Category Archives: My Travel

My Travel

Oslo, Day 1. Transport Ode

When I travel, every bit of the journey tends to become an experience I might talk about extensively, whether it’s miling around duty-free shops before boarding or noticing the absence of row 13 on a SAS aircraft. I feel like I haven’t been on a vacation in six months, which is not the case, but after some hard post New Year working, I am more than looking forward to this highly anticipated city break.

Oslo is a city that is green, excitingly urban, vibrant and relaxed in that special Norwegian way, all at the same time, eliciting enthusiastic praise from both guidebooks and visitors alike. These adjectives and snippets of information went through my mind as our captain announced that Oslo would soon be visible from the cabin windows.

My friend and I looked out eagerly to see a seemingly endless expanse of snow-covered mountains underneath a blue sky.

Photo credit @juniperlu

Photo credit @juniperlu

Pristinely white stretches followed, dotted with clusters of what were even from this height obviously recognizable Norwegian houses in dark red, brown and creamy white with triangular roofs. We spotted a road, and before we knew it, we had landed at Gardermoen Airport.

My trips are usually divided in to clear steps (I have spent a long time in Germany, after all, ja). The next one was catching the Flytoget (which I still pronounce like fly-to-get (something…)) express train to Oslo Central Station. The company has a very helpful video that shows you how to get to the train from the arrivals area at the airport, and it’s so incredibly positive that I wanted to hug the people who made it. The whole thing is as easy as it is presented. After exiting customs/ baggage claim, you turn right and head straight down the hall. Even if you forget this, there are immediately visible signs. One swipe of a credit card, and you proceed down to the train platform. There’s a screen just above the escalator that shows you your platform number and departure time, but, again, even if you forget to look, the first thing you see is another screen on the platform. Trains arrive every 10 minutes and the journey to the city center takes 19.

There was absolutely no way to get lost, and I was also heartened to read the train’s safety flyer (I always grab anything readable within reach): the safety philosophy is zero injuries. Not that I was expecting anything, but all this continuous consideration for passenger feelings was delightful. There were also two clearly visible power sockets below the window by our seats! Take that, Deutsche Bahn.

Getting somewhere from an airport in a new place is a particularly thought-consuming process for me, which is why I’ve devoted more than one paragraph simply to taking a train. Five stars to Oslo on the reducing travel anxiety front!

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My Travel

Berlin in a Day

Most of the things you will hear about Berlin are probably true. “Arm, aber sexy” – “Poor, but sexy” (the slightly shortened quote from former mayor Klaus Wowereit). I’d say sometimes poor, sometimes sexy. A big city, a wide city, a city with a feeling of space. Contrasts meet, world-famous landmarks stand with new construction sites towering behind them. Single S- and U-Bahn subway stops sometimes being as big as a central train station. The immediately recognizable Plattenbau, popping up between streets, or filling entire districts. And, of course, the ubiquitious, uniquely local Currywurst. I think the sight of another commuter contentedly munching on the latter was what cemented my feeling that I was, indeed, once again visiting the German capital. As he carefully and methodically speared the sausage pieces on a tiny wooden pick and dipped them in the curry sauce, I thought once again that this snack alone was already a prime example of the melting pot of experiences that Berlin is.

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“Do you like it?” is a question which is always a little difficult for me to answer about Berlin, because the word that I primarily associate with the city is interesting, and also because I have only been to several districts so far on short trips. But together these glimpses gradually come together to form an impression of a place which is an epitome of being distinctively eclectic. “Berlin is so diverse” is what you will hear from a lot of people.

One day in Berlin needs a plan, and the plan included the classic stops, many of which are an excellent starting point for getting a feel for the city’s character, not to mention its exciting, arresting history.

The morning began with a trip on the S-Bahn from the district of Charlottenburg to the Ostbahnhof station, a day ticket in hand for the zones A and B, covering the city transportation range. The train moved completely above ground, already an opportunity for some passing views of massively graffitied walls, the aforementioned Plattenbau and modern, gleaming shopping centers. Sometimes the train passed so close to a building that occupants could have reached out of their windows and shaken our hands, if we were moving slower. Once at the Ostbahnhof, I looked at the exit signs and picked one solely based on intuition, relying on memories from an earlier trip to steer me once I was outside. And they did (who needs Google Maps). If you walk out of the station and see the bridge with the S-Bahn track in the distance to your right, you just need to head in that direction. Some 15 minutes later you emerge among a mix of concrete, bricks and the enormous front facade of the Ostbahnhof. And ahead of you stretches the East Side Gallery.

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I actually learned about this significant item on any Berlin tourist’s list fairly recently from a friend, and I’m glad I did. The 1,316 meter long expanse of history is perfect for enthusiastic snapping and a long, satisfying walk. The biggest open air art gallery in the world spans like a bridge between the Ostbahnhof and the impressive Oberbaumbrücke at the end of the stroll. It’s also free. The landmarked gallery had wire fences blocking several works of art this weekend. Unfortunately, despite firm warnings, paintings in the gallery still get scribbled on and sprayed. Nethertheless, the eye-catching creations on the remains of the Berlin wall from 118 artists are a magnet for anyone visiting the city, pulling you in to an atmosphere that is both heavily reminiscent and ringing with the present.

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Back to the Ostbahnhof, snapping some more pictures along the way, and in to the train to Alexanderplatz, ganz klassisch. Everything else that’s firstly famous about Berlin is centered around that massive transportation knot. The TV tower is a convenient focus point for reassurance if you need to retrace steps, and basically, wherever you walk, you will end up where you want to be. My main interest this time was finding an opportunity to both explore something and hopefully get a view of the city from way up high, and I got to do just that. Actually, there are several good ways to do this on or near Alexanderplatz, so take your pick. One of them is the Berliner Dom, or the Berlin Cathedral.

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The cathedral is stately, gorgeous, very large and slightly unexpected (even if you know about it) after a morning spent at the East Side Gallery. It’s also a kind of relief – I have a weakness for cathedral architecture, and my hankering is intensified by the fact that Hamburg, unfortunately, doesn’t have one. The Berliner Dom can be satisfyingly viewed from all sides, after which one does want to go in. This weekend it was surprisingly uncrowded, with a conveniently placed ticket machine speeding up the process of getting inside. Initial scepticism about the admission price was quickly wiped out. I spent an hour climbing everywhere I could, and had I not needed some fresh air to digest the multitude of impressions, I would have probably stayed in there longer. Inside, the cathedral is magnificent, beautifully kept and restored, with the domed ceiling immediately claiming one’s attention.

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The cathedral was completed in 1905, but later suffered colossal damage during the Second World War. The main hall was opened for mass again in the mid nineties. A good amount of staircases lead upward from the entry level through the rest of the cathedral. Everything is sensibly labeled to ensure correct exploration procedures, though this doesn’t stop me from gravitating towards KEIN ZUTRITT and hearing a polite, “Nein” from staff. Note – when you find yourself on a landing by two signs, one saying Crypt, and the other pointing up, go up first. The crypt contains some 90 coffins and is, of course, also very interesting (though sad and at times scary). But the (technically) only way out of it leads towards an exit, which leads outside and thus eliminates you entering the cathedral again. I just quietly scampered back up the way I came.

One of the most exciting parts of the journey inside the Dom starts further up, with signs eagerly announcing the walk to the dome. They also constantly warn about the trip being physically taxing. Broader staircases give way to narrow metal ones which spiral underneath low ceilings and alternate with horizontal stretches of wooded floor along the inside of the dome. Excitement mounts, and just when you wonder how much longer this will go on, 270 steps later you emerge outside, with one of the most breathtaking views of Berlin you could hope for. Everything comes together, melding with the impressions from the cathedral, and the TV tower in the distance once again confirms that uniquely local feeling of past and present always existing side by side. One with an unseen, but intense energy, the other in-your-face and urgent.

These romantic musings were brought to a halt when confronted with the practicalities of going back downstairs. To put it as bluntly as I can, visitors of a more corpulent stature might find themselves in a difficult position (pun unavoidable), as in more than one place along the dome the space between wall and railing is only slightly wider than the average ruler. What would happen, I wondered randomly, slightly horrified at the image in my head, if someone got stuck? Yes, the Berlin Cathedral definitely leaves a lasting impression.

Tumbling back outside in to the sunlight was slightly strange, but then again, that too felt natural, as it all seemed part and parcel of the experience. The sight of the Brandenburger Tor at the end of the tour fittingly capped off this one day of rambling around Berlin, as I bought a typical postcard and slipped again in to the S-Bahn.

 

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My Travel

Thoughts in a Large Airport

  1. This place is so HUGE and I’m just one small person in the shuffle of life.
  2. If you are just looking for one seat to rest your weary bones and don’t want to be bothered by neighbors, but there are no seats with other empty seats on both sides of the…seats, search for seats next to people with headphones on. Hopefully they have the same goal as you do.
  3. Despite encouraging advertisements to the contrary, why is there seemingly no WiFi?
  4. Walking back and forth between gates is not pathetic. It’s exercise! You might also notice something you did not notice before or decide you do want that muffin.
  5. Buy that magazine.
  6. Why is there no WiFi? This should be verboten.
  7. Boys can spend incalculable amounts of time watching planes land and take off. They don’t care about the WiFi.
  8. Maybe I should look up from my phone and watch those planes, or notice just how much light there is in this airport, or that it is clearly an example of a lot of architectural thought. Heck, who needs WiFi.
  9. Will I end up like Tom Hanks in The Terminal?
  10. I can see the pilot in the cockpit from here. I wonder if he’ll wave back to me?

Bon voyage.

 

 

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My Travel

Discovering Lloret de Mar

My toes dig in to the grainy sand as I look at the ever-changing blue and green of the Spanish Mediterranean after my evening swim. Azure, turquoise, transparent emerald and foamy white flow together just before the waves break on the shore. The beach stretches on to my right, the rocks of Costa Brava are clearly visible to my left – some small, some big. You can tell the sun is getting ready to set, but it will be a while before the evening turns dark. I breathe in the smell of sea salt and realize the only thing filling my mind and heart is the water in front of me. Welcome to Lloret de Mar.

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Getting There

Lloret de Mar is located some 70 km from Barcelona and 34 km from Girona. Direct flights to both destinations are available from many European cities. So far I’ve flown to Barcelona and proceeded to catch a bus to Lloret. Advance purchase of tickets online is strongly advisable! Lloret is a popular tourist destination even in these times of economic uncertainty and your nerves will thank you when you are standing in line to the bus with a ticket firmly clutched in your hand. Don’t worry if the next available departure time is an hour or two after you arrive. Barcelona Airport is large and you might walk through it quite a bit before you reach the bus terminal. Once there, time will pass quickly while observing other tourists and fantasizing about the beach in Lloret as the summer breeze toys with your hair. The bus drive takes about two hours and includes passing through the streets of Barcelona and a great view of the city harbour.

Lloret Beaches

I love discovering coastal towns. There are quite a few with “de Mar” in their names lining Costa del Maresme and Costa Brava. Lloret de Mar is definitely one of my favourites. Located on the northeast corner of the Iberian Peninsula in Catalonia, Lloret boasts five main beaches and an impressive seven kilometers of coastline. Long beach walks? You got it. Lloret Beach alone, one of the primary magnets for visitors, is 1,5 km long. A spot on the sand is always easy to find. This beach also provides a small adventure when entering and leaving the water – the shoreline slopes towards the sea and is steeper in some areas. This is good for working on those leg muscles, but can be a little tricky if you’re climbing out on a day when the waves are bigger. So take care.

If you walk further in either the direction of the castle clearly visible in one of Lloret’s cliffs or in the opposite one, you will see a number of coves and smaller beaches also fit for swimming. Some of the coves are rockier than others and it’s normal to encounter tourists pondering whether to approach or not. But these corners of Lloret make for fantastic picture-taking, and a sandy beach will definitely come your way. What’s noticeable is how clean the beaches are and the same applies to Lloret.

Speaking of That Castle…

20150806_160424-1[1]This is a local landmark and a postcard view in Lloret that few can resist. I have been to this town several times and every year I snap a picture. Construction on D’En Plaja Castle began  in 1935 and finished in the 1940s. It blends in seamlessly with the surrounding landscape, looking for all the world as if it emerged straight from the rocks it stands on. According to local information, initial controversy accompanied the project (as is often the case with new construction). Thankfully moods shifted, as the result of the work by Girona architect Isidor Bosch turned in to one of Lloret’s most irresitible attractions. The castle itself is actually a private building, which you realize thanks to a polite sign as soon as you try to find a way in. But the walk along it and beyond on the cliff path is one of the loveliest in Lloret, with breath-taking views of the local pieces of Costa Brava from above.

In Town

Lloret has a special quality. Even if it becomes familiar to you, after visiting it several times, you still want to go there and take the pictures you’ve already taken. The sea never looks the same. The light plays differently. The wind stirring up the water makes you feel giddily happy and there must be a better angle to catch the way the sunlight sparkles on the waves.

The beach, of course, makes up the main past-time and it’s glorious to live with just a few summer outfits for a while. Your only accessories are sunglasses and a sunhat (and sunscreen). Everything is a walk away. Days melt in to each other and it starts feeling like this will go on forever.

But there is one day to remember: Tuesday, when Lloret’s weekly market takes place from 9:00 to 13:30. Tip – start in the morning, as it’s not as hot, and walk to the very end. The last section overflows with fruit and vegetables from Fruites Peris and it’s absolutely possible to walk away with several bags for less than 4 euros. Biting in to a juicy peach afterwards is a special kind of moment. Everything seems to taste better with sea air surrounding you.

Shopping in Lloret is an enjoyable experience, especially in the Carrer de Venècia. Avoid the shops with no signs and salesmen shouting “Looky, looky” in various languages. Closer to the middle of the street is where the interesting ones start. If you want to look at the local souvenir fare, there are several similar, but not completely the same, shops recognizable by their long spaces and sparkling trays of pretty costume jewelry. For clothes check out the Rosy boutique. For shoes my absolute favourite is Vives Shoes. This is the place to go to if you are missing a pair of shoes for your vacation…or just want to look at shoes. Wearable heels, a satisfying selection of sandals and flip-flops, low sneakers, colourful flats. Affordable, but not cheaply made, these shoes will be good to your feet.

Carrer de Venècia changes to Carrer de la Vila, and right at the end of it is one the most inviting bakeries in Lloret de Mar – Pastisseria Can Carbó. The airy space makes for pleasant scrutinizing and subsequent choosing of a fresh treat. Lloret generally has the snacks everybody loves conveniently sold every few feet, just when you start thinking about it. Any gelateria is worth a stop. I was asked in one of them if I wanted chocolate sauce in my cone – hell yeah! Best stracciatella and pistachio ice cream combo ever.

20150806_153443-1[1]Right opposite the bakery is another local landmark –  Sant Romà’s Parish Church. The more recent modernist meets the older Byzantine in this building originally built in the 16th century.  Immediately visible thanks to its colourful roof, it’s an arresting combination of different architectural styles. The shaded square in front of it is a nice spot to relax between walking. Just to the right of the church is the Carrer de Sant Pere, a street with slightly quirkier and partly more upscale shops. Drop by Mata Hari if you’re looking for funny souvenirs to bring back.

Some More Words on Food

My favourite place to eat is the Pizzeria Safari on Av. Joan Llaverias. I first spotted this restaurant years ago and stopped to look at the clear and inviting menu. No one bothered me as I did so – an extremely important and often overlooked detail in attracting guests. Then I stepped in and a friendly waiter immediately appeared. An awning above the nicely spaced tables provides both shade and lets in air. The multilingual menu includes not only pizza, but a solid mix of Spanish, Italian and other European cuisine. The conclusion is simple: everything tastes delicious, always. The portions are just right, the atmosphere is family-like and comfortable. And it’s good to the vacation budget. But what really sets this place apart is the service – a mix of discreet and attentive, as well as recognizing guests who come there year after year. I found myself wishing very hard that the restaurant would continue to do well in the coming years. It’s a part of Lloret de Mar for me.

Jardins de Santa Clotilde

This is a very special place in Lloret that takes you to another small world as soon as you step in it. Located a short bus ride away from the town center, the gardens were designed in 1919. A romantic story frames its history – Clotilde was the wife of the owner, the Marquis of Roviralta. She died young and the gardens are named after her. It’s a place of beauty, as well as an example of stylish and harmonious landscaping that, once again, fits in the local backdrop.

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After all of the above I walk to my favourite beach, pick a spot and again let the view of the sea fill me up. Welcome to Lloret de Mar.

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My Travel

Gouda in the Netherlands

Gouda is not just the cheese. It’s a fairy-tale town in the Netherlands not far from Utrecht, and if you go on a Saturday, you might just walk right in to their famous market. The cheese (and not just Gouda cheese) makes up a substantial part of it, but there are also stalls overflowing with fruit in the summertime and irresistible Dutch souvenirs. Surrounding the market is Gouda’s historical town square and many beautiful side streets waiting to be discovered, not to mention a canal or two. If you are looking for some more of that magical Dutch charm, this is another place to visit.

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