Start From the Beginning
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Where it all began…
A bit over 30 years ago, during a snowy winter afternoon in northern Transylvania, Romania, I came into this world. It was a harsh, impoverished world, but the political landscape of Eastern Europe was on the brink of change. A change that would open the gates to the west in the coming decade. Growing up,…
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Hiking in north-Transylvania – Part 1
Looking back to my journey thus far in life, I can firmly say I have no regret leaving Romania. However, as with most places we leave behind, there are always going to be things we miss. For me, it’s hiking the beautiful regions of north-Transylvania. Specifically, Maramureș county, where I grew up. Queen Mary Municipal…
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Hiking in north-Transylvania – Part 2
In my previous post, I talked briefly about “The Park” in Baia Mare city and how it’s a gateway to easily accessible hiking trails. I mentioned that the path northeast, takes you to Roman valley (Valea Romană), which was one of my favorite regions to hike. This will be the focus of today’s post. The…
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Hiking in north-Transylvania – Part 3
In my previous post on hiking in north-Transylvania I left off at the village of Firiza, located north of Baia Mare city. Firiza is a typical quiet, rustic north-Transylvanian village nested in the Firiza valley. The crossroads at the north-end of the village marks the end of the bus line. The east-bound road crosses the…
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Norway, part 1: Plans change
Greetings dear reader. I thought to take a little break from the hiking in north-Transylvania series and instead focus on one of my most important and beloved travel-experiences: Norway. The story begins around early 2013. I was at one of my lower points in life, jobless and aimless, waiting on promises that would never come.…
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Norway, part 2: Fagernes
The next day we had quite a few hours to kill before our bus arrived. So we decided to spend the better part of our morning walking around the small, quiet town of Dokka. Around noon, we took the next bus going west, towards the great Norwegian mountains and fjords. As we drove on, the…
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Norway, part 3: The fjords
The journey from Fagernes towards the west-fjords remains one of the most impressive bus-rides for me to date. The way in which the mountain range grew and grew, with steeper and ever more imposing cliffs presented some of the most breathtaking views I’ve seen. As a mountain lover I just had to hike up on…
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Norway, part 4: Camping with spiders
We arrived in Sogndalsfjøra in the afternoon and quickly made our way to the local camping ground by the fjord, on the west-side of town. There were quite a few people with RV’s and tents set up in the main camping area where the ground was flat and the grass was cut. They sounded mostly…
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Norway, part 5: Borgund Stave Church
Our time in the great fjords had come and gone. The next morning we left Sogndal with a heavy heart and an empty stomach because “Dang, those food prices!”. I had honestly forgotten about our huge shock regarding the price of food during our first visit to Norway. But my good buddy Daniel reminded me…
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Norway, part 6: The mountain
The next morning, before heading out, we met Julio’s boss and manager at the Borgund Stave Church museum, Tanna. I recall being eagerly inquisitive about a potential part-time position at the museum. By this point I had fallen in love with Norway so much that I would have done anything to stay. They were actually…