Beautiful mountains, fjords and tiny islands out in the open sea. Those are the pictures we are used to see of my dear Norway. A few days ago, before the bombing in Oslo and the shooting at Utøya last Friday, I never expected my homeland to be the center of attention as a result of terror. As the Norwegian author Jo Nesbø put it in his article The Past is …
Laying in the sun on a beautiful beach, hour after hour? What might sound like paradise to some people, to me is torture. Give me a surfboard, a pair of running shoes, a yoga mat and a bike and I will have the time of my life. This is why I never went on a classical package holiday, and I would probably bore my ass off, if I ever went. …
Which city is the best place to live in the entire world? According to the British Monocle magazine‘s annual Quality of Life survey, you should move to Helsinki as soon as possible. After a visit to Finland during the cold and dark winter, as a part of an high school exchange project 10 years ago, I had mixed feelings about the country and thought of it as a bit grey and …
Growing up in a small town as a child, I never really thought too much about where the vegetables at the supermarket came from. Even though I had spent parts of my holidays in the Norwegian mountains and at the seaside, harvesting my own food was limited to picking berries from bushes and going fishing with my dad. Throughout the years, I’ve become more and ore aware of the means of …
The Travelettes have been writing together for quite some time and during an evening at our Berlin-based Travelettes office we figured it was about time that we went on a small excursion together. When Yvonne from Just Travelous revealed that the abandoned entertainment park Spreepark would be opened for the public this weekend, it was an opportunity we couldn’t miss out on. Since it closed its doors in 2001 the …
Whether you go to Brazil, Russia, France or Portugal, all countries have their own drinking culture and delicious drinks that brings you one step closer to the national culture. If you read the Travelettes bio, you already know about my weakness for a good ol’ Brazilian Caipirinha, but I’m no stranger to wine or liquor either. Having spent quite some time in Portugal, this is the country I relate to …
When going abroad, I think it is important to be polite and behave according to local customs, but every now and then a blunder happens. Something like giving thumbs up (a don’t in Brazil and the middle east) and waving at your friends with an open palm (in Greece) can be the source of misunderstanding and offend the locals. After reading an article about foreign etiquette for Americans I realized …
Want to challenge your view of what it means to be a person living in London? Unseen tours gives you the opportunity to see the city from a completely different, and often shunned perspective. Let a homeless person be your guide for some hours, and challenge yourself to broaden your own horizon. The guides own stories and experiences from the city introduces a social consciousness to commercial walking tours. And …
Last week I went to Norway to visit friends and family, and decided that this time I was going to do some touristy stuff as well. One of the main things on my to-do-list when I visit a city is to go to thrift stores and flea markets, and Oslo was no exception. Instead of the standard souvenirs I love to find unique local, possibly weird and cheap treasures. So …
When the nights are long, and sunlight is scarce, there is one natural phenomenon that lights up my spirit. I’m talking about the aurora borealis (or northern/polar lights). Coming from Norway I’ve experienced this magic light a few times, but it never stops to amaze me. It is more beautiful than anything man can make, and not even the best fireworks in the world can measure up with this natural …
