1. Northern lights

It goes without saying that you need to visit in Winter in order to have a chance of catching a glimpse of the elusive Northern Lights. You will also need to travel far enough North to be within the Arctic Circle for the best chance to see them. They are truly a bucket list moment and we were lucky enough to see some really good Auroras during our trip to Norway.

2. Snow

There's something so magical about snow. Especially when you're from the UK and it snows so rarely here. When it does the whole country shuts down and it makes life quite difficult. The Norwegians don't get stressed about it because they are totally prepared and can just enjoy how beautiful it makes everything look.

3. Snowmobiling

With all the snow there are unique activities on offer that you just cannot do back home. If you love all things outdoors and adventure then you have to try snowmobiling. Its so much fun and so long as you are properly kitted out you won't feel the cold.

4. Dog sledding

If there was one thing I dreamed of doing when I visited Norway it was going Dog sledding. There is no better way to experience the landscape then racing through with a pack of happy dogs. Again, you need snow to do this properly so no good visiting in June!

5. You feel like the only visitors there

Not only was every Norwegian we came across exceptionally welcoming and friendly but during the winter there are a lot fewer tourists. Considering the population is only 5 million and only 2% of those live in Northern Norway I can imagine it feeling quite crowded. Go in the winter and you practically have the place to yourself.

6. Ice hotel

Visit during the winter months and you can visit (or even stay!) in one of the Ice hotels that are built entirely out of snow and ice. We went to have a look round one and they really are incredible. The owner told me that rooms start at around £230 a night which includes dinner and breakfast which was a lot more reasonable than I was expecting. If I ever get the chance to go back I definitely want to spend the night in one.

7. Its not actually that cold

Thanks to the Gulf stream the west coast of Norway is far milder than other places of a similar latitude (such as Finland). The further inland you travel the colder it gets but along the coast the coldest temperatures we experienced were around -10⁰C. It can get colder than that of course but as long as you have the proper clothes you will be fine. It can easily get that cold if you live in a rural area of the UK so its nothing most people can't handle. In some of the more southern places we visited it was no different to the temperatures we had back home.

8. Nor is it that dark

Almost everyone who found out that we were going to Norway in winter asked me if it would be dark all the time. Norway does experience the Polar Night but if you go when we did in mid February the sunrise/sunset times are similar to what we experience in the UK during November/December. The sun rises at around 8am and sets at around 4pm. If you are further south then you obviously get more daylight. There's plenty of daylight hours to see and do everything. 

9. People sled everywhere

They have special sleds to carry your shopping in and ones that have a seat for children to sit on. Absolutely awesome.

10. It feels like Christmas all the time

Even though we visited in February with all the snow, and the cold you really get the cosy feeling that I always associate with Christmas. After a long day out in the cold soaking up the magical landscape and all the mountain views you can come back into the warm and get all snuggly again.  

You can read all about my trip to Norway here

Norway - An epic adventure

Following on from my last post on my experience of cruising I thought I would write a bit more about the places we actually went in Norway.

Norway only has a population of 5 million (that's less than the amount of people who live in London) and of those only 2% live in the Northern regions. I absolutely loved their laid back attitude and how welcoming they were to tourists. Every Norwegian we met told us how happy they were we had chosen to visit their country, and they're right. It’s absolutely incredible. The further North you go the more wild and mountainous the scenery gets. 

Ålesund was our first port of call and reminds me a lot of Prague. This is probably because most of it was burnt down in a disastrous fire in 1904 and then rebuilt in an Art Nouveau style. It’s a really pretty place with its pastel houses along the water. We climbed up to the view point by the observatory in order to look out over the city. There are over 400 steps (plus plenty of steep ramps) to the top and I had a really chesty cough so probably wasn't the best decision I've ever made but the view was worth it. There is a land train that you can take if you don’t fancy the climb which is run by a hilarious Aussie. My Mum, Grandma and 2 of my sisters opted for this and they also went on a bus tour round the city. 

Tromsø is commonly referred to as the Capital of the North but it’s really not that big by UK standards (68,000 people). The city is spread over both sides of the fjord connected by a large bridge that comes out by the Arctic Cathedral. The shopping here is pretty good and we picked up some nice souvenirs. The best part of our trip was it had just snowed and it was our first chance to properly wrap up and experience how people live in this part of the world despite weather conditions that would bring the UK to a halt within an hour. We walked over the bridge and back to have a look at the Arctic Cathedral and just generally have a bit of a wander about. As we were sailing away from Tromsø that evening we saw the best Aurora of the trip from the back of the ship which was an amazing sight. I’m so glad we managed to see them as there’s no guarantee with this kind of thing so we were very lucky. 

Honnigsvag is one of the most northern cities in the world, yet has a relatively mild climate due to the Gulf Stream. Lots of people visit here to see the North Cape but we booked a quad biking safari through the snow that took us up one of the mountains that overlooks the city (again only a few thousand people live here). This was excellent fun (despite some scary driving from my Grandma) and we got the chance to see the incredible scenery as we drove round the fjord and up the mountain. We also went through a 4km tunnel before stopping for a hot drink. We had such good weather for this as it was cold, but very clear and bright so the views were amazing. 

 

Alta was my favourite place we visited. We stayed two days here and packed in a lot of adventure activities. On our first day we went husky sledding, which was unbelievably cold (I thought my face was frozen solid) but so interesting. As fun as the dog sledding was, I almost enjoyed learning about it more. The guides explained to us how they train the dogs and the dynamics involved in dog racing. Our team of dogs took us on a trip through snowy woods and alongside the frozen Alta river. How I stayed on that sled I don't know as there's nothing to hold onto over rough terrain and the dogs are more powerful than you think.

That evening we went on an Aurora chasing trip but although we did see some they were weaker than we had seen from the ship previously. The Northern Lights are tricky to see and a lot of luck is involved, but as we had already seen some fantastic ones in Tromsø nobody was too disappointed. We spent most of the time stargazing and soaking in the enormity of the Arctic night sky. We were lucky in that it wasn't too cold (about -10) and we were quite sheltered from the wind as I don't think it would have been as enjoyable otherwise!

The following day we went Snowmobiling which was so exciting. I've never driven one before but they're very straight forward and no harder than a quad bike. After blasting round their snowy track (and managing to find some bits where we could let loose) we had a chance to look round the Igloo Hotel. The whole place is entirely made from snow and ice and we had a shot of Antifreeze from an ice glass. The whole place is pretty surreal and although you can see these sort of places on TV its nothing like seeing it in real life. If I ever go back to Norway I absolutely want to stay in one of these places as according to the owner it’s not that expensive with rooms starting from £240 including breakfast and dinner. They also have a chapel where people can get married and then stay in the bridal suite which had a bed made entirely from ice.

Kristiansund is an unusual city as its spread out over 4 islands all connected by various bridges and is Norways fifth largest town with around 80,000 people. We went to visit one of Norways Stave churches here combined with a road trip along the Atlantic Ocean Road which connects a whole string of small islands with roads and bridges draped along the coast like spaghetti. The Kvernes church seems small and unremarkable from the outside but inside a lot of the original features remain, with the whole inside painted and one of the biblical paintings from the 1600’s still remains. The pulpit was imported from the Netherlands by a wealthy local who also paid for all of the rest of the interior. A small detail I really liked was the pulpit was designed to feature the four evangelists and Jesus. However because it was built abroad they hadn’t factored in that it wouldn’t fit in the church without the wall obscuring one of the figures. So they took John off and moved him so that he now sits up on the wall overlooking the rest of the church. One of the local women who looks after the church performed some traditional songs for us which was so ethereal it made all the hairs on my neck stand up. When she stood up and said she was going to sing for us I was hoping it wouldn't be too cringey (you never know when people say they can sing) but it was one of the best moments of the whole trip.

Åndalsnes was made even more magical by when we arrived it started snowing. A LOT. It was like being in a Christmas card. Jared and I went on an excursion on our own to see another Stave Church. The Rødven Stave church (built around 1300) is smaller and less ornate but still had the original door which was tall and thin to keep the devil out but allow the angels to still come in. The Crucifix dates from medieval times which was pretty remarkable. Churches in Norway feature a ship, which signifies the journey from the cradle to the grave which I thought was really interesting. Some of the other people on the trip were saying that had seen similar things in Norfolk back in the UK. On our way back we made a stop at the Troll Wall which is the highest vertical cliff face in Europe. However the snow was so bad by this point we couldn't see a thing. This was to become a bit of an ongoing thing as after we returned we had an afternoon trip with the rest of my family on the Rauma railway. This starts at the top of the valley and then travelled all the way back down to Åndalsnes (quite the feat of engineering with the use of turning tunnels inside the mountains) crossing many bridges and waterfalls. So out of three attempts to see the Troll wall we didn't see it once! Not that it mattered because the rest of the journey was incredible. I felt like I was on the Hogwarts Express when they go home for Christmas as it was so snowy and magical. The Romaldasfjord is interesting as well because unlike most fjords it often freezes. This is due to the freshwater input from the river and the runoff from the mountains that surround it. The freshwater is less dense than the saltwater of the fjord so forms a layer on top. As freshwater freezes at higher temperatures than saltwater they often have a frozen layer of ice on the fjord which our guide tells us people skate on and race their snowmobiles. It was just starting to freeze over while were there, not sure if it froze enough for any of that though. 

Bergen was one of the ports I was most excited to visit. This is Norway's second biggest city with a population of around 280,000 people. It’s well known for how often it rains here (on average 200 days of the year) and it managed to be a combination of rain and sleet with a howling wind blowing it horizontally into our faces. Lovely. Jared and I went off to explore on our own here and went souvenir shopping in the historic Bryggen district. We also went and explored the local farmers market and the fish market. I was really impressed with this as its made of glass so you can look out across the harbour. You could choose your fish, watch it being cooked and then eat it in the restaurant. As much as we wanted to try it, everything in Norway is very pricey and main courses were around £35 each which was a bit out of our budget! The weather was so rubbish we didn’t go on the Funicular that takes you to a wonderful view point as we didn’t think we would be able to see anything but if we ever go back that will be on our to do list. 

Out of all the places we visited I think Alta was my favourite. I’d love to go back and do lots of winter activities with more dog sledding and snowmobiling. Maybe a longer stay there would mean lots more chances to see the Northern Lights which was the absolute highlight of the trip.

 

11 Things I've learnt from my first cruise

On Tuesday I returned from the trip of a lifetime to Norway. I've always wanted to visit somewhere in Scandinavia and this certainly ticked all the right boxes.

I went with my parents, 3 sisters, my Grandma and Jared on a 16 night Land of the Northern Lights cruise aboard the Marco Polo with Cruise Maritime Voyages. Apart from my Grandma who has been on a few cruises, none of us had ever considered setting foot on board a cruise ship. It seems such an old lady past time and its certainly expensive.

So why did we go? First off we were really excited by the itinerary with 8 ports of call along the West coast of Norway with amazing excursions being offered, and of course the opportunity to glimpse the Northern Lights. Second, the dates fell over my Dad's 50th birthday so it was pretty perfect for us to all be together and celebrate such a big milestone. Finally, it was something different. Like a lot of people on a budget our holidays tend to be about relaxing on a nice hot beach somewhere in Spain so this seemed like a totally new experience.

So first off a couple of reasons why you might not enjoy a cruise:

1. Being at sea is not that exciting on a ship that is adult only and definitely aimed at older people.  The couple of days we had at sea were ok because I quite like just reading and watching TV on my laptop but a lot of the onboard activities were definitely planned with an older audience in mind (eg. bridge, knitting, line dancing etc). In fact my youngest sister at 17 was the youngest person to have ever been on board the Marco Polo! So if crafting and card playing are things you enjoy then there certainly is a lot going on, but otherwise think ahead and plan your own things to do

2. Our room was basic because we opted for the cheapest room which meant we had no porthole or window. This was absolutely fine because you get what you pay for and everything was clean, functional and comfortable but it can feel a little claustrophobic.

3. I was quite sea sick on a few occasions (the North Sea is ROUGH) which I was not expecting as I have been on some scary ferry crossings and done some seriously choppy boat work on our uni's research ship but I was not prepared for this. We had swells of 14 feet which isn't that big but it was enough! Crawling to the bathroom on my hands and kneed was definitely a low point. Turns out I'm ok with the ship going side to side but not good with us rising up and dropping down. It feels like you're on a rollercoaster 24 hours a day and there's no way to get away from it. Hats off the crew who carry on performing/cooking/serving drinks like nothing is happening!

However, there are also some excellent reasons to consider going on a cruise:

4. It's very relaxing not having to worry about cooking or organising anything as once you've picked the excursions you wanted its all organised for you. As I am normally tasked with organising everything having someone else work out all the logistics for our group of 8 people was lovely.

5. There's no internet on board so it forces you to actually switch off and relax. I've read more books on board then I have in the past 6 months! Its a slower pace of life and I didn't feel that frantic rush to get stuff done all the time like I do when I'm at home.

6. Our fellow passengers were all very friendly and keen to chat to us, even though we were some of the youngest people on the ship and the crew were all exceptionally helpful and friendly.

7. As we were out at sea with very little light pollution and crew up on the bridge all night they were able to keep a close eye out for any Aurora's developing and make announcements so that you could go out and watch. This was great as you could relax and enjoy drinking in the lounge knowing that if there was something worth seeing outside, they would let you know. Otherwise you could have been sat inside oblivious because its pretty cold outside!

8. Going on holiday with anyone can be stressful and tensions can flare. We're a big family already but with Jared and my Grandma added to the mix we were a pretty large group. Conflict is almost inevitable if people spend enough time together. But being on a ship meant we could spend as much or as little time together as people wanted to. Everyone can choose how to spend their leisure time and how they want to spend their day. As a result we didn't have any arguments which is virtually unheard of for us.

9. Day drinking is absolutely a thing. You don't have to drive anywhere, you don't have to go to work. So if you want a glass of wine, or a predinner cocktail go right ahead. The drinks on board were not as expensive as I had feared (£2.40 for a medium glass of white wine, £3-4 for a really nice cocktail). Although we didn't opt for the all inclusive drinks package we did get a couple of cocktail packages which were good value. After uni I didn't think I'd ever be surrounded by people as keen on drinking all the time!

10. Like all Scandinavian countries Norway is pricey. Like £9 just for a McDonalds kind of pricey. A main meal in a restaurant can easily be £30 per person without any starters, puddings or drinks. Everything seems to be twice the price it is here in the UK so actually as it turned out our cruise was really good value for money and even with excursions worked out to be around £100 per day which is what you could spend just on a hotel.When you consider your bed, food, travel between destinations and all activities (and we did A LOT) are paid for with that money its actually one of the cheapest ways of visiting lots of places within Norway.

11. However, the best thing was waking up everyday, going up for breakfast and we would be somewhere brand new with spectacular scenery to go with it. It really seemed like a massive adventure and it was really exciting to head ashore to somewhere different each day.

Overall I would definitely consider going on another cruise, especially if I wanted to go back to Norway as I do think it was the best way to travel around. Its a particularly excellent way to visit the fjords (as you can sail up them and really appreciate them) and to travel to the far north of the country as its a long way to drive. As a young person if the itinerary grabs you and it works out cheaper than flying and staying in a hotel then absolutely go for it!

Crete 2015

Hello everyone!

I'm sorry for my unexpected break from blogging but sometimes you just need to take a step back to regroup and feel refreshed with it.

I've recently come back from the trip of a lifetime to Crete with my boyfriend Jared and would love to share some of the pictures with you guys.

We started our trip by catching a late train to Gatwick in order to catch a 6am flight. The joy of being a poor student and getting cheap flights. After an hour delay of just sitting on the run way doing nothing we finally got going and 4 hours later we were arriving in Chania.

We were staying with my late Grandads fiance Audrey who kindly came to meet us at the air port. We collected our hire car and I had to learn very quickly how to drive on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car on absolutely INSANE roads.

Luckily I soon got to grips with it and we had an incredible time. We spent a day exploring Chania and enjoyed walking round the Venetian Harbour, eating lunch over looking the sea. We were staying in the mountains in the west of the island and I was a pro on the mountain roads by the time we left.
Other adventures included exploring the Aya Sofia church, spending lots of days at the idyllic Elafonisi beach snorkeling with loads of fish and relaxing with a book overlooking the mountains.

After an amazing 8 days living in a tiny undiscovered village where the rural way of live still survives it was sadly time to leave it behind. I drove our trusty car 300km to Heraklion which is the islands capital city. Here we spent two days visiting the archeological museum as well as Crete's most famous site: The Minoan Palace at Knossos. While not as pictursque as Chania the city was well worth the trip.

An 11.30pm flight meant we got back to the raining UK at an eyewatering 1.30am. Luckily I had managed to get a cheap deal at the Hilton hotel which is directly attached to the terminal so we were able to go straight to sleep.

Crete has totally captured my heart and I really hope I get to go back someday.

Field Trip to Tenerife

Me with Mt Teide in the background

Now without wanting to point the finger this trip is the main reason why I have fallen behind with this blog. I am not the biggest fan of field trips, I'm going to be honest and say I hate them. But this one was such a great fun (if we ignore the actual work, soz but rocks are boring). I went out to eat almost every night with my friends, we went in the freezing cold pool and all got ridiculously merry on the final night.

Then theres the island itself. Having never been to Tenerife before I had no idea what to expect but it is spectacular. You don't have to be a geologist to appreciate it but having an understanding of what is going on makes it all the more incredible.

The pictures speak for themselves so take a peak if you want to know what I got up to. The altitude sickness was shit but was worth it to go to the top of Mount Teide!

La Tarte- ash fall deposits

Scoria Cone 2500m up!

Something my friends found funny...

Me with the Geology Girls on top of Mount Teide 3500m up! Love these girls. Sirens forever.