maria_hz's VirtualTourist Home Page

Spring and summer just flew by, now we are enjoying the Autumn colours, but soon enough there will be first snow coming too. They've been promising it for a week now, but it hasn't shown.

Meanwhile, hubby and I are escaping the cold to enjoy the sun of Portugal. :)

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.
Lately he only eats and sleeps at home, and goes out for hunting and other fun. He is a big cat, but quiet docile, if you do what he wants you to.

I finally took the leap back to SLRs from pocket cameras last year. I invested a hefty sum of birthday money and other money and got myself a Nikon Digital SLR. And ever since I bought it, I've been snapping away like a triggerhappy madwoman.

My husband gave me an external hard drive for my birthday for me to connect to my laptop - great, since I've been snapping away A LOT. The extra hard drive came in handy as I am filling up quite a lot of space with those large jpgs that I'm snapping, and at some point I'll be trying raw format too, which is even more space-demanding.

Now I'm even attending a photo course to improve further. :)

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. Having been out and about some in recent years, I have started to appreciate some things I used to take for granted; the forests, the clean air, the clean water and the shift of the seasons.

Likewise, 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...

Pages in progress:
Vaasa

Pages planned:
the UK
Tunisia
Portugal

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

Went back to Paris again, last time round was 6 years ago.
There is so much to see in Paris - I go for the photo ops, my mum for the designer label shopping and my hubby for the books in the libraries.

My hubby and my mum joined me for the Easter weekend in this beautiful city. We had a great time and the weather was good too. The architecture is fantastic in this old city. Unfortunately, I lost the memory card which contained all pics! :(

But the memories are still with me :)

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
India - a country of contrasts
Nice - wonderful climate, beautiful scenery, lovely food
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