Travel experiences Archives - Page 4 of 4

Hotel review – Hotel Oleana, Bergen

My base for my 3 nights in Bergen was the Hotel Oleana, a centrally located boutique hotel, a 10 minute walk or 2 minute tram ride from the central railway station.

After a quick and efficient check in, I found my room along corridors decorated with colourful images of characters in various stages of undress and opened my door to find my room (or possibly boudoir).

Feeling rather relieved not to find a mirror stuck to the ceiling, I slept very well on the comfortable bed, aided by the efficient air conditioning. The shower overlooks the rest of the room of course, but this was not an issue for a single traveller and it was hot and refreshing.

There was a minibar, but the price list convinced me to head out for a couple of beers instead.

Breakfast was delicious, with a good range of hot items (actually served hot), smoked salmon, nice cheeses and pastries and good, fresh coffee.

On the morning of my departure, my luggage was stored and sent with a courier to my next hotel in Oslo, while I headed off on the Norway in a Nutshell tour.

I must admit that when I first arrived at this property, the gaudy decor was a little off-putting and I assumed that this was going to be just another “boutique” hotel that places style over substance.

I was wrong. This place has style and substance. It is a comfortable, efficient and thoroughly well run property, which grew on me considerably over the course of my three day stay.

Never judge a book by its cover.

Destination guide – Bergen, Norway

After my sojourn in Tromsø, I headed down to Bergen on Norway’s west coast to take advantage of the continued warm Summer weather. Here is my brief Bergen destination guide.

Bergen, known as the Gateway to the Fjords, is an engaging port city renowned for its sublime scenery and tasty seafood.

I started with a trip up the Fløyen on the funicular railway, which ascends a total of 320m in around 6 minutes. Departures are more or less continual during busy times.

Of course nobody can go to Bergen without getting out on the water and seeing some of the Fjords, so I headed out on a 3-hour cruise on board a comfortable catamaran, which was expensive at 740NOK (£62/€72/$74), but well worth every penny.

If you want to see the true essence of this part of Norway, this is the way to do it. The cruise heads out towards Mostraumen, passing lush, verdant hills and charming fishing villages.

I rounded off the trip with a stroll around the city’s pleasant parks and gardens and a taste of some of the famous seafood at the famous fish market.

I am very glad I had the chance to visit this appealing city. It is truly one if the highlights of Norway and I would highly recommend spending a few days here. If you do come I hope this Bergen destination guide has been useful and don’t forget to post in the forums!

Hotel review – Clarion Collection Hotel Aurora, Tromsø

My home for the 3 nights in Tromsø was the Clarion Collection Hotel Aurora, booked as part of my Nordic Choice Unlimited Nights package.

The hotel is perfectly situated, right on the picturesque harbour front.

The rooms are comfortable and functional in Scandinavian style.

The stay included breakfast and like all Clarion Collection Hotels, an evening meal. As this was my first stay at this particular brand, I was a little unsure of what to expect from the evening meal. I was however, pleasantly surprised.

Each meal consisted of a soup of the day and a main course. There was only one choice of main course, but I can honestly say they were all decent. Examples included pork neck and chicken cacciatore. I have pretty universal tastes in food, so I was very happy with it.

There was also a nice salad bar.

Water, orange juice and coffee were included and other drinks were available for purchase.

Breakfast, however, was somewhat of a let down. Most of the cooked dishes – bacon, sausages and meatballs – were stone cold on all three mornings of my stay and the milk ran out within about 20 minutes.

Breakfast aside, I was generally satisfied with my stay and it was superb value as part of my two month Nordic Choice pass, at a cost of €3,000 for 58 nights, which works out at a little under €52 per night.

Flight review – Widerøe Tromsø – Bergen

Following Tromsø, my next destination was Bergen, necessitating another flight.

The only direct flight between Tromsø and Bergen is operated by Widerøe, an airline I had never flown before.

Other options are Norwegian and SAS, but bot require at least one change if flight in Oslo.

With this in mind, I decided to give Widerøe a go.

The ground experience is very basic, with self service bag drop and no security fast track or lounge.

The on board experience is also basic, but no more so than economy class on just about any other carrier operating within Europe.

At an even six feet, I found the 29-inch seat pitch rather tight.

A buy-on-board menu is offered, although this short 10:35am flight was a little too soon after breakfast and not quite beer o’clock, so I settled for the complimentary coffee.

Overall, this experience was comparable to the better low cost airlines in Europe, such as easyJet. Given the convenience of the direct flight I was satisfied with the experience, although at around £225 or $270 it was rather pricey for what it was.

Hotel review – Comfort Hotel Runway, Oslo Airport

Prior to my flight to Tromsø, I parked up at Oslo Airport and stayed overnight at the Comfort Hotel Runway, a 10 minute bus ride from the terminal.

This is an airport hotel, designed for one night stays before or after flights and that is reflected in the facilities provided.

With that said, I was perfectly happy with the comfort of my room, which had a double bed, functioning air conditioning and a hot shower, which is all I really cared about for a one-night airport stay.

As a bonus, there was a nice view of the airport taxi ways.

I have to say the food was a bit of a let down. Guests have to option of dining at the restaurant belonging to a neighbouring hotel, but there is very little choice of food on site. I ended up dropping the better part of $20 on a microwaved taco and a soft drink.

Breakfast was limited with the usual bacon and eggs and the addition of a few cold cuts. However, the juice and milk had run out so I was stuck with water and black coffee.

Honestly, this hotel is a perfectly acceptable option for a one-night layover, but the catering is poor. I would recommend eating before arrival or choosing one of the similarly priced options on the other side of the airport, with more options nearby.

Destination guide – Tromsø, Norway

After four very enjoyable months in Stockholm, I decided to see a little more of Scandinavia and headed off to Tromsø, a little more than 200 miles North of the Arctic Circle.

Considering the distances involved, I decided to park my car at Oslo Airport and take an SAS flight to Tromsø, where I spent three nights.

Tromsø is a unique and truly breathtaking city, combining snow capped mountains, crystal clear fjords and the somewhat surreal phenomenon of the midnight sun.

My first experience of Tromsø was a stroll around the pretty harbour and across the bridge to the Arctic Cathedral.

The real highlight of the day was a ride up to the Storsteinen mountain ledge of the Fjellheisen cable car.

The cable car makes the 421m ascent in just four minutes and the breathtaking views are simply not to be missed.

The following day, I decided to take things a little easier and stroll along some if the beautiful fjordside paths out to Tromsø Folkeparken and the Southern Beach.

As it was amazingly 27°C on the day of my visit, the beach was too crowded for me to get any photographs, but suffice to say it is a unique experience, with views across the fjord to the snow capped mountains beyond.

The only regret I have about my visit to Tromsø was not managing to take the midnight RIB (rigid inflatable boat) cruise. These run for three hours from 10pm to 1am when the midnight sun shines on Tromsø. After two very full days and with an early start on the third day, my heart was willing but my body was not.

Flight review – SAS Oslo – Tromsø

As my tour of Scandinavia continued to the Arctic North, I decided to leave my car at Oslo Airport and fly to Tromsø, rather than take a three day drive each way.

There were several options for this route, including Norwegian and Widerøe. However it turned out that the best deal was on the direct afternoon flight with SAS.

The flight was quite expensive for a domestic one-way at €226 for the most basic hand luggage only ticket.

I, however, chose to upgrade to the SAS Plus fare at €270, including checked luggage and access to the SAS Domestic Lounge at Oslo Airport.

This proved to be a good choice, as the American Express lounge to which I would normally have access was located after customs controls and therefore not accessible to domestic passengers. It also allowed me to check in my small rollaboard rather than fighting for overhead bin space.

The lounge was pretty basic in terms of its food offerings, but offered wine and both draught and canned beer and provided a comfortable place to sit while waiting for boarding, so it suited me fine.

The on board experience was not up to the standards of even intra-European Business Class, in that middle seats were not kept free and refreshments were limited to a snack and drink. However, given the short length of this flight and the small premium that I paid, I was perfectly happy with it.

Overall, this was a nice, easy little flight and “upgrading” was worth it in my very specific case.

Destination guide – Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden has been the poster child of freedom throughout the covid panic, the only country in the developed world never to have had a lockdown or a mask mandate.

For this reason, I made Stockholm my temporary home for a total of 8 months out of the last two years.

Here is an introduction to the beautiful capital city of the country that kept its head while all around them were losing theirs.

SIGHTS

From a multitude of museums, many of which are very inexpensive or even free to visit, to picturesque parks and gardens, relaxing waterside walks and a lively nightlife, Stockholm truly has something for everyone.

GETTING AROUND

First of all, Stockholm is not a city for drivers. The high cost of fuel and the eye-watering parking prices (if you can even find a place to park) convinced even a dedicated petrol head like me to ditch my wheels.

Furthermore, the public transport system is one of the most efficient I have come across anywhere in the world. You will very rarely need to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes for a bus, tram or metro train. Fares are very reasonable at 39SEK (£3 or $4) for a single ticket. Passes are also available, ranging from 165SEK (£13 or $16) for 24 hours to 970 SEK (£78 or $95) for 30 days.

Personally, I feel that the best way to see Stockholm is from the water. Options include the Oceanbus amphibious vehicle and the many boat tours, both of which are fun choices. My recommendation, however, is the commuter ferries which criss-cross the city and are included in the excellent value public transport passes.

OCEANBUS

FERRIES

TOUR BOATS

Trip review – Lake Constance

Lake Constance, nestled between Germany, Austria and Switzerland, encapsulates the contrast between the rugged landscape of the Alps and the gentle serenity of the lake waters. It is truly area of stunning natural beauty and I consider myself privileged to have lived there for nine years.

However, over the last two years, the region has been subject to some of the most brutal covid restrictions in Europe, leading me to spend much of that time away from home. Those restrictions ended in Switzerland several weeks ago and on June 1, Austria finally let go of one of the last hangovers of the covid panic, the mask mandate for public transport and everyday shopping.

I decided to fly down from my temporary base in Stockholm to see how fully this new found freedom was being embraced. I was pleasantly surprised.

My trip started with a flight to Zürich on Swiss, which no longer forces passengers to wear a mask. The airport in Zürich was also mask free, as was the 80-minute train journey to my home in Bregenz, Austria.

During my visit, I checked out the situation in all three countries bordering the lake, beginning with a walk along the Austrian shoreline, from Bregenz to Lochau.

This section is one of the more picturesque walks in the region and hugs the shoreline for several kilometres.

The rigours of the last two years seemed a lifetime away.

My next stop was the Swiss lakeside town of Rorschach, an easy 35 minute train journey away. The journey was entirely mask free and there were no formalities required to enter Switzerland.

Rorschach was exactly as I remembered it from the pre-covid days.

I then headed off to visit my former workplace in Lindau, Germany. This is a relaxing one-hour cruise on one of the famous Lake Constance ships, which ply many routes around the lake to ports in all three countries.

Lindau was as charming as ever, with the rigours of the last two years seemingly forgotten.

Technically, the Bavarian mask mandate still applies to the first five minutes or so of the train journey back to Austria, but I observed only around 50% compliance and zero enforcement by the Austrian train crew.

On my last day of the trip, with one of the infamous Lake Constance thunderstorms rolling in, I headed off on the excellent new Swiss InterCity train to spend the day in Zürich before my flight back to Stockholm.

Overall, this was a successful and enjoyable trip. Switzerland has been restriction free for several weeks now and has returned entirely to pre-covid normality. Austria has now returned to every day normality and Germany seems not to be far behind.

However, it remains to be seen how long the new found freedom in this region will last.

Switzerland has generally been the least restricted of the three countries throughout the pandemic, and I am now reasonably confident that they, at least, have finally emerged from the panic and will not slip back into the restrictions.

Austria and Germany, however, have been somewhat stricter throughout and witnessing first hand how fully the restrictions were accepted and even embraced on a societal level was unsettling, to say the least. With that said, there seems, at least currently, little appetite in the general populations for a return to those restrictions. I remain optimistic, at least for the summer months.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend a visit to this stunning region, to which no written account can do full justice. Unfortunately, I did not have time on this short trip to enjoy the many other delightful areas of the lakeside, such as the pretty sailing town of Langenargen, the castle and wine region around Meersburg and the eponymous historical town of Konstanz. Hopefully I can cover those areas later in the summer.

Normal life resumes in England

I have spent the last 4 weeks in England and can confirm that life here is now almost completely normal.

All businesses (well, the ones which have survived the lockdowns) are now fully functional again and almost all have dispensed with capacity controls and social distancing. There is no legal requirement in England to wear a face mask, except for London Transport and enforcement of this seems to be almost completely non-existent. I do still see people wearing masks in shops and on public transport, but this is no more that around 10-15% of people on average and nobody is attempting to force anyone to wear one if they don’t choose to.

The entry requirements to the UK are still rather irksome. No pre-departure test is required, but all arriving passengers are still forced to fill out a Passenger Locator Form, as well as book and pay for a covid test which must be taken on day 2 after arrival. I was not asked to prove my vaccination status or provide my PLF on arrival at Harwich Port and regarded the process as a minor irritation rather than a deal breaker.

If you are unvaccinated, however, the entry requirements remain quite prohibitive. Unvaccinated arrivals are forced to book and pay for two post-arrival tests, as well as self-isolating for 10 days. However, this is where the two-tier society ends, at least for the moment. As far as I can tell, nobody anywhere is being asked to prove their vaccination status, apart from when they enter the country. This makes a refreshing change from other European countries where I have spent time in the last few months.

Overall, if you can put up with the pretty easily surmountable obstacles on entry (and of course the notorious British weather), England is actually not a bad place to be at the moment.

If you are in the UK or thinking of visiting, please visit the UK Forum to share you thoughts, questions and experiences.

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