The Ice Queen Oslo

It's been so long since I haven't posted anything in my blog. Luckily, or unfortunately, the reason was not that there is nothing to post but I'm too busy (and kind of lazy) to do it. Finally I sat on my own with some pictures and decided to share my experience and impressions of the best trip I had in the past year in the most beautiful country I've been - Norway!

Center of Oslo

 I've always wanted to visit this amazing place and I guess I was waiting for the perfect moment to appear. It was in a December evening when I opened my email and a friend of mine has sent me only this sentence: "What about few days in Norway in January?" Without any hesitation I accepted. As we both have friends there it was not difficult to take this decision. So, the preparation started and we soon were at the airport impatient to start the journey.
We arrived late in the evening at the Oslo Airport  Gardemoen and her friends were waiting for us. Soon we were at there house in Mysen, 60 km far from Oslo. The next 2 days were dedicated to the Norwegian Capital.

What we saw in Oslo:

Vigeland's Park -  It's an unique sculpture park with more than 200 sculptures made by bronze and granite . The great sculptor Gustav Vigeland  has made human figures from their childhood to their old age in different poses and scenes of their lives.
It's not only that I visited in January, but it was dark and I'm so sorry I cannot offer you what should be seen in the park. In Oslo, in the winter it gets dark early at 4:00 pm, so please, have it on mind if you visit the country at this time. And one tip - if there is snow, climb the central stairs, where the snow is cleaned, not the side ones. I was so surprised to see how my friends were walking so fast and the other 2 of us were like creeping from the left side. It's really simple and close to the mind but I'm not very logical every time.

The Royal Palace - The Palace is a symbol of the Norwegian history. It was made as a residence for King Carl Johan in 1849 but it was not finished util his death. The Royal Palace is owned by the state and there live the royal family which actually has no real political power in the country, only a representative. The current monarch is Harald V. It is open for 2 months for visitors in the summer and the price for a guided tour is 95 NOK (13 EUR) so we could enjoy it only from outside (still very good).

The Oslo Opera House - It is one of the newest opera houses in the World, built in 2007. Its construction costed  40 million EUR!!! It has more than 1000 rooms and the main hall has almost 1400 seats. To be honest I liked the building but  it didn't impressed me much. When I heard about the money it took I understood why the locals are so proud of this building - they just have to!

Karl Johans gate - This is the main street in Oslo, connecting the Central Oslo Station (famous as Oslo S) and The Royal Palace. Except the shops and the nice architechture buildings, the street includes many of Oslo's tourist attractions - The Royal Palace, Stortinget (The Norwegian Parliament), The National Theater, The Old University Buildings, Park Spikersuppa  which serves as a skating rink in winter.

The Parliament

Oslo Cathedral - The main Cathedral, called Our Savior's Church was built in the late 15th century. It was originally located 1.5 km from the present building. After the big fire was built on its present site in 1697.

Holmenkollen (an island of the hill) is a famous hill above Oslo, where there are trails for ski jumping and many other winter-sport activities. Each year at the ski festival this trail is teeming with people. It has also nice view to the city unless it's foggy. There is a restaurant on the top of the hill and even if you don't feel like entering you may just have a stop and enjoy Oslo from above.

The biggest trail

The foggy view

Of course, there is more to see in Oslo like Viking Ship Museum, Folk Museum, Fortress Akershus, and many others but I left something for next time.

When it was already dark and cold outside we visited one of the shopping malls in Oslo (Oslo City Mall) and took a walk around. It was like in every Mall - luxury shops and cafes, nothing special but warm. It was a real fun as we entered in a man's clothing store buying some clothes for our host ...the retails tried to offer their best but always one of us disagreed for something.
It's close to the railway station and it has a warm connection (a tunnel over the street) between them. It's also very close to the Opera House and you may see its lights in the evening, it's beautiful.

One of the evenings we celebrated our host birthday at a restaurant by the harbour. The pedestrian zone is called Akker Brygge and is famous with its restaurants and cafes. I bet it's really pleasant to have a walk during the sunny summer but at -13 degrees with strong wind along the fjord we were in a hurry to get into the restaurant. It was a Steak House - Jensens Biffhuss, offering delicious food but nothing typical Norwegian. I was really amazed by the prices, actually not exactly in this restaurant but in general in the country. A meal for 5 with a bottle of wine, few beers and 3 starters costed about 450-500 EUR!
I was also surprised by the fact that the waitress didn't know Norwegian but only English (she was from Czech Republic) so I found out for real that in Norway they accept English almost as an official 2-d language and to work there it's not necessary to know the local language as everybody speaks English.
Anyway, we ended the night in one bar with beers where we had lots of fun! Maybe here's the right moment to thank again to Steve for the lovely time we spent in Oslo.

Delicious steak

And after this long night I had to wake up at 5 am and take the train to the amazing Flam valley that would be my next story ( I'll try to make it really soon). But this is the hard life of the traveler - experience a lot in a short time.

A couple of days in Bonn and Cologne

When I landed at the airport of Cologne/Bonn for the first time, I started to look at both cities as they were one, just because of the airport name without knowing much about them. Later, people were telling me that Cologne is much more beautiful than Bonn and that in Bonn there is nothing to see. That is totally not true – they’re both so different and interesting or at least the parts I saw. A month ago, I had the chance be taken around and I’m very satisfied of my experience.

View from Cologne Cathedral

The love bridge and the Cathedral

The first day of my weekend, my friend took me to Cologne for some shopping and of course to see the Cathedral Sts. Peter and Maria. I had already seen it before but only from outside as it had been closed. Now it was open and we entered – The Cathedral is huge and spacious and there were 2 big organs inside. Hundreds of tourists went in and out for the time we were there. The best emotion of that visit was climbing up one of the towers – 533 steps to the top in the narrow tower! People from the top were coming down in the same time we were climbing up and it was turn after turn…as my friend said: “The best part of every visit here is the adrenaline from that feeling”. On the top there was a great view to the whole city, Rheine and the bridges.

On our way to the Cathedral we passed through the Bridge of love – I haven’t seen so many love padlocks at one place! There we thousands of them in different colours and sizes. The lovers had written their names and the date of their anniversary or the date of “locking their love”. Even there was a couple on their wedding day taking photos there.

The colourful padlocks

Schildergasee - the shopping street

After that experience we went through the Shopping Street of Cologne. It was crowded in and outside the shops. We stopped for some classic pommes frites with mustard. Then, in a wonderful French pastry shop, we had amazing cakes, I wanted to try from everything but there was no space in my stomach anymore. Meanwhile we met two parties of girls that were out for a maiden party. The German girls has very interesting tradition when it is about the maiden party – the bride’s friends buy some candies, snacks, chewing gums, condoms, lollipops, little jewelries and the aim of the future bride is to sell them at the street. I was trying to take a photo of them while one of the girls saw me and started shouting in German running towards me. First I was shocked, thinking that she has something against but then I realized she wants to sell me something. After bargain a little bit I had a condom for 1 EUR. Everybody was happy at the end.

The Mayden Party Group

Poppelsdorfer Castle

The next day we spent in Bonn, the capital “Federal Republic of German”. Nothing much left there after the capital moved back in Berlin except the central of The United Nations and the main building of Douche post but the city is still beautiful and one of the reasons is Rheine, something that cannot be changed. First we had a walk around the center and the old buildings, the City Hall, The church Munster and the homonymous square, where is situated a statue of Beethoven. People in Bonn are very proud, as although he has spent his life in Vienna, Beethoven has been born in Bonn. We also walked through the University to the Castle of Poppelsdorfer and the Botanical Garden. What surprised me a lot was a small glass cabin in the alley, close to the University, that was full with books. It was not locked and people have the chance to take a book, read it and then turn it back. And it was standing there, untouched of the vandals, something that it is impossible in my country.

The book cabin

Monument of Beethoven

Rhein park

The whole day we were riding bikes, it hadn’t happened to me for few years. And although my ass was hurting me because of 7 hours on the bike’s seat, it was a perfect sunny day with free thoughts, pleasant company and relax. Inna, my friend, took me through the big Rheine Park where we enjoyed The Japanese garden, ice cream and sun. Then we went to Drachenburg Castle that is in the nearest town – Koningswinter. To reach the other side of the river we had to use a ferry, two minutes and we crossed the river. The Castle was built at the end of 19 – the century by a rich baron but he has never lived there. The area is beautiful and there is a great view to Rheine and Bonn. On our way back to the little town we decided to take the funicular as we saw it coming. But when asking for the price, the guy said 7 EUR! Hmm, we decided that it is not worth to pay this amount and we turned back. The guy shouted something after us and then he said: “It would be free for you” and he winged. Hehe, how to miss such an opportunity!

That was a perfect spontaneous 2-days German trip that I really enjoyed, thanks to my friend Inna. For the first time I was not following the main attractions and sightseeing but I felt as a real traveler with a close guide! 

Some more photos of the trip: 

The Japanese Garden

Drachenburg Castle

Rhein from the Castle

The  funicular

Around Koningswinter

Green parks in Dusseldorf

The lake in front of Bentrath Palace

Two years ago was my first time in Dusseldorf due to a business trip and as usually I spent all my evenings outside, trying to explore more and more of the city. I discovered how beautiful it is and as I was told later - one of the most interesting and fascinating German cities. This year I also had the chance to spend one more week there, this time paying more attention on the streets and parks.

My first day started from Benrath Palace that consist of 3 main buildings (museums) and a huge park - garden with a lake. The museums are of European Garden History, Corps de Logis, and Museum of Natural History. I visited only the first one and I'm so sorry it was forbidden to take pictures inside as there were amazing exponents. It has 2 floors and shows paintings, models, sound effects, movies, sculptures and all you can imagine connected with the garden art. Unfortunately most of the information was in German so I hardly understood it. The weather was so warm and people were outside, enjoying the lovely flowers and grass in the park, where by the way you can see also some herbs and vegetables. Benrath Palace is situated in the southest part of the city and it's easily accessible by U74 or tram 701.

The garden behind it

The glass dome

After some circules around that area, I got on tram 701 and stopped at Sudpark to reach the Botanical garden. I had to ask few times about the directions as the station was a little bit far from the garden but I found it. Actually it's better take U79 or tram 707 to their last station. Anyway, I passed through the Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf and reached the Botanical Garden. Luckily, there was no entrance fee (probably because it was of the University) and I firstly entered the glass dome, where the climate was Mediterranean and are growing plants, brought from The Canaries, New Zeland, Australia and Asia. I felt as I was in a tropical forest. There is also a new house - orangery with plants from South Africa and a small garden, called Pharmacy Garden - probably some pharmacy herbs. I ended walking around the other plants in the garden with a cup of coffee. On my way back I saw the jazz tram - a touristic tram playing jazz music and going around the city. They told me that the ticket cost 14 EUR.

Burgplaz with the pianist

My sunny Sunday ended along Rhein park and Burgplatz in Altstad beside the river where there was a musician with a grand piano, playing nice classical music. People around were applauding after every song and a dog was barking in harmony with the them.

In the next 5 days I was working up to 6 pm but still had the chance to visit some other parks at sunset. The first one I passed through was Hofgarten, the most central and biggest in Dusseldorf. What made me the biggest impression was an alley with illuminated benches. Actually there were fluorescent lights in each edge of the bench and also it was keeping warm. Later I was told that there was some art project few years ago and they left the benches. Then I stopped near a lake with a lot of ducks in it and around its coast. When I got closer to take a picture of them, one of the ducks went against me, croaking. "Hey, ok, I'm going back..." and in that moment a rat passed just in front of me. Wondering what was that, another rat ran into the bushes. What a zoo!

The benches!

Japanese Cultural Eco-house

In my previous post about Dusseldorf, I told you also about Nordpark, the park that amazed me with its Japanese garden. I searched for some more information about the Japanese community in the city and I found out they have a Cultural Eco House at the west coast of Rhein in the nice area of Niederkassel (buses 833, 834 and close to U-bahn - U74, U76, U77). Curious to take a look around I went one early evening and of course it was closed. There were some announcements about concerts but with my luck they were for other days. At least I peeped through the fence and saw some parts of their beautiful garden. As I always say - next time!

My other free time was spent around the restaurants and bars but there is not so much to talk about them. Or I could write something is I got my memories back ;)

And as a final - my favorite view:

Rhein and the sunset

A short trip to Athens

Before my visit to Athens I didn’t know what to expect but I knew it will be wonderful experience. And it was, now, when I hear Athens I see wide boulevards, clothing shops and of course – the Acropolis.

View from the Acropolis

Monastiraki market, photo by Cosmicadventure

After whole night traveling I arrived at my mom’s house and we spent all they enjoying the time together. The next day I was ready to walk around the huge city. And of course the first stop was the Acropolis. I was surprised not only of the ancient ruins but also of the city view too. It is better go there early in the morning when the sun is not so strong. On the hill where is the Pantheon temple are situated also the temple of Athens and the theater of Dionysus. In the past there used to be a statue of Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, female arts, crafts, justice and skill, which is named after the city today. The walk in the ancient history was great but I was pleased to move in another epoch - Monastiraki market in the foot of the Acropolis. It is a must see place for visit although it is very crowded, especially on Sunday when it’s full of tourists and the locals are also out for shopping. Maybe is better to go around again in the morning during the week when the crowd is still sleeping. Anyway we had a great time around the variety of shops – from local crafts through books and souvenirs till all type of clothes. Prices are different but you can always bargain to reach the price you’d ready to pay.

The Parliament at Syntagma Square, by Cosmicadventure

From the ancient times through the Ages we finally found ourselves at Syntagma square - the main and most central square in Athens (Btw it is named after the constitution of Greece). It is the most modern center of the capital and even the zero point of Greece. The square is popular for meetings of the Athenians and guests of the city. It is ideal place for taking a rest with a cup of coffee which was actually what we did after so much walking. Recently, most of the famous Greek protests take place ar the square. There is situated also the building of the Parliament, built in 19 century to be a Palace. Guard’s changing is something I saw the day before and it impressed me a lot especially because of the guard’s costumes and the tassels of the shoes. Another famous square in Athens we passed by was Omonia. It is located in the shopping are of the capital with a huge number of stores and cafes. Omonia is mainly famous as the square of immigrants. Lots of people from Eastern Europe are looking for their luck and work in Athens and Omonia is a great point to meet each other, chat on their own language, buy newspapers on their language or send gifts to their families as there are some transport companies located at the square.

A favourite boulevard, by Cosmicadventure

A park in Kifissia

On the next day we spend almost a whole day in Kifissia - is one of the richest neighbourhoods in Athens. There are wonderful houses built in a modern style, beautiful parks and gardens. The main square in the area was crowded the whole day mainly with young people spending their free time by meeting friends and having beers. Kifissia is the right place for shopping luxury and expensive clothes. Is not that such shops are missing in the capital center but this is where rich people go. Just be careful what time you’re planning to go shopping anywhere in Greece  - all the shops have very special working hours: from 9 to 19 with 3 hours break , they don’t work on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons at all and of course Sunday is day off. The first day of my stay (Sunday), one of my shoes was broken and we passed through a shop where the owner was arranging the shoes. I kindly asked to buy shoes and he refused me. I had to show him my problem, beg him and finally he agreed to sell me a pair of shoes. It really amazed me but I guess people just have principals.

the amazing octopus

The last evening we went out to say goodbye to my mom and she took me to a nice restaurant where I tried for the first time grilled octopus and I loved it. Of course we ended with a glass of ouzo as it wouldn’t have been a typical dinner without it. I left again with the pleasant sense that I’ll be back (although my mom is not living there anymore). Actually I visited it again but it was a business trip and I didn’t have much time to walk around.

At the end of the journey - the unique New York City

USA.SC.North Myrtle Beach.Work and Travel Program.20 y.o. girl.Great experience.(The beginning)

My USA experience started from New York and happily, it was going to end again there. When arriving for the first time in the city unfortunatelly I didn't have the opportunity to explore it, I could only spend some time in Columbia University and at the bus station. Now, on our way back, we were about to see more, at least we had a plan.

New York  Stock Exchange

In front of the hostel 

It was not difficult to find our hostel in the center of Manhattan. It was in an old 3-4 floor building with a little yard behind it. Vessy and I checked in and soon we went out in the big city. We were walking down the wide avenues, watching people going around us. There were so many different people- men and women, dressed elegant and sporty, hurrying up and walking slowly, local and foreigners. I was grabbing all this situation as I knew it could be my last time seeing it.

Empire State Building was the first landmark we visited. We had to wait for half an hour to enter the elevator and reach the top. The elevator was so fast that only for few minutes we got to the Observatory on the 86-th floor and then we switched to another elevator and we went to the 102-d floor. It was an unforgettable experience from the highest point in NYC- the whole city was in front of me, well... under me! After that memorable moments we got down on the street again and continued to Rockefeller center. It is definitely a place where you can spend whole day. We didn't have that time but we visited the Channal Garden and The Ice Rink. The Channal garden is a square with lovely plantings and beautiful greenery. People say that it's the same every season of the year. The garden is called like this because it is situated between the French Empire Building and the British Empire Building- exactly as the channel between the two countries. The Ice Rink is a huge skating rink that opens in the middle of October. I'm sure it will be amazing to be seen around Christmas when they light the Christmas tree. During the summer it is replaced by the Rink Bar. I've heard that under Rockefeller center there is an underground city with lots of stores and restaurants and pedestrian alleys that connects the buildings. But we prefered do some shopping on the ground as we wanted to be more outside and feel New York closer.

A post card from the 60 - s

Times Square, photo by searchroulet.com

Going ahead we reached the notorious Times Square. The famous New York Times Building was standing there in front of us, all the commercial signs, known from the picture were also there, staying for years just changing their theme a little bit- Coca Cola, Budweiser, Swatch, JVC, etc. At the Crossroads of the World (as people call Times Square), you can buy thickets for the popular Broadway shows from TKTS ticket booth. There again, every 31 December the whole New York comes to the square to celebrate the New Year and I wished myself to live this moment one day.

Tired but happy we went back to the hostel to celebrate Vessy's birthday. (Yes, she had a birthday). We met few guys there and after having a drink one of the guys invited us to a party in  New York club. We accepted the idea and had an amazing night through the streets, the subway and that New York Bar. It was the most strange birthday Vessy had had up to that moment. She said: "I had an amazing time with international people - a Bulgarian, two Americans, a French girl and a Japanese guy!"

Almost at the Statue of Liberty

After the heavy night and a little hangover we woke up early and went on our discovery plan in the city. Our flight was at 7 p.m. and we had only few hours to take more and more of New York. Our first stop this day was Battary Park, where starts the cruise for The Statue of Liberty. We saw about 50-60 people waiting to buy tickets for the tour and we decided to leave it for another happy moment in New York if we had a chance. You better use the previous link and book tickets online, it will save you a lot of time! Anyway, we waved to The Statue of Liberty and went on along New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street. We also passed through the place where the Twins had been, which was fenced. Our last moments in that gorgeous city we spent in Central Park enjoying the October sun and feeling happy of where we were. At 3 pm we took the subway and soon we were at the airport.

It was time to say goodbye to New York and The USA, to our lovely summer, happy and sad moments. I made friends, I lived for the moment, I met different people and cultures. I didn't earn much money but as I love to say: "I made my best free excursion ever!"

The end

Where the Danube leaves Bulgaria

Exactly 375 km before the Danube flows into the Black sea the river is no longer a border between Bulgaria and Romania but it goes straight north into Romanian lands. There, on the right coast of the river is situated Silistra - an ancient Bulgarian city. 

Originating as a Thracian settlement later conquered by the Romans and survived as an important medieval Bulgarian fortress - ancient ruins, a Roman tomb with frescoes kept, fortress and museum keep the history of this region.And if you're interested in learning more about the city I have some recommendations for places to visit:

View to the city from the nearest hill

Medjidi tabia fortress

This is the most preserved fortress from the Turkish times. It has been an important part of the fortifying system of the city. It was built in 1841-1853 by 300 Bulgarians.In 1847 г. it was visited by sultan Abul Medjit who was really surprise and interested by the fortress and that's why it is named on him - Medjidi tabia. The fortress also takes part in the Krim war started in 1853 in Silistra.It is located at the Southern side of the city. Medjidi tabia is working every day only for one euro entrance fee.

Medjidi tabia fortress from outside

Historical museum

Of course there is no historical city without a historical museum. Inside you can enjoy an archeological exposition with valuable monuments that were found from different times - unique exponents from Roman period and a column of khan Omurtag. The museum is cituated in the center of the city but unfortunately it is not working on Sunday and Monday.

The art gallery

Some of the Roman remains and the Romanian coast on the left

Take a walk along the river in the beautiful park

Danube park is my favorite place in the city. It is a great decision to escape from the hot weather in summer. You can walk along its alleys or just sit and admire the Quiet White Danube.

Wooden train for kids

And the gorgeous river

When you finish with the city you can just leave it and go straight to the Beosphere Preserve of Sreberna.

The preserve spreads Srebarna lake and the territory around(18km west of Silistra). The most interesting plants there are water-lily, rush, reed, etc - more than 130 types, some of them endangered of disappearing. The bird world here in incredibly rich,there are such rare and worth kinds of birds – pelicans, stag of a fallow deer, herons, ibises, wild ducks and geese, etc. There could be seen also – otters, tortoises, lake crabs, etc. In the museum nearby you can enjoy watching the birds in details using the two telescopes. An echo path is going around the lake – a 2 days walk will be the best to see everything around although a day trip is also a good option.
There are regular buses from Silistra's bustation.

Srebarna lake

In the region

If you are looking for accomodation around,  I'd advise you to stay in some of the river villages. Of course choosing a hotel in Silistra is a good idea too but booking a room in guesthouse will touch you even more to the incredible nature around the Danube. My suggestion is for village Vetren, only 5 km far from Srebarna, on the river coast. Here is a list of few hotels and guesthouses and this is the house where we spent one night. The website is is Bulgarian but you'll easily find the pictures and contacts. You can go for a walk around the beautiful village and have a fresh fish even just besides the river. The village was so quiet and calm and it took me far away from the busy and dusty city to this little land of paradise.

Fishing boats at Vetren coast

Our guesthouse