Colors of Cartagena

Our time was short in Cartagena, but it was incredibly memorable. We started the morning with what many say is a must-do while visiting this gorgeous city riding in a Chiva Bus. A Chiva bus cam only be described as a party on wheels. Upon arrival to the bus we were handed a bucket of ice, local rum and coke. The entertainment on board was a 3-man band located in the middle rows of the bus; which truly bring the party to life. While some shy away from 8am cocktails, we embraced the experience like a local. When in Rome, right?  

We took a short site seeing tour stopping to take photos at San Felipe Castle and Las Bóvedas. Las Bóvedas at one time was the cities dungeon and now turned into a tourist hub for souvenirs. Outside the shops was an authentic Colombia coffee kiosk made out of an old Willys jeep. From Las Bóvedas you can capture views of the ocean or even start a bike ride along the city walls. 

We headed back through the city on our party bus and were dropped off at the clock tower to finish the city highlights. Beyond those walls were some of the most colorful buildings I had ever seen. The balconies, flowers and colorfully dressed ladies carrying baskets of fruit on their heads were along every street. We strolled for hours just taking in each and every square block of this fantastic city. We even stopped into the famous Juan Valdez. 

Cartagena sparked our curiosity for Colombia and we cannot wait to go back to see more. 

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina

Cotswolds - Land of Honey Colored Homes

Hues of honey colored homes and manicured landscapes. Yep, you have just entered the Cotswolds.

Over the Christmas break I was going a bit stir crazy. I wanted to explore an area close to home, but not packed with tourists seeking Christmas markets. I broke the trip into the Northern Cotswolds and the Southern Cotswolds. Not really referred to as this, but two distinct areas with so much charm.

Day 1 – Northern Cotswolds 

https://goo.gl/maps/Ljpy8mLaPo72

Chipping Campden was great for a nice morning stroll through the famous market town. The town is most known for its wool and market square. Many of the well-known sights are right along the High Street. If you follow the “Cotwolds Way” signs towards the bottom of the village you will come upon Hoo Lane. The houses along this historic street were picturesque. The thatched roofed architecture seen in many of England’s oldest villages.  I am sure you can spend hours gazing through the boutique shops, but we headed up the road to Stow-On-The-Wold to get a glimpse at one of the oldest Inn’s in England.

Stow-On-The-Wold was quite compact with many of the 1500 and 1600 century sites right in the main quarter. If you plan to visit The Porch, which is said to be the oldest Inn in England, I highly recommend booking in for lunch. We were lucky enough to try the pubs namesake beer the 947 AD. The service and cuisine did not disappoint on a cold winter day.  The fireplace set in the middle of the pub brought a warm and cosy vibe to building. Have a peek around the venue as numerous signs share a bit of the history around the Pub and the local village. A quick photo stop around the town and we headed to one of the more famous villages Bourton-on-the-Water.

Bourton-on-the-Water was by far the busiest village we visited. I highly recommend coming early and parking down at the miniature museum at the end of town. The village has a series of bridges connecting the two banks with some of the most wonderful views. We spent an hour or so strolling through the various alleyways and streets. The village had an auto museum and a handful of pastry shops. We stopped into the Bakery on the Water for some fresh bakes sweets for an afternoon snack.  

Just a few villages away from finishing the day, we started our way towards Bibury. Bibury is one of the more well-known villages, known for its postcard picture-perfect Arlington Row. A stopover in Burford to see another picturesque village filled with medieval homes and historic buildings. I have to admit that Burford was well worth the stop. Take a stroll down Sheep street towards The Lamb Inn, a view not to be missed. The bustling market town is set out on a hill; making the architecture different from many of the other Cotswolds villages. We made it to Bibury right before sunset. The iced over roof tiles and smoke coming from chimney’s truly made the moment spectacular. Many of the tourists were nearly gone, which enabled us to get some amazing photos. A trip up to St. Mary’s Church and we called it a day. We stayed the night at the most incredible B&B, The Priory Inn of Tetbury. If you want the most incredible pizza, then this is the place. People come from all over the world to try some of their brick oven pizzas. All ingredients for the restaurant are bought within a 30 mile radius, even down to the grain for the dough. The prices were reasonable allowing me to splurge on the England cider sampler and salted cookie dough ice cream and caramel cake. The day was done and I had officially eaten my way through the Northern Cotswolds. 

Day 2 – Southern Cotswolds

https://goo.gl/maps/68VpFdsrGko

Another early morning start before heading home. If you have not been to Bath, I would highly recommend you add this in to the day and either spend less time in Bradford-on-Avon or miss it altogether. Bath has far more things to offer, but a quick stop over in Bradford-on-Avon to see the Old Saxon church was fun.

Our day did not go as planned due to a fog advisory. Starting our way to Lacock Village to only find out that Lacock Abbey (Where some of harry potter is filmed), did not in fact open for quite a few hours. The church was also closed, but we took a stroll around the village trying not to bust our behinds on the thick ice all over the roads and walkways. We walked alongside the Abbey down the main road in order to grab some photos from a distance with the grazing sheep.  

Just a few miles up the road and we reached Castle Combe. The photos online did this place no justice. Catching it before lunch we beat a lot of the crowds along the road. This town has limited parking due to most of the roads being too narrow. There are numerous walking trails from this town along the river. If you have time stop into Ellen’s Cottage across from town market stall and pub. She has fresh backed cakes out front, all paid for on the honor system. Torn on decisions I had both the carrot cake and coffee cake, to which neither disappointed.

An attempt to see a few more places was unsuccessful due to winter closures and visibility. A small stop over into Bradford-on-Avon for a stroll along river. The churches, market square and an old Quaker meeting house are worth a visit. It was quaint, but felt more of a city than a village. Again if you have not been head to Bath for a day in the Roman Baths and stroll along the medieval streets.

A last minute effort to make the most of the day, we headed back north to see Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill. The Palace puts on a Christmas lights event in the evening. It was more geared towards families with small kids, so a great day out if you are in the area. Highly recommend having afternoon tea in the main hall of the Palace. It was divine and every little piece of food was made to perfection.

 

Happy Traveling,

 

Katrina 

Norway – Fjords – Journey to Trolltunga - Part 2

The trip was high on my husband’s bucket list. The man who could care less about travelling, expressed interest in doing some Norwegian hiking. We were only in Norway for 3 full days, so making the most of it was essential. Flying into Haugesund would have truly maximized the trip. It would have cut out about an hour of driving and using the ferry, but we would have missed some incredible views going this route.

We started in Stavanger, arriving around midnight on Friday night. SIXT rental car staff will stay out of hours if you provide your flight information when booking. We stayed overnight near the airport in order to get a good night’s rest for the rest of the trip. Saturday morning we set off to Kyrping Camping. I chose this location as it was centrally located along the area we wanted to see. They offer a variety of accommodations to stay in, we chose one of the log cabins along the lake. The drive took about 3 hours with the ferry and winding roads from Sola Airport. There were so many lakes and gorgeous photo stops along the route. We were able to check in early, drop bags and headed towards Røldal. Røldal is known for having one of the oldest stave churches in Norway, dating back to 1200. https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/r%C3%B8ldal-stave-church/1267/

Breath-taking scenery

On the way to Røldal you will see numerous waterfalls, including Langfoss, also known as the 5th largest waterfall in Norway. It was voted in 2006, as the World’s Most Beautiful Waterfall. There is a hiking trail at the base to the top, which could be done in about 3 hours. We chose the photos from the bottom option due to the heavy off and on rain most of the day. There is a small parking lot next to the falls which offered a bathroom, snacks and souvenirs. https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/langfoss-waterfall/2135/

Upon arrival to Røldal there is signs for the church along the road. We arrived after they had closed for the afternoon, so a few photos of the exterior and we set off to Skjeggedal.

Along the road you will approach another large waterfall. The famous Låtefoss, also known as the twin waterfalls. It was quite the site to see. There is a waterfall a few hundred yards before Låtefoss that is likely to drench your car enroute. The waterfalls were definitely a highlight of our trip. https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/l%C3%A5tefoss-waterfall/1268/

As we approached Skjeggedal we started to see signs for Trolltunga. We stopped in to assess where to park and where the start of the hike was. I had read numerous blogs leading up to the hike and wanted to know what to expect myself. We wanted no surprises at 6am for the start of the hike. We found that there is a large car park at the bottom of the hill which is 100NOK a day at the time of writing.

It is another 6km to the top from here. Many people were parked here, because in high season if you arrive late to the top carpark, you will have to park here and hike up the road to the top. The 6km road to the top was an adventure in itself. It is a single lane road along the cliff side.  Watching for cars and people that afternoon was quite the task. Once at the top you will find another carpark at the base of the hike. This one is hourly parking. We read some of the information on the signs and then headed back to the lodge for dinner and a good night’s rest.

https://goo.gl/maps/ZCeBDgkYgQt

Time to hike

Now here is where the adventure truly starts!!! Remember this was a family holiday and we have decided that it is a great idea to take our 11 year old on an expert level hike in Norway. When I say expert level, I mean grown men were turning back in the beginning realizing how under prepared they were. But, we were committed to making it up and down, and in one piece.

We woke up at 5am in order to make the 1 hour drive to the base of the mountain. We packed everything that was mandatory to hike in Norway. All listed here for your reference. https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/trolltunga/8625/

I had read the day before that the car park payment machine was broken. Many people waited until 8am when they opened to start their hike. We decided we were not waiting around 2 hours and paid once we came back. We paid 400NOK for the 12 hours we were gone. The area gets quite a bit of rain so expect a bit of mud. I do mean the thick pull off your shoes kind of mud. Everything I read about the hike stated that the 1st kilometer was the worst. They have closed the funicular to which offered stairs to the top. So the only way up was through a wooded path in the forest or a tour company using the sky ladder.

The 1st kilometer offered a variety of terrain and somewhat stairs along the way up made of rocks. The route up you will use ropes in numerous areas to pull yourself to the top.  I might have been a bit ambitious to get to the top and I rushed to the top. DO NOT do this! As much fun as this part of the route was, my 30 something body paid me back at the back end of the hike.

With the 1km done, I remember roughly the sign said 21km total for the hike. We proceeded up numerous mountains, across waterfalls, wood planks, rivers, mud, lots more mud, more water, cliff side drop offs, and sheer rock face. We took 10 minute breaks a few times, but overall snacked in route. 3-4 kilometers into the hike gets interesting again with lots of terrain changes. This was up there with the 1st kilometer in my book. Worn out and sore, but at 7.5 miles later, yes that 12 kilometers, we reached Trolltunga. We arrived just before 12 meaning it took just over 4 hours to get to the top. The view was incredible to say the least. The line was about 20 people back when we arrived. We agreed to swap out with others in line to take photos. If not we would not have been able to take a photo together. We spent just at an hour here with photos, lunch and a pee stop.

Thrilled with our achievement we headed back with our heads held high. At this point the overnight hikers and many others were all heading back at the same time. There was far more overtaking from experienced hikers. This made the way down much slower as many points it’s a small path along the mountain side. My knees two weeks later still remember the down portion like it was yesterday. At this point even changing out of wet socks and bandaging blisters was not doing the trick. I was tired and we had unusually great weather. That meant that all those layers we packed were wearing us down. The temperature peaked midday to about 85 degrees. We packed two water bottles and filled at each waterfall we encountered, which was quite often. So do not feel you have to pack tons as you can refill about every 2km along the route.

We reached 3-4 kilometers again and the mud was even worse than the way up. Over the hills, through the woods, waterfalls, rivers and mud for another 7.5 miles. We reached the last kilometer and this was my final breaking point. My knees were screaming from the down, down, down and more down. A marathon runner I am, a hiker I am not. The mud, people, terrain and ropes made the last kilometer one of those moments that you wished you got better trip insurance. But WE MADE IT!! We kissed each other, happy that not only that we completed the 25 kilometer trek, but that we FREAKING survived to tell about it. I lived up to my word and my kid got a Fanta and 2 kinder eggs for not complaining the whole time!!

My suck it up, you will survive maternal instinct was clearly on point with this trip.

I am a big goal setter and I used my Garmin Fenix to track the hike. You can find it here: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1344917714

We paid our parking and headed back to the camp ground. We were exhausted and starving, but totally excited for the opportunity to take on this amazing hike.

The next morning we headed into Stavanger for the day. The journey back to the airport was just as gorgeous as the way up. We parked next to the cruise port in the city following the “Old Town” signs. We visited the cathedral and the oldest part of the town. The old town area is filled with 100 white houses and cobblestoned streets. Perfect for an afternoon stroll to stretch out our legs. Enroute to the airport we stopped over to the Swords in the Rock for a photo op. https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/swords-in-rock/1852/

All in and all it was a good 3 day trip for the family. It offered a bit of everything for everyone. Fun, adventure, sites and relaxation.

 

Happy Traveling,

 

Katrina 

Romania – Transylvania

Transylvania in a long weekend

Romania was on my husbands bucket list as he has been talking about visiting Bran Castle for years. We only spent 3 full days in Romania, but we made the most of it and headed straight to Transylvania. We flew directly into Bucharest as it offered the best route to get up into the mountains. We visited in April so the snow was melting in most places, but there was still visible snow on the top. We stayed the whole three days in Bran, but if we went again I would have stayed in other places to break up the driving to the locations. We stayed in this amazing house right near the castle called Conacul Bratescu. The owner greeted us with drinks and allowed us to pick the room of our choice with a mountain view. The house had a game room with foosball and Ping-Pong tables that we were able to use till 9pm.

Our first day we headed into Sinaia to see Peles Castle. If you follow the signs in Sinaia for the castle there is parking about half a mile up the hill from the castle grounds. It was about 2 euros to park for the whole day. There are two castles on the grounds Pelișor Castle and Peles Castle. Peles is more exquisite in design and architecture. You can join in on a tour, which is a large group of about 30 people, or do your own tour with audio guide in a small group. We chose the small group, as I hate being shuffled through rooms in a hurry. The rooms were filled with marble, glass and antiques galore. This was my favorite castle we visited on our trip. If you have time I highly recommend stopping by the Sinaia Monastery for a quick tour of one of the oldest churches in Romania. The area of Sinaia is a large ski resort town so when we were there in April it was pretty empty as the snow has nearly all melted. Walking from the Monastery down to old town was absolutely wonderful. All the carved homes along the road were a true depiction of Transylvania.

We decided to visit Bran the second day as the weather looked like it was finally letting up. The weather was hit and miss as you are deep in the mountains in the region. Bran castle, although the most famous was not as spectacular as Pele’s or Pelișor Castles.  The castles many rooms show the history of the castle and info about Vlad the Impaler. There were many pieces in the castle from the actual movie depicting Bran’s Castle. The best photo opportunity of the castle is just north of Bran before entering the hospital parking lot.

We spent our last day in the city of Brasov. It was just small enough to be walk-able on a rainy afternoon. We stopped over to the Black Church, Town Hall and the main square. I would highly recommend once heading back to Bran to stop over in the village of Rasnov. There is a fortress up on the hill, which was affordable to go have a look around. The views from the top were well worth the trip up. You can take the tractor train for about $2 to the top. There is also a Dino Land up near the entrance to the fortress if you are looking for something fun to do with the kids after walking around the towns and castles.  All in all we had a great holiday in Transylvania. 

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina

Essential Websites for Things to do in the UK

Well, there's no exuse for staying home and being bored. Get out and explore the UK. A lot of these sites have current things to do if you check back regularly.

Travel - All of UK:

Days out in the UK (mainly London area) - http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk

Day out with KIDS - http://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk

With DOGS - http://www.dogfriendlybritain.co.uk/

Beaches - http://www.goodbeachguide.co.uk

Best 50 Beaches - http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/the-50-best-uk-beaches-125-480372.html

Plan a pub crawl - http://barcrawl.co.uk

Castles - http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk

Castles - http://www.castleuk.net/list.htm

Free things to do - http://www.frommers.com/slideshow/index.cfm?group=315&cat_cd=ARTCULTURE&p=1#slide

UK Travel - http://www.picturetheuk.com

Holidays in the UK (mainly outdoorsy) - http://www.holidayuk.co.uk

National Trust (England and Wales) - www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Travel - England:

Quite things in London - http://www.timeout.com/london/features/1607/The_A-Z_of_Quiet_London.html

London - http://www.frommers.com/destinations/london

The Lake District - http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk

Tour Norfolk - http://www.tournorfolk.co.uk/index.html

Norfolk Broads Cycling - http://www.norfolkbroadscycling.co.uk

Great Yarmouth - www.great-yarmouth.co.uk

Hunstanton - http://www.norfolk-on-line.co.uk/hunstanton/pages/index.php

Cambridgeshire - http://www.familiesincambridgeshire.co.uk

Cambridge - http://www.visitcambridge.org

Cambridge - http://www.cambridge.co.uk

East Anglia - http://www.eastanglia24.co.uk/wp

Ipswich - http://www.visit-ipswich.com

The Midlands - http://www.visitheartofengland.com

Northeast England - http://www.visitnortheastengland.com

Suffolk - http://www.suffolktouristguide.com

English Heritage - http://www.english-heritage.org.uk

Travel - Wales:

Wales - http://www.visitwales.co.uk

Cardiff - http://www.visitcardiff.com

Travel - Scotland:

Scotland - http://www.visitscotland.com

Scotland - http://www.welcometoscotland.com

Scotland top 10 - http://scotland.costasur.com/en/ten-must-see.html

Edinburgh - http://www.timeout.com/edinburgh/features/220/20-great-things-to-do-in-edinburgh

Edinburgh - http://www.edinburgh.org

Physical Activities/Sports (all of UK unless otherwise noted):

Walking/Cycling/Horse riding - http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk

Hiking guides - http://www.contours.co.uk

Walking and hiking guides - http://www.walkingandhiking.co.uk

Biking - http://www.cycle-route.com

Mtn biking trails - http://www.moredirt.co.uk

SEASONAL

Christmas:

UK Christmas Markets - http://www.christmasmarkets.com/UK.html

Bury St. Edmunds Christmas market - http://www.burystedmundschristmasfayre.co.uk

Other:

Pick your own - http://www.pickyourownfarms.org.uk

Pick your own - http://www.localfoods.org.uk