"Welcome to Maria's world" maria_hz's Profile

My daughters

For the past years, I haven't been very active at VT, for the simple reason that I have two lovely - and still small - girls that keep me occupied.Less time for travel, and less time for Internet.
In February 2010 our first daughter was born and of course this was a life-changing event. In March 2012 our second daughter was born and she changed life too. Motherhood is multifaceted, sometimes hard and most of the times joyful. I wasn't quite prepared for the love you feel towards your offspring.

Little girl Vivi is wonderful; she is very sociable, and talkative. She loves the outdoors too. She is willful, but that just adds to her wonderful personality. As long as things go her way, she is very sunny :)

Little girl Linnea is a beautiful soul; she is sociable, and has a charisma only really small children display. She is a cool cat, but once you upset her, you have to work hard to get into her graces again. But most of the time she is a happy soul.

Vivi has travelled some already; to Riga to see Nan, to Gothenburg to see Granddad and of course within Finland. Then last year we went on a family holiday in the sun, in Turkey, and then we went to see Nan in Riga again. Soon after that, we moved to Sweden for the duration of my husband's work assignment. Now back home again, I am planning a trip to Switzerland in June :)

Waiting for Spring

Winter landscape

A loooong Winter is hopefully coming to an end soon. We still have lots of snow, and me not being a fan of Winter or winter sports, Spring cannot not come fast enough for me. Phew.

Sotis the Cat

Cat watching his territory

The loveliest cat in the world, affectionate, smart and a real character!
He gives us joy every day with his odd habits, affectionate strokes and cries when he wants to go out. He is the best cat in the world.
Being an adult by now, he only eats and sleeps at home, and goes out for hunting and other fun. He is a big cat, but quite docile, if you do what he wants you to.
He and the children are getting along nicely - he patiently puts up with the girls' heavy-handed cuddles until he feels his quota is filled and he runs away to hide or goes out.
It was quite a shock to him when the elder daughter started walking as suddenly the fairly stationary bundle would follow him ever more quickly and to more places than before. Now he is on top of the game again, as he is much quicker. The fairly stationary baby has not got him worried, at least not yet ;)

My Nikon D60!

Pelargonium blossom close up

In 2008, I got my first digital SLR (the analogue still works, but I can't be bothered with paper pics since I've gone digital 8 years ago...) and it is one of my most priced possessions.

For practical reasons, I invested in a pocket size Canon camera as well, as lugging around a fairly sensitive SLR is sometimes less than handy when you have to look after a vivid 2.5 year-old and a 6 month baby, and have a stroller and nappy bag in tow.

For my latest birthday I asked for contributions towards a macro lens, which I got and subsequently bought as well. So now I am taking pics even closer up than before! :)

Currently most pics are of my daughters, for obvious reasons. :)

Seeing the beauty around you

Flower in the garden, July 2011

One of my dearest hobbies is taking pictures of what I observe around me. You so easily get blind to the beautiful things around you.

When you get to a place for the first time, you notice things that later you get so accustomed to you really can't get that feeling of discovery again. Travelling to different places do help to view your surroundings in a new light.

In addition to travel pics, I am also documenting the places close to my home, and the developments on the redecoration front in our house. And trying to get decent shots of Sotis who, it seems, cannot stay in one place for me long enough to focus and trigger... The same seems to go for the younger generation too ;)

Travel status

Beautiful architecture in Riga

Recent travel;
- Turkey
- Riga
- Västerås, Sweden

Upcoming travel:
Lugano, Switzerland

Please ask my permission before using any of the pictures on my pages.

Wish list

St Peter's Church in Riga

I travel some for business, but more for pleasure, and if I had my way, I would go to every country on earth just to see what it's like and how people live there. But but, that may not happen, so if I must choose then here we go, top 10 (budget not considered ;):

Africa - for a different experience
Australia - for the landscape, the people and food
Bali - well, what not if not for the beauty and culture
Hawaii - for the beautiful beaches and landscape
Iceland - rugged nature, so Nordic, so exotic at the same time
Latin America- for the sights and the different cultures
New Zealand - it's so far away :)
North America - for the wilderness and grandure
Egypt - pyramids, need I say more?
Japan - try some authentic japanese food, experience a different culture

And of all the places I've been to so far, the places I am likely to go again to at some point:
Hong Kong - so Chinese yet so cosmopolitan
Göteborg - has a special place in my heart as I was born here :)
India - a country of contrasts
Riga - well, mum lives there, it's a beautiful place and I always have a blast of a time!
Thailand - friendly people, great food, perfect for a holiday
Vietnam - friendly people, great food, complex history
Malaysia - friendly people, great food, multicultural
Italy - been here shortly many many years ago, would like to go back for the great food and sights

Intro Updated Apr 9, 2013
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Comments (30)

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Parisforless Nov 4, 2012 at 1:45 PM

Thank you for accepting my friendship
Svetlana Bellon
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  maria_hz Nov 4, 2012 at 2:01 PM
  
  You are welcome - thanks for sending the request :)
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honestjohn Jul 3, 2012 at 4:24 AM

Happy Birthday to you, fromm Beijing
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  maria_hz Oct 2, 2012 at 12:46 PM
  
  Thank you! :)
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DaHongHua Jul 3, 2012 at 2:11 AM

A warm happy birthday greeting from Malaysia. You have missing from VT for long time. Hope you come back, keep sharing your travel experience.
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  DaHongHua Oct 21, 2012 at 6:04 AM
  
  I will spend my Christmas holiday in Hong Kong and Macau with wife and daughter joining a tour group. You have been to HK, welcome some advise from you.
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  maria_hz Oct 21, 2012 at 12:45 PM
  
  Love HK :) December is a good time of year to go, in my experience. When I was there in Dec ('05) the weather was great all the time. Well, the obvious ones would be the Victoria Peak on Hong Kong island, shopping in Kowloon (though the markets sell much the same stuff you get on the mainland), the jade market I'm sure your wife and daughter (depending on her age :) would like to see. Not only jade, but lots of gemstones and also pearls. And if you are at all interested in temples, I really liked the big Buddhist temple on Lantau island. Then of course some nice cantonese food, dim sum and great restaurant fare. Have a look at my HK pages for details on those :) Have a good trip! Look forward to reading your tips :)
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Mailo Sep 3, 2011 at 8:46 PM

Maria, welcome to vt again, I have been absent from vt too, I´m glad we both are back, of course I travel, is jut that I haven´t post it here. Your daughter is soo beautiful, congratulations. Be well.
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CeciliaL Sep 3, 2011 at 10:51 AM

Thanks for the birthday wishes. Vivi is sooooooo adorable!
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paradingafrica Jul 3, 2010 at 4:13 AM

Happy Birthday Maria!! Greetings from Kenya.
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TarjaH Jun 11, 2010 at 11:47 AM

WoW! Congratulations! :) Very good reason not to visit here indeed! :) I have Canon EOS 1000D but most of my travel pictures are taken with ixus. So mych easier while travelling.
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Etoile2B Jul 3, 2008 at 10:17 AM

Happy Birthday from sunny California! Here's to many more wonderful years!
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Laura_Mexico Jul 3, 2008 at 8:12 AM

Happy birthday, have a nice day! Best wishes all the way up to your beautiful country... Cheers from Mexico...
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gilabrand Dec 2, 2007 at 2:21 AM

You have some very good photos on this page!