Helsingor - Denmark

Helsingor – Denmark

Post published:30 August 2016
Post category:Denmark Europe Northern Europe

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Set of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet

Moving onto one more last city to visit in this trip, was a choice between Helsingor, north of Copenhagen, or Roskilde at the west. Both very beautiful cities, both home to an UNESCO World Heritage Site, but was decided to be Helsingor for having more places to visit, being a bigger city and because we did have the time for this, enjoying pretty much most of the day before returning to Copenhagen to pick our luggage and fly back to London. And that was a very great choice what we did!

After all, any further days in Copenhagen would have been too much, and bearing few extra sights here and there, we did already see everything in 2 full days. Furthermore, we spent the entire day yesterday in Malmo, Sweden, so this was a perfect occasion to visit something else, leaving for a future trip the visit to Roskilde for example, among other cities.

Helsingor is way smaller than Copenhagen, with not even a fraction of the hundreds of sights you find in the capital everywhere, therefore you can easily plan for time, little over half a day. Once you visit its old town core and harbour and its UNESCO World Heritage Kronborg Castle, the rest will lie in between at easy reach from each other. In theory my original plan was not just visiting Helsingor, but also Roskilde, although as I knew I was with my family and we take more time than when I travel with friends, I preferred to have this day more relaxed than the previous three when we did not stop on and on. (more…)

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Malmo - Sweden

Malmo – Sweden

Post published:29 August 2016
Post category:Europe Northern Europe Sweden

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Malmhaug: Gravel Pile, Ore Hill

As mentioned in the previous post, Copenhagen, visiting Malmo was part of our original plan in both 2011 and 2016 trips. If back then was with a friend, now was with my family, but the reason remains the same. Being just across the Oresund Bridge, that near from Copenhagen, it is a great chance for being able to visit and enjoy them both. On this occasion we had plenty more time and actually ended up exhausting the entire city of Malmo in a day before returning to our base in Copenhagen from where we came early in the morning. After all, remember this is a small city and there is no need for spending any further time, therefore a day is more than enough.

From Copenhagen Central Station there are very frequent trains (every 20 minutes), and so in the opposite direction from Malmo Central Station. Just take note the train is not cheap at all considering the short distance travelled in barely just 20 minutes. Less was in our case since we took the train at Copenhagen’s Airport train station where our hotel was meters from. It took us only 15 minutes and we were there!

Upon arrival, it is quite obvious to see the level of live in here is somewhat higher; even it is already well known Danish people enjoy one of the wealthiest nation. But once you compare both cities, here in Malmo you will see an extremely clean, nice and quite spotless city, like anywhere in Sweden. People tend to be extremely polity, helpful and nice feeling overall, and managed to actually speak to us quite well in Spanish!

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Copenhagen - Denmark

Copenhagen – Denmark

Post published:28 August 2016
Post category:Denmark Europe Northern Europe

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Køpmannæhafn: Merchants’ Harbour

This year is been a mix of going to places never visited before, and returning to many others as a second time with others, pretty much, a yearly return in order to visit other cities and landmarks nearby. It’s great to have so many cities in a radius of around 3 hours flight max, making it extremely easy and convenient to keep doing what I love the most: to travel. In this case, it’s the second time I come to Copenhagen, 5 years and a month to be precise after the last visit, and for a bit longer this time but a similar route to include Malmo in Sweden and other smaller cities in Denmark. A nice 4 days with my family this time, as it is normal for us to do at least a yearly holiday the four of us, mum, dad, my brother and I.

Once more, I take the chance to completely remake this guide for the city I did create few years back now that I have way more and better up to date information, and a nicer way in listing the sights perfectly by neighbourhood and in an sense order for easy following a route and not missing anything.

Denmark is somehow, one of the less visited countries from the many I’ve been. But in the other hand, this is a small country with an extremely centralised economy and population most of which living in the capital and its metropolitan area. We’ve been many years ago at the second largest city, Aarhus, and that already felt very small. Bearing these cities, there is only one more you can fly from London, this is Billund, famous for being home to one of the largest Legoland parks in the world. (more…)

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Manchester - United Kingdom

Manchester – United Kingdom

Post published:17 July 2016
Post category:Europe Northern Europe United Kingdom

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World’s first industrialised city

Returning to the city where I lived for some months 11 years ago, and to this date, the best city I’ve ever been in the UK; Manchester. Living in London is just for a reason, work. Unfortunately a position as I have in London would be much harder to get in Manchester that’s a fact, otherwise I would not hesitate in coming back to live here. Not only the cost of living is much lower, it is also much lower the housing prices where you can at least afford a very nice house instead of a microscopic apartment in London. People also is way friendlier and nicer in every sense, and they do know how to party! The huge amount of beautiful large pubs, clubs and discos still fascinates me when comparing to tiny, tasteless, and ever crowded places in London.

Manchester although not the next largest city after London, title that goes to Birmingham, it is the second city in importance after London. Both Manchester and Birmingham have a never ending fight in which is the most important, but it is publicly and official for the UK it remains Manchester.

So what makes the city different or from where such importance? Taking a brief look at some of its facts then it comes self-explained: Nicknamed as Cottonopolis back in the industrial era, over 70% of the world’s cotton was produced here. No other city in the world had as many factories as Manchester, and truly became the world’s first industrialised city, where the world’s first industrial estate was created at Trafford Park. Back in its heyday, another unprecedented achievement occurred; the city became one end of the world’s first intercity passenger railway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Another event at the Midland Hotel saw Mr Rolls and Mr Royce meeting for the first time before the formation of the famous car company Rolls Royce. Pioneering in many aspects, but also a melting pot where great artists and musicians have born. There is a phrase that somewhat in certain aspects, still described itself on the spot: What Manchester does today, the rest of the world does tomorrow. (more…)

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Isle of Man - United Kingdom

Isle of Man – British Isles

Post published:26 June 2016
Post category:Europe Isle of Man Northern Europe United Kingdom

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Ellan Vannin. A Self-governing Crown Dependency

Glad to finally manage great flight tickets to Isle of Man, long time in the bucket list of the “nearby” destinations to go. And with the ongoing shortage of new destinations across Europe still pending to go, it was once more, a perfect choice and a great weekend. Landscapes, nature, city and culture road trip through the entire island which surprisingly has a lot to see and do, and an incredible history and past behind through the millennia. An entire weekend is just perfect time, enough to enjoy every corner of the island which is really pleasant to drive all around. Easy roads and short distances, with many sights along the way: megalithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age monuments; castles, beaches, idyllic villages and impressive Victorian engineering at its purest with the largest water wheel in the world, horse trams in Douglas, a mountain railway, steam train and electric tramways from the past century, just to name a few of the places we would visit.

Starting at Castletown and Douglas, we split between north and south, one area for Saturday, the other for Sunday. Our hotel however, was in Douglas since it’s the capital and largest city in the island and with majority of facilities, entertainment and nightlife. We did not want to be “stranded” in the middle of nowhere and having to depend on the car to even go and find dinner.

The island, on the Irish Sea, is one of the self-governing Crown Dependency of the British Isles where the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, but not part of the United Kingdom. It is an independent country on it’s own, and the people of the island are happy about this. Sometimes people are mistaken in thinking they are part of the United Kingdom but is not. The other such self-governing islands are the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the La Mancha Canal. (more…)

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Kristiansund and the Atlantic Road - Norway

Kristiansund and the Atlantic Road – Norway

Post published:11 June 2016
Post category:Europe Northern Europe Norway

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The Atlantic Ocean Road

Right after arriving the previous night into Trondheim, we dedicated today, the entire Saturday, for doing our road day trip towards Kristiansund and across some of the incredibly beautiful landscapes of this region of Norway. In the other hand it really does not matter wherever you go within this county, everywhere is absolutely unspoiled with some of the greatest natural sceneries in the world. As we’ve now been to most of the key landmarks in Norway, including many of the famous fjords, some of which the largest in the world; the Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) by the Lysefjorden, Oslo, the beautiful cities of Stavanger and Bergen; then there was something still to do on the agenda: The Atlantic Ocean Road.

OK, OK. Yes; there are still more places in the wish-list such as Tromso, Nordkapp or seeing the Northern Lights; but for now they will have to wait for future trips, most likely from next year. The agenda is by far already too busy until the end of this year, and unless something turns out during late November/beginning of December then there are no more weekends without a trip booked.

From Trondheim the route I planned was the E39 to Kristiansund, and farther beyond in order to pass by the more and more famous and visited Atlantic Ocean Road. Once a very quiet and remote road that since being featured on TV, travel sites, or being nominated as the world’s best road trip, listed National Tourist Route, Cultural Heritage of Norway and the Norwegian Construction of the Century to name a few; it has became a worldwide attraction! And I see the clear reason anyway. You have to be there to experience it, truly exciting and beautiful. (more…)

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Stavanger - Norway

Stavanger – Norway

Post published:20 September 2015
Post category:Europe Northern Europe Norway

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Stafr: Branch, Angr: Bay

Coming back to Norway only after few weeks since we re-visited the capital city, Oslo; but this time to a new destination never been before: Stavanger. Fortunately as a rare exception to any Norwegian city, here money seemed to last a little bit longer. Nothing to compare with the most expensive city we’ve been so far in the country, Bergen, and even still, a bit cheaper overall than Oslo. This is in a way good to know, but remember that a meal for two in a normal and “not expensive” restaurant will come to a minimum of £40, that is over 400 NOK.

Nicknamed the Oil Capital City of Norway can self-explain a lot. Yet it is not only about the oil and energy, but on the more demanding tourists coming here to enjoy some of the most spectacular natural landscapes on earth that lie only few kilometres away, being its highlight the world known Lysefjorden Fjord, which is the icon and symbol taken to represent any fjord on any catalogue about Norway.

If you are expecting a beautiful city to the likes of Oslo, Bergen or Tromso, then you might be a bit disappointed, but only due to its very small size. However, Stavanger is one of the oldest cities in Norway and ranks among the best examples in wooden architecture from the 18th and 19th century that can be found everywhere around the city centre and outskirts and are beautifully preserved and restored. (more…)

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Sundsvall - Sweden

Sundsvall – Sweden

Post published:31 August 2015
Post category:Europe Northern Europe Sweden

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The Northernmost Stone City in the World

Heading to the north some 400 kilometers away from Stockholm on a much more unusual trip to say, for example, Gothenburg or Malmo which are the next largest cities in Sweden and that I’ve already been before anyway; we arrived instead at the small city of Sundsvall. Two reasons why, the truly decision-maker was to visit our family there which we never got the chance to do so at their home town, and second, in way less importance, getting the chance to visit this region of Sweden far from the big cities in the south, and explore more the beautiful nature and country side.

We decided to spare 2 full days here, which included anyway visiting few other places nearby as our family took us around. Being such a heavy traveller as I am, 2 days in Sundsvall would have been by all means too much as you can see everything in just half a day. Still, there are way too many other places and small cities and villages nearby that will for sure make your visit well worth it; and in this case, a little bit longer time for family reunion was also nice.

Also mentioning something important you should consider, is getting here by train. It is around 3 hours and a half from Stockholm Central and the views and landscapes you will have are impossible to beat if instead you opt to fly. Let’s be honest anyway, the difference in cost between flying or taking the train was on our precise date not that different, but I knew beforehand I wanted to take the train, plus my cousin and a work colleague, both Swedish, told me it’s the best choice if I wanted to enjoy a great trip here and really see more of Swedish nature and landscapes around. They were all right! (more…)

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