Traveling in Circles near Kosice, Slovakia

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Will Gons

Our plan for the day was leave the High Tatras early and visit Spissky Hrad, one of the largest castles in Eastern Europe. After visiting the castle, we would take an evening train to Kosice where we would spend a night before making our way to Budapest. Unfortunately, the day didn’t go as planned.

We took the train to Spisske Vlachy which is the closest station to the castle. From there, we saw online that a bus runs every couple hours to Spisske Podhradie where we could walk to the castle. After hopping off the train, we realized that we were in the middle of nowhere and the station was minimal. The station attendant didn’t speak English, but after she pulled out an English-Slovak translation book I managed to communicate that we wanted to store our bags. She pointed to the back office Continue reading →

Hiking the Beautiful High Tatras, Slovakia

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Will Gons

After a long day of traveling from Oswiecim, we arrived in Poprad, Slovakia for one night’s stay before heading to nearby mountains. Even though it was a weekday, we stumbled upon an outdoor market with vendors selling cold beer, succulent sausages, and hand crafted goods (plus a chance to be put inside a large balloon and float on top of a pool). We tried some of the beer and sausages while enjoying the outdoor market in downtown Poprad. After doing a bit of souvenir shopping, we ate at a recommended Italian restaurant, La Primavera, for a surprisingly filling and cheap dinner.

Our hotel room was straight out of the fifty’s with wood paneling everywhere! Luckily, we were staying in Hotel Poprad only for one night because it was hot with no AC or even a fan, and spotty wifi. In the morning, we checked out and caught a train into the mountains. The High Tatras are a very small mountain range rising majestically over the surrounding plains. The entire range is about 80 kilometers long making it feel even more Continue reading →

Cruising Northern Norwegian Fjords with Hurtigruten – Day 6

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Will Gons

Day 6: Oksfjord to Berlevag

MS Nordlys docked in Honningsvag

We had an early stop in Hammerfest. This city is near the north cape of Norway which is the most northerly part of Europe! The landscape was dramatically different than Bergen. There were almost no trees and it almost felt like we are on a different planet! In Hammerfest, the four of us visited a museum then Dad and I ran up a hill while Sara and Mom shopped. We had a nice little hike with beautiful views of the surrounding islands from the summit. The rest of the day we relaxed and watched the incredibly desolate landscape creep out of the low clouds before fading away behind us.

After beautiful weather all day, we entered a wall of overcast engulfing a mountain range

Day 7: Berlevag to Kirkenes

We arrived early in Kirkenes and disembarked to waiting busses. The four of us went directly to the airport and headed to Oslo where we departed ways. Sara and I continued our newlywed journey to Warsaw, Poland.

Approaching Kirkenes

Last selfie on MS Nordlys

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Cruising Northern Norwegian Fjords with Hurtigruten – Day 5

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Will Gons

Arriving to Tromso

Day 5: Stokmarknes to Oksfjord

After a relaxing morning, we docked at Tromso where Sara, Dad and I planned on hiking a nearby mountain. The mountain wasn’t close to the dock so we had find a ride across town. We first asked the lady in charge of an excursion to see if we could pay just for a ride but she was totally against at the mere idea. We walked a few blocks and eventually found a taxi to take us the 10 minute drive. The hike up began with a beautiful path lined with trees and an underbrush of wild flowers. As we hiked past the tree line, we approached small piles of snow – welcome to the arctic! At the top, we enjoyed views of Tromso before heading back down to catch the boat. That night, our cruise experienced the midnight sun. Being above the article circle in late summer, the sun officially did not set. Unfortunately, the overcast clouds and obscured horizon made it impossible to sunbathe at midnight.

Passing Gibostad

Passing Gibostad

Arctic Circle Celebration - ice water down the back followed by a shot

Tromso with Floya peak - our afternoon hike

Tromso hike

Lower viewpoint at cable car level

Tromso hike

Summit of Floya

View of Tromso from Floya summit

MS Nordlys docked in Tromso

Dinner: Creme Ninon with green peas, mussels and shrimp; Arctic Char with asparagus, Pommes Anna, Beurre Blanc with chive and chervil; Cloudberry and ginger ice cream

Midnight sun peaking through the clouds

Watching puffins in the midnight sun