Maniacal

When you're backpacking, the people you meet quickly become close friends. This is the way it was with the Canadians we met in Sarajevo - we just couldn't get enough of each other! From Mostar, we took a bus to Dubrovnik, a seaside town on the Dalmatian Coast of the Adriatic Sea. We were immediately greeted by a swarm of women with pictures of their homes, wanting us to stay with them! Fortunately we made Brandon our haggling "captain" and he found us a nice place to stay for our three nights in Dubrovnik. Croatia is more expensive than what we were used to, but the time we spent there was well worth the money! Dubrovnik is a lively beach town, and did we ever take advantage of the beaches! After spending a couple of weeks ... read more

The story begins in the Krakow train station because that's where we met Andreas. Jeremy, Melissa, Benny and I were buying our train tickets to Budapest and a guy asked Jeremy whether the backpack sitting behind him was his. When Jeremy said that it was, the guy said that he had overheard that we were headed to Budapest and that if he wanted to keep his things, he'd better keep a better eye on his things...that his backpack would've vanished in seconds had we been in a public area in Budapest! That was our introduction to Andreas, a German-Pakistani law student who studies in Budapest at the moment. We saw him later on in the train and he sat with us for a while and told us all of the interesting things that we could see ... read more

We almost didn't make it to Poland... If it weren't for Leszek (Polish friend from Jyväskylä) and his recommendation to come here, I think we probably would've skipped this country altogether and that would've been a huge mistake because I absolutely love this country! We arrived after a long bus ride from Vilnius and realized that the third was a holiday. The holiday is to celebrate the creation of the Polish consitution in 1891 - not sure exactly what the holiday is called in Polish. How do I know that this was the cause for celebration? We happened to meet some Polish students at our hostel in Vilnius and Karol (the more talkative one) was like a walking encyclopedia about Poland. Anyway, there was a parade going on in the city centre and it totally brightened ... read more

Today was a tough day. I had to say goodbye to the town that has become my home, and the wonderful friends that I had the pleasure of spending my last four months with. The only thing that made this day somewhat comforting was the fact that I'm leaving for my tour around Eastern Europe! This entry is mostly for my "Kortepohja Family" - I just wanted to tell you guys that it was an absolute joy to get to know you all. I'm truly going to miss our parties, brunches, chats, Stammtisches, Spanish singing and the pounding music of my crazy but wonderful neighbours (Flo & Flo) :). We didn't know each other long, but I will never forget you all! To my North American buddies (yes, Bob, of course you're included in this), ... read more

It's hard to describe my six days in Russia without writing a novel! What you may have heard about Russia is true: it can be dangerous; the people can be cold and unhelpful; you should not travel alone unless you speak Russian; and it is a place of contrasts. What people might not tell you is how warm Russians can be. Our tour guides are Finns who speak Russian fluently and are in the country more than they are in Finland. Kaisa was one of our guides and she's part owner of the company we travelled with. She told us that when you get to know a Russian, he or she will be extremely loyal to you and will give you absolutely everything he or she has. When I needed help with something (e.g. how ... read more