Travelling; in a nutshell

To tell you the truth, I hate travelling.

It really takes a toll on you: the endless walking to and fro, the constant sliding of your debit card , the tiredness at the end of the day, not being able to sleep in your own bed, the time taken up that could've been used to hibernate and sleep all day, the crowds of people that stress you out, the sudden need for souvenirs and crap you will probably never use again or even needed in the first place, the losing of basic toiletries after  moving from place to place, the pain of having your arse sucked into itself after sitting down in the bus for long periods of time, the packing and unpacking and packing again, and worst of all, the feeling after returning from vacation when you realize all of that will only be for memories that, unlike all other things, exist only in your mind and can't be used or felt or enjoyed every day.

But then again,

With travelling, you gain so much else. You make new friends from all around the world, sometimes with the locals or sometimes with other tourists - who suddenly have a mutual understanding with you even though oceans and mountains separate where you come from on the map. You learn that the world isn't that small, and that people are friendly, and are more like you than you could probably imagine. You understand new cultures, and become more cultured yourself; you will never see the world around you in the same light again, as your mind has widened. You come to terms with the fact that smiles don't only come in the color that you see in the mirror, but in many colors, and shapes, and sizes. You stop taking little things for granted, and may even find joys in completely new things like architecture, art, and music. And even your taste buds, they may change too; suddenly you want more chili in your soup, crave a curry or two now and then, buy more types of fish and cheese than that sold in the supermarket, and search high and low for that fruit you found halfway across the world. Most importantly, you realize that memories, even though they exist only in your head, are much more important and valuable than any other material object that you could've bought with the money spent.

And after coming back home, you can't wait to set out and discover the world again.

The City of Charm

Where do I even start?

I'm in love with Baltimore. There's no other way to put it. The sights, sounds, and people light me up in a way that I have never felt before. I have never felt at home in the States all the time I've been here, and I've been to quite a few places, but I feel at home in Baltimore. The corner ice-cream shop, the dusty music store with the foreign owner, the underground bookstore with the best latte in town, the old man with the golden smile that you befriend after randomly walking into his store, and many the little places you wished you lived - all of these things and more will make you fall in love with Baltimore. And at the same time Baltimore will convince you that it loves you too.

Sorry for the lack of nice pictures - I didn't have the best lens for the job, and half of the way I got tired of taking pictures and just wanted to enjoy the surroundings without having to take our Mr. Canon every few seconds. But you should know that pictures only speak so much; to experience Baltimore, you must visit Baltimore itself. And make sure to have the crab cakes while you're at it.

Tomorrow I'll be heading out to Washington D.C and I hope mother nature will continue being really nice to me with the gorgeous weather.