In Love with the Ocean: The most Beautiful Places

In Love with the Ocean: The most Beautiful Places

First of all: I love the ocean, it touches me again and again. Although I have visited 63 countries, I cannot say that I know all the seas. After visiting many places at the sea it seems that I like especially the Mediterranean and the Caribbean Sea, the southern sea more than the nordic. For me, by the way, a collection of beautiful seaside spots is not the same as a collection of beautiful beaches. There are also wonderful sea impressions without a beach in sight. The magic of the beach is due to the interaction of sand, stones or grass with the sea. For me, special sea places are all about the charm of the sea. Before I introduce you to my favourite places, I would like to tell you about my personal relationship with the sea and how it came about.

The sea and I

Until about 15 years ago I had no special relationship to the sea. The holidays with my parents led us mostly to a beach in Northern Italy. The last time I was there with them was as a student. Even though I always had a pleasant time, I found it rather hard to relax and do nothing. I was too curious about the world, wanted to learn a lot about it. Lying at the beach was a waste of time to me. At the age of mid-20 I traveled on my own, in recent  years a lot with my husband Chris. At first, I clearly preferred the mountains. My travel dreams were directed more towards destinations such as Tibet, other “moonscapes” or deserts. During the many trips to Asia I was also attracted by the tropical dream beaches, because there must be something about them which makes everyone want to go there. And the more I was confronted with the sea, the more I learned to love it. In the last few years, this has become a real yearning. But also nordic sea experiences appealed to me. I like walking on steep cliffs and I find the salty breeze on a rainy North Sea day incomparable. In my travels I want variety, but overall I prefer the southern sea Flair. I also prefer swimming in calm instead of thunderous waters. So I can say that for me the sea is a love at second sight, but a very big one. I will give you a brief overview of the highlights by the sea I have discovered in recent years .

The Maldives

I experienced the Maldives a little different than most holidaymakers. We traveled to the paradise as backpackers in 2015 and took the public ferry from one island to another. Experiencing the Maldives individually was a wonderful thing and I was intensively confronted with the beautiful sea in several places. It has a very special colour in the Maldives. Already when we stepped out of the airport building of Malé and took a water taxi to the city, we could see this. The most beautiful sea experiences here included snorkelling on a coral reef on the open sea accompanied by a large fish scale, dolphin watching around the tiny islands and a private dinner right on the water, which we enjoyed despite backpacking and which our guesthouse made possible.

Biyadhoo Island Maldives
Biyadhoo Island, Maldives

Malta

In summer I like the Mediterranean Sea, preferably far south. Malta is a beauty, because of the mixture of deep blue sea and unique architecture. I am thrilled that you can swim wonderfully even at the beach of the capital Valletta – with a view on the fortress-like UNESCO World Heritage City. I fell in love with Malta and its sea, but I actually have never seen the famous places by the sea like Comino Island, St Peter’s Pool or the Blue Grotto. One of many reasons to return to Malta.

Sea in Valletta
Sea in Valletta, Malta

Tulúm, Mexico

Unfortunately, I only managed to publish an article about the colonial city of Merida during our trip to Mexico last year. Perhaps this is also due to the fact that there already exist countless articles about Tulúm. Therefore it´s a good thing that I can now mention the place in this context, because I personally think it is great. I don’t like the Village too much, but the more I like the sea in Tulúm. It has a color I’ve never seen anywhere else before. The sea in Tulúm shines in all imaginable shades. It is difficult to describe the colour in one word. It’s best if you go see for yourself…
In Tulúm we lived in a very nice SPA resort on the cliffs and could enjoy the views on the sea at any time of the day. But also from the bike or from the Mayan ruins it looked simply breathtaking. The sea in Tulúm really thrilled me.

Shades of blue and green in Tulúm, Mexico
Shades of blue and green in Tulúm, Mexico

Croatia

In Croatia I found the water particularly clear.  Already during a family holiday as a teenager I liked to bathe there. I enjoyed to repeat this experience last year and bathed enthusiastically at the idyllic green island of Lokrum near Dubrovnik. The fact that you had to lie on hard stones did not bother me. If you want to spend the whole day on a beach, you can choose a more comfortable, less natural one. However, the water temperature was a bit too cold for me in June. I feel better in warmer water, preferably in the tropics.

Deep blue sea in Dubrovnik
Deep blue sea in Dubrovnik

Albania

Albania is still little visited and a real hidden gem. After visiting Croatia and Montenegro last year, we spent some days in this friendly country. We made a long but incredibly fulfilling road trip on our second wedding anniversaty, from the capital Tirana to the coast of the Ionian Sea, which Albania shares with Greece. There we found turquoise bays with almost no people. We looked down at the bays from high cliffs or rather mountains, surrounded by herds of goats, before we continued on our way down. That day moved me a lot. When I got back home, I was longing for it.

Goats above the turquoise ocean in Albania
Goats above the turquoise ocean in Albania

Mauritius

We discovered the island in the Indian Ocean last year as individual travellers. My first trip to the southern hemisphere inspired me and the sea was an important part of it. I had experienced the tropical sea several times before, but in Mauritius the experience was particularly intense, because we glided with a catamaran through the turquoise sea of the Blue Bay. The name “Turquoise Bay” would be even more appropriate for this paradise. This heavenly experience was intensified by the fact that we jumped into the sea from the catamaran for snorkelling. At the Blue Bay there is a big coral reef. We saw some colorful tropical fish and enjoyed the close contact with the sea so much that we immediately booked a second catamaran tour. Apart from the Blue Bay I found the sea at Le Morne particularly beautiful. Le Morne is a significant mountain listed by the UNESCO. Here both the beach and the sea itself are fascinating. The term “light turquoise” would here be suitable to describe the sea and “white” to describe the sand. By the way, the sea around the west coast of Mauritius is well filled with whales and Dolphins.

Gabriel Island, Mauritius
Gabriel Island, Mauritius

La Gomera, Canary Islands

Last winter we made our first trip to the Canary Islands over Christmas / New Year’s Eve. On La Gomera I decided for a completely slowed down vacation and had a consequent time-out from my mobile phone. We spent a whole day completely chilling out at a rather deserted beach (Playa Alojera) on the less visited north coast, although it has to be said that La Gomera is nowhere really overcrowded. I’ve always had a hard time chilling on the beach for a full day. So it was like a self-experiment. I did nothing but watch the strong waves and enjoy the pleasantly mild and warming sun of the Canary winter on my skin. This day gave me a meditative experience: I felt one with the wild sea and its great energy. A day I like to think back to often.

Thundering ocean at La Gomera
Thundering ocean at La Gomera

Greece

In Greece, in the Cyclades islands of Santorini, Mykonos, Delos and Tinos to be precise, we recently spent our Babymoon, a romantic break for two before our baby was born. Everywhere in Greece the sea looked incredibly clear. You can enjoy it not only at the beaches but also from the ferry. Traveling by ferry – past inhabited and uninhabited islands – was one of my best experiences on this holiday.

Oia, Santorini, and the blue sea

And what does the sea mean to you? I am looking forward to your comment.

This article is part of the blog parade „Was bedeutet das Meer für mich? | #DHMMeer (In English: “What does the sea mean to me?) of the German Historical Museum.

Transparency: The naming of destinations is based on my voluntary decision. We paid for the costs of our trips completely ourselves.

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In Love with the sea the best places

 

 

 

4 thoughts on “In Love with the Ocean: The most Beautiful Places

  1. Michelle

    This made me realize there are so many beautiful places I have yet to discover! While so many of these are on my “list”, I would absolutely love to visit the Maldives. Thank you for a fabulous share!

    1. Ricarda Christina Hollweg

      Thank you so much for your feedback, Michelle. I think the Maldives are really unique and a must see.

  2. Yes! Fellow ocean lover. I totally get it and fully agree, I am drawn to such destinations for most of my trips. I had no idea Albania had beautiful coastlines, will have to check that out. Great post!

    1. Ricarda Christina Hollweg

      Thank you so much for your comment, Dina. Yes, Albania was a true surprise. I loved the beautiful coastline there.

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