Falling in love with Barcelona felt natural, as I entered the city for the first time… in 1992. Barcelona was preparing for the Olympics, which were soon to transform a fairly unknown place (outside Spain!) into a popular tourist destination. I looked at the skies above the city and the sea, painted in all shades of blue, and I knew there was no turning back. Parts of my heart stayed in Barcelona, never to come back. Since 1992, I’ve visited the city numerous times, and I never get bored of it. White Christmas is exactly the opposite of what I came for to Barcelona, and I got what I wanted. The weather was absolutely wonderful – it was sunny and warm as if it was the middle of September, not December. If you want to finish your year with a big bang, Barcelona is a way to go. What to do there? What to skip there? What to know? More about it below!
Diving into the future in Brussels
Diving into the future in Brussels was the best moment of my entire stay in Brussels. The monument I had in front of my eyes – the famous Atomium – seemed to scream “future” like no other building I’d ever seen before, and I couldn’t turn my eyes away for a minute or two. When I finally did and started to explore the city, everything else felt uneventful. It, to my surprise, turned to be nice and pleasing to the eye, yet completely not exciting.
BURNING BRIGHT IN HONG KONG
Lights are always burning brightly in the city of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Hong Kong illuminates at night and comes into thousands of different shades, diving straight into the future. When I visited the city in 2008, it was like a busy beehive, as China was preparing for the Olympics. Everything felt hectic, modern, and impressive. I’m more in love with outdoors adventure than city exploration, but Hong Kong managed to grasp my full attention and made me go “woah” a few times. It felt as if the future was just within the reach, somewhere among luminous skyscrapers. The concrete jungles like Hong Kong never lose the sight of tomorrow.
BETWEEN BUDDHIST TEMPLES AND SKYSCRAPERS IN TAIPEI
Navigating between Buddhist temples and skyscrapers felt unreal. Don’t get me wrong – I knew Asia was becoming synonymous with a modern architecture. Still, to know something and to experience it firsthand: these are two different things. There I was in Taipei, watching two seemingly different worlds collide. I didn’t see it coming. While I didn’t take the wrong plane and magically appear in Taiwan, my trip was spontaneous. Since me and my friends decided to take a 10-days trip around Asia, we thought visiting Taipei could be a good idea. If I had to make a list of all travel decisions I regret, Taipei wouldn’t have made the list. It wasn’t the nicest place I’ve ever visited, true. Still, just as if skyscrapers and old temples weren’t a bizarre combination, there was something balanced about the city. Something promising that I will try to put into words
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STROLLING AROUND PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
Strolling around Prague, Czech Republic is probably one of the best ways to explore the city. With its lovely, old streets full of nostalgic vibes, Prague was made for long strolls. It may not be the biggest or hottest European destination, but it’s definitely one of the highlights of Eastern Europe. I visited it back in 2006, and it was, overall, a nice trip. Not the most accessible city I’ve ever visited, but absolutely charming. More about Prague – what to do there, and how accessible it actually is – below!
EXPLORING CANALS OF AMSTERDAM
Exploring canals of Amsterdam was the most fun thing I’ve ever done in this city. I know it may be surprising since many people would link Amsterdam to great coffee shops or a laid-back atmosphere. Probably it offers things more “fun” than canals, but it is what it is – the city’s never been my favourite. Before going there, I have already heard of its wonderful coffee shops and The Red Light District. (Un)fortunately, I’ve never been very much into any of those, so the city didn’t really cater to my travelling needs. Still, I think it makes an interesting place to visit, and I’m going to fulfil my duty as your travel chronicler. How accessible is Amsterdam and what does it offer to people, who are eager to explore it? Keep reading and I promise to tell you everything I know.
PARTYING IN PUERTO PLATA, THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Sunshine, lovely beaches, the Caribbean Sea and a perfectly blue sky – Dominican Republic has it all. I’ve never been a sun shy person, so when I visited Puerto Plata back in July 2006, I fell in love with the Dominican Republic. Puerto Plata’s located on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, and it’s full of touristic resorts. I was there for two weeks, and oh my, these two weeks I will always remember!
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WALKING A DOG IN THE SNOW
You can really feel that it’s winter in Poland. It’s cold and there are loads of snow. To leave the apartment on my manual wheelchair, it’s a real challenge. It’s not easy to push through the snow. On the Blumil it’s actually fun. I went to a nearby forest for a run with my dog. It was fantastic. The sun was shining, I was racing going constantly at speeds up to 20 km/h and chasing around with my labrador Coco. Moving around like that really made me forget that I’m disabled and the Blumil doesn’t feel like a wheelchair at all.
EXPLORING DUBLIN, IRELAND
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear Ireland? Good beer, Dublin, shamrock leaves, pubs, Saint Patrick? In my head, it’s probably some kind of mixture all of these, but the first word that comes to my mind would be: fun. I visited Dublin back in August 2004, and my trip was definitely the one to remember., even though I haven’t had an electric wheelchair those days. I had the best of all worlds: a bit of relax, a lot of fun and some sightseeing to explore the city. What I loved there, what was less than lovable, what’s worth seeing? All of the answers, you can find below!
SNORKELING IN HURGHADA, EGYPT
If you ask me what I love, travelling will always be one of the first things I’ll mention. I’ve always loved it, and times have changed, but my love for travelling has never faded away. Now it’s become even easier than ever to travel since my Blumil electric wheelchair gives me more freedom with how practical and functional it is. It hasn’t always been like that.