Prague is a truly beautiful city. Our host said the best way to see it is to just walk around. That’s exactly what we did. Our cameras were struggling to keep up the pace as we desperately tried to capture all the architecture and history of the place. But enough sight seeing, there was work to be done… Or more appropriately, fun to be had! Our host told us that the Czech people like to have fun so we asked her to show us. Her immediate response was: ’to the fair!’ The fair in Prague has been around for many years and has the oldest ride in Europe. She told us that the city is where all the tourists are but the locals can be found in places like the fair ground.

We absorbed the atmosphere as we strolled into the maize of colorful machinery, pumping music and the smell of candy and fried sausages. As promised all the people we met were locals. But after a few refusals to be interviewed we were wondering if our long-past-the-sell-by-date smelly clothes were deterring the people. But our host reassured us by explaining that the people are shy because of the English language. So we came up with a solution and asked them to mime what they do for fun, no talking necessary.

Some rode imaginary mountain bikes, others danced or embraced their loved one. Some even encouraged us to try the oldest rollercoaster in Europe… mmmm… That death trap loomed over the fair like a scrapheap of rusty old metal. But we went ahead and tried it anyway - that’s what being a happiness ambassador is all about – and guess what? It was FUN!

Okay, so I'm not a pig but I have to say it. Don't hate me for it but it just has to be said. Upon arriving in Hungary, the first thing I noticed was the very large amount of extremely attractive women. Now, I'm not the only one to notice this. Every single guy in Hungary who I queried about happiness at some point mentioned that the many beautiful women there definitely made them happy.

There, I said it. It was also very interesting that every young person I interviewed, men and women alike, all mentioned that they loved to party. I was told that somewhere in Budapest, there is a party every night of the week. Now you would think that a place that loves to party so much would value alcohol very highly but that was not necessarily the case. One lady put it into perspective perfectly when she explained that it's not because of the alcohol and the dancing that partying is so popular. She said that mostly, they love to be around their friends having fun, that they loved being together and it was that togetherness with their friends that made them enjoy partying so much. I thought that was very cool and it summed up the vibe in Budapest perfectly for me.

Here we have the Hungary's bottle: it's really cool how it has seethrough colors. It keeps the vibe of the glass bottle!

Here we are in Berlin at the Brandenburg gate. The symbol of the city and even the country. The weather is perfect for some sightseeing and interviewing!

When you look at Germany from the outside, you see people who play by the book, don't break the rules and are always on time. At first glance, you wonder how people can be so rigid and strict and still be happy. It isn't until you get past those stereotypes that you can see a truly wonderful and social culture with more fun and freedoms than you can imagine. So, what makes German people happy? Of course, you would have your usual suspects that appear almost everywhere, the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Friends and Family. It is, however, how they choose to find happiness with their friends and family that I find special. Social gatherings happen all the time and in many different ways. You will see families going for bike rides in the suburbs, friends meeting and hanging out together in the parks and you can even go as far to see mom, dad and the kids skinny dipping at the neighborhood lake. Yep, it's like that. I have found that Germany is a very family oriented place and you can especially see this at Christmas. 

Speaking of which, Christmas is huge in Germany. Christmas in Germany is actually celebrated on the twenty-fourth, not the twenty-fifth and the Germans really know how to do it well. In a lot of towns and cities you will see Christmas markets sprout up outside all over the city. Despite the cold, they have such a warm and festive environment that you can't help but enjoy them. It really is something to see and I highly recommend it one day. Even better is Christmas dinner in the German household. I start to salivate just thinking about it. Imagine it, if you will... Goose, duck or schweinebraten, which is a pork filet served with a crispy crust. Then, knoodle which are like dumplings, blauerkraut which I guess can be described as red sauerkraut and top it all off with a brown beer sauce.

Then you have the entire family around, listening to Christmas music and sharing well thought out gifts.

Germany is truly is something to experience.

Just got my day visa stamped at checkpoint Charlie. It's not really necessary, it's just for fun. But back when Berlin was separated you could still go from West to East or vice versa, you had to apply for this visa with 6 stamps on it.

Snow, wind and cold. I had the real Russian experience! They kept saying it was better in summer but I was happy to experience the Russia as I had always envisaged it : lots of snow, men in chapka’s and woman in fur coats.

Yes that's me lost in vastness of the Red Square! I've studied Russian history and for me it's great to actually be here in the middle of it all! And of course to complete the stereotype of Russia, it's snowing! I love it!

It’s strange final being in a country I have learnt so much about already. It is a place filled with historical importance. So much has happened here and you can definitely sense it is still in the collective memory of the people. Although the generation of today is like any other: these young people have their own hopes and dreams, for themselves and for their country.

Everyone makes wishes. Sometimes just for fun, sometimes in regret, sometimes with ardent hope. Many people I spoke to wish - like anyone else - to find happiness. Wishes for themselves, wishes for freedom, wishes for others.

I had the honor of leaving my signature on the wall of Yes! Magazine here in Moscow. I feel like a celebrity! I love this place!

Some even wish with a lot of passion that people would see Russia in a different way. They told me their wish was that people around the world would come to Russia and see for themselves that it is a great and beautiful country, “where bears in balalaikas don’t dance in the street!”

In every country our hosts want us to try a local dish. Here they insisted I tried 'borsch', a cabbage soup with meat and sour cream. It was an explosion of flavour! Without a doubt, the best soup I have ever had! Sorry mom...

I came to Russia knowing about it’s past. I leave now, knowing about its present and its future. The young people here are strong, positive and determined. They are generous and warm-hearted. For them, anything is possible.

Don't get a lot of girl time on this trip so whenever I have the chance I love to enjoy a good gossip session! It's a change to chat about boyfriends, clothes and music!

Un país con una larga y, a veces, complicada historia. Llena de giros inesperados, que ciertamente no fueron agradables. Sin embargo, Polonia es un país que resurgió de los escombros de la guerra y de las adversidades que atravesó para encararse a un nuevo día, a nuevas posibilidades. Es más que interesante ver cómo entre sus habitantes hay una actitud de entendimiento respecto de su 
pasado pero, al mismo tiempo, una actitud que busca ver hacia el momento presente y hacia el futuro, hacia la infinidad de posibilidades que éste nos ofrece. Y eso es algo que determina cómo perciben la vida y la felicidad. “La historia determina quiénes somos; pero me gusta ver al futuro, al mañana, a las cosas que vendrán”-nos dijo un joven de Warsaw. Después vagamos por sus calles y sus parques para ver (de frente) cómo es que la gente recibe con una gran sonrisa, la llegada de la primavera, de un nuevo ciclo. 
Lo que aprendimos en Polonia es que, sin importar lo que sea, siempre hay la posibilidad de ver la vida desde una perspectiva más positiva.

It has been an amazing journey so far. We have been pleasantly surprised by a lot of countries, but nothing quite compares to the way Latvia blew us away. We knew next to nothing of this far northern country.

From the plane, all we could see was a sea of white, dotted with spots of green. Then a city suddenly appeared through the white curtains like the star of the show. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome… the beautiful, the amazing, the magical… Riga!

This is a really cool message! It comes with the latvian conmemorative bottle! So quoting the bottle and sharing the message with everyone that comes to our webpage '...you have today, so we wish you a very good day...' :D

The city offers a mixture of modern blocks and old buildings that belong in an architectural history book. There was definitely something special about this city. Our cameras were trying to keep up the pace as we captured everything around us.

Our host, Yanis, singer, composer and tv presenter, showed us around. He said that in Latvia, Riga is the city and the rest is a park. He says that the nature here is so rich but the real riches of Latvia lie within the people. The camaraderie and friendship here is so strong it’s almost tangible.

They have a national symbol here which is the ‘Auseklitis’ or morning star. The morning star symbolizes the victory of light over the darkness. And that expresses the nature of Latvians. They say their belief in goodness and light makes them happy.

I have never seen anything like it. Feeling the ship crashing through the ice is something I've never experienced before. It's like being a part of one of those documentary expeditions to the North Pole! Except our ship has a dance pavilion and a daily bingo game...

Our host told us the people in Estonia can be difficult to approach. They tend to be very reserved and a little cold. So armed with our biggest smiles – not too big, didn’t want to scare them away! – we tried our luck at a local mall.

It was a little difficult at first to get them to open up. Our first try was a bunch of girls who were waiting to surprise their friend for her birthday. “Happiness? What do you mean? What do you want from us?” we didn’t get off to a great start. But then we decided a more down to earth approach… It can get very, very cold in Estonia. So we simply asked them: “when it’s cold outside, what makes you feel warm inside?” After some simple responses such as “a cup of tea”, “a hot bath”, we gradually got to more meaningful answers. The girls, having warmed up to us, told us that friendship makes them feel warm inside. When they’re having a bad day, they can call up a friend. They can meet for some hot chocolate and a pastry and share some warmth.

Having mastered our Estonian approach we set off to meet more people. Friendship and love were the main theme. One girl also told us how it’s the best feeling in the world, when you come in from the cold after a long day and you can just snuggle up with a good book and a hot chocolate. Just seeing the smile on her face told us that was her little moment of happiness. Another girl told us that on one regular day in winter, when it was freezing outside, she was sitting around with a friend being bored. Suddenly one looked to the other and said: “let’s go to California!” They had never been there before… “We found a flight, left a week later and ended up spending six months there!” she said.

After a chilled start we warmed up to Estonia and its people. After their initial cold reaction, we found the people to be extremely friendly and – well, yes – warmhearted.

Reindeer, ice skating and a Finnish sauna.

Another Scandinavian country, another breathtaking landscape! Helsinki is a beautiful city covered in snow, where stalactites hang from every edge.

We met our lovely hosts that took us to lunch in a typical Finnish restaurant. We trusted them to order for us and soon found ourselves in front of a plate of stew with mashed potatoes and fresh lingonberries. Guess what meat it was? Reindeer. Well it was delicious! But I still felt bad for poor Rudolf…

Speaking of Rudolf, the Finns have often argued with the Swedes as to where Father Christmas (or Santa Claus) comes from. But a few years ago the matter was settled when Sweden officially conceded that he was in fact from Lapland in Finland.

Our hosts wanted us to have a real Finnish experience so the plan was to do some winter sports and then finish with a Finnish sauna. (no pun intended) We had a great time ice skating and especially watching Antonio fall! 

The people there told us they loved to be outside. Their happiness is in keeping active and enjoying other people’s company.

After a good but cold day the perfect way to warm up was a typical sauna. ‘Everyone here has a sauna!’ said our host Johanna. Even most apartment buildings have a common sauna area. It’s the one thing the Fins cannot live without… that and licorice chocolate! We had a great time relaxing in the heat and were not happy to call it a day! Our time in Helsinki was far too short! We shall have to return…

Snow, sun and fun!

The first thing I saw arriving Oslo was snow and more snow! We had been traveling so much in warm weather it was a shock to finally see some first class snow. The landscape of Oslo is simply breathtaking! I have seen snow before but never quite like this… It’s almost as if it belongs here. It fits so well with the landscape. It’s hard to put into words the feeling you get when you step outside and the cold fresh air hits you just as you feel the warmth of the sun on your face. You open your eyes and you see this breathtaking sea of white… It’s a beautiful experience.

With all this snow the first obvious activity to do was hit the slopes and do a bit of skiing! It’s a national pastime here. Just ten minutes from the city is a skiing station. The weather was simply perfect for it. Lots of snow, cold and a sunny sky. I was certainly happy enough to be back on skis! The people around us were having lots of fun sliding down the slopes, doing some artistic jumps and defying gravity. 

I decided to do some ‘happy jumping’ myself! Luckily no broken bones, only lots of fun!

La luge ici c'est un passe-temps national! Ici nous sommes sur une anciennr piste de bob sleigh! C'est casse-cou moi je vous le dis!

I enjoyed Oslo, not only for the novelty of the landscape or the fun of the activities but mainly because the people here made it a great experience.

We're walking along the pier taking in the city's atmosphere. Despite the cold, people are really warm and friendly. My friend Heidi who when speaking english surprised me with the most unexpected irish accent, said when living abroad she could never get over her longing for Norway.

We arrived in Sweden in a cold morning. Nonetheless it was sunny; the sky as blue and bright as you can imagine and the snow as white as it get (at least on a city). 

Our stay in Stockholm was short. But some of the things we learned is that in Stockholm you eat not to share but in order to live. And then you go back to work. 

Even though that is what they told us, we had one of the most memorable meals during this trip. We ate some traditional meatballs with berry sauce and mashed potatoes (ok: I’m getting hungry now). But the best part of this meal were the people sharing with us: talking about music, food, the city, travelling, joking and laughing out loud. It's great whenever you can switch just a bit how things are usually done. 

'I don't know where I'm going, but I know where I'm going it won't be boring': talking about music with Carl (and how it makes him happy), he remembered these David Bowie's lyrics! Certainly we'll remember those during the trip :D

Then one of our hosts reminded us is that we shouldn’t take for granted the people that are in our lives. Going creative, doing new things with them (whenever possible) is one of the best ways for you to remember how lucky you are to have those persons in your life. 

Certainly that contributes to your daily happiness.

These two girls are best friends and they always have the same answers! :)