How remiss, Sugoi Travel & Style is in need of a little update… too much work and not enough play for this space’s moderator ;-)
Not to worry, you’re all in for some special treats over the coming few weeks. The Escape Travel / Back Roads Blogging adventure begins in just 12 days! In the meantime we’re running some special interviews with a few pals who also share a love of travel.
Today, the lovely Melissa Loakes fills us in on some insider’s tips to NORWAY.
What’s so cool about Norway? It’s spectacularly beautiful, with friendly people and lots to see and do.
Why did you decide to go? I had wanted to visit Norway for years, mostly for its beautiful scenery, and decided that it was time to go!
Favourite part of your trip? The fjords and the surrounding landscapes. The scenery is breathtaking: words and photos can’t really capture the feeling of being completely surrounded by it. There are some lovely little towns on the fjords, too. I particularly liked Rosendal on the Hardangerfjord. I stayed in Bergen and Ålesund in Western Norway, both of which are lovely cities and departure points for fjord tours.
How did you get around? I flew to Bergen and Ålesund. Once there, I walked around the cities and caught buses to places that were on the outskirts. For my trips out on the fjords and to surrounding areas, I pre-booked day tours (these are unguided, but the transport – trains, buses and boats – for each leg of the journey is booked) and a boat trip. I did the Sognefjord in a Nutshell tour from Bergen with Fjord Tours; a boat trip on Hardangerfjord (also from Bergen) to Rosendal, to visit Baroniet Rosendal; and the Fjord Experience (to Geirangerfjord and Hjørundfjord) with 62°Nord.
What would you recommend for others? I definitely recommend doing at least one trip on and around the fjords. There are a number of trips available to book through companies such as Fjord Tours and 62°Nord. In Bergen, I recommend a visit to the Bryggen area with its old wooden buildings and the Fløibanen funicular railway to the top of Mt Fløyen for a view over Bergen. If you like Art Nouveau, the Jugendstilsenteret/Art Nouveau Centre in Ålesund has exhibitions about the history of Art Nouveau and some beautiful pieces on display.
Any accommodation you would recommend? The Augustin Hotel in Bergen and the Scandic in Ålesund were clean, comfortable and conveniently located. Both also have good restaurants. I particularly liked the Altona wine bar at the Augustin Hotel in Bergen.
Anything you didn’t like about this travel destination? No.
An insider’s tip based on your travel experience to Norway? If you’re going out on the fjords, bring warm clothes (even in summer), as there can be quite a wind chill.
What’s your number one travel tip? Good research and preparation make for a much smoother trip.
Why do we love tours? For the travel, education and the friends!
Something we have begun to invest in recently is tours. This may on first thought seem to be the expensive option, or less adventurous; but more often than not, when on the ground in a big city like London, for example, you can find reasonably-priced touring options, and it is worth comparing the cost of these verses independent travel alternatives.
When time is an issue (and for most of us it is), we’ve come to recognise that a decent tour can potentially teach more about a place than might be learned in a short space on your own, especially if you’ve only got a day or so to spare in a new destination. Perhaps a tour is worth your consideration too, because by the time car hire or transport, accommodation, plus language barriers are factored in, tours are sometimes the cost-effective answer (eg. Expat Explore Europe, day tours such as Dublin Bus, Haggis Adventures in Scotland, City Sightseeing (big red hop-on-hop-off bus etc.); and even walking tours that are offered in many places.
Ultimate 6 top tour tips
1. Utilise the supermarket! If we had our time over in Europe we would take a spare case (and even a cooler bag or esky) to enable us to ‘stock up’ when there is access to a supermarket. It is by far cheaper to keep food and alcohol on hand – you will inevitably eat and drink on tour, and it’s better to have paid the equivalent of less than $2 per meal or beverage than over $5 or even $10 per unit.
2.Keep emergency numbers, passport, credit card(s) and phone with you at ALL times. Anything can happen in the time between when you step off the tour coach and when you’re supposed to meet back. Be prepared in the event of an emergency, in case you get lost or you need to make your way elsewhere on your own. It’s a last resort but can happen.
3.Multivitamins – to combat sickness, lethargy and exhaustion. It’s easy to pick up germs when travelling with a group in a confined space so being at optimum health is advantageous.
4.Walk away from the centre of town and main attractions – without exception food, coffee, souvenirs – everything in fact, is significantly cheaper.
5.Sun cream (especially a once-a-day application version like Ultrasun which can be applied in the morning before you head out to conveniently protect throughout the day), and insect repellent are essential (particularly for summer adventures).
6. Make the most out of your time by talking to others – introduce yourself, ask questions, learn about your co-travellers. Even if this isn’t your usual ‘thing’, it pays in the long run and helps forge bonds. If others join a group at varying points in time, remember to also include them into the fold. The life-long friends you’ll make are worth a little effort and personality. Plus, think how it feels when someone bothers to include you – nice, ain’t it?
Once upon a time, in lands far far away, travellers from Australia, New Zealand, UK, America, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia prepared for the Europe trip of a lifetime: 14 countries across 26 days – 2011 being the first year Expat Explore has offered such an itinerary, and our journey just the second on this route!
Reasonably timid at first, we politely greeted each other by the coach at Expat Explore’s Canada Water (London) meeting spot in early August. So much ahead − travel discoveries and many new friends who by now are comfortable around each other – dirty jokes, no make-up and singing presently part of our daily repertoire.
We’re back on the ferry that runs between Calais and Dover, where we met Sarah and Amy for the first time, strangers, but now we are friends.
Amanda and Phil, and Evan and Leann now cross back to the UK as engaged couples! Phil, Rose, Brad, Alex, Cassie and Ash head back to resume life as Aussie expats in the UK. Amy’s off to live in Paris for a year; sadly mother and daughter teams Lindsay and Shawna, and Grace and Caroline part ways again to live in separate countries. Davin will meet up again with his lovely sister, Sarah, who was on the first half of our trip, while Will and Ann continue through Europe for a little while longer before moving back to NZ. Hector may meet up with fellow Espanol-speaker Julio (who left alongside Sarah in Rome) for a drink in London. Tash and Frank will continue to travel for a while, like us. Sapna and her lovely family will get back to life and work in Johannesburg, and Isaac (our birthday boy yesterday) is heading up to Scotland for a week to party with some old friends.
It was extremely sad to say goodbye to our fellow travellers this morning who were staying in Paris for varying reasons, and especially to farewell Ali, our tour guide who has given us so much over the past 26-days – information, inspiration, friendship and leadership.
We’re all unsure about how to resume a normal routine after this, but as with everything in life, we’ll just get on with it. Thank God for Facebook and its ease of staying in touch!
Last night we each said goodbye to the experience in our own way: Tash, Frank, Evan and Leann among a few others spent some time down by the Eiffel Tower with wine, sparklers and cameras, of course. Will and Ann met up with some local mates, cruised around Paris and took a moment to pay tribute to Diana at the spot where she passed – would you believe yesterday evening marked the 14th year anniversary of her tragic death.
A crew of us went out in the Latin Quarter to indulge in ‘happy hour’ cocktails at the ‘sexy time’ Latin Quarter lounge bar and the fabulous pub/club/karaoke spot diagonally opposite Notre Dame Cathedral, Bar St Michel for singing and dancing.
Paris is divine and I’m glad to have had another chance to explore its beautiful boulevards and especially to have had another look at (and inside) one of my favourite buildings in the world, Notre Dame Cathedral. Of course everyone’s day included different sites, and much of the group explored as one during two walking tours of the city. A fitting final day and night on what has been a truly fabulous trip which we initially embarked upon for the sake of ‘travel’, but which I’d also recommend for the surprise element – the people, friends, that you meet and bond with along the way.
To Ali, Steve our lovely, professional coach driver, and all the group who I may or may not have mentioned in this particular post, it’s been brilliant, and just as each place we have visited has its own charm, you all have your own gorgeous personalities and have each contributed in your own way to make the experience extra special. We hope to see you all again online and in person soon.
Travel safe and thanks for the memories x
PS if you are in Paris and located near the Jaures metro stop (as we were), be sure to indulge in a meal at Les Delices d’Amour (3 Avenue Jen Jaures 75019). I told them I’d give them a ‘shout out’ (hi guys!), but I think the fact we ate there four times in 24 hours is testament to how good the food is (and inexpensive too). The line out the door at lunchtime somewhat resembles that of The Soup Nazi’s on Seinfeld so don’t miss out if you’re in the neighbourhood.
I had a sneaking suspicion that I’d like beautiful Barcelona. All of our friends in London have maintained for a while now that we’d like the place; additionally we’ve been attempting to learn Spanish on and off since late last year. I suppose Spain has always been of interest to me, so it’s been amazing to actually visit. Evidently we’re not alone in maintaining a fascination with the country – tourism is a critical industry and more tourists visit annually than the actual population of the nation!
While I’d love to explore the rest of Spain because I believe there are many more beautiful and exciting pockets to discover within the country itself, and despite us really only encountering an ‘overview’ of Barcelona, our general consensus is – we love it here! I’d love to return to Prague or Rome, but Barcelona is one of those places we could live in. It’s one of our new ‘cool’ cities, like New York, Tokyo, London or Vancouver. Barcelona has a nice energy – like London, but without the hectic pace. Our time here has been sunny, brimming with friendly people speaking in their seductive native tongue, delicious food, fabulous neighbourhoods with interesting architecture, sculpture and modern art, chic shopping, beautiful beaches lined with sexy bars and restaurants (like the Carpe Diem Lounge Bar, pictured below, where we enjoyed a cocktail last night with Leann and Evan), and even a fabulous dog park opposite our (very comfortable) Ibis hotel. It’s all here!
Two days in Barcelona hasn’t been long enough for Cooper and I, but we felt that we utilised our first free day (yesterday) pretty well by purchasing a hop-on-hop-off Barcelona Bus Turistic pass (buy online for a 10% discount) which cruises around the city on three separate routes and offers a value-for-money guided overview of each neighbourhood, history and attractions.
Temperatures have been a little down from Italy (thank God) so the open-top view from the bus was enjoyable as we snapped photos of the city under the sun. There are more attractions here than I can even begin to name in this post (and unfortunately many more than we could actually visit in two days) but at least we managed to learn about and see many of the city’s gorgeous medieval cathedrals, Olympic stadium and arenas from 1992’s set-up (an image at end of post), Barcelona football club’s headquarters (and thousands of fans gearing up for the game that was being played last night), precincts down by the marina, and of course many enthralling sculptures and architectural wonders that Barcelona is renowned for.
In particular, the works of Antoni Gaudi dominate the city which, whilst being both modern and cosmopolitan in nature, boasts a rich history in architecture and the arts. In spite of fascinating Romanesque and Renaissance period buildings, it is Gaudi’s ‘Modernisme’ and structures like the stunning (yet unfinished) ‘Sagrada Familia‘ (pictured above) which attracts millions of visitors to Barcelona each year and is of interest to even the likes of me (and I know nothing about design or architecture, although I can appreciate that which is innovative and pleasing to the eye).
There’s an aquarium and a zoo here, famous shopping and people-watching mall La Rambla, and as mentioned, a simply divine strip of clubs and restaurants (including a popular ‘Ice Bar’ (even the cups and candle-holders are made of ice, as Leann and Evan discovered, pictured below)) by the beach and casino (off Ciutadella Vila Olimpica train stop). The transport network here is efficient and inexpensive, at just €11 for a two-day pass, or about €8 for a multi-trip pass.
There is something for everyone in this loveable Spanish city – art, design, beaches, shopping, music, food (glorious food – our fabulous ‘lunch’ image above – a €9 authentic buffet in the Gothic Quarter, but we’ve also indulged in tapas and paella of which you can find many restaurants, particularly along La Rambla), history (modern and ancient) and of course, sport.
For anyone landing here during a football (soccer) game, try your luck at the ground’s box-office for tickets – do not buy from sellers in the street as your tickets are likely to be fake.
Travel tip:
On the note of ‘warnings’ – Barcelona is renowned for pick-pockets and thieves. While we didn’t encounter any problems, some travellers we know did. Keep belongings with you/in sight at ALL times (on the town, in hotel reception, at train stations etc.); and also when you are leaving your bus/hotel/belongings always ensure you are carrying a credit card and cash as well as phone and/or contact numbers for emergencies in the event you are separated from friends/tours/in the face of any kind of trouble or unforseen situation.
A phrase book can come in handy in Barcelona, although mostly we got by with a few key words/sentences and some enthusiastic acting.
Leave time for exploring this city, and it’s probably a good idea to research what you would like to see before you get here, and/or enlist the services of a tour such as the Bus Turistic option so that you have the opportunity to become acquainted with where everything is located and how it all fits into the grand scheme of things: circle points on your map, then follow the train loops and live it up with the gorgeous locals.
Explorer travel tip:
I’ve just discovered that Susan on our Expat Explore bus found an amazing €15 sailing deal – one and a half glorious hours out on the ocean off Barcelona, with live music included! Definitely one to look out for next time around.
If you’re a fellow Expat Explorer or fan of this city and want to list your fabulous Barcelona finds/tips for other travellers, simply ‘comment’ below.
I never imagined I’d be beside the sea in the south of France, but here I am! Excitement mounted as we glimpsed our first stretch of coastline on our way through from our stop in Pisa yesterday.
On the left hand side was a great expanse of ocean sparkling in the sun; to the right, homes and even castles scattered across the mountains, becoming dense closer to the more populated areas.
The views speckles in and out as we cruised through one tunnel after another. I’m enchanted by the huge structures perched on mountains in Italy and into France’s border. It amazes me that the people chose to build their homes high on hills – the landscapes differ from what I’m used to in Australia, and although I’m sure it must be challenging to get in and out of some of these high-set homes and communities, they do look quite beautiful as we pass by.
The clear blue ocean of the Mediterranean lay in wait for us us across The French Riviera – land of sun, olive oil and red wine. Apparently doctors in the UK used to send people with tuberculosis to stay in the region because of the healthy, happy lifestyle – over 300 days of sun each year!
Coming across from Italy and towards the ocean we drove down the biggest mountain range I’ve ever been on. I thought the road from Cairns to Kuranda (Queensland, Australia) was high, but this is about five times that. I’m not partial to heights, but the view down to the coast and across the hills is mesmerising, and as we came closer to the ground we were surrounded by more green mountains, mansions balancing on hill-tops, pretty ocean housing yachts, cruise ships, marinas and thousands of people playing in the lapping waves.
Our Etap hotel was located across a road from such a picturesque scene, in the cute little seaside village of Menton – an ideal location for exploring surrounding favourites like Cannes, Nice and Monaco. Also a great place for a few impromptu Expat Explore Friday evening drinks down by the marina opposite the hotel.
Travel tip:
This region can be quite pricey, so shout yourself a nice dinner along the waterfront, but buy your own alcohol to take-away and enjoy elsewhere if you are on a budget like us.
From Menton it is simple to explore the Riviera precincts. Purchase a €12 day pass and train it to Cannes, about an hour away, famous for its film festival, Nice, about a half hour away, and Monaco, approx 15 minutes from Menton. Apparently this is the most densely populated country in world yet arguably the smallest, and hosts the most number of police-per-person in world.
While some of our group made it to Cannes we were a little delayed at the train station so decided to start our free day’s adventure in Nice, a gorgeous beach-side city. It’s surrounded be cliff tops, glittering ocean and people enjoying all kinds of water based activities. There is a handy tourist information centre next to the train station where maps and inspiration are available. We made our way towards the beach where the group parted – some headed straight for the clear blue, the rest kept wandering through the streets to explore the palace, opera house, Saturday markets and other unique photo opportunities.
Our particular team, Cooper, Devin, Amy and I went in search of an old picturesque graveyard to photograph. It all looked simple enough on the map, until we realised we were trekking up a rather vast hill (in 40-degree-heat and Amy wearing flip flops). Sweating and thirsty, we found the old graveyard but it turned out to be closed to the public! Being that we had come so far though, we hiked a little further up to an amazing lookout and a waterfall that we had seen in the distance way back on the beach. On return to the base we lucked out catching a tram back to train station which would have been a 40-minute walk otherwise – which might just have killed us 😊
Ironically the crew we left at the beach – Hector, Alex, Brad, Cassie and Ash – were also waiting for the same train that we were, so we all travelled into Monaco together. It is flashy, like the Gold Coast on steroids! At the train station there are maps and travel details but essentially once outside, walk down and towards the ocean – then left 10-minutes towards the casino, or right towards the ‘old town’. I like the Princess Grace references on buildings and street signs, and the new Buddha Bar located in the thick of the action.
Expensive cars are parked outside Monte Carlo’s famous casino and tourists flash their cameras like paparazzi at a celeb appearance. Lavish, ritzy and very overpriced for the average citizen, but intriguing all the same. Some of the yachts to me though represent more money than sense.
Back in Menton we went for a final walk in search of dinner but incidentally happened across some bustling markets and shops in the area’s ‘Old Town’, as well as a vibrant VW car festival down by the water. Menton itself is quite charming and a fantastic place to chill out by the ocean and under the sun. The markets smell like soap and perfume (a major industry of France, and we were also lucky enough to swing by the Fragonard factory demonstrating as such on the way into town on Friday); the atmosphere is relaxed, almost like north Queensland, but European. We discovered several gorgeous restaurants and bars positioned along both the street opposite the water in Menton as well as down on the sand near the ocean – some of these places offer use of their private beaches too.
Most of the group enjoyed varying experiences here, and there really is something for everyone to fall in love with on the French Riviera regardless of budget (although that said, obviously some more money is better than none – but I suppose you could always try to win a little cash). Pick up some maps, jump on a train and explore – or slip into your swimmers and laze the day away. Speaking of sun and sand… Barcelona coming up.
Welcome! We are Sarah + Cooper, Aussie expats living in the UK with our Westie dog, London. We like to inspire on how to travel for longer and to live and work from anywhere. Our most popular content here is about seeing the world with your pet, remote working & digital nomadism, and house + pet sitting. Create a global life of your dreams at any age! Subscribe to find out more :)
TLL SHOP!
Grab our NEW 2024 guides:
Master House Sitting with Our Must-Have 101 Essentials eGuide! Buy It Here
And, 7 Essential Strategies for Maximizing Your Use of ChatGPT eBookBuy it here
Also, Visit Our Amazon Storefront! Shop Here!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
What’s so cool about Norway? It’s spectacularly beautiful, with friendly people and lots to see and do.
