In my articles I don’t very often mention souvenirs brought from travel. I decided to fill this gap. Almost always, you grab at least some trinket from a trip. Whether it’s a magnet or a keychain, it doesn’t matter. After all, in addition to memories and photographs, there is the opportunity to touch the object. Feel the energy of a place or a master’s hand.
Over a large number of years and travels, a certain collection of souvenirs brought from different countries has accumulated. There is no special theme. Well, you probably heard — I collect slippers or license plates from cars from different countries. We don’t have such prejudices in our family, and we simply buy souvenirs and crafts that we like. In a word, there is something to show and tell guests about.
Cruise souvenirs
Sticking to the theme of the blog, I, of course, would like to show you first of all the souvenirs purchased along the routes of our cruises. Quite a few of them have already gathered. I’ll start with a cruise around the islands of the Indian Ocean. Apart from souvenirs, you won’t find anything particularly valuable on the islands, so we spent money on them. And I’ll start with the branded glasses of the cruise company Costa.
Souvenirs from the Indian Ocean Islands
On the island of Mauritius we bought a figurine of a once extinct species of bird, the “Mauritian Dodo” or “Dodo”. The souvenir also serves as a whistle and makes a rather strange sound, similar to the quack of a duck. Apparently, according to local residents, this was the sound that this bird made.
The bird was flightless and often became easy prey for sailors, and later for some introduced animals. According to scientists, the last individual lived 3 centuries ago. She was about a meter tall and weighed 10-18 kg.
The Seychelles have their own symbol, the sea coconut “coco de merv”. I wrote about this giant, strange-looking fruit. And I simply couldn’t resist buying this handmade figurine of this coconut.
The female nut is very similar to part of the female figure, both from the front and from the back. And the male nut looks like a phallus, respectively. Amazing!
We couldn’t pass up the once famous locally produced Takamaka rum. It is still very popular among the aborigines and visitors to the islands.
Souvenirs from Madagascar
On the island of Nosy Be, Republic of Madagascar, after visiting a park with a variety of animals, I could not resist the temptation to buy a lemur figurine as a souvenir. I really liked him alive, when he sat on my shoulder and took pieces of banana from my hands. This is also handmade. Moreover, while walking through the park, you can watch how craftsmen make them.
The next stop of our cruise ship was also in Madagascar, the port of Diego Suarez. Here, during the excursion, we had to visit a grove of baobabs. But we didn’t have time and only saw a few isolated baobab trees. You can probably already guess what kind of souvenir you bought.
And finally, in the port of Toamasina, Madagascar, we decided on a strange purchase. The model of the sailboat, and of a decent size, was inexpensive «sucked» us at one of the town’s markets. It was only later that I thought about how to transport it in luggage. He got out and as you can see he is at our house.
And there we bought either a local instrument or a smaller copy of it. In general, it is made of bamboo, the strings are stretched and you can strum on it.
Souvenirs from a cruise in Northern Europe
But from the cruise in Northern Europe, only a figurine of the world-famous Big Ben remained. We bought it on a trip to London, in a small souvenir shop in the capital of Great Britain.
In Paris we bought mainly perfume and chocolate, everything had long since been eaten and used. There was a figurine of the Eiffel Tower, but that too was given to friends. Well, okay, not the last time in France.
Belgian cheese and beer have also long been eaten at dinners, with sweet memories and impressions.
Souvenirs from Egypt and Turkey
I want to show you a souvenir I once brought from a trip to Egypt. Two figurines of ancient gods as candlesticks. They are very heavy and beautiful in my opinion. We have been storing them for a long time and have already lit the candles a couple of times.
I’ve been to Turkey 5-6 times. The most unforgettable vacation was the resort of Icmeler, a few kilometers from Marmaris. This is not the hot and deserted city of Alanya or even temperate Kemer, but the greenest and most beautiful resort a little further north.
A small bay, an island opposite, green mountains and fresh air are what Icmeler fascinated me with. I brought this plate that sits on my kitchen shelf as a souvenir from this trip.
I didn’t bore you with magnets and key rings, of which there are countless numbers. Of course, these are not all the exhibits of the travel lover’s personal museum. Something is lost and given away.
Please write in the comments what you bring as souvenirs from your trip.
“I would be very grateful!”
Blog author Sergey Buslaev
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