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

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.

July 8, 2020 20

Night time exploring around Stockholm

The sun went down and I wanted to see what the Swedish capital had to offer at night. Decided to go around at the risk of freezing. Since, it gets a lot colder at night. However, I’m in Stockholm and I don’t know when I will be back. I guess this was a yolo moment…**cringed**

Stockholm at night photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

When I got outside, I was hit with a cold blast of air. The air felt like when you put your head in the freezer or by the air conditioner on a hot summer’s day. However, without the warmth when stepping away. This cold was strong and I just had to adapt to it. Which, I eventually did.

A dark street in stockholm photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Stockholm is very beautiful during the day. Once nightfall comes, it another level of beauty. Seeing the skyline at night was truly amazing. I couldn’t tell if it was the cold or the view. Regardless, my breath was taken away. Every major European city at night has this attractiveness that most of the world lacks. You see more flashy lights and taller buildings elsewhere. Yet; in Europe, most major cities are not like that. There’s like a classic charm here. I know i mentioned this before. It’s just what I keep noticing

Walking down one of the main roads in stockholm at night photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Walking around, I was in awe of everything. It felt like I was in the north pole. Which is not too far from here. As if Stockholm was where Santa Claus lived. I’m sure if I was a kid, it would had been a dream to travel here. It’s cool that Swedish culture has roots to Nordic culture. Which is probably why, I hoped to see elves here working with St. Nick.

The beautiful “tunnel” photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The pathways here are so beautiful. Walking down the alluring cobblestones street, I turned to my right and saw what I’ll say was a “tunnel.” Imagine walking through this every day. I’m sure it looks pretty to us but for the locals, it’s whatever. Sometimes we don’t value what is in front of us everyday.

Just outside of another main street photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Eventually, started walking further down the street. More and more stores kept appearing. All of them were advertising hot chocolate. Being distracted by the beauty, I almost forgot I was freezing. The hot chocolate ads brought me back to reality. It was time to warm up. However, my night of exploring was still not over. Couldn’t wait to see more of this Nordic city has to offer.

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.