Lithuania – Expect the unexpected.

Things you didn’t know about Lithuania : They have some of the best basketball players in the world, they drink hot beer and in their capital Vilnius is a small little republic called Uzupis. 

‘Huh?’ You ask? Well, Let’s explain shall we. First of all, basketball. It is the Lithuanian’s favorite sport. They name it as one of their happiness factors. There are many Lithuanian players that play around the world including in the NBA. 

Now, hot beer. It is not something I had ever heard of before but I guess if you’ve got hot wine and hot spirits then why not hot beer? It is after all a cold country. By the way, it’s not great… 

Thirdly, Uzupis. You’re wondering what that’s about? Well in the middle of the city there is a small bridge over a river. At the entrance to this bridge is a sign that says : ‘Welcome to the Republic of Uzupis’. 

In the capital of Lithuania lies a small district called Uzupis. The area is inhabited by many artists that leave their mark all around the place, paintings on walls, sculptures along the river, statues in the square. In 1997 the residents declared the Republic of Uzupis with its own president and its own constitution. Their national day is on the 1st of April. As you can see on the sign welcoming you to Uzupis there are four important rules to follow : Always smile, stick to the speed limit, appreciate art and you will fall into the river if you do not respect the first three rules.

Who knew there was an extra country to visit? expedition 206 just became expedition 207!

It is a small town that started out as an artist community. Now they pride themselves on having a certain independence and even an army (well, if you can call two men with clubs an army) Their Independence Day falls on the 1st of April, make of it what you want. The town houses many renowned artists but also regular families. There is art on every street corner. It is actually a requirement that you be able to appreciate art to enter the republic. Their constitution is mounted on a wall in a public street and translated into four languages. It is simple and fair, having article like : Everyone has the right to love, everyone has the right to be happy, everyone has the right to be unhappy, a dog has the right to be a dog, everyone has the right be creative… My personal favorite : a cat is not obliged to love its owner but must be there in time of need.

Simply put, Turkey is amazing. It is such a vibrant country with a deep rooted culture and a family oriented, religious society that has happiness around every corner.  We were lucky to have good friends in Turkey, E.Z. and her husband Joe, who agreed to be our guides for the day. 

In Istanbul we met up with Zeynep, a Expedition 206 finalist we met at the interviews week, and her husband Jo. They play host for us and showed us around the city. The place is amazing. It's got a great vibe. You can easily understand why this awesome couple chose to live here!

We started by visiting one of the largest and oldest mosque in the city.  In a city that is dominated by the sight of mosques, this place was magnificent.  Seeing the extreme amount of people inside, it was easy to understand how well religion unites Turkey and holds one of the keys to their happiness. Later that evening, we took a stroll through town to get some dinner.  We found out very quickly how far up food shared with friends is on the list of happy things in Turkey.  There were many mazes of alleyways filled with tables and chairs from cafes and restaurants dotting the city and all of them were packed.  People were everywhere, enjoying coffee, appetizers and meals with friends. For dinner, we stopped at a rooftop restaurant to enjoy Mezes, which are typical Turkish appetizers.  You could think of it as being something like Turkish tapas. There were many different types of dishes, from beans, squid and fish to cheese, breads and other things I couldn't readily identify. One of my favorites was a mussel on the half shell, stuffed with some type of rice and this sweet flavor I couldn't identify.  (Although, my grandma uses that same flavor in her sweet potato pie!)  You find stands selling them all over the streets and for good reason as it was delicious!  Sitting on the roof, listening to Turkish music and laughing and joking with good friends, it was easy to see why the street and alleyway restaurants were packed with people.  The world over, you can never go wrong with the happiness recipe of good food, good friends and good music. Throw in a good view and you could call it paradise!                           

Moldova – C-H-I-S-I-N-A-U

Chisinau is the capital of Moldova (try pronouncing that one correcty!) It is a big city with green everywhere. The parks here are a big part of the culture. Happiness here is going to the park. Whether you’re walking the dog, taking a stroll, hanging out with friends or even working! All the parks here have free wifi so on every bench is someone with a laptop. I’ve never seen so many people actually doing something proactive in a park. Our guide told us all about the history of Moldova, which I honestly now remember very little of. What I did take from it is that Moldovans are very proud of their country and it’s a pity the world doesn’t seem to know much about it. It is a truly beautiful place. The food is excellent (especially these little fried potato based pancakes with different fillings). The people are so open and happy to share their culture with you. Oh, and we also have Moldova to thank for the one-hit-wonder-boys-band Ozone.

We drove from Montenegro to the capital of Albania, Tirana. The drive was long and arduous. It’s all sinuous country roads and small villages. The upside is that it’s a very scenic route. The Albanian countryside is immense and beautiful. Until it got dark, then it was just never-ending. 

We were very happy to finally arrive in Tirana. The next day we tried to discover a bit of the city but it is hard to get around, as the language barrier is very limiting. It might have been this language difference that refrained people from opening up to us. Although the few people we did manage to communicate with were quite helpful and friendly.

The country has had a tough history. As former Soviet Union countries go, it’s had one of the worst times getting back on it’s feet. 

But it is good to see that despite all this, the capital seems to be thriving with buildings growing everywhere and all the looks of a modern metropolis.

Our time in Serbia was a lesson in togetherness that marked one of those uniquely special times on this trip that will always be remembered.  Our first evening started out simply enough, meeting some local bloggers over dinner who quickly became fast friends. Right up front, we were told that happiness in Serbia is togetherness and together with our new friends, we had no problems figuring out the truth of that.  

Happiness in Belgrade is togetherness. You see it everywhere with people together in the parks, walking the streets or at coffee shops.

When you are meeting knew people, you are testing the waters, figuring out who's who and trying to see where it will all go.  With this group, it seemed like no time at all before the jokes were flying, life stories were being shared and friendships were forming. From dinner, to a walk through the city, then ending up in a cafe after dark, it was being together with these wonderful people, forming bonds and experiences that showed us in truth what happiness in Serbia was. The coolest part of being there was that we didn't need to try. There were no special tricks, nothing fancy, nothing contrived. True to their words, it was just being together that created happiness.

Our host had something different and fun planned for us in Bucharest. A bike tour! What a great way to discover a city. We set off in the early morning and planned our itinerary so we saw a list of places that make the people there happy. 
 

We started with a beautiful park. It’s a true sanctuary in the middle of a busy noisy city. As soon as you ride into the park, the noise of traffic leaves way to the chirping of birds. It’s easy to understand why we saw so many people in the park even at early morning. Next we headed to the Parliament house, because it is a national pride being the largest building in the world after the Pentagon. Then a pretty little church because Romanians are very religious and have many beautifully decorated ancient churches. Then downtown Bucharest because people love to hang out in that spot and meet up with their friends. The city is simply amazing. We had so much fun! 
 

We met more people in the afternoon at a press conference. We had a great time chatting to everyone. They were so interested in our stories. And we interested in their lives. In some places we have had to make somewhat of an effort to get along with the people. It can be because of language barriers, cultural differences, shyness or simply a wrong ‘vibe’. But in Bucharest conversation flowed so easily. It is one of those things that cannot be defined. It happens without you realizing and when it’s over you are left with a happy feeling inside.

Estar en Bulgaria fue toda una experiencia dentro de los marcos temporales de la expedición: mientras estuvimos allí cumplimos seis meses de estar viajando a lo largo y ancho de este apasionante planeta. Veníamos procedentes de Macedonia. Hicimos un viaje por carretera que nos llevó por algunos de los parajes más hermosos que puedan imaginarse. Al llegar a Bulgaria, después del hermoso viaje por carretera que tuvimos, ya traía en mente muchas consideraciones que habían surgido a lo largo no sólo de la carretera sino a lo largo de estos seis meses. Al buscar lo que es la felicidad de otros seres humanos nos encontramos, irremediablemente, ante la búsqueda de nuestra propia felicidad. Siempre he considerado que debemos ser felices nosotros mismos para después poder compartir esa felicidad con otros seres humanos. Para hacerles la historia corta puedo decirles que al día siguiente conocí a jóvenes búlgaros que, de una u otra manera, compartieron conmigo su perspectiva respecto de la felicidad. En ellos se manifestaba, entre otras cosas, cómo el gozo que tienen al ir a pescar. La experiencia de poder encontrarse en un mundo más sencillo, libre de estrés, con una caña de pescar en las manos y la certeza de que todo va a estar bien es lo que los llena de felicidad. Y ambos compartieron conmigo la visión de que uno debe empezar por uno mismo cuándo se trata de ser felices. Después me dijeron que consideraban a Bulgaria cómo un lugar lleno de una vibra particular, con un algo que no podían definir bien, pero que se encuentra en todo lo que los rodea: en los aromas de su tierra, en el timbre de la voz de su gente, en el verde de sus árboles, en la caricia de su viento, en las miradas que se cruzan día a día, en infinidad de cosas. Y todas esas cosas son las que los llenan de felicidad.