Maryann Rose

places

I travel when I can, and I'm grateful for the experiences, even if/when they're unpleasant. Which happens sometimes. What follows is the places I've been and the memories, lessons learned... a visual journal of sorts.

FINLAND
Helsinki - Tampere - TurkuI understood why Finns are some of the happiest in the world: nature all around, biking, and daily sauna culture. Cold plunges. Loyly, Rajaportti, Villa Jarvela. Daily beer and karaoke on the weekend. Noli Studios. Reindeer meat and salmon soup. Marimeko fashion.

ESTONIA
Tartu - TallinStreet art and walking tour. Power of song. Wine on the river. Airbnbs, one good and one stinky and warm. Gin & tonic on tap was a bad idea.

LATVIA
RigaAla pagrabs. Molberts ice-cream. River cruise at sunset. Art nouveau buildings. House of the Black Heads. Black cats are lucky! Flow. Jurmala beach trip.

LITHUANIA
Kaunas - Vilnius - Trakai9th Fort left an impression, as I never fully appreciated the reach and extent of the atrocities in WW2. It was in Kaunas, where I began my daily pub experiment and it changed the course of my trip, for the better. I had SO much fun at a hole-in-the-wall pub near my airbnb. Kaunas, at the confluence of two rivers, had amazing sunsets. Aside from the cat cafe, Vilnius disappointed. An old man played the violin in the square.

POLAND
Krakow - Warsaw - ZakopaneSadness. Visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Schindler Factory, and watched many survivor stories. Was crying when J.T.'s manager called. Wandered around Kasimeriz. Fell in love with chimney cakes. Ate pierogis at a Michelin star restaurant. Thermal pool resort & grilled cheese.

HUNGARY
BudapestSweaty bad seats at the opera, A Masked Ball by Verdi. Ruin bars and walking tours. Made friends with Arin and went to a pub crawl. Rode the ferris wheel. Roasted in Sztendere. Learned I shouldn't buy metro passes. Bought new sandals. Margaret Island was spectacular.

SLOVAKIA
Bratislava - KosiceCocktails at the UFO Tower, cruise along the Danube, walked up and down the Old Town. Dubai gelato. Thunderstorm walking tour.

CZECHIA
PragueReduta jazz club, Petrin Hill, Danube river cruise. Fake Banksy museum. Shockingly expensive and crowded place. Hotel wifi problems.

SCOTLAND
Glasgow - Edinburgh - Dingwall - Thurso - Kyle - ObanDrove the North Coast 500 on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car. Applecross pass and single track roads. Hailun coos. Cullen skink and haggis. John O Groats. Loch Ness BS. Glencoe Massacre. Otterburn guest house mixup. Call at 9am from the distillery.

WALES
Cardiff - LlandudnoSt. Fagans, Snowdonia, Great Orme, Kashmiri goats. Discovered JD Wetherspoons and one of the best gyms in the world. Lovely guest house.

ENGLAND
London - Bath - Manchester - York - Newcastle - LeedsMultiple visits. Whitechappel airbnb disaster. Jack-the-Ripper tour. Book of Mormon. Fish & chips. Cornish pastry. Bad of Bath tour & green water. St. Mary's Abbey. Yorkshire pudding. Ouse river cruise. Ouseburn farms petting zoo. Armory museum. Midsummer Night's Dream on my birthday. Sushi with Marta. MJ the Musical. Greenwich Village. Les Miserables. Z Hotel.

MALTA
Sliema - Valleta - Bugibba - Gozo - Comino - Mdina, Rabat - MarsaxlokkSpectacular beach days in Gozo and Comino. The Blue Lagoon. St. Peter's pool. Rabbit stew, ftira and baked rice. Stayed in a 5 star hotel for 9 days. Malta earned the George Cross for its valor during WW2. One of the most historically interesting places. Underrated.

ITALY
Rome - Naples - Reggio Calabria - Taormina - Catania - Ortigia - Ragusa Ibla - Palermo - TrapaniDay trips to AziTrezza, Cefalu, San Vito Lo Capo, Selinunte. Mt. Etna for Christmas. Limoncello! Arancini. Lemon basil gelato in Trastevere. Formed a lasagna club. Best cannolo and pizza in the world. Made friends with a Scottish woman, Natalie. No water on Xmas Eve. Happy new year! Rented a car and went to the salt pans and Roman ruins.

CROATIA
Dubrovnik - SplitWalked the walls in peace and hiked to Mt Srd in the dark. Stairs and more stairs. An apartment with heated floors. Strolled along the waterfront and wandered around the castle. Discovered fritule.

BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA
Neum - MostarMarianne's airbnb with sea view. A dead, apocalyptic town. Thanksgiving: beets, carrots, tomatoes and sardines. Cevapi and Needle gin. The scars of war are on every block. Woke up to a bullet-riddled building. The crooked bridge. Srebenica genocide museum. “Remember ’93”

MONTENEGRO
Kotor - PerastTorrential downpours. Hiked to the castle and climbed through the window with Kaley. Lemon basil Moritz ice. Enchanting room, steps to Kotor bay.

ALBANIA
Gjirokastra - Tirana - Theth - ShkoderNice people, rented a stick shift Volvo wagon to see the Blue Eye, Sarande, and Ksamil. Made a friend, Kaley. Blind switchbacks thru the Albanian Alps and nearly froze.

GREECE
Athens - Nafplio - Ioannina - ThessalonikiFelt like home. Voted in the US election. Hiked. Acropolis at sunset. Enjoyed fast WiFi. Poseidon swim hole. Delicious food. Agistri beach club. Rented a scooter & quad with Arin in Aegina. Police and military in the streets of Exarchia. Tourist go home!

ABU DHABI, UAEOpulence, stiffling heat, sick cats on the waterfront. Massive temple.

MALDIVES
Dhiffushi islandSwimming, sunburns, powdery sand for miles. A dream come true.

INDONESIA
Jakarta - Bandung - Yogyakarta - Malang - Lombok - Gili Air - Bali (Pemuteran, Ubud, Munduk, Nusa Lembongan)Kind people, fresh fish, scooters, volcanos, snorkeling.

SINGAPOREPristine jewelry box city with spectacular light shows.

MALAYSIA
Ipoh - Georgetown - Kuala Lumpur - MalaccaSky pools and ultimate luxury for $30 a night.

EL SALVADOR
El Junco - Lagarza at Shalpa Beach - Lago de Coatepeque10 Days, $1,200. Nice people. Beautiful country. Quad-cycle in a downpour.

CHILE
Puerto Natales - Torres del Paine - Punta Arenas - Puerto WilliamsRegretted not hiking the "W" as Torres del Paine took my breath away. The hostel was a mess, but they had everything. Departed on the 6pm ferry through "Glacier Alley" (Magallenes) and met the most handsome Italian man named Guglielmo. Unfortunately I stayed in a very remote hotel miles from town and they never told me he called. Hung out at Micalvi Yacht Club. Shared maté with a group of strangers, as covid-19 was spreading like wildfire. A French guy named Quentin invited me to sail to Cape Horn with him, but there were already 8 people going, the life raft held 6, and there was a bucket for a toilet. They also had a piece of wood as a window, a result of a crash in Brazil. A local dog followed me around, and I was thrilled to find him at 2AM escorting me back to the hotel. Such a pal.

ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires - Bariloche - El Chalten - El Calafate - UshuaiaDaily tango. Verbally abused by an escenario tango teacher. Made friends with Jil, a Georgian girl. Dated a guy because he was a good dancer. Airbnb in Palermo & Recoleta. Bariloche was the Interlaken of Argentina. Learned it's better to eat hot-dogs with a friend than steak by yourself. Dropped my phone into a toilet before viewing the Perito Moreno glacier. As everyone clamored for photos, I sat back and took it all in. No pressure. Stayed in a hostel in Ushuaia and started to realize Covid-19 would derail my sailing ambitions and I'd have to give up on Antigua. Met up with Nat and Nico, who had just gotten engaged in Bariloche. Nat brought me a much-needed cellphone. I was kicked out of my airbnb due to covid fears. The embassy did not care and informed me borders were closing in 48 hours, so Nat & I took the last flights out.

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