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

Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)

I heard this song a few days ago and I thought the lyrics were hilarious. And the song is rather catchy too. Hope you’ll enjoy this and have a wonderful Thursday afternoon. 

Barbeque the Norwegian style

I have been back in Norway for almost a week now and I have to say that I am quite enjoying it. The sun is shining and it is actually warm outside, which rarely happens here in May. I’m not starting work properly until Friday (in two days) and I have been enjoying the sun by sitting outside with a glass of ice tea and a book. For me, it really could not be better.

Because the weather is so nice, me and my parents decided it was about to have a barbeque, which I love. It is the perfect way to celebrate summer and to spend some quality time with my parents and my brothers.

Summer in Norway can be very boring because our country is so far north. It can be rainy, cold and dark, but we can also have sunny warm days and 25 degrees, like yesterday. Everyone is outside and people in general seem happier.

Tuesday the 17^th of May is Norway’s Constitutional Day and I sure hope that the weather will stay this way. We have had our share of rainy cold Constitutional Days but this year I think we deserve a sunny day. I will blog about this day as we celebrate it in a special way. Can’t wait to show you.

Until then, have a lovely day. I will go outside again and continue to enjoy my book, which is fantastic. I might have to blog about that one too.

Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet

As I mentioned earlier, I am finally finished with my degree. Because of my passion for books I have studied literature for three years, but I haven’t had the time to read books that I want to read. Reading one book a week for my course was time consuming enough next to writing essays and dissertation, but this week I decided to read a book that I wanted to read. I have to admit that it felt amazing; I have really missed reading for pleasure. And I loved the book and thought it was about time for a book review again.

Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a beautiful story written my Jamie Ford. It is his debut novel and he tells the reader a story that is emotionally connected with a physical place and a state of mind that is both bitter and sweet.

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The story starts when the reader is introduced to Henry Lee in 1986. He walks past the Panama Hotel in Seattle, which has been boarded up since World War II. He discovers that the new owner has found several boxes in the basement of the hotel, boxes that contain personal items that belonged to Japanese families who were evacuated to internment camps during the war. These boxes take Henry back to his childhood, leading the reader into the main storyline that is set in 1942. Henry is 12 years old then, a Chinese boy who is sent to go to an all-white school. Pearl Harbour is here a fresh memory for the American people and several of them thinks that Henry is Japanese and does not treat him well. Because of this, his father makes him wear a button that says “I am Chinese”. His life is not easy, and a less than perfect relationship with his father does not make it easier to be Henry.

Henry works in the school cafeteria and one day a Japanese girl named Keiko starts working with him. He knows that he should not make friends with her, but as he is the only Chinese student and she is the only Japanese at their school, they identify with each other and became true friends.

This is the start of a forbidden friendship that is the main framework of the story. It continues to reveal how it was like to be Chinese and Japanese during the war and the consequences that emerged.

I absolutely loved this book; I really did not want it to end. It is beautifully written and you cannot help but to fall in love with the characters and their dreams and hopes. The story gives the reader a vivid picture of what it was like to live in America at this time. The only thing I have to complain about is that Ford gives Henry thoughts and feelings beyond the maturity level of a 12 year old. But he writes it so well that it seems believable, which in my opinion is saying a great deal about the fantastic writing style of this novel. I absolutely recommend it, it is one of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time.

Your Travel – Bali

I am very excited about this post as this is the first contribution for my travel guest series, Your Travel. I was very happy when Kate emailed me last week and asked if she could write a post about Bali. This is the first guest post in this series and I hope you’ll enjoy it. Please be sure to check out Kate’s amazing blog Travelmoon.

I’m very excited to participate in Cammie’s new Travel Blog Series.  Cammie has really been to so many incredible and awe-inspiring locations on her around-the-world journey, which inspired me to share one of my own dream trips here.  

It is nearly impossible for me to pick my favorite travel spot as each trip has evoked a different feeling and experience.  Yet instantly, the first place that came to mind was tropical Bali.  I remember thinking as I traveled through each town peering over at the passing rice fields, rich in in lush greens, and watching people at their local temple steadfastly making offerings, that this was a magical location that was almost unworldly in its beauty.  And you will be hard pressed to find people anywhere in the world who are more welcoming and warm.  

If I could give only one tip it would be to leave your resort pool and check out the amazing countryside.  If you are brave, you can rent a motorbike for the day, where you can swerve in and out of traffic to get to places quicker.  After one harrowing motorbike experience (that is a story for another day), I have sworn them off forever.  Instead, we opted to hire a personal taxi driver for surprisingly inexpensive rates.  The taxi driver will wait for you while you spend the day on the beach, or take you to a temple, or to a different part of the county all for a fixed price agreed upon in advance.  We connected with a taxi driver we met on the first day who practically turned into our own personal tour guide and introduced us to traditional Balinese music.  Almost six months after my journey, I still find the repetitive tinkling tunes hard to get out of my mind from time to time.

There are many places to spot monkeys roaming wild or even visit a monkey forest if you dare.  Monkeys can actually get quite aggressive and you must make sure to not have any food while in the monkey forest unless you are prepared to have them jump on your head.  At a distance, they can be quite entertaining to observe.  If you want the opportunity to ride an elephant, Bali provides a chance for that too.

Make sure to venture inland to Bali’s spiritual center that is brimming with artists: Ubud.  This is where you can see or even stay among the rice paddies.  Ubud has a large market where they sell traditional and native wares and also a plethora of spas as well.  We indulged in hours of spa treatments for rates so low it seemed almost sinful.  Nearby, is Tegalalang, an expansive stepped rice terrace (a mouthful to say but you will be speechless once you arrive).  I sipped ginger tea and ate fried bananas in a restaurant built into the slope to maximize the splendid view and in a fit of madness asked if the owner was willing to sell the restaurant.  I know I am far from the first person who has been seduced into contemplating staying in Bali forever...

The pictures are Kate’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.

Pizza Express

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As I mentioned yesterday, I celebrated my birthday at Pizza Express. I thought it was about time then to give my review of this restaurant.

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Pizza Express is a lovely restaurant chain that is located all over London. I celebrated my birthday in Putney, but you can also find the restaurant in the famous shopping centre Westfield, Notting Hill and close to the British Museum. These are only a few of the many places where you can find this restaurant.

It is a very popular restaurant and the menu offers several different options. There is something for everyone and the pizza is exceptionally good. With a thin crust you can choose from quite a few varieties when it comes to pizza but they also have a fine selection of pasta and salads. One starter that seems to be highly popular among my friends is the dough balls. The garlic bread with mozzarella is also very tasty, and they are both perfect to share.

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The prices are also not bad. It is quite affordable and it is plenty of food for the money. Pizza Express is the perfect place to celebrate your birthday, have fun with friends, to spend time with your family and even have a romantic evening. I absolutely recommend this restaurant and I hope you’ll enjoy it too if you ever decide to eat there.