Norway

It has become a habit to come back here only after finishing any tour.:) It looks as though this is a travel blog. But this country is so beautiful that it is worth mentioning and I may not be able to describe everything in words. In most of our tours, majority of the time is spent in planning and honestly this is what we enjoy more. Norway being the most expensive country and we trying to book at the last minute, was making the planning phase more worse.


 Considering the fact that Norway has the greatest length (1752km) of any European countries (India -3050km) but width only 432km we had difficulty deciding where to start, North or South.

Tromso

 Our first step in Norway, was in Tromso, which is in the Arctic region, the largest urban area in the Northern most Norway. Tromso is basically an island with snowy mountains on the opposite side. We had to take a rope way to go to the top and it was worth every penny! You get stunning views. I am actually holding my adjectives to describe other parts of our journey. :P

The next day evening we took an express boat, Hurtigbat to Harstad. The express boat stands up by its meaning, its really super fast which is aided by its hull shape. > 20 knots. The interiors of the boat is no less than a 3 star hotel. It has VIP sections, wi-fi, tv, snacks, drinks etc. It's much bigger than boats we refer in normal context. It can carry around 200-300 people. Norwegians prefer to travel with the boat though the price is 1.5 times than the bus because of its speed & convenience. Throughout the journey a friendly Norwegian middle aged man around 35 engaged us in his overview of Norway. Most of them speak English, so language is not a problem in Norway.
To be continued...

Non-UK citizens can vote

Tomorrow May 6th is the UK General Elections.I do not even know the names of the local candidates & parties here but I can vote.I do not know the existing problems nor the developments,no idea what political parties have performed / failed, no idea of the local economy,political system, BUT I still can vote. Whom? What for? I found it very strange that people who are not British citizens can vote in UK General Elections.
Normally the voting rights are obtained for any country only if you acquire the citizenship. As per the British rule, all EU & Common Wealth citizens can vote in UK. More information in link here.
It would have made sense if there was a minimum period of stay in UK needed,before a person is eligible to vote.

Early Spring

The Spring has sprung!

Spring is the most loved time here. This transition season from winter to summer broadly gives the idea of rebirth or regrowth. Everyone around is happy and cheerful, even the birds give the impression to sing a whole lot louder. Hurrah! The Spring is in the air.

Purple Friday Flower

Cars Parked on a sunny day
Colourfully rich flowers bloom everywhere. Suddenly a lot of activities seem to start. Gardening,Grass cutting,Hunting Easter eggs, hanging basket plants and Cleaning etc. If the weekend is sunny, there will be a rush of cars towards the Mumbles beach. People will be busy gardening & beautification of their houses after a tiresome dark winter.
Dresses change from pants to shorts and skirts, full sleeved tops to sleeveless spaghetti s,shoes to slippers, dull grey and black to jovial colours.Young ladies jog,cycle and exercise to tone their bodies for summer.
Shot from ground
The city council starts filling up the pot holes and clean the roads with road sweeper vehicles. The yellow daffodils are planted everywhere including the village (A) roads.The city looks beautiful. I appreciate their enthusiasm and efforts to make the things look good. Men with bare body hang out in parks and beaches. Numerous events and gathering festivals take place. Sports stadium & walking paths will be full.

Pink Spring flowers

Windows of houses are kept open and no job for heaters.Owners of convertible cars show off in the streets. Shiny goggles on many of the faces. All the holiday destinations are lined up with cars and people. City centre will be bursting with life, don't know where it was all hidden before! Lambs are charming in hill farms.
We are lucky to have magnificent beaches and mountains within 3 miles from our house. In India summer is the most hated season because of the heat and there is no great value to sun. The importance of Sun is only realised after a long dark gloomy winter.
It is time to rejoice when the nature is reawakening.

Lovely Mumbles Beach 

A beautiful poem on Spring written by Robert Louis Stevenson is here