What the water gave me

'Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.'

TALL SHIPS' RACES 2012

My favourite way of travelling (beside flying of course) is sailing. It gives me the feeling of freedom when I find myself in the middle of the ocean, with nothing but water around me. Sleeping in bunk beds when the ship is listing left all the time, being on the night watch, waking up in the middle of the night for a sail alarm or spending the entire day in the galley cooking for 5o people is something that I can't imagine my life without.

Three port cities during one month. Saint-Malo, Lisbon, Cadiz. Three different countries. And the infinity of the ocean. 

Atlantic Ocean

My beloved sailing ship Fryderyk Chopin from Szczecin, Poland

Yards

Rose on board

Bye Bye Lisbon !

Crew Parade

Self-portrait

SAINT-MALO, FRANCE

A small, walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. Grey-brick buildings, narrow lanes, dozens of restaurants and small galleries are pretty much what you can find there. And lots of yachts and boats, of course!

The walled city (La Ville Intra-Muros)

One of many restaurants in Saint-Malo

In front of the restaurant

Marina

Yachts

           LISBON, PORTUGAL

The capital of Portugal greats us with sun and 36 Celsius degrees outside. The heat pours down the sky from dawn till dusk. Despite such a weather walking around the city is still a really pleasing thing. You can utterly plunge into the countless streets of different architecture styles, hundreds of pastelaria selling delicious pastries and a perfect cappuccino with cream on top or museums that Lisbon abounds in. A bit of a shadow is not easy to be found here but a gentle breeze can lend a hand.

 Entering Lisbon

View of the marina 

Portuguese houses

Praça do Comércio (Terreiro do Paço) and Statue of King José I 

Centro Cultural de Belém

Rua Serpa Pinto

Calçada São Francisco

Av. Infante Dom Henrique

Tavares Restaurant

Confeitaria Nacional, the oldest pastelaria in downtown

Our morning in Lisbon

Nan Goldin, Centro Cultural de Belém 

 Nan Goldin, Centro Cultural de Belém

Centro Cultural de Belém

Centro Cultural de Belém

 On the wall

Dar Młodzieży,  polish sailing ship leaving Lisbon

CADIZ, SPAIN

Palms, palms and palms one more time! Cadiz, a small city in the very south of Spain, is full of palm trees. And not-so-nice smelling streets as well. It has its charm though. Beaches, promenade along the sea and beautiful sunsets are worth seeing.

 Seaside

 Marti

 Agata, my travelling companion from Gueulard

 Agata

Me, taken by Agata

Palm trees!