October 31, 2012 – 3:22 pm
Travel planning is great fun and the anticipation of a long holiday makes it all the more exciting. Still, even the best laid plans don’t always work out as intended. Online timetables sometimes just don’t get it right, and promises of beautiful hostels in lovely locations can be disappointing. The first half of our 5-week […]
By Annemieke Waite
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Also posted in Holiday Activities, Hostelling, Hostels, Sweden, Travel Writing
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Tagged arctic circle, Backpacking, Gallivare, Inlandsbanan, Lofoten, Norway, Roar, Stamsund, Sweden, Train Travel
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January 11, 2012 – 11:36 am
The the recent wet weather has caused havoc in many EU countries, and for the first time in my memory (not that this says very much…) my home city of Groningen has had to resort to sandbags to stop the rising waters from flooding parts of the city. OK, I know that the Netherlands is […]
By Annemieke Waite
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Also posted in Finland, Folklore, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Traditions, Travel Writing
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Tagged Arctic, Flooding, Folk Stories, four winds hat, Groningen, Lapland, Lauwersoog, Norway, Poland, rain, Sami, sea levels, storm, the Netherlands, Warsaw, winds
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January 25, 2011 – 11:28 am
If you had a snowy Christmas this year, you may think (or even wish) that winter is over and done with. You might well be right of course, especially if you stay in the UK. On the other hand, if , like me, you love the snow and if you and the kids are still […]
By Annemieke Waite
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Also posted in Backpacking, Customs, Folklore, Holiday Activities, Nature, Sweden, Trains, travel tips, Travel Writing
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Tagged Ajtte Museum, Arctic, arctic circle, Aurora Borealis, Backpacking, Family Travel, husky dogs, Husky Farms, Ice Hotel, Jokkmokk, Jokkmokk Sami Market, Kids Travel, Northern Lights, Sami, Sami Winter Market, Sweden, Train Travel, Travel Planning, Travel Writing
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December 19, 2010 – 5:10 pm
After 21 years of living in Bristol, this is the first year we have a serious cold snap leading up to the festive season and a real possibility of a white Christmas. As I am writing this, I can only glimpse out of my attic window if I squint enough to sneak-peek through the snow […]
By Annemieke Waite
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Also posted in Austria, Carol Singing, Christmas, Customs, Finland, Folklore, Norway, Sweden, Traditions, Travel Writing
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Tagged Carol Singing, Carols, Christmas, Gruber, Heilige Nacht, Julbock, Julenissen, Koledy, Minced Pies, Nativity, Oplatek, Rovaniemi, Santa claus, Silent Night, Snow, Stille Nacht, Turku, Wigelia
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Without a doubt, one of the most exciting train journeys we have taken during our backpacking holidays was the sleeper train from Tampere in Finland) to Rovaniemi, high up in the Arctic Circle. We didn’t expect much really – a sleeper train after all is just the replacement of a bed in a hostel and […]
By Annemieke Waite
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Also posted in Backpacking, Customs, Estonia, Finland, Folklore, Holiday Activities, Latvia, Nature, Norway, Sweden, Traditions, Trains, travel tips, Travel Writing
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Tagged arctic circle, bonfires, druids, Estonia, Festival of St. Hans, Finland, Herb Day, husky dogs, Jani, Jani Songs, Janis, Juhannes, Lapland, Latvia, Maypole, Midnight Sun, midsummer wreaths, Nordkapp, Norway, pagan, reindeer, Rovaniemi, Sami, Saule, sleeper train, Stonehenge, Sweden, Train Travel, wild flowers
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When we were very little, my sister and I were lucky enough to be able to join my parents on Dad’s many work trips: lovely long journeys on big luxury passenger liners. My memories are a bit patchy, but include double decker swings, elephants being hoisted onto the deck and Neptune arriving on board when […]
By Annemieke Waite
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Also posted in Finland, Holiday Activities, Nature, Norway, Travel Writing
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Tagged Andenes, Arctic Ocean, captain, minke whales, Neptune, Norway, orca, Risoyhamn, Rovaniemi, sea sick, sperm whales, Tromso, Vesteralen Islands, warm gulf stream, whale burgers, whale museum, whale safari, whale watching, Whales
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