stlucia.blogg.se

I started this blog when I first went on an exchange to Brisbane, Australia. During that experience, I discovered my love for culture, travelling and adventures. This blog has followed me since and been my forum for pictures and stories from Tanzania, South Africa, Ireland, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore, Europe etc.

MACEDONIA IN PICTURES

Publicerad 2014-10-02 08:28:22 i Allmänt,

Back to a cold Sweden and missing the atmosphere in Macedonia already. Here are some pics from the trip:
Me in front of the old Stone Bridge in Skopje
On our way to Galichnic, sometimes it was hard to see furher than a few meters. It might have been a good thing not seeing the steep cliff walls on which the car was balancing though...
Early morning and sunrise in Galichnic
Highest peak (1950 or 2200m (everyone said different things=P)) in Galichnic. Stunning views!
Top of tha mountain!
 
Fishermen in Ohrid Lake
Samui fortress and Ohrid in the background
On the fortress walls
Grape transport through the mountains, Macedonia makes great and super cheap wine! 
Hiking around Matka Lake on the last day in Macedonia.
 
 
Kommentarer (0)

Albania and ohrid

Publicerad 2014-09-28 07:39:50 i Allmänt,


Had a relaxing day in ohrid yesterday. We've been trying hard to paraglide but it has been a bit too windy every day since we got here. Ohrid has a lot of beautiful old churches and a big fortress which was built somthing 1000 B.C, although it has been renovated. You got an amazing view of the town from up there: 
All around ohrid was a rock wall and when the Turkish people settled here, they said the Macedonians were not allowed to live outside of that wall, so that's why the bushings are very closely together 
Everything here is organic, although it's not called organic - just food. Every house grow figs and grapes over the carport. Inc chili which they dry in the balcony (dark pic but maybe you can still see): 
Totally love this place.
Yesterday we drove into Albania, which sucked big time. Don't go there. Although we only saw a small part of the country, everything about it was dirty and disgusting. The people were unfriendly and no one can drive (perhaps because before 1990 there was only 600 cars there). 
Border crossing.

Today we are about to drive back to Skopje, with a few stops along the way. 
Kommentarer (0)

Ohrid and ohrid lake

Publicerad 2014-09-25 20:43:18 i Allmänt,

So after saying goodbye to our Macedonian family, we once again drove along the mountain roads to ohrid, a little lake town in south mace, bordering to Albania. This town has so far exceeded my expectations, it's stunning!


We took a walk along the river to find a beautiful church called St. John at kaneo. It was so beautiful I even bought a painting on it at the open market. 
As it was no wind and boat taxi was super cheap, we decided to boat it back with a lovely old man and so got the opportunity to see ohrid from the ocean. 

We will probably stay here for a few days, possibly taking a day tour to Albania tomw if we feel we're brave enough. App the Albanians are famous for vandalizing Macedonian cars, again due to the conflict. So if we go we'll have to keep an eye on our little seat :) 
Kommentarer (0)

Mountain life

Publicerad 2014-09-25 10:01:26 i Allmänt,


Galicknic, a super small village which only comes to live during the summer was a great surprise of beautiful mountains and beautiful people. There is absolutely nothing to do here, other than taking in and admire the views. The village is located on a dead end road and there is only two ways to get here, either by driving from mavrovo, or by driving to another village, jance and then hike through the mountains. 
As it is the end of the season, there are only a few people left here, and they all treat us like their kids. It's been amazing in every way. Yesterday we went on a little ride through the mountains with a guy who in his efforts to make the village alive has organized horseback riding for the few tourists who find this place. It was amazing to canter on the narrow mountain roads with views like this. 

We also hiked to to top of the mountain, 2200m above sea level where the view was just unbelievable 

Afterwards, we got invited for coffee to the lady who showed us the way to the mountain
She fed us with vitamin drinks, Macedonian whiskey, Turkish coffee, cheese, chocolate, etc. she lived in Gothenburg for 9 years and was super happy to practice her Swedish. And believe it or not this lady is 65yo (she looks like 45) and told us most people in this village live until they are 100. Such beautiful souls. 
Now it's time for us to keep driving south. I'm guessing there is more to explore here :) 
Kommentarer (0)

Macedonia

Publicerad 2014-09-23 18:55:47 i Allmänt,


So Sweden started to get a bit boring so took a little trip to Macedonia on Sunday. Macedonia is an extremely interesting and forgotten country. It is a weird mix between corrupt developing country and a developed country. 
The first night we stayed in Skopje, the capital in which 400000 out of the country's 2 million people live. The most interesting thing about this city is that there are statues everywhere! App the ruling party decided to write a new history of Macedonia as the country is in conflict wth Greece and Albania. They think it will attract visitors. However 35% of all people here have no job and earn very little money so spending millions of dollars on statues has basically created conflicts within the country too. It's a very interesting country both from a political and developing point of view. And the nature is beautiful! I've taken most pictures with myslr so they won't come till later but here is some pictures from our drive to the mountains today: 


Macedonia is a super small country as the neighboring countries has subsequently taken over its land. Still it has more mountain peaks than any other country in the world. We are aitting on one of them right now waiting for dinner :) more to come! 
 
Kommentarer (0)

Training, work, training, work...

Publicerad 2014-09-14 17:50:17 i Allmänt,

September has been full of work and training and work... 
In my half depressed mood I'm trying to make myself as busy as I possibly can. So I have apart from writing on my thesis fulltime signed up for two courses, one at Stockholm Uni which is a course in sustaiable living, and one at Sanford University about how to improve your scientific writing. I also managed to find myself a part time job as a freelancing nutritionist consultant for a German company. So most of the time Im spending in front of the computer working along...
If I'm not doing that I'm trying to stick to my tri training, although its not very easy to do that in Stockholm...
On a last open water swim for the year. Cold and windy but so much freedom!
I also tried to swim at the local pool in Vallingby but considering the 'swim-slowly-only-to-relaxing-mucis-and-live-candles" I am not too sure I will go there too often. My swimming is suffering big time, I'm getting slow :*(
Spending much more time on the bike. Here together with Fredrikshof cycling group which I tried out last week. Very good and serious group of cyclists. Unfortunately they only cycle in the evening twice a week within reach from where I live and I prefer to get out in the mornings =(
Which I did today, neglecting the heavy fog and the few degrees of coldness surrounding me. I didn't see anything at all at some points :S
Road conditions on today's morning ride. Managed to do 82km whereof about 70 was in fog as heavy as first and second pic. Still, cycling makes me so happy so there is no reason not to keep getting out there :)
Kommentarer (0)

Edinburg castle

Publicerad 2014-09-04 14:42:43 i Allmänt,

One day left of the conference. Or half a day now. The conference center is just next to the spectacular castle of Edinburg. I tried to I in there earlier this week but the que was a few hundred meters long so I decided to just look at it from the outside. 

It's quite amazing as it is built in in a massively high cliff wall. 
However on the othe side of the castle, just outside the entrance, they appear to be building a sports arena. Try to do this in Sweden! 

Sports arena from the side

And from the front. Can't believe they couldn't find a better place for this. Anyway! 
I've just had my poster presentation at the world congress of reproductive biology. Went well so now I can just 'enjoy' the rest of the meeting. 

My poster :) 
Kommentarer (0)

ARTHUR'S SEAT

Publicerad 2014-09-02 10:34:20 i Allmänt,

My apartment must have incredibly thin walls. I can hear everything outside the door and everytime I do I feel like someone is inside my apartment. A bit scary but I guess that's hat its like to live in the city =)
Started out the day with some trailrunning in Holyrood park and it was SO nice!
The beginning of the trail to the summit. 
There are plenty of little paths leading to the top, some are easier and some steeper. However there are no signs or arrows at all telling you were to go so its a bit of a guessing game. 
Panoramic voew from the top of Arthur's seat.
Got another tourist to take a photo of me at the top =)
Although I regretted not taking shorts on the way up, I was quite happy with long sleves while at the top. Quite windy but a stunning view!
As I wanted to get more tired I kept running around the park for a while and came back with 8.5km trail behind me. Gotta love the trail, I wish i had hills like this around the corner from home too!
 
 
Kommentarer (0)

SAFE AND SOUND IN SCOTTLAND

Publicerad 2014-09-01 22:45:47 i Allmänt,

Wow, what a journey! Not particularily speaking about the flight itself, but the trip from the airport to the hotel. Generalising from the 1 bustrip I have made in Scotland so far, the drivers are crazy! It took more than an hour to reach the city centre as the bus stopped every 10m. Can't complain on the price though, 1.5pounds. 
After walking around for abt 20 min I finally reached my hotel. The only problem was.....the hotel had no reception. Apparantly, (in small italic) the confirmation letter had a little line at the bottom saying the keys were to be collected on another street (1bt 15 min walk away). Well, That makes sense! (NOT !!?). I was lucky enough the cleaner had just been in the building and offered me a ride to the reception, so I only had to walk one way. Sigh.
Good thing however, is that the staff were really nice and my room is huge! Bedroom, kitchen, walk in closet, living room, bathroom, washing room, you name it! And Salsbury (supermarket) was just around the corner and I managed to get all the luxurious type of food such as figs, goat cheese and smoked fish for like nothing. Something Sweden should take after?
After finally getting some food, I started out with some city sightsing. First out was Greyfriars Kirkyard with burials since the late 16th century. Some people say this is the most haunted place on earth.
However there are nice stories about this place as well. Bobby, probably the most loyal dog who ever lived is buried here. Bobby supposedly watched over his Master's (John Gray's) grave for 14 years, until he died himself in 1872. It is said he loyaly stayed on the grave, every night, regardless of weather and temperature. Shorty after he died, he got a monument raised for him:
Almost next to Greyfriars kirk is the birthplace of Harry Potter, the elephant house. And as the Harry Potter fan that I am, I had to take a picture:
This will have to be enough for now as I am really tired and am looking forward to sleep in a REAL bed for the first time since I left Australia! :D It better be nice and soft. 
 
Kommentarer (0)

September

Publicerad 2014-09-01 11:08:06 i Allmänt,

It's important to stay outdoors as much as possible before the winter slaps us in our faces. Already now, the temperatures have fallen quite a bit. It was only 6 degrees on my early morning bike ride yesterday however I found a new route which was beautiful, away from traffic, away from cars and too early for anyone else to be awake. 

Managed to get 76 done before swapping from one bike to another. Motorcycling with dad: 

So all in all I spent 6hrs on bikes. Very nice! 

Now I'm about to board the plane to Edinburg for my final conference as a phd student. All people have lined up in a typical Swedish way. I guess it's important not to miss out on a seat. 
Kommentarer (0)

Ironman or world champ

Publicerad 2014-08-23 11:32:04 i Allmänt,

The temperature of the ironman fever has declined and the triathlon season is basically over in Sweden. It's very tempting to buy one of the last tickets to next year ironman, at the same time, I am considering getting a spot to represent Sweden in triathlon worlds sprint distance in Chicago next year. Better make up my mind sooner rather than later. 

My Aussie friend Bec finally made it to the Finish line for the 2014 Swedish ironman. It was great to cheer her on and bring her home although she was feeling pretty shitty with stomach pains etc. extraordinary effort completing an ironman in those conditions.
Now it remains for me to find a new club to train and socialize with. 
Kommentarer (0)

KALMAR MINI TRI

Publicerad 2014-08-17 10:43:28 i Allmänt,

So Kalmar triathlon week is over. Its been fantastic to be surrounded by this fantastic lifestyle and sport and great looking bikes. It all started with Mini Triathlon on Wed night, in which my goal was to beat my time from last year (1hr6min). This year, I was participating in competition class and had joined Emmaboda simsallskap as they require that you are a member of a Swedish club to start in competition class. long story. But E-boda had a low membership fee and I didn't want to sign up for anything expensive when I was gonna spend most of that time still in Australia. I do recall I have actually even been to E-boda indoor pool once....maybe 20 or so years ago. Anyway. It was great fun racing through my home streats. I heard my name being called out in every corner of the town on the run leg from old friends and family.
My times were:
Swim (520m) - 9.30 (10/260)
T1 - 01.14
Bike (18km) - 29.28 (6/260)
T2 - 1.15
Run (4.2km) - 17.53 (16/260)
Total: 59min7sec 5th OVERALL
As you can see, I even made it to the locan news. Barometern called me a few hours after the competition and informed me I came 5th. There are no agegroups in Kalmar mini tri. If there were, I think I would have placed 1st or 2nd in F25-29. I am extremely happy with a 5th though, consodering number 1, 2 and 3 are all world elite triathletes and swimmers. They have sponsors (other than their parents :) and this is there job. So thanks to everyone coming down town to support. Was great to see your faces around =)

Kommentarer (0)

Stensö to Färjestaden - the ocean way

Publicerad 2014-08-11 12:30:53 i Allmänt,

In the beginning of the summer, me and Carl had been joking about swimming from Kalmar to öland. The shortest distance is between Stora rör and Revsudden (3km). However, due to some infrastructural issues, the boat we had access to was places at Stensö and it was to far to drive to a start at Revsudden. So we thought, maybe I could just swim from Stensö across to whatever was on the other side, ie Färjestaden. Worst thing that could happen would be that I got tired and had to take the boat the last little bit. So here we are, at the start, with the castle in the background:
Would guess the water temp was around 20-22 degrees and the winds were shifting from between 0-2m/s. A perfect day for it =)
Filters can make the Swedish water look like Australian =)
The distance was apparently 8.13km and it took me just under 3hrs to complete this. The last bit was tough as Andreas had estimated it to be 500m left when in reality it was just over 2km left. I kept swimming but Farjestaden didn't seem to come any closer. The wetsuit had also started to rub alot on my neck and shoulders. Putting anticeptic cream on the wounds now is incredibly painful =S but still worth it ofcourse =)
Getting my cold and raisin like feet warmed up =)
The swim uploaded from my Garmin. The longest swim I had done in open water before was abt 2km. The longest I have ever swum before is 4km. But that was in a pool with rest etc between. So def a new PB. I wonder what I have to do to beat this now. Suggestions?
Kommentarer (0)

140km on the bike

Publicerad 2014-08-03 09:16:36 i Allmänt,


Longest ride to date for me, from kalmar to aboda Klint and then back. Got company from Johan who is training for ironman this year and had one long session left. Nice to finally cycle with someone again. 
Kommentarer (0)

Summer times

Publicerad 2014-07-25 08:30:40 i Allmänt,


Sweden is offering perfect summer weather with sunshine and great activities. During the last day in Gothenburg, I finally got to meet sis horse miramis. Such a beautie:) 
Yesterday, I rode 50km on my bike in Kalmar, and me and A took the boat to the habour for a coffee, and swum in the middle of the sea, all before work :) 
Finally, using the freedom a car is offering, I drove out to my Favourite baby to celebrate her 1st birthday. Great times! 
Kommentarer (0)

GOTHENBURG TRIATHLON

Publicerad 2014-07-23 14:34:51 i Allmänt,

First race in Sweden done and dusted. Gothenburg triathlon was indeed a very nice race. The organization was however very different to what I am used to but a very friendly local triathlon on the countryside of Gothenburg. Water temp was just above 19 degrees and the water nice and non-salty =) Here is the swim exit. 
I only had a week or so to prep for this race with 6 weeks off the bike. Normally, I would have done 6 weeks hard training and one week off. But well rested, I suppose, I was very pleased with my race:
 
Swim: 515m 8.24 (5/63 females)
T1: 41 sec (1/63)
Bike: 20km 32.54 (2/63)
T2: 36 sec (4/63)
Run: 22.37 (5/63)
TOTAL TIME: 1.05.10 3rd place of 63 females, or 2 place AG
 
In all honesty, I have never raced a tougher race. I had no idea the run was a trail run and had not prepared for this at all. Gothenburg is much hillier than the Eastcoast where I normally train so this was a little hint I should probably try to get some hill sprint sessions scheduled in.
 
Family G and Erik was great support during the race. It's so nice to have some familar faces screaming at you along the way =)
One medal richer and happy to have been fighting so much for a 3rd overall and 2nd place in my age group. Means that there are some great girls out there and that I can't slack off from my training =)
 
 
 
Kommentarer (0)

Back on track

Publicerad 2014-07-14 18:31:35 i Allmänt,


So good to be back on the bike again. Unfortunately there are not to many good routes in Stockholm and lots of traffic. On the bright side, the roads are usually very well maintained and flat, which is good for speed work but not for strength. If anyone knows about good cycling routes or any hidden mountain in the Stockholm area. 
Towards ekerö
Todays ride, at lövstaklipporna 

So with 6 weeks of no cycling. I now have 1 week to prep for Gothenburg triathlon. Time to get serious! 
Kommentarer (1)

Summer times

Publicerad 2014-07-09 17:45:15 i Allmänt,



Celebrating Andreas on his 27th with lchf-BBQ after a few hours on the sea. Unfortunately, I've cought the Swedish bug, the one that makes you sick from an evil combo of jetlag and other people being sick. Not nice. Better recover soon. 
Kommentarer (0)

Väder och vind

Publicerad 2014-07-06 17:50:08 i Allmänt,


Testar att blogga från mobilen för första gången här. Får väl erkänna att jag som varit Apple iPhone bakåtsträvare så länge faktiskt har blivit omvänd. Mycket nöjd med min nya telefon. 

I förrgår var vi o kolla på agility på fredrikskans där en jättestor tävling hölls, faktist jättekul att titta på. 


Annars har det blivit mycket tid vid sjöboden och på Öland under min invänjningsperiod i Sverige. Långa ljusa kvällar och en hiskeligt massa prat om väder. Vore nice om svenskarna kunde införa lite nya samtalsämnen även om solen skiner. Eller om det regnar. Eller är disigt. Jag vill aldrig mer prata om väder! 
Kommentarer (1)

Om

Min profilbild

Emmie

Flying high but staying grounded. Travelling, adventures, exploring and adrenaline is my life. I write about places most people want to visit but never do; and about my triathlon lifestyle. I live after: The distance between your dreams and reality is called action.

Senaste inläggen

Kategorier

Arkiv

Prenumerera och dela