Tag: The Daily Prompt

Being a tourist for once

MiaLeave a comment

onthemoveI don’t travel much since I don’t have that kind of money. If I do travel it’s been paid by someone else. I’m the kind of tourist who prefers company with someone I know which in my case it’s a family member. The travels are usually package tours since that’s the easiest way. I would be too scared to be in a strange country where you have to find things by yourself.

Me and my dad is going to Saint Petersburg in Russia next week by ship. It’s two nights on the ship and two nights in a hotel. The trip has been my dad’s dream for a few years and we’re finally doing it. There are great places to photograph. I’m quite excited to be honest. We’re going to a city tour and to the Hermitage Museum. Not inside it though. The whole tour takes 6 hours with an hour break. We’re gonna stay in a 4 star hotel so it’s quite fancy. Apparently it’s popular among famous musicians and actors when they stay in the city.
The next day you can get to know the city independently. Since there’s already been a tour the day before, it’s easier to move around. At least in Riga center you could. Saint Petersburg can be different since it’s a bigger one. I hope we won’t get lost. I only know a few words of Russian (like hello and goodbye) and their letters are special so it might be difficult to understand what the street signs say. Not forgetting the menus. I’m picky when it comes to food so I hope I won’t get offered something I find disgusting.

Since I’m not a tourist that often, I’m gonna make most of this trip. Of course I’m also gonna blog about it and post photos when I get back. Let’s hope the trip goes well and I get home safely. That’s what every tourist wishes, don’t they?

 

I belong to the city

MiaLeave a comment

beginningI’m born in a city and I’m gonna die in a city. I’m not into big cities like Helsinki, Stockholm or those with millions of people. I can visit them but I wouldn’t want to live in them. I’m born in a city which isn’t small but it’s not big either. The less public transport I need, the better. I’ve lived in a smaller one when I studied and I hated it. There was nothing to do. Only a few shops and even the dorm was boring. Luckily I didn’t have to stay there at the weekend. There were not even internet at the time that could have kept me entertained. After that experience I decided I would never study in a small town again. Even if I did a few times after that though. But that’s another story.

I belong to the city but sometimes I wish I could live in the country. Even then the city shouldn’t be too far away. People in the city seem to care more about themselves than others. Those smokers especially bother me. They don’t care about the environment one bit. There are who does but they’re rare. They throw their butts on the ground which is really disgusting and you can’t walk anywhere, not even in the forest, without having to see that poisonous garbage on the ground. City people also make a lot of noise, not forgetting to mention the traffic. Blasting music from the cars, throwing trash out of the window and not respecting pedestrians. People can also be rude and not even a thank you if you keep the door open for them. Some of them don’t obey rules. It’s seem city people are more stressed than country folk. There’s just too many people in the city.

A city has so much more to offer than in the country. There are more opportunities and things to do. I like a city where the nature is close and you don’t need a car or use public transport to get there. I love cycling and especially when there’s not much traffic. In a big city there’s always someone around and you can’t get no peace and quiet. But if the nature is near, you can always get there to cool yourself down. I’ve always lived near a park with a lot of different activities. There are football fields, a swimming stadium, a bowling alley, a pod with different birds and goats, ice rings in the winter or you can just walk around. Or you can just sit on a bench or sitting on the grass watching the world go by. All of this are in a walking distance and that’s something you won’t find in many big cities. If you want to find a beach, just take your bike or take the bus and you’re there in no time.

I’m a city girl through and through. You can take me out of the city but you can never take the city out of me.

 

Tallenna