Norwegian Vibes

‘Where do I go? Do I turn left here?’

‘No, it’s that way!’

‘Go round the turnabout second exit.’

‘Shut the f*ck up!’  *laughters*

And then we found ourselves making our way across the maze of Oslo’s city centre circling every corner several times trying to find the right location to drop off our rented vehicle.

These were part of the challenges we faced travelling and driving in a foreign country. However, it was a great experience nonetheless and I'm quite certain as we returned back home to our respective lives, we've all brought back with us some great memories and unforgettable experiences.  

It all started on the 11^th of April, the dream team consisting of myself, Nadia, Isaac and CKM were to embark on an epic road trip from Oslo to the second largest city in Norway i.e. Bergen. After checking out of our hostel in the heart of Oslo we made our way on foot to the Europcar headquarters to retrieve our rented vehicle. After all the paper works were signed and fees were paid we were introduced to our ride for the next 4 days. It was a small but comfortable 5 sitter Volkswagen polo in black. We loaded up our suitcases and stock up on some food before setting out.

First thing I realized was, we were driving on the right side of the road and none of us were familiar with the system of the road. After a slight panic, our trusty (driver) was able to navigate through the city and out into the open road where it was less stressful and complicated.

The journey commenced as our car was filled with acoustic EDM songs and Indie tunes; we were greeted with some pretty scenery along the way. After stopping by for lunch at Burger King in a little town called HØnefoss we made our way via E16 route (the best route to Bergen) to another town Fagerness located 2 hours way and then onwards to a rented cottage as our pit stop for the journey.    

HØnefoss

Fagerness

Ryfoss

Ryfoss

Upon arriving at Ryfoss we were able to contact the owner of the cottage who was really helpful in guiding us to the cottage we were staying at.

As we made our way up the driveway we were greeted by a small wooden two storey cottage with a front patio and a wooden hot tub by the driveway. The excitement was cut short as we entered the cottage when someone pointed out that there was no bedrooms. As we frantically search for a sign of the bedroom around the premises of the house, I was pretty certain that the rooms should be in the cottage itself. I then looked at the ceiling and realized that there was trap door which I then had to open with a little hook provided. As the door open a metal staircase unfolded itself providing us access to what was a 5 single bed attic. I was beyond ecstatic with the thought of us spending a night in this pretty rad little cottage. Not to mention that there was also a fully equipped sauna room in the toilet which we didn't use unfortunately as we had to pay for it.

It was a pretty chilled evening, with a lit candle and yellow lamps illuminating the living room as we ate our dinner over light conversations before bed time.

Waking up to the sound of rushing waters from the river outside our cottage was such a serene experience and it was such a shame that we had to leave so soon. After breakfast and a photo session we continued on with the rest of our journey to Bergen.

Along the way we drove across some pretty sketchy weather of snow and snow covered roads. However, we were also blessed with clear blue skies that allowed us to stop by the road several times for some picture snapping occasions.

We made our way to a town called Flåm which is a village in Flåmsdalen, at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjorden—a branch of Sognefjorden. We took the Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjorden which took about 2.5 hours along the waters of a UNESCO world heritage site. The cruise would have been spectacular if it wasn’t for the rain and foggy skies but it was bad luck on our part.

After the cruise it was a 3 hour journey to our final stop Bergen. We arrived at another beautiful apartment home just outside of central Bergen. It was beautiful modern apartment fully equipped. Best part of the house was the heated toilet floor! We made our dinner and sat around the lounge area and watched ‘How to train your dragon pt II’ before hitting the sack.

Aurland

Flam cruise

Morning came and we were greeted with some light snow. However the weather eased up and blue skies appeared as we set off to explore the surroundings of Bergen and the central city itself.

Bergen also known as the city of seven mountains has a unique feature of its own, with its quay sides and its first buildings built along the Hanseatic wharf, Bryggen. This site, which features on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, comprises the remains of the old harbour buildings and is one of the best known medieval city settlements in Norway. One of the key features of Bergen is its seafood; we sat at the fisherman’s market and indulged in a platter of king crab, smoked and grilled whale meat, salted shrimps as well as a bowl of fresh mussels cooked in a creamy white wine sauce. After we filled our tummies, we continued our exploration and ended the day with a 45minute hike up to the top of Mount Floyen where we were greeted with a panoramic view of Bergen city and the snow capped mountain peaks.

Gamlehaugen : residence of the Norwegian Royal Family in the city

Bergen Central

Fish market in Bergen

(where you choose your own produce and they cook it for you)

Bryggen 

UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites

Bergen Cathedral (Norwegian: Bergen domkirke)

Fantoft Stave Church (Norwegian: Fantoft stavkirke) 

We started our 9 hour journey back to Oslo at 6am in the morning the next day. The first few hours went by smoothly until we came upon a stretch of road covered in 3 inch thick fresh snow and a mini blizzard happening just outside. Our whole view was literally just white everywhere it was an amazing yet frightening scene as we weren’t used to such conditions. However, slowly and steadily we made our way across the route and headed into an inviting sight of blue sunshine filled sky.

We safely arrived back in Oslo and after much hassle we managed to locate our car rental location to drop off our vehicle that I’ve grew very fond off! We checked in to a little cosy apartment in the centre of Oslo owned by a young couple who was really nice and friendly and introduced us to a little sushi eatery where we had dinner and ate till our hearts content. After a little exploration around the city centre and witnessing a beautiful sunset to end our trip, we headed back to the apartment and as we rested a friend pointed out that there was a vague view of the aurora just above the city skyline. I guess the trip was somewhat complete as we were able to see an aurora at the end of our journey in Norway.

The next day we bid farewell to Norway as we headed back to the UK.

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art

   

All in all as predicted Norway is quite an expensive city to travel to. The food is mostly double the price of food you get in the UK. Even fresh produce were quite expensive, so if you are planning to travel on budget what my friend and I did was we brought instant noodles and oats for food and shared among ourselves for other essential items.

In addition, driving and renting a car if shared among 4 or more people is much more economical and the fuel does not cost much depending on how you drive the car and the length of your journey. One thing to note is to read up on the traffic rules and regulations that you must follow when driving in Norway. There is a lot of information available on driving routes in Norway and the road conditions are mostly quite good and safe.   

Remember to update your playlist of music you’d like to listen and sing along to during the trip! It makes a lot of difference!

There’s so much of Norway to see and do, the best time to travel would be after May as most outdoor activities such as glacier walks, hiking and scenic view point are only open 

around that season.

Fast Facts and Figures:

Total Budget- 500GBP

Flights- 49GBP (Ryanair)

Accommodation total-114GBP (Air BnB)

Car rental- 80GBP

Expenses -220GBP

Total: 463GBP over the course of 5 days

Accommodation:

Click on name for link

1) Sentrum Hostel

4 bed private room 22GBP/ night

Simple and meets your basic needs. Clean toilets and room. Sketchy area at night but overall a comfortable stay.

2) Cosy sauna cottage 

5 bed cosy cottage by the river in the middle of Oslo-Bergen route, perfect for a pit stop or just a few days of relaxing. 75GBP/night for 4 person equipped with cooking utensils and 3 minutes walk from a small mart and 5 minutes walk from a gas station. 

3) Bergen apartment  

Modern and comfortable place just a few minutes drive from the centre of Bergen city for just 66GBP/ night fully equipped with cooking utensils and washing machine.  

4) Oslo apartment

Centrally located just beside the Bus central terminal and 5 minutes from central train station. The host is a young friendly couple who will be staying in their own room however they allow you to use everything in the house i.e.. cooking utensils etc. for 92GBP for 4 person/ per night 

Car rental:

http://www.europcar.com/

More information about the roads and driving rules

http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Driving_in_Norway

Information about Norway tours/ attractions:

http://www.norwaynutshell.com/

http://www.fjordnorway.com/en/

http://www.visitnorway.com/uk/where-to-go-uk/fjord-norway/

If travelling alone it is quite useful to have a data plan / a phone that can be used to contact in case of emergency

http://www.visitnorway.com/uk/about-norway/travel-facts/when-you-arrive/using-mobile-phones-whilst-travelling-in-norway/

Driving route 

From Oslo to Bergen via E16 route

Lots of scenic views as well as the Lærdal Tunnel (Norwegian: Lærdalstunnelen) is a 24.51-kilometre long road tunnel connecting Lærdal and Aurland. It is the longest road tunnel in the world!

(http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/norway/central-norway/oslo-western-fjords/e16/europenorwaycentral-norwayoslo-western-fjordse16filefjell-and-the-laerdal-valley/)

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller

PS: Shout out to Nadia, CK and Isaac for coming along to this trip with me! Lots of love. Thank you <3 

Thanks for reading and sharing this journey with me! Hope this little blog entry inspires you to go out there and travel and make some amazing memories for yourself as well! =)

Road trip video log. Enjoy!

Summer adventures~ Lisboa, Portugal

Ola! Bom dia...

This shall be quite a detailed post so you could read on or just skip to the pictures and video =) 

As previously mentioned I'll be doing a blog post on my travels to Lisboa (Lisbon) Portugal during the start of my summer break with a couple of friends from home.

This was a highly anticipated trip for me because not only was I deprived from the sun, I needed a break from the cold wet British weather. I was really looking forward to spending some time by the beach and getting some tan before heading back home to Malaysia.

Thus begin the journey to Lisbon via easyJet. Waking up at 4am to meet up with a couple of friends before making our way to London Luton's airport where we caught a 2 hour 40 minutes morning flight to Lisbon. 

As we arrive in Lisbon our first challenge began where we had to communicate with the owner of the apartment we were to stay at. After much attempt and to the point of almost giving up we managed to make a phone call through the payphone and settled our accommodation. We then made our way via train to Rua Augusta where the apartment was located at. While walking through the streets filled with tourist we encountered a rather unpleasant situation where some people attempted to pickpocket our bags. Thanks to the kind restaurant waiters who warned us of this we managed to prevent ourselves from being a victim of their nasty intentions. After this incident we were much more aware of our belongings and surroundings. 

We checked into our beautiful little apartment in Rua Augusta with its creamed coloured walls and white Victorian window looking out into the cobbled streets and Cafés. The apartment had two rooms with single beds, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a 
living room. It had a washing machine and dryer as well as cooking utensils and a
 mini refrigerator. 

We spent our first afternoon exploring the streets and trying out some local pastries. There was 
slight drizzle but couldn't deter us from doing some sight seeing. We came upon our first
historical monument which is the Rua Augusta Arch built to commemorate the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake located at Praca do Comercio (Commerce square). 

Some say the best way to explore a new city is to get lost and that's when you'll see things that 
most tourist don't. 

As we looked out into the distant hills we spotted a castle stooped on a hill and thus decided to 
head towards the castle. 

Roaming through little alleys and cobbled streets; walking up countless steps and inclined 
pathways we finally arrived at 

the castle which we later found out to be Saint George's Castle (click for more info). After paying the entrance fee 5Euro for students only valid with a student ID we explored the castle, climbing up medieval stone stairs, walking through ramparts and lookout points we were able to take in the panoramic view of the city Lisbon. We also found 
The Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major also known as Lisbon Cathedral a Roman Catholic Cathedral. There was a choir performing just outside the cathedral singing hymns commemorating the birth of St John.

After walking tirelessly around the city we sat ourselves down for some lovely Portuguese seafood dinner and proceeded to the commerce square where a live broadcast of the world cup 2014 Portugal vs USA was shown. After a short while we headed back to out apartment to plan for the remaining days.

The next day it was pouring down with rain and apparently it was an unusual site for even the locals. However, the rain cleared a little and some local friends took us to the little neighbourhood called Belém. 

Belém is a very monumental and historical place, it is home to many famous architecture/ monuments and also the Pastéis de Belém (Portuguese Egg Tarts). I've eaten lots of egg tarts in my life but the way
of eating egg tarts in portugal was to sprinkle some cinnamon and icing sugar on the top and 
let me tell you, it was mouthgasmic. The sweetness and flaky skin of the egg tart was heaven
 to my palate. There were many other attractions to see in Belém however due to the short 
amount of time and the rain we only managed to see the   Belem Tower, Padrão dos Descobrimentos and the outside of the Jeronimos Monastery a world heritage monument. The day ended with a walk through Bairro alto streets, quiet during the day, but is transformed at night into vibrant night-life quarter from restaurants to bars filled with locals and tourists. 

On our third day we made our way to the Thieves market aka Feira da ladra that has been around since the 12th century by the famous 28 tram. There were many local arts being displayed, jewelries, clothings, cloths etc. From there we visited the  Santa Engracia Church, or the National Pantheon containing tombs of several Portuguese presidents. An entrance fee with student discount had to be paid before entering the church with its magnificent dome ceiling above our heads while a pensive adagio was being played across the church. We explored the church and came upon a splendid view on top of the church where we had a breathtaking sight of Lisbon, the 25th de Abril bridge and the Tagus river. We stopped by at a small local restaurant where the enthusiastic jovial owner spoke no English. Being a foreigner and not understanding Portuguese we decided to just point and order counting on our luck that the food would turn out nice. We were not disappointed as the food arrived and it was delicious. We had pork belly, pork chops and the famous grilled sardines coated in salt and sprinkled with some lemon juice. 

Next we took a taxi (cheap and affordable means of transport when shared among friends) to our next location ie. Christo Rei 90 ft built in thanks to God for sparing Portugal during WWII, this monument to Christ was inspired by the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro. Before arriving at the monument we passed through the 25th de Abril bridge. It is a spectacular sight with the longest central span in Europe (1013m/3323ft), longer than San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, which it resembles. We had to pay 4 Euro for the entrance and ascend up towards the panoramic platform view of Lisbon and the 25th de Abril bridge. We then took a taxi to Costa da Caparica beach off the coast of the north Atlantic ocean where we planned on getting some sun and a little game of Frisbee. Though the day was sunny the wind was immensely strong thus cut short our little beach excursion. Feeling a tad bit hungry we decided to leave for some seafood and hence we ended up in a bustling seafood restaurant called Cervejaria Ramiro. The staff were amusing and friendly most probably because the group of us were too enthusiastic about having seafood coming from a country where we pride ourselves with having the freshest most delicious seafood (Sabah). We were given a showcase of the huge mud crabs, lobsters, prawns etc before they went on to cook it for us. One by one our food arrived and the looks plastered on our faces were utter disbelieve and delight waiting to dig in; of course before every meal comes the expected photography frenzy. We ended the day with a fully satisfied tummy and a nice stroll back to our apartment.

On our forth day we went for a private tour (Celina tours) to Sintra and Cascais. A minibus came to our door steps and we made our way to the first sight which was the Queluz National Palace, French designed interiors and its beautiful courtyard gardens. There was a separated entrance fee we had to pay for that includes an entrance fee to another castle later on in the day. The palace itself was home to the falconry and equestrian shows during fixed time of the day. Next we went to the historical centre of Sintra however we weren't able to enter the National Palace as a Ministerial meeting was being held at the time. We left the little city and made our way to the Pena palace a mixture of Moorish and Manueline architecture. After that we were driven along the coast to a beautiful coastal village by the Azenhas sea shortly after we went for a wonderful lunch in a local restaurant and had the best swordfish and mash, veal, fresh grilled octopus and baked cod. Next we went to Cabo da roca a cliff side overlooking the Atlantic ocean also the westernmost point of Europe with its spectacular view. After some time spent taking photographs of the place we made our way to Boca do Inferno (mouth of hell) I recommend you to Google this location and YouTube the phenomenon too understand why it is called Mouth of hell. We ended our tour in Cascais a famous coastal town home to the rich and famous where many celebrities like Ronaldo the footballer build their holiday homes. We arrived back in Lisbon in the evening and rested before having our dinner and went out to experience the Portuguese way of partying till the wee hours of the morning.                 

We had a late start to our final full day in Lisbon, thus after some food we left for Fonte de Telha beach a small fisherman's village surrounded by dunes, pine trees and a cliffs via taxi. We spent our time soaking up the sun, walking the shores and relaxing. The Atlantic sea water was really cold but due to the strong wind many sports enthusiast could be seen in the water surfing, kite surfing and wind surfing. The day ended with a beautiful sunset across the horizon, chasing flocks of sea gulls and an attempt to walk along the coast towards Costa da caparica about 9km away which we ended up aborting the mission at the last phase for some food instead. 

The last day we all said our goodbyes, packed up and heavy heartedly returned back to London. 

In conclusion, Portugal is like any other city in Europe filled with it's own history, culture, beautiful people and buildings. It's a city where religion still plays a huge part in the lives of many, a mixture of modern and its own unique identity. Definitely a must to go back to Portugal. Obrigada portugal! Till next time!

List of places visited: (click on link for more info)

Rua Augusta Arch

Praca do Comercio

Saint George's Castle   

Belém

Santa Engracia Church      

Christo Rei

25th de Abril bridge

Costa Da Caparica

Fonte de Telha

Queluz Palace, Sintra Vila, Pena Palace, Azenhas Mar, Cabo da Roca, Mouth of Hell, Cascais 

Apartment information: Downtown historical flat  for more pictures and booking 

Tour information: Celina tours http://www.celina-tours.com/eng-tours-sintra-cascais.php

Photographs of my trip:

Rua Augusta Arch

Statue of King José I

Outside of St  Georges castle

The city view and bridge from the Castle court yard

Padrão dos Descobrimentos

Jeronimos Monastery

Bairro Alto

Group photo in Belem

Tram 28 starting point

National Pantheon aka Santa Engracia Church

Christ the King

Falconry show Queluz

Queluz palace

Sintra city 

Pena palace view

Azenhas sea coastal village

Cabo da Roca

Cabo da Roca

At the Mouth of hell

Mouth of hell

Fonte de telha

A perfect end to a perfect holiday

Shout out to the peeps that made this trip all the more enjoyable!
And to those who read and made it this far into the post! LOL
XXXX

My video log:

Watch in HD!