Budapest

Posted on December 24, 2015 by amydo

Budapest is charming and historical. Christmas is the perfect time to see the city dazzle in its ancient beauty and glow with the fragrant of mulled wine.

I think this city is the fundamental European city – based on my biased and hasting judgement of course. But this city has all the elements of Europe: castle, cobblestone, grand architecture, old trams, cafes… I wish I had visited Budapest first, because this city feels like the heart of this continent.

This time of the year, a thick veil of fog covers the Danube, making the light reflect off a red-ish tint in so many of my photos. I usually can deal with different situations to get decent photos, but I have to admit defeated with the fog. That’s when I just gave up and actually enjoyed being there in the city.

Christmas time makes me lazy though, and I wish I wasn’t so lethargic. Although I did walk around the city a lot. I felt safe and cozy in the city center, where it’s convenient to get to places and people aren’t hurrying all the time.

Of course when people think of Budapest they think of the grandiose parliament building. I enjoyed seeing it as I walked across the bridges and along the river. Having come back from Stockholm, I didn’t find the city that cold in comparison! I wanted to bike around the city, but the vacation mood took over and I went shopping instead. Surprisingly I didn’t go on a spree, but I was so into the secret boxes – they’re actually Turkish. And I remembered that the Rubik’s Cube was invented by a Hungarian! Can’t resist a little exercise for the mind.

I see a little bit of everywhere I’ve been in Budapest. There’s Ronald Reagan in the park and ruined bars. A fun, young, and cultural city, full of character and charisma.

I’m starting to become exhausted – not just from the travelling, but also from winding down from a hectic year. As I stood on top of a hill overlooking Budapest, I found myself letting go and catching a breathe in the foggy December air.

Stockholm

Posted on December 19, 2015 by amydo

Leaving on Snälltåget after sunset, I looked back sadly at Stockholm that I had to leave. I had fun, though alone, and I like the city when it’s void of summer backpackers.

I had an entire week in the city so I walked, biked, took the public transit and drove so I could see the city from different points of view. Everyone at this time is so busy getting back, going away, shopping, moving… It’s also brightly lit and cold, chirping, cheerful. Something I would expect in spring, but I found it in December.

I have a few memorable moments while wandering around the city. Ice skating at Kungsträdgården while my feet suffer in pain, but the lights and the ABBA music, and the kids and teenagers enjoying some holiday fun was so warming that I couldn’t bring myself to stop. I’m suffering all this blistering pain in my feet for a joyful feeling in my heart! Sounds like Christmas.

Another moment was when I walked around Djurgården in the chilly sunny afternoon and wandered off track into the forest. I saw a deer! But most importantly, in the extremely quiet stillness of the trees and wind, I felt like I had Stockholm to myself, and that the city is standing still for me.

One more, I biked to Drottningholm Palace in the -5 degrees C weather on a 3-gear bike. After getting lost countless times and scratching my head at the different places whose names I couldn’t pronounce (Ekerö), I finally get to the palace in the sunset, catching a glimpse of the royal glory in the fading sunlight. As I rode away in the sunset, I saw Stockholm from a bridge and marvelled at the cotton candy pink clouds, light as a dream.

But when I arrived, the moment I got off at Stockholm Central I wanted to go home. No, don’t get me wrong, not because I hated the city at first sight. But because it reminded me of places I feel at home. Vancouver. Singapore. The bustling and hurrying – people rushing and squeezing somewhere with purpose.

What an odd reaction! When I visited New York City, it was crowded and fast too, but it didn’t remind me of home. Stockholm’s “downtown” core also has high-rises and modern office buildings. Only a few car lanes funnel traffic through the central area, and pedestrians, trams and busses own the space. It was around 4 when I arrived and the pavement was packed with shoppers and white collars, in suits, hurrying. Christmas lights turn the city into a big party.

There’s exciting projects happening for the city: Hagastadan, Slussen, Vision 2030… The city will transform, but will not lose its beauty.

I wanted to go home, but I wanted to be there in Stockholm. I wanted to make Stockholm my home.

Utrecht

Posted on December 14, 2015 by amydo

Out of all of Amsterdam, Ede, the Hague, Eindhoven, Utrecht and Groningen, I have one favourite city. The Netherlands is small and well connected enough that it doesn’t take much time to travel and see a city. It’s so easy to become a “hit-and-run” tourist, seeing an entire city in one day and adding it to a checklist.

But Utrecht is more than a stopover or a checkpoint for me. The city tapped into my inner hipster – or rather, faux hipster – my secret desire to be young and hip all the time! The city is crowded with students, young, free, happy (or stressed?) and therefore the cafe, boutiques and restaurants are also youthful and lively. My friend took me to a cozy cafe, packed with people because it was a Saturday and apparently all of Holland came to Utrecht central to transfer or shop for the Sinterklaas holiday. While I sipped a very creamy hot chocolate and treated myself to a sweet croissant, I looked at the major bike traffic outside and listened to people my age gossip about life and relationships. It feels so warm to be in the company of friends. And these people, whom I just met, already made me feel welcomed.

My second day in Utrecht, I walked around all the canals and tried to get a glimpse of the sun. It had been stormy and wet for most of my stay in the Netherlands, but at times I was lucky enough to catch the sun stopping by. The city has very old roots, evident in its cobble stone streets and ancient buildings, like the cathedral and the water reserve. Yet its young, cool vibe shines through the colourful pride crosswalk, the buzzing of bikes and 20-somethings rushing to class, the Miffy traffic light (Nijntje Pleintje). Want a trip to your childhood?

I have to admire the Dutch’s ability to bike, everyday, everywhere, anytime. And they definitely built a very poetic city to enjoy biking in. Long walks along the canals and hipster boutiques and cafes is my idea of a nice date.

I wish I felt 22 forever.

Helsinki

Posted on December 14, 2015 by amydo

I only had two days in Helsinki, but they were very relaxing and calming. I spent a whole day at Stockman to satisfy the shopaholic in me, and another day biking around the city and surrounding areas like Lehtisari and Lauttasaari. Where are the people? Rush hour in Helsinki is so gentle.

The city in late November sparkles in Christmas lights. The main Academic Bookstore in the city center lights up with decorations. I wanted to buy so many books there, even the Finnish ones, and for a moment I wish I was Finnish.

It’s a city I want to get lost in. Hop on a bike and put on some good jogging shoes and turn off the GPS and be completely lost. I don’t know what’s beyond the water and parks, and I don’t know what this street is called, but I don’t mind not knowing. I somehow ended up in a residential area with big houses – perhaps they’re summer houses – and it was quiet I could hear the highway traffic from kilometers away. The sound of wind and the water harmonizing made me feel tranquil. Happy.

The city is so safe at any time. The bike store owner who rented me a bike was fine with me leaving the bike unlocked outside. “It’s Finland, you know!”, he said. In the stillness of the city, I was dazed and dreamy. By the water bank, I fantasized about drifting off into the water on a small boat and read a book. It was dark and gloomy – but it’s the unique feeling of just drifting out into the unknown, knowing you will always find your own home.

Then when I hit a dead end, I thought, does that mean my little adventure is over? But a city always extends beyond its cul-de-sacs and closed roads and what tourists experience in a short time. Helsinki can feel like home to those who are willing to stay long enough and discover the city’s nooks and crannies.

The end of a journey is not the end of an adventure.

St. Petersburg

Posted on December 9, 2015 by amydo

The city seemed almost familiar. The communist style buildings with concrete fences painted in yellow and metal poles sticking out at the top – so much alike Ha Noi. The dark alleys at night and small worn down convenient stores where I can bread for an equivalent of $1CAD. But then the city also has enormous shopping centres like Galleria, flooded with UNIQLO ads, and streets, buzzing with a language I am not used to and most people don’t speak English, so I’m stuck on my own if I ever need help. A sense of uncertainty creeps in me when I see that the city guide warned against going home alone at night, but I stay out late anyway. I wouldn’t say St. Petersburg makes me feel safe, but it entices and seduces me.

I felt so small in this huge city of 5 million, even though I grew up in Ha Noi with 7 million, so I should be used to the traffic that doesn’t calm down even until 9 pm, used to the crowded pavements without smiles and the impersonal feeling that big cities bring. But it was the first time in a long time I felt so private and nostalgic – the city brings back so many familiar feelings of my days in Singapore, racing against rush hour and caught up in the hectic lifestyle.

But I also felt so small because the weight of history in the cultural landmarks. This is not a new city. It has its poetic and dilapidated and glamourous angles. It has its sparkling and hidden and jaded corners. Couples hold hands and kiss late night on the metro. People yell at each other on the street for accidentally bumping into each other. Each person lives their own life and finds their own space in this vast city.

So yes, somehow the most impersonal place I’ve been to so far seemed the most at home to me. Which can’t be true – I could not understand any Russian to be able to feel comfortable! But somehow I remember my roots.

Digging my way through the metro (because the metro is very deep in St. Petersburg – it takes about 3-5 minutes to get to the surface), I finally made it to Avtovo – considered one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world. I was simply overwhelmed. For a city that clearly designs for cars and has much less consideration for bikes or pedestrians, it is so wonderfully vested in creating such an amazing metro system. It’s almost romantic to take the train and indulge in this alluring city.

Amy Do

UBC ✈️ Lund

Monthly Archives: December 2015

Budapest

Stockholm

Utrecht

Helsinki

St. Petersburg