As a solo traveller, it was a little different to go on holiday with my partner, but I knew it was going to be great. We had an early morning flight from Manchester airport to Tenerife South, which made us both feel exhausted. It was my first time on AirEuropa flight but honestly it was great, we were offered larger seats as the plane was under-booked, were given pillows and blankets and had Mr.Bean to watch as in-flight entertainment. I have had flights with these luxuries previously, but not on what I considered a short-haul flight. When we arrived in Tenerife at 7:30am we were both about ready for bed after being up for close to 24 hours, but didn't want to waste our first day in Tenerife and had hours until we could check-in to our accommodation. When we left the airport we travelled to Adeje to visit the World-Famous Siam Park, but first went for breakfast in a local cafe about 5 minutes away. I'd visited Spain a lot as a child and being in Spain again made me feel very nostalgic, so for breakfast ordered an old favourite, 'tortilla Espanola' (Spanish Omelet) which was delicious especially after not eating in hours. Not too long later we were rearing to go to visit Siam Park. It wasn't even 10am yet and it was already an incredibly warm day. When we arrived at Siam Park we started off by going on the Lazy River, getting there before any of the rides had even opened, so were pretty close to the front of the queue. Unfortunately, I have none of my own photos as I didn't bring my waterproof phone case or camera, and despite being tired it was a fantastic day. We went on nearly all the rides, sunbathed, got a little sunburnt and swam in the Wave Palace. After a long day we made our way to North Tenerife where our accommodation was, tucked in-between Tejina and Tegueste, close to the Anaga Mountains. Staying away from the hustle and bustle of the more touristy spots in Tenerife was not only something a bit different to do to experience Tenerife for what it really was, but was also a way to save a considerable amount of money especially for the time of year. I don't do normal! It was a bit of a trek, pretty much the entire length of the Island by bus, but it was much cooler (heat-wise) and the views alone were well worth the longer journey. We eventually arrived at Chalet Anagato where we were greeted by the friendly owner, Jesus, and his 3 cats and showed to our outdoor cabin. Love! On Thursday we had unintentionally slept in, after being worn out from the combination of the heat, the travelling and the frolicking about in Siam Park. We decided to visit Tejina, the village/town about a mile from where we were staying. We went for lunch in another local cafe and had some of the most delicious dishes ever and only to a grand total of 11 Euros, including drinks and dessert. I got a pleased 'best burger of my life' - quote unquote, from my partner, Jake and there's nothing I could fault with my own food. After mooching around some local shops after our lunch, the suns rays got hotter, establishments were closing for the afternoon, and we went back to our cabin to have a little siesta of our own. Later that day we ordered in pizza, watched a movie and spent the evening relaxing and soothing our sunburn from the day before, with aloe vera. Friday was a cloudier day than promised which made it a quite cool, with clouds overhead, but still went on with our plan for the day anyway. We got the bus to Puerto de la Cruz to go and visit Lago Martianez, a swimming pool complex built into the ocean. It was beautiful despite the cloudy day. Jake stayed in a little longer than me as the water was so so cold without the sun to warm us or the water. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our time there, even outside of the water. We sat by the pools for a while, watching the clouds and hoping they'd pass. After a while we decided to change back into regular clothes and wander around the rest of Lago Martianez, and got some ice cream, trying to make the most of a less than warm day. Mid-afternoon, Jake and I decided to go and be tourists and look at the souvenir shops. I got my obligatory postcards for my best friend and my travel journal and even when we didn't buy anything, had a lot of fun just spending time together. As we exited one of the last shops, there was a man outside with 2 parrots, offering people to hold them and taking pictures, which was really nice for the most part, except for when he put one of the parrots on my extremely sore shoulder, suffering from what was basically self-inflicted sunburn. It hurt more than I expected, but I suppose burnt shoulders and parrot claws/feet(?) aren't the best combination. Another few minutes down the road, there was a spa where fish could eat the dead skin off of your feet - a little gross, I know - but it was quite nice, it just tickled quite a lot more than I expected. I don't think it's something I'd do again but it was something I'd always wanted to try and it was definetly an experience. With our baby soft feet, we went to McDonald's to get some late lunch/ dinner, where Jake got a gourmet burger with a rather fancy tray and a free matte blue Coca-Cola glass. I felt like my burger had downgraded and was rather inadequate. After filling our stomaches we decided to follow the leaflet from the fish-eating spa, to their main location, about a 5 minute walk away, where we had a couples' massage (they seperated us though so it was basically just like a normal massage) which practically sent me to sleep, especially after such a long day. I don't often spend out on such luxuries, but we were glad we did, and this trip was something we'd both been looking forward to all year. After the massages, we really were ready to fall asleep, so decided to make our way back to our Chalet and relax again, they were the best ways to spend our evenings after being in the sun all day. After doing more than planned the previous day, we decided to stay nearby the next day and took a bus to La Laguna. After spending the late morning into early afternoon relaxing, reading, and playing with Zelda, one of the three cats at Chalet Anagato, but definitely my favourite. We didn't do much in La Laguna but walk about and go for food, but it's nice to have some more relaxed days without wasting it, after all, that's what holidays are for. We went to a small cafe that was had an outdoors-inside kind of vibe, if that makes sense, but was really nice and had the best milkshakes. We also had a bread-bowl to share, filled with hot cheese, unlike anything either of us had ever had eaten before, but was very rich so after already eating our main meals, we couldn't finish it. On Sunday, another cooler day, we went about 3 miles from where we'd been staying to visit Bajamar and Bajamar's rock pools. When we first arrived we were both very hungry and went to a pizzeria to have our lunch before we continued with the rest of our day. It was one of the first meals that we'd had that wasn't completely plagued by flies, though they weren't completely gone. The pizza was delicious despite Jake ordering a pepperoni pizza and getting a pizza with just peppers but still enjoyed it. At the end of our meal they gave us some fresh fruit, locally grown bananas and loquat, a small yellow-coloured fruit. I was very apprehensive to try them but did just that after Jake dived right in, though it was too sour for me personally. Taking my leftover pizza to go, we made our way down to the Bajamar rock pools. They were somewhat similar to the pools at Lago Martianez but there was much less separating the rock pools from the violent sea. The wind was very strong before we'd even gotten to the shore and I played photographer and let Jake try out the waters as I wasn't feeling too well. I much preferred experiencing this one from the side-lines. I'd experienced water that cold one too many times already. Despite the strong winds, the sun was shining and you could feel the warmth a lot more when shielded from the wind. After Jake had dried off we went and got yet another ice cream, which unfortunately was plagued by flies and melted so quickly it collapsed in my hand so had to throw the last of it away *heartbroken*. After a little wandering time (and searching for stamps for my postcards, to no avail) we went for an ice cold alcohol beverage, which was absolutely delicious just as the sun was really starting to bear down, pushing us towards a siesta and a relaxed evening back in our cabin. Monday morning came and I was especially solemn that our holiday was coming to an end, as we had planned to leave early the next morning. We went back down to Tejina, to the first cafe we went to, Cafe el Ramal, to have the 'best burger of Jakes life', where I tried a burger too and spent the day trying to enjoy time relaxing before a long and busy day ahead, Packing our stuff to leave was depressing, as it always is, but was more so because I'd fallen in love with our little cabin, and with little Zelda. I still miss her now. Over the course of the week she'd begun to get more and more comfortable with us and gotten to know us more and would come to chill with us, and come to chill in a paper bag she feel in love with and refused to get out of! Tuesday morning arrived far too quickly and we had to leave our cabin early in the day, although I was very happy to be leaving Chalet Anagato a gleaming review. We made a quick pit stop to Siam Park again on our way back. Our flight wasn't until later that night and we waanted to try the rides we'd missed before but still stay relatively close to the airport. It was a lot busier than it had been the week before and it was evident the first time we'd visited we'd come at the right time. I didn't think it was possible to be much busier! I am really glad we got to go for a second time though and felt so lucky to have had such an amazing holiday with my partner.
Thank you so much for reading this especially long blog post. For me, seeing the world and getting to share it is a dream come true for me! The continued support of my readers and the fact that people are coming back to read, means so much to me! Until next time - Nik, KirbyTravels
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After many requests, I have decided to share some of the tips and tricks I have learnt along the way to travel in the most wallet friendly fashion. Budget for me is very important, because from the outside in, I travel a lot, I make some amazing memories, and whilst that is all true, there is a common misconception that I am able to do that because I have a lot of money. I don't. I have to come home and face reality, pay rent, and work as much as possible to cover the expenses of travel so that I can have those adventures to make more amazing memories.
Money does not buy happiness, but it does buy plane tickets! I am lucky enough to have partnered with both of the companies I will mention in this blog, so a quick disclaimer that if you book through the links on this blog, I will get some commission (but it also means more travel blogs! ;) ) TIA First of all, flights. Unlike a lot of people, I actually enjoy booking flights, because of my favourite tool on Skyscanner.com. This is the 'everywhere, anytime' search, or 'explore'. If you're like me and not particularly picky about dates this is perfect, it will show you to cheapest time to go to the cheapest country, but if you can't go on the cheapest dates, they always show when else is also cheap. It also makes it cheaper if you're not entirely bothered about what airport you fly from, so I always type in 'United Kingdom' and again, it will show you the cheapest first, but if that's not ideal for you, it'll show you other airports you can fly from in price order. I love using this tool because it means I never really know where I'm off to next, and I love the element of adventure that brings too! If you're partially open about when you want to go, you can select a whole month instead of just 'anytime' and it'll show you the best offers in that month. A personal 'trick' I use, is booking two one-way flights in times where it is margianlly more expensive, for example, Summer. I'll use a hacker fare, leaving from one airport and returning to a different one. It can be the difference of spending another night away, or treating yourself to a three course meal and a glass of wine overlooking the beach... for example! This time of year it can be a great budgeting tool, because it could mean going from one London airport and returning to another one in London. Not too shabby if you ask me! For a quick example; here's a little walk-through (deals as of July 27th 2018)
I'd advise to get the Skyscanner app, or to be redirected to their webpage, click on the logo above They also do hotels, car hire, and have just launched a beta train searcher (although I've never used any of these) Click on the widget below to go to Skyscanner.com now!
Next off of course, is accommodation. Hostels, hotels, a glass igloo in Lapland or a treehouse in India, they've got it all, and that's booking.com. I mostly use hostels, because as well as being budget friendly, you get to meet so many like-minded travellers, and friends for life. If I've met you at a hostel, yes I'm talking about you! Booking.com is rather simple, and as it is very well known I'm sure many people have used it! I usually search lowest price first and go from there, but the more you travel, the better deals you get. Right now I've got a code for the first 10 people to get £15 off any bookings over £30! If you'd like this code send me a message on my Instagram at @nik2655 and I'll share it with you, on a first come first serve basis. Not so much a money 'saving trick' but if I am booking accommodation in advance (to save money of course) I always make sure the booking is free cancellation and no prepayment needed. Especially when plans change or you come to a date and may not be able to afford your trip anymore, this method is perfect to not pay until you arrive, and sometimes you can save a small amount of money by paying in the countries currency depending on the exchange rates. Sometimes I may be torn between two different flights, so I can secure a reservation at the hostel before I book my plane ticket and I haven't lost a penny if plans change. Spontaneity is fabulous but reality can often get in the way of travel plans, but knowing I can cancel whenever I want and not lose a single penny. To visit their site click the banner on the side of this blog-post! Thank you so much for reading and if I've even helped out a single person, it'll all be worth it. As always, I cannot thank the people enough that read my blog regularly and continue to support me so that I can make my passion into a reality, and it is overwhelming and surreal to see the growing interest and support in something I absolutely adore. If anyone would like anymore blogs about tips and tricks, or has any suggestions, please comment or contact me on this page. Looking forward to sharing more with you all soon from Tenerife. Nik - Kirby Travels *disclaimer to remind people I receive commission from flights/bookings made through the links on this blog :) ** I have seen the spelling mistakes from my last blog now! I apologise but can't edit it now One thing I had never done, is drive between countries, at least not by bus anyway. It was definitely an experience (even though I slept for so much of the outbound journey). There's so much I love seeing wen on the road, watching the world pass by, but truth be told, I missed a lot whilst sleeping (ultimate travel fail on my behalf). The sleep did make it feel like a relatively short journey, but in that I lost 2 1/2 days, so whilst coach travel is cost effective, especially in summer, it's probably better suited to longer trips. So aside from the transit here's 48 hours in Brussels... I arrived at the Train Hostel, which runs alongside Brussels famous Train Museum, and for one of the cheaper hostels to book in Brussels, was great. When I entered my room I met two guys that I later spent the next 24 hours with. Kristian who is British, and Derek, Idaho USA. Shoutout to you two!! @Kristian.h.richards & @soy_boi go follow them on Instagram! I decided to make the most of every minute I spent in Belgium, and when Derek invited me to join him at the Couluer café festival at the Atomium, how could I say no? This was before they had sold out of day tickets and only had weekend tickets left at 55Euro, and failing to get a Press pass due to needing authorisation, we spent the best part of the next two hours trying to sneak in. After that didn't go to plan, Derek stayed as he'd bought a weekend ticket in advance and I went back to the hostel, absolutely shattered, but met up with Derek later that evening to lay an absolutely awful game of foosball on my end. Day 2 of my quick visit to Belgium, I decided to get up early to make the most of the day, and Derek, Kristian and I, decided to go and explore the city together, first, with breakfast at Peck 20. I enjoyed a granola breakfast smoothie whilst Derek and Kristian both had savoury Belgian waffles. I was saving myself for a sweeter one later on. After we'd finished breakfast, we wandered the streets to find our own adventures for the day in Brussels, rather than the average tourist attractions. We ventured through some beautiful parks... and then some more parks for a while, including Leopold park, next to the Parliamentarian and European Union HQ (or something), which was gorgeous and had two sections of the Berlin Wall standing in memoriam. After wandering around for a while as it started to get warmer and stickier we decided to find a waffle house for sweet waffles this time instead, and we Uber-ed to the main center of Brussels which we'd unintentionally avoided for the earlier part of the day. The center was bustling with people and the architecture was incredibly beautiful. But what was the undeniably most beautiful was the stacked waffle I savoured when we eventually found our destination. A sweet warm waffle, with strawberries, bananas, cream, melted white chocolate, and homemade vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Needless to say, I ate way too much but it was delicious, and it's not a trip to Belgium without a Belgian waffle. After stuffing our faces, and then heading to yet another park to relax and try and find a patch of shade to hide under, the peak of the day began, and with the heat and the food baby combined we all agreed that we'd head back to the hostel for some well needed rest. For the remaining duration of the evening, Kristian and I ventured out in the evening after we'd both rested and got our dinner from a local deli, which, I can't speak for Kristian, but I thoroughly enjoyed. Returning to the hostel, we relaxed more as the heat completely tuckered me out especially after the non-stop travelling and exploring and continued to relax and met new people in the outside area for the remainder of the evening. Even for me, it was a very fleeting trip, and I feel like there was so much of the city left to explore, but I explored in my own way with 2 new friends. Albeit a very short blogpost - to reflect the very short trip, here's to a summer of more trips, more travels, and more adventures!
Thank you guys for reading, xo NikKirby! For more pictures and content check out my Instagram @nik2655 (plugplug) - exciting new things to come! As always, I seem incapable of starting a trip without some sort of hiccup. My phone isn't working great, and even after setting multiple alarms, neither one went off and I missed my transfer to the airport. I was instantly panicking and in that rush didn't pack anything to sleep in or anything warm (for the parts of the trip that I was in England) Luckily, last minute, a friend of mine was able to give me a lift. SHOUTOUT TO GREZ. Lifesaver. After only recently moving to the North East of England I had never been to East Midlands airport before and whilst it as expensive (like all airports are) it was, for lack of a better word, cute. I was very early despite being late earlier that morning, I got a short-lived and expensive massage, ate twice and watched two movies. The wait is never fun, but after all that time I had been killing, it was finally time to start my journey to Portugal (Faro), and the views of the beaches were just stunning. After I'd arrived in Faro, there are public buses (14 & 16) that are pretty easy to navigate and relatively short journey to either the beach or the main city and each way costs 2,30 Euros. About a 30 second walk from the bus station was my home for the next few days, the Well'Come! Hostel. It was quiet and quaint much like Faro itself, and the staff were friendly and helpful. As the sun was setting in the Algarve I took a walk around to get my bearings and walked along the Marinha, which under the moonlight was simply beautiful and couldn't quite be captured in a photograph. After an exhaustingly long day, I crashed into my bunk bed, which is feeling I know many travellers can relate to. On Tuesday I was rearing to go and enjoy my first full day in the Algarve. In the morning I set out to find the market but was disappointed as I was mislead and really it was just a typical Portuguese supermarket. It was a shame but I continued to wander round old town Faro and got my usual travelling breakfast, a freshly baked croissant. I carried on wondering for an hour or so, in such a relaxing place, with the sun shining, there's really no reason to rush. I visited a few shops and explored more of the cobbled streets between the typically Portuguese white washed buildings. Around midday I decided to move on to the next part of my itinerary a bought a Ferry ticket to Ilha Deserta (the deserted island) and whilst waiting met Ashley (@bea_lin2333) - go follow her on Instagram, and her friends, Manuel and Phillip. The journey on the ferry was so relaxing, that I fell asleep even though I was battling to keep my eyes open and watch the crystal clear water swim between the small islands surrounding Faro's Marinha. After a 30 minute journey we arrived at the island and deserted really is the only name fitting. The only sound were the waves and it was a type of peaceful I'd never experienced before. White sands surrounded every coast of this island and desert like lands covered the inland, the shells on the shore practically untouched and picturesquely perfect seashells. After not long I decided to make my own venture and go the opposite way the majority travelled. There was a decked path leading around the East side of the Island. The emptiness and lack of people, cars and general noise pollution we accept - was gone, and it was breathtaking. Along the way I met Rosa, a fellow female solo-traveller, from Holland, and a stunning photographer (shoutout to us strong independent women of the world). We walked around together as the sun began to get brighter and hotter, as we walked barefoot to the most southern part of Portugal. Gorgeous doesn't even begin to explain it, but as a traveller the biggest thing is freedom and there is simply nothing else that can compare. We dipped in the sea, tried out my waterproof phone case and took some gorgeous pictures, before deciding to walk back to catch the Ferry, sand between our toes the entire way. Later that day Rosa and I planned to go to Praia de Faro (the beach on the mainland) to watch the sunset and drink cocktails. Unfortunately, I missed my stop but did get a gorgeous picture from the bus. I made my way back to the hostel where I met some new travellers. Ben (@bennoahc), from Canada, Beth (@bp_2127) also British, and two sweet girls travelling from China. We chatted through the night and shared stories before we departed and collapsed into our beds for the night. On Wednesday (my final full day in Faro) I overslept massively, which is not something I normally do whilst I'm away but my trip to Portugal was always about relaxing! I made up for it but getting up and ready very quickly and headed to Praia de Faro with Ben. It was an absolutely gorgeous day out, not a cloud in the sky, sun shining and 25 degrees C even before arriving at the beach it was already a great day. When Ben and I had found a perfect spot on the beach we had some disappointedly small mimosa's and basked in the sunshine. The Ocean was beautiful, glistening under the sunlight, and warm enough for a quick dip. We treated ourselves to ice creams and just relaxed, listening to music and bathed under the sun. Later that day we realised we had both burnt, but it was still a great day ( and 2 days later I'd browned off). When we arrived back in Faro city I decided to visit Algarve's live science center, where the staff were helpful and everything in the center was interactive it was great and I got to hold starfish, a sea urchin and a hermit crab, but it was more family orientated and child friendly than I had anticipated.
Heading back to the hostel I picked up some dinner and had one of the best lemonades I've ever tasted (Portuguese McDonald's is insane). I sat outside in the hostel with some of the staff and other travellers, including Mike (@micheal._mm), from Carlisle, and tried spinning a plastic pizza dough which was a complete and utter fail on my behalf. I was sad it was my last evening because travelling is like a different reality to being at home and paying bills. Thank you so much for reading and following my adventures! Nik So after a lot of travelling I embarked on my first solo trip. Unfortunately, I couldn't extend my trip this time as my passport is nearing its expiry date but I made the most of the time remaining. At about 3pm local time I arrived in Norway at Oslo Lufthavn. Just flying over Norway the beauty of the country below blew me away. My face was glued to the airplane window. I don't mind flying but I was glad to escape. On the 2 hour flight it had become extremely stuffy and sticky, so I was extremely grateful for the cold, Scandinavian fresh air as I left the airport. I got onto my coach transfer (FB1) to Grunerlokka near Oslo City and although it was almost an hour long journey the scenery along the way was simply beautiful. * it was a lovely journey but I have since found out that there are cheaper and faster ways to Oslo City. The coach transfer was 160KR and the NSB train was 93KR which takes 25 minutes to Oslo Sentralstation. The conversion to GBP is about 100-1 so 93KR was roughly £9.30 When I arrived at the hostel (Anker Apartments) I completely crashed out. It was cheap, clean and had a great atmosphere. There is a small shop adjoined to the hostel which is cheaper than the rest of the city but if you take a trip to Oslo be prepared for the extraordinary high costs for everything. The cheapest beer I found in the whole city was 50KR (£5.00). Coffee ranges from 30KR to 60KR and you'll be lucky to even get a sandwich under 70KR. I woke up at 9pm to a note from my bunk mate, Alex, from Serbia on a bar of chocolate. Later on that evening I spent some time in the hostels common room and played foosball with Alex, narrowly losing 3 times. I got to know Alex more and learnt that he is a pharmacist job-seeking in Oslo. Later on that evening I met a fellow British girl, Amy. We watched the boxing together whilst trying to ignore a German guy who seemed to be kinda obsessed with Amy. Unfortunately she was leaving the next morning but coincidentally we discovered we're going to be in Stockholm at the same time early next year. That night I slept so well, all the travelling had drained me, there was a man in the bed over from me who was snoring all night long and a security guard who came in at about 3am to check peoples beds like in the cinema but I still slept so well. When I woke up I went down to the common room for breakfast and a cappuccino and sat with a guy from my room, Pierre is French and studying in Sweden and was visiting Norway for the weekend as a celebration for passing his exams. When I decided to get going instead of using a map I took the most scenic route, I knew roughly the direction I was going in but I just walked around and saw some awesome street art and wandered until I arrived at Reptilpark. It was 100KR for a student ticket and it was good but was very small and only took about 15-20 minutes to go around, it's more for young children s if you are on a budget like I was I would advise against it. I still enjoyed it though. After that I ventured even further into the city and went into the National Gallery (which I got in for free - under 19s). I'm nor normally a huge fan of some art but it was truly incredible. There was a drawing room and I had a go at drawing a sculpture. Most people stuck them up on the boards on the walls but I decided to keep mine as a memoir. About half way through the walking around the National Gallery, I bumped into Pierre and we decided to walk round. He knew a bit more about art than me and it was quite interesting to learn a lot about the French artists he knew about as well. I would definitely say it is a must in Oslo and I would 100% go again. Later on we went to Oslo City Hall ( which is free for everybody!) which was quite cool and really huge. There's so much empty space and I could have fit my whole home into one room. After that Pierre and I walked up the hill to Oslo Royal Palace (after I went hunting for a winter hat) which was windy on the way up but sitting outside on the base of the statue was really nice as it was sunny (which is great for this time of year, I was very lucky for weather as it is rainy season) At 1:30pm at the Royal Palace was the guard change which was another 'must see'. I enjoyed it but it did take a little while and the wind was bitter. After that we decided to go and get some lunch at an Espresso house. They're everywhere in Oslo. Whilst I was there I spent about £12. I had a chicken wrap and a cappuccino, and believe it or not, in Oslo that was considered cheaper. Whilst I was in the queue I saw the man I was sat next to on the plane and that really made me think of what a small world it really is, especially on the other side of the capital city of Oslo. After that we made our way to Frogner Park. We decided to go to Oslo City museum and explore Frogner Park as the sun set. The City museum in Frogner Park was free, but it was a bit bland so I can see why there was no cost. Again, anything free, especially in Oslo, is a bonus, but time could be better spent. After that Pierre and I went through Frogner Park. The sculptures were amazing and were hand carved out of single blocks of stone and granite. Some of the sculptures were a little strange but they were still really good, and it was real art. It was so beautiful especially as the sun was starting to set and I don't use that word lightly. After that we decided to make our way back to the hostel. Most people used the public transport around Oslo, but the walk was scenic and only about 30 minutes and I was on a tight budget, but the cold was really affecting my electronics. My fully-charged portable charger normally lasts about a week, the batteries in my camera were new and my phone had been fully charged and on low power mode all day and everytime we stopped I would recharge my phone. But on 40% battery my phone died and wouldn't turn back on. I did have a paper map but I quickly learnt I have absolutely no co-ordination. Luckily, Pierre did. On the way back I went to McDonald's to recharge my phone and get something small to eat. I got a coke and fries and it cost £6!! We continued to walk back which was so, so cold although it made the hostel feel much more comforting. I rested and then went down to the common room again to socialise. Whilst I was downstairs Yashar from my dorm room was trying to book his flights to stay in London. I helped him with that and he appreciated my efforts to get the flight as cheap as possible. Later on Pierre, Alex, Yasher and I went to the Irish bar across the road from the hostel. The cheapeast beer was 67KR. Again we played foosball like true Europeans although I still lost. We then played pool, on the first game I was making some good shots until I potted the black ball, the white ball and my colour in one shot. Impressively bad! We played another game and I lost again but only by the black ball so I wasn't too disheartened and I'd had fun. I made that one beer last 3 hours to save money, but I'd really enjoyed my first full day and it was great to make friends already. For one night there were 6 friends travelling together from Turkey that were in the same dorm as me. I became good friends with all 6; Caner, Ozberk, Itir, Begum, Oguz and Furkan. For a while we were sat downstairs in the commom room and they taught me some Turkish pharses/ words, but needless to say I can't speak the language very well. They also all travel too so if you'd like to see their Instagram pages they are: Caner - canercakmakk Furkan - frknbayraktar53 Ozberk - ozberkiscan Itir - itircalik Begum - begummm_g Oguz - oguzcan_yogurtw They all then went to the city and we made our separate ways as I headed for Vinterpark with Alex ( my bunk mate). It was a bitter morning as it was and we made our way to the metro. It's pretty fast (although quite expensive) and changed to get the tram up to Vinterpark. When we got off the tram it was even colder than down in the city. Unfortunately, we got off a stop too late (or so I thought) because I wasn't paying attention, the views were just too pretty. When we did get off we begun a 3km hike up the mountain to Vinterpark. bad idea! Although we did see some beautiful things on the way as the temperature dropped to -6C. We went through a forest, messed around skimming rocks on a frozen lake and admired the views above the city. When we finally got to Vinterpark, it was sadly, closed. Something I probably should've checked before we'd made the journey, and even though by this point I was exhausted and freezing I was grateful that I had travelled with Alex and it was a fun hike on the way up. You live and you learn! we made our at back to the tram station.... a different one just a 9 minute walk down the mountain from Vinterpark, not the 2 hours that we took to walk! But, at least I got to see the snow! We then decided to take a change of route and started the next leg of the journey to HolmenKollen, the Ski Museum of Oslo. We went into the ski simulator (which was funny but not all that great) and into the 'duty free' shop and I treated myself to a Norwegian t-shirt with the money hadn't spent on Vinterpark. The Museum itself was an extra cost that I didn't want to spend and overall it wasn't the most exciting place to visit, but may have been better if you knew more about skiing than I do! We made our way back to the centre, Majorsteun and after all the walking decided it was time for lunch. I found a deli that was the food I thought was only of the imagination. I had a pizza wrap (literally seemed to be a pizza rolled up) and an Oreo cake. I think that was the time I actually felt pleasantly full whilst on this trip! Alex and I were so tired at this point that we decided to make our at back to the hostel, but not before going around the city twice on the tram! (good excuse for getting lost *cough* Alex) Later on that evening after I'd rested I spent another evening in the hostel's common room with my Turkish friends until they had to leave for their night bus. it was sad to see them go but we'll hopefully meet again when travelling in Poland at the beginning of next year! By this point of the trip money was starting to get tight so Yasher and I arranged to share what food we had left to make a meal for the following night. On Tuesday morning I woke up a little later than usual and then went to the communal kitchen and had a traditional Norwegian breakfast with Yasher, with crisp-bread, butter and Danish cheese, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but chose not to put squirty caviar on mine!! Again, I made my way to the city and saw the other side of the city that I had not yet seen. I went past Sentralstation and took a typical tourist photo; I then went literally across the street to visit Oslo's famous opera house. I didn't choose to go inside ( I had been advised against it) but I didn't need to to enjoy it. They encourage you to walk on the roof of the Opera House, an architecture masterpiece and again the views from their just take your breath away. I was so pleasantly stunned by the natural beauty in this country. I then walked a circle around the city just to see the sights and to hope I hadn't missed any hidden wonders before I left ( I did find the shopping centre but after the cost of feeding myself was so high there was no chance of me treating myself). It was so much cooler than it had been the past few days and I was still pretty exhausted from the hiking the previous day so decided to go back to the hostel for a while before my dinner with Yasher. Alex was going to join us but unfortunately felt poorly s stayed in bed. He did give me some Serbian hot chocolate and coffee though which I thoroughly enjoyed. Yasher and I enjoyed some Knorr chunky tomato soup, which I had bought from the adjoining shop on my first evening in Norway, and we shared some more Norwegian crisp-bread stuff (no idea what its genuinely called!!) and then we said our goodbyes as Yasher headed for London. I then went to Church as I'd had missed my normal service at home due to my flight. Although it was lovely to go I was misinformed via google that it was an English speaking service. I did learn though that I know absolutely nothing about the Norwegian language. A little later on back at the hostel there were 3 new people in the dorm, 2 of them girls (which was rare). They're (Jodard, Carolina & Amanda ) from Costa Rica and we spent the evening in the common room chatting, drinking cheap beer, and playing cards. After playing cards (and winning) we were all so tired so we went up to our dorm. I was quite sad as it was my final night, and it had felt like I'd been there forever at this point! If you'd like to follow them on Instagram; Jodard - jodpicadoaraya Carolina - caro9ac Amanda - ami_roux Wednesday morning (departure day) I was quite sad to be having to pack all of my things and say goodbye to the friends I'd made at the hostel, although I did still have a portion of the day to explore more of Oslo, and I wasn't letting that time go to waste. We wandered through the suburbs to the city (another different way) and headed for the harbour to get the ferry to visit the Fram museum. We made lots of stops on the way, we saw the miniature bottle gallery (from the outside) all the statues and sculptures, scarf-bombed by a local artist, and a mega nerdy comic book store that was just the kind of place I like, and I'm not even ashamed. And my friends from Costa Rica also shared that interest. I couldn't get enough of the street art in this city and on our way to the harbour saw the perfect photo opportunity. Eventually we arrived to the harbour, Carolina got a day cruise to see Fjords for 299KR which I was very jealous of because the fjords are beautiful but I was on a budget. Jodard and Amanda decided not to go on the day cruise too because of the price but we searched around for a little while for the ferry to the Fram museum, but unfortunately the season had ended just 2 days before on the 30th October (it was November 1st).
By that point I didn't have enough time to take the bus round to the museums because I was taking a faster and cheaper route to the airport, but wanted to make sure I made it in good time. I said my goodbyes to Jodard and Amanda, but again hope that it won't be the last time I see them and plan to meet up with them if I'm ever lucky enough to visit Costa Rica. I went for a cappuccino at an Espresso House and then made my way to Oslo Sentralstation. The cold in Norway was also really messing with my phone battery and co-ordination on google maps. The compass was out of sync and to make things worse it as raining so my touch screen wasn't working well either. Eventually though, I did get to Oslo Sentralstation. I then got the NSB train (93KR)... with only 92KR left, luckily the man who served me was kind enough to give me the extra 1KR. The FB1 bus route was a beautiful but cost way too much so I'd definitely recommend taking the NSB train for both cost and travel time. I made it to the airport in good time ( with 6 hours to spare). I loved my visit to Oslo. It was definitely been an experience. I met some amazing people and did some awesome things, made a few mistakes, but learnt so much more than any other holiday has taught me, and it was still all an adventure, and I can't wait to have my next one! <3 Thank you for reading. Nik Kirby. Many of you may have seen my Instagram post about my first adventure with a friend just across the sea to France. We were both incredibly excited as the plan of a holiday had been one we'd both wanted for a long time, although this particular trip was planned and booked just 2 days before!
But if you're still reading here's a full blown account of how the day went. We left at about 9:30am from our hometown, about 2 1/2 hours on the train to London. Plenty of time, right?! Anyway, we set off, coffee in hand, vlog camera in another, awaiting to begin our adventures. The beginning seemed fun, and whilst we were lost, we were still excited. so we waited for the bus we had planned to catch to the airport. Half an hour later, and no bus to be seen, we decided it was time to find another way to the airport, even though the information point (real tourist alert) had confirmed our bus would arrive, and there'd be another every 10 minutes. We decided to look up how to get there on the underground. As we were booking a ticket, and struggling to use the half working ticket machine, a Londoner decided to offer her advice. Then a policeman offered a different route, and the man at the ticket desk, sent us along another route. We eventually navigated the underground to the train we needed to get to London Stansted. But as we got on, hot, bothered and sweaty in the July heat, the train was delayed. but it was just after 1:00pm, the train was only an hour long to the airport, and we'd still make it in time. Wrong. when we eventually arrived at the airport, at this point, slightly frustrated and definitely hungry, we found the desk to out airline. we then got moved to another line, just to be sent to the one we had originally queued up in. At this point the frustration was growing as we lined back up, in a queue that wasn't moving. At that point we had a moment of hope and relief as we got sent to the front of the queue as we explained to a member of staff what had happened. Including the fact that online check-in had crashed, 6 times, making it impossible for us to get our boarding passes without paying another £50 to get them, which we weren't happy about, but were willing to do. This was just after 3:00pm, cutting it fine, we knew, but as it was only an hour long flight, we were hopeful, but this was when the day and holiday was ruined, when almost an hour and a half before the flight, our gate was already closed. We'd lost our flights, our hotel. Wasted our time and our money. Nothing we could do. After a long day of making our way half way across the country, the only option was to return home, as the next flight wasn't until the day we were due to come back anyway. But as much as this was a failed adventure, we still made the most of our time off, in our beautiful hometown, with beautiful weather. It was still funny and looking back now it's something to laugh about. I will definitely be leaving a long time before the flight and make my way there with transport I can rely on in the future. Thanks for reading! |
AuthorNik, the small town Brit. Traveller, adventure enthusiast, writer, has 2 goldfish. The norm. Archives
August 2018
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