Above the Arctic circle in Tromso, Norway

So, I decided to push the envelope even more. Flew to Tromso from Oslo. It was about a two-hour flight. It costs about 90 dollars round trip at the time. Might be more expensive in the coming years. Luckily, there wasn’t any major snowstorm that day. Luck was on my side to visit this part of Norway.

image_final — A picture of where Tromso is from Oslo

Yeah, I was far above the arctic circle. All my family in the Usa thought I was crazy. However, I didn’t care. A small part of me, I wanted to visit Santa. However, I was here for my goal. To see the northern lights and to experience as far north as I could during the winter. Also, to have something to brag about with friends.

It was very cold up here. When It wasn’t snowing, the wind will hit in you in your face. The like a slap from a sheet of Ice, the wind was painful. Similar to ice needles stinging your skin. I had to put my extra scarf over my face. The air felt a little hard to breathe. I eventually got used to it. There were parts where the snow was thick enough to sink my boots. You had to be careful when walking here or risk breaking your ankles.

tromso-eidted .jpg — The Sami people’s home

The way the homes are built up here is so beautiful. They reminded me of the Native homes in Greenland and Canada. Although not related to the Inuits of Canada and Greenland, the Sami people are the natives of this part of Norway. They dress similarly have similar looking homes. However, the Inuits came to Greenland and Canada via Serbia.

aurora-589049_1920 — The northern lights

After walking around for a little bit, it became dark quickly. It was about 1pm and the sky looked like it was midnight. After about 30 minutes, I saw what I came here for. The Northern Lights! I have seen it a few times before. In Iceland and Canada; however, never this strong. Anybody could take a photo of it with the right settings on your camera. My face was stiff but a big smile from ear to ear was on it. My goal was accomplished.

My flight was at 9am the next morning. I tried looking for a hotel but everything was booked out when I was looking. Decided to book a room at an Ice hotel. Inside the hotel was a work of art. It’s crazy to think they have to rebuild this every year. I wouldn’t recommend walking around the room without a coat. It is warm but not warm enough to walk around with a t-shirt. The chairs and beds were carved out of ice. Ir’s crazy to think the hard work that went into this. It was time to sleep and my last day in Noway was just about to start. I couldn’t wait to see what it had in store.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come true without breaking the bank. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe

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July 29, 2020 33

The London Bridge Is Standing Strong

Yeah, as the corny title suggests The London bridge is still standing. Really makes you think twice about that nursery rhyme. The one that claims this bridge is falling down. Either way, I had to see it for myself while I was here.

The view outside of the tube station photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I got off at the monument station. I was surprised by how the weather changed so quickly. I was warned by my host that it can rain here out of nowhere. However, I thought they were exaggerating. Here I am with only a small umbrella. At that moment, I was reminded of that Rihanna song. It kept playing in my head, while I walked blissfully.

A photo of the monument photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

As I was walking to the Bridge, I met some friendly locals. They told me which side to get a better view of the bridge. Also, to make sure I check this monument out. This was built to remember the great fire of London. I heard about it as a kid from history books. For those who don’t know, the fire destroyed about 90% of the homes in London. Leaving about 70,000 people without a home. This was during the time when London only had around 80,000 people. It’s hard to imagine how people must have felt like after losing their homes. This is truly a city that has rebuilt itself from ashes to great heights. It should be nicked as the phoenix city.

A beautiful view from the London bridge photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Finally got on the bridge and I was surprised to see the view. The grey clouds with a view of London’s downtown, I felt like I was in a harry potter movie. I read that London averages about 1600 hours of sunlight yearly. No wonder why my British friends love going to the Caribbean.

A view of the London bridge tower photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I walked further down the bridge and I saw the tallest building in all of the UK. It is sometimes called the London Bridge Tower. This is the sixth-largest building in Europe. I can see why the friendly people I asked earlier told me to walk on this side of the bridge. It truly looked beautiful up close. The picture doesn’t really do it justice. The grey clouds mixed with the color of the building’s windows looked awesome to me. Truly enjoyed my time on this bridge that is clearly standing tall and strong.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

July 25, 2020 10

An unexpected night time stroll in Oslo Norway

Imagine you take a nap in the morning, wake up and the sunlight is gone. Now just picture that while you are on vacation. Yeah, that’s just happened to me. Decided to explore more of Oslo. Wintertime in Norway makes everything go dark quick. It was only 3 pm their time and the sun was already gone. It felt and looked like midnight!

The square with a darker view photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Olso is very beautiful even at night time. The lights and the architecture made me feel like I was in some type of modern Dracula movie. Regardless, it felt great to explore this place. The snow was thick on the ground. It could cover about a third of my boot when walking. The churchy sound of stepping on snow became the norm. I was definitely not in the tropics.

The view at the entrance to the church’s yard photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

A front view of the church photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I stumbled upon this church. I saw a nice looking building and I followed it. Which lead me to this church. It looks old fashion and medieval. The snow was super thick near the church. It seemed like a snowstorm just passed through. You can hear the clock clicking from the church’s tower. Mixed with the sound of people walking nearby, it reminded me of Christmas for some reason. I’m sure It had to do with being so close to the north pole. Where are you, Rudolph?

The square-looking alive photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I eventually got to a square. It wasn’t until I looked at it closely. That I noticed, I walked in a complete circle. I kept taking turns which eventually lead me to the same square. It looks a lot more alive now. I couldn’t picture myself living here though. It was around 4pm and people were acting like it was midnight on a weekday. It was like they knew something I didn’t know about Norway in the wintertime at night.

The street that reminded me of Miami photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The more I walked, the more some of the buildings reminded me of Miami. The way some of the buildings were colored had similarities to the ones in Miami. Of course, minus the heat. However, during summertime, I’m sure this part of Oslo would be an awesome place to eat outside. Also, sit and read a book in the sun.

Outside of the palace photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Another view outside of the palace photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Following the signs, I found the royal palace. There were a few people with me. I found out he is a YouTuber. Didn’t want to bug him more because he was filming. The snow was thick here. It covered half of my boots. The moment I got to the top, you can see the city and its beauty. That’s when it hit me, I was far away from home. Hard to believe how far away I was. This was just my first day here, I couldn’t wait to see what Norway had in store me.

Just have to say thanks to ericotrips. He has been supporting this blog for a while now. He is a Nigerian travel blogger. I don’t normally do this but I will support ericotrips. If you want to see more of Nigeria and learn about the current event of that beautiful country check out his blog. Ps. Nigeria is my second favorite country in Africa after Equatorial Guinea. West Africa is very beautiful and I hope to visit one day!

Here is his link: https://ericotrips.wordpress.com/

1. What does your name mean?

Not sure if you mean blog name or my real name. So, the blog name means my passport has been overused. Well, my last passport. My new one only has a few countries because of covid 19. My real name is Hugo. Which means smart in the mind, body, and soul. Kind of working all three right now because travel has been taken away from me.

2. What were your favorite things around you while growing up?

My favorite things around me when I was growing out was probably my bike. I used to ride my bike all over. I felt so good to learn how to ride my bike. Learned it by myself from falling off it. My parents would not let me ride it without training wheels. I used to take them off and put them back.

3. Describe your idea of a perfect day.

It will be on an airplane on the way to a new country. *sigh* I miss traveling as you can see.

4. Would you ever consider living abroad?

I did think of it many times. I lived abroad as a kid. When I was young I lived in Costa Rica with grandpa. I’m not Costa Rican but my grandpa moved there to get away from the USA. Kind of runs in the family as you can see lol

5. If there were no laws or rules in this world to influence your behavior, what do you think your behavior would look like?

I will be way wilder. I probably wouldn’t have businesses because everybody would be stealing from stores. I would probably be on the road full times.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

July 22, 2020 3

The oldest underground passenger railway

If you been following us for a while, you should know that I’m a subway geek/nerd. Being in London, do you really think I wouldn’t want to see where subways originally started. Of course, I’m going to geek out while taking the London tube. I probably looked very off to locals. Imagine seeing an overly excited person trying so hard to not look like a tourist but clearly is super excited like one.

The entrance to the underground photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Entering into the subway, you notice the difference. The subway carts were a lot smaller compared to the USA. I truly felt like a sardine in a can. It was small but somehow there was enough space to fit a lot of people. I understand why my British and European friends always say that everything is a lot bigger in the USA. I felt claustrophobic. That saying something because I live in NYC and enjoy taking subway rides. I can see where the stereotype of Americans being fat comes from. We like fast food and space. Truthfully, London’s tube is actually the smallest I have seen on my trips. Not sure if it is because countries now started to model their subway systems like the ones in New York and Washington D.C or the world likes their space as well.

Waiting for the train photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

One thing that really stood out to me was not seeing panhandlers and street performers on the tube/ underground. I tend to take that for granted while in New York and San Francisco. I mention SF and NYC because those are probably the two weirdest cities with the most activity on the subways in the USA. London’s underground almost felt like it lacked character. I know that probably sounded like something a hipster would say but it is true. Most places around the world don’t have handlers and street performers on the train carts. However, I was somewhat expecting this in London. Regardless, it was still a very surreal moment to be in London’s underground. I have seen it in movies and video games. However, seeing it in person is another experience.

A picture telling the history of London’s tube photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The history of the underground is very interesting to fellow subway geeks like me. It started in 1863, the trains were run by steam. It reminded me of one of those old Disney cartoons where mickey mouse was on a steam train. The trains moved to electrified railways in 1890. New York City’s subway was modeled after London’s. It’s awesome to be able to see where the underground subways started. I can see why a lot of people really enjoy London.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

July 18, 2020 8

Feeding Ducks at the serpentine River

Walking deeper into Hyde Park, I noticed a body of water. Started walking towards it. When I came next to the river, there were kids and their parents throwing pieces of bread. Of course, they were doing this to attract ducks and geese.

Ducks eating and looking for bread photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The kids were having so much fun. This reminded me of my childhood. The times I spent with my parents at the local park. Instead of feeding the ducks and geese, my childhood friends and I used to annoy the feathered animals. We used to chase them while screaming at them. After some time, they would start chasing us back. The tables were flipped and we were the ones running away.

A duck looking where to go photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Seeing this warmed my heart. Sometimes, I can’t believe how much of a trouble maker I was. Nothing like these kids at the park. All this made me think of how would life be like as a father. I just hope my children are not like how I was. If they are, I will not have a fun time.

Ducks about to swim photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After getting lost in my thoughts, I was snapped back into reality. A bunch of ducks started grouping around me. The pieces of bread were being thrown near me. Got out of the way like a deer running from headlights.

A Board explain the ducks photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Eventually, I started throwing bread at the ducks. Following the lead of a young couple that kindly let have some bread. I felt like a kid again. On my face was the brightest smile. It was as if, my inner-child came to know peace. Who would had thought a simple act of bread feeding animals by a river could be so reflective and healing.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

July 11, 2020 12

My first glimpse of Oslo Norway

After practically freezing on the landing strip, I finally made it into the airport. Passed right through customs. I was officially in Norway. Now, I had to find a way to my hotel room. Learned from google maps before coming here that there are trains that take you directly into the city and right outside my hotel. Decided to take one because I learned from Sweden that taxis in this part of Europe are really expensive. Plus, I get to see a little more of the countryside on the train. So, why not?

Found where to buy tickets. There was a ticket machine right outside of the train station at the airport. Saw the Norwegian language option and it all looked Viking to me. (Yes, that was a bad joke. referencing it’s all Greek). Walking outside and waiting for the train was difficult. That blast of cold wind hit me again, the moment I open the door that leads to the waiting platform. Saw that everybody was acting like the cold was normal and I pretended it didn’t effect me trying to blend in. I know stand like a sore thumb out here. However, I’m trying to not seem so much like a tourist. This cold hit deep into the bone.

The train to go into the city from the airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The train finally showed up. Any more time waiting and I would have been a giant ice cube. My face felt like little ice needles kept poking me. Stepped inside the train and found my seat. The atmosphere was really nice. The train had a screen that played the local news. I wish the trains at the JFK airport in the USA were this nice. Regardless, I felt that nobody was even looking at me. It wasn’t until I pulled out my camera that I started to get second looks. It’s quite clear that this part of Europe has a lot of diversity. I was expecting to get a few stares like I did when I went to Winnipeg Canada. I guess seeing someone like me was not too strange over here.

A beautiful view of the landscape of Norway in the winter photo courtesy

The train started on it’s way to Oslo. The people next to me keep looking at me and finally one of them asked if I could take a photo of them. I swear, I’m like everybody’s camera guy when I take my Nikon camera out. I couldn’t say no because they asked so nicely. As the train was in its route to go to Oslo, one of the crew members came out and checked our tickets. Super happy it wasn’t fake. After that experience in morocco , I have been very careful with the train ticket dates and time. Getting the clear from the crew members meant it was time to relax and enjoy the views.

The trees in Norway photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The more we went into Oslo, the more I felt like I was in some type of Christmas movie. It was if, I was at the north pole. The trees reminded me of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That song was stuck in my head the whole train ride! Almost felt like yelling out, if Santa was nearby. I’m sure I would have looked very crazy. Either way, the views were breathtaking. This was the winter I grew up watching in movies. In California, unless you drove to the mountains, we never had snow. So, watching movies and TV shows were our only way to see what snow looked like. I’m sure somewhere my inner child was living his best life.

A Sign I was close to Oslo photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The closer we got to the city, the fewer trees I saw. More graffiti and roads showed up. I knew I was close to Oslo. My journeys in Norway were just starting.

Hey everybody, sorry for not being update to with the comment. Been having a very crazy couple of weeks. Promise to go through all the comments by this weekend. Once again, thank you so much for the support!

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

July 8, 2020 20

What does being an American mean?

My whole life I always wondered about this. What does being an American mean? I constantly struggled with this. Even when I’m traveling. I get asked, “where am I from?” I would tell them I am American. They would reply with, “but, where are you really from?” Most of the time, there is no malice with that question. Although, I have gotten used to it. There are times, it makes me self-reflect. I was born and raised in the USA. I have family members in the USA military. My grandparents came here 80 years ago and have been living in the same apartment for over 60 years. However, I never felt American. In the last few months, we have seen some of the worst and troubling times in recent history. Businesses closing down, lockdowns, mass graves, social distancing, and protests. Yet, there is no unity. We haven’t been united in these issues.

For those who have been following us for a while, know that I’m Hispanic with African roots. In the Spanish language, Americans are people from the continents of North and South America. As corny as this sounds, United-Statesian is the real term for the people with citizenship to the USA in Spanish. Going with the English term, American means people from the United States of America. These last couple of weeks have shown that the states in the USA are not united. It has become really divided. Divided by opinions, this country has become a place of turmoil.

I love the USA. This is the place where I grew up. Also hopefully. the same place where my kids can grow up. However, I have been thinking about moving to another country lately. The mistreatment of civilians by the police has been shamefully brutal. People just expressing their rights being run over by horses and cop cars. The USA has been bleeding.

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Hopefully, as Americans celebrate 4th of July, we should really reflect on what does it mean to be American. This is a country of immigrants from all over the world. The USA is full of diversity. If this post offends you, then you really need to look in the mirror and ask yourself. “What is it that really bothers me about this?” Although change doesn’t happen overnight, it starts with people taking small steps towards a goal. Glad, I am able to have friends from different backgrounds. Also, I am honored to be able to experience/learn through friends: juneteenth. learn about the struggle of eastern European countries, learn about the Islamic culture, the struggles women have in the middle east, Latin American politics, the differences between Asian cultures, the struggles LGBTQ have around the world, and how to be a person that care about others. The USA is diverse. Division only really benefits politicians and the super-rich.

July 4, 2020 48

And I’M Off to Norway

The next morning, I decided to just explore the subways of Stockholm. I heard from a few friends, how beautiful some of the stations are. Afterwards, I will be flying to Norway. To see what the next door neighbor had to offer.

A subway station in Stockholm photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Got on the subway, it was so clean and very quiet. Not even one person was on their phones talking or speaking to a friend. It was kind of odd to me. It reminded of my time in Munich, Germany. The subways there were really quiet too. Must be a northen European thing. It almost felt awkward to ask your friend next to you, “What stop we get off at?” I kid you not, when in Munich, she texted me the name of the station we were supposed to get off that.

The way the subway stations are built in Stockholm are a work of art. They leave the bedrock and carve around it. With the leftover rock, they paint on them like in the picture above. The ones I went to weren’t too nice. I kept trying to find solna centrum station but I got lost. It’s the one that the rock is painted red and black. It looks amazing!

The train to the airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After getting in the subway, it was time to head back to pack for my trip to Norway. I was super excited to see what Norway was all about. I defintely have to visit Stockholm again but during the summer. My time in this beautiful city was ending. The second half of my Nordic weekend getaway was just starting.

The stockholm airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Getting to the airport in stockholm is not too diffcult. It cost me about 25 dollars at the time. I wanted to take a taxi but, it was about 75 dollars from where I was staying. It was a lot faster to go by train ironically. It just made more sense to not take a taxi

At the airport, it was surprisingly empty. There were people but, in certain areas. Compared to JFK, SFO and LAX there was practically no one. I didn’t noticed my first time how much space this airport has. Just the little things you notice when you aren’t super excited to explore.

Flying over Sweden and norway photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

When I got on the plane, I got lucky. My seat was taken, I was shown first hand that it’s more secure to pay that little extra to reserve your seat. I didn’t pay it because it seemed unnessary. This was around the time a man got kicked off a plane for the same situation. I kept calm and asked the flight attendant. She pointed me to a few extra seats in the back. Ensuring that I was going on this flight. I sat down and I was able to relax.

While in the air, got to see a bird’s eye view of how wonderful Norway and Sweden are during the winter. It’s has patches of snow mixed with trees. Looked really nice to me. Of course, this is coming from someone who grew up where it never snowed. I’m sure some of you are sick of it.

Walking to the gate at the Oslo airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After about 2 hours, we landed at the olso Airport. Of course, they didn’t let the plane drive to the gate. We had to get off and walk to the gate in all this cold. The moment I took one step out of the plane, a blast of cold wind hit me. It felt like I ran into a brick wall. My exploring of Norway just started and it was looking like I had to get a lot of hot chocolate.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.