We arrived late into the night at Helsinki Airport from Oslo. After staying the night at Clarion Helsinki Airport, next day we transfered to the city via train from the airport. After dropping off our luggage at our hotel (Hotel Fabian Helsinki), we walked to Senate Square where our Free Helsinki Walking Tour was about to start. The tour is tip based and lasts about 2.5 hours. We walked by the Uspenski Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church. Next our guide took us to Havis Amanda, a beautiful statue at a busy intersection. Our next stop was Helsinki Central Station. Our …
August 2025: 24 hours in Helsinki Trip Report
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: Oslo Trip Report
Day 1: We traveled from Bergen to Oslo by train which left very early from Bergen and after 7 hours arrived at Oslo just past noon. The scenic beauty on both sides of the tracks was outstanding. We had already done Bergen – Myrdal segment for our “Norway in a Nutshell” tour 2 days ago. But this time the 7 hour journey went by watching streams, lakes, forests on both sides of the train. After arriving in Oslo, we walked across the Oslo central station to our hotel, the Amerikalinjen. After checking in and dropping our luggage, we walked 2 …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 4 Days in Bergen Trip Report – Day 4 – Hardangerfjord Fjord cruise day trip
We spent our last day in Bergen doing the Hardangerfjord cruise day trip. There are multiple variations of the trip and we booked the one from Norled Cruises. Norled is a transportation company and not a typical cruise operator. What this means is that the boats of Norled are primarily for transporting passengers between various stops along Hardangerfjord but tourists can use it for sightseeing. First segment of the trip was a bus journey from Bergen to Norheimsund kai. After reaching Norheimsund kai we switch to a catamaran to Ulvik village. Spent 4-5 hours in Ulvik and return from there …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 4 Days in Bergen Trip Report – Day 3 – Norway in a Nutshell roundtrip from Bergen
This was our Norway in a Nutshell day. This is probably one of the most popular itinerary for tourists. This included 3 train rides, a cruise and a bus journey. One can book the whole tour at the official website however, I had read in multiple travel blogs that if someone wanted to construct the itinerary from actual train and bus vendors, you can save some money. I don’t remember exact figures but we saved around 150$ for me and Karen total by booking separate segments directly from the vendors instead of the official website. First segment of the journey …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 4 Days in Bergen Trip Report – Day 1 & 2 – Bergen city sightseeing & Mostraumen Fjord Cruise
Day 1: We arrived at Bergen International Airport (BGO) on our flight from Reykjavik. Cheap and convenient way to reach the city center is the tram from airport to Byparken stop (near Bergen Centrum Station).One can pay for the tram in Skyss ticket app itself. I had already installed the Skyss app and it came in handy on our 4 days in Bergen. After reaching Byparken Tram stop, we walked to our hotel for 4 night stay in Bergen, Hotel Oleana. After checking in and freshening up we set out for lunch. We stopped by Pingvinen Restaurant. I ordered the …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 6 Days in Iceland Trip Report – Day 6 – Last day of Waterfalls – Skogafoss, Kvernufoss and Irarfoss waterfalls
This was our last full day of traveling in Iceland and we were traveling from Skogafoss to our hotel near Keflavik airport to fly out next day. We were staying at Hotel Skogafoss by EJ Hotels and one of the main reasons of staying here was so we could see the falls on the night we arrive and the day after. We started the day early visiting the falls right after breakfast at the hotel. We were glad we got waterproof shoes to walk on the rocks to get to the middle to take the pictures. After Skogafoss we drove …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 6 Days in Iceland Trip Report – Day 5 – Fjallsárlón Glacial Lagoon, Svartifoss/Hundafoss waterfalls in Skaftafell Nature Reserve, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Today we were going to drive 305 km from Hofn to our hotel for the night (Hotel Skógafoss) while seeing various attractions along the way. After driving about 80km we arrived at Jokulsarlon Glacial lagoon. Even though we had already visited this lagoon the day before, we saw signs to a different parking lot and decided to check it out. After spending a short time taking pictures we continued our journey towards the other popular glacial lagoon that we skipped the day before, Fjallsárlón Glacial lagoon. Soon we arrived at Fjallsarlon Glacial lagoon. This lagoon is quite smaller and you …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 6 Days in Iceland Trip Report – Day 4 – Eldhraun Lava Field, Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon and black sand beaches (Diamond Beach, Stokksnes Beach)
After breakfast at Hotel Katla we started driving towards the city of Hofn along the southern coast. We were going to cover about 275km today so it was going to be a long day. We passed by the Eldhraun Lava fields. The moss covered lava fields was a sight to behold. After driving for a while, we started seeing glaciers for the first time at a distance. Soon we arrived at Jokulsarlon Glacial lagoon. I hadn’t pre-booked the Zodiac tour in time and it had been showing sold out for the previous 10 days. Then the amphibian boat tour started …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 6 Days in Iceland Trip Report – Day 3 – Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui Waterfalls, Reynisfjara and Víkurfjara Black sand beaches
We stayed the night before at Hotel Laugarvatn after traveling our Golden circle route. We drove from Laugarvatn area to the town of Vik, located in south coast of Iceland. After spending quite a bit of time at Seljalandsfoss falls, we took the path in front of the falls along the side of the mountain for only 10 minutes to approach the next falls, Gljufrabui falls. Since the crevice is narrow and a stream flows through it, to get inside the cave there was a queue. Soon we were in. After spending a short time in Gljufrabui Falls, we resumed …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 6 Days in Iceland Trip Report – Day 2 (Golden Circle)
One of the most popular things to do near Reykjavik is the Golden circle route. There are quite a few attractions along this 200 mile loop and we intended to cover most of them in 1 day. We started our morning drive from our Reykjavik hotel (Center Hotels Klopp) to Þingvellir National Park. All attractions in Iceland have parking lots near it and in most of them you can pay for parking at kiosks located on site. For the few, where there are no kiosks, there are signs to pay for the parking through online apps like Parka. Our first …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeAugust 2025: 6 Days in Iceland Trip Report – Day 1 (Whale Watching & Reykjavik City)
We checked out of our airport hotel in the morning and drove our rental car from Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik (about 50 minutes drive). We parked our car at suggested free parking area near the harbor, and after checking in at the designated booth, made our way to Amelia Rose, our yacht for todays whale watching trip. After the yacht left the harbor for the cruise, it passed by Harpa Concert Hall. The entire trip was 3 hours but 50 mins each way was just to get to the whale feeding area. During this time of the year its mostly …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2025: Dubrovnik, Croatia Trip Report
Day 1: Our day started with traveling 4.5 hours on Kapetan Luka – Krilo ferry from Split to Dubrovnik. We arrived past noon in Dubrovnik port and took an Uber to our hotel (Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik). For lunch we wanted to try out the Cave Bar More that I had read about. Its a short walk from the hotel on Lapad promenade (also called Šetalište Nika i Meda Pucića). For lunch we ordered a hamburger, truffle fries and mixed cocktail. The truffle fries were so awesome that I visited this bar again on Day 3 to try it out one …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2025: 24 Hours in Vis, Croatia to visit Blue Cave
Day 1: We arrived late afternoon on Vis via Jadrolinija ferry from Split. The main purpose of staying in Vis was to visit the famous Blue Cave next day. You can visit the Blue Cave on a day trip from Split, but I read online that these trips last whole day and include 5-6 different islands and apparently the ride is not very comfortable. We wanted to see only the Blue Cave and there is a reliable company called Alternatura that operates Blue Cave tour out of a neighboring town of Komiza. This tour lasts 3 hours and only involves …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2025: Split, Croatia Trip Report
Day 1: We arrived from Plitvice Lakes National Park late afternoon and after checking into our hotel (AC Hotel Split) we took an uber to Old Town for dinner. We were having dinner at Fig Split located right in the heart of Old town Split. My green chilli buritto was outstanding. This was a very highly rated restaurant on Tripadvisor and it shows. After dinner we walked around Diocletian’s Palace a bit but as soon as lightning and thunder started we quickly grabbed an Uber and returned to hotel. Day 2: We had 5 hours to do all the sightseeing …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2025: Plitvice Lakes National Park Trip Report
Day 1: Upon arriving at Split International Airport from Poland, we picked up our rental car from airport and drove 3.5 hours to Plitvice Lakes National Park. The drive is mostly boring and not very picturesque although you pass through a lot of tunnels (one was quite a long one). We were staying at Pansion Breza for the night, located 15 minute walk from Entrance #3 of the park. Day 2: We walked from our B&B to Entrance #3 of the park. There is no ticket booth at this entrance and our host had advised us to book tickets online …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2025: Warsaw, Poland Trip Report
Day 1: We arrived in Warsaw Central Station late morning by train from Krakow. We were staying at Novotel Warszawa Centrum hotel which is just a 10 minute walk from there. After checking in at the hotel we walked back towards Zlote Tarasy Mall that is located next to the Warsaw Central Station. Karen ordered a Pad Thai while I went with a falafel plate. After lunch we walked to the busy Nowy Swiat street. We came upon the Warsaw University building as well as Holy Cross Church. While walking the street we came upon a Chopin bench. There are …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2025: 2 Days in Krakow, Poland Trip Report
Day 1: We took an Uber from the airport hotel to our city hotel where we were staying the next 2 nights. We were visiting Wieliczka Salt Mine on our first day by ourselves and had booked an Auschwitz – Birkenau tour through Hello Crakow on next day. We took an Uber from our hotel to Wieliczka Salt Mine which was a 20 minute ride. We pretty much used Uber for our entire stay in Poland (both in Krakow and Warsaw) and did not use public transportation on this entire trip. Whether you are visiting Wieliczka Salt Mine as part …
Trip SummaryJune 2025: Croatia-Poland Trip – Introduction
We are going back to Europe in June for a 1.5 week trip to Croatia & Poland. We plan to visit Krakow and Warsaw in Poland and Split, Plitivice lakes park, island of Vis and Dubrovnik in Croatia. There will be quite a few reviews on this trip. Airline Review: LOT Business Class from Los Angeles to Warsaw Hotel Review: Hampton by Hilton Krakow Airport Hotel Review: Hotel Wielopole, Krakow Trip Report: Krakow, Poland Hotel Review: Novotel Warszawa Centrum Hotel Review: Pansion Breza, Plitivice Park Trip Report: Plitvice Lakes National Park Hotel Review: AC Hotel Split Hotel Review: Vila Rosa, …
Africa Destination Trip ReportsDecember 2024: 5 Days in Mauritius Trip Report
Day 1: We arrived at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius on our flight from Mumbai fairly early in the morning. The airport is located in the south-east part of the island and located 50 km (about 1 hour drive) from the Hilton Mauritius resort. The resort is in the western part of the island in Flic-en-Flac neighbourhood. We had rented a car through Budget which allowed us to have the flexibility and convenience to drive around the island at our leisure. After checking in and having breakfast we hit the beach. For dinner we ate at the Ginger Thai …
Trip SummaryDecember 2024: Mauritius Trip
For my yearly December trip to India this time I had planned a side trip to Mauritius with Karen and my parents. Mauritius does not require any visas for Indian or US citizens and so travel is a breeze. There will be quite a few reviews on this trip. Airline Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class from Los Angeles to Hong Kong Airline Review: United Airlines Business Class from Los Angeles to London Airline Review: Air India Business Class from London to Mumbai Airline Review: Air Mauritius Business Class from Mumbai to Mauritius Trip Report: 5 days in Mauritius Hotel Review: …