Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Maria Sten
(EDITOR'S NOTICE: Sten refers to the Great Blue Hole (Belize) and the Blue Hole (Egypt). The names are similar but they are two different places.)
Actress Maria Sten moved from Copenhagen to New York City when she was 18. Her latest role is as journalist Liz Tremayne in the new DC Universe series, "Swamp Thing." "Liz is incredibly scrappy and she never backs down from a challenge," says Sten, 29. "She's also overly curious by nature and always wants to know everything that's going on around her. You'd probably get no sleep at all (traveling with her), but you'd have a hell of an adventure." Based out of Los Angeles, Sten stays in touch with fans on Twitter (https://twitter.com/actressmaria) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mariasten/).
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. I've been traveling since before I could walk, but I distinctly remember Bali, and I loved it. I was probably 7 years old at the time. My mom tells me stories about how I always made friends with the locals on our trips, before I could even speak English, and it's quite possible I may have ended up in the local village learning Balinese dance from a woman who just happened to be the sister of the gardener who worked at the hotel we stayed at and she just happened to be the reigning Balinese dance champion. It happens.
Q. Do you speak any foreign languages?
A. Danish is my first language and then I learned French and German in school, but it goes away when I don't get to keep it up. Growing up in Denmark and traveling so much definitely has given me an ear for languages. We learned English in third grade. And once you know one language, it's easier to learn another. I'm currently diving into Spanish.
Q. Where did you travel to in Africa?
A. I've been to Egypt and Sierra Leone and they're obviously quite different. In Sierra Leone, I was excited to explore the West African culture. In Egypt, I went to Sharm El-Sheikh, which is right on the Red Sea and has some of the best snorkeling and diving opportunities in the world, so that was more about the adventures. I went snorkeling at the Blue Hole. The marine life is incredible. I also went horseback riding through the desert and camped out to see the night sky. I still have to go back for the pyramids.
Q. What other trips stand out?
A. I recently came back from Peru. My friend and I sort of just hopped around Peru for a week to see as much as we possibly could because you can honestly spend months in Peru and still find new things to see. We went to Lima, then a tiny village in the Sacred Valley called Ollantaytambo with the most amazing food scene and, of course, we hiked Machu Picchu. But the Amazon was special. We canoed deep into the rainforest one day and ended up on a lake and found a few caimans floating around. We climbed around on hanging bridges above the treetops. The Amazon is like a pocket out of time and space -- completely its own world. If you ever want to really grasp the concept of what an ecosystem means, the Amazon is the place for that.
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