Estonia, where do I start? It's the place where I ran head-first into a Medieval stone wall, where I slept in a hotel that had an athletics track in it's yard, where I saw two completely different sides of one and the same country. But now I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just start at the beginning, shall we?

I arrived in Estonia by bus. That's the great thing about the Baltics, it's easy to take a bus from one place to the next. And buses are great if you want to catch up on some sleep. At least that's what I like to do on buses, which is why I completely missed the moment of crossing the border.
'Are we in Estonia?' were my first words after waking up completely disoriented. Soon enough I'd see it with my own eyes. Estonia is not like Lithuania and Latvia. It feels like part of Scandinavia and you can see that in the architecture and language.

I slept until it was time to board a boat that would take us to the isle of Muhu in about half an hour. The island is connected by road to the biggest island of Estonia: Saaremaa. After a smelly boat trip, I continued sleeping until we reached our destination, Kuressaare. To be honest, I slept a lot in Estonia. At least until I found out what our hotel had to offer.
Most of you probably won't care about what I'm about to say, but my athletes' heart skipped a beat when I arrived at Hotel Stadioni, located on the premises of a beautiful 400 meter track. The track was open for everyone, the materials outside, ready to be used. This showed more about the place than you'd suspect. A place where the track is so welcoming is usually home to friendly and trusting people. I was not surprised when the people on the island turned out to be just that.
Kuressaare and Saaremaa are great if you love nature, mills and castles (of course there's a castle, it's the Baltics, remember?). The pizzas are great. But the main attraction for me was the track. I wish I could've stayed longer, but we had plans for Estonia's capital Tallinn.

What's Tallinn famous for? Its Medieval city walls, which I met from a little too close up. The walls were fun, because you get to walk on them for a small fee. I vlogged on them - until disaster struck. My parents, who didn't want to wait for me while I vlogged, had entered one of the towers. As I ran to catch up with them, I didn't notice how small the door was and hit my head against the massive stone wall. Tallinn tip: always keep an eye on the size of the doors in the Medieval places. Keep an eye on everything else too. Tallinn is the busiest place I've seen in the Baltics. Tourists everywhere.

Now there's one thing the tourists haven't really discovered yet, or at least not in the morning, when I went: Balloon Tallinn. Tallinn tip #2: go 120 meters up in the air in a gigantic helium balloon. I'm afraid of heights and still loved it. You get to see all Tallinn has to offer in terms of architecture, without getting trampled by ancient tourists who have only two hours before they have to return to their cruise ship. Okay, the balloon isn't cheap, but absolutely worth it!


If you're in Tallinn and get bored with Estonia, you can take a ferry to Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Or if you have a visa, you can go to Russia. That's what I did, but that's another story for another time. Stay tuned for my Russian adventures and stay awesome!

By the way, don't forget to check my Estonia vlog out and subscribe :)

I never put pictures of my face on the blog anymore. Even on my Instagram my face is almost painfully absent. It's not that I don't like my face. Wait, no. That's a complete lie. My face has given me too much grief since the start of my teenage years. So I neglected my face. Avoided looking at it, Pretended it wasn't there. I'm not like Areeba from Not Your Type Blog, I can't use pictures of myself to make my blog post look even better. I can barely bring myself to look at my face, how could I ever expect someone else to look at it out of free will?

It's mostly a self esteem issue. I don't know how someone with self esteem issues as big as mine can possibly think that starting a YouTube channel is a good idea. Yet I did it. Suddenly I found myself editing footage of my own face. I didn't like it. Not at all. But then I paused the project at exactly the right moment.


I can't describe the feeling of surprise when this still took over my screen. It was a pleasant surprise. I'd never seen my face like that. I'd never seen myself... happy. In school pictures I always looked miserable. In high school I was always the one behind the camera. In college I'd been in pictures with my best fake smile. Now, out of nowhere, I'd found myself an image of my happiness. I still can't keep my eyes off it. Not because I think I look great, or that my hair looks good. No, I look as average as always, with the one exception that I look happy. You can see it in the picture. It's almost tangible. Just looking at it makes me happy again.

We're all looking for some happinessin life. For a long time I thought I'd never find it. I was wrong. I found it on the morning of my 20th birthday, on a nameless beach in Lithuania. The wind was howling, the seawater was cold. The beach was almost deserted, the sky was grey with clouds. Nothing of that all mattered. I was happy. I knew there were people who love and support me. I was making a vlog, something they encouraged me to do. In that moment I was sure I could make it in life by doing what I love: blogging, vlogging and writing. It made me happy, which in turn made me beautifuk in my own eyes. For the first time ever.

Stay Awesome.

'Dad, we've got the Stitch room!' I said as I looked at the number on the keychain from the TIA Hotel in Riga, Latvia.
'The what?'
'The Stitch room, room 626.'
My dad gave me a confused look.
'Experiment 626?'
'Oh. I get it.' My dad laughed, a little too late. The joke wasn't funny anymore. In fact, mentioning room 626 would never be funny to me again.

Room 626 was, what a surprise, on the sixth floor and had a view of a parking lot and another building. It actually consisted of two rooms: the actual bedroom, where my parents slept, and the living room, where I slept on one of those couches you can turn into a bed.
I was very happy with this set-up, since not sharing a room with my parents also meant not having to go through the six stages of sleeping near a snorer, That night I made myself comfortable on the couch/bed and fell asleep in no time.

*PANG*
*PANG*
I woke up in the middle of the night. Two loud pangs had echoed through my room. I had no idea where they'd come from, but I wasn't worried. Room 626 was one of those rooms that made unexplainable sounds from time to time. The door rattled almost all the time and if the neighbours moved their feet an inch I could hear it. So two loud pangs? Probably a noise I'd identify in the morning.
I rolled over. That's when I saw it. Bright red light. I initially dismissed it as the tv's stand-by light, maybe reflected in the shiny wood of the cabinet it stood on. But something wasn't quite right about that. If it was just a reflection, there wouldn't be some fog-like substance floating through it. And that fog-like substance certainly wouldn't be floating around a tiny figurine.
Alarm bells went off inside my head. The figurine was about seven centimeters tall and yellowish. It kind of looked like the tiny stuffed elephant my mom had made me as a 'reminder of home', but that elephant could not be there. I'd held it in my hand when I fell asleep. Besides, it couldn't stand on its own.
In a moment of clarity I put on my glasses. The figurine was probably only there because my eyesight sucks and probably plays tricks on me. The thing will be gone as soon as I put my glasses on, I thought.
It was still there, only more visible for my bad eyes. Arms spread, legs next to each other, it almost looked like Jesus on the cross. Except Jesus wasn't maniacally grinning like this thing was. Its eyes were on me, as if to say: 'I'm watching you.'
That's when I panicked. I'd been on the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania earlier that day. Maybe I'd accidentally taken something from there? Maybe I'd done something bad in a sacred place without knowing it? Oh no, was I cursed?
Nope, I decided. That could not be it. At the very worst I had some sand from the Hill in my shoes. I'd been nothing but respectful. If I turned the light on now, there would be nothing there. Nothing.
The light switch was on the other side of the room, next to the door. To get there I'd have to turn my back on the nasty little figurine, which was about the last thing I wanted to do. No problem though. I picked my phone up, made the screen as bright as possible and pointed it at the figurine.
Still there. Grinning, staring. I could almost hear my own heartbeat and my hands started shaking. More light. I needed more light. The small lamp on the desk was closer than the lightswitch and if I went for that option I'd spend less time with my back turned to the figurine. I was afraid it would make the small thing jump onto the bed if I stopped looking at it for too long, so I turned around quickly and searcged the desk for the tiny lightswitch of the desk lamp. I knew where it was. I knew exactly where it was. Yet I couldn't find it. I felt my glass of water, my camera, the lamp itself and the cord that disappeared behind the desk to an invisible socket. But no light switch.
My heart was racing at full speed as I turned back around. The figurine was still standing there, in the same place, but for how long? I picked my phone up again. Shone light towards the thing. It did not disappear or move, it just grinned at me. I wanted to cry. Instead I backed away from the figurine in the red light. I didn't even blink while I backed up until I felt the wall against my outstretched right arm. Almost there. I felt for the lightswitch, found it, flicked it on.
Gone.

Of course, of course the thing was gone when I turned the lights on. Of course my parents didn't believe me. Of course my best friend said it was just a reflection. But I don't think so. This all happened within five minutes, starting at exactly 1am. The next morning I checked all the angles and lights in the room. It didn't add up. Of course everyone wanted me to stay calm and think it was a dream. But I don't think it was. Something about that room felt wrong. Very, very wrong. Let me know what you think happened in that room. Or don't if it freaks you out like it freaked me out. Either way... Stay Awesome!

Dear Riga,

I was born in a small town, eigh kilometers from Rotterdam. Under the smoke of Rotterdam, as we say here. As I grew up, people expected me to see Rotterdam as my city. Especially during the eternal "Rotterdam vs. Amsterdam" discussions, I was supposed to be all for that city. I guess I did start to like that concrete jungle after I went to college there. It's got a certain something, with all its arrogance and modern architecture. But let me tell you one thing, Riga: Rotterdam's got nothing on you.

I first noticed you were similar to Rotterdam when I was on the riverbanks. That bridge you've got there looks a lot like our Erasmusbrug. But it's not just the bridge, it's the vibe. You've got that bog-city-in-a-small-European-country thing going. It suits you.
The similarities don't end there. You know the Markthal, that market in a hall in Rotterdam that we;re so proud of? You've got that too! Multiple! And yours are even better! Your markets are authentic, the way markets are meant to be. They sell almost everything I could imagine. And those halls they're in used to be zeppelin hangars, how awesome is that? I could've stayed there for hours - except for the hangar in which they sell fish. My nose did not like that one.
Up until there I thought you were Rotterdam in disguise. River, bridge, market in hall, canals... But then I found out you have something Rotterdam doesn't have: you have an old town. My god, did I fall in love with your old town.
I loved the old city walls, the churches, the tiny streets. I got lost, as I always do, but I didn't mind getting lost in your old town. Who can get frustrated in a city that had little cat statues on a house as one of the major sights to see? I could've spent hours in the old town. Actually, I did. But there was still so much more to see. I found a clothes store I liked, which hasn't happened since 2010. And to be honest, the minute I noticed you had a Pakistani kebab place, I couldn't stop thinking of you in any other words than 'awesome' and its synonyms.

Riga, I'm sorry I only spent two days exploring your streets. But in those two days, I started to love you more than I've loved Rotterdam in all 20 years of my life. One day I hope to return to you. You were great. Really, Rotterdam has nothing on you.

Yes, I've been travelling. Yes, I'm going to post about it - a lot. You can't go to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia without writing tons of posts about it. First up: Lithuania. But will this post be like any of my other travel posts? No. Here's why: Lithuania is a funny place. It doesn't fit the mold. So let's shake it up, shall we?

I'm going to start this post where I started my trip: in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital. I arrived by plane and didn't even realize I was nearing a city until the plane touched the ground. The area surrounding the city is one big forest, the airport itself small. When I left it, I could barely beleive it was an airport. The building is amazing, classic, more like an opera house than an airport, an antique train station at the very least.

Now on to Vilnius itself. Here I noticed that Lithuania is a funny place. Even though the Lithuania we know has only been a country since the early 90s, or maybe because of it, the Lithuanians are extremely proud of their country and its heritage. In some places this makes the people arrogant (*cough* Russia *cough*), but the Lithuanians are friendly, helpful and they speak English very well. Their capital hasn't been flooded by tourists yet, so take your time admiring the cathedral (which looks more like a Greek temple, but okay), the castle and the streets of the old town. A sense of direction is more than convenient in this city, by the way. Yes I wrote that because I got lost every day.




Vilnius isn't the only city in Lithuania of course. I quickly visited Klaipeda and Kaunas, spent a few hours in Trakai. Klaipeda is a bit of a blur because of the Germans who visited it during their cruise and obscured the view of everything. In Kaunas and Trakai I visited castles. If I learned one thing about Lithuania it's that it loves castles.


I took a bus to Nida, a small town on the Curonian Spit (which is an island, by the way). I fell asleep on that bus, mainly because the Lithuanian landscape is so similar to that of the Netherlands. The boat to the island reminded me of the boat to Kinderdijk and even Nida reminded me of the isle of Texel back home, in the best way possible. On my birthday my parents and I rented bikes and discovered the forests and beaches. Nida is one of those relaxed places I want to return to some day.


There's only one more place I visited in Lithuania. Some call it one of the creepiest places on earth. It's the legendary Hill of Crosses.


When Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union, religion was sort of prohibited. Now that's one rule you shouldn't want to enforce in catholic Lithuania. The Soviets took the crosses on the Hill down more than once, but the Lithuanians replaced them every single time. The origins of the Hill of Crosses are shrouded in mystery. Maybe that's why some call it one of the creepiest places on earth...


Right now I'm home, far away from Lithuania and all the places I visited there. I still think it's a funny place. It's like home, yet different. Not everything is what it seems there. I might be wrong though. Why not take a look at my travel vlog and see for yourself?


Stay Awesome!

I've been busy lately. First I went on vacation, then I started my job babysitting cats and then, finally, the Plympic Games started in Rio de Janeiro.
I can barely describe how much I've been looking forward to these Olympics. I missed the 2012 Olympics in London because I was in Australia. I missed the 2008 Olympics in Beijing because I was in Costa Rica. Twice in a row I was literally on the other side of the world when the Olympics were on. I do remember that I was home for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, but I was eight at the time and didn't really understand the awesomeness of the Olympic Games.
So Rio is going to be my Games, I decided. But as soon as the opening ceremony started, I noticed I looked at the Olympics in a way my friends didn't look at them. I looked at them from a blogger's perspective. In case you're wondering what that's like, here's a step-by-step guide to watching the Olympics like a blogger!

Usually this is easy: you support your own country. Done. For a blogger, things might be a little different. Of course I want to see Team NL do amazing at all events they're competing in. After all I'm as Dutch as it gets. But I have some blog buddies from other countries and it would be wrong not to cheer for the countries of my favorite people. So these Olympics I cheer for the Netherlands, Pakistan, India, Slovenia, Great Britain and Australia. Because their people are awesome.

My team's logo is better than yours! :P

Now I'm usually not much of a tweeter. But the olympics have hashtags with awesome emojis and come on, your country's first gold has to be celebrated! An amazing race should be shared! Dramatic falls have to be tweeted if the emotions can't be contained!

No. NO. NOOOO. No one deserves to fall like that when they're so close to Olympic gold! #CyclingRoad

— Envy Fisher (@Envy_Fisher) August 7, 2016

You're already tweeting, why not blog about it too? No 140 character limit, more space for enthusiasm and excitement! Besides, Olympic tags are popping up, why not do one, like Vivian's?

When does it happen that you and your blog buddy from the other side of the world can watch the same thing on tv at the same time? During the Olympics! So grab that remote or live stream and text with your blog buddy all through the game. I tried it last week with my friend from India, when his team was playing hockey against Germany, and it was awesome. It'll only get better today when my Team NL will play against India.

Admit it, us bloggers are already glued to screens most of the time anyway, we might as well open an extra tab on our laptop to see the world's best athletes compete. After all, we have to wait another four years for the next Olympics. Better make the best of it now and enjoy as much as possible. Who knows, you might even discover your new favorite sport!

Okay, I could go on and write a cool last paragraph, but I think we all now I have some Olympic events to get back to. Which ones are you looking forward too?

Stay Awesome!

This summer I travelled with my parents. Last summer I said I'd never do that again, but I'd forgotten the reasons why. So I joined my parents once again and went to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia. I shared a room with my parents in all those countries. But two hours into the first night of our trip, I remembered why I didn't want to travel with my parents anymore: they snore so loud it makes my eardrums want to commit suicide.
I thought I'd get through the night in a state of minimal annoyance, sleeping most of the time. Turns out I was wrong. There are stages you go through when you 'sleep' near a snorer. These are the stages I went through every night - until I bough ear plugs, that is.

What's that sound? Snoring? No, that can't be. You'd never taken [insert name of person sleeping close to you] for a snorer. Maybe it's something else? Nope, that's definitely snoring. They're absolutely a snorer.

Let them snore, it doesn't matter. Their snoring isn't even all that loud. You'll fall asleep soon enough, right? Right?

Okay, apparently you're not falling asleep because of the snoring. That's inconvenient, but what are you going to do about it? You can't just wake them up every single time they start to snore. Just try to ignore it. We all know that's impossible, but try.

Hours, I mean, hours have passed and you still can't sleep because someone won't stop snoring. What did you do to deserve this? Why do you have to suffer?!

It's clear you won't get those hours of amazing sleep you were hoping for, but how about a few minutes? Half an hour? If they'd only stop snoring for fifteen minutes you'd be able to fall asleep... Please... Just fifteen minutes of silence... That's all you need...

Fine. No sleep then. Who needs sleep anyway? Tomorrow you'll buy earplugs though. Now you'll just read a book and wait for morning to come. Stupid snoring.

Remember: it's completely possible go back to stage 4 and 5 after completing the entire cycle. In that case you might be stuck in an infinite loop. Sleeping near a snorer: great way to get through the vacation. Have you ever done it, or successfully fallen asleep in this situation?

Stay Awesome!