 View over Cavaillon from Colline Saint-Jacques. Cavaillon is a mid-sized Provençal town in idyllic countryside, situated in the Departement du Vaucluse, on an eastern spur of the Luberon Range. It’s strategically placed at the crossways of several roads, 22 km from Avignon and 54 km from Aix en Provence. In my previous blog post, I told you how I accidentally came across this town and fell in love with it when I was on a road-trip in Provence in 2014, and I gave you my Reason #1 for why this is so, namely Colline Saint-Jacques. If you haven’t already had a chance to read about that, I suggest that you do. But right now, I want to tell you a few more facts about Cavaillon and give you the 7 other reasons why I fell in love with this town and why you might, too. First of all: The town is perfect to spend a day in before you push out into the Luberon to be wowed by all its river gorges, lavender fields, ochre quarries and perched villages. As I mentioned to begin with, my # 1 reason for loving this town is the green St. Jacques's Hill – or Colline Saint-Jacques  - which lies in the heart of the city and allows you to have a «walk in the country» only two steps away from the cafè terraces and shopping area. From the top there's a magnificent view of the town itself, and it continues all the way to the plains of Apt, the Luberon, and the Alpilles. Read all about my walk up this hill in How I accidentally fell in love with Cavaillon, and 8 reasons why you might, too. Reason # 2) Hôtel du Parc  Hôtel du Parc in Cavaillon - my favorite hotel! The second reason I personally fell in love with Cavaillon, is the Hôtel du Parc. It had such an inviting and homely feel to it, and the staff was very friendly and service-minded. As far as I can tell from their website, the hotel has been re-decorated since I was there, but it still looks wonderfully charming! In fact: I can’t wait to go back! I will never forget my breakfast in this hotel. It was served in a beautiful breakfast room, and it was delicious! The food was presented in a very delicate and inviting way: Fresh croissants, fresh bread, delicious butter, a variety of cheeses and sausages… And everyone could boil their own eggs to their own liking. In short: it was a simply marvellous breakfast! The room itself was beautiful. It had high ceilings, a tiled floor, and a perfect view to the old staircase that lead up to the rooms, and where the railing was a combination of wrought-iron and dark wood. The room also had typical provençal colors, with details in sunny yellow and light blue, and there were huge windows which offered a perfect view to the terrasse outside. The terrasse was full of green plants and had a fountain that gave a calming sound of running water. There were also a few benches and some simple café tables with chairs, so it was perfectly possible to have breakfast out there, too. What a perfect athmosphere for a breakfast! My room in Hôtel du Parc was delightful, with air-conditioning and a very comfortable bed, so I slept like a baby all night. And the bathroom was very clean and inviting. I felt really lucky to have found this great place to stay at such a reasonable price. The fact that they had a safe and free parking space for my rental car, was also a big plus. I highly recommend that you stay in this hotel if you ever go to Cavaillon. Reason # 3) Melons and Fête du Mèlon The fertile soils around Cavaillon nourish all kinds of fresh fruit, like the lauded Cavaillon melon. This is actually how most people in France know the name of the town, and there’s even a festival in July to honour this delicious fruit. Cavaillon is actually considered the King of the melon market. In addition to growing melons, there’s a surplus of cherries, pears and apples in summer. But it’s the melons that have put Cavaillon on the map. According to www.thecrazytourist.com, this cantaloupe came from Africa via Italy in the middle ages, and is in season from June to September. If you visit the market in Cavaillon to buy melons, the merchants will show you how to pick the best ones. The most important is the weight: the heavier it is, the sweeter and juicier. It's supposed to be eaten the same day, and the stem must be cracked and ready to fall off. Of course, melon appears in dishes at local restaurants when the melon is in season. You’ll find it as a starter with cured Bayonne ham, in salads, in tarts for desserts, and even as gazpacho (cold vegetable soup). The melon festival I mentioned earlier, Fête du Mèlon, takes place on the second weekend of July every year. It only started 5 years ago, so it wasn’t on when I first came to Cavaillon in 2014, but I'll definitly try to get back to experience the festival some time in the not too distant future. From what I’ve learned, there’s a market on both the Saturday and Sunday morning during the festival, inviting producers and artisans from around the region, as well as dozens of the best melon growers from the area. As the Saturday progresses, things get livelier: There’s a melon-themed parade and cooking contests, and most of the bars in town set up stalls at an open-air bodega. There’s also live music until the early hours. However, the most memorable moment happens at 22:00 when 100 white Camargue horses are released to run through the city streets. Being a horse-lover myself, I’d sure like to watch this some time! It must be a spectacular sight! I actually met some horses while I was exploring the area, as you can see below.   Some horses that I met just outside Cavaillon. But Cavaillon has more attractions to boast of, like … Reason # 4) The Roman Arch  This is my picture of The Roman Arch on Place du Clos, taken before I knew what it was, hence the lack of a close-up, - but there it is... According to www.thecrazytourist.com , nobody is too sure what this Roman arch on Place du Clos was built for. What they do know, is that it wasn’t always at this location. It was moved here piece by piece in the 19th century, and before that it had been integrated into Cavaillon’s episcopal palace. The palace was sold off and destroyed after the Revolution, so maybe the arch is what’s left of it and was therefor preserved. I don’t know. Whatever its purpose, the arch is definitly something to inspect up close so you can get a good look at the rich carving that covers almost every surface. There are beautiful rosettes and acanthus leaves, and you can also make out the faint outline of a winged deity. The Roman Arch was one of the first things I noticed in Cavaillon, since it’s placed in the vicinity of the parking area where I first landed, on Place du Clos. Reason # 5) Lavender  A cornerstone of Provence’s identity is definitly lavender, which also grows near Cavaillon. The time to come and see this beautiful spectacle is around July when the colors are at their boldest, just before the lavender is harvested at the beginning of August. The Musée de la Lavande is also in the vicinity of Cavaillon, in Coustellet, which is 9,5 km away. I went there, and it's well worth a visit. In addition to the museum itself, there's also a shop where you can buy products made from or with lavender.  Reason # 6) Via Ferrata de Cavaillon  As you can see from the picture above, you can reach the Via Ferrata de Cavaillon by the same path that leads up the Colline Saint-Jacques, or to be more precise: The starting point is Colline Saint-Jacques. I haven't yet tried this out, as I'm a little bit scared of heights, but I'm considering if for my next visit to Cavaillon. Even though it's a little bit outside of my comfort-zone, I think the fact that this is a possibility, is a reason to love Cavaillon. It's definitly one of the reasons why I do. I grew up in Åndalsnes, Norway, which is a town with a rich mountaineering history, and which has another Via Ferrata and plenty of other mountain adventure possibilites at close reach. If you want to know more about that, I've written about it in an earlier blog post. My background is probably why I love everything related to mountaineering. Discovering that there's a Via Ferrata in Cavaillon, made me feel even more at home there. If you’re new to Via Ferratas, they’re horizontal climbing courses attached to a cliff-face. You follow the route via rope bridges, ladders, monkey bridges, Tibetan bridges, gangways and beams. There are two courses in Cavaillon: Via Natura and Via Souterrata. The first one is family friendly and carries you along the cliff-face. The other one, the Via Souterrata, is more challenging and guides you into the Colline Saint-Jacques’ cave network. If you like adventures like this, you'll love Cavaillon, for sure! Reason # 7) Plenty of leisure activities Cavaillon is a great place to stay for so many reasons, but especially if you want to have a variety of activities to choose from. Here’s a list of leisure activities that you can choose from in Cavaillon:
If you’re in decent shape you can see what Provence is all about on the “Luberon à Vélo” cycle trail. It slices through the Luberon Massif, all the way from Cavaillon to Forcalquier, more than 100 kilometres away. This obviously isn’t for everyone, but you can ride sections of the route, or go halfway, which means to the town of Apt, and never have to deal with a main road. Whatever you choose, you’ll ride through the Provence of movies and paintings, with its garrigue scrubs, cedar forests, limestone gorges, ochre ridges, olive groves and - of course - lovable perched villages where you can stop for meals and breaks. When I think of all the great things to explore in Cavaillon, I know for sure that I need to go back before too long. I love markets, good food, horses, tennis, checking out old buildings and museums, and of course learning more about the history and culture of a place, - and Cavaillon has all of this. Beside the above mentioned reasons why I've come to love Cavaillon, I know there are even more I could include here. But I’m sure you’ll find your own reasons if you go there, because there are plenty of more things to see, buildings to visit, and so on, - like Le Musée Archéologique de l’Hôtel Dieu and l’Hôtel d’Agar, just to mention a few.  Photo by provence-cycling.co.uk The last (but not the least) reason why I love Cavaillon, is ... Reason # 8) It's a perfect starting point for exploring the area Since Cavaillon is situated strategically at the crossways of several roads, it’s easy to get to other places in Provence from here. For instance, you can make day visits either to the Alpilles or the Luberon. In the Luberon, there’s the regional nature reserve to see, and plenty of beautiful villages to admire. The Alpilles conveys an image of the deepest Provence, the authentic Provence, with its style and refinement. This is the Provence of St Rémy de Provence and Les Baux de Provence. This is the land of the authors Alphonse Daudet and Frédéric Mistral, and also the land of Van Gogh, who lived in St Rémy and who was inspired by its light, its sunflowers and its famous cypress trees. L’Office du Tourisme in Cavaillon can provide you with information on different excursions with themes such as «The Ochers of Roussillon», «The Lavender of Lagarde d'Apt», or «The stained glass windows of Gordes», just to mention a few of the opportunities.  Adorable hilltop villages Provence wouldn't be the same without its adorable hilltop villages, and there are dozens of them within reach of Cavaillon, so it's definitly a perfect place to stay if you want to explore Provence. Well-known towns can easily be reached from here. Avignon is 22 km away, l'Isle-sur-le-Sorgue 8 km, Aix en Provence 54 km, St Rèmy de Provence 20 km, Ménerbes 15 km, - just to mention a few. Ménerbes is rated as one of the most beautiful villages, not just in this region but all of France. The village is no more than a few streets and alleys crammed onto a narrow hilltop, but the stone architecture is wonderfully rustic and there are traces of a citadel from the 1500s. Marcel Pagnol is one of the many authors who have written about Provence, and Mènerbes is often mentioned in his work. The village is also known because Pablo Picasso had a house here. Gorges de Régalon Literally at Cavaillon's doorstep is also the Gorges de Régalon, which is only 10 kilometres away. This is an otherworldly canyon hidden in the rocky garrigue countryside. The gorge has sheer walls of limestone, and these walls taper so much that they block out the sunlight. You’ll even have to squeeze through in places. In other places, falling rocks have been suspended by the walls a few feet above the canyon floor to create archways. The canyon is a humbling natural sight, but be aware: It can be dangerous to explore this area during or after heavy rainfall. That’s why it normally closes during sustained periods of bad weather. If you want to know more about this beautiful place and find practical information about hiking there, I recommend that you read Carolyne Kauser-Abbott’s blog post about her experiences with it. It’s very informative. And this is just the beginning Enough said for now! You just KNOW that you need to go to Provence some day, don’t you? Because what I’ve covered here is just the beginning. Provence is so rich with culture and history, good food, beatiful villages, activitites for everyone, whether you're travelling alone or with family or friends - that I don't think I'll ever be done exploring or writing about it. That's why you'll definitly find more about Provence in future blog posts from me, so stay tuned if that's something you'd love to read more about! And as for Cavaillon: This town has firmly rooted itself in my heart, and I'll definitly be going back there, - sooner, rather than later. Who knows... Maybe you'll beat me to it? If so, I'd love to hear about YOUR experiences! For now, I'll just say ... À bientôt! If you enjoyed this blog post, feel free to leave a comment below and even share this with someone else who might enjoy it, too! And if you want to follow my blog, I’d be really happy!
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HOW I ACCIDENTALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH CAVAILLON, AND 8 reasons WHY YOU MIGHT, TOO - PART ONE11/28/2019  I’ve been in love with France, and especially Provence, for as long as I can remember. But it took me some time to actually get to Provence. It was just a dream, or a longing, for many years. I went to Paris, Bordeaux, Agen … but not to Provence. Without realizing it, I actually heard about Cavaillon way back in the 1990’s, when I was watching the BBC TV-series "A Year In Provence", based on the wonderful book by Peter Mayle. But since Cavaillon was not the main focus of the series, I didn’t really pay attention to the name of that village. That’s how, when I went on my first road-trip to Provence in August 2014, my only plan was to start in Nice, rent a car and explore Provence. I had a few places on my bucket list, though, like Aix-en-Provence, l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Avignon. I didn’t book any accommodation beforehand, except for the first night. I just wanted to «go where my inner compass told me to», if you see what I mean. I only had one clear rule for the trip: Stay away from the motorways as much as possible. Following the back-roads Being on my own and therefor the only driver of the car, it was important to me to be able to stop where and when I wanted, and that’s just not possible on the motorways. I wanted to see as much of Provence as I could,, and not just have to keep my eyes on the road all the time (which you should, at a speed of at least 100 kilometres an hour). So I went on the back-roads, which was a much more pleasant experience. The only stretch I traveled on the motorway was when I started out from Nice Airport, heading towards Aix, because it was simply the easiest way to get out of the busy traffic in Nice. Besides, Aix-en-Provence was my first goal, and the only place where I had booked a hotel-room. So I wanted to get there at a decent hour in the afternoon and have plenty of time to explore the town in the evening. I’ll tell you more about Aix and other places I visited in Provence in future blog posts. I just mention it here because it was the first destination on my road-trip, like it is for so many others who visit Provence. There are good reasons for that, of course, and I’m guessing you’ve heard them all, but I’ll come back to it all the same. What I’ve experienced, though, is that very often, when we have high expectations for some thing or some place, we end up feeling disappointed. Or maybe we don’t even reach the destination we had in mind, and then we’re sad because we missed it. However, it’s what you least expect or plan for, that often turns out to give you the greatest pleasure. Little did I know that this was exactly what the days ahead had in store for me. Following my bucket list Like I mentioned at the beginning, l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue was also one of the places on my bucket list for the trip, and so was Avignon. As it turned out, however, I didn’t really get to explore any of those places. Why? For a very stupid, but nevertheless real reason: I simply couldnt’ find any available parking space! Let me explain: This was at the beginning of August, and «all of France» was on holiday. Or at least so it seemed! Add all the foreign tourists to the equation, and I’m sure you get the picture… That’s right: Chaos! At least in the typical tourist spots, like l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, where there’s not much space to begin with. So after I’d been to Aix and arrived in l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue around noon on a sunny August day, the small village was packed with tourists. I mean, it was crowded! I searched and I searched, but I just couldn’t find anywhere to park my car. That’s why, after a while with no luck, I said to myself: «I’ll just drive on a little bit further, and then I’ll come back here later…» And so I did.  After a little while, I saw a road sign that said Cavaillon. Since it was in a convenient place to drive off of the main road and make a turn, I drove into the town … and then I drove out again, without checking it out. I knew I’d heard the name before, but couldn’t find any particular reason to explore it any further… Now, you might say: «Wait a minute! You say you love Cavaillon, but you never actually went there!?» Bear with me for a moment. I’m getting there…! For some reason, I couldn’t find my way back out at first … In fact, I had to drive around for quite a little while before I found the sign that pointed me back to the main road, and I almost felt like Cavaillon wouldn’t let go of me…! I actually ended up in the same place in the middle of the town 2 times before I was able to find my way out. And when I finally did find the right way, it was actually quite easy, and I couldn’t understand how I’d completely overlooked it earlier! Determination is key, they say In the end, I was back on the road towards l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. I didn’t want to give up on that place quite yet, as I’d heard so much about it. So I wanted to go back there as soon as possible and give it another try. I thought to myself: «Surely, some cars must have moved by now…?» Well, they hadn’t. Not one inch, so it seemed. So I thought «OK, I’ll just skip it for now and go straight to Avignon instead.» After all, Avignon was only about 22 kilometers away, so I thought this was a great solution, and merrily I went on my way. Avignon, however, turned out to be just as packed with cars as l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, if not more. And since I’d never been there before, I didn’t really know where I was going, so I just had to follow the signs and see if I could find a parking area somewhere. Voilà! Big fat «P» sign and an arrow showing the direction! My hope rose again, and I followed a long line of other cars who were heading in the same direction, through a narrow arch-way, into some old castle grounds, so it seemed … or was it a village in the middle of the city? I couldn’t tell. We all went further and further in, and the buildings were suddenly towering over us on each side of the street, which had now become significanctly narrower than where we came in… Turning around was completely impossible at this point. And then everything stopped. No one could move. The first car had reached a dead end, and when the driver tried to back out, he was trapped. The «jungle telegraph» would have taken forever to reach the car in the back and make everybody realize there was no possibility of getting any further, so I started to look for some other option to get out of there. All come to those who wait I was lucky! Some locals (or so I reckoned) was just passing my car on foot, so I boldly called out through my car window and asked (yes, in French!) if they knew of any way out of this trap, other than backing out. And then one of them showed me the solution: Right where I was standing (Dieu, merci!) – and where they were heading – was a pedestrian passage through to the road outside these «castle walls», and the sidewalk was just wide enough for my car to drive through! I was lucky enough to have a fairly small rental car, - which turned out to be a blessing in this situation. Although it was a not-quite-acceptable manouver, I decided to take my chance and go for it. I only hoped that there was no gendarme nearby who would give me a fine or put me in jail …! Well, there wasn’t, and I managed to wiggle my car out of the line and got both myself and the car safely back out on the D973, without as much as a scratch. I must admit that I gave a sigh of relief…! Heading back to l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue However, the experience didn’t exactly encourage me to try and find another parking area. It was a hot day, and the traffic in Avignon was rather heavy, so I decided to leave it behind and try l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue again instead. About 25 minutes later, I was back in the famous village, only to find that the parking situation had not changed at all. This was a huge disappointment. I’d been looking so much forward to visiting this beautiful village, known for its numerous antique dealers and second hand shops, beautiful mansions that have been converted into art galleries and museums, and of course the fairs that take place from Easter and over the August 15th holiday.… But it obviously wasn’t meant to be. Not this time, anyway. However, I’m a person who always tries to see something positive in a situation, so after a few minutes of disappointment, I shook it off and told myself that now I simply had a very good reason to go back to Provence in the not too distant future. And then I’d come back at a less busy time, I thought, like early spring… This lifted my spirit significantly, and I decided to drive a little further along to find somewhere to stay for the night, since I didn’t want to wait until too late in the afternoon before I booked myself into a hotel or some other accommodation. I had no plan, though, - just decided to see where the road would take me…. All roads lead to Cavaillon And there it was again: The road-sign that said Cavaillon. Was it a sign from above? As soon as I saw it, I got a strange feeling inside. This was the third time that day that Cavaillon sort of called me back! It was the strangest thing…! Was it a sign from above? «Well … All good things are three…», I said to myself, and it was with a feeling of both curiosity and anticipation that I entered the town for the third time. And now the road was familiar. I drove straight back to the same spot where I had been twice already: A huge parking area right in the middle of the town. And lo’ and behold: There were plenty of FREE parking spaces available! Quelle surprise! I could hardly believe it! I checked for parking meters, but couldn’t find any. Nor did I see any signs that said «No parking» or «Interdit» or showed any restrictions whatsoever. I just had to laugh! Cavaillon was where I was supposed to stop, for sure! So I parked happily and went out of the car. It was wonderful to be able to stretch my legs at last, after several hours in the heat, just driving around to find a parking space! On my left hand side, just a few meters away, I saw a big but charming building with Hôtel du Parc written on it, and right in front of me, at the end of the parking area, at the foot of a hill, was the Office du Tourisme.  Outside the Hôtel du Parc I decided to go to the hotel first and find out if they had any available rooms for the night, since I would have to drive on and find something else if they didn’t, - and then – if I had any luck - I’d head for the tourist information office after that, before they would close for the day. (I checked the sign on the door, to be sure, and noticed that there was still time.) I went into the hotel. It had such a welcoming athmosphere, and as I entered the reception area, a woman came out from a room nearby and greeted me with a smile: «Bon après-midi, Madame! Bienvenue au Hôtel du Parc!» I greeted her back, and asked in my humble French if she had any rooms available for the night, and I was lucky. A few minutes later, I’d been handed the key to room #62 and was on my way up the stairs. I can’t really describe how I felt, but I suddenly had a feeling of coming home… And when I opened the door to my room, my feelings just overwhelmed me! I felt something burst in my heart, and the tears started running down my cheek.  The inviting bed in room #62. The room had a poem written on the wall, all around the room. This was meant to be. I was sure of it! I felt now that my inner guide had been trying to tell me all day that Cavaillon was where I should stop, - not l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue or Avignon. But I’d been so determined to see those places that I’d pressed on to make it happen… only to be disappointed. And here I was, in this beautiful and homely hotel in Cavaillon … and now I couldn’t wait to explore the town! Would I find it just as charming as the hotel? I decided to go to the Office du Tourisme to get some leaflets and possibly a map of the town, and then find somewhere I could get a meal. Because by now I was starving! As I went into the tourist office, I noticed some old stone steps to the right of the building, and a path that seemed to lead up the hill. I decided right a way that I’d take a closer look at it later. As I checked the town map, I found out that the place where I was standing, right outside the Office du Tourisme, was Place du Clos, and the pathway that I’d noticed would lead me up the Colline Saint-Jacques (or Saint-Jacques Hill), - should I be so bold as to try it on. It looked a bit steep for a woman in my condition (I wasn’t at my peak back then…), but I decided to go for it. But first: Food! Just a few blocks from the hotel, I found a restaurant with a nice eating area outside. I can't remember the name of it, but it looked inviting, so I sat down at one of the tables outside. It didn’t take long before a waiter came with a menu, and shortly after, a delicious meal was presented to me. I felt like I’d arrived in heaven, for sure! It had been a long day, with a few disappointments and also quite a bit of stress before I got out of the «castle grounds» in Avignon, - but all I could feel now was gratitude. Gratitude for having been guided to this calm oasis, this tranquille town in the Lubéron district, where there didn’t seem to be many tourists at all, but plenty of free parking! After my delicious meal and a coffee to follow it, I took a stroll along the nearest streets, before I went back to the hotel to rest for a little while and ask where I could park the car overnight. It turned out that they had a garage under the hotel, with free and safe parking for guests, so I moved the car there and brought my suitcase up to the room. It was still early in the afternoon, so after a good rest and enough time to digest the meal I’d had, I decided to climb Colline Saint-Jacques. It turned out to be a very good decision. Actually, it’s one of the 8 good reasons I fell in love with Cavaillon and why I believe you might, too. So let me put that down as my ... Reason # 1) Colline Saint-Jacques The hill is a detached outcrop of the Lubéron Massif to the west of the town. Generations of Cavaillon’s citizens have made this walk to visit the small chapel on top of it, Chapelle Saint-Jacques. It’s been there for at least 1,000 years. You get a beautiful view of Cavaillon on your way up the steep slopes of the hill, and there are beautiful plants to enjoy along the path.   Pictures above: The first part of the slope up Colline Saint-Jacques, starting from Place du Clos, right beside l'Office du Tourisme. As you can see from the first picture, the Via Ferrata can also be reached from here. If you get tired, there are a few benches where you can rest for a while and enjoy the view.  View from the slope ut Colline Saint-Jacques, to the parking area where I parked my car and Hôtel du Parc (the big building to the right).      When you get to the top, there’s an adorable little garden, and also an orientation table which points out the various landmarks in the plain below and Petit Lubéron to the east.  The Orientation Table on top of Colline Saint-Jacques.  Picture above and the next pictures: Illustrations on the Orientation table on Colline Saint-Jacques.    I enjoyed very much walking up this hill. It was so peaceful up there, and the view was absolutely amazing! I could hear the distant sounds from the village below, - one was a young man singing and playing the guitar; another sound was from a group of people laughing and obviously enjoying each other’s company… and then there was a barking dog … All familiar sounds that made me feel very much at home and happy and grateful for being in this beautiful, tranquil place.        Pictures above: From my walk around the Chapelle Saint-Jacques. I walked around on Colline Saint-Jacques for a little while, and discovered that beside the chapel there were also other estates up there, estates where people lived. And I said to myself: «What a great place to live!» A sign on a wall made me smile … it seemed so typically provençal!   A glimpse of some of the estates on Colline Saint-Jacques.    I took my time on the way down, as it was quite steep. I was sad to leave that place, but I decided there and then that I would definitly come back some day…  A sign along the slope...  On my way down from Colline Saint-Jacques, looking back up and already missing it....  I knew now that I had fallen in love with this town. It felt inviting, homely and peaceful, and there were obviously very interesting things to see and do. It was my very first evening in Cavaillon, and I knew already that I simply couldn’t leave the next day. I had to stay at least one more night, so I could see more of what this town had to offer, before heading off to explore more of Provence. ------- In my next blog post – which will be Part Two of this series about Cavaillon and released in a few days – I will give you the other 7 of my 8 Good Reasons Why I Fell In Love With Cavaillon And Why You Might, Too. I hope you’ll come back for more! Stay tuned, and I’ll see you soon! So you want to travel the world. I get it. It's always been one of my biggest dreams, too. But for so many years of my life I hardly did any travelling at all. Why? Because I had no money. No, correction: I didn't make the right priorities with my money to make it happen. Because it really is about priorities. If you want something bad enough, you find a way to make it happen. No excuses. "If you're interested in something, you think about it. If you really want something, you make it a priority." There are so many "holes" in our everyday life to put our money into. Sure, we need to take care of our regular expenses, like rent, electricity, food, insurance... but then what? Isn't it true that much of what we spend our money on are things we don't really need? That take-away coffee you buy on your way to work every morning ... or the lunch you buy in the cantina every day ... or that pack of sigarettes that are really no good for you ... heck, even the monthly subscription on your local newspaper could probably be cancelled, since you hardly ever read the paper anyway! Right?  If you have a job and are not self-employed in some way, there's only so much money coming into your bank account every month, and this money is supposed to cover all your day-to-day expenses for 4 full weeks. For many of us, we only just about break even. When our monthly expenses have been paid, there's little or nothing left to spend on all the things we really want in life, like travel. And if you're single, like me, you don't have anyone else to share your expenses with, either, so you just have to manage on that one salary that you earn. Of course, you're grateful that you even have a job, right? But let's be honest: The nine-to-five doesn't allow any luxury, and therefor many of us hardly ever travel. Because that's how we've been taught to see it: Travel is a luxury. It has to wait "until we can afford it". Guess what: We couldn't be more wrong! I've actually had an epiphany on this. Travel isn't a luxury. It's a necessity. In fact: Travel is education. It's the single most educational experience you could ever have. Period. And we've always been told to get ourselves a good education, haven't we? Problem is that the educational system that we have in our western society doesn't teach us the things we really need. Things like how to live a good life or how to live in peace with each other on this planet ... things like how to take care of our mental health and how to achieve abundance in every way ... Instead, we've been taught that we shouldn't strive for more, and definitely not more money. "It ain't right. It ain't good. It ain't proper," like Prudy in the wonderful British Period drama "Poldark" would've put it. But I say it is. It is good. It is right. It is proper. Because with money we can do a lot of good. Money gives us freedom. And money makes it possible to travel and to educate ourselves. Travel teaches us things about the world that we won't learn from any history book. Not to mention all the things that travel teaches us about ourselves.  Picture above: From Hewler (Erbil) in Kurdistan, Iraq. One of my greatest educational experiences was travelling to Kurdistan in Iraq for the first time. I feel privilegded to have been there, not only once, but twice (so far). It has changed my life forever. And I'm definitely going back. The greatest friendships of my life are with my Kurdish friends. But travelling to Kurdistan can be expensive, and my single person's salary wouldn't take me far, unless I do something about it.... How to find the money to travel on a regular basis So what do I do to find money for travels to far-off lands? Well, "find" is probably not the most accurate term to use here. It's more about money management. Because it's not really about how little or how much money you have. It's all about how you manage that money. That's what I've learned, and it's changed the way I look at things. It's changed the way I think about what's possible in my life. It's changed my view on travel: That it's not a luxury. It's totally doable! If I manage my money well, travelling to Kurdistan more often is not such an impossible goal after all. It's all about putting my money into a system that works for me. And for it to work for me, it needs to be easy, and it needs to be fun. Seriously. Nothing else will do. And I have that system! What I'm talking about is a system that's been known to millionaires for ages. Heck, it's probably the reason why they are millionaires! And yet it's nothing complicated. Anyone can use it. Ordinary people like you and me can start using it today, and if you stick with it, you will experience big changes in your finances within a short period of time. But you need to stick with it. If I teach you the system and you don't implement what you learn, it's useless. That's a no-brainer, right? I stumbled upon this system on the Internet a few years ago, when I felt that I was in what I'd call a financial swamp. I was rather desperate to change my situation around, and when I came across a couple of money mentors that had some really good advice to offer on how to turn my situation around, I grabbed it with both hands, so to speak. And lately I've turned the advice into a program of my own, called "Fun & Easy Money Managing For Female Life Designers". (I've even made a version of the program for those of you who are males, just to make sure you get the message: "Financial Freedom Money Management System For Future Millionaires".) But I'll share the idea of the system with you right here and now, for nothing. I'm not going to let you "hang from a cliff" here, left with only promises of a good life and nothing on how to actually make it happen. That's not how I do things. But please understand that the full details of my program can (for obvious reasons) not be shared here. Even though it's not complicated, it needs some explanation as to WHY you should do things in this particular way, and so on. There's also some work to be done on your part to make sure you have full control of your finances in the long run. But all that is better explained in my program(s). Righ here, right now, here's the simple outline of how you can find the money to travel more: The 4 easy steps to manage your money Step # 1: Understand why you need to become financially free, and why you need a money managing system to actually make it happen (My program(s) will teach you about this.) Step # 2: Get clarity about your finances. (My program(s) will teach you in more details how to do this.) Step # 3: Learn how to set up a fun & easy money managing system - and here's the outline of that: Divide your monthly income into 6 different accounts. These are: 1) FF Account (Financial Freedom): 10 % of your income should go here. 2) LTS Account (Long Term Savings Account): 10 % of your income should go here. 3) L&G Account (Learn & Grow Account): 10 % of your income should go here. 4) DLE Account (Daily Living Expenses Account): 55 % of your income should go here. 5) P&P Account (Play & Pleasure Account): 10 % of your income should go here. 6) CTS Account (Contribution To Society Account): 5 % of your income should go here. To explain it a little bit: The FF Account is your "Golden Nest Egg". It's the account that will - if you give it time and don't touch the money you put in there - give you financial freedom (hence the name). The LTS Account is where you save money "for a rainy day". If you're in debt, you use this account to pay off more on your debt each month, to get rid of it more quickly. If you're not in debt, use it as a normal savings account. The L&G Account is the account where you put money that you'll use for your own growth, either to buy books, an educational program, or spend money on a coach or mentor that can help you achieve what you want in life. The reason you should have a special account for this, is that you'll probably spend money on these things anyways, and it's better to have control over it and know what you can spend. And remember: Travel is the best education you can get, so using this account to save up for travel is perfect! The DLE Account is where you put aside money for your daily living expenses, like rent, electricity, insurance, etc. If you find that 55 % doesn't cover your expenses, you can adjust it a bit, for instance up to 60 % of your income. But then you need to adjust one or more other accounts accordingly, like setting your L&G Account to 5 % instead of 10. The P&P Account is where you put money to spend on pleasure, like going to the movies or a restaurant or some other thing that you enjoy doing. Because life can't be just work and no play, so you'll be better off if you put aside money for pleasure on a regular basis. Of course you don't have to spend this money every month, - you can save it for something special, - like travel! The CTS Account is something you can decide whether you'll want or not, but I suggest you have an account like this, because giving back to society in some way, either by donating money to a cause or your favorite charity, can be very rewarding. If you choose not to have this, put that money into your L&G- or P&P Account instead. And remember: No matter what you do: Don't touch your FF Acccount! Let it grow! Well, this was the system, in all its simplicity. Now to the important .... Step # 3: Start implementing the system in your daily life!  .When you start using this system, you'll discover in a relatively short time that your finances will improve. You'll discover that finding money to travel more is actually quite easy, because you'll be putting money away for that purpose on a regular basis, not just "when you can afford it". This system has been a blessing in my life, and I hope that it will be in yours, too. That's why I want as many as possible to know about it, and that's why I decided to write about it on my blog today. I hope this blog post has been of value to you. If so, I'd be happy if you'd share it with others! Please feel free to leave a comment below, and I hope you'll follow me and maybe even sign up for my newsletter. If you want to learn more about the program I've mentioned above and fully understand WHY you should have it in your life, I welcome you to click on this link and make sure you get the program today (for the male version, click here). It comes with a full One Year Money Back Guarantee, and also a chance to win a vacation of your own choice worth $2000! So there's absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by purchasing the programs! See you soon!   Picture above: Åndalsnes town centre with the Mountaineering Museum. This is the second out of two blog posts about the Møre og Romsdal county in Norway. The first one was about Molde and the Atlantic Road. Today I want to write a little bit more about the surroundings around my home town Åndalsnes and about MY valley, The Rauma Valley, with its famous mountains. All-in-all, Norway is a country with a great tradition for outdoor activities all year round, but I believe Romsdalen (The Rauma Valley) is particularly well known among people from the rest of the world. It's a magnet to mountain-climbers, parachuters and base-jumpers, and especially Åndalsnes and the municipality of Rauma has a high number of visiting climbers and base-jumpers from all over the world, especially in the summer. My childhood and teenage years were filled with exciting events around these people - mostly young men, but also a few women - who came to my homestead to try and conquer the most famous mountain of them all: Trollveggen, or The Troll Wall. Handsome young men with climbing gear over their shoulders was a rather common, but interesting sight for a young girl, and my home town has bred quite a few rather famous climbers. Hans Christian Doseth is one of them. Sadly, he died in a climbing accident in Pakistan, while climbing the Trango mountain, when he was only 25 years old. I remember watching him once as he was practising his free-climbing technique in the mountain just above the house where I lived. It was fascinating to watch his technique! Many others could be mentioned here, but Hans Christian Doseth stands out, which I'm sure all who knows something about climbing will agree on. (References and links to read more: Go HERE.) Another famous mountain climber from Romsdal is Arne Randers Heen. He is one of the pioneers, and I person I have always admired. Not only for his achievements as a climber, but for his modesty and wisdom. He worked as a tailor in Åndalsnes, and had his workshop in the town centre. I delivered the newspaper to him for a couple of years, and he was always friendly, but didn't say much when I popped in with the paper. He was usually busy with his work. Arne Randers Heen is known for several first ascents, and his many ascents of Romsdalshorn, including the first winter climbing of the mountain. He was Norway's leading mountaineer from the 1920s to the 1950s. He was mostly autodidact in mountaineering, and an unconvential outsider to a sport defined by Norsk Tindeklubb in Oslo's west suburbs. He didn't have a single accident during his life in the mountains. In 1926 he climbed solo (alone) the south wall of Romsdalshorn, at the time a groundbreaking achievement. (References and links to read more: Go HERE.) What to see in Åndalsnes When you're in Åndalsnes, I highly recommend a visit to Norsk Tindemuseum - The Mountaineering Museum. To quote themselves: "The Norwegian Mountaineering Museum gives you an exciting experience and insight into local, national and international events throughout the history of mountaineering." The museum displays historical objects as well as interactive installations, inviting you to explore and play, regardless of age. The museum also arranges guided trips or lend out equipment if you're experienced and want to go your own, for instance if you want to climb Romsdalsstigen - the Via Ferrata. Romsdalsstigen consists of two adventurous climbing trails: the Intro wall and the West wall. Both of them are equipped with steel wires and iron steps, and you're guaranteed a spectacular view of the Romsdalsfjellene mountains if you decide to challenge yourself with climbing one of these rock walls! With the right equipment, you can do it! Find out more about the Via Ferrata and many other outdoor experiences in Åndalsnes and Romsdalen by checking out the references and links HERE.  The Rauma River The Rauma River is the river that runs through Romsdalen, which (as I've mentioned earlier) is a valley in Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties. It runs for 68 kilometres (42 mi) from Lesjaskogsvatnet, a lake in the municipality of Lesja, down to the town of Åndalsnes in the municipality of Rauma. This is where I grew up. The river was once famous for its salmon-fishing, but since an infection with Gyrodactylus salaris, only 5 to 10 % of the original stock survived. The authorities have spent many years trying to cure the river. The salmon runs up to the Slettafossen, a 16-metre (52 ft) high combination of waterfalls, and rapids more than 42 kilometres (26 mi) upriver from the estuary. I remember vividly how the bridge by Åndalsnes Camping, the Grøttør bridge, was filled with anglers in the summer. It was a good spot for catching some very big salmon!  The Grøttør bridge and Åndalsnes Camping. The Rauma River and its valley are - I'm proud to say! - regarded as one of the most beautiful in Norway. The river runs very clear with a green tint, and the mountains tower some 1,500 to 1,800 metres (4,900 to 5,900 ft) above the river in the lower and middle parts of the valley. The Reinheimen National Park and the Trollveggen cliff (The Troll Wall) are both located along the southwestern shores of the river through the municipality of Rauma. T The Rauma Valley - Romsdalen The Romsdalsalpene mountains surround the river and the valley, including the mountains Store Trolltind, Store Venjetinden, Trollryggen, and the Romsdalshornet mountain. The Rauma Line railroad follows the river through the valley on its way north to Åndalsnes. The railroad crosses the river on the Kylling Bridge at the village of Verma, and this is one of the most beautiful railway bridges in the world, in my opinon. Watch out for Trolls...! Åndalsnes is the perfect starting point for a trip to Trollstigen - The Troll Path. This is really a must for anyone who visits Åndalsnes. If you're scared of heights it might be a challenge, but if you want great experiences, moving outside your comfort zone is sometimes necessary. So come with me to the valley of Trolls ...  Of course, you can easily reach this destination from Molde, Ålesund or Geiranger, too. In fact: A round-trip to see all of these places in one day is absolutely possible. However, I think Molde and Ålesund are towns where you should stop for a while, as there are lots of things to see and do there. But if you're short on time, a round-trip that covers all of these places is totally doable if you start early and are prepared to spend the whole day and arrive at your ending point late in the afternoon. I wouldn't want to rush it. Making plenty of stops and taking time to eat and drink and really enjoy the scenery, is what you should do. As for me, I started my round-trip in Molde, where I currently live, early one Sunday morning. I drove through the Bolsøy Tunnel, which goes under the sea, and then across the Bolsøy Bridge, where I sometimes go fishing with my friends and which is another of the scenic roads in this country, - although not so much talked about or promoted to tourists as The Atlantic Road or The Troll Path. A bit further along, I caught the ferry from Sølsnes to Åfarnes, and then drove on through Isfjorden to Åndalsnes. Romsdalen and The Troll Path My valley - my mountains. There's nothing like home! The Rauma River was classified as a protected water-course in 1992, and the only main tributary affected by hydroelectric power is the Verma River with the over 300-metre (980 ft) Vermafossen falls. The biggest tributaries are the Ulvåa and Istra rivers. The Istra runs through the Ister Valley, which is well known for Trollstigen Road - or The Troll Path, which it's also called - in its upper parts. Trollstigen was the main destination for my road-trip, and I can't even begin to describe how happy I was to finally visit the Istra Valley again. It had been a while, but I was delighted to find that it hadn't changed at all. The Trollstigen Gjestegård was already there the last time I came, and is a positive contribution to the vally with its many service facilities - toilets, souvenir shop, information desk, restaurant, guest cabins - a great "pit stop" for all the visitors who come through here on their way to Trollstigen. I was one of them, and I must say that I really appreciated the opportunity to stop and use the "rest room" for a couple of minutes before I started on the winding road up the mountain. Once again I was very lucky with the weather. The traffic wasn't too heavy, as I was making this trip quite early in the summer, so I could more or less stop anywhere along the road to take pictures, without causing a traffic jam. A luxury, really, considering the amount of visitors that normally drive through this valley during the summer season. But the road is closes in the winter and seldom opens before the end of May / beginning of June due to huge amounts of snow in the mountains, so I benefitted from the fact that it was early in the season.   I took my time up the mountain, because I wanted to make the most of it and shoot many pictures for The Passionate Globetrotter magazine and also enjoy the view to the fullest. There are several places where you can stop and do that without disturbing anyone else, so I made the most of it and stopped wherever I could. The higher up I came, however, the fewer stops were made, because I'm a little bit scared of heights and the road is narrow in some places, and with only some rocks doing the job as a railing between my car and the valley below, I didn't particularly want to go too near to the edge of the road to shoot pictures ... So after having decided that enough was enough, I drove on to the top.  The Stigfossen waterfall at Stigfossen bridge, on the Trollstigen Road. Since I last visited Trollstigen, there have been quite a few changes when it comes to the tourist facilities. The former cafeteria and souvenir shops have been replaced by some modern, but very nice looking buildings that blend quite well in with the surroundings, in my opinion. So I wasn't at all disappointed when I set eyes on them. There have also been built "floating" pathways all the way from the cafeteria- and souvenir shops area down to the recently built ramps or view-points where you get a breath-taking view to the road and valley below. The most spectacular view-point is easily accessed by steps that have been built all the way down to the platform, and I must say that I could feel a few butterflies iin my stomach as I approached the railing to take a few pictures of the valley and the zig-zag road below... With only a glass wall between me and nature, I had to silently convince myself that I was safe and that I wouldn't fall down unless I insisted on climbing the railing or forcing my way through the solid glass. So I tried to look relaxed and shoot my pictures without making a fuss, and then went back the same way that I came. On my way down I spotted a young father in front of me who was just leaving his baby's pram on top of the steps and carried the baby in his arms all the way down to the view-point (see second photo below), and I just hoped to God that he would hold the baby firmly in his arms and not lean over the railing with him or her ... I would have screamed if he had done that! But of course he didn't.     Bird's view of The Troll Path - The Trollstigen Road - from the view-point. There were people of all sizes and nationalities in Trollstigen that day, so it seemed, and more cars in the parking space than I had expected, considering not having seen many on the way up. But there was plenty of space in the cafeteria and quite easy to find an available seat outside, as well. So I bought myself a waffle and sat for a moment in the sun, before I headed back to my car and moved on towards Valldal. Since I had decided to make a round-trip, I had thought of going to Geiranger and then further on to Ålesund, but I was a bit tired that day, so I didn't do that after all. I decided that I'd just stop at a few attractions along the way and have a meal somewhere, and then take the shortes way back to Molde. So that's what I did. Gudbrandsjuvet My first stop after Trollstigen was at Gudbrandsjuvet, about half-way to Valldal. There were a couple of tourist buses in the parking area, and quite a few other cars, but I managed to squeeze my car in between a very stylish BMW Convertible and some other car. There was another sleek looking sports-car as well, - also a BMW, - so I couldn't resist taking a few pictures ... I didn't care much about cars before, but I've come to appreciate them more over the years, especially sleek looking cars like Jaguars, Bentleys, Porshe, Ferraris and old Morgans. Some day I'll have one myself ... But for now, I'm doing all-right with the one I have, and as long as it gets me from A to B in a comfortable manner, I'm not complaining... So there I was, at Gudbrandsjuvet. Again, it was made accessible by bridges and pathways through the terrain. I stopped on the bridge just above the roaring waterfall and got my pictures. There was a cafeteria there as well, a very modern looking building with glass walls all around for a perfect view under all weather conditions. These modern designs semme to be the new trend now, in all the tourist attractions in the area. That's fine, I guess, and they're all well integrated with the surroundings, as far as I've been able to establish ... But I'm not sure that I like this trend 100 %. I mean: Accessibility is great. Modern design is great. Innovation is great... But do they all have to look the same? I don't know... When I go abroad, I search for authenticity, the things that are typical for the area... the local traditions. That's what I want to see and experience. And of course: The attractions we have here, in my county and in Norway as a whole, are unique in many ways. The scenery compares to nothing else and is what people come here for, more than anything else. And I guess we need to upgrade the facilities to be able to meet the demand and the increasing number of visitors. But I hope we don't end up using the same mold for all of them, because then we'll lose our uniqueness.  Pathway down to Gudbrandsjuvet.  Gudbrandsjuvet.  The modern service building at Gudbrandsjuvet, with cafeteria, souvenir shop and toilets.
That being said: Møre og Romsdal county is a great region to visit and is an eldorado for anyone who loves beautiful scenery, spectacular views, scenic roads, plenty of activities both indoors and outdoor, great adventure, good food, cultural events, fjords, mountains, rich traditions and modern designs in an exciting mix, arts and crafts, great hotels, - and so much more! Like I said in my previous blog: I'm shamelessly proud of my home county and what we have to offer here, and I won't hesitate to recommend it as a destination for anyone, whether you're a solo traveler, a couple, family with children, or a group of friends. Take a look at the references and links HERE and be amazed! There are such a lot of professional and enthusiastic people in this region who are just waiting to welcome you to their establishments and give you experiences you will never forget! I also recommend that you take a look at my video-clips from this road-trip and other trips. You can find them HERE. I hope this blog post has inspired you to come and visit Norway and Møre og Romsdal. Rest assured that what you've just read about here is just the tip of the ice-berg. There is so much more! I haven't yet told you about Ålesund ... or Kristiansund ... or all the other great places, so there's a lot to explore! I will tell you more about Ålesund in a future blog-post, so stay tuned! If you enjoyed this blog-post, feel free to comment below and / or share it with others! (The blog post was first published as an article in my travel magazine The Passionate Globetrotter.) I must admit it: I'm shamelessly proud of the county in Norway where I’m from, the Møre og Romsdal county. We have so much to offer here: A spectacular landscape, with high mountains, deep fjords, green valleys and scenic roads that combine them. A varied industry. A great number of good schools, universities and colleges that have become well known for the quality of the education they provide. Innovative and fearless entrepreneurs. Talented artists of many genres. Strong local traditions .... I could go on and on! Where is Møre og Romsdal? Møre og Romsdal county is situated in the northernmost part of Western Norway and borders the counties of Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, where I currently live, while Ålesund is the largest town. (Ålesund will be featured in a later blog post.) The county is governed by the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality, which includes an elected county council and a county major. The national government is represented by the county governor. The name of the county was created in 1936, and the first element refers to the districts of Nordmøre and Sunnmøre, and the last element refers to Romsdal. The county has a total of 36 municipalities. Traditionally, the county has been divided into three districts. From north to south, these are Nordmøre, Romsdal and Sunnmøre. Although the districts do not have separate governments and despite modern road-, sea- and air connections throughout the county, the three districts still have their own identities in many ways. Historically speaking, connections have been stronger between Nordmøre and Sør-Trøndelag to the north, Romsdal and Oppland to the east, and Sunnmøre and Sogn og Fjordane to the south, - than they have been internally. Differences in dialects between the three districts bear clear evidence of this. Geographical features and difficult terrain Due to geographical features, the county has many populated islands and is intersected by several deep fjords. Due to its difficult terrain, Møre og Romsdal has been very dependent on boat traffic. In the last decades, however, many of the ferries have been replaced by breathtaking bridges and scenic roads that have both made the daily life easier for a lot of people, as well as attracted visitors from all over the world to the region. My main focus in this blog post will be on the district of Romsdal, where I was born and bred and also currently live. In later blog posts, I will give you a glimpse into the two other districts as well. However, this is such a varied and magnificent county that I would need a whole book to tell you about all the different features that you can find here (and that book might very well materialize in the not too distant future!) - but I'll provide you with a list of various features and attractions somewhere else on this blog shortly, and also give you links to where you can read more about them. So let's dive into .... The district of Romsdal Being a "romsdaling" myself, moving back to this district after 25+ years in "exile" (as I like to call it) in the district of Sunnmøre, felt very much like coming home after a long journey. Even though Sunnmøre (or Ulsteinvik, to be more specific) was my home for so many years and I feel a certain belonging to that district, too, - there's nothing like home. Nothing compares to the mountains in Romsdalen, in my opinion, and I'm then referring mainly to the mountains surrounding my home town Åndalsnes.  But the Molde Panorama, with 222 mountain tops in its range, is also a fantastic sight. From the famous viewpoint at Varden (407 metres or 1,225 ft above sea level) in Molde, you have a spectucal view over these mountains and the fjord, and it's truly breathtaking. You can drive all the way to the top in the summer, but the road is closed in winter, so the only way to get there then is on foot or on ski. If you want to walk from the town of Molde and up to Varden, you can follow signs all the way via the Romsdal Museum and Storlihytta cabin, on a mostly gravelled path. The walk will take you about 1,5 hours on your way up, and 1 hour going back down (depending on how fit you are, of course). The terrain in which Varden is one of many destinations, is called Moldemarka, and it's used daily for recreation and exercise by people from Molde and the surrounding area. This hilly woodland area north of the city, is public land. The area has an extensive network of paths, walking trails and skiing tracks. Forest roads enter the area from several directions. Bulletin boards and maps provide information regarding local plants and wildlife, as well as signposts along the trails. Marked trails lead to a number of peaks, sites and fishing lakes and rivers. But be aware: A national fishing license is required to fish in the lakes and streams. Molde town As I mentioned earlier, the town of Molde is the administrative center of Møre og Romsdal county, as well as the administrative center of the Municipality of Molde. It's also the commercial hub of the Romsdal region, and the seat of the Dicosese of Møre. Molde has a maritime, temperate climate, with cool-to-warm summers and relatively mild winters. The town is nick-named The Town of Roses. It's an old settlement which emerged as a trading post in the late Middle Ages, and established as a municipality in 1838. The town continued to grow throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, becoming the center for Norwegian textile and garment industry, as well as the administrative center for the region and a major tourist destination. After World War II, Molde experienced accelerated growth, and has become a center for not only administrative and public services, but also academic resources and industrial output.  Molde seen from the fjord, with Seilet Hotel and Aker Stadium. What's to see in Molde? No matter how you arrive in Molde, either by car, bus, bike, motorbike, aeroplane or boat, you will find a charming town with plenty of old wooden houses, but also with spectacular and modern newbuildings, some of which have become the new landmarks of the town. Among these are the Seilet Hotel and Aker Stadion, both designed by the Molde architect Kjell Kosberg (who is in fact, I'm proud to say, my brother). Both buildings are situated on the waterfront to the west of the town center, and you get a splendid view of the two if you arrive by ferry from Furnes. The Stadium seats 1,200 people and is the home arena of Molde Football Club, who's playing in the highest division in Norway. Another new and great looking building in Molde is Plassen, the town's new culture arena which offers varied activities and houses the town library, theatre and an art center, as well as the administration of the Bjørnson Festival and Molde International Jazz Festival. Romsdalsmuséet - the Romsdal Museum - has recently opened its new visitor center "Krona", which tells the Romsdal story and includes folklore costumes, exhibitions and the Café Mali. There's also an outdoor exhibition showing buildings and interiors from the entire region. Well worth a visit!    Pictures above: From Kringstadbukta in Molde - a beach and recreation area. Among Molde's many old historical buildings and monuments is Chatauet - Le Chateau, - listed and restored mansion and grounds from 1918. There's a beautiful park surrounding the house, with information signs that tell the story of the park and of the family that used to live here. Slideshow above: From the Chateau. It's nice to walk about in Molde on a summer's day. The natural meeting point is the square in front of the Town Hall, with its many benches and a view to the fjord, and with the The Rose Girl (statue with fountain - see slide show further up in this post) in front of the Town Hall, and the Jazz Boy (another statue) playing his saxophone a little further down by the sea front. I suggest you sit down and relax on one of the benches and have a look around for a while ... A little bit of wind in your hair ... the seagulls crying above your head ... an ice-cream from the kiosk nearby ... view to a strawberry stand in the market square where they sell delicious local produce ... the ferry coming in ... or perhaps you'll witness the arrival of the coastal steamer or one of the many cruise ships that visit the town every summer ... There's always something to look at on a summer's day in Molde. Shopping If you enjoy shoppig, there are quite a few nice shops in the town centre, as well as a few department stores. There are also plenty of cafés and restaurants to choose between, and there are a few malls just outside the town center, Roseby and Molde Storsenter. You can easily get there on foot, or jump on one of the local buses which will take you there in just a few minutes. Accomodation and activities If you're planning to stay in Molde for a few days, there are several hotels and other accommodation of good quality, and if you're into sports or other physical activities, the options are varied and exciting. You can take part in guided mountain hikes, kayak tours, rent kayaks, bikes, etc. and explore the area on your own, and you can use the indoor climbing wall Moldeveggen, play golf at the 9-hole driving range at Eikrem, or you can play bowling or visit Moldebadet, which is an indoor waterpark with pools, slides and children's play area ... just to mention a few. In the summer there's the annual Molde International Jazz Festival (always in week 29, which is in July), and the town has a rich cultural life with many opportunities to listen to music of all sorts, go to the cinema, watch a theatre performance, etc. Trips in the area Molde is also a great starting point for trips in the area. You can hire a bike and go "island jumping" to the beautiful islands Ona and Sandøy, among others, or you can go by boat to Hjertøya and the Fishing Museum. The boat has regular crossings several times a day during the summer, from mid-June until mid-August, and is very popular among both tourists and locals. Other exciting excursions you can make from Molde is to the mystical Marble Caves at Naas, a fantastic journey into the mountain, - perhaps combined with a trip to The Atlantic Road, which is said to be one of the world's best road trips. I went there just recently, and it was truly a great experience, as I hope you can see from my pictures in the slide show below. The Atlantic Road The highway is about 8 km long and zigzags across several bridges and islands, to the point where the land and the ocean meet the fjord. There are "floating pathways" built at the various view-points along the road, where you can walk safely around and watch the spectacular scenery and shoot as many pictures as you want, - and perhaps even bring a fishing rod and see if you can catch some fish. There are also a few places where you can use the toilet (if you need one) and - of course - get something to eat. I stopped at the kiosk at the beginning of the road, Atlanterhavskiosken, where I bought myself a nice "vafle" (typical Norwegian waffle), and chatted with the two very nice, pretty girls who worked there. They told me they were going to work there over the summer, so if you visit the Atlantic Road this year, perhaps you'll meet them, too. I must say that I enjoy going on road trips, alone or with friends. It brings me to so many beautiful places, and I always meet a lot of nice, friendly people along the way. This trip was no exception. A bit further along the road, I met another nice girl who was working at the Service Center, in Favoritt Kro, and she willingly let me shoot a few pictures of her in the inviting interior. I went for a walk on the "floating pathway outside the café, and got a perfect view to the bridge that I had crossed a few minutes earlier. I was very lucky with the weather that day, so I managed to shoot quite a few great pictures. It had actually been raining when I left home in the morning, but when I reached the point where the road started, the sun came through and it stopped raining. It stayed that way for the remainer of the day, so I was very happy about that. It gave me the opportunity to really take in the fantastic scenery and enjoy the cry of the seagulls, the wind in my hair, the rolling waves, the blue sky ... in short: The best of what this country - and this county - has to offer. Slideshow above: The Atlantic Road On my way home from The Atlantic Road, I decided to follow the road via Farstad and Elnesvågen back to Molde. I'm glad I did, because then I came across the sign that said "Farstadsanden", and I decided to go there. Farstadsanden beach A beautiful place that I will most definitely recommend that you visit if you're in the area, perhaps on your way back from The Atlantic Road, - is the beach at Farstadsanden. It's popular with surfers, as far as I could tell... at least there was one surfer there when I visited. He was making an attempt to ride the waves, but the wind was a little bit strong that day, so he had a hard time paddling himself far enough from the shore to catch a long wave. I didn't stay around long enough to see if he succeeded, but let's hope he got lucky in the end. Slideshow above: Farstadsanden beach Farstadsanden is a sandy beach and an eldorado for families with children, but also for anyone else who enjoys a day at the beach. It may get a bit windy, as this is far out, by the ocean, but a bit of fresh air won't kill you, so bring a hamper of food and some blanket and have a picnic! I think I may go back there in the evening some time, to sit there and watch the sun go down... More beaches There are several beaches closer to the town of Molde, as well. One of them is Kringstadbukta, whick is another sandy beach with plenty of opportunities for picnics and also for a walk through the woods .... Slideshow above: Kringstadbukta And then there's Retiro, which is a grassy picnic area just by the roadside a few kilometres from the town center, with a diving tower for the bold and a small sandy cove for the children to play in. There are paved paths in several directions, and this area is therefor a popular place for people to walk their dogs or just go for a stroll on their own. Most of the dog-owners actually do a good job when it comes to picking up the droppings after their dogs, so if other people who use the beach could be just as good at taking care of their garbage when they've finished picnicing, the municipality wouldn't have to take the job with cleaning it up, like they had to in 2015/2016, when the area had to ble closed off for several months for the renovation. It seems like that was a lesson learned for everybody, though, because I haven't noticed any garbage lying around when I've visited this place lately, and that's great! Let's keep our beaches clean, for all our sakes! Møre og Romsdal is, in fact, a very clean and unspoilt region. There's a lot of focus on the environment and how to protect it, and it works. Rural district with lots of animals What I absolutely love about driving around in the rural districts, is the fact that I'm likely to come across some beautiful animals along the way, and this road-trip was no exception. I met some lovely horses, and of course I simply had to get out of my car and say hello to them, - and take pictures. Quite a few people have horses around here, and there's a riding club in Molde where I'm quite sure you could get the chance to try some horseback-ridinig if you contact them. There are quite a few farms in the area, most of which produce meat and milk, so the kind of livestocks you're most likely to see are sheep and cattle, and perhaps a few goats and hens. Varied industry Apart from farms, there's also a varied industry in the region, so if you want to find out more about work opportunities here or simply learn more about what the region has to offer, I suggest you dive into the reference-/link section which I'll make a list of and put here on my blog in a short time. It should keep you busy for some time ... If you want to find out more about Molde and the surrounding area, I've listed a lot of references and links HERE for you to explore.
I hope you've enjoyed this dive into the Møre og Romsdal county, and that you'll want to read more in my next blog post, which will be all about another spectacular part of the county: MY valley and MY mountains, in the area around Åndalsnes: Romsdalen, or the Rauma Valley. See you soon! by guest writer Kathrine Garshol Do you feel like you always pack too much when travelling? Do you pack for “just in case” and “what if” scenarios? I know it can be tempting to pack a completely new outfit for each day, or bring all your accessories, but it just isn’t practical. And, if you pack light you can end up saving money because you don’t need to check any luggage. Putting together the perfect travel wardrobe may seem like a daunting task, but I’m going to teach you how to do it. We’ll look at the how-to of it, and I’ll give you a few suggestions on what pieces make up a practical and versatile travel wardrobe. I will teach you how to pack a versatile travel wardrobe that can take you from strolling around the city in the day to going to a fancy restaurant at night. What will you be doing? I assume that’s maybe the first thing you’re wondering about. And, there is no set answer. The number of pieces you need may vary and depends on how long your trip will be. However, the goal is to get all of it to fit in a carry-on. Another important thing to remember is to pack for the season and the types of activities you’ll be doing. To make a perfect travel wardrobe you want to pack versatile pieces you can mix and match. To achieve this, I recommend that you go about packing as if you were designing a capsule wardrobe. The very concept of a capsule wardrobe is to have pieces that go together. Packing with this in mind significantly reduces the number of pieces you’ll need to make different outfits.  How to build a travel wardrobe Step 1: The first thing you need to decide is the base color of your wardrobe. What I recommend is to choose either black OR navy, as these colors go well with most other colors. If you don’t like to wear black or navy, you can also choose a darker shade of brown as your base. Step 2: Choose your neutral colored essentials. By essentials I mean tops and bottoms in classic styles in solid colors. These pieces can be a white button up, a grey t-shirt, a black skirt or other classic pieces. These coordinating essentials should be in black, navy, white, grey, chambray or beige. You do not need to use all of these colors if you don’t like them, but they are a guideline for what to pack. Just remember: if you choose black or navy as one of your neutrals, you should choose the same as what you picked as your base color. Black on black or navy on navy looks good, but it is generally not a good idea to mix the two as it can look a little odd. Step 3: Add an accent color or two. This is where you can make you travel wardrobe stand out and feel more personal. Add some tops or bottoms, or even an accessory in your accent colors. The accent colors can be anything you like, but try to make them match well with your base color and your neutral pieces. Take a look at the chart below and get some inspiration.  Step 4: Add a few patterned pieces. In addition to solid colored pieces, any travel wardrobe can benefit from a few patterned pieces. I would recommend going with a classic striped top, a polka dot shirt or a floral top or bottom. If you choose a floral pattern, make sure that the colors match with your accent and base colors. Step 5: Add your accessories. For your travel wardrobe I would recommend 2-3 pairs of shoes. As an absolute minimum you should have a pair of shoes that are good to walk in, and one lighter shoe that can be dressed up or down. A nice pair of flats or sandals works well for this. Your shoes should preferably be in your base color. If you think you will do a lot of working out or hiking in rougher terrain, you should also add shoes suitable for this. As for other accessories, I would add a crossbody bag for the daytime, a smaller evening bag, and a canvas bag. The canvas bag can be stored in your crossbody bag for easy access in case you need it. Add a statement necklace and a scarf in your accent color, and that should get you through your holiday. Suggestions on what to pack in your travel wardrobe For this, I will recommend pieces you should put in your travel wardrobe for a 10-day trip. For this I would recommend packing 3 tops, 3 bottoms and 1 dress. By mixing and matching, these items alone will give you 10 different outfit options. If you add layers and accessories, you can get even more outfits out of this.  For bottoms I would recommend bringing 1 pair of dark jeans, 1 pair of dressier trousers and 1 pair of shorts or leggings, depending on your destination and the time of year. For tops I would go with a classic white or black t-shirt, a striped top and a dressier top. For the dress I would recommend going with something that can go from day to night by switching out or adding accessories. Add a light sweater or cardigan and you have more variety, and you can stay warmer. With shoes, a statement necklace and a scarf you can get even further. Outerwear Seeing as every trip is different, it is hard to recommend a certain type of jacket to bring. However, as a general tip, I would recommend wearing your “main” jacket on the plane so it doesn’t take up space in your carry-on. If you are traveling to a warmer place, it will probably be enough to take a light jacket or a denim jacket, but you can also a pack a poncho or a light rain jacket in your luggage. For trips in the colder seasons you should definitely wear your thick winter coat when traveling. What to do on longer trips I know a lot of you may think that this is all well and good for shorter trips, but you can make this type of travel wardrobe work on longer trips as well. For trips longer than 10 days I would recommend packing 1-2 more bottoms and tops. The more pieces you have that go together, the more outfits you can create. Also, you have to remember that you will be wearing one outfit, so that is one less outfit to fit in your carry-on. That’s especially practical for shoes, as that’s one of the bigger items to pack. Taking care of your travel wardrobe For longer trips I would also check out what possibilities you have to wash clothes. Depending on your accommodation there may even be a washing machine available, but if not you can also wash clothes in the bathroom sink if you’re in a pinch. However, most clothes will be fine to wear 2-3 times, depending on the climate. To make your clothes last as long as possible, you should hang them after wearing them, so they can “air out”. Unless there are any obvious stains or smells, the pieces are fine to wear multiple times. So, remember this: pack for versatility, and take care of your clothes. In that way, you’ll make your travel wardrobe last longer.  by guest writer Kathrine Garshol. A day out in Scarborough When I was in university, I spent a year abroad. More specifically I spent it in York, England. There are a lot of wonderful things to say and write about the historic town of York, but today is going to be all about Scarborough. Scarborough is a small town, known for being one of the best seaside resorts in the north of England. There are many historic sights to see and things to do, depending on how much time you have available. Getting there Since York is a railway hub, it made sense to take the train to Scarborough. The train takes about an hour and leaves often, which makes this a perfect destination for a day trip. My friend and I had bought our tickets, not quite knowing what to expect from the trip. We had just decided to make the most out of our exchange experience, and to see as much of the country as we could. Making plans The day we went to Scarborough was a cold and grey day. Luckily, we had checked the weather forecast and came prepared. As we say in Norway “there’s no bad weather, only bad clothes”. As the weather in England is similar to that in Norway, and can change quickly, I do recommend checking the forecast before leaving on a trip like this. It’s no fun being caught out in the wrong clothing, whether it’s too hot, or too cold. Before going, I had done a little research on the place. I knew there was a castle, or the ruins of one, which was kind of my primary reason for picking Scarborough. Because I had visited several castles on family holidays in my childhood, going to see Scarborough castle was a bit nostalgic to me. In addition, it satisfied my interest in historic sights. Going by instinct Even though I had done a little bit of research and knew I wanted to visit the castle, we didn’t have any specific plans when we arrived at the train station. That’s why we decided to just follow the signs and head for the seafront. However, while heading down the bustling main street we soon decided to “wing it”. We turned down a quiet street, and soon found ourselves amazed by some of the shop windows we strolled past. This side street was full of charming little shops. There were vintage clothes and quirky second hand stuff. We also passed a book shop that housed a café and a shop that sold homemade soaps. We spent some time looking in the different shops. These weren’t your typical chain stores, and the displays were mesmerizing to look at. Charming shop If I were to give only ONE tip to those of you traveling in England: explore the side streets, they’re often full of wonderful and charming local shops. Grandeur of the past Continuing down the street, we walked through a narrow gateway. Soon we saw the south bay and seafront coming into view before us. We now had the Grand Hotel right in front of us. I must say it was an impressive sight, looming over us. It felt like a breath from the past, and I can only imagine what it must have been like in its glory days. At the time of its opening in 1867, the Grand Hotel was the largest hotel in Europe. The building was designed around the theme of time: the four towers represent the seasons, the 12 floors represent the months, the 52 chimneys represent the weeks, and originally, there were 365 rooms to represent the days of the year.  Grand Hotel Walking a bit further towards the bridge, the fresh sea air hit us in the face. Now we could also see what we understood to be the Spa. It too looked grand. The Spa was originally built around the source of Scarborough’s spa waters, but today it is a venue for conferences, exhibitions and other events. A feeling of home As impressed as I was by the view of these two buildings, that is not what stands out most in my memory. The most surprising thing about this moment was not the sense of grandeur, but the fact that for a strange little second it felt like home. Not because of the view or anything like that, but because of this one tiny detail: seagulls crying as we took in the view of the bay and the cliffs. The cacophony of sharp cries surrounded us. The sound really put a smile on my face. Having grown up close to the sea, those cries awoke this warm feeling of home in me. Not just beach and a spa The walk down the steps to the seaside promenade revealed the view of a Ferris wheel and the harbour, and we could see the castle resting on the hill above the town. We had already decided we had to go to the castle, but we decided to walk the seafront first, and see what else there was to do on this early spring day. As more of the seafront came into view, the town surprised me once more; I was not sure if we had wandered into an England of the fifties or modern-day Las Vegas. Here, there were quaint, old fashioned shop fronts mixed in with the neon signs of the arcades. I had to laugh. It was so unexpected. It was a strange mix of old and new.  New and exciting experiences There were the many fish ‘n’ ship shops and their familiar smell, along with the salty smell of the ocean and fish nets lying in the harbour. Then there were the bright neon signs, arcades, bowling and casinos. None of this reminded of home, yet that did not matter. After all, the point was to experience something new. As more and more of Scarborough revealed itself to us, the more exciting it was to explore this place which was totally new to us. The castle, and being open minded When we finally got to the castle, it was not quite like I had imagined. The castles I had visited in my childhood bustled with life. This was a more serene scene, with the ruins standing in the middle of a small field. Even though it wasn’t what I had imagined beforehand, I had a great time trying to picture what things would have looked like in earlier days based on the information signs. It was also great to see how this castle was part of people’s everyday life, as there were many people walking their dogs up on the castle hill.  The Castle Going to the arcades Now, fast forward and we still had a few hours to kill before we had to get back to the train station, and we decided to waste some money. In other words: we went to the arcades. A stark contrast to the Harbour Café where we had eaten our lunch. The American 50’s vibe in there was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The waitresses wore yellow uniforms; the only thing that was missing was the roller skates. But, back to the arcades: buzzing machines, blinking lights and children laughing. We had a great time, and even managed to win a few prices. However, we quickly understood we could be trapped in there forever, trying to win a certain price, listening to that mesmerizing sound of coins jingling out of the machines.  The Arcades
The arcades can be a few hours of good fun, but don’t spend too much time there, as Scarborough has more to offer. Killing time at the end of the day Having left the arcades with only an hour to spare before the train left, we now had to decide what to do. This is the pro and con of a day trip; your stay is short enough to not get bored if it is a smaller town or city, but at the same time you only have a limited amount of time. At least for us, this was a dilemma. We had an hour to spend, but we did not want to commit to doing something that was too far from the train station or would take too much time. We ended up wandering the streets, and among other things, we found a shop that sells American sweets. As we both have a sweet tooth and a natural curiosity towards new foods, we took great delight in this. We spent the rest of our time in this shop, trying to decide on what to get. Having satisfied our sweet tooth and seen some historic sights, we were quite happy with our trip. Even so, I realise there are many other things to do and see in Scarborough in addition to the quaint side streets, historic buildings and the arcades. I would be more than happy to go back. Next time, I’ll make sure to make some more plans, and to sea the North Bay and Peasholm Park.  Sous les ciels de Paris ... I fell in love with Paris even before I had ever visited the city. In fact, I fell in love with everything French as far back as in my early childhood, when I first heard the language (probably on TV) and watched French movies and travel documentaries about France. It was an instant crush. For the record: I have always had a passion for languages, - even different accents of my own language have always fascinated me, - and foreign languages are like music to my ears. The French language more than any other. I first visited Paris in 1984, and it was everything I had dreamed of, and more. Le Tour Eiffel… L'Arc de Triomphe… Les Champs-Elysées… Pont Alexandre… Le Louvre… Montmartre… all the famous places, of course. But most of all it was the sounds, the smell of fresh baguettes from the bakery, the restaurants, the elegance of the French women, in all its simplicity… the green areas…Jardin de Tuileries… La Seine… les bateaux mouche… Notre Dame… Sacre Caeur… le Quartier Latin… I was lucky enough to be visiting my French friend, who lived with her newly wed husband in a Paris apartment close to La Place d'Etoile. Thus I was able to experience first-hand what it was like to live in one of those wonderful old buildings. The solid wooden door… the concierge downstairs… the spiral staircase… the high ceilings of the apartment and the large windows, opened up to let the summer breeze play with the light curtains… And the kitchen, facing the backyard, with a large window where the sounds from the neighbors came in and tickled my ears, with their laughing, the sounds of their pots and pans as they were making their dinner in the neighboring flat.. the smell of food… a dog barking… All familiar sounds, but yet so different there… Because the backdrop was different from what I was used to. And I loved the Paris shops, all the specialized shops: boulangerie, pattisserie, charcutterie … Even going to the local supermarket and buy food was an adventure! What a selection! The Bon Maman jams … the cheese… the sausages… the wine … oh-la-la! But even going to the big malls, like Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, was a more pleasant experience than visiting many other malls I’ve been to. And the Paris life … starting the day with a bowl of café au lait and some croissants with confiture du framboise… Perhaps not the healthiest alternative in the long run, but my God, what a joy! Lunching out at a restaurant, watching the people walking by and having a nice conversation with friends … flaner sur les quais… listening to someone playing the accordion in the French way … the sound of Edith Piaf on the radio, or some more modern music on Radio Énergie … In 1984 they played “Red, red wine” with UB40 and “Neun-und-neunzig Luftballons..” - and my friend recorded the radio-program for me and I played it again and again when I came back home, and longed back to Paris. I will always long back to Paris. I’ve been there twice since that first time, but hardly often enough. As much as I love the rest of the world and want to see it all: Paris will always have a special place in my heart. Paris, je t'aime. (This was first published on my blog "Leylas Journal" over at leylasjournal.tumblr.com)   In the summer of 2018 I decided to try housesitting for the very first time. I have been a member of House Carers since 2016, so I decided it was about time to try it out. I checked out some of the housesit notifications on the members' page, and ended up with a deal to housesit for a nice woman in Venice who needed someone to look after her Airbnb outlet for a week while she was on holiday in Britain. She had already had an American woman there for one month, but this other woman had to leave earlier than planned, so she needed someone tho housesit for the last week of her holiday. I was really excited and thought it was a great opportunity, so after having checked flights and found that they matched perfectly, I booked my tickets and flew off to Venice in the middle of August. I had never been there before, but the house owner sent me a lot of useful information about how to get to her apartment from the airport, and with the help of Google Maps on my cellphone and an exact route description, I had no problem finding it. It took me only 15-20 mintues to walk there from the bus station, and when I reached the front door of the house where the aparment was and rang the bell, I felt a rush of excitement when I heard a cheerful voice on the intercom by the door. It was Sally, the American woman. She would be leaving the next day, but was waiting for me to arrive so she could show me everything I needed to know in order to take care of the Airbnb outlet in the best possible way. Sally was nice, the apartment was nice, and I just knew that my week in Venice would be great. Sally showed me the local grocery shop and market, and also left me a very useful street map and guide and gave me some useful tips about some galleries and other interesting venues, along with some practical information about the vaporetto fares etc. In the evening we went to a very cosy restaurant in the neighbourhood, where we had a nice conversation over a delicious lasagna and some dessert, before we decided to call it a day and head back to the apartment. Sally had still a few things to pack and would be leaving early in the morning, and I had been up at the crack of dawn and was a bit tired after my journey, so we said goodnight early and went to bed. I slept on the couch in the living-room that first night, since Sally was still occupying the main bedroom, but when she had left the next morning, I could install myself in there with the few belongings I had brought with me. It was a nice room with an ajoining bathroom, so I didn't have to share bathroom with the Airbnb guests, which was nice. It was quite hot in Venice during my week there, but the apartment had air-conditioning, so coming back there after hours in the sun was always pleasant. I found a good rhythm to my days which suited me well. I basically got up around 9 a.m. and had breakfast, and if there were Airbnb guests leaving in the morning, I cleaned the outlet rooms (one bedroom and a bathroom), changed the bed-sheets and made sure the room looked nice for the next arrivals, before I went out. My host kept me updated on WhatsApp about new guests, when they would be arriving etc, so I could make sure I was at the apartment to welcome them and show them the facilities, give them keys and tell them everything they needed to know about the shutters, the laundry machine, house rules, and so on. Apart from that, my time was my own. During my one week stay, there were only 2 new arrivals to tend to, since the guests all stayed 2 nights on average and there were a couple of days inbetween arrivals. Preparing the room and doing the laundry took maybe one hour of my time each time, so I didn't exactly break a sweat on that job. All-in-all I have found that housesitting is a great way to see the world. If you want to find out more about it, you can check out my preferred housesitting organization, House Carers, here. (Please note: This is my personal referral link, so I will be rewarded if you sign up with House Carers through this link.) There are several other similar organizations, like Trusted Housesitters and House Sitting World, but my personal experience is with House Carers, and I find it to be a very good and reliable organization to be a part of. That's why I recommend that you join House Carers if you're considering housesitting. You can join as an unpaying member first, and then upgrade at a very low fee if you find that you like it. Now back to my stay in Venice (please note that this blog post is more about the benefits of housesitting and traveling light than it is a description of Venice as a destination). I spent the first day exploring the neighborhood. The first thing I did was to shop for groceries so I didn't have to go out for every meal during my stay. That's one of the great things with staying in an apartment instead of a hotel: You can prepare your own meals and save a lot of money on food, - money that you can spend on other things instead. You also have all the facilities you have at home, like a stove, a fridge, laundry machine, etc., - for the same price as a hotel-room. Other benefits: Being able to wash your clothes and hang them out to dry in warm weather makes it possible to pack less clothes, because they dry quickly - actually within a few hours - so you can wear them again the same day, if you want to. That's why, when traveling to Venice, I only brought hand luggage with me on the plane, which also made everything easier at the airport. No extra waiting to get my luggage checked in, and no extra waiting to pick it up on arrival. Traveling with a capsule wardrobe is highly recommended (more on that here ...), and if you don't want to carry with you any clothes at all (!), there's actually a solution for that, too: Renting a capsule wardrobe online and having it delivered at your preferred pick-up place on arrival! Want to find out more about that? Check out Trvl Porter here (this is not an Affiliate link). I haven't tried out their services yet, but it seems like a good idea if you want to travel luggage-free. You can sign up and make a profile with Trvl Porter and they will choose items according to your style preferences and size specifications, and ship them to your destination! How great is that!? I think it's pretty cool! Like I said earlier: It was quite hot in Venice when I was there (late August), so I soon found out that I preferred to go out early (after the required work with the Airbnb rooms, if I had any that day) and spend a few hours walking around, visiting sights etc., and then head back "home" to have lunch and relax for a while. I spent some time uploading my most recent photos and maybe do some work on my laptop, check my email etc., and then I went out again for a few hours to do some more exploring. In a way, I felt like I already knew Venice, even though I'd never been there before, because some years back, I had my own business from home, helping people writing, editing and proofreading their manuscripts etc., and one of my customers was writing a book about his many visits to Venice. He described it in great detail, so when I found myself staying in an apartment not far from the Campo di Santa Margaritha, which I had read so much about in his manuscript, and actually doing my grocery shopping in a store close to that square, I almost felt like it was home. And I found great pleasure in looking up some of the other places described in that manuscript, like the Ponte dell'Accademia (which was under restoration while I was in Venice). There are many campos and churches in Venice, as well as galleries, museums and palaces, - so many historic buildings to be seen and photgraphed, so many narrow streets and pictoresque bridges across the canal ... plenty of interesting sights for everyone, really. It's a beautiful and unique city with lots of history and culture and romance about it, and I just loved it! But I do understand why more and more of the young people of Venice are moving out of there, as can be seen from recent statistics. Because living in Venice, especially if you're young and want to raise a family, can be a real challenge. Part of the reason is that there are so many restrictions when it comes to housing, or more precisely what you can do to a building, like modernizing it to meet the standards and needs of a modern, young family, - but also the many steps you have to climb around the city, wherever you want to go to take care of your daily errands etc. (there are more than 400 bridges). They're not really suited for young parents with babies in a tram. But the tourist boom is probably the biggest challenge of all. It's been estimated that close to 30 million tourists visit Venice each year, and the combination of high prices resulting from this tourist boom, along with the logistics of the city and erosion from the water surrounding it, have taken its toll on the permanent Venetian residents and resulted in a decrease in their number. There are 5-6 large cruise ships passing through the city of Venice every day, and they bring with them pollution and damage to the lagoon on which Venice sits. The city also frequently floods, and the flooding season, or "aqua alta" - a period of particularly high tides in the Adriatic Sea - runs from autumn to spring in Venice. The city has taken measures to regulate the number of tourists, but this has not helped much so far. I'm glad I've been able to see Venice, and I was actually quite lucky when I was there, because I didn't find it over-crowded with tourists at the time and I didn't notice the "bad smell" that many have been talking about lately (due to pollution or bad sewage). So all-in-all, my housesitting opportunity came at the perfect time for me, and my memory of Venice is a good one. If you're thinking of going there some time, - if Venice is on your bucket list, - I suggest you do it sooner rather than later, - before the city is reduced to a "theme park" of historic buildings and tourist shops, with no permanent residents left to give the city it's authentic charm. If you enjoyed my blog about housesitting in Venice, please feel free to share it or leave a comment. I also invite you to join the EKN Travel Club and check out my EKN Travel Facebook page.  In the summer of 2017 I went on a road trip from Nice to Tuscany together with my son. We flew from Norway to Nice, and rented a car to take us from there to Tuscany. Our trip started on a warn and sunny day at the end of July. We wanted to see as much of the landscape as possible, so we decided to follow the Via Aurelia, which took us through a breathtaking landscape, first up the Alpine Route, and the view from above Eze was quite spectacular, as you can see from the picture above. We could see all the way back to Nice Ville and the airport where we had landed, and the sight of the many luxury yachts in the bay below was proof that this is the playground for the rich and famous. You can read the whole article about the trip in the May 2018 issue of the Magazine The Passionate Globetrotter. You find the link to that issue here ...
I also made a small book about the trip, which you can get here ... |
AuthorHi, I'm Else Kosberg, a Norwegian woman who is passionate about travel, languages, photography & filming, and learning about other people and cultures. I'm a writer, motivational speaker and broadcaster who wants to empower others (and especially women) to live unapologetically on their own terms. I will forever be a Warrior for Peace, love and understanding across the borders, and with this blog I hope to inspire, motivate and empower YOU to start exploring the world and maybe follow the roads less traveled. Archives
November 2019
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