Adventures of Anette: Europe

Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts

Friday, August 30, 2013

Sightseeing in Norway: Hike to Trolltunga

Anette 9:34:00 PM

Trolltunga (The Troll’s Tongue Rock) is an amazing tourist destination which deserves a spot on any 10-places-to-visit-before-you-die list and can thus also be described as a natural must-see destination for visitors to Norway. The place is situated a couple of hours from Norway’s second largest city Bergen and the hiking outset in Skjeggedal is reachable by car, or by bus during the tourist season.

Although it is a great sight it is certainly not a destination for anyone though, as you have to calculate a 4-5 hour hike just to get there. Add that you have to stand in line if you want to test if you’re brave enough for a walk on the edge of the horizontally stretched rock, and the roundtrip up and down the mountains might take you anything between 8-10 hours in total. Whatever you do, remember to bring good shoes..

Climbing the first mountain on our way to Trolltunga

Our hiking team consisted of me, my mother, my boyfriend Yuma and my American friend and travel buddy Adaora. We were all totally psyched about visiting the Troll's Tongue Rock, and were pretty ready for the long hike that awaited us.

Our hiking team!

When that is said, I have to mention that as Norway is a really mountainous country with a small population a lot of people grow up close to nature in an environment where it is quite common with outdoor activities such as hiking in the mountains. That is why our dear friends from Denmark (a land known to be as flat as a pancake) like to refer to us Norwegians as “Fjellaber” (mountain monkeys) from time to time. To put it simple: Not all of us had the same suitable background for mountain climbing, which made parts of the hike go extremely slow. On the other hand, having a will of steel is also a rather practical ability, and this meant that we were still able to reach the famous rock surprisingly fast. The whole hike took 9 hours in total, which included a large number of photo breaks and of course some 15-30 minutes waiting to get our photos taken at Trolltunga.

A sign showing the road to Trolltunga

Although parts of the hike proceeded very slowly this meant that some of us had a lot of time to enjoy the view and eat berries on the way. Norway has a lot of wild edible berries such as blueberries and cloudberries in the mountain, so my mother and I spent some time gathering
berries on the way. This earned us a new nickname too: “berry pickers”. Haha..

Picking blueberries along the way

Just climbing a tree for fun :)

T stands for tur (from tour, meaning trip), and shows you the path you have to follow

A big rock Yuma climbed on the way

Trolltunga is not the only place you can see beautiful nature during the hike

Panoramic view of the fjord

Relaxing

Another T-sign

Adaora going nuts ;)

The view from Trolltunga was absolutely amazing (I have always been traveling more abroad than within my own country, so for me it was a very unique experience) but there were also a lot of great views on the way there too. We passed through a variety of different landscapes, which made me think of my 3-day trekking trip to La Cumbre to Coroico in Bolivia a couple of years ago. The difference in temperature was also quite big, and we should probably have brought warmer clothes than we did. Especially standing in the bitter wind waiting for the chance to take photos on Trolltunga was a rather cold experience.

Waiting for the chance to stand on Trolltunga!

Sitting on the very edge of the rock

On Trolltunga again, with me being held up by my bf.. :)

Relaxing on the way back

A map of the area with some hiking routes

We had a long and tiring but amazing and unique day hiking to Trolltunga. If you want to see the unique landscape Norway has to offer then a trip to Trolltunga is truly a must..
Next time I come home to Norway I hope I get the chance to check out Prekestolen (the even more famous Pulpit Rock) and Kjerag, I'm sure those are really interesting hikes too! It apparently takes around half the time to hike to Prekestolen, so for those who want a lighter alternative to Trolltunga is probably better. On the other hand, the "easy" access and the fact that Prekestolen is more famous means that you have to expect a larger number of tourists there..

Oh well, that's all for now. I'll be back with some more delayed posts about my trip to Norway soon! Ciao! :)

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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Restaurant

Sightseeing in Latvia: Riga

Anette 4:38:00 PM

The Baltic countries has long been a place I've wanted to visit, and when I found out that an new airline offered really cheap tickets available from Bergen to Lativa I decided to go for it and spend some days there with friends and family. I teamed up with my old travel buddy Adaora, my cousin and my grandmother, and left a rainy Bergen hoping for some sun in the Latvian capital Riga.

The House of Blackheads

Riga is the largest capital of the Baltic countries, not to mention that it is an old Hanseatic city dating back to1225. It has a rich history which has left the city with marvelous architecture and an increadible atmosphere. The old part of town offers the best sights for tourists interested in Riga's rich history, all within walking distance.

We spent 5 days in Latvia, and during those days we also went for daytrips to Sigulda and Jurmala. For Riga you can actually see most of the city in just a day or two, and if you are short on time there are the usual tourist busses driving nonstop around the city. For us, doing Riga on foot was a good alternative, and it is especially rewarding if you have a stepcounter with you so you can see how much walking you have done once it's all over.. Haha..

Delicious dinner at the Key to Riga restaurant

The Key to Riga restaurant with St. Peter's Church in the background

By the Piletas canal there is a bridge where couples can attach keychains to the fence for good luck at their wedding day. The key is then thrown into the rivier, and it is believed that as long as the keychain remains unlocked the wedding will last too.

The old power tower in Riga

Cute cat scarves made of wool

An interesting store that sells products made from wool and yarn

If you are interested in doing some shopping while in Riga then I guess products made of wool is one of the typical things that you can find anyware at both good quality and prize. There are decent number of small streeetvenders who sell products made of 100% wool, and a lot of the products are handmade as well.

You can find handmade products made of wool almost anywhere in Riga. (Babyshoes 6 L, pulsewarmers 15 L)

If you run out of things to do in the city, don't worry. There are a lot of things you can do if you travel out of the city to the rural areas of Latvia. We spent a day in the small town Sigulda and a day at the beach in Jurmala, and both were easily accessible by train from Riga, which I will write more about in my next post.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Travel

Sightseeing in Hungary: Vác

Anette 8:50:00 PM

About half an hour by train from Budapest there is a small town called Vác where you can experience a relaxing atmosphere with the local Hungarians. Every summer in the last week of July they also have festivals in the town, which attracts visitors from near and far. The locals like spending the summer nights in the pubs and you can easily hang out in the main square situated not too far from the train station, or perhaps have a beer while enjoying the view of the Danube river.

A photo of the main square, where you also can see the remains of some of Vác historical buildings beneath the glass floor.

The main square again..!

The relaxing atmosphere of Vác

My stepmother is Hungarian, and her relatives all live in or close to Vác. Every time I've visited the city I have been taken really good care of, and enjoyed the time spent with my extended family here. Vác is situated in the vicinity of many interesting tourists destinations as well, so it has been easy to experience a lot of Hungary during my previous stay. But of course, with my 3 years living in Asia it has been a rather long time since I last had the chance to go for a visit. This time I spent most of my time with my brother in Budapest so I didn't visit any other famous tourist destinations, but I did enjoy a lovely day with my extended family in their home.

The Danube seen from the house of my Hungarian family

Green great landscape!

My expended family has a huge garden where they keep all sorts of animals, like goats, peacocks and deers. Recently the family took in a baby deer that had been abandoned by its mother, and the baby deer has become completely tame. I got to pet it and hold it, and it is soooo cute! I've always been a big animal lover and a tree hugger (haha..), so getting the chance to hold Bambi (yeah, that's his name^^) was one of the biggest highlights of my trip.

Me and Bambi. He's sooo adorable!!

Bambi came to greet us as soon as he saw us entering his garden^^

Unfortunately my stay in Hungary this time was rather short, but I know I'll definitely have the chance to return here again some time in the future. I had a great time visiting my brother in Budapest and my extended family in Vác, and I'm already looking forward to the next visit. Next up: Norway and Latvia!

A collage of a couple of my photos from Hungary.

Other posts:
Sightseeing in Budapest: Giraffe Hop on Hop off City Tour

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Travel

Sightseeing in Budapest: Giraffe Hop on Hop off City Tour

Anette 11:15:00 PM

The Giraffe Hop on Hop off Bus

This week I have been visiting my brother and the rest of my extended family in Budapest, Hungary.
Last time I visited the country was back in 2007, so many years have already past since I last sat my foot in this magnificent place. Although I spent almost a month with my family here last time I still hadn't had the chance to see a lot of the Hungarian capital. With only a few days available for sightseeing my brother recommended me getting a ticket with one of the tourist buses here, and we ended up going for the Giraffe Hop on Hop off tour.

The view from our Giraffe tour bus.

A lady in a traditional Hungarian attire.

The company offered a 2-day bus ticket for 5000 forint, or 4500 for students. I asked if it was possible to have a one-day break between the two days, but apparently that was not possible. Instead, the guy who sold us the ticket gave us one day extra for free. A big plus for the good service! :)

St Stephan's Basilica

The ticket with Giraffe offers you 3 different lines which enables you to reach all the main tourist spots in the city. The red line and the yellow line are buses and the blue line is a river cruise on the Danube river. Since the tickets give you unlimited access to these services during the two-day span of the ticket you have the chance to get off the bus at the distinguished bus stops and walk around freely to take a look at whatever you might be interested in on the way.

Enjoying the view of Budapest.

All the main tourist attractions are easily accessible from the bus, and with my brother along as my own personal guide I felt that I really got to see a lot of what Budapest has to offer. Among the places we passed by were the St Stephan's Basilica (a Roman Catholic basilica named after the first king of Hungary), the Heroes's Square, Buda Castle and the House of Parliament.

In the pictures above you can see the Heroes' Square where you can get of the bus and take a look at the Museum of Fine Arts or the Palace of Art. In addition the square is considered the entrance to the City Park, where you for instance can visit Vajdahunyad Castle or the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath and Swimming Pool.

Here my brother took me among other things to Vajdahunyad Castle, which was situated about 5 minutes from the Heroes' Square.

The gate to Vajdahunyad Castle

Vajdahunyad Castle seen from the entrance gate

Inside the castle we also visited the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture. I have to say that I personally enjoyed the architecture of the building more than the exhibition (perhaps because most of the information only was available in Hungarian).

The ceiling inside the Museum of Agriculture

Our journey continued to the Buda Castle, where you for instance can enjoy the view of the river, the Fisherman's Bastion or the Matthias Church.

The Hungarian Parliament seen from the Buda Castle

The Fisherman's Bastion

Budapest used to consist of two cities, Buda and Pesth, separated by the Danube river. We also spent some time strolling by the river, which is the second longest river in Europe.

Shoes by the Danube river left as a memorial for the jews killed during WW2

My brother did a great job guiding me around in Budapest

Details from a building we passed by

Orchids and the ceiling of the luxurious Alexandra Bookstore Café

Wherever you go in Budapest there is something beautiful to see, both in terms of old architecture and art. Compared to Tokyo and Seoul it felt like being in a small village, and I really appreciated seeing something different than the usual box-like skyscrapers. I'm sure I will go back to Budapest again in the future, if I get the chance.

Other posts:
Sightseeing in Hungary: Vác