♪♫ Crash - Matt Willis
This blog is going to be very long... possibly the longest blog I've ever written. I went to Europe for three weeks from mid October until early November, and I have a ton to write about! Also, for each place, I'm going to post a slideshow video of the photos I took, that way this blog isn't too ridiculously long.
Dublin, Kinvarra, and County Clare, Ireland
My trip started off in Dublin, Ireland. This was honestly a bit of a challenging start, because I did not immediately like Dublin a whole lot. Nothing bad happened and people weren't rude at all, but something about that city just didn't vibe with me. It didn't feel as fun and relaxing as I had hoped. Despite that, I still had the best time I could. On my first first day, I arrived at 8:30 am, and got the Airbnb around 10:30 am. I wanted to stay awake to adjust my sleeping schedule, so I knew I needed to head out and do something. My first stop was a shopping area and a mall. I looked around in a lot of stores, including T.K. Maxx, which is a store that I really wanted to check out. Here in Canada, our version is called Winners. Exact same company and store, just a different name. I found that T.K. Maxx had a lot more clothing items, but much less housewares than what we have in Canada.
I stopped in a cafe, where I had a hot latte. I wasn't sure what to order and I panicked, haha. I'm not usually a latte drinker, but through my time in Europe, I've come to love both hot lattes and hot mochas! Anyways, I also found a bookstore called Hodges Figgis. It was huge! As I've come to learn, bookstores Ireland and the United Kingdom are massive. It was four or five levels! We don't have bookstores that big in Canada. I will say that ours are spread out in a larger area, but I still think the ones over there are much bigger. I wish we had them here!
After my shopping adventure, I decided to go to the Museum of Curiosities. The guy who ran it was a strange guy with an intense passion for weird stuff, which I loved, haha. The place had so many bizarre things. The highlights for me was seeing the taxidermied bear, trying out playing the Theremin, and the massive collection of creepy clown stuff. When I was finished in the museum, I began feeling quite tired, so I headed to a healthy food place to grab a Greek chicken bowl (which was super delicious), plus I also went into a grocery store and bought a Krispy Kreme donut (pumpkin themed of course). It was my first time having Krispy Kreme, and it was good!
The next day I headed to an area with an indoor market and multiple charity shops. I learned that charity shops are nothing like thrift stores here in Canada. They are very small, and it feels almost fancy. Everything is set up like a nice little boutique. In Canada, we have massive thrift stores with tons of clothing, housewares, toys, furniture, etc. I much prefer the thrift stores in Canada. Once I was done looking around in shops, I went into a little bakery because I was hungry. I ordered a pistachio croissant and an iced latte. I will be dreaming about that pistachio croissant forever, because it was heavenly.
Around this point I decided to finally head to the big tourist destination in Dublin, which is Temple Bar. Unsurprisingly it was quite busy. After walking around a bit in that area, I went to George's Street Arcade, which is an indoor market. It had lots of cute stuff, but I didn't buy anything. I then went into Penney's, which was one of my favourite stores in Ireland. Its a huge store with multiple levels, similar to Target. Prices were pretty decent, and they had a lot of cute stuff... including a ton of mushroom housewares! I was so heartbroken that I couldn't buy any, because I didn't have space in my luggage.
My day ended by heading to a restaurant for fish and chips, which was good. It was also when I discovered that their Fanta is basically carbonated orange juice. Its yellow in colour, with much less sugar and calories. I think we get the American version here in Canada... florescent orange with lots of sugar, haha. It tastes so good though! The European version... not so much. It was fine, just not what I was hoping for. This meal was also my introduction to curry sauce. I had asked for gravy, becauce gravy is really big here in Canada. You can get it at pretty much any restaurant or fast food place. Sadly, I think the love of gravy is a Canadian thing. Its not even a big thing in the United States!
The next day I headed to the Dublin Castle for a tour. I actually quite enjoyed it, even though a couple people said it wasn't worth it. I like history and old architecture, so those kinds of spots are fun for me. I also love art, so I also visited the National Gallery. They didn't have a whole lot of art that interested me there, but I still enjoyed it anwyays. In the evening, I headed to another mall and a grocery store to look around. I ended up buying some frozen pizza and cupcakes. I also walked around the River Liffey, which had some unique bridges. I even saw a swan gracefully swimming along. But back to the frozen pizza for a minute... I brought it back to the Airbnb and asked the woman if I could use her oven, which she was said was fine. Then she asked what it was for and I said a frozen pizza... and she seemed really baffled, haha. Is that not common in Ireland?
Due to my dislike of Dublin, I decided to book a day trip outside of Dublin for my final day, and it was the best decision I could have made! I loved Ireland outside of Dublin! The tour bus took us to a small village called Kinvara, then to the Cliffs of Moher, and then to a small nearby village for dinner (where I ate a traditional Irish stew that was by far the best stew I've ever eaten!). I got to see the Irish countryside as we drove, and our tour guide gave us facts and historical information throughout the day. I really enjoyed myself on that last day in Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are beautiful, although a bit windy. I got lucky because the day I visited, it was mostly sunny with not too many clouds. I guess that is rare!
My Europe trip also ended in Dublin, since that is where I got my round trip ticket from. On my final night at the very end, I went to an Irish singing/dancing show with dinner included. It was quite enjoyable, even though I left a bit early due to not feeling well.
My shopping haul from Ireland: a little felt pumpkin, my (almost) name on a souvenir, Dublin city guide, Dublin postcard, Cliffs of Moher postcard, Cliffs of Moher ticket, Museum of Curiosities pamphlet, National Gallery map, my Leap card (for public transport), Carroll's Irish Gifts bag, pumpkin earrings, a fairy bookmark, a Temple Bar coaster, a vintage Halloween inspired greeting card, Dublin Castle entry bracelet, a Guinness magnet/bottle opener, and a National Gallery pencil. I wanted to buy multiple Halloween themed items, because Halloween originated in Ireland!
Story behind the Deirdre souvenir: I was excited to visit Ireland because I have an Irish name, and as a child, I was never able to find my name on anything here in Canada. I thought going to Ireland was finally my chance to find something with my name on it! Unfortunately though, I asked multiple Irish folks if my name was common, and I was told that its an old fashioned Irish name that isn't used much anymore. I was also told that my spelling is even more uncommon. This was the only item I came across that had any variation of my name, so I bought it! My name is spelled without the first R, so its not too far off.
Prague, The Czech Republic
My next stop was technically Edinburgh, Scotland, but I got there in the evening on my first day and the second day I had planned a last minute trip to Prague, The Czech Republic, so that is the stop I'll talk about next. The purpose of this whirlwind trip was to go to The DOX for an art exhibit, featuring over 400 pieces of David Lynch's artwork in various mediums. David had been most of the way through planning this himself when he passed away back in January. Due to his passing, I figured this was likely one of the last exhibits of his artwork. Even if it wasn't, it was the last one that was done the way he planned it to be. I felt like I couldn't miss it. I even made myself a David Lynch ring and wore my vintage blue velvet skirt. I spent two hours there and looked at every single piece without rushing. I took it all in. It was wonderful. I felt like a dream come true.
I went to the gift shop hoping to find a David Lynch item to buy, and I did! I have had 'Someone is in My House' on my wishlist for a long time, and they had it... so I finally bought it! I also got a Prague bookmark for my bookmark collection, and I took two of the free pamphlets from the exhibit (one for my travel memory box & one for my David Lynch collection to display). Plus I bought a postcard at the airport before leaving!
Edinburgh, Glencoe, & Loch Ness, Scotland
Next was Scotland, starting in Edinburgh, and I immediately fell in love with Edinburgh. The city is absolutely beautiful, the people are super friendly and funny, and it has an overall magical and relaxed vibe. I had forgotten that J.K. Rowling (obligatory: fuck her for being a TERF) wrote Harry Potter while living there. You can really see the Harry Potter inspiration! The first place I started at was Edinburgh Castle, where I had a tour and had tea at their tea room. It was lovely, and I felt so fancy, haha. Then after I left and headed down to do some shopping, I looked up and realized that Edinburgh Castle looks like Hogwarts! I ended up buying a 'book scarf', which was not official Harry Potter merchandise, but looked suspiciously like the Gryffindor scarf from the first couple movies! I was happy because I loved Harry Potter as a kid and really wanted a Harry Potter sounvenir, but also didn't want J.K. Rowling to get my money.
For shopping, I went into some random places in the area. One of them was a store called The Fungarium, which is mostly dedicated to mushrooms! Yes, I absolutely went in and bought something! I was so excited to find a mushroom themed store, haha. I also went into this super cool store called Pie in the Sky, which had all this fun pop culture merchanidse. My next stop was the National Gallery, where I fell in love with Monet. I wasn't really a fan of his work before. Not that I hated it, but I didn't particularly think much of it. Well... seeing it in person was a whole different experience. I was blown away. It was comparable with when I saw The Starry Night by Van Gogh in New York City. It felt almost emotional and spiritual.
My final stop in Edinbrugh was a ghost tour of the Edinburgh Vaults, which my best friend convinced me to do. The tour was super spooky and I took pictures while I was down there, as I always do when I visit a haunted location... this time though... something weird happened. First of all, this strange white orb showed up in multiple pictures. I have absolutely no logical explanation for this. It couldn't have been passing dirt, because like I said, it was in multiple pictures. Also, right afterwards, it caused my camera to act weird. It went out of focus and some of the photos came out like I shook the camera violently... but I was staying completely still. If I'm being honest, I'm somewhat on the fence about my belief in ghosts, but this is certainly pushing me towards belief. In addition to the photos, the feeling down there was somewhat sinister and uncomfortable. Not every haunted location I've been to has had that feeling.
For the final day, like I did in Ireland, I also booked a tour to see outside of Edinburgh (even though I really loved it!). The destination was to see the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness. While driving on the bus, I got to see lots of breathtaking scenery, and I realized... Scotland is basically Middle Earth! I started listening to the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit soundtracks and it made the experience even more magical. I was so blown away by the beauty! We stopped at the Highlands to get some pictures and take in the beauty of the scenery, then we headed to Loch Ness. We went to see the ruins of a castle, and then we got a boat ride on the water to see if we could spot Nessie... which we didn't sadly, haha. I will definitely be going back to Scotland again. I didn't spend nearly enough time there and I need to see much more of Scotland and more of Edinburgh too!
My shopping haul from Scotland: a little plush bag piper bear (when you press the bagpipes there is actual music that plays), a book scarf (I wanted something Harry Potter themed that wasn't official because I don't support J.K. Rowling), a mushroom book, a postcard of Edinburgh castle, a postcard of the Edinburgh vaults, Edinburgh city guide, Edinburgh castle map, National Gallery map, House of Scotland gift bag, a Glencoe postcard, a Loch Ness post card, ticket to Edinburgh castle, a postcard of Poplars on the Epte by Monet, a bookmark of The Progress of a Soul: The Victory by Phoebe Anna Traquair, a tiny little troll doll, and an Alice in Wonderland bookmark.
London, England
After Scotland, I headed to London, England. London immediately reminded me of New York City in the vibe it gave off. Its hard to explain... and definitely not a bad thing! I adored New York City, and I adored London! It was huge, with tons of stuff to see and do. My first day was mostly dedicated to shopping. I headed to Brick Lane Vintage and Camden Market. I have never seen so many vintage stores nor a market so big! Both of those things took up almost all of my day, but it was worth it! I did find some clothing I loved at Brick Lane, but I was being selective about my spending, so I didn't buy them. At Camden Market, I bought myself a sun ring and a moon ring, and I got my dad a band shirt (The Cure) for Christmas. I also bought my grandmother a Paddington Bear there, which was probably a counterfit, but if it was, it was a very well done counterfit... plus it saved me $25-$30 Canadian dollars, because the exact same one in more official stores was £30 - £35 and I paid £20. The exchange rate is quite brutal for us Canadians right now, so I had to be careful with what I bought.
I started out my second day by seeing Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, then I went searching for an iconic red telephone box. Once I found one, I waited until another tourist came by and asked for them to take some photos of me, which they happily agreed to! After that, I headed to see Big Ben and parliament square. Big Ben is so pretty in person! I had some time to kill, so I also walked to Buckingham Palace, which wasn't very exciting, haha. Then I got a taxi to a tea room, where I had booked an Alice in Wonderland afternoon tea experience! It was so magical. I was there for probably almost three hours and I loved every second of it. The atmosphere was insanely relaxing to the point that I thought I might fall asleep sitting up, haha.
I ended off that day by going to the National Gallery, where I knew they had my second favourite painting by Van Gogh, the beautiful Sunflowers. I also got to see The Water Lily Pond by Monet, which also blew me away. They were both so lovely, and I spent as much time as I could looking at them. I also got to see The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, which is a painting that I found to be powerful. I think that seeing art is one of my absolute favourite things to do when I visit a place.
On my last day in London, I went to a funghi trail to see if I could find a better looking Toadstool mushroom... no luck! But the walk was nice anyways. From there, I headed to Ian McKellen's (Gandalf in Lord of the Rings) pub, where he has one of the screen-used staffs of Gandalf behind the bar! I got a drink and some food, and it was lovely. From there I headed to the Tate Modern, where I spent quite a while looking at art. I also paid to go into the Picasso exhibit. I was surprised and impressed by the brutal honesty of the exhibit in regards to Picasso's misogyny and appropriation of other cultures in his art. This brutal honesty made me enjoy the exhibit so much more. There is one painting in particular that really spoke to me: The Weeping Woman. She reminded me of Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks, then she made me think of the pain of womanhood due to how her suffering was used as nothing more than inspiration for a man to use.
My final stop was to a pub called The Maple Leaf, which is Canadian themed! I guess I wanted a little taste of home to cure some of my homesickness. It worked! They did a good job decorating the inside of the pub with Canadian things. They were also playing Canadian music like The Tragically Hip and Rush. I ordered a drink and a poutine... which was actually not bad. I'd give it a 7/10. They used actual cheese curds!
My shopping haul from London: Tower of London gift bag, Paddington Bear key chain, National Gallery gift bag, a stamp, a London postcard, a postcard of Sunflowers by Van Gogh, two bookmarks of The Water Lily Pond by Monet (I bought one at the National Gallery and then I found one I liked more in a bookstore because it had silver detailing), a Paddington bear bookmark, a celestial bookmark, a holographic Union Jack sticker, a postcard of The Water Lily Pond by Monet, a magnet of Sunflowers by Van Gogh, a small rubber duck Gandalf (I went to Ian McKellen's pub and my Airbnb host had a collection of rubber ducks so it felt fitting for a souvenir), a London compact mirror, a small telephone box trinket, a Tate Modern pencil, a London pencil, a mushroom themed reusable bag, a tube map, the "Drink Me" tag from the Alice in Wonderland afternoon tea experience, and two celestial themed rings.
Paris, France
Paris, was my next stop. On the day that I arrived, I decided to walk around and explore. It started raining, which sucked, but I was too excited to stay inside at the Airbnb. I ended up walking all the way to the Eiffel Tower, which was beautiful in person. It was kind of surreal and almost emotional, because I instantly thought about I grew up poor and I never thought I'd get to experience my dream of travelling. Also, I got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling! At night, it sparkles every hour for five minutes... so magical! I also went into a couple souvenir shops and got a couple postcards, but my bag wasn't as waterproof as I thought... and they got ruined, sadly.
The next day, I got up early to do my hair and makeup, and put a cute outfit on. Why? I wanted to take pictures on the terrace! Part of the reason I booked this particular Airbnb is because of the view of the Eiffel Tower from the terrace. Getting a terrace with a view like that in Paris is... well it tends to be $600 CAD minimum per night. It also sells out fast in advance. However, I came across this Airbnb a year before the trip, and it was only $280 CAD per night, and with breakfast included! All the other places I stayed at in Europe were about $100 CAD per night, so this was more expensive for sure, but I wanted to be a little fancier in Paris. It was so worth it! I had coffee every morning on the terrace and admired the view... and I'll really miss it.
After my little photoshoot, I had my first day of breakfast at the Airbnb; fresh croissants made by the Airbnb owner, with jam, and a cup of coffee made with freshly ground beans. I will never be able to eat a store bought croissant again... these were extraordinary. I was in heaven every morning. Anyways, after this particular breakfast, I headed to the Louvre! There was so much to see that I think I spent more than three hours there. I got to see the Mona Lisa, of course. However, my favourite painting was one of an angel reaching up to the light. It just... really spoke to me. I did enjoy the Louvre, but it was quite crowded and there was a bit of a musty smell. I'm sure the smell is because its a super old building though.
While I was at the Louvre, I went to a restaurant that was connected to the museum, where I had the most insanely delicious creamy mushroom pasta, and pistachio macarons for dessert! It was also my first lesson about French restaurant culture... there is no rush, and you have to specifically ask for water. I kept wondering why the dessert took so long, then the bill wasn't coming... I'm used to a quick in-and-out here in North America.
As I was leaving the Louvre, a guy tried to pickpocket me! He was standing by the exit, looking sketchy, and I felt his hand touch my pocket as I slowly walked by (I was looking at my phone so I slowed down). Unlucky for him that I knew about the pickpocketing issue, so my money and important things were all in the pockets located on the inside of my jacket, which was fully zipped up. He got nothing, haha. It was almost a bit exciting though, just to have the story about a pickpocketing experience. We don't really have that in North America. When people want your stuff here... they just pull a weapon and demand your stuff, haha.
Next, I went to the Shakespeare and Co. store, which is a famous English bookstore in Paris. I ended up buying The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J.R.R. Tolkien and a little drawstring bag, and I got a free bookmark with my purchase! In the evening, I went to the Monet musuem, since I had fallen in love with Monet earlier in my trip. It was lovely and located in the cutest building. It was a like a Victorian mansion. There were two Monet paintings in particular that I fell in love with there.
The next day was Halloween! I started my day with coffee on the terrace of course, and I had to wear my skull sweater, which was appropriate for both Halloween and one of my planned activities for the day; going to the Catacombs! Before that, however, I headed to the Luxembourg Gardens, where I spent over an hour just walking around and sitting to admire the scenery.
I went to the Catacombs in the mid afternoon, and it wasn't what I thought it would be like. First of all, it is so far underground, that I had to walk down the craziest spiral staircase ever. When I got down there, I expected to be scared and the vibes to be spooky. Instead, though, it felt sad. I looked at all the bones and wondered what these people's lives were like when they were alive. I also wondered if any of my relatives were there (I have some Parisian ancestors). It made me reflect on life and death. It was beautiful and spiritual, but not scary or spooky at all. I enjoyed the experience, but differently than I anticipated.
I then went to see the Arc de Triomphe, before I headed back to the Airbnb to have a little Halloween celebration. I had already brought my tablet with me, which had downloaded episdoes of Treehouse of Horror on it, I had brought a small bag of Halloween candy, and I brought a pair of Halloween pajamas to wear. I also ordered some truffle pasta for my dinner. I ended up watching a few episodes of Treehouse of Horror before deciding to watch As Above, So Below. It was the movie that had made me think the Catacombs were scary, and althought they ended up not being that way, I still had that movie on my mind, so I had to watch it!
The next day was The Palace of Versailles! I spent half the day there, looking at all the beautiful architecture and scenery. It was a bit too crowded and similar to the Louvre, it had a musty smell. Despite that, it was still enjoyable. When I was outside by the gardens, a lovely Vietnamese woman asked me to take some photos of her, and then she insisted on taking photos of me. How sweet! So I got some cute photos in front of the fountain. Before I left, I stopped by the little macaron shop and got a fancy little box of macarons. They got a little beat up because I was carrying them around all day, but they still tasted delicious!
My afternoon plans were to visit Jim Morrison's grave in Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. I didn't plan it this way, but it also happened to be All Saints Day in France. Its a day of mourning those who have passed, which includes visiting cemetaries to clean graves and leave fresh flowers. The cemetary I was visiting was already famous for having famous folks buried there, so it is usually a bit busy, but on that day there was also a lot of people visiting loved ones. I spent about fifteen minutes at Jim's grave. I listened to The End with headphones on, which is almost twelve minutes long. It felt like a special moment to pay respects to a musician and poet that I have admired for half of my life. My day ended by seeing the Notre-Dame, and doing some shopping.
My shopping haul from Paris: a Paris postcard, a Versailles postcard, a Le Chat Noir postcard, a postcard of the Mona Lisa by da Vinci, a Catacombs postcard, a postcard of Jim Morrion's grave, postcard of a Monet painting, Laudrée gift bag and macaron guide, a map of Versailles, a set of Marie Antoinette bookmarks, a Paris bookmark, a Catacombs bookmark, a Mona Lisa bookmark, a bookmark of a Monet painting, a Shakespeare and Co. bookmark, another Paris bookmark, a Louvre museum map, an Eiffel Tower and macarons keychain, a set of Eiffel Tower earrings, a Paris pencil, a small jar of jam, the book The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J.R.R. Tolkien, a Shakespeare and Co. canvas drawstring bag, my public transport card, and a Twin Peaks shirt.
Tromsø, Norway
My next stop was Tromsø, Norway, a small city in the Arctic Circle. I got there somewhat late in the evening, so I stopped at a store inside the Airport to grab some yogurt, bananas, iced coffee in a can, and a large slice of pizza to get me through the evening and next morning. It was dark when I arrived, but I could faintly see the outline of the mountains in the distance. I was already blown away! The next morning, I got to see the beautiful view of a Fjord. It got me excited for my plans that day. I was debating back and forth for months even before my trip on whether or not I wanted to pay for a Northern Lights tour. They are pricey, and there is always a small chance of not seeing them. I thought to myself that I might see them in Tromsø, but its a city, so light pollution would be an issue. My Airbnb was technically not in Tromsø, but a rural area just outside the city, so I also thought that maybe I could just see them there... but there was still light pollution.
After debating back and forth about this with myself, I decided that I should go for it. I'm only there for a short time, and I may never have the money to come back again. I picked a tour that was a small bus with a capacity for ten people, and it also stated that the tour guides did amateur photography and took the photos of tour guests for free. The price also included snacks, hot drinks, and soup. It was a good deal in my opinion. So after booking that, I had time to kill since the tour didn't start until 6pm.
I headed into the city to do a little shopping. Norway was probably the most expensive place I visited, so I was extra careful with my spending. I also ate quite cheap while I was there. I actually pretty much ate just grocery store food, except for the late lunch I had at McDonald's this particular day. Sadly though... it was pretty bad McDonald's. Somehow it tasted more processed and more bland. What a disappointment. Once I was finished, I went to a store to rent some heavy duty winter boots for the Northern Lights tour. From there, I headed to the Troll Museum to learn about Norweigan folklore. It was a very cute little museum! By the time I finished that, it was time to go to the meeting spot for the Northern Lights tour!
The tour wasn't fully booked for that night, so it was only five of us all together, plus three tour guides. They explained that sometimes they have to drive for hours to find a clear spot to see the lights, so it can be unpredictible. We ended up only driving about an hour outside of Tromsø, where they found clear skies in a large field that was surrounded by snow covered mountains! The moon was bright that night, so I could clearly see the mountains. I've never seen mountains like that before, so I was in awe. The Northern Lights were starting up a bit, so we could see a little bit right away. Everyone was setting up their tripods and figuring out the settings for taking photos. While we waited for the lights to strengthen, I just admired the mountains.
We spent a total of probably five hours in this spot. It was freezing cold. I don't know the exact temperature, but it was definitely around -5°C. Multiple hot drinks were offered, but I chose cocoa. I also had several cookies, and a vegetable tomato noodle soup that was super delicious! We also had chairs to sit in and a fire for warmth. In the last half of being there, the Northern Lights became much more intense. We could see the green colour, sometimes with bits of dark pink. They danced across the sky. I remember one moment in particular when they danced fast and super bright right above us for a couple minutes. It was the most intense display I've ever seen! We got to see the lights the entire time we were there, in various displays and degrees of intensity. Luckily the sky remained clear for us!
It was the most magical experience of my life. I felt so connected to nature. As a group we also had a great time connecting. The tour guides shared scientific information on the Lights, as well as different cultural beliefs about them. We all got to know each other a bit, and even joked around and laughed. At one point the tour guides decided to try out light drawing photography, and it got really funny. There was a couple and they wanted to try drawing a heart in front of them, but it kept turning out like a butt, haha. Then they decided to try something else, so they asked me if I wanted to be the subject of the photo, and I agreed. When discussing what the tour guide was going to try to draw, he said he would try a word this time, "Tromsø". He ended up doing it perfectly on the first try! The guy taking the photo started laughing and said, "how is it that you can't draw a heart but you can write out Tromsø perfectly?". It gave us all a laugh, and gave me a funny photo with a great memory attached.
The next day I started feeling a bit unwell. That feeling you get right before you get sick with a cold or flu. Thankfully it was my last day in Norway, and at the end of my trip. I powered through it anyways, and I took the bus to a village called Ersfjordbotn, which is known for phenonemal views of the Fjords. I went to a little cafe there, where I had a hot mocha and a slice of winter spice cake. It was so delicious! I got to sit for quite a while in a comfy chair and just relax, taking in my surroundings. I also went out back behind the cafe to get photos, because it was the most popular photo spot in the area. It was gorgeous! Sadly I didn't look too great because I wasn't feeling well.
I went back into Tromsø afterwards, because I had to return the winter boots. I decided I wanted to see the Arctic Cathedral, so I took the bus there. I got there when they closed, but that is fine because I was pretty much just interested in seeing the outside of it anwyays. It was beautiful! Such a unique design. There was also a lookout point there to see most of Tromsø, and it was beautiful as well! After that, I headed to a grocery store. I was craving soup and bread, which is what I got. When I returned to the Airbnb, I turned the heat up, prepared the soup and bread, and got cozy as I enjoyed my final meal and final night in Norway.
My shopping haul from Tromsø: a city map, a small shopping bag, two postcards (one is a 3D lenticular image of the Northern Lights), a bookmark, a plush sled dog key chain, a magnet, a postcard from the Troll Museum, a stamp (which I accidentally agreed to buy when buying a postcard, haha), and a pair of socks.
Here are all the bookmarks together that I purchased on this trip. My bookmark collection is growing so much!
I had such an amazing time overall. I did experience a little culture shock, especially with washing my clothes. I packed only four outfits with the plan to do laundry as I travelled. Each Airbnb I booked listed laundry facilities, but I quickly learned that dryers are quite uncommon in these parts of Europe (except for Norway). Most people hang their clothes and linens to dry. I was hoping for a quick two hour process in which my clothes are washed and dried. I was a bit stressed when I learned how difficult laundry was going to be for me. For reference, everyone in Canada has a washer and a dryer. Two separate machines, and the dryers take 45 minutes to 90 minutes depending on the load. In the summer, many folks in houses do have clotheslines and use that to save money, but its not possible to do that for 2/3 of the year due to the cold temperatures. I never considered how laundry would be different in Europe!
If I had to give scores to each place, here would be my rankings (excluding Prague because I was there for less than a day):
Ireland:
Food: 8/10
Scenery: 8/10
Things to do: 7/10
Friendliness: 6.5/10
Shopping: 8/10
Scotland:
Food: 7.5/10
Scenery: 9/10
Things to do: 9/10
Friendliness: 9.5/10
Shopping: 9.5/10
London:
Food: 7.5/10
Scenery: 7/10
Things to do: 9.5/10
Friendliness: 7/10
Shopping: 9/10
Paris:
Food: 9.5/10
Scenery: 8.5/10
Things to do: 9/10
Friendliness: 8.5/10
Shopping: 8.5/10
Tromsø:
Food: 5/10
Scenery: 10/10
Things to do: 7.5/10
Friendliness: 7/10
Shopping: 6/10
Favourite overall place: Scotland, with Paris as a close second.
Favourite Food: Paris, with Ireland as my second choice.
Favourite Scenery: Tromsø, with Scotland as a close second.
Favourite thing I did: The Northern Lights tour, with the David Lynch art exhibit as a close second.
Overall friendliest people: Scotland, with Paris as my second choice.
Most fun place for shopping: Scotland again! London is my second choice.
It took me a month and a half to complete this blog! I can't believe it took so long... wow. I'm glad I finally got it done. Now onto my next blog to talk about my birthday and Christmas... coming very soon!
This blog is going to be very long... possibly the longest blog I've ever written. I went to Europe for three weeks from mid October until early November, and I have a ton to write about! Also, for each place, I'm going to post a slideshow video of the photos I took, that way this blog isn't too ridiculously long.
My trip started off in Dublin, Ireland. This was honestly a bit of a challenging start, because I did not immediately like Dublin a whole lot. Nothing bad happened and people weren't rude at all, but something about that city just didn't vibe with me. It didn't feel as fun and relaxing as I had hoped. Despite that, I still had the best time I could. On my first first day, I arrived at 8:30 am, and got the Airbnb around 10:30 am. I wanted to stay awake to adjust my sleeping schedule, so I knew I needed to head out and do something. My first stop was a shopping area and a mall. I looked around in a lot of stores, including T.K. Maxx, which is a store that I really wanted to check out. Here in Canada, our version is called Winners. Exact same company and store, just a different name. I found that T.K. Maxx had a lot more clothing items, but much less housewares than what we have in Canada.
I stopped in a cafe, where I had a hot latte. I wasn't sure what to order and I panicked, haha. I'm not usually a latte drinker, but through my time in Europe, I've come to love both hot lattes and hot mochas! Anyways, I also found a bookstore called Hodges Figgis. It was huge! As I've come to learn, bookstores Ireland and the United Kingdom are massive. It was four or five levels! We don't have bookstores that big in Canada. I will say that ours are spread out in a larger area, but I still think the ones over there are much bigger. I wish we had them here!
After my shopping adventure, I decided to go to the Museum of Curiosities. The guy who ran it was a strange guy with an intense passion for weird stuff, which I loved, haha. The place had so many bizarre things. The highlights for me was seeing the taxidermied bear, trying out playing the Theremin, and the massive collection of creepy clown stuff. When I was finished in the museum, I began feeling quite tired, so I headed to a healthy food place to grab a Greek chicken bowl (which was super delicious), plus I also went into a grocery store and bought a Krispy Kreme donut (pumpkin themed of course). It was my first time having Krispy Kreme, and it was good!
The next day I headed to an area with an indoor market and multiple charity shops. I learned that charity shops are nothing like thrift stores here in Canada. They are very small, and it feels almost fancy. Everything is set up like a nice little boutique. In Canada, we have massive thrift stores with tons of clothing, housewares, toys, furniture, etc. I much prefer the thrift stores in Canada. Once I was done looking around in shops, I went into a little bakery because I was hungry. I ordered a pistachio croissant and an iced latte. I will be dreaming about that pistachio croissant forever, because it was heavenly.
Around this point I decided to finally head to the big tourist destination in Dublin, which is Temple Bar. Unsurprisingly it was quite busy. After walking around a bit in that area, I went to George's Street Arcade, which is an indoor market. It had lots of cute stuff, but I didn't buy anything. I then went into Penney's, which was one of my favourite stores in Ireland. Its a huge store with multiple levels, similar to Target. Prices were pretty decent, and they had a lot of cute stuff... including a ton of mushroom housewares! I was so heartbroken that I couldn't buy any, because I didn't have space in my luggage.
My day ended by heading to a restaurant for fish and chips, which was good. It was also when I discovered that their Fanta is basically carbonated orange juice. Its yellow in colour, with much less sugar and calories. I think we get the American version here in Canada... florescent orange with lots of sugar, haha. It tastes so good though! The European version... not so much. It was fine, just not what I was hoping for. This meal was also my introduction to curry sauce. I had asked for gravy, becauce gravy is really big here in Canada. You can get it at pretty much any restaurant or fast food place. Sadly, I think the love of gravy is a Canadian thing. Its not even a big thing in the United States!
The next day I headed to the Dublin Castle for a tour. I actually quite enjoyed it, even though a couple people said it wasn't worth it. I like history and old architecture, so those kinds of spots are fun for me. I also love art, so I also visited the National Gallery. They didn't have a whole lot of art that interested me there, but I still enjoyed it anwyays. In the evening, I headed to another mall and a grocery store to look around. I ended up buying some frozen pizza and cupcakes. I also walked around the River Liffey, which had some unique bridges. I even saw a swan gracefully swimming along. But back to the frozen pizza for a minute... I brought it back to the Airbnb and asked the woman if I could use her oven, which she was said was fine. Then she asked what it was for and I said a frozen pizza... and she seemed really baffled, haha. Is that not common in Ireland?
Due to my dislike of Dublin, I decided to book a day trip outside of Dublin for my final day, and it was the best decision I could have made! I loved Ireland outside of Dublin! The tour bus took us to a small village called Kinvara, then to the Cliffs of Moher, and then to a small nearby village for dinner (where I ate a traditional Irish stew that was by far the best stew I've ever eaten!). I got to see the Irish countryside as we drove, and our tour guide gave us facts and historical information throughout the day. I really enjoyed myself on that last day in Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are beautiful, although a bit windy. I got lucky because the day I visited, it was mostly sunny with not too many clouds. I guess that is rare!
My Europe trip also ended in Dublin, since that is where I got my round trip ticket from. On my final night at the very end, I went to an Irish singing/dancing show with dinner included. It was quite enjoyable, even though I left a bit early due to not feeling well.
Story behind the Deirdre souvenir: I was excited to visit Ireland because I have an Irish name, and as a child, I was never able to find my name on anything here in Canada. I thought going to Ireland was finally my chance to find something with my name on it! Unfortunately though, I asked multiple Irish folks if my name was common, and I was told that its an old fashioned Irish name that isn't used much anymore. I was also told that my spelling is even more uncommon. This was the only item I came across that had any variation of my name, so I bought it! My name is spelled without the first R, so its not too far off.
My next stop was technically Edinburgh, Scotland, but I got there in the evening on my first day and the second day I had planned a last minute trip to Prague, The Czech Republic, so that is the stop I'll talk about next. The purpose of this whirlwind trip was to go to The DOX for an art exhibit, featuring over 400 pieces of David Lynch's artwork in various mediums. David had been most of the way through planning this himself when he passed away back in January. Due to his passing, I figured this was likely one of the last exhibits of his artwork. Even if it wasn't, it was the last one that was done the way he planned it to be. I felt like I couldn't miss it. I even made myself a David Lynch ring and wore my vintage blue velvet skirt. I spent two hours there and looked at every single piece without rushing. I took it all in. It was wonderful. I felt like a dream come true.
I went to the gift shop hoping to find a David Lynch item to buy, and I did! I have had 'Someone is in My House' on my wishlist for a long time, and they had it... so I finally bought it! I also got a Prague bookmark for my bookmark collection, and I took two of the free pamphlets from the exhibit (one for my travel memory box & one for my David Lynch collection to display). Plus I bought a postcard at the airport before leaving!
Next was Scotland, starting in Edinburgh, and I immediately fell in love with Edinburgh. The city is absolutely beautiful, the people are super friendly and funny, and it has an overall magical and relaxed vibe. I had forgotten that J.K. Rowling (obligatory: fuck her for being a TERF) wrote Harry Potter while living there. You can really see the Harry Potter inspiration! The first place I started at was Edinburgh Castle, where I had a tour and had tea at their tea room. It was lovely, and I felt so fancy, haha. Then after I left and headed down to do some shopping, I looked up and realized that Edinburgh Castle looks like Hogwarts! I ended up buying a 'book scarf', which was not official Harry Potter merchandise, but looked suspiciously like the Gryffindor scarf from the first couple movies! I was happy because I loved Harry Potter as a kid and really wanted a Harry Potter sounvenir, but also didn't want J.K. Rowling to get my money.
For shopping, I went into some random places in the area. One of them was a store called The Fungarium, which is mostly dedicated to mushrooms! Yes, I absolutely went in and bought something! I was so excited to find a mushroom themed store, haha. I also went into this super cool store called Pie in the Sky, which had all this fun pop culture merchanidse. My next stop was the National Gallery, where I fell in love with Monet. I wasn't really a fan of his work before. Not that I hated it, but I didn't particularly think much of it. Well... seeing it in person was a whole different experience. I was blown away. It was comparable with when I saw The Starry Night by Van Gogh in New York City. It felt almost emotional and spiritual.
My final stop in Edinbrugh was a ghost tour of the Edinburgh Vaults, which my best friend convinced me to do. The tour was super spooky and I took pictures while I was down there, as I always do when I visit a haunted location... this time though... something weird happened. First of all, this strange white orb showed up in multiple pictures. I have absolutely no logical explanation for this. It couldn't have been passing dirt, because like I said, it was in multiple pictures. Also, right afterwards, it caused my camera to act weird. It went out of focus and some of the photos came out like I shook the camera violently... but I was staying completely still. If I'm being honest, I'm somewhat on the fence about my belief in ghosts, but this is certainly pushing me towards belief. In addition to the photos, the feeling down there was somewhat sinister and uncomfortable. Not every haunted location I've been to has had that feeling.
For the final day, like I did in Ireland, I also booked a tour to see outside of Edinburgh (even though I really loved it!). The destination was to see the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness. While driving on the bus, I got to see lots of breathtaking scenery, and I realized... Scotland is basically Middle Earth! I started listening to the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit soundtracks and it made the experience even more magical. I was so blown away by the beauty! We stopped at the Highlands to get some pictures and take in the beauty of the scenery, then we headed to Loch Ness. We went to see the ruins of a castle, and then we got a boat ride on the water to see if we could spot Nessie... which we didn't sadly, haha. I will definitely be going back to Scotland again. I didn't spend nearly enough time there and I need to see much more of Scotland and more of Edinburgh too!
After Scotland, I headed to London, England. London immediately reminded me of New York City in the vibe it gave off. Its hard to explain... and definitely not a bad thing! I adored New York City, and I adored London! It was huge, with tons of stuff to see and do. My first day was mostly dedicated to shopping. I headed to Brick Lane Vintage and Camden Market. I have never seen so many vintage stores nor a market so big! Both of those things took up almost all of my day, but it was worth it! I did find some clothing I loved at Brick Lane, but I was being selective about my spending, so I didn't buy them. At Camden Market, I bought myself a sun ring and a moon ring, and I got my dad a band shirt (The Cure) for Christmas. I also bought my grandmother a Paddington Bear there, which was probably a counterfit, but if it was, it was a very well done counterfit... plus it saved me $25-$30 Canadian dollars, because the exact same one in more official stores was £30 - £35 and I paid £20. The exchange rate is quite brutal for us Canadians right now, so I had to be careful with what I bought.
I started out my second day by seeing Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, then I went searching for an iconic red telephone box. Once I found one, I waited until another tourist came by and asked for them to take some photos of me, which they happily agreed to! After that, I headed to see Big Ben and parliament square. Big Ben is so pretty in person! I had some time to kill, so I also walked to Buckingham Palace, which wasn't very exciting, haha. Then I got a taxi to a tea room, where I had booked an Alice in Wonderland afternoon tea experience! It was so magical. I was there for probably almost three hours and I loved every second of it. The atmosphere was insanely relaxing to the point that I thought I might fall asleep sitting up, haha.
I ended off that day by going to the National Gallery, where I knew they had my second favourite painting by Van Gogh, the beautiful Sunflowers. I also got to see The Water Lily Pond by Monet, which also blew me away. They were both so lovely, and I spent as much time as I could looking at them. I also got to see The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, which is a painting that I found to be powerful. I think that seeing art is one of my absolute favourite things to do when I visit a place.
On my last day in London, I went to a funghi trail to see if I could find a better looking Toadstool mushroom... no luck! But the walk was nice anyways. From there, I headed to Ian McKellen's (Gandalf in Lord of the Rings) pub, where he has one of the screen-used staffs of Gandalf behind the bar! I got a drink and some food, and it was lovely. From there I headed to the Tate Modern, where I spent quite a while looking at art. I also paid to go into the Picasso exhibit. I was surprised and impressed by the brutal honesty of the exhibit in regards to Picasso's misogyny and appropriation of other cultures in his art. This brutal honesty made me enjoy the exhibit so much more. There is one painting in particular that really spoke to me: The Weeping Woman. She reminded me of Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks, then she made me think of the pain of womanhood due to how her suffering was used as nothing more than inspiration for a man to use.
My final stop was to a pub called The Maple Leaf, which is Canadian themed! I guess I wanted a little taste of home to cure some of my homesickness. It worked! They did a good job decorating the inside of the pub with Canadian things. They were also playing Canadian music like The Tragically Hip and Rush. I ordered a drink and a poutine... which was actually not bad. I'd give it a 7/10. They used actual cheese curds!
Paris, was my next stop. On the day that I arrived, I decided to walk around and explore. It started raining, which sucked, but I was too excited to stay inside at the Airbnb. I ended up walking all the way to the Eiffel Tower, which was beautiful in person. It was kind of surreal and almost emotional, because I instantly thought about I grew up poor and I never thought I'd get to experience my dream of travelling. Also, I got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling! At night, it sparkles every hour for five minutes... so magical! I also went into a couple souvenir shops and got a couple postcards, but my bag wasn't as waterproof as I thought... and they got ruined, sadly.
The next day, I got up early to do my hair and makeup, and put a cute outfit on. Why? I wanted to take pictures on the terrace! Part of the reason I booked this particular Airbnb is because of the view of the Eiffel Tower from the terrace. Getting a terrace with a view like that in Paris is... well it tends to be $600 CAD minimum per night. It also sells out fast in advance. However, I came across this Airbnb a year before the trip, and it was only $280 CAD per night, and with breakfast included! All the other places I stayed at in Europe were about $100 CAD per night, so this was more expensive for sure, but I wanted to be a little fancier in Paris. It was so worth it! I had coffee every morning on the terrace and admired the view... and I'll really miss it.
After my little photoshoot, I had my first day of breakfast at the Airbnb; fresh croissants made by the Airbnb owner, with jam, and a cup of coffee made with freshly ground beans. I will never be able to eat a store bought croissant again... these were extraordinary. I was in heaven every morning. Anyways, after this particular breakfast, I headed to the Louvre! There was so much to see that I think I spent more than three hours there. I got to see the Mona Lisa, of course. However, my favourite painting was one of an angel reaching up to the light. It just... really spoke to me. I did enjoy the Louvre, but it was quite crowded and there was a bit of a musty smell. I'm sure the smell is because its a super old building though.
While I was at the Louvre, I went to a restaurant that was connected to the museum, where I had the most insanely delicious creamy mushroom pasta, and pistachio macarons for dessert! It was also my first lesson about French restaurant culture... there is no rush, and you have to specifically ask for water. I kept wondering why the dessert took so long, then the bill wasn't coming... I'm used to a quick in-and-out here in North America.
As I was leaving the Louvre, a guy tried to pickpocket me! He was standing by the exit, looking sketchy, and I felt his hand touch my pocket as I slowly walked by (I was looking at my phone so I slowed down). Unlucky for him that I knew about the pickpocketing issue, so my money and important things were all in the pockets located on the inside of my jacket, which was fully zipped up. He got nothing, haha. It was almost a bit exciting though, just to have the story about a pickpocketing experience. We don't really have that in North America. When people want your stuff here... they just pull a weapon and demand your stuff, haha.
Next, I went to the Shakespeare and Co. store, which is a famous English bookstore in Paris. I ended up buying The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J.R.R. Tolkien and a little drawstring bag, and I got a free bookmark with my purchase! In the evening, I went to the Monet musuem, since I had fallen in love with Monet earlier in my trip. It was lovely and located in the cutest building. It was a like a Victorian mansion. There were two Monet paintings in particular that I fell in love with there.
The next day was Halloween! I started my day with coffee on the terrace of course, and I had to wear my skull sweater, which was appropriate for both Halloween and one of my planned activities for the day; going to the Catacombs! Before that, however, I headed to the Luxembourg Gardens, where I spent over an hour just walking around and sitting to admire the scenery.
I went to the Catacombs in the mid afternoon, and it wasn't what I thought it would be like. First of all, it is so far underground, that I had to walk down the craziest spiral staircase ever. When I got down there, I expected to be scared and the vibes to be spooky. Instead, though, it felt sad. I looked at all the bones and wondered what these people's lives were like when they were alive. I also wondered if any of my relatives were there (I have some Parisian ancestors). It made me reflect on life and death. It was beautiful and spiritual, but not scary or spooky at all. I enjoyed the experience, but differently than I anticipated.
I then went to see the Arc de Triomphe, before I headed back to the Airbnb to have a little Halloween celebration. I had already brought my tablet with me, which had downloaded episdoes of Treehouse of Horror on it, I had brought a small bag of Halloween candy, and I brought a pair of Halloween pajamas to wear. I also ordered some truffle pasta for my dinner. I ended up watching a few episodes of Treehouse of Horror before deciding to watch As Above, So Below. It was the movie that had made me think the Catacombs were scary, and althought they ended up not being that way, I still had that movie on my mind, so I had to watch it!
The next day was The Palace of Versailles! I spent half the day there, looking at all the beautiful architecture and scenery. It was a bit too crowded and similar to the Louvre, it had a musty smell. Despite that, it was still enjoyable. When I was outside by the gardens, a lovely Vietnamese woman asked me to take some photos of her, and then she insisted on taking photos of me. How sweet! So I got some cute photos in front of the fountain. Before I left, I stopped by the little macaron shop and got a fancy little box of macarons. They got a little beat up because I was carrying them around all day, but they still tasted delicious!
My afternoon plans were to visit Jim Morrison's grave in Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. I didn't plan it this way, but it also happened to be All Saints Day in France. Its a day of mourning those who have passed, which includes visiting cemetaries to clean graves and leave fresh flowers. The cemetary I was visiting was already famous for having famous folks buried there, so it is usually a bit busy, but on that day there was also a lot of people visiting loved ones. I spent about fifteen minutes at Jim's grave. I listened to The End with headphones on, which is almost twelve minutes long. It felt like a special moment to pay respects to a musician and poet that I have admired for half of my life. My day ended by seeing the Notre-Dame, and doing some shopping.
My next stop was Tromsø, Norway, a small city in the Arctic Circle. I got there somewhat late in the evening, so I stopped at a store inside the Airport to grab some yogurt, bananas, iced coffee in a can, and a large slice of pizza to get me through the evening and next morning. It was dark when I arrived, but I could faintly see the outline of the mountains in the distance. I was already blown away! The next morning, I got to see the beautiful view of a Fjord. It got me excited for my plans that day. I was debating back and forth for months even before my trip on whether or not I wanted to pay for a Northern Lights tour. They are pricey, and there is always a small chance of not seeing them. I thought to myself that I might see them in Tromsø, but its a city, so light pollution would be an issue. My Airbnb was technically not in Tromsø, but a rural area just outside the city, so I also thought that maybe I could just see them there... but there was still light pollution.
After debating back and forth about this with myself, I decided that I should go for it. I'm only there for a short time, and I may never have the money to come back again. I picked a tour that was a small bus with a capacity for ten people, and it also stated that the tour guides did amateur photography and took the photos of tour guests for free. The price also included snacks, hot drinks, and soup. It was a good deal in my opinion. So after booking that, I had time to kill since the tour didn't start until 6pm.
I headed into the city to do a little shopping. Norway was probably the most expensive place I visited, so I was extra careful with my spending. I also ate quite cheap while I was there. I actually pretty much ate just grocery store food, except for the late lunch I had at McDonald's this particular day. Sadly though... it was pretty bad McDonald's. Somehow it tasted more processed and more bland. What a disappointment. Once I was finished, I went to a store to rent some heavy duty winter boots for the Northern Lights tour. From there, I headed to the Troll Museum to learn about Norweigan folklore. It was a very cute little museum! By the time I finished that, it was time to go to the meeting spot for the Northern Lights tour!
The tour wasn't fully booked for that night, so it was only five of us all together, plus three tour guides. They explained that sometimes they have to drive for hours to find a clear spot to see the lights, so it can be unpredictible. We ended up only driving about an hour outside of Tromsø, where they found clear skies in a large field that was surrounded by snow covered mountains! The moon was bright that night, so I could clearly see the mountains. I've never seen mountains like that before, so I was in awe. The Northern Lights were starting up a bit, so we could see a little bit right away. Everyone was setting up their tripods and figuring out the settings for taking photos. While we waited for the lights to strengthen, I just admired the mountains.
We spent a total of probably five hours in this spot. It was freezing cold. I don't know the exact temperature, but it was definitely around -5°C. Multiple hot drinks were offered, but I chose cocoa. I also had several cookies, and a vegetable tomato noodle soup that was super delicious! We also had chairs to sit in and a fire for warmth. In the last half of being there, the Northern Lights became much more intense. We could see the green colour, sometimes with bits of dark pink. They danced across the sky. I remember one moment in particular when they danced fast and super bright right above us for a couple minutes. It was the most intense display I've ever seen! We got to see the lights the entire time we were there, in various displays and degrees of intensity. Luckily the sky remained clear for us!
It was the most magical experience of my life. I felt so connected to nature. As a group we also had a great time connecting. The tour guides shared scientific information on the Lights, as well as different cultural beliefs about them. We all got to know each other a bit, and even joked around and laughed. At one point the tour guides decided to try out light drawing photography, and it got really funny. There was a couple and they wanted to try drawing a heart in front of them, but it kept turning out like a butt, haha. Then they decided to try something else, so they asked me if I wanted to be the subject of the photo, and I agreed. When discussing what the tour guide was going to try to draw, he said he would try a word this time, "Tromsø". He ended up doing it perfectly on the first try! The guy taking the photo started laughing and said, "how is it that you can't draw a heart but you can write out Tromsø perfectly?". It gave us all a laugh, and gave me a funny photo with a great memory attached.
The next day I started feeling a bit unwell. That feeling you get right before you get sick with a cold or flu. Thankfully it was my last day in Norway, and at the end of my trip. I powered through it anyways, and I took the bus to a village called Ersfjordbotn, which is known for phenonemal views of the Fjords. I went to a little cafe there, where I had a hot mocha and a slice of winter spice cake. It was so delicious! I got to sit for quite a while in a comfy chair and just relax, taking in my surroundings. I also went out back behind the cafe to get photos, because it was the most popular photo spot in the area. It was gorgeous! Sadly I didn't look too great because I wasn't feeling well.
I went back into Tromsø afterwards, because I had to return the winter boots. I decided I wanted to see the Arctic Cathedral, so I took the bus there. I got there when they closed, but that is fine because I was pretty much just interested in seeing the outside of it anwyays. It was beautiful! Such a unique design. There was also a lookout point there to see most of Tromsø, and it was beautiful as well! After that, I headed to a grocery store. I was craving soup and bread, which is what I got. When I returned to the Airbnb, I turned the heat up, prepared the soup and bread, and got cozy as I enjoyed my final meal and final night in Norway.
Here are all the bookmarks together that I purchased on this trip. My bookmark collection is growing so much!
I had such an amazing time overall. I did experience a little culture shock, especially with washing my clothes. I packed only four outfits with the plan to do laundry as I travelled. Each Airbnb I booked listed laundry facilities, but I quickly learned that dryers are quite uncommon in these parts of Europe (except for Norway). Most people hang their clothes and linens to dry. I was hoping for a quick two hour process in which my clothes are washed and dried. I was a bit stressed when I learned how difficult laundry was going to be for me. For reference, everyone in Canada has a washer and a dryer. Two separate machines, and the dryers take 45 minutes to 90 minutes depending on the load. In the summer, many folks in houses do have clotheslines and use that to save money, but its not possible to do that for 2/3 of the year due to the cold temperatures. I never considered how laundry would be different in Europe!
If I had to give scores to each place, here would be my rankings (excluding Prague because I was there for less than a day):
Ireland:
Food: 8/10
Scenery: 8/10
Things to do: 7/10
Friendliness: 6.5/10
Shopping: 8/10
Scotland:
Food: 7.5/10
Scenery: 9/10
Things to do: 9/10
Friendliness: 9.5/10
Shopping: 9.5/10
London:
Food: 7.5/10
Scenery: 7/10
Things to do: 9.5/10
Friendliness: 7/10
Shopping: 9/10
Paris:
Food: 9.5/10
Scenery: 8.5/10
Things to do: 9/10
Friendliness: 8.5/10
Shopping: 8.5/10
Tromsø:
Food: 5/10
Scenery: 10/10
Things to do: 7.5/10
Friendliness: 7/10
Shopping: 6/10
Favourite overall place: Scotland, with Paris as a close second.
Favourite Food: Paris, with Ireland as my second choice.
Favourite Scenery: Tromsø, with Scotland as a close second.
Favourite thing I did: The Northern Lights tour, with the David Lynch art exhibit as a close second.
Overall friendliest people: Scotland, with Paris as my second choice.
Most fun place for shopping: Scotland again! London is my second choice.
It took me a month and a half to complete this blog! I can't believe it took so long... wow. I'm glad I finally got it done. Now onto my next blog to talk about my birthday and Christmas... coming very soon!
