Photo: Veronika Goryanska
Friends, acquaintances or colleagues who know about my experience often ask my opinion on which countries are must visit, what to see or try in the city and so on. This, of course, largely depends on the interests and tastes of each person, but I will still share some thoughts.
For example, I believe that in Italy you just have to try snowboarding. There are very good descents there, the prices are relatively inexpensive - about 500-600 euros for a season (for 3-4 months). In winter, you definitely need to visit the Alps. Excellent bike paths are in Holland and Belgium, they are just perfect. If you like skating, you should visit Barcelona, because it is such a flat city with good coverage. Best places for surfing can be found in Portugal as well as in Israel and Malta. if you want to jump with a parachute, do it in Ukraine, because prices are much cheaper here. Must-do in Norway is camping, the nature is extremely beautiful there. But you need to be ready for it, pick up the right shoes so that your feet do not get wet, because this can spoil your trip.
Photo: Veronika Goryanska
There are cities, like Berlin, where you just have to go to the nightclub. Also be sure to have a naked night swim in the ocean, the experience is unforgettable.
Of course, in every country you visit, you need to communicate with local people and try traditional food, that's the beauty of it.
In Cyprus, taste the local cheese - halloumi, in Italy - pasta, pizza, pesto and dried tomatoes, as well as orzo and ginseng. I didn’t like falafel in Israel at all, in Ukraine it is tastier.
Sweden is known for its tasty traditional food. I was there for Christmas, and this is a perfect country to meet this holiday. All houses are decorated with candles, everything glows with lights, it looks very festive. They prepare more than 20 traditional dishes for Christmas. At this time, special Christmas drinks, desserts, cookies are sold right in the supermarket. For example, Lucia cookies are prepared for the holiday for a special contest. They choose the most beautiful girl of the year, who, traditionally, must be blonde.
I must warn you that even in Sweden there is one notorious dish - surstreaming. This is a pickled herring, its peculiarity is that it stinks madly. This is a traditional food, but almost no one can eat it, because it stinks so that it is necessary to air the apartment for a week. I even once watched a video on Youtube, as foreigners open it. No one could do it, even on a fresh air.
Photo: Veronika Goryanska
In Malta there is a special pastry - pastitstsi. These are small puff buns, some with ricotta cheese and others with peas. Their price is usually 40-50 cents. Of course you should totally try fish, especially in small settlements of fishers. Personally, I was in Marsaxlokk - a town on the coast with very cute fishing boats, painted in different colors.
In general, Malta is very bright and colorful. I have lived and worked there for about a month. There is an island with blue lagoons near Malta. The nature there is fantastic, you can easily live in a campsite there. I also liked the fact that the island of Malta is very small, you can go around the whole island by bus for 1.5 euros in the off-season and for 2 euros in the high season. Such kind of a trip will take only a couple of hours. I generally walked all of Malta on foot: I left in the morning and returned in the evening. It was very romantic and beautiful.
In Portugal, I have once received a very useful experience on how to save on housing. There are student groups in almost every city in Europe where you can find and rent a room. I filed my ad in the “Lisbon Apartments” group. But the fact is that I needed an inexpensive room not in the capital itself, but in a nearby small town that is not popular among the tourists and where the standard of living is lower. Nothing suitable for the price and location was found, so I decided to look directly at the city. I approached people right on the street and, with the help of an online translator, asked if they had rooms to rent. That is how, I was prompted to a flat near the ocean for 180 euros. I was very happy, because it was very cheap. But it turned out that its price was actually 1,800 euros! I couldn’t afford it, moreover, there was a language barrier to explain it normally. I had to look further.
Finally I was lucky! One guy told me that his friend has an empty room, and took me to him. A friend turned out to be a Brazilian surfer, he had a big and beautiful house. We became friends, he even gave me a board to ride the waves. In addition, fellow musicians often visited him and we had a lot of fun. So I lived in Portugal for more than a month. Sometimes a spontaneous decisions can really lead on to the surprising results.
Photo: Veronika Goryanska
And another time I have lived in a simply amazing hostel - Sunset destination hostel. I paid about 14 euros per day for the room. The hostel is located in the very center of Lisbon, on the main square. I have chosen it because of a rooftop pool. There also were hammocks, there was a DJ, there were funny and interesting people. In general, this is a very cozy and spiritual place. One man even cooked pancakes for breakfast and treated everyone, so we almost always ate in a big company.
Right next to this hostel is the Museum of Modern Art, which is worth a visit. Another incredible place in Lisbon is Lx Factory. This creative center is located on the territory of a former factory. There are many young artists, musicians and just interesting guys. Even in the capital of Portugal there is a very beautiful embankment: it stretches from the bridge to the central square, you can do a morning jog or just ride a bike, enjoying the view. At the weekend there is a youth jazz festival in the meadow, admission is free. And I remember the Pena Palace. This is such a huge castle, located on a cliff above the town of Sintra, 30 kilometers from Lisbon. It is also surrounded by a huge park with fountains, caves, gazebos and sculptures.
Photo: Veronika Goryanska
Portugal is generally an inexpensive country. I spent on food about 100-120 euros per month and ate and drank everything I wanted. I can recommend a cafe with local cheap pastries, it is called “A Padaria Portuguesa”, located in the area of Belem. This is a very famous cafe-pastry shop, which, by the way, is called “pastelaria” in Portugal. There you can buy Pastel de Nata - a puff pastry in the form of cups with custard. If you want to drink local coffee with milk, then you need to order a gala - a drink where espresso and hot foamed milk are poured in layers.. It is much cheaper than cappuccino or latte, besides it is a local drink.
The beaches in Portugal are incredibly beautiful. But if you want to get away from the crowd, then you should visit Costa da Caparica. You can get there by ferry for 1.5 euros and then walk for about 40 minutes. This is a coastline 20 kilometers long with striped and colorful beach houses. A great place to surf, for 15 euros you can ride the waves all day. And you can buy your board. Sometimes used surf can be found for 60 euros. Other famous beaches for surfers are Ericeira and Carcavelos.
Photo: Veronika Goryanska
Speaking generally, 600 euros is more than enough for staying in Portugal for a month. This is to rent a house, use transport and eat well. But this is such a civilized tourism. Personally, I made my first trip to Portugal without money. I bought tickets to Porto, where I had a pre-arranged shooting. I flew in, worked, and then sat on the bench and wondered how I should proceed. One student approached me, we talked, he invited me to spend the night in the apartment they rented with a friend. Of course, at first it was very suspicious and scary, but the guys turned out to be absolutely normal. So I spent 4 days without any money at all and found many friends. Therefore, I fell in love with Portugal immediately, I remember it as an open and very friendly country, where people are good and funny.
In every country and city you will find something special and interesting. Try, explore, meet, enjoy every minute, and then upon returning home you will have something to remember and tell.
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