It was still summer

Even though it was already September, we were really lucky with weather and had a nice summer holiday in Denmark with warm days. We're usually splitting our summer holiday in two and have the second part little bit later in autumn before darkness is coming in Svalbard. It gives somehow the feeling that winter is shorter - it can't be that long when we just came from summer holiday!

Our well-known holiday place was welcoming us once more. I really love our holidays here in Denmark.

We were also travelling little bit in Denmark and had couple of nice days in Samsø, in a little island between peninsula of Jutland and Zealand (the island where Copenhagen is). You don't actually need to be travelling really far away for to find exciting holiday places.

I have to admit that I haven't seen earlier a pumpkin field. These pumpkins were quite a bit bigger than my own I was growing in Longyearbyen.

An essential part of a good holiday is good food. And that we're not lacking in Denmark. Even though, I wasn't really sure if I was happy to meet that red thing on my plate...

Of course our faithful black coated companion was following us everywhere we went. I'm sure he enjoyed our holiday as much as we did.

Living in a dangerous place

If I say that life is dangerous here in Svalbard, I guess people start to think polar bears or harsh Arctic climate. But no, I don't mean anything like that. It looks like we're living in a place with dangerous diseases.

The mainland Norway isn't having Rabies, not Echinococcus parasite either. We're having both of them here in Svalbard. Because of that all the dogs, which are travelling to the mainland need to be identity marked (chipped) and they need to have yearly vaccination against Rabies and blood analyse to proof antibodies against that disease. Earlier we bought ourself a worm treatment against Echinococcus before we travelled to the mainland, but since May we couldn't do that ourself anymore but a worm treatment needed to be given by a vet. And that caused a little bit more seriouse problems as a vet is coming to the island just about three times per year.

In early August a lady who can give veterinary services moved in the our island. That makes our life easier, at least temporiraly, as she can confirm given worm treatment. But anyhow, even though we can get now necessary stamps on dogs passport, we can't travel just like that to the mainland. Rules aren't that easy to interpret. Costums meaned that Svalbard is counted in the same category than third countries, which means that we need to contact two days before we travel "Mattilsynet" (=Norwegian Food Safety Authority) and ask a veterinary to meet us in the airport we're landing. Travelling with an animal from Svalbard to the mainland is counted as risky as taking an animal from the deepest Africa with excotic and potentially dangerous diseases. That resulted in that a veterinary needed to be called and he checked that our dog was looking healthy enough to be slipped in the country.

I shouldn't be compleining about the rules which are meant to protect our safety, but in this case I'm feeling all that is little bit overkill and unnecessary use of resources which are paid by taxes. I really can't get it that we're living in so dangerous place it's necessary with all of that fuzz.

Smell of green grass

What could be better than smell of green grass? Or walking outside on shorts, just having sandals instead of gore-tex boots? Having the sun over you - the sun, which is warming, not just giving light?

Quite excatly one month ago we left from our cold island and met a real summer in the mainland. We celebrated the biggest happening in the summer time, the Midsummer festival, in our neighbour country, Finland.

It was really nice to be just walking around - without a rifle, seeing all the greeness and flowers around and listen different birds singing. Finnish country side is really beautiful in the middle of the summer.

We were overnighting couple of nights in a cabin, nicely hidden in a small forest beside a waterside. And as we were in Finland, having a refreshing sauna every single possible evening.

Nights in the middle of the summer are light without dark time in North, just as they should. The darkness in the summer has always been a strange thing to me. Warm weather and darkness in the same time isn't fitting each other in my dream world.

We were really enjoying our little holiday in the North. Weather was just nice and we enjoyed summerdays with over 25 centigrades. That was totally enough for us! We were having it just fine on those temperatures, but it was worse for our black coated companion. The best thing he could do for to cool down was to swim - and that he was doing as often as it just was possible!

Since we're used to see just white bears around in Svalbard, we went and had a visit in a place to see brown bears.

Even though sign was just in the native language, the pictures was clear enough to  warn, that we needed to keep distance to the bears.

1000 km southward - Tromsø

To take a 1000 km tour southward can sound like a pretty long trip, but actually we "just" end up to Tromsø then. But Tromsø is a really nice town and for a small week trip it's an easy access. Just about 1,5 hours flight and we're almost middle of the town.

Our hairy companion was following us - of course. He needs to be traveling inside cargo. For sure he doesn't think that's the best thing, but he accepts that because that's the way how he can follow us. He takes his tail between his legs but jumps voluntarily up in his own cage. He is already an experienced traveller and really easy to have with.



Tromsø is a nice town with great surrounding. We had a really cosy week nearby Tromsø.

We couldn't avoid polar bears even in Tromsø. Luckily these ones were peaceful.

Zip zap

To have a long hair, to use environmental (and user) friendly shampoos and working with coal mining industry isn't a combination which is working fine. Something needed to be changed and I chose to change a lenght of the hair. Now I'm having again short hair - even though not that short I have been used to have.

4000 km

We had once more a trip to the mainland. In this time we rented a car in Tromsø and then we were having free amount of kilometres on our use. It might suddenly sounds like three weeks would be plenty of time to do whatever, but we found out that we didn't have time to reach everything we would have liked to.

We rented a Toyota Rav4 which was actually pretty nice car to be driving on Nordic curly and partly mountainous roads.

Here is a proof we have been under the Polar Circle.

Our furry companion was travelling in his cage and he was totally happy with that. He thinks his cage is a cosy and safe place to be. I think it's safest when everybody in the car is having their own safety belt. 

Autumn is actually pretty nice time to be travelling. I really enjoy to see all of those different colours in nature.

Sommer is still continueing

But not in Svalbard, in Danmark instead. I was working in last work period two weeks and that gave me two weeks free afterwards. And that was totally enough to go and get a change to feel real summer.

I'm not too keen on big airports, but sometimes they can give surprises. I really like a quiet corridor connecting international flights to domestics in Kastrup airport in Copenhagen.

For sure our dog had a good time on his holiday.

That we were doing as well. What could be better than enjoy Danish summer in a holiday house beside a sea?

You can't really have a summit tour in Danmark, but this was the highest point we got.

Little bit sightseeing must also been included on a holiday. We were visiting Den gamle by, a town from the last century.

And he was following us nicely where ever we went.

The Island of Aphorite

This year we decided to do something totally different on our holiday. We wanted to see some palms!

I'm not too keen on crowded places so we spend a good time looking for a nice little bit smaller place. We found a really nice one on suiting nicely our purpose for a romantic holiday.

One reason we selected that hotel was that they were having a really good training program. We were joining water aerobic, core, crosstraining, pilates and tried even yoga. Now a holiday beside the beaches started to sound kind of interesting. We were having lot of fun - and we were getting better on our Swedish as well. Strangely enough the language we were using mostly at the hotell wasn't English and definitely not Greek but Swedish. But that was actually ok because Swedish isn't that much different from Norwegian.

I got also a change to try scuba diving. I wouldn't ever believe there is kind of aquarium fishes in Mediterranean sea. This picture is taken by the instructor.

My partner isn't that keen on water sports but there is a proof he has touched salty water as well.

We were also having a trip to see little bit around our beautiful island.

Summer in Trondheim

We got the first touch of summer in Tromsø. When we got out of the airplane I looked surprised around: "Oh, look, trees are already getting green". My partner wasn't that impressed. He was thinking it's pretty normal that trees are green in the middle of June...

We started our holiday with spending a long weekend in Trondheim. In Svalbard it's easy to forget how summer is in the mainland, but we got a good taste of it in Trondheim. It's a nice town to visit and it's even better when we can meet our good friends there.

Wonderland of winter

One of the best thing in Svalbard is winter. And when it's lacking, I think it's a good enough reason to get desperate. After rainy winter and couple of weeks in mild weather I had got enough and decided to take a holiday immediately. I just needed to get a real winter!

I took our dog with me and flew to the wonderland of winter. We spend couple of weeks in mainland enjoying the best winter weather what anybody could wish. It's actually extremely nice to be skiing without having a rifle with you!

Happy Christmas!

We have had five fantastic Christmas celebration in Svalbard. Two years we have been in the town, one year in Svea and twice had a cosy Christmas in a cabin. This year we decided to do something totally different. We took a little bag and our dog with us and flew to Tromsø. We got a change to borrow our friends house in Kvaløya - thanks for her! Here we have couple of hours twilight in the middle of the day and Christmas peace over us. And that's about everything we need for a Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas for all of you!

Travelling with a dog

When you’re travelling with a dog, you have to be always prepared to get some troubles because of the restrictions having a dog with. We just had a holiday with our four legged companion and I’m really impressed how fine everything went. He’s been travelling with airplanes (longest journey around 11 hours and four landings), taxis, privat cars, vans (on those vehicles in every possible way; in his cage, beside the luggages, sitting by feet, where ever there has been a place to squeeze in), full packed local trains, express trains, busses and different ferries. He has been meeting different people, all kind of dogs, sleeping in strange places, having even a weekend in a spa. I’m really happy to have a dog who is so easy to have with everywhere - as long as it’s accepted by the other people.

Winter in Denmark

It was really nice to duck out in totally different world for just a little while. There have been quite amount of snow in Denmark earlier in this winter, were we told, but now there was about none left. But there were a thin layer of ice on the lakes. That was cool!

All the Scandinavian languages are pretty close to each other. If you can speak one of them, you'll somehow survive where-ever in Scandinavia; meaning Norway, Sweden and Denmark. As Norwegian speaking you just need to get used for Danish way to pronounce the words and of course learn some basic words which are different. I was communicating with those Danes by talking Norwegian for them and they answered Danish for me - and somehow we understood each others at least mostly. Kind of strange way to chat, but it's working :)

When we were in the mainland, meant it also that we had a possibility to fill in our stocks, buy the things which can't be bought here in Svalbard. So, we fly to Denmark with half-emptly baggages and fly back with tightly packed loads. Now we can again manage easily again until next holiday :)

"It is nice to be Norwegian in Denmark"

"Det er dejlig å være norsk i Danmark", as it's advertised. Anyhow, it's nice to visit Denmark, even though you're not Norwegian. We're going to have now a little visit in our southern neighbour. It will be really nice. A little holiday before light is coming back for real - we can't leave the island when we're having the scooter season!

When you're traveling with a dog, you can almost count to get some problems in some point of travel. If not already with ordering the tickets, then in one of the airports. Already, when you start to plan a trip, you have to make Plan A: When you would like to travel; Plan B: What other dates you would be able to travel; and Plan C: Who could take care of your dog who can't travel with you. We ended up to realise the Plan C. We didn't get a place at the airplane for our dog, so he needs to be staying in Svalbard. I'm happy we're having friends who can help us in such situations. We aren't away that long, so for sure he'll be ok - I think it's hardest for me to leave him behind!

By thinking positively, we have more freedom when we don't have our four-legged boy with us. It's just so, that it's not possible to take a dog everywhere. But, it would be also nice to be a dog in Denmark... He knows that also!

Tromsø - the port to Arctic

Now I'm in a town visit in Tromsø, a town in Northern Norway. It is just a week to Christmas and all the town is having a Christmas-feeling over it. It's actually pretty nice to have a short trip to a "real town", have look around and do some shopping. And after a week it's again nice to fly home out of that all haste in the town and go home in our own little world. The sun isn't rising in Tromsø either, but in midday there is some hours twilight. For me it looks like a real daylight :)

Polaria

One of the nicest place to visit in Tromsø is Polaria.  There is a nice exhibition about Arctic, including Arctic Aquarium with bearded seals. Also the film "Svalbard - Arctic Wilderness" is worth to see. In the film you're following little auks and with them you're flying over the imaging landscapes over Svalbard. When I'm seeing that film I just need to think how lucky I'm that I can be living there.