Your Travel – Prague

I am very excited to present the next guest blog in my Your Travel series – Rachel from Da Paura. She has been living in Rome for two years and has also been visiting some amazing places. I have really come to love her blog with all of her fantastic pictures and I was so excited that she wanted to contribute to my travel series. Her post is about breath taking Prague, a city that I would absolutely love to visit, and her post made me want that even more. So enjoy this and be sure to check out her blog.

First, thank you so much to Cammie for allowing me to participate in her travel series. Travel is one of my passions and after living in Rome for two years, I have had the opportunity to see a lot of the world. Strangely enough, I chose to not to write about any city in Italy. This is mostly due to the high volume of Italy-inspired posts on my own blog throughout the past two years.. I actually thought it would be fun to share my very first European experience – long before our crazy notion to sell all we own and move to Rome! My husband and I went to Prague, Czech Republic on our honeymoon in September of 2006.

During that time, it was quite uncommon for Prague to be high on the list of most travellers from the US… and on our trip, it seemed like a hidden gem! Visiting Prague was like stepping back into time, and much more so than even most places in Italy. Since the Czech Republic was under the Soviet rule for so long, it was highly untouched by the Western World. I believe it was as late as 1989… after so many years of dangerous Soviet rule, it was finally allowed and safe enough for travellers. As terrible as the reason was, we certainly had the opportunity to visit such preserved beauty as a result. There was no Starbucks, no McDonald’s… although I am guessing it has changed by now. At the time, the US dollar was stronger which made the Koruna (Crown) an amazing price for us. We typically paid $0.50 for a litre of beer and $1.00 for a glass of table wine! All of our friends kept asking, “where are you going on your honeymoon again? Where is Prague??” It was a unique vacation, and one I will never forget.

Our hotel was near Wenceslas Square, which is actually a popular place for shopping – fashion in particular. Our quaint hotel had the most breathtaking view of Prague Castle, and sunsets were spectacular. Everything is very easy to get to in Prague. The public transportation is SO easy and fast, and at the time, very cheap! We were only a skip away from my favourite place in Prague, Old Town! The charm begins with Charles Bridge. It is absolutely stunning in the early morning hours when very few are walking on it. There are statues of beauty and a view of the castle. I also loved the somewhat medieval and dark feeling of Prague – there are tons of gargoyle statues on the buildings which gives it such a mystical feeling almost. It’s a bit like a life-like Disneyland.

One you pass Charles Bridge, you are at the beginning of Old Town. There, you can see the famous Prague Astronomical Clock, the Estate Theatre where Mozart premiered the famous Don Giovanni in 1787 (so amazing!), and of course Prague Castle at the top of a winding hill. Once you are in the castle, you must again take old winding steps up to a lookout, where you can find the most gorgeous views of Prague. (that is, if you can catch your breath soon enough to enjoy it!)

One of our favourite things to do in Prague was to simply sit at cafes or pubs for hours and take in all of the surrounding beauty. The pubs actually serve amazing traditional Czech food (at least they did in 2006), and be sure to order the goulash and knedliky! Be prepared to walk a lot. I always recommend flat or wedge boots for any travel in Europe – they simply have saved my life a million times. The servers were typically very polite and somewhat quiet, so don’t expect them to list off their specials of the night and come back to check on you every 10 minutes. Prague truly took my breath away, and I can’t wait to return to such a special place. Thank you again Cammie for letting me share one of my travel experiences here!

The pictures are Rachel’s personal photos.

If you’re interested in contributing to this, then please do not hesitate to contact me on cammiewaaden@yahoo.com. I am very interested in posting about your travels and to learn something new.

Cairns

It has been a while since I wrote about my fantastic trip last summer and I think it is because I only have a couple of posts left and I’ve written about every place that we visited. But it is about time to continue with it and complete the around the world journey that was an experience of a lifetime.

After spending a few days in Sydney, Johanne and I continued our trip to Cairns. I was so happy when we arrived to find out that the temperature was rather warm there. After some quite cold days in Sydney I was ready to warm up again and feel the sun.

When we arrived to our hostel I actually could not stop laughing. Nomads Esplanade was actually worse than the hostel in Sydney. They did not have a reception and the entrance was an ugly side door in the street. Our room was not much better; it was so tiny it could barely fit a bunk bed in there and we were wondering where to put our backpacks. But we managed and didn’t really spend a lot of time in that room.

Cairns is not a place where you spend weeks sitting on the beach. First of all we couldn’t find a beach, ironically enough. Cairns is the place you visit to go out on excursions. There are several things to choose from; skydiving, scuba diving, snorkelling, crocodile explorer, rafting and so much more. Cairns is actually the perfect backpackers city as it has a lot to offer outside of the city walls. So if you are looking for adventures then this is the place for you. Johanne and I actually went on a crocodile excursion and ended up having a fantastic day. I will be telling you more about that later.

Skechers Shape Ups

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As most of you probably know, I am crazy about shoes. I can’t have enough and I tend to fall too quickly in love with too many pairs of shoes. Because I am so short I have a tendency to lean towards shoes with a high heel but I also think it is important to have at least one pair of shoes that is comfortable and good for your feet. So I now thought it was about time to share my experience with Skechers Shape Ups Fitness shoes.

What is so special about Shape Ups is the elevated sole. Walking on the wedge ‘rocker bottoms’ takes some getting used to, but apparently that is where the magic of the shoes happens. These are the types of shoes that claim to promote weight loss, tone your muscles, reduce stress on knees, hips and backs and improve your posture.

Shape Ups Fitness
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I bought these shoes when I was in Los Angeles last summer, they are cheaper in the US than here in Norway and I simply could not miss the opportunity. I do not regret buying them. They are extremely comfortable to wear and because of their shape I actually do feel that they have improved my posture.

There are several different styles when it comes to Shape Ups. Personally I find some of the styles to not be the most fashion-forward looking shoes and I think it is because I find the wedge to be a little too much. But when I saw the fitness style I fell in love. They don’t really look like the typical Shape Ups but definitely have that feeling when walking in them.

I have nothing but nice words to say about these shoes. They are fantastic. They are perfect to wear when taking walks and I would say that they keep most of their promises. I honestly don’t know if they help someone to loose weight as I believe it takes more than a good pair of shoes to loose that, but I do find that they have helped my posture and that they reduce stress on my knees. So if you are looking for the perfect shoe that is comfortable and does something good for you, then I would recommend Skechers Shape Ups. 

For more information, check out their website.  

My very first tpost article!

A while ago I was contacted by an online magazine called tpost. They wanted me to start writing for them and I was so excited because they found my because of my blog. Because I was writing a dissertation and finishing my degree I did not have time to write anything then, but now they have published my very first tpost article!

It is actually also a competition where the article that get most votes win and get the article published on a t-shirt. So this is what I am asking of you, my lovely readers; will you please check out my article and vote for it if you like it? It would really mean the world to me!

You can read the article here.

The Phantom of the Opera

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I love musicals and there are so many great ones to see in London. So far I haven’t seen one musical that has not given me the goosebumps and that I have not loved. The Phantom of the Opera is also one such musical and I can think of one word that describes it: astonishing.

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by the famous Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de L’Opèra by Gaston Leroux. The music in the musical was also composed by Webber and is now renowned around the world.

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I believe we all know the story; it starts with an auction where an old chandelier awakens a connection to the Phantom of the Opera. It then goes back in time to when the Phantom was more than a story; he was the real item.

I absolutely love this musical. The music is fantastic and breathtaking and magnifying. It is actually difficult to describe the feeling when you’re sitting in the audience listening to the strong voices. I particularly fell in love with the voice of the Phantom, so powerful and sexy.

I absolutely love and recommend this musical. It is the perfect musical to watch with your friends, boyfriend or family. I think this musical has everything: power, romance, complications, fantastic singing and with a perfect cast with a pinch of darkness that is simply perfect in this setting. I promise that you will not be disappointed.

The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

I have been awarded the irresistibly sweet blog award by the always so lovely Shah and her blog Words in Sync. I feel so blessed and lucky when someone wants to award me an award, I honestly feel speechless. So please be sure to check out Shah’s blog, it is so honest and fantastic.

The rules to be followed with this reward are..

1) Thank and link to the person that nominated you.
2) Share 7 random facts about yourself.
3) Pass the award to 15 of your blogging buddies.
4) Notify the recipients. 

So here are seven facts about me

• I am finished with my degree at Roehampton University in London, but I am still going to live in London with my fantastic boyfriend Kjell Steinar. I honestly cannot wait to explore more of this fantastic city.
• I love to work and I have been working since I was 13 years old. I like to challenge myself and to learn something new and to accomplish the tasks I have been given.
• I love chocolate! I don’t think I can ever have enough.
• When I was young I used to dream about becoming an astronaut.
• For the past few years I have been moving at least once each year. I am really looking forward to the day that Kjell Steinar and I move into an apartment or house and it is our own and we know that we are going to live there for at least a few years.
• I really like to watch TV and I tend to become addicted to these really stupid reality TV shows, such as a Norwegian show called Paradise Hotel. And it is because of this that I don’t really watch that much TV anymore.
• My favourite actor is without a doubt Johnny Depp.

That was just a little something about me. And here are the blogs I am nominating, in no particular order:

Travelmoon

Wishful Thinking

Winter Bag

Little Witches/Tiny Wizards

Andrea Reh

Haute World

Inspiration in Italy

Travel Designery

Join the Gossip

Life is Royalty

Mariloè

Oh to be a Muse

The Girl with the Blue Bow

Dear Girl

Fash-uh-nee-stah

Pirates of the Caribbean & Johnny Depp

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The new Pirates of the Caribbean film is finally out, the forth in this series. I simply have to express my love for the films as I think they are amazing! My boyfriend, my little brother and I went to see the new one on Saturday and we had a fantastic time. The queue to buy tickets was so long we almost thought it would be sold out by the time it was our turn. Fortunately we were able to buy tickets and we were ready for an evening with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.

The film did not disappoint us. Johnny Depp was fantastic as the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, but Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly who had to major parts in the three first films have now walked the plank and was not in the forth film. In my opinion, I did not feel as if someone was missing. The feisty and gorgeous Penelope Cruz plays the part of Sparrows old flame and she fits right in as the aggressive Angelica.

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New creatures are also introduced, but they are not exaggerated and fit in perfectly in this fantasy world. The scenes with the mermaids are without a doubt the most exciting and thrilling but also rather scary.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides have not been presented as a very good film by the critiques but I honestly could not care less and I don’t think I’m the only one. The first three films was a huge success and the return of Captain Jack Sparrow has been well received by the audience. I think that people missed him and were pleased to see that he had not changed. The film also has moments with enjoyable comedy, amusing dialogues and some new fight scenes. All in all, this film impressed me and I really enjoyed it.

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Johnny Depp has always been one of my favourite actors and his interpretation of Jack Sparrow never fails to humour me. He is absolutely perfect and I give him the credit for why these films have become so popular. I also found out a couple of weeks ago that he was in London promoting this film. I was so angry because I had just returned to Norway then for the summer. I have to admit that I would love to meet him someday, but I guess I am not the only girl with such a dream.

Your Travel - Bruges

It is now two weeks since I posted the first guest post in my new travel guest series, Your Travel. I am very excited to present the second guest post from the lovely Meghan from Wishful Thinking. Be sure to check out her blog, it’s fantastic. Enjoy her story about wonderful Bruges and her amazing photos.

I am so excited to take part in Cammie’s travel series! My favourite part of travelling is reliving the memories and sharing them with others!  I had a really hard time picking just one destination to talk about, but I went with a destination that truly captured my heart and imagination… Bruges!

Bruges was relatively unknown to me so I didn’t really have any expectations, but from the moment I arrived, I completely fell in love with it. Just a short walk from the train station and you feel like you have been transported back in time - complete with mediaeval buildings built around small winding canals and bridges, quaint chocolate shops, imposing Gothic churches and cobbled streets with horse-drawn tourist carriages. And yes, it looks as good as it sounds!

The practicalities:

Bruges is small and very walk-able so you don’t have to worry about public transport to get around! Or if you are feeling more active, there are plenty of places to hire bikes or even do a Segway tour! The main attractions include the Market Square with the Belfry Tower (I was too nervous to go to the top after seeing the movie ‘In Bruges’), the Church of our Lady and De Halve Maan Brewery, where they brew the delicious local Bruges Zot! To get a different perspective of the city, take a short boat trip along the canal! My favourite day was spent strolling around Lovers Lake sipping hot chocolate and contemplating life.

The fun stuff:

Bruges is the place to break out the elasticated pants. No seriously, you will need them! The Belgians are world-famous for waffles, beer, mussels, French fries (yip, they even have a museum dedicated to them) and of course chocolate. In the interest of being a good tourist, I tackled each and every one of these delights with gusto! If you haven’t tried a Belgian waffle in Belgium then you haven’t lived!

Some tips:

Take a stroll outside the major attractions, the crowds are thinner and the neighbourhoods are very pretty. Although the chocolate shops in the centre of town are fantastic, they are quite posh and expensive so shop around, we found a fantastic chocolate shop near the French Fry Museum (sorry, I can’t remember the name), the choccies were delicious and cheaper. And finally, visit around Christmas time to enjoy the famous Christmas markets but also make sure you leave enough time to do a day trip out to the WWI battle sites – I was so disappointed that we ran out of time!

Thanks for having me Cammie! I am soooo looking forward to hearing other travel stories in this series!

The pictures are Meghan’s personal photos.

If you’re interested in contributing to this, then please do not hesitate to contact me on cammiewaaden@yahoo.com. I am very interested in posting about your travels and to learn something new.

17th May – Norwegian Constitution Day

My brothers and I

Yesterday was Norway’s Constitution Day, a day that is celebrated each year as the National Day of Norway. The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation.

My wonderful parents

An aspect that is significant of the Norwegian Constitution Day is the children’s parades. All over Norway, children parades with an abundance of flags from the central elements of the celebration. Each elementary school district arranges its own parade with marching bands between schools. Another typical element for this parade is that some senior school children are carrying the school’s official banner, followed by a marching band and the rest of the school children carrying hand sized flags.

As this is a very traditional day a lot of Norwegians choose to wear a traditional outfit on this day. This traditional outfit is called Bunad and it is popular to wear on weddings, baptisms and on the 17^th of May. There are various types of bunads from all over the country and it is fashionable to wear a bunad that is from your region of the country. A bunad is also very expensive so when you first have one you have it for the rest of your life. There are bunads for both men and women, but it is most common for women to wear it.

This was just a little bit of Norwegian history for you. 17^th of May is an important day for us Norwegians and it is not just celebrated here in Norway. Norwegians around the world gather wherever they are and have their own little celebration. They also have it in London but I have never attended it there. This is a day for everyone to meet and spend time together with friends and family but the day is mostly for the children.

My 7 (soon 8) years old brother Adrian

My 11 years old brother Nils-Morten

I had such a good time yesterday and enjoyed every minute of it. It was a lot of fun to watch the parade as my brothers was there, waving with their flags. Unfortunately the weather was not great but we still had a fantastic time. Hope you enjoy the pictures I took on this day and hopefully you learned something about my home country. 

Signs

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If there is one film that always seems to scare me no matter how many times I see it, it’s Signs. The film is from 2002 and it is a science fiction thriller, but even so it still has an impact on today’s views towards life from outer space.

Questions regarding whether there is more life than our little planet in this universe is something that has baffled humanity for centuries. How can we be the only living creatures in a universe that is endless? And if we are not; are the aliens’ friends or hostile? 

In the film Signs, the story is set around one family and what happens to them when they discover what is about to happen to the world. There are plenty of heart-thumping moments that will easily scare you and that leads up to the film’s climax. The film’s title refers to various mysterious phenomena that have led to speculation about the existence of extra-terrestrial life. It links crop circles with UFOs and shows their impact on one man and his family.

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For some reason, I absolutely love this film. But at the same time I find it extremely terrifying, because it shows us something of the unknown and it is the unfamiliar that is the chilling aspect. I have always been fascinated with outer space and what is out there; perhaps my fascination is so grand because we don’t know what is out there. There are thousands of stories of people who have seen UFOs or have been abducted by aliens, but we don’t know if these stories are for real or simply a cry for attention. Perhaps we will never know. That is unless the American government will reveal their secret about Roswell and Area 51.

What are your thoughts regarding this theme?

Also read: The Butterfly Effect