Birthday celebrations in Budapest and Vienna

For my birthday, Leo and I took a trip to Budapest and Vienna. It was a really memorable week, very relaxing, and we experienced a lot of new things.

Budapest

Budapest was reasonably priced, historical, had good food and great cake, lovely people, fantastic thermal baths, and felt like going back in time a few years. We had a relaxing few days, celebrated my birthday and other nice things happening in our lives, ate lovely food, visited the Christmas market, and were enchanted at a street where a book binder, a cobbler and an old book seller were plying their trades. It's not often you see such authenticity anymore. 

Vienna

Vienna was cosy, affluent, comfortable. We bought Christmas presents, visited Karl Marx Hof, met friends for dinner, ate in an overpriced but luxurious cafe every morning, and visited a gorgeous healthfood store. Oh, we also visited a couple of their amazing Christmas markets and had mulled wine, hot chocolate and other good things.

Iceland

For the Summer solstice, Leo and I took a trip to Iceland. We drove a lot, up and down the West side of Iceland, and saw some incredible things. We also got to spend their independence day there and enjoy the chaos that was Iceland winning a major football match (the men's team, the women's team of course has been doing this for a long time ;) ). Ireland won on the same day, so that was really nice.

The architecture of the houses and churches, the endlessly changing landscapes, the people, the limitless hot water and swimming pools, Iceland is without a doubt one of my favourite places.

[This is a glacier on top of a volcano. We drove up to it and just stood, staring]

Trip to Northern Norway

It's quite a few weeks since our trip to Norway, and it feels like a lifetime ago as I sit in my office in Durham drinking coffee from my thermos and writing about motherhood and austerity. Here is a recap from our trip to Northern Norway, mostly in pictures.

We flew Oslo-Bodø on a slightly delayed flight, which was just as well as we then arrived as the midnight sun was hovering around the horizon, and there were breathtaking views of the jagged rocks in the water and mountains on the skyline. We walked the short distance from the airport to the town centre in twilight, and had a few hours sleep before getting up to make the most of the free breakfast and endless filter coffee (Norway's filter coffee game is 10/10).

We travelled from Bodø to Sandhornøy in a ferry, and then took a bus to the beach Langsanden, where Salt is located. We camped on the beach for four nights, ate our packed lunch food, had waffles in the cafe in the morning, took a sauna and ran to the cool Atlantic to cool off (although the sauna was not very hot), lazed around on the beach, and generally had a superb time camping in a mostly-isolated place. 

We made friends with the Mayor of the local commune, who so kindly brought us to his house, gave us coffee, and BROUGHT US IN HIS LITTLE TWO SEATER AIRPLANE. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it makes sense to make friends with everyone you meet, because sometimes those people are absolutely lovely individuals who will go out of their way to share wonderful experiences with you.

We made our way back to Bodø and then on to Lofoten islands. Unfortunately we only had one night so we stayed in the most touristic area, which was a huge shame after the beautiful isolation of Langsanden. Nonetheless, we made the most of it, eating whale (which was NOT nicely prepared!), going for a long walk, and enjoying ourselves. 

It was then time to go back to the mainland for one more night in a lovely hotel, a welcome rest after all the camping (I am not, generally, a camper), and home again home again to Copenhagen. I was left with such a positive impression of Northern Norway. The people we met were so kind, welcoming, and ready to chat to us. The landscape was breathtaking, the weather incredibly pleasant, and the efficiency and ease with which we travelled around really impressed me. For sure, my heart has been stolen by this part of the world, and I can't wait to return :)