My last meal in Olso

My time in Norway was ending. This beautiful country will leave a mark in my heart. Its sophisticated charm is what lead me to wish this was my home. However, that cold made me reconsider. Had a few more hours here, I needed to make the best of the little time left.

A view of a street in Oslo photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Started to explore the parts I didn’t get to visit on my first go-around. Once again the sun went down quick. Within an hour of being outside, the sky looked completely different. It was 3 pm but it looked like I was walking after midnight. However, there were still people out having a good time. Which was a good sign.

The Indian Restaurant at the top and the Hamburger place on the first-floor photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Eventually, my stomach started growling. I realized I haven’t eaten all day. Started looking for something to eat. Walked about half of a block, until I found two restaurants. One on top of the other. It was either Indian food or hamburgers. Yeah, the hamburger sign was what attracted me. I actually tried the Hamburger place first but everything was self-served. They had screens that you choose what type of burger you want. I think we should start doing this more in the usa. Especially now with social distancing being the norm. Everything was in Norwegian, kept looking for the English option. However, I never found it. That was the excuse I needed to go upstairs and eat some Indian food. I’m sure you all can see, I love Indian food. Sadly, it wasn’t the typical style I have gotten used to.

The food in a fancy presentation photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The dessert photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Going upstairs was like walking into another country. The atmosphere changed to fit the theme of the restaurant. Indian music was playing in the background. The lights were dim and the carpets reminded me of that Disney movie called Aladdin. I was greeted by one of the Indian chefs. Was shown to my seat. On the menu, it gives a background on the head chef. It was actually a couple, there were both Tamil. The husband was from Sri Lanka and the wife was from India. A commonality I noticed about a few Indian restaurants is that a lot of the chefs tend to be from different parts of the Indian subcontinent. However, I never saw a Pakistani being a chef at an Indian restaurant. I’m sure the tension between the two countries is a major factor.

The food was eventually brought to me. When the plate hit my table, I was a little disappointed. I didn’t notice that this was a fancy restaurant. Not much of a fan of high-end restaurants. The menu and food prices were decently priced. So, I thought this is a normal restaurant. Regardless, I ate the food. It was really good. However, it was not that filling. The plate looked more like I was going to paint something. I will still give respect to the chefs. The food was really good but the quantity was small. Call me low class or whatever but, that’s why I don’t go to fancy restaurants.

The Dominican flag in Norway? photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After eating, I started walking towards the train station. My time here was almost up. I eventually noticed this advertisement. I literally thought I was in New York City. I didn’t know they had a Dominican and Latino community here. I found out they even have Dominican restaurants like in Nyc. That blew my mind. It’s official, Latinos are everywhere. Like that one annoying Disney ride, it truly is a small world after all.

Outside of the train station photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Eventually, I was outside the train station. I had to say goodbye to such a beautiful county. I will definitely miss this part of the world. The people here were very friendly now that I think about it. Sweden and Norway are a must on everybody’s bucket list. I recommend going during the summertime. However, winter in this part of the world can be majestic.

Thank you so much for reading! Stay safe everyone! Wash your hands! Much Love!

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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August 12, 2020 8

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!

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 29, 2020 33

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

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?

Waiting for the train photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

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.