Hi everyone!
Before I introduce myself, I want to tell that I declare my eternal love for all the places I have ever visited, and that I would go there again without hesitation! Now, that I have said it, let me tell you some things about me.
Irma Naan is just an anagram of my name Marianna, which is kind of long, so you are free to call me either Irma or Marianna 🙂 I am not a full-time traveller (for the moment), I have a regular job, so you may guess what I do during my vacations 🙂
So, some personal info about me. I was born here:
Now I live here:
Do you see that small red dot in the bottom left corner? Yes, that’s where I live now, in tiny Moldova. It was once part of the Soviet Union, but now we are independent, and have recently got visa-free entrance to Europe, so in this blog I am going to share my travels and my tips on what to see, where to eat and stay, mainly in Europe, and how to make those things affordable. I will create full guides of places I visited more than once, so that you can find everything you need to plan your vacation in one place: here, on the pages of my blog.
I love walking, and I think it is the only way to actually see and experience a new place. How can you explore the area or turn to that narrow street or walk in that fancy shop if you are on a bus? Of course, I research means of public transportation, so I can take a bus when I am really tired. I am going to share here my ideas on how to do the cities on foot, but, please, don’t forget a very important truth: travelling isn’t about walking and seeing, it is about sitting down, contemplating, and absorbing.
Keeping this in mind, I am ready to help you with planning your trip to certain places I have been to: click here for more info.
Some facts about me:
– I am a real lazybones, but I work hard when I have to.
– I love sleeping till late and hate waking up early.
– I am a good listener, and an even better talker.
– I am a fan of the Scorpions! We were born to fly 🙂
But what I am really passionate about are ancient history, science fiction, studying languages, and travelling. I guess this is where I take my love for writing from, so I would be happy to help you with filling up your website with quality content. And translation, I can help you with this one as well: Russian – English – Russian. In addition to that, I teach English online.
I just want to note that I advertise my products only in this website like the ones I make at Zazzle. In case you buy anything, it will help me greatly keep this blog going. An exception is booking.com and GetYourGuide: if you book anything clicking the link in my blog, I will get a small commission, but in no case will it cost anything extra to you!
If you have any questions, or need some advice, feel free to drop me an email.
Okay, my other question:
Where (especially in Barcelona but anywhere in Spain) can I find second-hand flamenco clothing and accessories? I’m looking for flamenco dresses & mantones.
Would the Boquería be a good place?
Have you been to Sevilla? I used to live there., & will visit it soon.
Unfortunately, I can’t help you with this one. What I would advise you to do is to join a Facebook group called Women who travel, there are hundreds of members in this group, and someone of them will definitely know the answer 🙂
As for Seville, yes, I have been there, and wrote a couple of posts about it 🙂
Hi!
We are planning a 7 day stopover to discover Turkey next week.
Could you please advise how best we can plan our trip? We are a family of five. Two teenage daughters and a 8 year old son. Our budget is medium and want to pack the maximum sights we can.
Hi Sarrah,
When you say you have a stopover in Turkey, do you mean Istanbul only or other cities as well? I have been to Istanbul only, so I can speak only about it.
When it comes to Istanbul, I would advise, first to stay somewhere in Sultanahmet (the reason is that the majority of sights are there, and you will save some money on transport. I have a guide on staying in Sultanahmet here).
Secondly, maybe, it will be cheaper to book an Airbnb where you can cook (it will help save money on food as well), or choose a hotel that offers free breakfast. I know nothing about your eating habits, but, maybe, you can try street food from time to time: I have a guide on foods to try here. For example, kumpir is street food, and it is a big potato with filling, one is enough for a person.
Thirdly, take a look at the sights (I have a long list here), mark them in Google Maps or any app you have and try to visit one area at a time: for example, plan the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Yerebatan and Topkapi for one day, as they are close to each other, then for another day go to Taksim to see the square, Istiklal street, Galata Tower, etc. When it comes to prices, you will have to calculate yourself based on the sights you want to visit. The mosques and bazaars are free, Topkapi and Dolmabahce are a bit expensive, but, unfortunately, I don’t know the price, so you will have to google it.
Hope this helps!
Marianna