Train to Busan

Train to Busan

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I wasn’t really keen in visiting Busan. I had this idea that it would be good to visit during the summer as it is a city by the sea. But who can resist a Train to Busan as a title! Yes, we took the KTX train to Busan which took us 2 hours and 15 minutes while the regular trains will take up to 6 hours. (The KTX trains are the Korean equivalent to the Japanese Bullet trains yet so much less expensive.) It was a smooth, uneventful train ride. Although, a question was posted on my TikTok asking if there were zombies! 🙂

Our hotel was right infront of the Haeundae Beach and across the Busan X the Sky, a 100 floors building . Our room was facing the ocean so it was so lovely! Haeundae beach is really clean and beautiful. It was fun to look at the skyscrapers coming to life at dusk. For dinner, we had a huge serving of Dumplings and Milmyeon (Wheat Noodles), a typical Busan dish, at a nearby restaurant and was blessed by a short, light rain on the way back to the hotel. The next morning was spent exploring the Busan X the Sky before heading to Jinhae.

I heard that Jinhae has around 350,000 Cherry Blossom trees which makes it a must place to visit during the Cherry Blossom season. We took a tour with Trazy on a very comfortable bus and Jinhae didn’t fail us at all. It was indeed very pretty but there were also lots of people! I really enjoyed trying out the street food and I especially like the Strawberry Milk and Strawberry Mochis. And at this point, the young seller told me that I look like Princess Raya! I also enjoyed watching how Dalgonas are made – melting sugar, pouring it gently to form a circle then stamping a character on it with a hot metal. Dinner was Kimchi potato pancakes at a very homely restaurant with only three long tables. It had a very friendly atmosphere and the people from the next table showed us their food so that we can order. There was no English at all and I really liked how everyone participated so that we can get food. It was really a fun day in Jinhae. We returned to our hotel in Busan at 23:30 and I can’t believe that I was indeed under the Cherry Blossom. At this point, I felt like I was Cherried Blossomed! 😀 And of course, while we were waiting for our ride to Jinhae, we went in a selfie booth and got a selfie for the first time ever in our entire lives. We had so much fun and laughter!

What’s next!

Check out the reels here:

A Visit to Busan

Today in Busan and Jinhae

More photos from Busan by Ari Vitikainen can be found here and photos from Jinhae here.

First Day in Seoul

First Day in Seoul

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The plan for this day was to visit the Bukchon Hanok Village. Our hotel in Insadong was a walking distance from it. So we headed fresh for the day and ready to explore Seoul. Sadly and with much regret, we had breakfast at Starbucks just because I really wanted to have my Starbuck’s name as per tradition. But in Seoul, they don’t allow disposable cups anymore which is great!

After breakfast, we walked to the Bukchon Hanok Village. It is a pretty place but it is important to remember that it is a residential area so people actually live there. It is very necessary to be respectful and as it says in many places, Please be quiet. We found some kind of a museum on a hill with tea on offer and a great spot to see the Seoul Skyline, although, it was not much of a view during the day. The place also has a traditional house which is fully decorated just like the ones in the historical K-Dramas.

Next stop was a Tea House called Cha Teul. We didn’t just happened on this place but I googled best tea houses in Seoul beforehand. Cha Teul made me so happy and it was not pricey at all. It was packed so we waited for a while to get a table but it was so worth it. I ordered a Quince Pear tea and it was perfect!

Then we walked to the Changgyeonggung Palace and the Secret Garden. The Cherry Blossom is already in full bloom so the palace ground was full of visitors. We didn’t find the Secret Garden anything special. Maybe during a different season, for example during summer or autumn, the garden would look beautiful. After the Secret Garden tour, we tried to visit the Changgyeonggung Palace. Unfortunately, we actually bought tickets to Chandeokgung Palace. In the end, we decided to call it a day visiting palaces so we didn’t get to use the tickets we bought.

So instead, we hopped on a bus to Myeongdong. But there was a rally. Up until now, we don’t know what was the protest all about (I can’t read Korean!) but there were lots of people and lots of police too. The bus got diverted so we took another bus and eventually walked some kilometres to Myeongdong. It was late and we were hungry. We happened on a restaurant that has a wall showing photos and autographs of famous people who ate there. The food was really good and the owner was really friendly. Also, notice the cute red apron I’m wearing. These aprons are readily available at restaurants to avoid food stains. How smart! We were also full and happy!

For the next day, we are heading to Busan…

Check out the reel here:

First Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

South Korea – my 50th country!

South Korea – my 50th country!

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In the Summer of 2022, I was featured in the Daebak magazine, a Korean subscription box company. I talked about how I wish to visit South Korea in 2023 to eat authentic Korean food, to stay at a Hanok and to experience the Cherry Blossom. Fast forward in December that year, I bought tickets to Seoul and started planning the trip to South Korea with my husband. The plan was to experience the Cherry Blossom season. Although I know that it could be a hit or miss, I bought the tickets anyway and booked the accommodations. There were changes along the way as two weeks would not be enough to see it all. And although I really wanted to visit Jeonju, I didn’t like the idea of being sat on the bus for more than 4 hours from Gyeongju. That road trip will be going across the country after all! By the 20th of March, the mask mandate for public transport was lifted. Although I still carried with me a few masks just in case (from the Daebak box, of course!) we didn’t have to use them. Also, I didn’t see many people wearing masks anymore. To be honest, I don’t really like wearing masks and we haven’t been wearing masks in Helsinki since last year.

The flight from Helsinki took off at 17.55 on the 23rd of March and arrived the next day at midday in Incheon International airport. It took 11 hours and 45 minutes as the flight avoided the Ukraine and Russian airspace. But it didn’t really feel that long. I just knew that when we landed, my headphone was at 40% battery. I was listening to K-Pop all through the flight.

After the checking of the Q Code, immigration and baggage reclaim, we rented a Portable Wifi for our entire stay in South Korea from the SKT booth located at the arrival area. I also bought a TMoney card for my husband from the convenience store inside the airport (I already have one from the Daebak box with Jimin’s photo!) and have them refilled with money mainly for transportation. It was important to check what was the best way to travel to our accommodation. I have heard stories of people taking the subway and changing trains (dragging along heavy suitcases) when buses stop right infront of their hotels! So for us, the bus was the best option. It stopped very close to our hotel in Insadong.

We checked in and explored the Insadong area, most especially the Ikseongdong Hanok Village where we found lots of nice restaurants and cute cafes. At the Insadong Shopping Street, I also had a Dojang made, a traditional stamp with my name in Hangul. We did a quick stop at Ssamzigil Shopping Mall for some traditional snacks sold on the ground floor. They were good!

It was a long day and we headed to bed to get ready for the next day!

Check out the reels here:

Flying to Seoul

First Evening in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Winter is back!

Winter is back!

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I woke up Saturday morning to see the tree in the yard covered in snow. It kept on snowing but the temperature was above the freezing level. Well, this only means one thing. It’s time to make snow ducks!

How is the weather where you are? It is cold, rainy, sunny or snowy? Which do you prefer?

Signs of Spring?

Signs of Spring?

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Someone asked me when Spring will come to Helsinki. I answered I don’t know. Maybe in April. Maybe in May. But the days are getting longer and the sun has been shining more lately. Also, the sea has been giving a sign of ice slowly melting which shows a sea full of diamonds!

Some two weeks ago, I’ve archived my 2019 Travel Journal. Please check it out here. Yesterday, I started preparing a new journal for my holiday next month. This time I will be using the Travellers Notebook. So excited!

How is it in your country? Are there already signs of Spring? Let me know!

A quick trip to Amsterdam

A quick trip to Amsterdam

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It was an early morning trip to the airport. The metro station was almost empty but the airport was full of people. You can really feel the ‘revenge travel’ that people are talking about. Then the rain started just when we had to leave the bus to board the plane.

It was the big plane, the one you take on an intercontinental flight. I dreamt of flying to Tokyo or Seoul… Once we are up, it was sunny and very pretty!

I arrived at my hotel in central Amsterdam. I was too early and sweating from wearing thick clothing all the way from Helsinki. I took off my coat, left it, walked and sat myself to breakfast in this cozy place. I came in just at the right time as the place became full too quickly. Apparently, it was a known place for the locals.

I walked back to the hotel as the rain started pouring. I had no umbrella and no coat either. The closest shop was the cheese shop and that was how I ended up owning a cheese umbrella. I arrived at the hotel and was able to check into my room. The stairs was a typical dutch stairs – long, steep and narrow. But I was able to manage to get to the third floor. The secret – travelling light! The room was tiny. I can’t remember staying in such tiny hotel room ever in my life. But I managed. The secret – I’m a tiny person myself! (Note: this room was not even cheap!)

Then came the name test during breakfast the next day. And it was 100% perfect. The guy behind the counter got my name by just saying it once. He even offered a muffin for 25 cents. This was a correct name third time around. First in Paris, then Vancouver and now in Amsterdam. This place also played Billie Holiday.

Then it was walking walking walking. It’s really worth staying close to the major attractions. I was also back at Van Gogh museum after 6 years. I didn’t visit when I was in Amsterdam in 2019.

But the main reason why I was in Amsterdam was to attend my son’s graduation for his bachelor’s from the University of Amsterdam. We even went out the first evening to shop and dine. It was a special event. Just think about how these students spent the last two years studying online. It was a happy reunion with course-mates whom they haven’t seen in two years. Students flew from different countries to attend the graduation ceremony. Some even flew all the way from Dubai. I was such a proud mum! After the dinner of humongous burger, we said goodbye as he was busy with his classes the next day. He is taking a Master degree course after all!

So I continued to explore Amsterdam by foot the next day before heading to the airport. It was cloudy with few showers here and there but it was nice. The day before, my son took me to a special cookie shop. It’s so famous that they were out of cookies already when we got there. So there I was at 10.15 and a queue was already formed. I queued for fun. It was my first time to queue for cookies and I can honestly say it was worth it!

I continued walking and passed by this cute croissant shop and also saw a Gashapon shop. Guess if I played? Then I got breakfast at a pancake place where only one person works. She was amazing because the place was actually packed. She took the order, cooked, took the payment, cleaned and repeat. Some people were eating open pancake but I rolled it!

I head back to the hotel with a few diversions. The cookie shop still had a long queue. I also looked around the book market where I was 6 years ago and got myself some old postcards. Interestingly, I bought two very old postcards from Japan mailed to a person in Finland! I also passed by the Flower market and bought some bonsai seeds. Then I took my small luggage from the hotel and headed to the airport by bus. I arrived 4 hours before my plane departs without knowing that I should be at the airport 4 hours before my plane departs because of the revenge travel! There were lots of people. The queue went in and out of the airport. They even made a tent. I haven’t seen anything like this in my entire life and I have travelled a lot.

But I made it. It was a crazy three hours queue, longer than flying to Helsinki! Why did I come to the airport 4 hours earlier is still a mystery to me up until now…

It was a quick and lovely break, something that I thought I didn’t need but I actually did!

Oh no, I thought Malta was the 50th!

Oh no, I thought Malta was the 50th!

by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

I landed in Malta for holiday thinking that it was my 50th country. But it seems like it’s only the 49th country I’ve visited. Although, I’m not so sure now if I counted every country correctly…

But anyway, the point is, I was in Malta. Yes, finally I was in Malta. I was planning a trip to Malta many times before but somehow it never happened. But now it did and I can say Malta is very pretty!

The city of Valletta reminded me of cities I’ve been before – Marrakech, Athens, Dubrovnik, Lisbon, Livorno. Even the wooden balconies reminded me of Jaisalmer. And of course, the Red telephone boxes and the red fire hydrants are English reminders. So you can imagine how the coming together of all these pretty cities will bring – a very beautiful and interesting Valletta.

But of course, the trip will not be complete without visiting Gozo and to have a quick swim in Comino.

The Gozo Cathedral was constructed between 1697 and 1711 and is built entirely from limestone.

Gozo is an interesting place. We had a quick walk around the city centre but our main interest was really getting something to eat and drink, dessert and coffee. Comino is beautiful with its emerald waters. The swim was very refreshing as we went away from the crowd and enjoyed a secluded spot.

Another interest place to visit is the small fishing village of Marsaxlokk. It was such a sight to see boats of different sizes at the dock and to eat freshly made pasta. We also took a small boat to see the St. Paul Pool and its clear waters. We passed by the Salt Pans on the way there. Somehow, I felt so small on a tiny boat in the middle of the sea…

It was indeed a wonderful holiday experiencing new things and new places, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, watching the sunrise and sunset and eating delicious food. And the most important thing is to be able to relax, gain new ideas for work and gather strength for the next projects.

All photos by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainenphotography.com

A week of gelato, pasta and pizza

A week of gelato, pasta and pizza

by elainevitikainen ♥ 3 Comments

Yes, you guessed it right! We were in Venice for a week, finally, after 9 years. But not only in Venice. We did a day trip to pretty Verona and another day trip to the fascinating Bologna. It was the peak season with the temperature reaching up to 37C. It was hot and it was obviously the time for revenge travels.

However, Venice never ceases to amaze me. Beautiful architecture! It was nice to see the colourful houses of Burano again. It was also interesting to have a week without any cars, motorcycles or anything with wheels, except for carts. It was wonderful just to stare at the grand canal for the most beautiful sunset and to spend time at the restaurants enjoying Italian dishes. It was indeed a week of gelato, pasta and pizza!

All photos by Ari Vitikainen

Before this holiday, I was basically just living infront of my computer for the past months preparing my classes on Skillshare. Days of the week didn’t matter anymore. Was it a weekday or was it a weekend didn’t make any difference. So I was happy to be on a holiday finally! Please check out my Skillshare classes on Creating Stickers on Cricut Joy and Procreate and Designing a Weekly Spread on Procreate. My sticker class received a recognition from Skillshare as an outstanding class.

Lastly, a Korean subscription box featured me in their magazine. I would never imagine…
Visiting Family in Canada

Visiting Family in Canada

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Krakow Unmasked!

Krakow Unmasked!

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I really enjoyed my birthday trip in Vienna in 2019. So being able to travel to celebrate my birthday this year was amazing. Krakow is a very pretty city with lots of good places to eat. Spring also came to Krakow so the city is even more beautiful. We arrived wearing masks as Finnair was still requiring masks on the flight. Then we were very surprised when we realised that no one uses mask in Krakow anymore. It really felt strange yet liberating after 2 years of constantly wearing a mask. And no more social distancing whatsoever!

We stayed in the old Town. From our hotel, it was easy to explore the city by foot. We were able to visit many places of interest just on the first day, like the Wawel Royal Castle, St. Mary’s Basilica, The Cloth Hall, Rynek Główny, Krakow Barbican, Plenty, St. Florian’s Gate, Floriańska, Smok Wawelski and the Town Hall Tower.

On the second day we walked a bit further and happened in Cmentarz Żydowski on the way to the old Jewish quarter. Nature overtook this cemetery while the birds were singing sweetly.

Heading back, we found by chance the oldest cafe and restaurant of Krakow. Jama Michalika was established in 1895. The atmosphere of this cafe is quite hard to explain. I didn’t feel that I had gone back in time when I obviously did! 127 years and still going…

For the third day, we drove the bus for some 40 minutes ride to Wieliczka Salt Mine which was excavated in the 13th century. We went down to 64 metre level by a wooden staircase and explored a 3 kilometre mine including an underground lake of 135 metres deep and a chapel made entirely of salt.

Then the last day in Krakow was all about arts. We visited three museums and was able to see the most valuable painting in Poland – Leonardo da Vinci Lady with an Ermine. We also enjoyed a traditional Polish meal of Barszcz Zurek and Pierogi and bought 50 pieces of handmade chocolates for 15,65 EUR. Krakow is not as expensive as Helsinki for sure!

Our flight back from Krakow was delayed by more than an hour. But we had the privilege to witness the beautiful sunset throughout the flight. We were probably the last ones to wear a mask on a flight. As of 23rd of April, Finnair doesn’t require to wear a mask anymore.

All photos by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainenphotography.com