Showing posts with label stay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stay. Show all posts

24 December, 2016

A trip to Ikea (aka Sweden)


Travelling to Stockholm airport(s)

Four airports, remember that all of them may be named as “Stockholm airport”, but can be really far away from the city of Stockholm, the most accessible airport is Arlanda. Every hour you can find either coach or train heading to and from this airport with a fairly low price.

Staying in Stockholm

On-boat hostels provide an unusual experience for those bored of regular accommodation. Pros: new experience, view to the sea, low prices Cons: lack of space, shared showers & toilet
Apartments, tend to have more competitive prices than the hotels, most of them are well equipped with the elemental appliances for a short stay such as microwave, oven, washing & tumbling machine. ( Personally suggest - Hammarby apartments)
Pros of renting an apartment: can cook to avoid expensive eat-outs, flexibility in check-in & check-out, lower prices than hotels
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Fika_kaffe_bulle.jpg
A typical "Fika" Sample


Living in a nordic country requires a lot of energy to catch up with daily life, the solution was found by the Swedes, establishing the habit of “fika”. Fika, stands for a small social gathering with friends to enjoy a cup of coffee with a snack (mainly cinnamon bun), having a major role in the daily life of Swedes.

You can try a quick fika in one of the many 7-11 shops located all over Stockholm, which are more-or-less small super markets mainly selling coffees, bakery stuff, magazines, snacks and food. Don't forget to grab a mini map of Stockholm with the location of all 7-11 round the area!

Moving around

A well structured network of frequent trams and buses allow you to move around the city round the clock, remember buses and trams may share the same stations. After midnight the time schedules are spread, though not causing any trouble for a night-out goers.


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Djurgarden_10_Stockholm_Sweden_2006-04-15.jpgA great experience is traveling within Stockholm using the ferry lines, offering a good chance to relax and take great pictures of the city and sites along the sea (included in the pass ticket except St. Emelie line).


Using ferry lines : When taking the ferry remember to use the special sign to attract the attention of ferry's captain and place it back to its initial state, once the ferry arrives.


You can find more information about tickets and moving round Stockholm over here
Wi-fi, is available in every place in Stockholm some of them may be free whilst other are locked.


Sightseeing

Royal Palace, the ticket is 160 SEK includes visiting the Royal apartments (180 SEK with a 45 min tour - Sep 2016), unfortunately not all rooms are open to the public for visiting as they are still used by the Royal family.


The architect of this fine palace was inspired from the romantic features of the “Palace de Versailles” in France, making both palaces to look similar.


In the price of the ticket you have access to 2 more exhibitions the Treasury and the Tre Kronor museum. The Treasury presents the original crowns and symbols of power belonging to the Royal family from the old times, whilst the Tre Kronor museum outlines the architecture of the palace, before a huge fire  and renovation that led to its nowadays style.


Armoury museum (free entry), an interesting collection of armors through the ages


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Statens_Historiska_museum.jpg
Historika museet
Historiska museum (free entry), well organised museum outlining the history of Sweden, with a rich variety of exhibitions related mainly to the great Viking era.
Additional exhibitions may be found with the wealth of Viking culture in tools, jewellry and presenting parameters affecting the progress of the culture from that time.
The museum offers special activity programs for children as well as free lockers, where you can store securely your belongings.




Gamla stan, the oldest neighbourhood of Stockholm with traditional alleys spread over a small island, the old buildings host various hostels, restaurants and souvenir shops.


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Vasamuseet_2008.jpg
Outside view of Vasaa museum
Vasamuseet, a museum dedicated to one of the greatest ships built in the beginning of the 17th century, which unfortunately sunk 24 minutes after leaving the shipyard and remained for 333 year in the bottom of Stockholm port. The guided tour lasts approximately 25 minutes, giving in depth explanation about the history behind the ship, after the tour you can enjoy a short film about the ship  too.


The museum includes 3 different levels, the first level analyses compartments of the ship, items found onboard, their use and purpose, in the ground floor the museum describes the techniques used to lift the ship from the bottom of the ship. While in the -1 level, you can find you can learn more about the conservation process of the ship, the chemical processes affecting it, the project of conservation as well as the history of it since it has been moved from Stockholm's seabed.


ICEbar, a bar made entirely out of ice covering an area of about 40 sqm with the temperature stuck at -5 C degrees all year long. Walls are decorated with pieces of artwork of nordic fauna, music played is mainly EDM (Electro, Dance, Mainstream), whilst you can stay for a 45min slot until your toes freeze! A special cloak and gloves that will keep you warm is supplied once you enter, remember that your glass made out of ice is slippery if you hold it with bare hands! Booking your tickets online gets you a -15% discount to the entrance fee!

14 March, 2014

Couchsurfing and stay


Make your stay safe!



Couchsurfing from my point of view : Useful, smart, free, amazing but in some cases dangerous!
As a couchsurfer in the past few years I had a short variety of experiences, good ones and bad ones. The outcome : Being careful and choosing people who will host you. A host that is constantly busy and volunteers to guide you around or show his/her own lifestyle could be one of the best things Couchsurfing could offer to its member, including the hospitality and the spirit of kindness.

The article of Wikipedia will give you a more detailed explanation.here

Make an account, the first step is to make an account with valid information, introduce - talk about yourself, move on adding pictures and in case you do have some friends who are already members or ask them to leave you a reference on your profile. References are important, they are the opinion other people had about you when they came in contact with you (hosting,surfing or travelling), it could be the quality measurement of how other people see you as a potential host or surfer. Use a similar format and get some ideas from the profiles of older members, they have more knowledge and experience about what to add. In my details, it is wise to add that you would like to have a Skype call with your potential host/visitor, just to make sure it is the same person and for other security reasons as well!

You can find CS members on every corner of the horizon around the world.

Join groups, forums, events according to your interests, you can chat and share with them ideas,experiences etc. Some groups and societies might be closer than others and might even have weekly/monthly/annually meetings, even in your neighborhood there might be a local group!


There are 2 kinds of requests, the first one is Public requests and the second is private requests. Open/Public requests, lets other members know that you will visit their place on a time you specify.It is up to them if they will be able to host you depending on their schedule. On the other hand, private request is sent only to a specific "potential host" you choose, of course for various reasons, you can be rejected either cause the host had a look at your profile and was not satisfied with your references, your personalities do not match, your time schedules do not match, etc.

For God's sake, Couchsurfing is NOT a dating site.


Old-school couchsurfers posing in the original CS stand
Having a completed profile guarantees more hosts that would like to invite you to their places, but remember it is their places and not yours. Be ready to adapt to their time schedule as well as way of living, meaning that as a Couchsurfer and try being kind, at the same time you must contribute in either cleaning,cooking, or buying goods as long as your host allows you to and does not demand so! Being kind as a visitor or a host is the key for a nice stay and cooperation from both sides.



Hosts have different preferences, some have a separate room for the visitor and a bed/couch, some other do not have any problem sharing the same surface (!?!) with you (Just avoid these people!). Make sure the host will be able to host you under the conditions you wish, but in case of emergency always have a plan B.




The descent : A couple of years ago CS website turned from a non-profit organisation into a for-profit organisation, as a result many of its members complained that the original spirit of CS would totally change, there would be many fake profiles and decided to shut down their profiles.

Unfortunately, in the past few years there have been cases of sexual assaults (so please before you sign up do your research first!). The official site of Couchsurfing has provided a guide with tips to protect yourself.

All the above information include personal opinion, information and experiences I have gathered over the time, and with this post I do not wish to advertise or misadvertise  the official Website of Couchsurfing and physical persons.


This post will be expanded too for other choices of accommodation (hostels, hotels, BnB)

More information:

TIPS FOR STAYING IN A HOSTEL: WHAT TO BRING


Things to Know About Hosteling: Tips and Tricks for Lodging on the Cheap

Always check for reviews online, for example search "name_of_hostel" review



Know what you want. Be prepared. Enjoy


  • Introduction
    Who am I and why start blogging?
  • A helpful and inspirational guide before you travel by train
    Where to start and what to think before travelling
  • How to pack your bag
    Overstuffed and overweight bag, at least keep it overstuffed
     
  • What to pack in your bag
    You don't need your fashionable clothes in here!
     
  • Travelling Solo VS Travelling as a group
    Loneliness doesn't always have to feel bad
  • Couchsurfing and stay
    Make your stay safe
     
  • Raildude,ticket purchasing
    How to get the pass,the rules in the train station
     
  • Maps and books
    Should I get a map, guide or ignore everything?
     
  • On the way/train
    You can't get bored here my friend
     
  • Law,stereotypes,different lifestyles and adopting
    How not to end up behind the bars!
     
  • Types of travellers
    People worth meeting and not
     
  • Journeys
    Past personal Experiences
     
  • Additional tips
    Weren't all these enough?
  • Self awareness, Self confidence, Passion and Personal awesomeness
    So you think you are not cool enough?