" TRAVELCHILI WELCOMES YOU " Travelchili's Profile

*********************************************
2011 - YEAR OF BIG CHANGES, LOVE & TRAVEL :)
**********************************************
Postcards from VT friends. Count as of Feb 2011: 837 cards received

If you have a trip coming up and would like to help me with my postcard collection by sending me a card, please drop me a line and I'll send my postal address. Also, I'd be always glad to send you a postcard as well :)

TRAVELING

Santorini, Greece 2011

A warm hello and thanks for stopping by. I am delighted that I can share this wonderful travellers community with you. Like many here, I am mad about travelling and I can't stop dreaming about new and exciting destinations to visit. I have been fortunate to visit over 70 countries and have lived in five of them for longer periods (Estonia, USA, Germany, Sweden and Czech Republic). In the future I'm hoping to discover many new places, hopefully reaching up to 100 countries at some point. I am not a country collector though and since I've seen most of them in Europe, I am not sure my hope of visiting 100 countries is reachable. But it's a nice dream anyway :)

2003 - 2011 TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS

Innsbruck, Austria 2011

*2011*
Switzerland 4x and as of mid-summer living in Switzerland
Nethelrands in May
Santorini, Greece in May
Prague, Nürnberg, Innsbruck, Basel, Weil am Rhein, Freiburg in July
Denmark in September
San Francisco & Hawaii - planned for November/December

*2010* was a wonderful travel year in many ways. In May I attended my first ever VT meet in Krakow, Poland. In June I took my first ever cruise, a transatlantic one on a brand new and magnificent Norwegain Epic. Also, my long-time dream to take a trip through New England came true, spending some wonderful days in Vermont, NH, Maine and also CT & MA. In July there was a week in Iceland (Snæfellsnes peninsula, Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik, southern Iceland with amazing Jökulsárlón) with wonderful company, gorgeous weather and a lot of great sigtseeing. I also learned that a touristy island like Teneriffe can make a perfect holiday spot if you have the right timing and some luck, too. During the year there were also trips to Canada (Montreal), Sweden (Stockholm), Finland several times (Turku, Helsinki), Slovenia (Ljubljana & the surrounding areas, also western Slovenia), Italy (Trieste), Germany (Düsseldorf), France (Alsace region). And the last, but not the least, the most beautiful two weeks in Switzerland in summer as well as winter.

*2009* took me to various places in the region I live: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, but I also had some wonderful long-haul trip to Singapore, Malaysia (Melaka, Johor Bahru), Indonesia (Bali), Japan (Kyushu island), South Korea (Seoul and visit to the North Korean boarder) and Canada (Rockies). And finally, a lovely island trip to Crete, Greece. Wonderful travel year and now can't wait for the next one :)

*2008* will be a hard year to beat in terms of travelling, above all because my long-time dream to visit Japan came true and not only once, but twice. First trip (May 16-May 25) took me to Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagoya and during the second trip (October 4-18) I was able to experience a lot more variety as I visited not only big cities, but also smaller places, mountains, beaches, etc - Osaka, Kobe, Takayama, Shirakawa, Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Miyajima, Himeij, Kii Mountains, Mt. Koya, Nara. It's always hard to say which countries are my favorite, but in case of Japan I can easily say that it's in top three if not my all time favorite. I can't wait for my third visit to Japan - hope it'll be possible soon! Besides Japan I was also able to take a wonderful trip to Africa, visiting mostly Namibia (simply wonderful), but also Botswana (Chobe National Park) and Zambia (Victoria Falls). European journeys included London (long weekend with old friends), Monaco (great day trip with lovely walks and delicious meals), Cannes (great food, new people, lovely atmosphere and sunshine), Stockholm (work combined with some fun), Berlin (first German wedding that I ever got to attend - great experience), number of trips to Finland (work and fun) and finally Prague (long weekend trip with my parents).

*2007* was a fantastic travel year. At the beginning of the year I was in US (Nevada) and Mexico (Mexico City, Puebla, Cholula, Teotihuacan, Acapulco) and a bit later in India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Aurangabad, Ellora Caves, Ajanta Caves, Mumbai). Trips within Europe included Czech Republic (once), Lithuania (twice), Latvia (twice), Finland (5 times), Germany (Cologne, Aachen), Estonian islands of Vormsi Prangli and Saaremaa (great spa weekend!) and finally a roadtrip through parts of Italy and France (Milan, Como and lake region, Bergamo, Crespi d'Adda, Verona, Padua, Vicenza, Ferrara, Florence, San Gimignano, Tuscany, Corsica (Bastia, St. Florent, Porto, Ajaccio), Aix-En-Provence, Orange, Pont du Gard, Lyon, Grenoble, Torino.

*2006* was brightened by trips to Copenhagen (twice), Englad, Finland (twice), roatrips throughout Estonia, Monaco, France, Rhodes (Greece for the first time!), Lithuania and finally a roadtrip around Portugal (Guimaraes, Porto, Sintra, Lisbon)*

*2005* well, can't say that 2005 was a bad traveling year. I got to visit three new countries and plenty of new & old destinations - London, Dublin, Spain, Morocco, Estonia, around the Czech Republic, China (yay!), Copenhagen (twice), Germany, Russia, Hungary, Moldova, Kazakhstan (another yay!) and Finland.

*2004* started out with a wonderful one-month trip to South Africa and Lesotho. It turned out to be one of the greatest traveling years with trips to Germany (4 times), Serbia and Montenegro (twice), Albania, Kyrgyzstan, England, Estonia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria(twice), Slovakia, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Russia & many trips around the Czech Republic

*2003* was a really great traveling year: Austria, Germany (4 times), Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Poland (twice), Lithuania (twice), Estonia, Slovenia (twice), England, Scotland, Italy, Portugal & many places in the Czech Republic.

WHY EUROPE?

Vitra Design Museum, Germany 2011

Many people have asked why my profile says "Europe" and not an exact place where I live, so here is what I think: after visiting 70 countries and living in various countries for years, I've come to understand that I can be at home... well, everywhere and almost anywhere! The famous saying of Socrates - I am not an Athenian nor am I a Greek, I am a citizen of the world - is what I believe in. Today's world is smaller than ever and I feel that I am much more a citizen of the world than of any particular place (not that I am not proud of being born in one place (Estonia, that is). Currently I reside in the heart of Europe, but frequently travel around, so I think "Europe" is as fair and accurate as possible :)

FREDDIE

My best friend Freddie :)

Six years ago I made one of the best decisions of my life - I took a dog! I dreamt about having a dog all my life, but never had a chance to make my dream come true. Even back in 2005 I wasn't fully sure if my decision was a right one as I am a busy girl... now in 2011, however, I can say that I made the best decision ever as my pup has grown to be my best friend and we always have time for tons of fun. I couldn't imagine my life without him anymore! Any other big dog fans out there??

HOBBY - POSTCARDS:)

Postcards. Postcards. Many more postcards.

I am a big postcard collector. Please read more about my hobby under the 'Postcards from VT friends'

If you would like to make me happy by enriching my collection by a card from your home or travels, please drop me a line and I will be glad to share my postal address. And, of course, I would be always glad to send you a postcard from my home or travels. Just ask!

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE ALREADY SENT ME CARDS!!

TOP COUNTRIES PAST & FUTURE

11km ice road, crossed in Feb 2011 in Estonia

DREAMS: Top 10 countries that I want to visit in the future

* Argentina * Madagascar * Brazil * New Zealand * Peru * Australia * Oman * Bhutan * Jordan * Uganda *

DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE: Top 20 countries that I have already seen

* Japan * South Africa * Haiti * Slovenia * India * Namibia *
Kyrgyzstan * Iceland * Georgia * Morocco * China * Scotland * Canada * Portugal * Montenegro * USA * Czech Republic * Botswana * Switzerland * Mexico *

Intro Updated Sep 29, 2011
Report Abuse

Personal Pages (3)

1 - 3 of 3

Comments (311)

Reply
- Report abuse
jonathanbarker Mar 18, 2013 at 4:52 AM

Palju onne Ande ( hope you had a happy day)
Reply
- Report abuse
Sinjoor Mar 17, 2013 at 9:37 AM

happy birthday Ande....hope you're having a blast!
Reply
- Report abuse
starship Mar 17, 2013 at 7:22 AM

Hi Ande, I want to wish you a Very Happy Birthday and I hope you have a very special day!!
Reply
- Report abuse
DAO Mar 17, 2013 at 6:44 AM

Happy Birthday Ande!
Reply
- Report abuse
Waalewiener Mar 17, 2013 at 5:48 AM

Happy Birthday Ande have a great day .
Reply
- Report abuse
glennkasner Mar 17, 2013 at 4:37 AM

Hope you're having an awesome day!
Reply
- Report abuse
pieter_jan_v Mar 17, 2013 at 1:25 AM

Happy Birthday. PJ
Reply
- Report abuse
Dunes+ Jul 8, 2012 at 1:24 AM

I like your story =)
Reply
- Report abuse
balfor Mar 20, 2012 at 1:34 AM

Hi Ande, I hope you have a great day on your birthday! :D (sorry it's a couple days late!
Reply
- Report abuse
Tripack Mar 19, 2012 at 2:45 AM

Bon anniversaire Ande! Cheers from the Swiss Alps! Tripack aka Patrick