I love hiking and I love designing. Their processes resemble each other. Sometimes a hike or a project can be so simple that not much planning is needed, but if it’s a bit more demanding work/route, the journey might go as described below. Photo of me in the mountains taken by Mirta Kess The different…
Author: helenaja
A designer, foreigner, mother and many other. Originally from the land of thousands of lakes and reindeer – Finland, and currently living in the land of chocolate and cheese – Switzerland, with a husband and two kids ♡
Breathe in… Breathe out… Repeat
Breathing is the first and last thing we do here on earth. And there’s the whole lifetime between for us to learn to breathe better – in ways that improve our health and quality of life. Better breathing helps us to relax, sleep, digest, remember, focus, move… the list goes on. Fortunately, it’s never too…
25 ideas to brighten up the grayer days (that don’t look like these photos)
“What makes you happy in the rainy and dark autumn days?” a fellow nature-lover asked on Instagram. She mentioned photography and creativity as examples, and we agreed to make a list of things that bring us joy during this season. Of course, there is no one way to “do autumn”. Some take a more stoic approach, running in…
The many colors of the Sisu courage
You may have heard about the Finnish term/mentality called sisu – described as extraordinary courage, grit and resilience. Like an inner fire driving you to reach almost impossible goals. Sisu can be seen as a verb, it’s determination in action*. Sisu is often associated with toughness and masculine power but it also has a colorful and softer side that deserves to be shed some light on. A…
Taking a swim for a fresher feeling + testing 17 outdoor swimming places in Zurich
Because I come from ‘the country of thousands of lakes’ = Finland, I’m used to swimming in natural waters. The water wasn’t often that warm but there were saunas for warming up when needed. The recipe for a perfect summer day in my childhood: First to the sauna, then to the lake, then back to the…
Day 2 in Engadin: The Lake St. Moritz and the UNESCO World Heritage railway trail
Join the two-days trip to the eastern Swiss Alps! Read the first day of the trip (if you haven’t already). After the breakfast and leaving the little hotel nestled in the wooded mountains, I almost jumped on the wrong train because my train was late – which is rather rare in Switzerland. The couple waiting with…