POSTCARDS

It always seems so great on Social Media when someone travels the world, emigrates and explores new places – I often hear from other people that my life look exactly like that. But the reality is that the process of leaving home is not easy at all and can be very painful. I already went through different phases and feelings that I don’t always get sorted or assigned.

The step away from home is never easy – no matter if you are away for 2 weeks, 2 months or 2 years. Homesickness, goodbyes and being overwhelmed are feelings that are omnipresent. You might think that you get used to it, but I can exclusively say that this is not the case. On the contrary, it becomes more and more difficult. At first I was on the road, getting to know new places and at some point looking forward to being home again. Then a certain place became my new home, far away from home. Somehow a country, a place or even the culture feels very homey and I felt integrated and arrived. But at the same time I missed my home, where my family and friends are waiting for me. A feeling of guilt and a heavy conscience can quickly dominate. It’s a difficult and touching feeling when you suddenly no longer feel at home in your homeland. The difficulty is in the process, because the feeling develops over a long period of time and it somehow leads into uncertainty.

Right now I don’t know if the feeling will disappear or if it will stay with me for a longer time. Probably the only right way is to accept the feeling and surrender to it, but that is definitely easier said than done. 

So, if I fly too far
Will I still have a place inside your heart?
And, when you see what I’ve become
Will you love me for who I am, not who I was?
– Chance Pena

It’s not easy to spend time with yourself. When it gets quiet around, it gets loud inside. There are so many things going through my head. Things that are in the past and want to be processed. Things that are in the future. And things that happen from second to second. The difficulty lies in allowing exactly these feelings and letting the head get loud. I would rather distract myself with loud music or reaching for my cell phone to lose myself in social media. Instead, we should listen to ourselves and give space to our thoughts. Maybe we encounter memories, wishes or decisions that otherwise have no place in our much too fast everyday life. Take a day, an hour or a minute and let your head be loud when everything around you gets quiet. 

I have had a really precious and very quiet weekend. Lots of intense thoughts, some things that are clearer to me now and lots of creative hours. Even if that time by itself is not always pleasant, it brings so much positive. I am impressed by people who enjoy time with themselves and I am so happy that I am learning this quality as well. 

_{Disclaimer: this posting is no advertising. It's only personal experience and has no business intentions in any point.}

Finnish Lapland in February – the most magical place I’ve ever visited. Walks in snowy landscapes, adrenaline kick on a husky sled or watching the impressive northern lights all night long. 

Getting there: Rovaniemi is the hub of Lapland. Most trains arrive there, there is an international airport and good connections for travel by car. I went to Rovaniemi by train and then I rented a car. This was the most convenient way for me personally and on site I was very flexible. My tip: there is a night train from Helsinki, which is very comfortable and much cheaper than a domestic flight. 

Rovaniemi: Rovaniemi is well known and therefore very popular for tourists. There are many tourist offers and all-inclusive packages. I don’t want to go into this further, because I am basically more interested in places and activities that are not too touristy overcrowded. In downtown Rovaniemi, you can still spend a day, have a coffee and go to the famous Arktikum. The museum is definitely worth a visit.

Santa Clause Village: the Santa Clause Village is a special place. It’s beautifully decorated, there are great attractions for young and old and you’re very quickly drawn into a Christmas magic – especially when there is snow. My tip: visit the Village before and after the official opening hours – then it is emptier and you can feel the Christmas atmosphere intensively.

Ranua: as I mentioned before, I like to spend my time outside of touristy urban areas. Therefore, I decided to stay in Ranua. Ranua is a small, tranquil place – about 85 km from Rovaniemi. We stayed in a family-run guesthouse, which was very lovingly and quaintly furnished. Husky sled rides, reindeer farm visits and beautiful, very special northern lights every night gave us a very special vacation. Each event was great on its own, but the Northern Lights were my personal highlight. You can read how I felt and the effect they had on me here. Overall, I would highly recommend Ranua to anyone to experience the beauty of Lapland in a very loving place with many family run businesses. 

I am very grateful and still flashed from those days. If you want more detailed information about my experiences, feel free to write me privately. 

Chasing the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis – this is a fixed part of many bucketlists. On the Internet, in books or from enthusiastic travelers there are countless experiences. Where to go, when is the best time and which forecast is most reliable. And then, when all the tips have been followed, nature turns its back on you and there is nothing in the sky but bright, twinkling stars. That’s nature – unpredictable. I would like to talk about how I did not find but felt the northern lights. 

The snow sparkles in the last rays of the sun before the sky dips into a pink-orange sea of color. The day comes to an end when the sun disappears on the horizon. But when it gets dark and the stars shine in the night sky, the hunt for the Northern Lights begins. Wrapped in several layers of thermal clothing, I stand outside in nature looking north. The sky is clear, the cold winter air keeps me awake and the desire for Aurora increases with every second. Some time passes until a green veil decorates the northern horizon. It is time. A feeling of excitement, tension and joyful expectation spreads through me. It doesn’t take long for the light veil to turn into several streams of northern lights. Only a few seconds later I look above me. I see them. The northern lights in green, yellow and purple. Directly above me. They dance in the clear starry sky. Above me is a natural spectacle that cannot be explained in simple words. I feel excitement and joy, but most of all humility before nature. Something between gratitude and overwhelm. There is no stop or replay button, it is just the moment to enjoy. The strength, the power and the beauty of the northern lights. It makes me seem quite small as a human being. It becomes clear to me that we are only a small part of the greater whole. Once again, I realize that nature is immense. Once again, I realize that nature is our teacher. Once again, I realize that nature brings the best out of us. All the daily worries, all the burden seems to vanish for a short moment. As if danced away by the northern lights. 

That’s probably a question that each of us has asked ourselves at some point. But today I don’t want to answer an ironic question but introduce myself and my blog. 

I’m Lotti and creative writing has been my passion for a long time. However, my texts have never made it out of my notes or desktop folders – until today. Because today I dared to take the step out of my comfort zone: create a blog and publish my texts. This is not about a business at all, but mainly about sharing my personal experiences, adventures and living out my creative side. 

Why actually postcards? 
I have been writing postcards from vacations all my life. Postcards run like a golden thread through my life and I think there is nothing more beautiful than putting a postcard in the mailbox in a foreign vacation spot and sending it back home. Postcards are individual and authentic. They are the short loving words and a greeting from afar. That’s exactly what I want to achieve with digital postcards as well.

See you soon, 
Lotti