Your twenties is the time to find yourself and discover who you are

Yes, I still haven’t figured out my life. No, I’m not scared of it.

I’ve spent a hell lot of time trying to make some kind of a “life plan” or where would I like to be in 10 years or something and each time I tried, I failed. Why? Because I was starting with the little things I’d love to do on short term, but couldn’t decide how would that influence my life path on long term. And guess what? It’s ok! Your twenties is the time to find yourself and discover who you are!

They say youth is wasted on the young. But it doesn’t have to be. So let’s use our twenties on learning how to become better individuals, while still enjoying our age.

First, learn to accept and love yourself.

No one will ever love you more that you love yourself, so love you completely, embrace your flaws, accept your mistakes, and take the risks you’re too afraid to take. Life is short, spend every minute of it loving yourself. You are unique, one of a kind, so believing in yourself is the only way you will achieve everything you want to. Believe in you, in your power, in your ideas, because you are the only one who could change your life for the better.

Everything takes time

Careers, relationships, success, everything. Don’t hurry up, don’t get disappointed if you fail at first, stand up and try again, you have all the time in the world.

Invest in experiences, not things

As I said, you have a lot of time and fewer obligations now than you will ever have. So take advantage of that, travel, read, do whatever you feel like doing, experience all the things you want to experience, so enjoy your youth by living life at it’s fullest.

Embrace failure and don’t give up

Everybody fails sometimes. I mean, we all heard about Steve Jobs getting fired from the company he founded, or Paul McCartney writing some really bad song, or Jack Ma not getting accepted to Harvard. But what can we learn from that? Every failure brings you a little closer to success. Failure means you are doing something, you are trying and that’s a start. So don’t get disappointed if one thing goes bad, there are at least 10 good things just waiting to happen. All the successful people are actually normal people who believed that is possible, worked really hard and refused to give up. So don’t give up!

Stop comparing yourself to others

You should be the only person you’re competing with. Don’t look to the side to see what others are doing, they don’t determine either your success or failure. The only person who is responsible about it is YOU! If you’re working for your dream as hard as you can and believe in it as much as you can, that is all that matters.

Dream big, think big

They say nothing in life is free, so for you to achieve your goals, you have to work, sometimes at night, sometimes on weekends, sometimes on vacations or holidays. You have to choose working on your dream, even make short term sacrifices to achieve your long term goal. I’m not saying that it will be easy, but only those who “run the extra mile”  are a step closer to achieving their dreams.

Stop staring at screens and start seeing the beauty around you

I think nobody wants to be grey and old and look back on their lives to realise that all they did was checking their phones, email, social media accounts, etc. I don’t think the grey-haired me will regret that I haven’t finished that TV Series I’m so eager to see right now.  So stop staring at a screen, get outside, do the things you love, be around the ones you love. Don’t record your life, just be there and live it fully!

Know that you are ENOUGH

At some point, all of us felt lonely or insecure in our twenties, which is completely normal, by the way. The thing is for you to realise that you are enough, and even more than that: you are YOU, and that’s your superpower. As the lyrics of “Hall of Fame” by The Script come to my mind: “You can move a mountain/ You can break rocks/ You can be a master/ Don’t wait for luck/ Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself” which is the best advice we could receive.

At last, start taking care of yourself now

The earlier you start paying attention to your body and mind health and start eating properly, start exercising, start reading, meditating and so on, the sooner you will feel good about yourself, inside out. Self-care is a must for your well being, and even your productivity. Taking care of yourself is more than just ticking some boxes to prove that you ate your vegetables. True self-care requires that you actively listen to your body and respond to its needs. So please start doing that!

There’s a lot of pressure at this age to know who you are and what you want to do with your life, but the fact that you are even thinking about it means you’re taking a step in the right direction. And always remember, you are not alone.

My TOP 10 MUST-SEE Places

I’ve always described myself as true extrovert, but when it comes to write it all down on paper (on blog rn), the words get tangled and I experience the writer’s block. Even though I already have a blog based on my feelings and beliefs, this one is different, firstly because it’s all in English (not my native language) and secondly because here I don’t express consuming feelings, but joy, amazement, happiness that I feel on my trips.

I tried for months to sketch the basic ideas of this first post, but it never concluded into something worth posting. I’m my most harsh critic, I write and read, and delete, and write again. But this time I go with the flow, I’ll try it this way, maybe I’ll even improve my way of writing.

About the subject of this first post, I had to choose between two major ideas, writing about my last trip to Milan, Italy, or make a top of the most beautiful places I’ve seen so far. The second idea won, yuu-huu!!! So here I am, attaching some photos from the places that took my breath away and trying to describe to you all how I felt when I first saw them, also presenting some cool facts of the must-see spots for each destination.

Here it goes:

TOP 10 PLACES VISITED BY NOW

10. Nicosia, Cyprus – the city divided by a wall

Last October, during an Erasmus+ Project in Cyprus, I had the opportunity to visit it’s amazing capital and to fall in love with each street, corner, building or square in the city. This city has quite an amazing history, Nicosia still being shared today between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and the border is named “The Green Line”, from the color of the pen which one United Nations officer used to draw a cease-fire line on a map of Cyprus. In 1974, Greek Cypriots tried to reunify the island but instead caused a Turkish invasion into the north. One year later, Turkish Cypriots declared the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus as their country.

You can clearly notice the differences between the two parts of the city, the culture is different, the buildings are and from what we noticed, even the way they speak is different. Nicosia is one of my top 10 places you must see due to it’s rich history “floating in the air” all over the city.

9. Eisriesenwelt, Werfen, Austria

One of the best things I ever visited was the Eisriesenwelt Ice caves (translated as World of Ice Giants), the largest ice cave system in the world. Very cool, huh? Yeah, I know! It is a natural monument located near the small Austrian town of Werfen, close to Salzburg. If you take the road to Eisiriesenwelt, you’ll notice how the landscape is starting to change from green alpine forests to a winter wonderland. When you get there, you are welcomed by one giant cave entrance and you suddenly start to feel the excitement rising in your veins. Inside, the whole thing feels magical, ice walls all over you lit by little oil lamps. But I can’t promise that it’ll be warm inside, so pack some extra clothes with you if you’re going to meet the Ice Giants.

8. Dubrovnik, Croatia

1 – it’s a living UNESCO World Heritage Site: it makes Dubrovnik the ideal destination for culture fans, as pretty much everywhere you walk is centuries old.

2 – Game of Thrones fans, welcome to King’s Landing: the city was chosen to represent one of the Seats of Power in HBO’s awarded tv series. The Medieval vibe here sends you to old times and fits perfectly with the iconic characters presented in GoT. You can even take tours around the set locations to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

3 – nightlife comes with amazing views: in Dubrovnik, you’ll find spectacular views,  lively vibes and tourists wandering around for fun and parties.

7. Milan, Italy

Duomo. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Sforza Castle. Brera. Teatro di Scala. – I could write down all day long about what made me fall in love with this city, but I’ll make it short for you.

The astonishing and diverse architecture, the amazing traditional Milanese cuisine, standing on the roof of the cathedral watching the sunset,  learning about modern Italian history, riding the iconic yellow trams, fashion, fashion, fashion (ok, I think you got it). So if you haven’t already see this amazing place, put it on your “Must See List” and then you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

6. Vienna, Austria

The perfect amount of time for visiting Vienna is about three days most. In three days you can see the main attractions and a few less know, but nice, places. On your MUST-SEE list for Vienna has to be:

• St. Stephen’s Cathedral (also climbing on the roof to have a beautiful sight over the city)
• Karlskirche (or St. Charles Church, an 18th century Baroque style church, dedicated to St. Charles, known as a plague healer)
• Natural History Museum (built and opened in 1889 as a museum to house the Habsburg collection, now it contains over 30 milion items, collected over 250 years),
• Schönbrunn Palace (home of the Habsburg empire, a large complex of museums, a zoo or the Orangery)

5. Paris, France

Everyone heard about the Eiffel Tower or Le Louvre, but let me tell you how the trip went for us. First things first, any amount of time you spend in Paris is too little time. This city is full of breath-taking buildings, squares, museums, it’s like breathing art. More than just the capital of France, the city’s soul is hidden in everything you see around you. So not surprising to have sayings like “We’ll always have Paris” – Howard Koch or “There’s a train leaving for Paris at twelve-fifteen. We can catch that.”

Live your life like a Parisian when you’re there. Drink your coffee and delight yourself with their famous croissants while watching the city coming to life in the morning. And don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of champagne in the evening, you’re in France, after all.

Talking about the astonishing places you can visit in Paris, I selected the one that caught my sight, breath, pulse, everything. In fact, everybody knows Paris for it’s famous Eiffel Tower, great, amazing view from the top, amazing monument from the bottom, but did you enter Le Louvre? Hundreds of years of art and history collected in what they call Musée du Louvre. You don’t have enough time to see everything there, I had a full day and I barely saw a quarter. But mon dieu… Alexandros of Antioch – Aphrodite of Milos; Leonardo da Vinci – Mona Lisa; Winged Victory of Samothrace; Michelangelo’s Dying Slave; Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, and many maaaaaany more will make you forget about clocks, phones or ordinary life.

So let’s catch that train to Paris, please!

4. Lichadonisia, Evia, Greece aka The Greek Seychelles

What a wonder of nature are these islands, but what myth lays behind them? It is believed that “the hero Herakles won a bride named Deianira as a battle prize. As she was transported to the mainland by boat the ferryman, a wild centaur named Nessus, attempted to rape her. Herakles was watching from the shore and fired a poison arrow. As the half-man/half-horse lay dying he told Deianira to take some of his blood as a talisman to ensure that Herakles would be always faithful to her.

As time passed, Herakles took another woman as his favorite. Deianira remembered what the dying centaur had told her and rubbed some of the centaur’s blood on a cloak which she sent as a ‘gift’ for Herakles with a servant named Lichas. When Herakles put the cloak on, his skin began to burn and he realized that the cloak was poisoned so he threw the servant into the sea. Licha broke into pieces and Poseidon, the sea god, turned him into stones creating the Lichadonisia Islands.

Some, however, say that the islands were actually formed by a prehistoric volcanic explosion, further reshaped by an earthquake in 426 BC. But somehow on this dreary day the myth seems more believable.”  – extract from Europe Up Close.

This is a hidden paradise on earth, where the beach is sandy and the water is crystal clear. If you are lucky, you can even see a family of seals in their natural habitat and also a shipwreck which is clearly visible from the ferry due to the crystal waters of the area.

3. Florence, Italy

Ever wondered how it may feel if you could actually live a dream? Well, that’s the feeling you get by visiting Florence. “City of Art” or “City of Stone” shows us what Florence is the world capital of art and architecture. Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Giotto and many more are waiting for you in Uffizi Galleries or at Academia. Wandering on Florentine streets, you can buy a delicious gelato or enjoy a meal in a traditional trattorie. Not to forget, Ponte Vecchio – the bridge across Arno river with it’s famous Vasari Corridor, is one of the eight bridges crossing the river in Florence, but this one was the only spared brige during World War II.

Being an obsessed fan of Dante Alighieri and his “Divine Comedy”, I had to visit his home, now turned a museum. The original building, deteriorated during centuries, was built again in the XXth century, where the original Alighieri’s house was and where Dante was born in 1265. Kind of a dessert for any history addict like me.

 2. Valencia, Spain

Does this pic look like a set from a Sci-Fi movie to you? If it does, you must book a ticket and visit Valencia as soon as you can, cause you’ll be amazed seeing this view in person.

Valencia, the third-largest city of Spain, stands tall by never being afraid to innovate. And I’m talking here about futuristic buildings like the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, designed by local Santiago Calatrava (pic above). The city is a mix of old and new buildings, giving it a real special feel of its own. Did you know that it’s one of the cities that claims to possess The Holy Grail? The legend says that the cup travelled from Rome centuries ago. However, when the Muslims took over Spain, it was placed into hiding for centuries and only returned to the city in 1427 by King ‘Alfonso the Magnanimous’.

Get there in time to attend Las Fallas festival, far the loudest and most spectacular thing you are ever likely to see going on in a city. Short story: each area of the city spend a whole year constructing large and exuberant statues, then exhibit these statues on the streets for a whole week, throwing fireworks at each other – yes, even small children, letting off firecrackers 24 hours a day, with street parties and plenty of dressing up and parading in fancy outfits. In the end, the statues that took a year to make and in some cases up to 100,000 euros, get burnt down to the ground by their creators, who will start again for the following year!

1. Rome & Vatican, Italy

THIS CITY! Fell in love with it the minute I got off the plane and had tears in my eyes at departure. Rome is emotion, feeling, love, newness, ancientness, life! The glories of the Colosseum, Roman Forum or Caesar’s Palace make you understand why the saying: “All roads lead to Rome”. Fontana di Trevi makes you remember why you love Dan Brown’s “Angels&Demons” so much and you can wonder how old the Pantheon can be, since the exact age is yet unknown.

Moreover, if you’re visiting Rome, take a day for Vatican, it will worth ever second. The incredible Sistine Chapel where everybody looks “up” and the endless corridors full of amazing artworks of Vatican Museums are soul food for art passionates. But what makes Rome and Vatican so special that it takes the first place in my TOP10?

Well, Basilica San Pietro – Italy’s largest, richest and most spectacular basilica and for me, one of the most breath-taking things I’ve ever seen. Works of art like Michelangelo’s Pietà or Bernini’s 29m-high baldachin over the papal altar make the interior truly marvellous. And yes, St. Peter is buried beneath the basilica and it’s the reason why Emperor Constantine built the first St. Peter’s Basilica where he did.

You have to see Rome and Vatican to understand all the feelings that I went through. So don’t wait any minute longer, book a ticket, pack your bag and just go!

 

In the end, these 10 selected places are just a small part of what made me fall in love unconditionally with traveling, so stay tuned and subscribe to keep up with my next exciting adventures.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

Your nomad heart,

Tia