Lightning tour of eastern Europe

We are crazy.

You probably knew that, if you've been reading this blog or happen to know us in real life, but here's the confirmation..
We are now in our "every day is moving day" phase of the trip through eastern Europe.

We just arrived in Riga, Latvia this morning, after visiting Tallinn, Estonia for a half day and night.

Next, we're off to Warsaw, Poland, then Krakow, also in Poland, where we intend to visit Auschwitz.
I can't say that I'm looking forward to that, but it should be an interesting/intense experience..

A quick time table, so those who are seeking our sparkling company will know where to look. Contact us, please, through the usual social media or comments on this blog, we'd love to meet up where we can!

Fun weekend in Finland (Part 2)

So we headed off to Emilia's Summer House number 2 on the next day. We got onto another boat and off we went with Captain Emilia in charge! Meanwhile I was just hoping I won't get sea sick.

Onto a bigger boat	Captain Emilia	Yay
Almost there	Compost for the toilet	Boys relaxing while Emilia paddles!

Fun weekend in Finland (Part 1)

So Finland was amazing, thanks to Emilia and Mikke. After arriving in Turku, we drove to Pyhäranta which is about an hour drive north east of Turku. From there, we took a little boat out to Emilia's summer cottage number 1. It was simply beautiful! We got to experience Finnish sauna which was probably something I enjoyed the most in Finland. Finnish people are really big on sauna. Apparently they have sauna in their apartment houses in the city, if not individual ones then the shared one. How amazing! It's probably like how the Japanese people are with the bath.

Onto Emilia's little boat	Out to the ocean again	The Summer House no.1
Sauna preparation	Wood stove	Cooling down after sauna

Crossing Baltic sea from Stockholm to Turku

After a very relaxing week in Stockholm, we took a ferry - The Viking Line - to Turku, Finland.

The Viking Line!

Early start..

Ferry

Checking out the 'Beach' in Stockholm

Getting ready for picnic on the beach

I love the beach so I wanted to check out the beach in Stockholm on my birthday.

12 days in Norway

We've been super busy the last couple of weeks, so we haven't been updating our blog. Now that we have some time in Stockholm (where we will be staying for almost a week), here are some updates & photos from Norway.....

12 days itinerary in Norway

Trippin' home - Stavanger, Norway

Having reached the half-way point in our trip, it was time to go to my point of origin: Stavanger, Norway.

I hadn't been back there for a while, and much has happened in the mean time..

[Warning: Long post!]

Quick Stopover in Gothenburg, Sweden

A Short Stay in Gothenburg, Sweden on Our Way to Oslo

After a nice stay in Copenhagen, we caught a train to Gothenburg, Sweden. It was my first time visiting Sweden — very exciting!

Gothenburg (Göteborg in Swedish) is Sweden’s second-largest city, located on the west coast along the Göta älv river. It's a beautiful little town with a laid-back vibe.

The hotel we stayed at was very cozy and served homemade cakes with coffee in the lobby. Very cute!

After checking into our hotel, we dropped our bags and went for a walk. It was extremely hot outside.

Since it was Sunday, most shops were unfortunately closed, but it was still fun to walk around.

We then went to a Swedish restaurant recommended by the hotel receptionist. It was really good! We came back and had some cake at the hotel — yum!

The next day before catching our train to Oslo, we checked out the Botanical garden... So pretty!

Yoga in the park?

Two days in Copenhagen

Day 1 in Copenhagen

We stayed 3 nights in Copenhagen at a very cozy Airbnb place. It was so nice that we cooked dinner at home every night while we were there.

On our first day out in the city, Mum and her friend were up and out early. Frode and I took a slower start and left around 10 a.m. We strolled down Strøget, the main pedestrian street, enjoying the sights and eventually treating ourselves to some ice cream. After that, we made our way to Nyhavn.

Nyhavn, with its colorful facades and historic canal, is a vibrant and touristy part of Copenhagen. It’s definitely picturesque, and we soaked up the lively atmosphere while deciding to have lunch there. The only downside? The restaurant insisted we order a drink in order to receive a free glass of tap water (seriously?). So, Frode voiced his complaint in a thick Stavanger accent. The waiter looked completely baffled (she looked like she was really trying hard to understand him, haha) and eventually gave us the water for free. Nice one, Frode.

After lunch, we headed north to check out Amalienborg Palace and the Marble Church. Amalienborg is the residence of the Danish royal family and also houses a museum about the monarchy....

Gallery Egeland (nothing to do with this Egeland)

From there, we wandered through the nearby fort and eventually made it to the famous Little Mermaid statue. To be honest... it’s just a statue. Not sure why it’s such a big deal.....

It's definitely little...

By the end of the day, we’d walked so much I had blisters on both feet. We wrapped things up with another one of Frode’s delicious home-cooked meals. A long, full day—blisters and all!