A series of photographs and some text from our evening explore the warmly lit wonderland; the Tivoli.
June 21: Freetown Christiania & marionettes in Kongen's Have [journal]
June 20: Assistens Kirkegård & sunshine in Copenhagen [photo journal]
A beautiful, sunshine-filled day visiting Assistens Kirkegård, playing effeuiller la marguerite, and relaxing in Copenhagen, told (mostly) through images.
The best way to see a glacier in Norway [review]
Norway is home to the largest glacier in
mainland Europe (Iceland takes the cake for the entirety of Europe, and I think
Antarctica might have dibs on the title of World’s Largest Glacier). Jostedalsbreen is a huge glacial icecap with
over 20 legs that stretch off it, some more accessible than others. Depending on the time of year you visit, you
can get up close to several of these amazing natural wonders, with
June-September offering the most options.
June 19: An evening walk through Nyhavn [journal]
The delayed setting sun and clear, blue skies made for a beautiful Friday night exploring Nyhavn and its surrounds.
June 17 & 18: Lazy, rainy days in Copenhagen [photo journal]
June 15: Cruising through Trollfjord [photo journal]
Like a surprising number of Norway's natural forms, Trollfjord takes its name from their token mythological being - the troll.
Are the Lofoten Islands the most beautiful part of Norway?
When I finally got to the Lofoten Islands,
I’d already visited the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord, rode the famous Flåm railway,
walked the streets of Bergen, cruised through Geirangerfjord and spent a few
days exploring Sognefjord. In short, I’d
seen some of the most raved-about sites in Norway. I didn’t think I could be any
more in awe of Norway’s majestic landscape, but then I arrived in the Lofotens.
Oslo on a budget – can it be done?
On my recent visit to Oslo, they bragged that they were no longer the world’s most expensive city. That might be the case, but Oslo is still a
ridiculously overpriced city for anyone not from Oslo. For that matter, Norway is pretty expensive on
the whole. Can you visit this beautiful
city if you’re travelling on a budget?
June 10-14: My Lofoten Island Adventure [video journal]
We've just touched down in Tromsø after a mindblowingly beautiful time in the Lofoten Islands. We saw wild orca hunting during the midnight sun, stumbled upon a landship on Kvalvika beach and drove through some of the most beautiful seaside towns I've ever seen.
Why You Should Start Sleeping Outdoors While Travelling
When visiting a new and exciting country,
it can be tempting to fly into a city, set yourself up in a hotel room and flit
from coffee shop to coffee shop. While
this is a beautiful and relaxing way to experience another place, it’s only one
way to do it. I’m an advocate of taking
your travel off the beaten track, getting outdoors and spending time with
locals (whether those locals be human, fauna or flora). Here are some of the key reasons you should
consider taking your next adventure outside.
June 8 & 9: Cruising through Geiranger on the Hurtigruten & Trondheim
While the thought of doing 12 days of
planned out cruising didn’t particularly appeal to us, doing a short stint on a
fancy and convenient boat did. The
Hurtigruten started off as a practical fleet of ships, going from port to port
to deliver passengers and goods. Over
time, roads were developed and it became less necessary, but now offers luxury
cruises up the Norwegian coast.
Norway In A Nutshell – Is it worth it?
I recently had the joy of doing the Norway
in a Nutshell tour on my way from Oslo to Bergen. It was recommended in Lonely Planet as a
great way to get into Fjord country, so I paid the hefty fee attached to the
tour and set out.
June 7: Art Nouveau in Ålesund
In January 1904, a huge fire ravaged the
burgeoning, wooden town of Ålesund, burning it to the ground. A village that had experienced exponential
growth due its thriving fishing industry was literally reduced to ashes in just
a few hours. We still don’t know how the
fire was started.
The Best Way to See Puffins in Scotland!
On my recent adventure around Scotland, I
decided that I needed to see some puffins.
Being from the great Land Down Under, we have lots of birds, but none
quite like the clown of the sea. To see
puffins, you’ve really got to get off the mainland and onto the Hebrides,
particularly the Treshnish Isles, which were all formed by a huge volcanic
eruption.
June 5 & 6: An early morning ferry, Kannesteinen Rock & a lazy day in Ålesund
When we were in Oslo, we got started
looking at some of Norway’s amazing and bewildering geology. We’d hoped that we would hike some of the
fantastic rocks Norway has to offer, like Trolltunga, Pulpit Rock and Kjerag Rock,
but the seasons were working against us, and not all the necessary buses were
running. As a compromise, we had decided
that on our way up the coast, we would make a stop at Kannesteinen rock in the
little town of Måløy.
10 Things You Need to Do in Scotland!
For two months during spring, Nick and I drove around Scotland, exploring its sites and taking in the magic of this beautiful country. As a result, we've developed a pretty definitive list of things you'll need to tick off if you've got a visit there on the horizon!
June 4: Fjærland Bøkboyn
We woke up sore from sleeping in the car
and decided to drive to Fjærland, where almost a whole town’s worth of
buildings had been abandoned, and then turned into second-hand bookstores. Stopping by the climate change center on the
way (and refusing the pay the exorbitant fee to get in) and making several
stops to marvel at the beautiful Fjærlandfjord.
June 2 & 3: Stave churches & hiking on the largest glacier in mainlandEurope
On Tuesday morning we woke up with the sun
– not that it ever fully went down – and headed down our little mountain to the
town of Sogndal. Sogndal isn’t a
particularly big town, but it’s a lot larger than the other scattered
settlements we had seen along the fjords.
Halfway down the hill we stumbled upon a red stave church, which really
set the tone for the day, which was to be filled with visits to the beautiful,
fairytale-style buildings.
June 1: The most magical Norwegian Antique shop & riding the express boat through Sognefjord
When we woke up this morning, the rain was
falling thick and fast on top of the tent.
Nick rolled over and swore loudly.
We couldn’t leave the tent up and hope it would dry, because we were
leaving Bergen that afternoon. We’d have
to roll up a wet tent and towel it out in the evening – not ideal, but our only
choice.
Thinking of riding The Jacobite Train? Read this first!
May 31: The glorious laneways of Bryggen
May 29 & 30: Riding the Flam railway & Norway in a Nutshell Tour to Bergen
This morning we were out of bed before 5am
– the Norwegian sun was up before us though! – and set off with a thermos of
hot soup for central station. From here
we were headed on the first leg of our Fjord adventure. A little touristy, perhaps, but with good
reason – we were taking the Norway in a Nutshell tour up to Bergen.