The Travels of Päivi and Santeri

Barbados is a beautiful and friendly island. It attracts the wealthy, particularly the British, who want to enjoy beach holidays amidst dark and cold winter months. The island is full of high class resorts, most of which are empty though. The high season has not started yet after the global common cold hysteria. The same applies to all Caribbean islands we visited this year. The tourism business in this once busy island area has suffered enormously.

Photos from the Caribbean island of Bonaire.

Photos from the Caribbean island of Grenada.

The Dominican Republic is a laid-back destination for those looking for a long-stay. When overstaying, you don't need to deal with the immigration office and apply for an extension. You simply pay according to the time you have spent in the country when leaving.

Eating in local restaurants in the Balkans can be a bore as there are only a couple of vegan options available: mixed salad, french fries and Italian pasta with aglio and olio. Even rice is often cooked in broth. However, there is fresh produce available almost throughout the year, from early spring to late fall. Strawberries, cherries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, apples, pears, and plums abound, and vegetables are tasty. Beans and lentils are also part of local diet as well as walnuts and hazelnuts.

We love to go to buffet restaurants once in a while to enjoy variety. In the Dominican Republic finding one was not easy. Most restaurants offer a buffet-like selection of dishes during the lunch time, but you choose what you want to eat and pay accordingly, while fixed price all-you-can-eat alternatives are missing. Fortunately, international hotels serve buffet breakfasts in all big cities in the world, and Santo Domingo was not an exception.

Photos of our 18th wedding anniversary in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic on our never-ending honeymoon trip.

We had been hoping to go to Guadeloupe for years but the island was closed during the recent flu hysteria. When France finally reopened it, we rushed immediately in.

What can one say about Sarajevo? It is charming yet brutalist; there are ruins of an old Ottoman caravanserais but also dilapidated Soviet style housing blocks; the streets feel safe, yet the memorials and remnants of war abound, everywhere.

We wanted to escape the high season in the coastal Mediterranean Balkan states and so were asking around for suggestions where to go. Upon this mission, we got into contact with Portuguese Vicente on BeWelcome hospitality exchange, which is a free alternative for couchsurfing , and got interested in the place where he had been staying on and off for some years. The place is Kalna in Stara Planina Mountains that run from Serbia to Bulgaria.