Turn right at the Witchy Bitchy Salon

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Travel Spirit

If you’ve been following my month-long European sojourn, you’ll recall from yesterday’s post that we had spent the day on trains, a boat and a bus, from Oslo, Norway to Bergen, Norway, via Norway in a Nutshell, through the beautiful Norwegian Fjords! Upon arrival to the train station in Bergen, although I had printed Google map directions to our Airbnb accommodations, I asked for assistance from a lady with a baby on her back, who definitely looked to be a local. She said to follow her…she was going in our direction. She brought us all the way to the “Witchy Bitchy Salon”, located about 15 minutes walk from the train station, which is where our host said to turn and go up a street to her place. I have to say that Bergen is filled with hills. Small hill…big hills…and more hills. Unfortunately, two of the wheels on my 50 lb. rolling suitcase broke on this leg of the trip, so I was pulling dead weight up these hills! We went up one hill and it was quite confusing with the street names being so similar and conflicting at the same time, so I began ringing door bells to ask assistance. One guy stuck his head out of his top window and tried to help.

There’s the Witchy Bitchy Salon on the left…

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Norway in a Nutshell

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Norway in a Nutshell is a website where you can purchase tickets to see the majestic and spectacular Fjords of Norway. It was one of the highlights of my month-long trip in Europe and I was joined by the three Tour participants I was leading through Scandinavia. We began the day early, leaving our hotel in Oslo, Norway at 5:30am to walk to the train station for the start of our adventure. I briefed everyone the day before as to the timeline of events and what to expect. It would be a long day…15 hours, beginning with a five-hour train ride to the town of Flam where we would board a one hour scenic train ride through the beautiful mountains, passing breathtaking waterfalls, rocky cliffs, and lush green meadows. It was voted by Lonely Planet in 2014 as the best train journey in the world. We would then board a boat for two hours of incredible beauty traveling through the Gudvangen Fjord, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Next a bus would pick us up for a one hour ride to the last leg of our adventure, a 1 1-2 hr. train ride into Bergen, Norway.

I spent the entire two-hour Fjord boat journey taking photographs and enjoying nature’s glorious beauty! The boat would slow down and drift into coves where quaint fishing villages were nestled in the pristine valleys…

Dramatic waterfalls plunged hundreds of feet to meet the glistening sea…

Surrounded by towering mountains and blessed with a perfectly sunny spring day, it was easy to feel connected to everything!

Although it was early June, snow was still melting on some of the higher mountain peaks… Continue reading →

The Artistic Side of Oslo

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Travel Spirit

I love to find Art everywhere and Oslo, Norway was no exception. I featured a photograph of this unconventional water fountain located down the street from my Hotel a couple of days ago, but taken from a different angle and turned into black and white, it becomes a piece of Art!

This statue of a part man, part devil, part hoofed creature with his manhood in all of it’s glory is quite artful!

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Frogner Park and Vigeland’s Whimsical Statues in Oslo

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The next stop on my travel agenda was Frogner Park in Oslo, Norway to see the whimsical statues created by Gustav Vigeland I’d read about! It was exactly the kind of place I envisioned with broad spans of green lawn, a beautiful fountain, and quirky statues! Frogner Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Norway with 1 to 2 million visitors per year. It’s the World’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist. I endeavored to capture photos without “real” people in them, but it was challenging…

Everyone was naked…I’m not sure why.

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Viking Ship Museum and the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Travel Spirit

With less than full two days to explore Oslo, Norway, the Viking Ship Museum and Fram Museum located a short 15 minute ferry ride from Oslo to the Bygdoy Peninsula, were definitely on my list of places to see! This is the Gokstad ship that was found in a burial mound in Norway, dating back to around 890 AD. It was found with the remains of one male skeleton, believed to be a King from that time frame.

The Oseberg ship was also discovered at a different burial mound in Norway, dating back to approximately 800 AD. Two women skeletons were recovered, one believed to be a Queen, along with 14 horses, an ox, and three dog skeletons.

A few days prior to visiting this Museum, my Tour participants and I had visited the amazing Vasa Ship Museum in Stockholm. When I travel, I tend to prefer other types of activities such as bicycling, relaxing at a side-walk Cafe’ while people watching, etc. rather than going to museum after museum, but I found these ship museums to be really interesting!

We walked across the street to see the Fram Museum which tells the story of Norwegian polar exploration, in particular three great Norwegian polar explorers, Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen. The Fram was used for a few expeditions to the Arctic and the South Pole during a period in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, spanning almost 20 years. One of the cool things about this ship was you were allowed to go aboard and see how the explorers lived out at sea for years at a time. Continue reading →

Self Guided Walking Tour in Oslo, Norway

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Travel Spirit

After checking into our hotel in Oslo, Norway, following a six-hour train ride from Stockholm, Sweden, my group of three Tour participants and I set off on my self guided walking tour, developed through Google maps, to see some of Trip Advisor’s recommended places to check out. We were a bit concerned upon checking into the hotel, when we realized a stage was set up 100 yards down the street with bands playing throughout the afternoon and evening. Even with the windows shut, the room reverberated! The front desk reassured us they were only scheduled to play until 11pm, so off we went!

One of the most impressive architecture marvels was the Oslo Opera House. The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with Italian marble and white granite and make it appear to rise from the water. I can’t believe it has 1,100 rooms and the main auditorium seats over 1300 people!

I’m getting ahead of myself…when we left to go walking, the square right down the street where the bands were playing has this unusual creative fountain…

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Vasa Museum and the Island of Djurgarden

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Travel Spirit

After disembarking from our ten minute ferry ride from the Island of Gamla Stan in Stockholm to Djurgarden Island, my Tour participants and I walked along the harbor in search of the famous Vasa Museum.

I noticed these little girls sitting on the dock, savoring their ice cream cone…

We all said, “Wow”–when we walked in and saw the Vasa Ship! She sank on her maiden voyage back in 1628 and is the only fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged. It was times like this when I wished I had my tripod and wide-angle lens with me. We spent at least an hour and one-half engrossed in the fascinating exhibits that transported you back in time. I believe there were six or seven floors to explore!

The Vasa measures 128 foot long and was submerged for 333 years before it was discovered again and raised… Continue reading →

Taste of Stockholm and Gamla Stan

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Gamla Stan is the oldest of the fourteen islands that comprises Stockholm and my group and I took a 10 minute ferry ride from that Island to the Island of Djurgarden, where the Vasa Ship Museum is located, amongst other sight-seeing places. Here’s an interesting fellow I had my photo taken with…

First, we went to the Taste of Stockholm. Here in Cincinnati there’s an annual event called Taste of Cincinnati, so we had a good idea what this would be like. The first thing we saw was a cooking demonstration on the main stage, shown in the photo below. We passed a Champagne booth, so my friend Richard purchased a small taste for $13. I was trying to conserve money since I was in Europe for an entire month, so I didn’t taste anything while we were there. In fact, I packed my own sandwich for lunch and ate it there. Scandinavia is very expensive, but I had a good time people watching! Continue reading →

The Opulent Stockholm City Hall and Changing of the Guards at the Royal Palace

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Stockholm City Hall must be the most opulent City Hall in all of Europe! After seeing photos online of its interior, I knew I had to include it in my tour. It’s used for wedding ceremonies and the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held here. The official tour is less than $16 and lasts about 45 minutes.

The view looking out through the leaded glass windows was beautiful…

That’s real gold in them there walls…

At first I was disappointed that there were chairs set up in the space, but then I liked the mathematical beauty of them!

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Discovering Art in Stockholm

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Discovering “Art” in Stockholm isn’t difficult! I was inspired at every turn. Although my Tour participants and I didn’t arrive by train from Copenhagen until late afternoon, we were eager to see some of Stockholm. So after checking into the Courtyard by Marriott, we walked along the harbor area and it wasn’t long before I found lovely scenes to take photographs of.

These gentlemen relaxing by the waterfront appeared to be having a nice chat…

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Champagne Cures Everything

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Did you know Champagne cures everything? Well, it certainly helped me after one of my Tour participants lost (or it was possibly stolen) her purse with her Passport, credit card and debit card! It all started one morning in June when we were to meet at a certain time in the lobby of our hotel in Copenhagen to walk with our suitcases to the train station for our next destination…Stockholm. The lady whose flight was delayed a day and who fell off of her bicycle was late coming downstairs. Only twelve minutes…but that can mess up everything. Once she arrived downstairs, we walked quickly to the Metro that would take us to the train station. Once we arrived at the train station, we were told we would be taking a bus to the main train station instead of a train because of a strike going on in Sweden within the transportation department. It’s all somewhat of a blur at this point, because we were rushing from metro to train to train, again and again. All I remember is that we ran outside in the direction they pointed for the buses and arrived just as some buses were leaving, so we had to go back in and spend an unexpected $140 for a train ticket to Stockholm. Around this time, the Tour participant said she couldn’t find her purse. My friend Richard went outside in the rain and searched through a garbage can near where the buses were and couldn’t find anything. As you can imagine, it was a frantic mess!

She was told she could make a police report and go to the Embassy once we arrived in Sweden, so we bought our tickets and were on our way. We luckily had free WiFi on the train, so I researched where the embassy was, the location of a money wire transfer, and other sites for her and sent e-mails to notify people at home of her circumstances, since she lost her car and house keys also. Upon arrival to our hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott, the front desk employees were of great help to her. She was able to get another Passport and replacement credit card within 24 hours!

Throughout the remainder of the trip, from time to time, she would say, with a frantic tone, “I can’t find my Transport ticket”, or “I can’t find my Passport”, and I began to have anxiety just being near her.

Champagne helped!

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Entering Copenhagen’s Christiania

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Entering Copenhagen’s Christiania is a bit like entering a taboo fairyland. If you’re not familiar with it, according to Wikipedia, “Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania, is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood of about 850 residents, covering 84 acres. Civic authorities in Copenhagen regard Christiania as a large commune, but the area has a unique status in that it is regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989, which transfers parts of the supervision of the area from the municipality of Copenhagen to the state”. I visited on my second and final day in Copenhagen before taking a train to Stockholm. I was on a rental bicycle, in the rain, with the lady whose flight was delayed by a day. On the way to Christiania, she fell off of her bicycle and luckily was only bruised.

Let me back up for a moment. I asked the other two Tour participants if they would accompany me to the Airport to meet this participant (even though that took a few hours out of our meager time allotted for Copenhagen) because I knew she wouldn’t be able to find her way without us. So, the three of us met her at the Airport and she was very relieved to see us! After getting her checked in, I rented the bicycles for all of us to tour around on and we ended up splitting off from the other two because they didn’t want to ride any more.

Now…we’re back in Christiania…

I chatted with this lady for a couple of minutes and was surprised to hear that she’s been working there for 30 years! Just beyond her on the path there was a sign that said “no photographs” and she explained, “That’s the area where they smoke marijuana”.

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Copenhagen’s Royal Gardens at Rosenborg

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Copenhagen‘s Royal Gardens at Rosenborg are well-tended and quite peaceful. The manicured trees formed an artery leading in the direction of the Gardens…

My Tour participants and I meandered along the path eager to come upon the Gardens…

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Why you should visit Cave Run Lake in Kentucky

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Cave Run Lake in Kentucky is absolutely gorgeous! My husband and I met friends there on Thursday for a few days of camping and boating. We’ve been there before, but I didn’t remember it being so picturesque. We used to camp a lot before we moved to the house we’re in now, but with five acres of land and trees surrounding us, we feel like we’re camping without the tent. Camping is a wonderful way for families to enjoy the great outdoors and each other. My son loved it growing up! We’ve camped at many of the area lakes located within a three to four hour drive from Cincinnati…Lake Cumberland and Laurel Lake in Kentucky and Norris Lake in Tennessee, not to mention those within an hour drive…East Fork Lake and Caesar’s Creek near Cincinnati, and Brookville Lake in Indiana. Cave Run is a little over two hours from our home, which makes it a great option.

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Canal Ride from Nyhavn in Copenhagen

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Travel Spirit

I left off yesterday with myself and two of three (the third person’s flight being delayed a day) Tour participants I would be leading throughout Scandinavia for ten days checked into the Generator Hostel in Copenhagen. One of the reasons I chose this accommodation was its wonderful location within a five-minute walk from the Nyhavn harbor area. After freshening up we made our way to Nyhavn, which means New Harbor, for a canal boat tour. When I planned the trip and presented it to possible Tour participants, I included most of the activities in their total cost for the trip and this boat tour was one of the included activities.

Here’s one side of the harbor lined with delightful and colorful restaurants and townhouses…

We needed to use the restroom (and we didn’t have to pay like we did in so many places throughout Eastern/Central Europe), so we went inside of a building located behind me as I took this photograph of the harbor area…