Road trip to Switzerland

Posted on 19/08/2025 by ainarsbl

This was our first-ever European trip. During summer, we began preparation. It was necessary to get visas for Germany and Switzerland. We decided to share all travel-related expenses with our friends – another family couple and studied all available road maps.

There were no widely available GPS applications at that time and mobile phones looked like pieces of brick in 1997. All that made this trip unique and to be remembered forever.

Other interesting details – all photographs were taken using the 35-millimetre film camera but videos were filmed using a Super VHS mini camera. We borrowed one from friends because it was a rare piece of equipment at that time. One of our goals was to visit Switzerland cities.

Arrival to Switzerland

At that time we lived in Latvia and our trip started about 60 kilometres to the south of Latvian capital Riga late in the evening. Driving almost non-stop the whole night and day (in total about 1800 kilometres, we were two drivers), shortly before midnight we arrived in Karlsruhe in Germany.

Despite driving in shifts, tiredness forced us to seek the first available hotel without considering the room price. We were lucky enough to get a good bargain and the next morning we were fresh again.

After breakfast and a short walk, we immediately continued our trip.

After driving about two hundred kilometres, we arrived at Weil am Rhein border control point. Border guards did not stop us for a long time and after buying highway vignettes we were welcomed in Switzerland.

Vevey, Leysin and Aigle

After the border crossing, we continued driving to Vevey, Aigle and then up in the mountains; our accommodation was booked in the famous ski resort Leysin.

The serpentine road from Aigle to Leysin was surprisingly extreme for the first experience (I would not say that now because we have seen many more difficult roads) – rises and drops all the way.

There are six kilometres between towns if we draw a direct line, however we were driving about 17 kilometres to get to the destination. After 20 minutes of driving adventures, we reached our final destination. For the first time of travelling by car abroad, everything went so well and was really exciting!

The next morning, we decided to walk downhill from Leysin to Aigle. Despite signs along pathways saying it should take two and a half hours, it took us more than four hours to reach the town. We stopped often, passing beautiful landscapes and vineyards.

After a cup of coffee in Aigle, we went back to Leysin by Aigle-Leysin mountain train on this occasion. It took only about 20 minutes to reach the starting point of that day’s journey. The train winds its way up through vineyards and steep mountains, before arriving at its destination located at an altitude of 1450 metres above sea level.

After that, we still had the whole afternoon and evening to walk around Leysin and that is what we actually did.

Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux

On the morning of the third day of the trip of visiting Switzerland cities, we went to Geneva. Unfortunately, the weather was not good, everything around looked grey, however, the city itself was interesting and we bought some Swiss souvenirs to take back home.

After visiting Geneva, we visited the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and had a walk on the beautiful banks of Geneva Lake. Before arriving in Leysin, we passed through Montreux, which still is one of my favourite places in the world.

Montreux lies almost seven kilometres along the coast of Geneva Lake. The statue of Freddie Mercury stands on the banks in front of the Covered Market. Freddie lived for several years in Montreux and recorded his last album there.

You can read another blog posts about Switzerland related to visiting factories producing Swiss chocolate and cheese, around other places in Switzerland, spring in Switzerland.

Dolomite Alps and South Tyrol

Posted on 09/08/2025 by ainarsbl

In the middle of July, we went to Northern Italy to see the Italian Alps once again. To start our journey around the Dolomites, we arrived at Bergamo Orio Al Serio airport, picked up our Fiat (it was booked in advance, we used Economy Car Rentals as usual at that point in time) and started our journey to the mountains.

Our temporary residence for about a week in the Italian Alps was supposed to be a small mountain village Canazei where we got a nice apartment for a very good price.

Accommodation in the Italian Alps

From Bergamo, we went to the East and then, after passing Garda Lake, turned to the North. With a few stops in some very beautiful places near a lake and further in the mountains, we reached Canazei ski resort village in the late afternoon.

The landlady did not speak English at all, but with some additional help from the German language (it’s still close to Germany and other German speaking countries), we settled in the booked apartment, which was surprisingly large and located very centrally on the main street (we made the booking using fassappartamenti website).

According to our experience (we are not getting paid for mentioning our booking choices), I can recommend it to others, though be aware that deposit might be required and this was not mentioned obviously when we made the booking.

Alpine resorts

Canazei and other surrounding villages (Campitello di Fassa, Mazzin, Pozza di Fassa, Vigo di Fassa) are known as popular resorts located in the Trentino-Alto Adige (or Trentino-Sudtirol in German) region, near to the border of another famous Italian Alpine region Venetto (mostly known because of Cortina d’Ampezzo ski resort).

Area around Trento

Trentino-Alto Adige is an autonomous region consisting of two provinces – Trento and South Tyrol. This region previously was part of the Austrian Empire. Perhaps, it is my personal feeling – many things reminded me about our previous visits to Austria.

For example, many urban areas still have double names (one in Italian, another one in the German language), like Bolzano/Bozen, Virgolo/Virgi, Gargazzone/Gargazon, Castelrotto/Kastelruth etc.

Bolzano is a nice town worth visiting, to walk around it and enjoy the surrounding landscape. It is called as “Gateway to the Dolomites” because of its location (since 2009 Dolomites have been listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site). Whatever your destination, you can choose any road in the mountains to see beautiful towns and villages including those mentioned above.

Another day we visited Piramidi de Segonzano – an ageological phenomenon, a masterpiece made by nature. These are sandstone columns reaching heights up to 20 metres. We have seen similar rock formations in Bulgaria – Belogradchishki Skali (Belogradchik Rocks), although each of these sites have their own personality.

Hiking in Alps

Our major event, of course, was whole-day hiking in Dolomites (this was not the only hiking experience during this trip, it was the major one for sure).

There is a mountain lift in Canazei (just a few minutes walk from our rented apartment) to go up higher in the mountains (we started our trip at about 2300 metres above sea level). There are many other lifts in the surrounding area. After arrival at the starting point, you can find many marked hiking trails suitable for anybody wishing to enjoy the beauty of nature.

We walked about 11 kilometres in the Italian Alps and spent about four and a half hours in the mountains. In the afternoon we got back home by public Alpine bus. There is not much to add here about this hiking experience because those feelings you get in such adventures are unforgettable and should be experienced personally to remain in memory.

When planning our trip to the Italian Alps, we didn’t know that the Canazei town festival was scheduled for the weekend. That was one more amazing experience we had there. In the evening, there was a parade on the main street of town (we were watching it in full from our balcony). The next day town was full of people, various attractions, food from local producers and small private exhibitions.

It was very interesting to watch what hobbies people have – many houses were opened to the public and demonstrated different kinds of interesting stuff including workshops, embroidery, historic collections and many more. Almost everybody had their own guestbook of exhibitions or workshops. It seems that those are very old traditions because entries of guest books were dated from the previous century and covered a very wide geographical area of visitors.

On this blog you can find a lot of information about our trips to southern Europe, especially Italy and Croatia – keep on reading!

Swiss chocolate and cheese

Posted on 03/08/2025 by ainarsbl

Swiss chocolate

This post is related to our trip to Switzerland in early spring. Who hasn’t dreamed of being in a chocolate factory? The Swiss chocolate industry is similar to fashion houses in Italy or champagne houses in France – there are chocolate houses in Switzerland. Our Swiss chocolate tour was booked at Cailler Chocolate House (Maison Cailler). This brand has been owned by the Nestle Group for a while now, however, it has managed to preserve its historical values and traditions.

Like many interesting sights, the chocolate factory is a bit off the main road. The Cailler factory, which produces Swiss chocolate (one of many), is in a town called Broc. During the visit, it was possible to get acquainted with the history of making chocolate, which, as it turns out, is not so old, as well as to taste a variety of Swiss chocolate. Just to note that, although you can eat chocolate in huge quantities, it is not recommended to eat chocolate too for the benefit of your health.

The exact address of Cailler is Maison Cailler, Chocolaterie, Rue Jules Bellet 7, 1636 Broc. Entrance ticket to the museum and tasting costs 10 Swiss francs for adults, and 8 francs for younger children and the elderly. Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Vineyards

Swiss chocolate is a good thing, however, nature in Switzerland is also very special. Both Switzerland and France are located around Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), but the northern part of the lake, located in Switzerland, is more populated. The French part around the lake is mountainous and you can enjoy the beautiful landscape to the south. The width of the lake is no more than ten kilometres, so the other side with snow-capped mountain peaks is perfectly visible.

Switzerland, especially the French part of it, has many vineyards, from which the grapes are mainly used to produce white drinks. Not far from Montreux are located the UNESCO-listed Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, part of the famous Swiss Wineyards Route. They look fantastic and the view towards Lake Geneva is unique. However, what surprised me most was that there is a road through these vineyards on a cliff; if you look up, there is also a railway track built through those vineyards and those exist together very well.

In Switzerland in general, the most fascinating thing is how people have learned to build houses, cultivate gardens, and engineer roads and railways on steep slopes. And overall, it all looks well together and provides a comfortable living.

Emmental cheese

Marketing is quite a unique thing sometimes. What could be a better idea to create a famous brand so that people from all over the world travel like crazy to the middle of nowhere to taste cheese? And business is soaring! I like Emmental cheese, it’s just funny to recognise what we can do to acknowledge our preference for some things.

I shall say that the roads in Switzerland, although sometimes quite narrow, everywhere, even to the farthest farmstead, are paved and getting to the middle of nowhere may be quite comfortable. You will get lunch there and pay for it properly, and in the end, there will be no feeling that this trip could have failed.

The good news is that you will get everything you expect – even more. The cheese experience was, of course, great in every way – hard and soft cheese, excellent cheese soup, potatoes with cheese, and cheese in every other way.

I surely would recommend others to taste it too! In general, everything you see, except for food and shops, is available at no extra charge. The address of the cheese farm/factory is Emmentaler Schaukäserei AG, Schaukäsereistrasse 6, 3416, Affoltern im Emmental. Normally open from April to October, opening hours from 9 to 18:30, the other months from 9 in the morning to five in the afternoon.

Spring in Switzerland

Posted on 28/07/2025 by ainarsbl

Spring in Switzerland, where we arrived from France with a car rented at Baden-Baden airport, was in full swing.

Geneva lake

Lake Geneva is the English name of the lake, which we mostly use. In French, the lake is called Lac Léman, but in order not to make life boring, the lake also has a German name – Genfersee. The lake is one of the largest in Europe, about 60% of which belongs to Switzerland, and the remaining 40% to France.

I was surprised to learn that one of France’s largest rivers, the Rhône, which begins high in the Alps, flows into Lake Geneva at its eastern end and flows out of it near Geneva to continue its journey to the Mediterranean.

To maintain a constant water level in the lake, a dam (Seujet Dam) was completed in 1985. The dam provides that the area around the lake is protected against floods and fish paths have been created around it so that they can reach the lake upstream.

Spring in Switzerland – Montreux

One of the most important activities in this region, of course, is tourism. The most popular (most beautiful, most expensive, most…) resort on Lake Geneva is Montreux, located on a small round peninsula and well protected from north and east winds.

The city has a huge number of villas and castles that have been converted into high-end hotels, restaurants, shops and everything else you need for a fantastic and careless holiday. The level of service is, of course, also the highest. But in winter, Lake Geneva becomes one of the most beautiful regions in the world, complemented by great opportunities for active recreation in the nearby mountains. And in addition to all this, there is great Swiss cuisine, where you can find many dishes from the surrounding countries, especially France, and the impeccable style of serving them.

Spring in Switzerland is distinguished by the fact that everything blooms there – flowers that are well-known to us and some completely unseen. And this flowering, especially in mountainous areas, will continue for several months! Like an endless spring.
One evening, walking along the shore of the lake in Montreux, we noticed very interesting flowers – a stalk like a poppy, but a flower like a rose.

Neuchatel

To the north of Lake Geneva is another lake of sufficient size – Lac de Neuchâtel, named after the largest city next to it (or vice versa – a city named after a lake). Either way, Neuchâtel must translate as the new castle I suppose. This is a very beautiful city with a little over 30 thousand inhabitants.

The city and its surroundings have a very interesting infrastructure: about 50% of the whole area is covered by forests, 18% by houses, 10% by roads and other transport infrastructure, while about 4% by parks and greenery, about 2% by orchards and only a little more than 2% of the territory is occupied by industrial facilities. As a result, the air is super fresh, and the surroundings are uniquely beautiful.

Neuchâtel is famous for its watchmaking, but recently the city has also become known as a microtechnology centre, with the latest medical technology and biotechnology, as well as Swiss precision measuring devices and other high-tech products from there are known around the world. The city is also home to famous new technology research institutes. What can probably cause inconvenience – in the city everything is mostly in French.

It should be noted that Neuchâtel is worth a visit, as there are 32 historical heritage sites of national importance, including churches, houses, museums, etc.

Spring in Switzerland was beautiful and after several days at Lake Geneva, we went east of Switzerland to see how the famous Swiss chocolate and Emmental cheese are made.

Lucerne

Before returning to Germany, we planned to visit friends near Lucerne in Switzerland, so we spent the night at a hotel in Lucerne and took the opportunity to see this city on the shore of a lake – we had never been there before.

Classically, parts of Lucerne are connected by a pedestrian bridge over the river. A water tower has been built on one side of the bridge, it is called a chapel bridge. In addition, it is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe, with a length of 204 metres and it is a very popular tourist attraction. The good news – unlike many other tourist attractions, there is no charge for using this bridge.

Lucerne is the largest city in central Switzerland, with a population of almost 80,000, but together with the surrounding suburbs, located in three different cantons, the population reaches 250,000.

While we were in Lucerne, it rained most of the time, but it was interesting to walk around the old town, on many bridges and visiting shops. The city has very convenient public transport and its residents are happy to explain to visitors how to get to the right place. Overall impression – a very nice and beautiful place.

My next story from this trip is about visiting chocolate and cheese factories.

From Riga to London by coach and train – part two

Posted on 06/07/2025 by ainarsbl

This was the second day of our trip from Riga to London. On the first day, we were travelling by Ecolines coach from Latvian capital Riga to Warsaw in Poland and after midnight we continued our trip to Berlin in Germany. In the morning, around 5 am, just before crossing the German border, the bus stopped at a gas station and the passengers had an opportunity to leave the bus for at least 15 minutes and stretch their legs.

We arrived at Berlin’s Am Funkturm on Masurenallee coach station almost according to the schedule. Quite a few other passengers also got off. After a short break, the bus went on to Braunschweig with its final destination in Stuttgart.

Berlin

After getting off the bus, we headed to the nearest underground station Kaiserdamm (only 300 metres walk to the station) to get to Berlin Central Railway Station. The underground single journey costs 3 euros and the boarding pass must be stamped before boarding.

On the way, to the Berlin Zoo, we had to change from the U to the S line. Exiting the underground station you have to walk about 100 metres. Finally, we arrived at the train station in less than an hour and had to stay a few hours while waiting for the departure of our train to Brussels.

Train ride: Berlin – Cologne

As previously planned, in Berlin we swapped the bus to the train. Berlin welcomed us with nice and warm weather, the sun was shining in the morning, and it significantly improved our mood during the trip.

When I bought the tickets, I paid around 10 euros more to travel in 1st class. The real difference was about 7 euros because the ticket reservation fee (around 3 euros) is already included in the first-class ticket price. The ticket price was 64.5 euros per person, even cheaper than a bus ticket to Berlin. The first-class ticket paid off, as the ride was much more comfortable and quieter.

Intercity Express (ICE) trains in Germany are very comfortable and fast. After four and a half hours we were in Cologne, where we had to change to another train.

Cologne – Brussels

We were in Cologne for about 30 minutes only. We just walked out of the station and after a short time went to the platform to get on the next train.

It must be said that there was no German comfort during the last part of our journey. The train, including a first-class car, was full of people and the train itself looked thoroughly used. The good news is that there were only two hours left to get to the capital of Belgium Brussels.

Before going to London, we decided to spend the night in Brussels near Gare du Midi (south) station at the MEININGER Hotel Brussels Midi. The main reason for that was to avoid any risk of missing the Eurostar train if we arrived later than planned. In addition, late trains to London tend to have higher fares.

From the station to the hotel, it’s about a 5-minute walk, the distance is only 400 metres. There are several cafés and restaurants near the hotel. We chose the Turkish Cicek Kebab, which is another 300 metres from the hotel. Kebabs there are authentic, delicious and also relatively cheap, you can both eat in or order stuff to take away.

Another detail worth mentioning. The hotel has a bar next to the reception, and a shared kitchen at the back, as well as a place to eat or just sit at the table with a laptop. We used an opportunity to make tea and eat the kebab we took from the café for lunch on the second day.

So, our second day of travel was over. After a long journey, it was nice to take a shower to wash off the road dust and relax before the last leg of the trip to London.

From Riga to London – Brussels

Posted on 16/03/2024 by ainarsbl

After a trip from Latvian capital Riga to Berlin in Germany by coach and from Berlin to Belgian capital Brussels by train on the second day of our trip, we woke up at the hotel in Brussels on the morning of the third day of our trip from Riga to London in England.

We bought tickets for the Eurostar high-speed train well in advance, the departure was scheduled for early afternoon, so we had a relaxing breakfast without any hurry and then spent our time lazy on the ground floor of the hotel. The first two days of our trip were quite exhausting and we did not want to visit any city sites before leaving Brussels.

Brussels

Brussels is the capital of Belgium, although it often means the European Union and its institutions. It also houses other important institutions, such as the Benelux Secretariat and NATO headquarters.

About 1.2 million people live in Brussels. It is interesting to note that, although the city is considered to be French-speaking, it is part of the Flemish part of Belgium, forming an enclave. Until the end of the 19th century, the dominant language in Brussels was Flemish, but then French prevailed. There are two official languages in the Brussels region nowadays: French and Flemish, however, English is used widely too.

We deliberately chose the hotel near to the south station Gare du Midi, because the train arrived there from Germany the night before and from there, we planned to continue our trip to London.

High-speed trains run from Brussels South Station to the United Kingdom (St Pancras station) and European Union destinations such as Paris in France. The difference is that before boarding a train to London, you have to go through customs and border controls as you would have to do at any international airport.

Trip to London

It also means that you must arrive at the station sometime before the train leaves and there are duty-free shops at the station. However, it must be said that the prices in those duty-free shops are abnormally high, and it is likely that shopping in the city could be even cheaper. At least, those are my personal observations.

We had calculated the time correctly so that we would not have to wait long for the trains to arrive. After a short time in the waiting room, we could already go to the platform to get on the train.

The journey itself was not particularly admirable, apart from the fact that the speed of the train was close to 300 kilometres per hour (perhaps the feelings would be more impressive if we were using this train for the first time). The only stop on the way was the French city of Lille. Passengers were picked up there and we went on without any delay.

The journey from Brussels to London took just two hours and ten minutes and a ticket in a standard car cost £ 60 (€ 75) per person. It must be said though that this is a relatively low price for a trip that can cost 100 to 200 pounds or even more if you do not book your trip in advance. Prices are often lower on weekends (especially around noon) but higher on weekdays. There are usually about five one-way trips on weekends and six on weekdays (seven on Mondays).

London St Pancras Station

Eurostar trains arrive at St Pancras International Station in London. It is connected to London Euston station, one of the busiest stations in the UK, with domestic trains departing and arriving there.

If you happen to be nearby, it’s worth to go and look inside. The hangar, where the trains arrive, is both huge and at the same time cosy with a large clock on the wall and a statue at the end of the platform, which represents the joy of meeting.

Further from the station, there are a lot of opportunities to find the desired means of transport to go to the city. There is London Euston Train Station, the London Underground, buses and taxis outside and King’s Cross Railway Station nearby, which has a ‘Harry Potter shop on Platform 9 3/4’. Of course, the souvenirs related to Harry Potter are sold there.

So, our a bit less than three days long trip from Riga to London ended successfully in London. If you want to read more, there are other two posts about this trip from Riga to Berlin and from Berlin to Brussels.

Mainau Island in Germany

Posted on 03/02/2024 by ainarsbl

Sun, flowers, and spring

The next morning, after the usual grey April day in Riga, we were awakened by the rays of the sun – our break in Germany had begun exceptionally well! From the window we had a fantastic view towards vineyards and all kinds of flowering shrubs and trees; we felt like on a real spring holiday! We planned to visit Baden–Baden and at the end of our trip visit Mainau Island.

To enjoy these fantastic changes, immediately after breakfast we went for a walk around the town and without realizing it, reached the next town. The Easter morning service had just ended, the clock was approaching noon, and the local Germans were slowly gathering for family lunches at local pubs. Great tradition – in most cases, at least three generations of people gathered around the tables.

Before moving on to Mainau Island in Germany, after visiting the thermal pools and sauna complex in Baden-Baden, we walked around the city, which has both its unique charm and something special, such as the German order, which strangely coexists harmoniously with the Russian language heard in many places.

In the holiday complexes do not be surprised that you will be spoken in Russian, because some of the service staff came from Eastern Europe in the late eighties or early nineties. This short break in Germany was coming to an end and we had to move on.

Mainau Island

As I said before, this episode of a short break in Germany is from another journey. The island of Mainau is in a completely different corner of Germany we visited returning from Switzerland. The region around Konstanz did initially give an impression of a remote not that exciting area, however, the beautiful island successfully dispelled that first impression.

The description here is not a comprehensive one, because the island of Mainau must be enjoyed looking at it and the impressions gained are difficult to transfer in words. Here are some photos from the visit below.

Flowers all around

There is a botanical garden on the island and the visiting time was specially chosen for spring; all the spring flowers were blooming there. The island is not large; it is possible to walk around it in a couple of hours. However, it takes much more time because the created lawns, greenery and flower beds are admirable, and you can’t just walk without eating in one of the cafes during your visit.

At the beginning, the price for a visit to the island (adult ticket 17 euros, family ticket 34 euros) seemed to be quite high, however after visiting the exposition we realized that the work invested in creating and maintaining the island is huge and requires a lot of investment.

Tropical and butterfly houses

Among the gardens on the island are several buildings with shops and various expositions. The most outstanding is a tropical house with a huge collection of orchids – it is so beautiful! The other very special place is a butterfly house, where butterflies of various sizes and colours live in tropical jungle conditions.

Iceland

Posted on 20/12/2023 by ainarsbl

So far, we have only been in Iceland during the winter. And we love all about it – snow, ice, glaciers, wind, lava fields, geysers and especially sunny days and Northern Lights, which we have been lucky enough to enjoy.

Along with Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark, Iceland belongs to Europe’s Nordic region. Iceland is a volcanic island and lies on the border between Eurasian and North American Tectonic Plates. That makes Iceland a hotspot of many active volcanos.

The total area of Iceland is 102,775 square kilometres (39,682 square miles) making it No. 106 on the list of world’s countries by territory. The population of Iceland is around 346 thousand people and it is 176th in the world with a very low density of population – only 3.5 people per square kilometre.

Getting around

If you travel to Iceland, you may recognise that many tourist attractions are located almost like bus stops on your route. Of course, getting there may require hours and hours and, sometimes, traffic may be suspended for some days because of snowstorms, strong winds etc.

If some of the attractions you have booked are located off-road, for example, visiting ice caves, you will most probably be picked up by organisers somewhere in a parking space near a major road.

Another tip – you would normally pay a deposit for booking particular activities, for example, if you wish to enjoy dog sledging. These attractions may be cancelled due to weather conditions.

Most probably, you will not get another chance to do it again during this particular trip, although do not worry – organisers will make a refund relatively quickly.
So, always have a plan B to replace this kind of unpredicted events with other activities. Planning a trip to Iceland you may never rely on Iceland’s changing weather.

Golden Circle

Many people have heard about Blue Lagoon, which is a famous recreation facility near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.

If you visit Iceland for just a few days, Blue Lagoon would most probably be one of your destinations. It is located some 50 kilometres from Reykjavik and 20 kilometres from Keflavik International Airport (keep this in mind when planning a trip).

You could also make the Golden Circle, which is a tourist route you may use to familiarise yourself with a very small but diverse part of the island. The length of the route is about 300 kilometres; it starts from Reykjavík and goes into central Iceland, before returning to Reykjavik.

This route may be booked as a guided tour or you can drive your own rented car. If you rent a car, the Golden Circle may even be a perfect trip for a day. You would visit three major locations – The Geysir Geothermal Area, Gullfoss Waterfall and Thingvellir National Park.

Outer circle

This is how I call it, perhaps there is another name for it, however, the idea is that if you keep on Route 1 from Reykjavik, you will return to Reykjavik after going all around Iceland.
This would be suitable if you have arrived in Iceland for more than just a couple of days, fancy some extreme feelings, rent a car and are willing to drive almost 1350 kilometres (850 miles).

Here you can also see a screenshot from Google Maps to get an idea of what I mean. There are many attractions along this route; just to name a few: Hvalfjörður Tunnel (part of Route 1), Akureyri (a small and nice town with public thermal bath facilities), Hverir Boiling mud pits – a fantastic natural phenomenon just on the side of Route 1.

Easter in France

Posted on 10/12/2023 by ainarsbl

During spring, after a short rest in the Baden-Baden baths in Germany, we decided that it would be nice to spend part of Easter in France; we decided to visit one of the most famous cities in the Alsace region, Colmar.

Alsace

Alsace is the fifth smallest of the 27 regions of France, at the same time one of the most populous – 220 people per square kilometre. By comparison, the population density in Latvia according to 2020 data is less than 30 inhabitants per square kilometre, while in the United Kingdom, it is 270 inhabitants per square kilometre. The Alsace region has historically even had its Alsatian language, which could be a German dialect of French; about a third of the population is still able to communicate in Alsatian. As is common elsewhere in Europe, many settlements have German names alongside French names.

Alsace’s largest city is Strasbourg, home to many European Union institutions, including the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights. It is also interesting that Strasbourg is the second largest port city on the Rhine River.

Easter market in the old town of Colmar

We had read before that there is a market in the old town of Colmar for Easter in France, where you can buy a variety of French country delicacies. Besides, this market is largely aimed directly at the people of neighbouring Germany, because Colmar is only a few dozen kilometres from Germany – just cross the Rhine and you are there.

We found one of the few free parking lots less than a 5-minute walk from the old town of Colmar and headed for the city’s central square. In the very centre of the old town, next to a large church, there were mobile stands with a variety of groceries. What is not quite typical for France – most of all sellers spoke German; more precisely it was probably not German, but Alsatian. Quite a few also understood English, so before buying something particular, it was possible to find out more about it.

Homemade cheese and bird liver pate

We had already bought Alsatian produce in Germany, so at the market we found good things for snacks – homemade cheese, poultry liver pate and dried ham; Italians have a very similar to it called prosciutto.

dairy display in france — Dairy display in France

A little about bird liver pâtés: for the first time in France, we couldn’t understand why there is such a big price difference for the same products – duck or goose liver pâtés, known as special French delicacies – really good stuff for celebrating Easter in France.

It’s quite simple – the price depends on what percentage of poultry meat is added to the liver pate. The more meat, the cheaper the pate; the higher the proportion of liver, the more expensive the pate. Of course, the prices of goose, chicken and duck liver also vary. If we want clean delicacies, then we take a clean liver plate, but if we want to eat a lot, then the liver should have more meat. Like any other delicacy, pure liver pate in large quantities is not so enjoyable.

A bit more about Easter in France. Of course, the celebration of Easter in France was not nearly the same as the celebration of this holiday in Poland, however after various open-air exhibitions and decorations, one could sense that the city has a festive atmosphere. The lively activity in the city centre also testified to that. It should be noted that lunch in France is pleasantly cheaper than in Germany. In Germany, there were many beautiful holiday decorations near private houses, however in the cities we did not observe any common holiday events. To be fair, it must be said that in small towns, however, many Germans attended churches.

Strasbourg

We returned to Alsace about a week after our Easter in France experience to spend there another night before going home and having a little sightseeing around Strasbourg.
It was a complete coincidence that we found and pre-booked the Hôtel Au Couvent du Franciscan, built by ancient Franciscan monks, located almost in the heart of the city. This hotel has not been associated with the church for some time, however, it has retained the ancient charm of the monastery. It was pleasantly surprising that the triple room consisted of two separate bedrooms. The hotel only had one star, although the location and price were very good value for money. The continental breakfast was also unusually generous for France.

Strasbourg Old Town and Cathedral

After several weeks of rain all over Europe, the weather in Strasbourg was finally sunny and very suitable for exploring the city. The grass was green, and chestnuts had already started to bloom. Strasbourg’s Old Town is located on one of the islands. There are a lot of canals in the city in general, although we had not enough time to sail with one of the boats that ran along them.

The whole of Strasbourg’s old town, located on the Grand Island, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. One of the most impressive buildings in Strasbourg is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg. Its construction began in 1176 and was completed in 1439. For a long time, from 1647 to 1874, Strasbourg Cathedral was the tallest building in the world and today it is still the sixth tallest church in the world, with a peak height of 142 metres. Another interesting fact about the cathedral – although it is believed that the cathedral was originally built in the style of Romanesque architecture, it is also mentioned as one of the best examples of Gothic architecture.

Shopping in Strasbourg

There are other beautiful buildings in Strasbourg, many canals, squares and simple dwellings. The city has a good public transport infrastructure, low-floor trams of modern design run through the old town. The Galleries Lafayette department store is also located in the city centre. These French stores can also be found in Berlin, Casablanca, Dubai and New York, although they originate in Paris. However, small shops and cafes along the streets may seem even more interesting.

So, the first half of the day flew away and we had to leave France. Before ending our Easter in France trip, we had lunch and once again had the pleasure of eating a lot more food for the French euro than we would get in Germany for the same amount of Euros. Another important thing for visiting the old town – we took advantage of the fact that in our hotel parking lot, it was allowed to park our car until afternoon free of additional charge.

This Easter in France trip included two other destinations for which separate descriptions are available on this blog – Baden-Baden and the island of Mainau in Germany, and a trip through the French and German parts of Switzerland.

South of Norway

Posted on 02/12/2023 by ainarsbl

Arrival in Oslo

To have a short break in June, we went to Norway for a few days to look around and visit Norwegian fjords. After landing at Oslo airport, we picked up our pre-booked car from the airport car rental office and started our trip. We were lucky that instead of a smaller car, we were upgraded for free and got an excellent Volvo V40 – very nice welcome to Norway!

We were thinking about visiting the south of Norway for a long time and finally did it. And, here is the first tip – be prepared to pay for the toll road immediately after leaving the airport if you go to Oslo (there are other toll roads as well).

You can pass control points without paying (what we actually did without a previous intention), however, surveillance cameras are in operation and you will be detected and charged anyway.

The second tip – if you see a parking place for a charge somewhere in the middle of nowhere – make your best effort to find a place to pay for it to avoid penalty charges (still wondering how they managed to recognise that our car was in one of these places). So, visiting the south of Norway is not cheap, however, you may get charged even more if you are not careful enough.

The capital of Norway Oslo is the largest city of Norway. Its metropolitan area has a population of more than 1.4 million people. In addition to this, Oslo is the third largest city in Scandinavia and the most expensive city in the world (according to data from the last decades).

Stave church in Heddal

We didn’t have plans for Oslo and just went through it to reach our destination – the south-western coast of Norway. After a few hours of driving the first stop we made was to look at some old stave church in Heddal. A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing.

hedal church in norway — Hedal Church in Norway

The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. All of the surviving stave churches, except one, are in Norway (the remaining one is in Sweden). The church itself was an interesting, impressive wooden building and it really was worth to see it. I still remember the smell of the surrounding area – it was a very heavy smell of tar all around.

Camping in Norway

Camping rather than staying in a hotel saves a lot of money in such an expensive country as Norway. Almost everywhere in Norway is allowed wild camping (you should not even ask permission from a land owner if you stay on uncultivated land for a couple of nights), although we were travelling with a child and for that reason were not considering that option.

We decided to stay near the fjord. To find a campsite anywhere in Norway, you can use a multilingual camping portal. (there are some 13 languages available to choose from).

You may search by region, camping chain, city, attraction etc. At the time we were in Norway it was not that easy (we did not even have a booking in advance, relying on fortune), however finding campsites nowadays is much easier.

sheep on a road in norway — Sheep on a road in Norway

If you are travelling in July, the weather is good enough to stay in your own tent. There are comfortable bungalows available as well, though they are not cheap at all. But you know – there is nothing cheap in Norway, especially food. However, the emotions you get from visiting Norway and enjoying nature there are even more impressive than you could imagine before. There is another blog from this trip about fantastic Norwegian waterfalls and nature.