What people write after a trip

I travelled alone and was afraid I would feel lonely. I came back with three new friends and a birthday invitation. Alina keeps the group together like a family.

I had been to Rome before, but this time I actually saw it. A trattoria without a single tourist, Trastevere at night, and stories I still retell to my kids.

Everything was thought through — from the water on the bus to the bench where we waited for slower walkers. You can tell Alina had walked every metre before us.

We asked for a honeymoon with no resort hotels. Alina made it for us: home-made wine, monasteries and dinner with an Armenian family.

I go with Alina every year — not for the places but for the mood. The wooden ornament from Tryavna has hung on our tree for three years now.

I had never been to the mountains. Alina walked at the back with me and told me we had time. I made it to the lakes — and cried.