiful views!  A dip in the ocean I wasn't sure if I woul...

  Ever since I visited the USA for the first time in 2009, I knew I absolutely had to go again. I remembered how L.A. impressed me back then with its background of film and television, how I enjoyed the vastness of nature and spent hours looking out of the window on the drive, feeling like I was in a film myself.  So it was time to feel that again. This time it was my round to organise a surprise trip that my boyfriend and I take turns organising. Once we had finalised the budget, I started planning. He, on the other hand, only found out where he was going at the airport.  The Plan A direct flight to L.A., where we spent a few days before hiring a car and exploring the national parks of the southwest - Joshua Tree, Valley of Fire, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley. Of course with a stopover in Las Vegas to try our luck at gambling. We had 2 weeks for this programme. To be honest, this was pretty tight and we were travelling a lot. Nevertheless, the experiences were unique and...