Adventure to Norway - “Bergen”

Oh my, almost a month since my last post. Well, I am a pig afterall, I am lazy. *oink oink... Anyway, let's get back to my adventure in Norway. 

After a fantastic snore in Voss, we got up and bumbled a little around town. Since we had nothing scheduled for Bergen and that train runs every hour between Voss and Bergen, we took our sweet time and enjoyed every last bit of the Airbnb. 

You will not require to make reservation for this train, since it is so frequent. It takes less than 90 minutes to get to Bergen, although this stretch is not as scenic compared to Oslo to Myrdal, it still worthwhile enjoy the views. Sit on the RIGHT side for a more scenic view. 

The Bergen train station isn’t big or busy, it has only four tracks. I guess most people come here via cruise ships since it is a cruise port. As usual those two walked the wrong way when looking for the hotel but soon realized it. 

Our hotel was pretty close to the train station and located in the heart of Bergen. It did take time to find our hotel as there are three Magic hotels within 1 km radius and the entrance to the hotel reception is hidden. It is located inside the supermarket. Yup, hotel is just next to the supermarket, which mean easy access to SNACKS!!! The location was awesome (beside it is right next to the supermarket), it was close to many of the sights and resturants. Another advantage of of the hotel, is that in Bergen it rains a lot and allows for a quick run back to hotel when it starts pouring. The hotel room was small, even smaller than the hotel room we were in couple years ago in Tokyo’s Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, but it was nice, clean and their breakfast was TASTY, I got to try the Brown Cheese. *oink oink 

Bergen is a nice city, we all loved it as we were freestyle bumbling. Although it rains a lot, we still managed to get to many sights and do some shopping. It is one of those place that you enjoy to be in.

Adventure to Norway - "Norway in a Nutshell"

Norway in a Nutshell is a famous tour and if you are only in Norway for a limited time, you should consider taking the journey. The tour will allow you to see the beautiful fjords and explore the two main cities of Norway: Oslo & Bergen. There are many tour companies offering the Norway in a Nutshell tour, but if you research a little more on your own you could easily organize it. Most of the tickets can be pre-purchased (beside the bus) and all the connections are very nicely organized.  Also, you could possibly save a little $$ especially if you have a rail pass. 

What is Norway in a Nutshell, you ask... mmm... I didn't know much about it before the trip, I just know Candy warned Randy numerous times that it will be a long day of travel. To complete the entire tour in one day (Oslo to Bergen or vice versa), you will be taking a few trains, ferry & bus, a total of 11 hours in transit. Due to the long hours, they decided to stop in Voss for the night before heading to Bergen.

We started our day very early in the morning, for this train, you will need to buy the tickets and reserved seats ahead of time. Our seats were just a coach away from the cafe cabin (which had some of the best coffee of the trip). *oink oink 

On the train, at Finse 1222m
(highest attitude of the railway) 

The first train ride was about 5 1/2 hours and along the way we got to see many amazing views of mountains, glaciers, lakes, etc.  Since we were busy looking out at the window, it didn't feel like 5 hours long.  

Kårdalsfossen Waterfall

We arrived at Myrdal and this is where we connect to another scenic train to Flam. One of the sights we got to see here was the Kårdalsfossen Waterfall. The conductor even stopped the train here and let us off to take photos. The Falls are quite impressive. 


Instead of catching the ferry right away after we arrived in Flam, we had our lunch here. We packed our own picnic lunch of sandwiches... yum yum. The little extra time also gave us some bumbling time in Flam and explore. After a short break, we continued our journey with the ferry ride. There are two ferry options, the premium or the classic. We opted for the classic as it is cheaper and it allowed us to enjoy the fjords more (the premium ferry is faster and travels at higher speeds). The ferry went through Nærøyfjord, the narrowest of fjords, it was only 500 meters apart. Fortunately, the weather was holding up, only rain a little towards the end of the ride therefore we got to enjoy the fjords quite a bit. 

I have to say the connections between trains, ferry and bus are very well organized.  As we docked at Gudvangen, numerous buses are already waiting for us. The bus route has lot of turns, very curvy and narrow roads but I think this what gives the experiences. 
About an hour later, we arrived at Voss. We booked our first Airbnb ever and we were greeted by the host. She was such a lovely lady and as we walked into the apartment, it was AWESOME!!! It was beyond our expectation, we had a great experience with it. Voss is another little town and we liked it quite a bit. We picked a steak house for dinner as a wrap for the long day.
.....steak... yum...*oink oink

Adventure in Norway - Oslo

Time to talk about my newest adventure, Norway. We were in Norway for nine days and unlike previous European trips, this time we kept it very simple, no crazy schedules and no crazy city hopping. I actually don't mind either way since I still get to eat the same amount of food. *oink oink.

There are no direct flights from Toronto to Oslo so we had to connect via Copenhagen. The Copenhagen airport seems busier than last time I was there and the customs officer is very nice and funny. The connecting flight was only an hour long and as we arrived in Oslo we followed Candy's print map instructions to the hotel. Travelling without data is quite an inconvenience when you need to search for directions. (We then found out we can download offline Google maps and it became very handy.) Our hotel was approximately 25 min walk away from the train station which is farther than what we normally booked, but since I'm travelling in Candy's bag I can enjoy the trip with more snacks *oink oink.

Since Candy didn't jam pack an itinerary for this trip, we were able to bumble at our own pace–a nice lazy piggy-style pace. The only sight we wanted to visit was the Vigeland Park which hosts many sculptures. It is the biggest exhibit of sculptures by one sculptor in the world. We walked over an hour all the way to the park from the hotel (again, lucky to be me, as I got a free ride in the bag.) Along the way, we walked by the Karl Johans Gate, the Royal Palace, Parliament, University, etc. All seems very standard European cities. As we arrived at the park, we enjoyed kaffee at a cafe and here it came, the pouring rain. Once the rain was over, we head out and venture out into the park. We found "The Angry Boy" statue but it was so much smaller than expected. Candy almost walked pass by it, good that Randy spot it and stopped her. If not, she would probably be cranky. There are many sculptures and they are all very interesting. (Wonder if I will ever get a statue?!? *oink oink)

Vigeland Park - "The Angry Boy"

After the park, they were deciding if they should walk back to the hotel or take transit, after some discussions, they decided to walk as they were too cheap to take the trams. Things in Norway are not cheap, and you can't always calculate in your head the conversion back to your home country currency. By trying to do so will just ruin your trip. When you are travelling, you should already know the costs at the visiting country, go enjoy it since how often would you come back (unless it is Germany - I go to Germany a lot).


On the way back to hotel, we stopped by the Munch Museum. I originally thought it was a museum of munchies munchies, a snacks museum. But it ended up no, Munch was the artist with the famous work "Scream." Although it was not a snacks museum, I enjoyed it quite a bit too because I know I would be safe and won't get munch on.


That's all for Oslo, a busy capital and since it is a very typical European city to me, I don't think you need to spend too many days here. Norway is very beautiful and you should spend more time out of the city.

*oink oink

Don't let the rain stop you!

Vigeland Park - The Fountain

Yes, no matter how much you wanted to have good weather for your trip, it is something you can never have control over. However, you should not let this ruin your mood–enjoy it and make the best out of it.  

It is always good to check the forecast a few days ahead of your departure so you can get a more accurate forecast and pack accordingly. The forecast for this Norway trip was rain rain rain and that's why we packed our rain gear. (Apparently Bergen likes to rain A LOT!) Now is half way through our trip and it has been raining almost everyday.  However, the rain didn't stop us from sightseeing and bumbling around all the cities we had been in. Yes, you might need to change plans accordingly, so instead of having a meal on the patio, have it inside. Food is still yummy whether you have it indoors or outdoors. FOOD!! YUMMIES!! *oink oink

Or check out some interesting museums or try taking the local transit to get around rather than walking. There are many options, you cannot just hide in the hotel or shopping malls because it is raining.  Get out and explore! *oink oink 

Yummy chicken skewers at La Villa restaurant in Oslo. 

Bacon burger at the hotel (Best Western Kampen)

Time to Adventure to Norway

Soon I'll be on the flight to Norway, first stop Oslo. Woohoo!! Candy's colour coded itinerary looks complicated, guess I just have to follow tight if I don't want to get left behind. Let the adventure begins.

I peeked at their backpacks last night and it seem they packed lot of snacks for the trip. Lucky me, YUMMIES!! *oink oink

I'm excited, all packed and ready to go.
Follow my adventures on Instagram @backpackingpiggy

It is Okay to miss the boat!

Whether you’re new to travelling or have worn out several pairs of shoes on your adventures, there is one thing everyone needs to remember; it’s ok to miss the boat. If you’ve planned every minute of your trip, you’re missing out on stumbling upon great finds or hidden gems.

My first trip to Germany Candy had everything planned and were gung-ho on seeing what they wanted, but early into the trip everything changed. They took a train far south from Cologne to Mainz. They knew they wanted to take the boat through the Rhine river and see the castles and all that, I just wanted to make sure I could get some treats – YUM! Well, the instructions to get to the boat were not that great, and Randy being slow with sore feet (best to have comfy shoes on trips) couldn’t run (he doesn’t have hooves like I do to trot). Because of that, they missed the boat and were a little upset because it was part of the plan and something they wanted to do.

Well, they took a breather at a café to have a snack – YUMMY snacks of sandwiches and French fries! After regrouping and thinking about alternatives they decided to beat the boat to another town by train (having a rail pass is very handy). By doing so, they gave themselves a breather in Mainz, and explored town of Koblenz while they waited for the boat.

Koblenz

Mainz

The second part of the boat ride wasn’t as scenic as the first leg, but it was equally as nice – although Randy grumbled a lot about the cost of snacks on the boat (why they are packing more for me for Norway). 


The day wasn’t ruined in any way, and improved it by being able to see a few little towns that would have been skipped otherwise. Now because they missed the boat, they found their pace and enjoyed the trip even more.

They still saw most of everything of what they wanted, but more importantly, they could feed me lots of goodies from hidden gems. So, the lesson to be learned or remembered as a traveler; you don’t have hooves so you can trot like me. Wait, I don’t think that was the lesson... oh, it is ok to miss the boat. Just relax and enjoy your holiday.  

*oink oink

Castle along the Rhine

Castle along the Rhine

Travelling with a “Photographer”

Ok, travelling with a photographer can be great to get wonderful images of me eating and drinking, but it can be annoying because of the time needed to “get the shot”. Randy is a good guy and only pretends to get annoyed when I eat his food, or drink his drinks (he really likes Orange Fanta in Europe and it is soooooo yummy), but at the same time he is a “photographer”. What photographers need to do is this, think about why they’re travelling and what they really need to bring with them. I try to tell him, you’re not being paid to travel and you’re not taking the time to set up sessions with people along the way, you’re travelling to relax (and for me to eat your snacks).

I tried to lift his camera bag the other day and wow, it was half the weight of Candy… why would he even consider lugging that around on trains, busses, boats, and by foot? I did overhear him the other day saying he wasn’t going to take nearly as much as other times. I think he finally learned his lesson.

All photographers who are new to travelling or veteran travelers who just bought some fancy new camera gear usually “need” to take the gear with them. Sure, take it and learn what you really need. Pay attention to what you use during the trip – are most of your images at 80mm (take just that, or a lens that covers it). You’ll likely be packing a lot lighter the second trip, and even lighter the following trips.

I’ve travelled to several countries with too much gear and it is a pain in the neck (literally since I use a shoulder bag). That stuff is heavy and isn’t needed. I’m really looking forward to Norway and I’m only taking my Fuji x100t and my iPad mini for editing – no Canon 5DIII with 70-200 lens, lights, laptop, 24-70 lens, 100mm lens, tripod and all that crap. No, I’m going to enjoy my trip and make the images I can make with what I have limited myself to. Plus, having a sub $1500 potentially stolen is much better than a bag of stuff costing upwards or over $10k.
REN 

I’m happy Randy learned his lesson and could change things up. It will make room for so many snacks in his bag that I might not have to leave it at all. Candy as well has switched back to a lighter easier camera for travel. Her Canon S90 is still going strong after buying it in 2009 and it produces great images of me.

So, the lesson to be learned here for photographers new to travel or veterans just buying fancy new equipment – travel light and enjoy your trip. If you don’t believe me, David Hobby from Strobist has a great blog here to check out. 

*Oink oink

Travelling with Creep Cost

For most people the search for a trip starts online with the cost of tickets or the all-inclusive package. Understanding the price you’re going to pay is important, so then you can budget out accommodations, food, transportation, etc., to set the “cost of your trip”. That however is all during your travel, so what about those pre-trip creep costs that impact the overall expense? How much is that new raincoat, shoes to walk those horrible cobblestone streets, numerous swim suits, sunglasses, some fancy new technology, or most importantly some snacks for the travel time to get to the destination… tasty tasty snacks.

Looking at a trip budget, should certainly start with the travel costs of where you want to go, and how much it will costs to be there for that time frame, but an important factor in travel budgeting should also include those pre-trip purchases to “get you ready”. Perhaps not spending an additional $100, $500, or even more on pre-travel accessories are needed and you can put that towards experiencing the destination more. Remember some food is very expensive – I had Starbucks in Sweden for almost $50 CDN (but I am a hungry little piggy and those sandwiches were DELICIOUS).

So, instead of buying a new bag or a swimsuit to be worn once or twice will allow some freedom to spend more freely on snacks, new regional experiences, or local treats – tasty tasty treats.

Pack light and self-edit your needs before you go… especially since most people plan on a little shopping while they are away.

*oink oink