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Scott PrenticeScott Prentice
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traveled in 8 countries Read more
  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 28

    DAY 27 - Bergen (Waterfalls & Galciers)

    September 18, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Another later than planned start after a late one last night. Today we planed to drive 6.5hrs to the Bøyabreen branch of the Jostedalsbreen Glacier (the biggest glacier in continental Europe - apparently it covers 487km²). The drive there included a ferry trip, providing me a much needed break from driving.

    We stopped at Huldefossen (the Waterfall here was awesome) on our way through. The drive was once again incredible, driving along fjøds and through some impressive tunnels up to 7km long (some through mountains, others under lakes). Before entering the final 6km tunnel through the mountain to take us to the glacier viewing spot, we got our first look at the glacier (it is truly mammoth).

    The glacier from the viewing spot extended down the huge mountain and included a section of glacier ice at the bottom that had separated from the top. At the base laid a beautifully still lake. The view was amazing but didn't stop us from wanting to get a closer look. However, a lake stood in our way.

    We tried a few of the paths from the viewing spot, hoping we would find our way to the face of the mountain. The path was less than ideal, with us jumping between rocks to stay out of the water/mud (thankfully, I remembered my waterproof boots today). The first path seemed to continue up the mountain, with no tracks heading back down. The second path was much more direct but much more sludgy (rocks and branches were our friends at this point). The beaten track was worth it in the end, leading directly to the glacier.

    We spent a little bit of time here but quickly made our way back before the rain got any heavier.

    I drove the long journey back, with luck on my side. We made the ferry with a minute to spare, and each of the tunnel roadworks just in time (there were 4 of these, and they escorted vehicles through every 20-60mins).

    Given the time, we decided to take tolls to get back (let's hope these aren't as expensive as everything else in Norway).

    I'm looking forward to our Bergen day tomorrow (mostly because there is no driving).    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 27

    DAY 26 - Bergen (fjøds & hiking)

    September 17, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    After last night, we had a slightly later start than planned. But we weren't going to let that stop us. So we had some breaky, prepared lunches, and all git back on the road.

    Driving through the fjøds was absolutely stunning and never got old. Every part of our almost 4hr drive was beautiful. We eventually made it to Slottet i Modalen (even if it took a bit of time to find the car park). We hiked the 6km round trip track to the top, eating as many blueberries as we could on the way. The track was less than ideal, but that was mostly due to the fact I was wearing runners. The view from the top was breathtaking. We spent a bit of time up here, eating food and writing our names into the book.

    On the drive back, we pulled over to have a swim in one of the fjøds. Partly to tick it off the list, but also to get rid of any potential ticks.

    It was well after midnight by the time we got back in, so I had a quick shower, enjoyed a mushroom (freshly picked by Roberta) and chicken dinner, and was straight to bed.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 26

    DAY 25 - Oslo to Bergen

    September 16, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I made the most of the sunny morning and started early. I grabbed some breakfast from a convenience store and headed down to the harbour to eat it. I walked around the opposite side of the harbour from yesterday, passing Akershus Fortress and the Oslo Opera House (which you can walk/climb up).

    I ventured back to the apartment with one more place in mind. Given I didn't have a lot of time and was yet to get out for my Oslo run, I decided to run to Frognerparken while doing my best to avoid the Oslo Marathon. A lovely park with numerous statues representing the circle of life in the middle (Monolitten).

    A train back to Oslo Airport, and I was on my way to Bergen.

    After backing and forthing between the car park and the terminal, I finally found the car rental stall. I met Raleigh at the terminal exit, and we drove to his student accommodation. We were unable to find anywhere to park, so we decided to park at a nearby plant shop to unload my luggage.

    Upon returning to my car, I had received a fine. There was nowhere else to park; needs must, I suppose.

    We parked at a supermarket with 2hr parking and grabbed some dinner. We jumped on the tram back to the accom to make dinner before hunting for another park. It was getting close to the 2hr mark, and dinner wasn't quite ready. I decided to head back to grab the car and try a place we passed earlier. It turned out to be a kindergarten, which I could park in for at least the weekend. I walked the 10mins or so back to the accom and enjoyed my salmon dinner (turns our salmon is cheaper than chicken in Norway). By this time, Roberta (Raleigh's wife) and Tarik (Raleigh's brother) had returned.

    Given it's a Saturday night, what better way to embrace the culture than a night out. Before heading out, I indulged in some local beer and mjød (which I'm considering trying to make once home).

    We jumped on one of the most wild tram rides I've been on to get to town. There were a bunch of what looked like work colleagues with a large speaker, jumping around and singing songs that everyone was getting involved with. This made the sardined tram ride much more enjoyable.

    We went to the only bar/club in town that we knew would let Tarik in (still 19 and they have very weird laws around where he could get in). Later in the night, Raeligh and I split from the others to try and meet up with a few of his friends. We had a 50/50 chance of choosing the right venue before the 2am lock out, and it turns out we choose wrong. This was no issue as we were quickly making friends and having a laugh while we were at it.

    We left at closing time and headed straight for Burger King. We also had a chat with a few people here, including a guy who was trying to convince us he was a ghost writer for some US rappers (pretty sure he was hunting for an after party). We jumped on the tram back and saw a group of people we had been speaking to earlier, in the Burger King. Turns out one of the girls was a local and gave Raleigh all the inside tips about Bergen. Including where I could park my car.

    We packed it in for the night as we've got a bit of driving ahead of us tomorrow.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 25

    DAY 24 - Amsterdam to Aus/Oslo

    September 15, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Another European city and another morning run for Scott.

    We ordered a Bolt to the airport, which kept getting delayed. Meg was becoming pretty stressed at this point. Thankfully, we got there with time to spare. We said our goodbyes twice; once before the gates and once at the gate. Scott was left to sit around and wait at the airport for a few hours.

    Now that Meg has gone and enjoying her business class flights, I'm going to take the liberty to write in first person. We tried to make it sound like it was written by us, not either of us individually. In reality, I drafted the footprints, and Meg proofread them. So if the story sucks blame me, but if it's the grammar, you know who to blame.

    My flight to Oslo was pretty good, albeit a little delayed. However, my luggage was weirdly released (it should have been transferred directly to Bergen). I suppose I was lucky to need the toilet after my flight.

    I caught the airport express to Oslo Central Station, it only took 10mins to walk to my hotel from here.

    I wanted to make the most of my 24hr stopover in Oslo. As such, I dropped off my luggage and refreshed myself, then went out for a walk. This was despite the rain, which frankly was a welcomed change from the scorching heat.

    The first stop on my walk was the Paradox Museum (on Meg's recommendation). It would have been better if I wasn't by myself, but the staff were super friendly and happy to help out with all the photos. I had much more fun here than I thought I would.

    I then walked past the Norwegian Parliament on my way to the harbour. The harbour was lovely, even if the weather was miserable. I continued walking along the harbour through Tjouvholmen. It was at this point that I realised my waterproof jacket wasn't exactly waterproof. Determined to make the most of my time, I continued on my way to Slottsparken (Palace Park), where the royal palace is located. My hunger was setting in, and I was eager for a traditional meal. A quick google search later, and I had decided on Smalhans. It may have been a bit of a hike, but it seemed fantastic.

    I arrived at the restaurant, in effectively training gear (shorts and a dry fit t-shirt) and a less than waterproof jacket looking like a drenched rat. It turns out this restaurant was quite fancy and expensive. I'm pretty sure the waitress thought she was going to turn me around when she told me the set menu price, but to her surprise, I took a seat on my own. The food was absolutely delicious, with chefs providing a description at every step of the way. At one point, one of the chefs came over to have a chat. He told me that he loved the fact that I was a walk-in and rocked up in shorts. I'm pretty sure he got a kick out of my layback attitude to a fancy restaurant. Not that it's important, but the sour beer I had here may have been the best drink I've ever had.

    After dinner, I walked (I could have almost rolled with the amount of food I ate) back to the hotel to get some sleep.

    Tomorrow, I'm aiming to explore a little more before heading to Bergen.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 24

    DAY 23 - Amsterdam (canels are life)

    September 14, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    This morning, we walked through Vondelpark. Despite being on the constant lookout for bikes, the beauty of the lakes and trees made for a tranquil walk. We somehow managed to exit the wrong side of the park on our way to the Rijksmuseum.

    Before heading into the Rijksmusem, we grabbed some hot chips for breakfast. The Rijksmuseum is a fantastic maze of a museum, and some of the art is absolutely brilliant. The size of the protective enclosure for Nights Watch is gobsmakingly huge.

    We had a little more food as Scott stood around watching a couple guys playing chess. Unfortunately, Van Gogh was off the cards as we made the mistake of not booking in advance (looks like we'll need to go back again).

    After a failed visit to Longchamp to buy a bag for Nadine (they had every colour but white) and lunch (hot dogs and stroop waffles), we made our way to Moco Museum.

    We really enjoyed Moco, featuring modern day artist such as Banksy and interactive art pieces (using an app on your phone - check out the video).

    Ahead of Meg's business class flight home, we purchased her a new and much bigger suitcase before heading back to our hotel room (more like a closet).

    We then went for a walk through the canels, passing the duck shop (which had more novelty rubber ducks than you could imagine), Anne Frank house (we could only walk pass because it was closed for maintenance) and Dam Square.

    We had some dinner by the canel then headed for our unlimited drinks canel cruise. Our driver was a little rouge, letting his friends join and giving anyone a chance to drive. We cruised through the open harbour and down the most expensive canel. We loved on time on the water, made all the better by our lovely Bulgarian guide (which we had a good chat with).

    We walked back to the hotel to get some sleep in anticipation of Meg's long journey home.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 23

    DAY 22 - Prague to Amsterdam

    September 13, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Before leaving Prague, Scott managed to get out for his morning run. The run down Vltara River was nothing spectacular, but the run back on the opposite side was much nicer. Especially the last few kms approaching the city centre with views of various bridges and Prague Castle.

    Other than a few niggling concerns about losing our luggage during a short stopover in Frankfurt, our flights were pretty cruisy.

    Our Bolt driver from Schipol Airport (Amsterdam) to our hotel was very friendly. Even if he thought evolution is not real (he based this upon humans not changing over the past 200 years).

    Our room was up three flights of very steep stairs and was hardly big enough for us to fit our luggage in.

    We went to Bulldogs for a feed and some cheeky "spiked" drinks. Feeling a lot lighter, we listened to the live band for a bit before calling it a night.

    Tomorrow is a day of walking and museums.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 22

    DAY 21 - Prague (Butterflies & Sunsets)

    September 12, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Our preparation for our early check-out was interrupted by an even earlier cleaner. Once checked out, we went down to the coffee shop to burn some time before saying goodbye to Sean and Zoe. We headed up to our new apartment where we could thankfully drop off our luggage before check-in.

    While waiting for our formal check-in, we visited the Papilonia Butterfly House. The butterflies loved Scott's bright blue shit and yellow hat. More often than not, Scott had multiple butterflies on him. There was a group in the butterfly house that impressed that they took their own photos of it. Unfortunately, Meg wasn't as big of a hit with the butterflies.

    On the way back to the apartment, we grabbed some ramen noodles to cook at the apartment. We also detoured past Apple to grab some air tags (after hearing about Niki's luggage issues) and Vodafone to grab a sim for Scott.

    After non-stop running around, we relaxed in the apartment for a few hours. It was such a relief to us both that it actually had air conditioning.

    Feeling refreshed, we went for a walk towards Riegrovy Sady (Rieger Gardens) to watch the sunset. We found a nice spot of the hill, and Scott went on a mission to find some water. On his walk, he found a beer garden with alcohol and food vans, and music playing. We sat down and watched the sunset over the beautiful city of Prague (even if a family ruined Scott's time-lapse video).

    We spent the rest of the evening in the beer garden enjoying a few drinks and some tasty food. This was a perfect way to finish off our time in Prague. Tomorrow, we are off to Amsterdam.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 21

    DAY 20 - Prague (Trikes & Pedalboats)

    September 11, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    This morning, we went to collect our electric scooters (with seats) for our self-guided tour. Once there, we were up sold to the trike tour with a guide. This was clearly the better option, the scooters on cobblestone would have destroyed us all. We rode past the Lennon Wall and Charles Bridge before heading up to the Letna Park to take in the views of the city.

    After seeing them yesterday, we decided it was our turn on the pedalboats. All four of us jumped on the same boat. Somehow, we ended up pedalling Sean and Zoe with no option of changing seats. We had a great time on the water, enjoying the views and watching the nutrias (a water rat that looks like a beaver).

    We grabbed a drink at Pivovar Národní (brewery) before heading up to the Ice Bar. The Ice Bar was a good escape from the heat but soon became too cold (15mins might have been 10mins too long). We decided to grab our next drink from the Stravhov Monestry Brewery.

    We tried taking scooters to the Stravhov Monestry, but after 10mins or them not starting or having low batteries, we abandoned this idea. We hiked up the hill towards the brewery with a few stops on our way to enjoy the views and give meg a chance to relax her knee (which at this point was causing her some issues). Once there we followed our maps towards an entrance which didn't look quite right, after a few moments we realised this was the entrance to the art gallery. The Monestry itself was quite nice to walk around. We finally found the pinovar (brewery), where we grabbed a quick bite and some drinks. We had a slightly strange experience here (at least Scott did). He tried ordering the sour beer, and at first instance it seemed that they were trying to put him off ordering this. After ordering it the second time, there seemed to be a bit of chatter behind the bar, and after a bit of waiting, it finally came out (with a second glass for good measure). In hindsight, we should have avoided the sour beer.

    We grabbed a Bolt (car) back to the apartment where we got ready for the night. Scott and Sean played pool with a less than ideal pool table (not flat, missing cue tips, and odd sized balls).

    Dinner was at U Fleků where we sat in an outdoor beer hall, listening to a guy play the accordian. The servers walked around with trays of beer or shots in their hands. Obviously, we opted for both. The dinner was delicious, even if Scott ate too much.

    After dinner, we found another bar when both Sean and Scott ordered Cuban ciagrs and sipped on their whiskey. For that 45mins they may have mistakenly considered themselves as somewhat classy.

    Our final stop for the night (partially because Scott had eaten too much) was a cocktail bar on the main strip. The cocktails were delicious and our beds at 2am were even better.

    We say goodbyes to Sean and Zoe tomorrow. We originally thought they were staying another night, so in a last minute scramble yesterday, we managed to secure accom for another night.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 20

    DAY 19 - Berlin to Prague

    September 10, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Our morning bus ride with Sean and Zoe to Prague was less than ideal. There was no wifi, the cooling was barely on and we were stuck in a bus for 4hrs. Thankfully we were able to get some sleep (Meg almost the entire bus trip).

    The check-in for our Prague accom was a bit strange. We first went to the address provided before being directed to our apartment (another 15min walk...). The location more than made up for this slight inconvenience.

    Once settled, we were desperate for lunch. Having seen it on the walk to the apartment we went to Výtopna Railway Restaurant (Scott's choice). This certainly beat the KFC alternative, delivering our meals and drinks by train.

    We then went for a walk towards the Charles Bridge, passing the Astronomical Clock on our way. On the other side of the bridge (Malá Strana) we grabbed a hot dog for dinner (this may have been a mistake given the way we felt afterwards). We continued exploring and ended up at Rudolfinum (a concert hall/theatre). They were playing landscape style music while a screen on one side of a large cube. We sat on the steps of the theatre watching this for a little, before heading to a cute and incredibly humble wine bar overlooking the Vltara River, with views of Manes Bridge and Prague Castle. A perfect way to cap of a lovely day (minus the bus trip).

    We're excited to tick off a few more tourist attractions tomorrow on our self-guided scooter tour.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 19

    DAY 18 - Berlin (Niki's Bday)

    September 9, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Sean picked out a place around the corner for breaky - everyone expect Meg joined as she was still feeling pretty unwell. Sean nailed breakfast, the food was tasty and the fruit side included a decent assortment of fresh fruits picked up from the market that morning.

    We went to NENI Berlin for Niki's 30th lunch, a restaurant that looks over the Berlin Zoo. The window overlooking the zoo looks into the monkey and some type of big bird enclosures. After lunch, we spent a few hours in the adjoining bar, Monkey Bar. Everyone went back to the accom to get ready for the night. A few of us (Scott, Meg, Jez and Sean) tried to find somewhere to buy a cheeky bratwurst before heading out. After ending up at a roast chicken shop, we decided to cut our losses and head back to the accom by Bolt scooter.

    Running slightly behind Zoe, Niki, Georgia, Lily, and Kat, we (Scott, Meg, and Sean jumped on another Bolt scooter to make up time). By this point Jez had caught up with Matt to head to a gig (which they didn't manage to get in to) and we were pushing to make the 8pm cut off at Birgit (as entry was €15 after 8pm). We made it with a minute to spare, but not before the chaos of trying to find somewhere we could park out scooters.

    Birgit was a bar/club by the canels. It had a beer hall feel, a few interesting places to sit (chairs on a swing and a carousel you could spin). Once we figured out the beer token system, we sat down and enjoyed a few drinks and some pizza before having a dance on one of the two dance floors. At one point, Scott and Sean went to grab another drink from the bar and were thankfully advised by a French guy living in Germany that there was another bar inside. This turned out to be another dancefloor (techno stage) in amoung shipping pallets. We continued exploring this new indoor area and found another stage with house DJs.

    Happy with our new discovery, we grabbed the group and headed to the house stage. It was almost as if it was meant to be with Great Southern Land coming on the second we walked into the room. After a few more hours of partying, we decided to leave. This venue honestly felt like a music festival inside of a bar.

    Against our better judgement, we (Scott, Meg, Sean, Zoe, and Georgia) decided to try our luck getting into Kitkat. We were knocked back like almost everyone else in the line because of our white shoes (and presumably our lack of leather). Not to worry, we had finally found a bratwurst stall. Unfortunately, he was out of bratwurst (currywurst was all he had left).

    With no other bar in sight, we called it a night in anticipation of our 4hr bus ride to Prague tomorrow.    Read more

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