Mini-tour of Scandinavia: Norway in a Nutshell

From tall mountains to deep valleys, from placid lakes and fjords to roaring waterfalls, from green fields and forests to snow-covered villages, the Norway in a Nutshell tour is precisely that - Norway in a nutshell.

Oslo serves as the starting point of this highly recommended trip. A colleague of mine at work recommended that I take this, and since my mom had never been to Norway, I suggested to her that we take this trip while she was in Europe. Needless to say, we were not disappointed.

We got our tickets in the Oslo Central station the day before our trip. The itinerary varies depending on the month, so it’s better to check the website, but here’s how ours looked like:

• Train from Oslo to Myrdal – 8:11am to 12:53pm
• Myrdal to Flam via the Flamsbana – 1:02pm to 2pm
• Ferry ride from Flam to Gudvangen – 3:10pm to 5pm
• Bus ride from Gudvangen to Voss – 5:45pm to 7:05pm
• Train ride from Voss to Bergen – 7:20pm to 8:34pm

Oslo to Myrdal

It takes some time to actually get out of the city limits, but when you do, you get a good sampling of the amazing views you can expect to see the rest of trip. I took several photos but some of them weren’t very good because I was taking them from inside a train, and the smudges and the reflections on the windows took away from the quality of the pics. We were very lucky though in that the skies were so clear so I did manage to capture a few really good shots.

What surprised me about this trip was that our train was passed through snow-capped mountains. I started taking more pictures but the reflections were even more prominent this time. So it made our day when the train took a 3 (or was it 5?) minute stop in Finse so that passengers could go out and have pictures taken with the snow. I actually think it was the first time my mom had seen snow.

It didn’t take much longer after this stop before we arrived at our first destination, Myrdal. It was here that we switched trains to get onto the Flamsbana, or the Flam Railway.

Myrdal to Flam

The scenery now changes from mountains and lakes to mountains and valleys. At one point during this train ride, a voice from the speakers tells us in English that to we would be coming up to see the Kjosfoss waterfalls, where the train would stop for a few minutes so passengers can take pictures. It's pretty cool that the train ride actually slows down or even stops at the best views, and Kjosfoss is definitely worth a stop. Standing next to these powerful falls was truly an awesome experience!

We finally arrive at the quaint village of Flam where we have about an hour before our ferry takes off. My mom spent most of her time here looking for souvenirs while I went around taking more photos. We also visited the Flamsbana Museet (museum; entrance was free). Shortly before 3pm, we board the ferry that would then take us from Flam to Gudvangen.


Flam to Gudvangen

This trip then took us over two fjords. It starts off at the wider, deeper, and longer Aurlandsfjord before heading into the Naeroyfjord, the narrowest fjord in Europe. The Naeroyfjord is now included on UNESCO's famous World Heritage List.

At one point during the trip, our boat slowed down and stopped for a few minutes next to one of the many waterfalls that poured out from the mountains that lined the fjords. One of the ferry people used a long implement that had a filter on one end to catch water from the falls and direct it inside the boat - he positioned the filter end under the falls and passengers then caught the water with their cups or water bottles at the other end. My mom and I were able to get a cuple of cups and even half-fill one of our empty water bottles. We were then informed that the residents of this area of Norway tend to have long lives, and people attribute this longevity to the purity of the drinking water they have here.

The boat then finally docks at Gudvangen. There’s about 45 minute wait here before the bus departs (although our boat was 15 minutes late) which gave me enough time to have coffee and a pastry while my mom looked for more souvenirs. One amazing thing about the café here – I was able to use my credit card with no problem. Considering that Gudvangen had that faraway provincial feel, it was great that it was actually well-connected. You gotta be impressed with the infrastructure in Scandinavia!


Gudvangen to Voss

Now the most frightening part of the trip. For several minutes our bus travels along a level road heading towards Voss. But then all of a sudden it starts heading up the very steep Stalheimskleiva. This was a very narrow road – one lane actually – that had several hairpin bends. Each time we'd make a turn it felt almost like the bus was inches away from falling over. But the scenery here was amazing. You could see two more spectacular waterfalls along the way – the Stalheimsfossen and the Sivlefossen – but I wasn't able to catch either of them because it was hard taking pictures while the bus was twisting and turning. We finally got to the top, at the Stalheim hotel, where the bus stopped for about 15 minutes so that passengers can once again take pictures of the nature at its best.

I just read that from October to April, the bus actually doesn’t drive up the Stalheimskleiva due to safety reasons, and we took this trip on May 1st, so I am very glad that we ended up taking this trip when we did so we didn’t miss out on anything. Anyways, the bus then heads on over to Voss where we take the final leg of our tour.

Voss to Bergen

Voss actually seemed like a very lovely town, situated right next to a lake, and we had about 30 minutes to spare when we got there so I could’ve walked around a bit and took a few more pictures. But it was the end of a long day and we were tired so we just decided to just relax in the train, which left promptly at 7:20pm. There were still some great views to be seen on this final leg, but lots of wires and posts blocked the wonderful views, so I spent the time just looking out the window and enjoying the scenery. By 8:34pm our train arrived in Bergen and we head over to our hotel.

Norway is widely considered to have the best scenery among all the Scandinavian countries, and the Norway in a Nutshell tour is does loads to validate this claim. Check out their website to read more about this day trip as well as the many other options you can take.

Mini-tour of Scandinavia: Oslo

Norway is definitely a country worth visiting, especially if you have gone through the other more touristy countries in Europe, like France and Italy. And what better home base to begin a trip around Norway than in the capital, Oslo.

Oslo is also called “The City of Tigers”. Like most other cities in Scandinavia, it doesn’t really have world-famous sights and landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, or the Collosseum. But there are definitely enough things to see and do here to fill your time for at least a couple of days.

The main attractions of Oslo aren’t very close to each other, and as such I recommend that you get the Oslo Pass, which costs 210 NOK (Norwegian kronor), or about P1,600. The Oslo Pass is valid for 24 hours, and it provides you with a free pass to most museums (all main museums are covered) as well as public transportation - trains, trams, buses, and even the ferry from the City hall pier to Bygdoy (an area where you can find a lot of museums). Definitely worth buying, you can get the Oslo Pass at the Tourist Information Center.

Our first stop was the Holmenkollen Ski Jump and Ski Museum. You can go all the way up the 60-meter high Ski Jump. The trip to the top is a bit scary, but when you get there, you see what a ski jumper faces each time he jumps. You also get a fantastic view of the city. There’s also a ski museum (where you can learn about Norwegian skiing legends) as well as a ski jump and downhill ski simulator that both my mom and I got on.

Our next stop was the Vikingskiphuset, or Viking Ship Museum in Bygdoy. Inside are three Viking Ships – Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune. The best one, Oseberg, is of course the first ship you see the moment you enter the museum.

We then visited the Norsk Folkmuseum, or the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. It’s an open air museum, which seems to be quite popular in Scandinavia. It contains 155 buildings which have been relocated from different parts of Norway. My mom and I ended up just going around the area that featured several log cabins.


We visited the rest of the sights of this city on May 3, after our overnight train from Bergen arrived in Oslo at 630am. The good thing about Oslo is that the tourist information center, which is right next to the Central Station, opens at 7am. I don’t ever recall a tourist info center being open that early. So we quickly inquire about train tickets and directions, and my mom and I take an underground train and then a tram to Vigeland Park. This park contains several sculptures of Gustav Vigeland, who created these statues depicting the human condition. The main attraction of the park is the Monolith, a column of intertwined human bodies that stands in the center of the park.

We spent most of the morning walking around the City Center, taking pictures in some of the main attractions like the Parliament building and the National Theater. I took this pic of my mom with a statue of Ludvig Holberg, a Dano-Norwegian writer and playwright born in Bergen, Norway.

Another interesting must-see place is the Radhuset, or City Hall. Tourists can go inside (costs about 60 NOK I think) to visit the art galleries here, but my mom and I opted not to. We did get a glimpse of the large fresco in the main hall, but we spent most of our time looking at the carvings on the walls outside depicting Norse Mythology (Norwegian and English explanations were provided under each carving allowing us to learn more about Norse Mythology. Case in point, I now know that Ragnarok is the battle between the gods and the giants and monsters at the end of the world.)

We made sure we got to the Royal Palace before 1:30pm to catch the Changing of the Guard, which happens daily at that time. They had all the usual parades, marching displays, and rifle tricks. But two things make this Changing of the Guard different. First, it is very accessible. While taking a picture of my mom with the parade behind her, the marching soldiers suddently changed directions and started marching towards us. When my mom and I saw that they were right behind us, we quickly moved away ourselves; no one actually asked us to move even when they were practically behind us. The same thing happened to another woman. The second thing that made it memorable was that at the end, the members of the parade all sang what I am guessing to be the National Anthem of Norway, and they did it in vocal harmony.

The last place we visited was the Akershus Slott og Festning (Akershus Fortress and Castle). What was cool about this castle was that you could enter the grounds freely (the castle itself had an entrance fee) and as such, it seemed to double as a park for the locals. It was bright and warm in Oslo when we were there (I was melting under my jacket but it was a hassle to carry it around so I chose to wear it instead =)) and lots of folks were lying on the grass, either chatting with friends, reading a book, or just getting some sunlight.


There are a few other places in Oslo that we didn’t see, such as the Munchmuseet and the Kon-Tiki Museum. If you plan to spend time inside a lot of museums, the best time to come is during summer or the months surrounding it, during which time the museums have longer opening hours. That way, your 24-hour Oslo Pass will have a lot more value. There are also quite a few fjord day trips you can take.

I also highly recommend the Rica Oslo Hotel, an affordable and well-kept hotel that is extremely well located and very easy to find. I mean, you step out the Central Station and you can see it. The hotel staff are extremely friendly and helpful and coffee at the lobby is free. You also have free wi-fi in your room. We also requested an early breakfast on the day of our Norway in a nutshell tour (it was a holiday that day and so breakfast was supposed to b ready only by 7:30am), and they readily agreed to set it up for us by 6:30am. The room very spacious and comfortable, and it is also bright and well-lit. The breakfast area and the lobby exude a cozy and elegant appeal. It really is one of the best hotels I've been to in Europe, and it certainly has the best value for money.

Photo finishes at the train station - part 2

This is part 2 of 2 posts relating my amazing photo finishes at the train station. This second part is something that I think would be worth televising on the Amazing Race. :)

STOCKHOLM TO LUND

As I mentioned in my previous post, I got a ticket in the SJ counter in Lund a week before. I actually got a seat in first class, because there was a discounted price if you book what they call a ‘Just nu’ ticket early enough. Which meant that my first class ticket was in fact cheaper than the regular second class ticket. I took the 5:35pm train ride that would bring me back to Lund by 9:33pm that same night. On the day of my return this is what happens:

4:50pm I leave my hotel, walk 10-15 minutes to the train station and just wait there to make sure I didn’t have to rush. And true enough, I am at the train station shortly after 5pm. I take my train ticket out and slip it into my back pocket.

5:10pm I was chilling at the platform when all of a sudden, I had the the most horrific realization – my camera was not with me!!! I start muttering one “Oh-my-God” after another in the most pee-in-your-pants frantic tone while digging through my bags, hoping I had stuck my camera in there somewhere. But I didn’t. Damn! 25 minutes ‘til my train arrived. But my camera, or more specifically the 400+ photos we took, was a lot more important to me now than getting on my train. So I hurriedly run out of the crowded platform while thinking where I could’ve left my digicam.

My mind raced – I knew I had it before I had a late lunch in the McDonald’s next to the hotel, and the only places I went to after that were the café (also next to the hotel) and the free internet computer in the hotel lobby. “Please be in the hotel” I kept praying... Then I realized, I should call the hotel to confirm if my camera was somewhere in the lobby. But what was their number?

I then remembered that I had a Rica hotels brochure with me (thank God I kept it!) so I start digging through my bags and trying to calm myself. I find the brochure and quickly call the hotel while still walking out of the Central station (I mean, if it wasn’t in the hotel, it was possible that whoever found my camera in McDo or the café might have left it with the waiters). I talk to the receptionist and tell her my problem and where in the hotel I may have left it (I may have also left it in the toilet, or in the luggage room). Then, a huge sigh of relief: I DID leave my camera in the hotel lobby next to the computer.

5:18pm After a half-run-half-brisk-walk back to the hotel that left me soaked in perspiration, I get back to the hotel and get my camera from the receptionist, thanking them for their help then rushing back out.

5:27pm A bit more of my half-run-half-walk pace and I finally get back onto the platform with time to spare. I made it! Or did I?

I put my hand in my back pocket to get my train ticket when – another freaky realization – my ticket was missing! Holy crap, can you believe my bad luck? More rummaging through my bags but I was certain I put it in my back pocket. Sh*t, it must’ve fallen out when I was running!

So I decide to go to the SJ customer service counter to get help. As it turns out, there was a bit of a queue already and everyone in the counter was engaged.

5:36pm I finally get to the counter, disheartened because it was a minute after my train was supposed to have left. I explain my predicament to the counter lady, asking if there’s any way I can still get a replacement ticket (the 2nd class ticket cost 1000 kronor, and the first class cost about 1500, so that’d be PHP 7,000 to 10,000). She asks me if I left any reference number. ‘Only my credit card’ I said, but she said that since credit card info is sensitive, they don’t keep records of it. I then ask her the rest of the train schedules. There was another train at 6:20pm and an overnight train at 11pm. The problem was that the 6:20pm train was fully booked. She suggested that I just go to the train itself, talk to the train conductor, and see if I can get a ticket from him. I resigned myself to the fact that I would be shelling out an extra thousand kronor and decided to head back to the platform and wait for the 6:20pm train.

5:42pm Completely deflated, I slowly trudge back to the platform area to see which one the 6:20pm train would be on when I had a glimmer of hope – my 5:35pm train got delayed to 5:50pm. I never thought that trains in Sweden ever got delayed! The train wasn’t on the track yet so I decided to wait it out and just buy a ticket from the conductor of this train rather than wait for the fully-booked 6:20pm one.

But then, I remembered one crucial thing – pack-rat that I am, I actually kept the receipt of the tickets I purchased in Lund a week ago! Once again, I dig through my bags. Found it! I run right back down to the SJ customer service counter. I show them my receipt, but they said they can’t release tickets and I have to queue up in the actual ticket counter. Damn! They say it would be a 2-minute wait, but considering that my train would depart in about 5 minutes, I was frantic.

I got number #18 and #14 was being served at the counter. 15 and 16 were called in quick succession, then I saw a girl sitting with #17. I ask her very nicely if I could swap numbers with her. She must’ve seen the panicked look on my face and my sweat-drenched shirt because she didn’t even ask for a reason, said ‘Sure’, and very quickly handed me her stub and I thank her profusely.

5:45pm I finally get to the ticket counter and I once again explain the situation. I ask the ticket lady if she could get a replacement ticket printed out ASAP because my train would be leaving in a few minutes. She said that she couldn’t print it out in only a few minutes (not sure why), but she was able to retrieve my booking info from the booking number in my receipt and she told me my car and seat number. She said I should just go to the train conductor and show them my receipt.

5:48pm Another mad scramble to the platform, and I see that the train is there but the platform is clear (i.e. everyone had already boarded). I explain my situation to the conductor, and he just tells me that the first class car was at the far end. One last sprint and I finally get on the car.

5:50pm I plop onto my seat, and within seconds, the doors of the train close and the train starts chugging forward. Whew! Just in frickin’ time! I don’t ever recall having a more stressful, panic-filled photo finish in my entire life!

Despite that series of seemingly unfortunate and nerve-fraying events, I sat on that train thinking just how lucky I was. I could very well have lost my camera which, while not the most expensive camera in the market by a long shot, still cost money. Worse, I could have lost 400+ pictures that I would most likely be unable to take again. I could also have missed my train and lost an hour or even a whole night. And I could have paid up to P10,000 extra to get back home.

I have always thought that I tend to keep too many things that I should throw out. In this instance, I am just so glad I didn’t!

(Oh and if you are wondering how I remember all these times to the minute, well, I had to look at my watch almost ever minute within that hour to make sure I knew how much time I had left. Never in my life has the saying 'every minute counts' been more true!)

Photo finishes at the train station - part 1

It started off as a photo finish. It ended in a photo finish. In fact, it should’ve ended quite horribly but luck, which seemed to have disappeared altogether, came back to make things great in the end. Here’s how it went.

LUND TO OSLO

The day before I flew back to Manila, I went to the SJ ticket office to ask about train tickets to Oslo. I had done some research prior to this and so I knew there was a train that departed Lund at 1:22pm and arrived in Oslo at 9:45pm on April 28. The problem was, my mom was still having difficulty securing a flight to Europe. And since there was a possibility that she arrive in Lund after 1:22pm on April 28, I wanted to know what our options were with regards to tickets. I was hoping that we could get flexible tickets. But I guess those would’ve been too expensive. So the guy at the SJ counter suggested that I just buy the tickets when our schedule is finalized. I asked him if they were open even on Sundays, and he said they were, between 11am and 3pm.

So on April 28, my mom and I walk over to the SJ ticket counter at around 1pm and I ask for tickets to Oslo. To my shock, the guy says, I’m sorry but I can’t sell you tickets for that trip anymore. I didn’t get to ask why, but my shock led me to immediately explain to him that the week before, I confirmed with that same office that I should be able to buy tickets on that day. All of a sudden, there was no problem releasing the tickets. I even booked our overnight Oslo-to-Stockholm tickets, as well as my Stockholm-Lund ticket (this is key, because it helps me sort out a major issue later on…).

We’re done by around 1:05pm so that left us about 15 minutes before our train would arrive. My mom and I hadn’t eaten yet, so I thought we could get take-out from Burger King which was just right next to the train station. As it turns out, Burger King had to prepare our burgers, and by 1:15pm I was getting antsy and asked the counter guy if our food was ready because our train was leaving in about 5 minutes. They were nice enough to rush our order, but it was almost 1:20pm when we stepped out of Burger King, and started half-running to our platform.

About 30 seconds after we get to the platform, the train arrives. And about a minute after we stepped inside, the train left the station. Imagine that. We could’ve screwed up the rest of our holiday if Burger King took an extra 1-2 minutes to prepare the food, or if my mom and I didn’t run.

Now if you thought that was a photo finish, wait ‘til you read about my trip back to Lund from Stockholm. More in part 2....

Battle of the surfaces

Have you ever heard of a tennis court that was half grass and half red clay? Well, recently, one such tennis court was built where Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played an exhibition match. The King of Grass vs. The King Clay playing on a surface that half-favored both players and as such would give them both equal opportunity to win.

(picture from www.canada.com)

As it turns out, Nadal won in a very tough three set match, with the final set being won in a very close tie-break.

And although an exhibition match has no bearing on official head-to-head records, it still doesn't bode well for Roger Federer that he remains unable to beat Nadal on any court that has some clay in it. As phenomenally great as Federer is, he remains unable to find the key that will help unlock the great unsolved mystery of how to beat Nadal on the dirt.

Nadal was actually on a bit of a slump after Wimbledon and up until early this year. Then the clay court season started and all of a sudden Nadal found his form and began to extend his clay court winning streak to a massive 73 straight wins. He in fact leads his head to head against the Fed (hey, that rhymes!), 7-3. You can argue that 5 out of those 7 wins of Nadal's were on clay, which is where Nadal is at his supreme best. But take note, on hard court, which is a more neutral surface, their head to head stands at 2-2. And in one of those matches, Roger had to save a matchpoint before winning.

So will Nadal continue his utter and complete dominance on his surface of choice by winning Roland Garros again? Or will Federer finally sneak in a win on the red clay to complete his Grand Slam collection? It's only a few more weeks before we find out!

My mini-tour of Scandinavia

I’m still sorting through my pictures, but considering that I had a truckload of interesting stories during my mini-tour of Scandinavia, I will start writing portions of my trip down now lest I forget. =)

Let me then begin by going through the itinerary I had put together. It’s quite aggressive really, and it left me and my mom quite tired at the end of each day, but in the end it seems we spent just about enough time in each place to visit the must-see sights and get a good enough feel of the city.

April 28 – arrived in Lund
April 29 – train from Lund to Oslo
April 30 – spent the day in Oslo
May 1 – took the Norway-in-a-nutshell tour, a full day trip from Oslo to Bergen that epitomizes the saying “it’s the journey, not the destination”
May 2 – spent the day in Bergen, then took an overnight train to Oslo
May 3 – arrived in Oslo, spent the day there, then took an overnight train to Stockholm
May 4 – arrived in Stockholm and spent the day there
May 5 – spent the day in Stockholm
May 6 – returned to Lund

Actually, this is MY itinerary. Instead of heading to Lund with me, my mom flew to Madrid. She spent a couple of days there, before traveling by train to Lisbon (she wants to visit Fatima. She’s supposed to return to Lund tomorrow night. And since she spent a day in Copenhagen on April 28 (as she arrived in the Copenhagen airport 16 hours before I did and visited a couple of places there), she ended up visiting 5 countries in 2 weeks.

Here’s one pic of me taken from the Stalheim Hotel.


We didn’t stay at this hotel, but our bus from Gudvangen to Bergen (one leg of the Norway in a Nutshell tour) stopped at this 18^th century hotel for about 15 minutes so people could take pictures. This isn’t the best picture we took here, but think of it as a sampler of even better photos to come...

Rematch!

Liverpool vs. AC Milan in the Champions League Final to be played in Athens. This is going to be a re-match of the final two years ago, when Liverpool defied the odds and came back from an almost insurmountable 0-3 hole. Game on!

I was in my hotel room in Bergen last Tuesday night when Liverpool and Chelsea were playing the 2nd leg of their Champions League semifinal. I was very worried because Chelsea had a 1-0 lead. But it wasn't daunting, and Liverpool have come back from more difficult spots in the past than that. So needless to say my fingers were crossed...

I only caught the game in the middle of the 2nd half, and was immensely pleased that Liverpool were 1-0 up. I was even more pleased to see that Liverpool were controlling the game a lot more. But of course all that could change in a second so I remained extremely nervous.

Regular time ended in a draw on aggregate (1-1), so they had to play a half-hour's worth of extra time. Considering that the Reds had been the better team that night, and because they had home court advantage, I was very hopeful. But no more goals came, so it was now down to a penalty shoot-out. And Liverpool goalie Pepe Reina emerged the hero. With two brilliant saves, and with everyone in Liverpool finding the back of the goal, the Reds booted Chelsea out of the CL semis to book their place in the final.

And despite predictions of an all-England final, AC Milan brutalized newly crowned Premiership champions Manchester United 3-0 to win 5-3 on aggregate. Man Utd losing 0-3? That must've been some amazing display of football by the Italian team. Which proves just how hungry they are to win the Champions League this year. And with revenge against Liverpool after that 2005 heartbreaking loss on their minds, they will be even more fired up.

But then again, Liverpool have shown themselves that they want it just as much. So maybe we will have a similarly amazing Champions League final in Athens. Or maybe Liverpool will blow AC Milan away. I hope it's the latter. Tough, tense matches are so nerve-wracking to watch! =)

So where have I been?

Since the start of the year, I've been pretty good at keeping this blog up to date. So what happened to me in the last 3 weeks?

Well, I took my first home leave to Manila on the week of April 22. And by home leave I just mean that I went back to Manila but still had to work from there. It was one of the most hectic weeks I've had this year, due to a couple of things.

First, I had only one week to meet up with my family and friends (and naturally there was not really enough time to meet up with everyone). Second, I had to buy a lot of stuff I needed, like new jeans and an external hard drive, as well as other stuff that cost a lot less in Manila. Third, and the main reason why I went home on that particular week, was that my mom was going to visit me in Europe for two weeks, beginning the week of April 29. Since we were going to use my mileage program to get her a free flight, I thought it would be better if I was in Manila the week before her trip so I could help her sort stuff out. And also, we could fly to Lund together.

As it turns out, my mom could no longer get on the same flight I was on, so she ended up arriving in Copenhagen 16 hours ahead of me on April 28 (she got there at about 7am and I arrived at close to 11pm). She visited the Kronborg Castle near Copenhagen, which is supposed to be the inspiration for the castle in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' (she felt it was a bit overrated).

So okay, that explains why I didn't get to blog for the week of April 22. What about last week? Well, I actually took a few days off work (april 30 and May 1 were holidays here) so I could bring my mom on a mini-Scandinavian tour: to Oslo and Bergen in Norway, then to Stockholm. I arrived in Lund late last night while my mom continued to Spain and Portugal. She will be back in Lund late this week, then we visit my grand aunt in Gothenburg on Saturday.

So of course you can expect a lot more stories about my fantastic mini-Scandinavian tour over the next few days because that is about the time it will take for me to write about my experiences and to sort my pictures (over 400 of them...)

Ticino, Switzerland

I visited Switzerland over the Easter Weekend - from Good Friday until Easter Monday. The first two days were spent in Lucerne, and the last two in the canton of Ticino. Here are some pictures from my fantastic trip.

When I left for Sweden back in January, I thought that it would be great if at some point during the year, I could visit my cousin John in Locarno. I haven't seen him in a while, and I had never been to Switzerland. So it would be the proverbial hitting two birds with one stone, as they say.

I thought that Easter weekend would be the best time to visit because it would be enough time for me to go around a new country without having to take any days off. And since John was a priest, it was a perfect opportunity for me to visit and celebrate Easter with him. So after John (or Don John as he is called in this Italian-speaking part of Switzerland) celebrated mass on Easter Sunday, he drove me around the canton of Ticino.

Here's the river that runs along Valle Verzasca. As you can see, the water is clear and pristine. I wanted to jump right in.

Of all the places I visited in Switzerland, this was my favorite. I really could have just sat here all day, soaking up all the nature I could get. It was beautiful!

There's a bridge that crosses the river and on my way there, I saw this guy (the little speck on top of the bridge) dive into the river. Must've been like a 50-foot plunge. Or more even. I tried to take a video of it, but I made a mistake while shooting it so wasn't able to catch his dive. It was actually pretty awesome.

Even more awesome was the person who bungee jumped off of this dam when John and I passed here. This was the same dam where they shot some sequences in the James Bond flick 'Goldeneye'.

Seriously, the drop was horrifically long. And the picture doesn't really do it justice. You have to be standing over the dam to get a feeling of how fearsome it is. Anyway, I managed to take a better picture of the bungee jumper after he completed his drop (check out the small spot in the middle of the picture)

We then head to Bellinzona, the capital of the canton of Ticino. There are three castles in Bellinzona. I don't know their names, but John took me to one of them.

On Easter Monday, John celebrated an 8am mass in a monastery in Locarno. This monastery houses cloistered nuns (Carmelites nuns, I think) which means they never leave the monastery. John told me that they can have visitors (who they can only talk to from behind a window I think) but during Lent, they can only talk to outsiders through some kind of blocked window. I don't know how they do it, but I was truly impressed at how strong their devotion was, for them to be able to live the way they do.

The Madonna del Sasso (Lady of the Rock), with Lake Locarno behind it.

John's house has a pretty amazing 'backyard'. A forest actually, and now that it's spring, the young, bright green leaves provide a vibrant and colorful view from John's large windows.

And one picture of both me and John. We were talking to John's sister, Napee, over skype and she asked us if we had any pictures together and we realized we didn't! So we took this picture of us before I left, and we even got Napee (via webcam) in the photo with us.

You can find more photos with spectacular views here. I couldn't put all my pictures in this blog post so I hope you check out the rest of my photos in my online album!

Lucerne, Switzerland (part 2 of 2)

I visited Switzerland over the Easter Weekend - from Good Friday until Easter Monday. The first two days were spent in Lucerne, and the last two in the canton of Ticino. Here are some pictures from my fantastic trip.

A few random shots I took around Lucerne...

People sitting by the riverbank, having a coffee or just chilling under the bright sun.

The facade of the Old Train Station, which apparently burned down a while back. This majestic facade was the only thing that remained and it now stands a hundred or so meters in front of the new train station.

I passed by this clock on a stained-glass-window looking mount on the wall of the Central train station.

A lot of buildings in the Old Town have interesting murals painted on their facades. Of all the murals, this one is my favorite.

On Saturdays mornings, the Old Town turns into a festive market.

Some bells on a random building I passed by during the Guided City Walking Tour.

I had just come out of some shop where I bought souvenirs and was on my way to the Musegg Wall when I ran into the Easter Bunny. =)

I passed by this "Old Swiss House restaurant" on my way to the Lion Monument. It looked very, er, 'Swiss', and the waitresses were dressed in traditional Swiss attire. It wasn't very crowded - most people were dining by the riverbank - so I thought of having lunch here. I then took a look at the menu and realized why it had less patrons - the food was quite expensive! =)

So I headed to another Swiss restaurant where I had Pastetli, a traditional Lucerne meal which is essentially a meat pie (or veal a la king).

There was also a Hall of Mirrors in the Gletschergarten (Glacier Garden or Glacier Museum). It was quite an experience to walk through the hall of mirrors - it is so disorienting and you need to walk slowly with hold your hand stretched out in front of you to make sure you don't run into a mirror. =)

Lucerne, Switzerland (part 1 of 2)

I visited Switzerland over the Easter Weekend - from Good Friday until Easter Monday. The first two days were spent in Lucerne, and the last two in the canton of Ticino. Here are some pictures from my fantastic trip.

The Chapel Bridge and Water Tower, the two most photographed landmarks of Lucerne:

Mt. Pilatus. I took this photo while I was on the Musegg Wall. I was told too late that it takes about one hour to get to the top of the mountain from the city center which is a lot quicker than I had expected. I was kicking myself in the butt for not doing my homework well enough and thus missing the chance to see snow-covered mountains up close. Ah well, I need to make sure I take a trip to the Alps or something later this year...

The Musegg Wall. It was built to protect the Old Town of Lucerne from invaders that never came.

The River Reuss:

The Water Spikes. The spikes are lowered or withdrawn by hand into the water to regulate the level of Lake Lucerne.

Lake Lucerne:

The Hof Church:

The Jesuit Church. From the outside It looked like a normal church that you've seen before and I wasn't planning on going inside. But this was the last stop of the Guided City Walking Tour I joined.

And I was so glad I ended up entering this church because the interior was amazing! Elaborate and grand in a strangely subtle way, and with a lot of natural light that made it look even more beautiful.

And this is my favorite landmark of Lucerne, "The Dying Lion of Lucerne". It was built as a memorial to the heroic deaths of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain described the Lion of Lucerne as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world."


To see more pics from my Lucerne trip, click here.

[SWEDEN] Change in Season

The forecast for this weekend is quite good. The temperature is supposed to go up to about 20 degrees Celsius, almost like summer weather I was told. In fact, that's pretty much been the temperature here over the last couple of days. There are actually a few more indications that season is changing:

• We are now on "summertime", the Swedish equivalent of daylight savings time. We moved forward 1 hour a couple of weeks ago, so it's now a 6 hour difference from Manila, instead of the 7 hour difference during winter.
  
• Daylight now is from 630am to about 8pm.
  
• Flowers are starting to bloom and leaves are beginning to grow on trees now.
  
• My car rental company emailed me the other day saying I should swap my car now for another one that has summer tires. I guess they could just change the tires and give me my old car but I don't know why the changed it. It sucks though coz I like my Renault Modus more than my new Ford Fiesta (which doesn't feel like it's power steering, oh and it takes some amount of effort to get the stick and pedals to move).
• I had to turn on the air-con in my car today!
  
• And people are now sitting outdoors a lot, and walking around without a jacket or sweater. Heck, I'm seeing more and more people wearing shorts now!
  

Before I got here, I thought that the weather would rarely go over 20 degrees Celsius, based on what I read about the South of Sweden. But if things keep going the way they are right now, I might end up with amazing weather for most of the year. I'll keep my fingers crossed...

Liverpool marches into the CL semis!

With a 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven, Liverpool secured a place in the Champions League semifinals where they face Chelsea. On the other side of the fence, ManU brutally thumped Roma with an unimaginable 7-1 win. This means that all three English teams made it to the semis. Will one of them take the title this year? Or will AC Milan, the lone non-English team, beat the odds? I guess we'll find out a few weeks from now. I just hope my team can snag the title to take the Champions League crown for the second time in three years.

Good luck, Liverpool!