Feel like dancing in the rain...

Have you ever before had a day when everything seams to fall into perfect order? … as if the sun rises just for you and you start the day with the perfect song while having a shower and the deepest meditation you ever managed to reach… well, that is ME today:) Or more precisely TODAY for me:) Every day spent in Bangalore takes me further in discovering the long forgotten streets and areas, always surprising noises and never before seen sights… Every journey by auto allows to discover new routes and the immense developments that this city has faced… the Garden city of India - that is how Bangalore used to be called before… full of parks, lanes, trees and flowers. Today those are in tight competition with fast coming up apartment houses and shopping malls… what only adds million more voices on the street and off the street. This city never sleeps! Even in your bed you fall asleep and wake up with at least twenty voices next to your pillow:) And you never know if you shall find your way home at night (that is something like after 7 p.m.) in this hectic city as your auto driver might not speak any of the languages that you know and he might be just a stranger like you to this megapolis, inhabited by at least 10 million people… That comes to three countries of mine!!! And nights are dark here what makes me always wonder am I heading in the right direction or not:) Well, I managed so far:) Fit as never before, happy as everyday before, enthusiastic about my every day in this wonderful country no matter what it brings to me - a business meeting to challenge myself, a get together with long seen friends, a pampering spa massage, a rain or a simple enjoyment of just being here… :) however, if you ever pass by and feel like indulging into the true luxury of Spa world - try Angsana. That is a place where you shall be pampered like a queen with your feet on a pillow during a spa retreat, where your slippers shall be put for you onto your feet by your therapist and all you shall have left to do yourself is simply ENJOY!!! Life is good:) .... just got soaked in the rain. Having a perfect coffee latte. with a huge smile on my face and unlimited joy in my hearth:))) perfect day!

India feels like home

First days of acclimatisation over - the head is full of words again:) So, hello to everyone this time from India already! Won't lie - it feels soooooo good to be back. The greenery of palm trees transported me into a new realm of being after the first few moments my plane touched Mumbai's land. First breeze of the Arabic sea while watching the sunset over a delicious Mojito - done, first dips into a swimming pool in a palm grove - done, first glimpses with a snake on my swimming pool side - done (am so proud of myself - no drowning over panic), ancient buddha caves that date the Jesus birth time - visited, wine tasting festival of delicious local Indian wines and a visit to my internationally beloved Starbucks - also done, a weekend in Goa - already planned:) Loved those first days of being here! Bangalore is a chilly breeze compared to warm Mumbai. Might look strange to locals but I need my woollen sweater in the evening here:) and they will be definitely shocked when they see me taking a dip in the pool - "no good time for swimming, too cold - winter". Well, I presume I will be able to handle winter in plus 20 degrees in that inviting pool somehow:))) Cheers to sun and it's energy! Am sending sunshine to all of you back home:)

Heaven Heaven Heaven

It is impossible to describe the sky in words of no language… My mother tongue is Lithuanian. One of the most archaic languages still spoken on this beautiful planet. Some legends derive it from the extinguished Sanskrit and the roots of the Ganges, yet even my phonetically old and rich language in unable to capture the spirit of the SKIES. The photo camera is of no help too. And the spotted aircraft window is an obstacle for the perfect picture of the SKY WORLD (but only for the camera, not my eyes) - so intense in blue and soft concentrated bed sheet of the most whitish clouds… a microscopic line where the Sky meets the land of the clouds looks like the most common surface to walk, to fly and land, to sleep and roll in the most fashionable way we used to do in the childhood. Have you ever tried rolling in the snow??? … in a huge thick layer of fresh snow under the blue winterish skies? … the snow is soft yet strong enough to hold you and slippery to allow you to slide again and again, as if dancing with you, passionately touching your cheeks, they turn red, the same reddish colour of the girl's cheek if she is spoken by a boy she likes… That is how the Sky feels IN me right now! Like the innocent joy of the child me, like the endless eternal play of life and destiny, like the perfect path to go and simply live - endless in its horizon, magnificent in its white beauty and blessed by the deep blue skies of the Earth. No worries. Just pure joy. Have never felt so consciously happy as now in my life …. and that now was yesterday, today, a week and month ago… it is boundless in time what makes me believe it is ETERNAL… So let us all simply be happy now and here no matter where we are, how and what we are… cause this magic of the SKIES is always above us even during the most stormy days of your being… We only have to wish to go above, even no plain is needed for that… a simple decision to be happy and search for the beauty within us is all that is needed. Each day is a gateway for a decision to celebrate life within us and around us. We are boundless and eternal in our potential!!! And I choose to celebrate love of life every second of my eternity! :)

Stockholm - the city of light and statues:)

I am in love! It feels like the first time ever… :) Doesn't it always feel like the first time no matter which one it is..? My hearth is crying at this very moment I am about to leave… So much left to experience, to see, to visit, to taste and touch!!! Well, shall wait for our next date, my amazing city! 

What do I say the others about this two day long adventure? It was simply unforgettable! Starting from my ship-hotel deck and ending with the well balanced in its orientation Central train station:))) What a luxury to live just in the hearth of the Gamla Stan (that is Stockholm's Old City) and to enjoy half of the city's attractions from your cabin-room window! I had that!!! Yup, all of that:) one bite of the crispy morning bun and a look at the magnificent City Hall building, another bite of caviar spread and a look at the passing ships and the morning lights of the other bank of the waters and one of the 14 Stockholm's islands… I was spoilt, I admit… but no harm in that:) That I call perfection of perfect PLACEMENT in life what is actually one of the MA-URI principles I want ed to share with you. This time for me it was the Placement of the hotel I chose with no attention to its location on the map. And what a surprise - it is just in the middle of Stockholm's centre. 5 minutes to the Central station (believe me, very very important if you have something like 35 kg to carry on a rainy day) and more or less 5-10 min. walking distance to all pubs and bars in the region - also very very important while walking home after a hard long exhausting touristic day:)))) And all that for a VERY reasonable price compared to other City's hotels and on top of that the title of the best ranked Trip Advisor hotel in Stockholm in 2o13!!! The name of this secret hotel is Malardrottningen Yacht Hotel. But let it be our secret as the rooms finish very quickly in there and you have to book well in advance:)

Another very important principle - TIMING! Again MA-URI in a normal reality of an ordinary day:) HA, take it or not but the sun was shining so bright during my stay in Stockhom that I felt more than odd in my winter coat and Ugg shoes:) Ok, forget about odd - I felt too hot:))) Yet on my leaving day (that is today) Stockholm is crying along with me - it is pouring like hell!!! Almost like in the famous song "Don't cry for me, Argentina" :) All I had in my mind while walking those 5 minutes to the Central Station was this - am changing my Uggs for Crocks - anyone willing? :))) … especially after one of my Uggs got wet and I felt as if I am standing in one constant non ending huge wet watery rain puddle:)

All that after, believe it or not, a start light night just in the city, lighted shores of all islands, canal cruise among some of them in sun glasses and numerous walks around the city.

And Stockholm does have so much to offer - best ever visited museums, galleries, artefacts from Asia, Africa, Nordic art, and Viking times, numerous statues and the squares with bloody guillotine history or nowaday assassinations , the local ghost of the Royal Palace who appears straight before someone from the royal family dies, the best restored Ship from the 17th century (yup, am talking about the great must-see Vasa ship), the most magnificent City Hall I ever saw -  they have a mosaic golden hall in there and a room painted by the prince of Sweden! Can you believe that? And authentic style of ceilings in every room with numerous signs of symbolism… And a special star engraved on the wall in front of the main entrance to the Blue hall (which is in fact red because the architect changed his mind and did not paint the hall in blue) so that by concentrating on it the ladies do not look down to their feet while walking down the stairs. He believed that this way they look more elegant. Might sound funny to us but I bet the ladies participants of the Nobel prize ball which is annually held there appreciate it a lot. History tells that the architect dressed his wife in long dress and made her try several prototypes of those stairs to pick the most convenient for ladies to walk in long dresses!!! What a gentleman he was! 

Or you can enjoy free of cost and amazingly interesting Stockholm tours by http:www.freetourstockholm.com. Lee, yours was a super one! 

One can even find original viking stones built into the foundation of the houses of the Old City and the only so far by me visited Treasury cellar where they kindly give you a torch if you want to go inside to see all that gold, kilos os gold chains (I am wondering how the necks of those Vikinsg could handle their weight)… at start thought it was a joke or electricity cut but after first two skeletons and an artificial snake on my way I realised that's the IDEA behind the torch:))) What a intrigue!!! 

In short (you might have realised by now that I have difficulties in being short) - Stockholm rocks!!! So, who is in next summer to take a cruise from Riga, dance and party all night long in the middle of the Baltic sea and after you are being kicked out from the disco to start the discovery of Stockholm archipelago and all the other magic that awaits you at the moment you step on the land of this definitely unforgettable City??? Am very serious - let's do it! 

Ups, but now the last call for my flight to Istanbul…. do not want to miss that for sure! India, I am coming!!! 

Hello Sweden

What a beautiful planet we are living in! That single thought was rolling in my mind for the last one good hour… If u ever take the sea route I am doing right now do not be lazy for a very early wake up so that you enjoy the magic of the sunrise amid the Stockholm's island archipelago. Just go to the very end of the entire ship and wait for the magic to begin - first rays of sun, first reddishness separating the sea waters from the sky and finally the burning light of the Sun just in front of you… all that amid the first islands while you enter sea gateway to the city, their rocky peaks and forests with dark greenery of pine trees and golden reddishness of the oak trees, small villas with private docks and small ships and a national flag in front of every residency… wonderful combination:) On the other front of the ship - the heavy fog that depends the city from the visitors… Am looking at it right now - Everything is covered by early morning frog and mist, a meter in front of you all you see is a white sticky wall of white air:) How does the captain solve this white situation?  - very traditionally - by a constant Siren:))) Can easily imagine the times of Vikings and how demanding for enemies was this route. How well naturally defended Stockholm was and what an experienced captain was needed to navigate amid all those tinny islands that I bet only look like small rocky peaks but in fact are something much greater covered by the sea waters. So many underwater dangerous islands must be hidden in those waters here and so easily they can make a hole in your ship if you turn at least one single meter aside… Wonderful combination of nature defence!

Just a second ago was looking at all those tinny islands - numerous in number and all different is shape and original in their natural beauty. Hardly remember when I last saw so much rock and stone and such steep rocky cliffs, every and each decorated by smaller or bigger lighthouses. Wonderful! Just wonderful! Can easily imagine myself living on one of those tinny islands and standing on those cliffs to welcome the sailing ships, wind playing with my long hair and loose dress… even from the deck of this huge ship I could feel the solitude and tranquility of all those islands, the connection with nature and sea of the people who inhabit them… And suddenly remembered a trilogy of novels I read years ago that made a huge impact on me. It is a saga of one swedish family, basically an extraordinary story about three generations of women of that family - strong, fighting for their place, loving and cruel at times yet always standing out of their time… and the nature I just saw felt as if reading again the sentences of all those three books… the same cliffs, rocks and stone, the feeling of harshness and serenity, hidden secrets and stories beyond every lighthouse… Fantastic how our brain connects and reconnects the pages of a book and the reality caught by my eyes decades after I read those books:) I strongly recommend to read that trilogy - Dinas bok by Herbjorg Wassmo.

P.S., one more thing… have realised that started to see with sentences in my head after I started writing this blog:) That is worse than taking photos with every glimpse of your eye:))) those sentences crowd in your head until you release them on paper:) a new experience to me:)))

Magic of life changing discoveries…: On board of Isabelle

Magic of life changing discoveries…: On board of Isabelle: The voyage begins!!! So excited. The disco programme runs till 5 a.m.:) and there is even a sauna:))) However, this time not about that... T...

On board of Isabelle

The voyage begins!!! So excited. The disco programme runs till 5 a.m.:) and there is even a sauna:))) However, this time not about that... There is a strange feeling or rather inner knowing that found its place in me in the last few days. Yet due to the running here and there I hardly found suitable time to share it with you all. A prayer that came to me as the most valuable gift stirred something deep in my hearth and an instant knowing hit me immediately - it is in us all, it is about us all, it is about what we all search for and long to feel so... So here it, am sharing those beautiful lines from be eye-opening book "MA-URI prayers to celebrate the Divine" by the amazing teacher of mine Katja Fox:

"Where do we GO and where do we STAY?
What determines the direction of our Journey
And who knows the coordinates of our Destiny?
Why are we restless and prepared to risk everything
For one leap into the Unknown?

Because we trust inner Knowing and sense of direction!
Because we dare expand our boundaries, activate our potential and
Burst through every limitation
To catch just ONE glimpse of the Mystery that sustains us all!"

This who and how I AM now and here and this is how I SAIL into my yet unknown Destiny I have longed all my life for!!! What a moment to celebrate now and ever:) The feeling is as if you are on the edge of discovering something beyond your imagination and the imagined potential.... the only difference from my so far journeys is that the focus of this one is directed into my hearth and inner voice rather than the places outside... I shall always be grateful for all this change of the direction of my Life Journey no matter where it brings me ... :) Literary first SAIL ever starts:) 

First stop - Riga finally!!!

Finally it started!!! After looong looong packing, rolling up all things at home, saying all good-byes, last minute home cinema actions (finally saw Avatar!!!) and millions of candles in the cemetery during the All Souls Day (just adore this festival) ... I love Riga, yet have to admit that the old city pavements are unfriendly for heavy suitcases:))) Tried to minimise my pile of my things but that was something close to mission impossible after watching Avatar - my brain kept returning to the magical world of that movie and my pile of dresses could not compete with that:))) So, my advice  - leave all things before you hit the road in Riga's old city...
Decided to skip all public transport and taxis and after a few seconds at the Info point am heading towards the passenger port by foot. The roofs of the old churches are breath catching, the weather is unexpectedly mild and warm.... have taken off my gloves and unzipped my coat after the first few steps:) Either I am hot with energy or something is wrong with seasons nowadays:) The fields of mustard were still flowering on my way from Vilnius to Riga!!!!! This is sooooo not November at all:))))) Wondering how Stockholm shall be... My expectation was something close to winter:))))
Unexpectedly the pubs are still empty, so no beer or wine for now:))) Instead found the most cozy Caif Cafe I've been to and getting ready to move on toward my Titanic:)))) Hm, not the sinking one hopefully:)))