Trip Nuts and Bolts

15/09/2024

PORTUGAL (North) - Historic towns ,cities and the green (verde) region

Take the trip heading out of Northern Spain to the remote mountainous Verde (Green) region of Portugal, and travel back via the historic towns and cities of Braganza, Guimares, Braga, Santiago de Compostela and Gijon.
See the trip at:-
https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2024/08/portugal-north-historic-towns-cities.html

01/09/2024

SEPTEMBER- this month’s featured destination is :-

PORTUGAL (North) - Historic towns ,cities and the green (verde) region

Take the trip heading out of Northern Spain to the remote mountainous Verde (Green) region of Portugal, and travel back via the historic towns and cities of Braganza, Guimares, Braga, Santiago de Compostela and Gijon.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE TRIP

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2024/08/portugal-north-historic-towns-cities.html

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

14/08/2024

AUSTRIA
Austria - round trip: heights and history

Headed out from Salzburg, tracking the Danube River to Vienna then on to the Alpine regions including Graz, the Ziller valley and Innsbruck.

USE THE LINK BELOW TO SEE THE TRIP

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/05/austria-and-south-eastern-bavaria-tour.html

01/08/2024

AUGUST- this month’s featured destination is:-

AUSTRIA
Austria - round trip: heights and history

Headed out from Salzburg, tracking the Danube River to Vienna then on to the Alpine regions including Graz, the Ziller valley and Innsbruck.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE TRIP

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/05/austria-and-south-eastern-bavaria-tour.html

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

30/07/2024

You can view the NORWAY FJORDS & NORTHERN LIGHTS TRIP at:
https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2023/11/norway-fjords-northern-lights.html

14/07/2024

PROVENCE- & COTE D’AZUR
Visiting the fabulous countryside and coast of Southern France. A road trip starting out from Northern coast of France and travelling down to the beautiful countryside and coast of Mediterranean France, visiting the Camargue, Marseille, Nice & Cannes. Hitch up a towed caravan, jump in a Motorhome or do the loop round Provence & Côte D’Azur in a hire car staying in hotels or other accommodation. Happy travelling!


Click on the link to see this trip.

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/04/provence-cote-dazur.html

01/07/2024

JULY - this month’s featured destination is:-

PROVENCE- & COTE D’AZUR
Visiting the fabulous countryside and coast of Southern France. A road trip starting out from Northern coast of France and travelling down to the beautiful countryside and coast of Mediterranean France, visiting the Camargue, Marseille, Nice & Cannes. Hitch up a towed caravan, jump in a Motorhome or do the loop round Provence & Côte D’Azur in a hire car staying in hotels or other accommodation. Happy travelling!


CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE TRIP

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

15/06/2024

CROATIA & SLOVENIA - city, countryside and coast tour
A road trip starting out from the northern coast of Europe and travelling down through Holland, Germany and Austria into Slovenia and Croatia, then back again. Hitch up a towed caravan, jump in a Motorhome or do the loop inside Croatia/Slovenia in a hire car staying in hotels or other accommodation. Happy travelling!

**a # plitvice

See the trip at:-

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/03/croatiaslovenia-city-countryside-and.html

01/06/2024

JUNE - this month’s featured destination is:-

CROATIA & SLOVENIA - city, countryside and coast tour
A road trip starting out from the northern coast of Europe and travelling down through Holland, Germany and Austria into Slovenia and Croatia, then back again. Hitch up a towed caravan, jump in a Motorhome or do the loop inside Croatia/Slovenia in a hire car staying in hotels or other accommodation. Happy travelling!

**a # plitvice

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE TRIP

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

01/05/2024

MAY:- this month’s featured destination is
UTAH - National Parks road trip

A road trip headed out from Denver and touring the Utah National Parks.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE THE TRIP

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

15/04/2024

A road trip across Holland, Germany and Denmark to visit southern and central parts of Sweden.



https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/02/sweden-centralsouthern-loop.html

01/04/2024

April: this month’s featured post is:-

SWEDEN - Central/Southern loop

A road trip across Holland, Germany and Denmark to visit southern and central parts of Sweden.



CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE TRIP

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

13/03/2024

IGUAZU FALLS - part of a tour around the North of Argentina including the major cities, and the stunning countryside in the foothills of the Andes.
SEE THE TRIP AT:-

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/01/northern-argentina.html

29/02/2024

MARCH - this month’s featured destination

ARGENTINA - a tour around the North including the major cities, the stunning countryside in the foothills of the Andes and the magnificent waterfalls at Iguazu.
CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE THE TRIP

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/01/northern-argentina.html

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

14/02/2024

THAILAND - A slow rail trip through Ancient Cities
Rail travel - what’s not to like? Take it nice and slow with overnight stops and linger in some fantastic ancient cities on the journey from Chiang Mai to Bangkok
https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2020/12/a-slow-rail-trip-through-ancient.html

01/02/2024

FEBRUARY - this month’s featured trip is:-

THAILAND - A slow rail trip through Ancient Cities
Rail travel - what’s not to like? Take it nice and slow with overnight stops and linger in some fantastic ancient cities on the journey from Chiang Mai to Bangkok



CLICK THE PICTURE TO SEE THIS TRIP

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

14/01/2024

GERMANY’S ROMANTIC ROAD

Germany has some beautifully preserved medieval towns. Travel down the Romantic Road into Bavaria and head back via the beautiful cities of Munich, Nuremberg and Heidelberg.
Follow the link:-
https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/03/germanys-romantic-road.html.

02/01/2024

JANUARY - this month’s featured trip is:-

GERMANY’S ROMANTIC ROAD - Germany has some beautifully preserved medieval towns. Travelling the Romantic Road and headed back via the beautiful cities of Munich, Nuremberg and Heidelberg.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE TRIP

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/03/germanys-romantic-road.html

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

25/12/2023

Happy Xmas and have a great new year’s travelling in 2024. This shot from a shopping mall in Buenos Aires 2014. See the trip at
https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/01/northern-argentina.html

20/12/2023

VIETNAM & HONG KONG - Visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Hué, Hoi An, Da Nang & Hong Kong.

CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE THIS TRIP

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/03/vietnam-hong-kong-asia-ancient-and.html

# hue

16/12/2023

VIETNAM & HONG KONG
Visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Hué, Hoi An, Da Nang & Hong Kong.

CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE THIS TRIP

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/03/vietnam-hong-kong-asia-ancient-and.html

# hue

15/12/2023

VIETNAM & HONG KONG - Asia ancient and modern

Visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Hué, Hoi An, Da Nang & Hong Kong.

CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE THIS TRIP

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2021/03/vietnam-hong-kong-asia-ancient-and.html

# hue

16/11/2023

Travelling on the Coastal Ferry - headed all the way up through the Norwegian Fjords, crossing the Arctic Circle to the far North Eastern corner of Norway, close to the border with Russia. This is a 12 day round trip, catching sight of the Northern Lights(Aurora Borealis).
See this trip at:-

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2023/11/norway-fjords-northern-lights.html

12/11/2023

11th/12th November
Bergen
In addition to the funicular ride we took when we started our trip (31st October), we also went to the UNESCO world heritage old town and visited its Bryggen Museum to learn about its history. The town has had repeated fires requiring almost complete reconstruction on numerous occasions over the course of a thousand years. The last major fire was in 1955. 58 wooden buildings have survived in the Bryggen district since 1702.

Staying overnight in Bergen we were able to visit the Cathedral for Sunday Service. A church was first founded on this site a thousand years ago, with previous buildings burning down several times before the current cathedral structure was formed in the 17th century.

We also went to the Kode museum which has 4 galleries showing a variety of art, silverware, antiques, including the Edvard Munch(‘The Scream’ artist) gallery and a children’s art workshop.

There are a number of other museums and local attractions, which together with the bars and restaurants make Bergen an attractive location for a short stay.

That’s it. 12 days, 3,000 sea miles, 65 port stops, sea speed max 16 knots (18 mph).
Norway’s Fjords and Northern Lights trip - happy travelling.

You.can read the whole trip on the Tripnutsandbolts website.

12/11/2023

NOVEMBER- this month’s featured destination is :-
NORWAY - Fjords & Northern Lights

Travelling on the Coastal Ferry - headed all the way up through the Norwegian Fjords, crossing the Arctic Circle to the far North Eastern corner of Norway, close to the border with Russia. This is a 12 day round trip, hopefully catching sight of the Northern Lights(Aurora Borealis).

Click on the photo to view the trip

https://www.tripnutsandbolts.com/2023/11/norway-fjords-northern-lights.html

Travel blog. Covering many well known places but also some paths that are less well-travelled. Get inspiration from these trips to set about planning your own. Find joy in travelling through new experiences and places off the beaten track. CLICK ON THE THREE BARS AT TOP RIGHT TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF...

10/11/2023

10th November
Trondheim
Return here timetabled for early morning, so most things closed, including the Rockheim, Norway’s National rock and roll museum which was a shame. Trondheim has a large number of museums and other attractions for the visitor, and this is the former capital of Viking Norway. We had a good chance to see at least some parts of the city on our outward trip a week ago (see 2nd November post).

Rockheim photo: Harald Øren - Wikipedia

The good thing about the return journey is that we get to see places that we did not see at all on the way up because we passed through in darkness - like the Helgeland coast we went past yesterday. The ship is moving through its schedule of stops continually day and night. Today is cloudy and not much scenic to show so here’s a photo of cages holding salmon from a fish farm yesterday. We’ve also passed a lot of these today. Each cage holds from 80,000 to 200,000 fish. There are increasing concerns over the health and welfare of these fish and the impact on wild fish. The singer Bjork is leading a campaign against fish farming being introduced to the Icelandic coast by Norway‘s fish farming companies.

Kristiansund
The town makes a lot of salted cod(an acquired taste) and also services a lot of the North Sea oil industry’s requirements, including the recreational needs of its workforce with its bars, restaurants and accommodation. It has a chaotic and historic still functioning boatyard museum, the Mellemværftet (https://nordmorsmusea.no/en/visit-us/kristiansund/mellemvaerftet/).

This includes a blacksmith’s workshop with all the clutter accumulated over many years.

The town is spread out over 3 islands interlinked by bridges and ferries. There is a very handy free ferry service - the Sunbåten ( https://www.sundbaten.no/en/timetable) - that shuttles between the islands, a round trip that takes 20 minutes, and takes only 10 minutes walking to reach from the Coastal Express Ship terminal.

09/11/2023

9th November
Leaving the Arctic Circle, and headed south.

The globe pictured marks our crossing.
Sailing smoothly down the long fjords running North to South on the Norwegian coast which give good protection against the Atlantic waves.

This section of the coast, Helgeland, is considered to be one of the most scenic in Norway, with a coastal drive,the KYSTRIKSVEIEN, designated as a National Tourist Route. It involves ferry crossings as the road tracks between ocean and mountains .

Nesna
A small village with mail/cargo drop and a handful of local travellers embarking/departing.

Sandnessjøen
The transportation hub for the Helgeland region. Local ferries and an airport offering Summer connection to Oslo. The town is close to the Seven Sisters mountain range(pictured)

Vega islands
This island group has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status for the agricultural/fishing traditions of the islanders which include sheltering eider ducks which nest leaving there down for the islanders to collect. The eiderdown is used in exclusive duvets.(Photo by Peter Prokosch https://www.grida.no)

Brønnøysund
A very pretty setting for this village stop, with farmland surrounding the coastline, fringed by the mountains. This is at the southern end of the Kystrikveien coastal drive. A little way south is Torget Island with a peak which is pierced by a large eroded hole.

08/11/2023

8th November
The Arctic North day 6

Tromsø
On return here we arrived close to Midnight, and decided to take the opportunity to attend a special concert at the old Tromsø Cathedral.
This was built in the 19th century, and is the only Protestant Cathedral in Norway made of wood. In addition Tromsø has a very modern Arctic Cathedral built in 1965, which is Evangelical Lutheran, and also the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady.

Lofoten Islands
Dramatic island grouping with steep mountains rising to nearly 4,000 feet, and sheltered bays that are favoured by cod and other fish for their winter/spring spawning. 70% of Norway’s fish catch have their breeding grounds in this relatively small part of the coast.

The area has some of the strongest maelstroms in the world, which are tidal or deep sea eddies/whirlpools that are strong enough to damage or destroy small ships.

Stokmarknes
The town is home to the Hurtigrute (coastal express) museum telling the story of the original mailboat service(pictured). The museum is built around the complete hull of the 1956 Finnmark Hurtigruten ship, and also includes the passenger part of the 1912 ship which made the first journey. We are following the same route as these mailboat/cruise ships. The route is now shared between the Hurtigruten company and our ship line Havila.

Svolvaer
The sun does not set here between late May and mid July, and does not rise above the horizon between early December and early January. We had our fingers crossed for sight of Northern Lights tonight. Cloud obscured our view while most of Northern Europe saw them earlier this week.Finally they came out in all their glory - a fantastic sight as we were leaving Svolvaer.

06/11/2023

6th November
The Arctic North day 4

Kirkenes
The town is at the top right hand (north easternmost) corner of Norway and a few kilometres from the Russian border. It is further east than Istanbul. We turn round here and begin the journey back to Bergen. The boat has travelled 2,500 km (1500 miles) on the Northern leg of the round trip.Picture leaving Kirkenes.

During the N**i occupation the town was a major base for naval and air craft, and it was heavily bombed. The town’s pop**ation sheltered in an underground cave (entrance pictured) during 300 air raids that destroyed all but 13 houses. The town was liberated by the Russians in 1944, monument shown. You will note the locals have cracked the problem of shopping in icy conditions!