Corinne Smith

Tromsø, the city full of adventure and spectacular sights!

by Corinne Smith 

A cold, activity based holiday already organised for us by Tern Travel was a first for me so I didn’t really know what to expect other than to bring my thermals.

We arrived late, but still in time for our inclusive meal at our hotel, eager to see the town we quickly gobbled our meal and went for a wander! Treading carefully trying not to slip we walked along the well lit waterfront and through the very sleepy town. We promptly found the Huken pub, a small, quirky place and relaxed with a pricey glass of red wine.

The next morning was our much awaited Dog Sledding trip. A coach load of us drove an hour and a half along the fjords, where we soaked in the beautiful snowcapped mountains towering over the sparkling water with frozen shores. Eventually we arrived at Camp Tomak, they supplied us with all-in-one snow suits, mittens and proper shoes, we were totally wrapped up and prepared for the cold ride ahead! We split into small groups each with a guide who gave us a brief explanation and introduced us to our dogs, we were told it was a case of learning on the job, raring to go we got stuck in - luckily we were paired up and I was driving the sled 2nd! I sat comfortably as the dogs pulled us along, travelling through isolate lands with blue skies and snowy hills. We took different tracks from the other groups and our dogs followed the tracks of the guide so it was a pretty pleasant ride, until Alex turned a curve badly, fell off and I was left being dragged half off the sled by the dogs until our guide saved us. Unharmed and laughing it was now my turn to drive! It took some concentration but it was so exhilarating, the dogs have some serious power so it took all my strength and weight to pop the breaks on when need be. When we arrived back at camp we were taken to a small cabin where we gathered on tables circling a fire and was served tea, a delicious fish soup and warm Norwegian bread. Dessert was a strange but very tasty thin sweet bread with melted brown cheese inside! Luckily I saw the views on the way there because I was fast asleep most of the drive back!

Time to see the town in daylight. It’s not a big place but is simple and understated, with lovely nordic wooden, traditional buildings and almost as sleepy as the evening before. We found ourselves in Øhallen, the oldest pub in Tromsø that greeted us with a massive stuffed polar bear and over 50 beers to choose from. I asked the waiter to chose for me and I enjoyed every sip of my small glass as the prices were pretty steep. By now it was sunset, we strolled down a pier over looking the harbour and watched the pink sky darken behind one set of never-ending peaks, freezing and peaceful, it was one seriously impressive view.

That beautiful sunset for some reason bought horrible weather the next day, after a potter around town in the morning we picked up our rental car and head an hour out of town to a hidden camp which housed our cabin for the next couple of nights. Driving slowly as the visibility was awful, we let the queue of cars backing up behind us pass, by doing so we got stuck. Luckily a snow plough happened to pull up behind us and tow us out! Eventually we arrived at the shoreline in the middle of nowhere and were welcomed by Marit, the owner who showed us around and left us to our own devices, which meant having a cup of tea and relaxing while marvelling out to sea at the low clouds hovering above the mountains. Marit gave us some tips about how to look out for the Northern Lights, so we followed them without any expectations as it had been a horrible day. Tern travel had given us some camera settings incase we saw them so we were testing them out unsuccessfully for a while and eventually gave up, as we turned to go in we saw a something we were convinced was them. We took our tripod and stood by the sea for a good hour and watched as these wispy clouds danced in front of us, we felt very lucky and managed to get some good photos as the lens is what really picks up the magnificent colours.

Marit told us that when the clouds sit low it means the weather the next day would be nice, and she was right. We woke up to beautiful blue skies, perfect weather for our fishing trip. We head out on one of their fishing boats with Eddie their very knowledgeable fishing guide, we drove along the coast and to the next island. The few times I’ve been fishing its always taken forever to catch something and never that impressive, however this time the minute we stopped and popped our line in, we caught a cod and just kept catching, we kept 4 to eat and let the rest go. It was so rewarding and felt even more fascinating being the only boat out at sea surrounded by incredible beauty. We stayed out for a while and eventually went for a ride towards a seriously impressive range of mountains in hope to see some dolphins, unfortunately we didn’t see any but I didn’t mind as the ride was so nice.

When we got back we filleted the fish (not very well) and fried one up quickly as a snack, it was so good, so fluffy and just melted in my mouth, I couldn’t wait for dinner to have some more! That afternoon we just relaxed, sat on our balcony and watched the view change, I must have taken the same picture a hundred times because it was so mesmerising. The air was so fresh, the view so serene, we sat and immersed ourselves in tranquility. That evening after an incredible meal of baked cod we revelled in more Northern Light beauty.

Fish for breakfast and a quick goodbye to our extraordinary view, we set off down the coastal road to see what we could find. Luckily the weather was on our side again and we passed quaint little cabins looking out to the sea, enormous icicles and basic, peaceful living. We literally drove to the end of the road, turned around and head back to Tromsø where we visited its unique signature landmark, the Arctic Cathedral. The impressive architecture looked great walking down from the bridge and when inside you are hit with an amazing modern stained glass window, definitely worth the small fee to get in.

Lisbon, the city break with a lot of colour and a lot of cake!

by Corinne Smith @corinnesmithdesigns

The moment we stepped out of the Baixa Chiado metro station and onto the cobblestoned streets we were instantly charmed. We arrived quite late but were eager to explore and sample what Lisbon had to offer. We made our way to our accommodation on the dimly lit narrow streets, passing breakdancers performing on the square while an old tram swept beside us and the smell of the infamous Pasteis de Nata (custard tarts) lingered outside the many Pastelerias. Of course we tried one that night and for the rest of the trip we made any excuse to have another one.

The real treat was the next morning, ready and raring to see as much as possible we headed to the São Jorge Castle. Loosing our way a little, but not minding as everywhere we turned was another beautifully coloured wall or building that dazzled even more when the sun came out. We stumbled across the Santa Justa Lift which was the first of many miradouras (scenic lookouts) where we found ourselves admiring the impressive panoramic views of one of the oldest cities in the world. Our day followed the same sort of suit, heading to a landmark and ending up appreciating the narrow streets walled with colours and tiles, with adorable balconys, most of the time I felt like I was on a film set. The integration of old and new architecture, was so subtle I hardly noticed when a really old ruin merged into a modern house. Every corner turned hit us with a new surprise, endless street art and graffiti, coming across another of the plentiful Churches or finding squares surrounding some sort of monument and browsing the many shops. Even the tinned fish shops were appealing, they looked beautiful in their traditional colourful packaging, it was hard not to buy the whole shop!

Transport options were so easy and with an abundance to see we hopped on a tram for a few stops down the coast to the LX factory. An old factory transformed into a creative hub of boutique shops selling classic and trendy goods, as well as fashionable food stops with generally a bit of a ‘cool’ vibe. This was our first excuse to have another custard tart.

We chose to marvel at the sunset at Park bar, a bar on top of a carpark in Chiado, we had a drink and took in the stunning views. Although that was a pretty commendable spot, we found our favourite place the next day. The Miradouro de Santa Catarina, a small grassed area with a kiosk where we purchased a drink and joined the relaxed crowd of students and young Lisbonites playing guitars, watching the view and enjoying the good atmosphere.

The next morning we were up early and caught one of the old trams to visit the Flea Market at Feira da Ladra. Riding that tram with the retro interior was such a nice experience, and a good way to save our legs travelling up and down the windy lanes. Upon arriving we had a cheese and ham croissant while watching the stall holders set up, there was a mixed selection of goods from old book stalls to traditional cork wares, some antique gems and random electrical items from way back. It seemed never ending with plenty to browse, I could have stayed all day but it wasn’t just my holiday so, with a fresh orange juice pit stop we headed to the streets again. Hiking up and down the city of 7 hills surely deserves a Pasteis de Nata right?

In the evening we explored Barrio Alto, it wasn’t hard to find a little place to have dinner or a drink, everywhere seemed to have a nice atmosphere and we felt comfortable and relaxed while looking back on our busy day with an oversized Gin and Tonic in our hand. Ending the day with another Pasteis de Nata was becoming a habit that we couldn’t kick, and all of the little bakeries were open until late so made the decision of whether or not we should very easy!

We had 4 days in Lisbon so took the opportunity to head 40 minutes out of town to Sintra, home to the world heritage Castelo dos Mouros and the Pena National Palace. With a lot to see and not much time we took a bus up to the 9th Century castle and soaked in some more incredible views. A short uphill walk to the Palace was even more fascinating, after getting severely damaged in the great Lisbon earthquake in 1755 it was rebuilt in the 19th Century into this magical, colourful Palace that I could picture featuring in a Pixar movie. Tired and hungry, and although impressive, the town was a bit of a tourist trap so headed back to Chiado to relax and soak in another Sunset from our favourite spot with a wild berry and lime Rosé Sangria.

Finally, we had to visit the town where the Pasteis de Nata were created, Belem. They were created in the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Jerónimos Monastery, unfortunately the monastery was closed when we visited but we were still happy to have a look at the beautifully ornate outside. At the time, convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg-whites for starching of clothes, such as nuns’ habits so they used the left over egg yolks to create the very tasty custard tarts that we ate so many of. Opposite the monastery was the Padrão dos Descombrimentos (Monument to the discoveries) where we endured another windy but sunny view along the coast and checked out our next stop; the Belem tower. The tower was part of a defence system at the mouth of the Tagus river and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon, again it wasn’t open for us to look in but we had had enough of sightseeing for the weekend anyway so, to the busy but very enjoyable Pasteis de Belem cafe it was. There we could watch the tarts being prepared and take in the history of where our most enjoyable treat was first made.

Istanbul, the city that keeps on giving by Corinne Smith 

Whether you want to see the sights, go shopping, eat tasty food or simply relax and people watch, this is the city for you.

We had 4 nights and 3 full days to soak up what Istanbul has on offer. We stayed in Sultanahmet, the old town which bustled with restaurants, baklava, turkish delight, boutique and souvenir shops with the renown sights nearby, all within walking distance of each other.

Straight away food was our main objective, everywhere we looked there were shops leering us in with samples of their goods, stores open to the street selling all sorts of kebabs and mobile stalls with a variety of delicious snacks and juices. We tried a lot that was on offer and surprisingly was never left overly full which, to our delight, left room for more! A particular favourite was the Balik - ekmek, a fish sandwich described as ‘fish bread’ which was sold from 3 different boats on the Eminonu shore, by the Galata bridge. The floating stalls are non stop churning out sandwiches to a constant flow of customers, not only was the simple sandwich so tasty but the experience of being among the locals listening and watching the hustle and bustle was a real treat.

In between food stops we did visit the obligatory sights. Starting with the Topkapi Palace, consisting of pretty courtyards, beautifully tiled surfaces, with a lovely cafe to escape the snow (yes, it snowed!) which hosts an incredible view over the Sea of Marmara and Bosphorus. A short walk from the Palace we picked up a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice and entered the church turned mosque; Hagia Sophia. Walking into the spacious, high domed ceilings was overwhelming and the low, flower shaped chandeliers were a really pretty addition. Even the scaffolding that stood to the left of the interior looked like an art piece when surrounded by the decorated walls. We waited until the next day to visit the infamous Blue Mosque, impressive from the outside, and just as impressive in the inside with the detailed 20,000 handmade tiled walls. From the old town we walked (although you could take a tram) through the very pleasant Gulhame Park, ordering a nutella filled simit (a bagel type bread dipped in sesame seeds) along the way and stumbled on a perfectly located outdoor cafe with a stunning panoramic view where we enjoyed a traditional pot of turkish tea. We took a ferry on an hour and a half round trip up the Bosphorus, I found this fascinating as we travelled through Europe and Asia while enjoying more impressive buildings and luckily we had blue skies.

Walking through the streets of Beyoglu and Karakoy, there was a real buzz as we passed busy cafes and bars and wandered in and out of vintage and traditional shops. These cobbled streets walled with graffiti and colourful tiles, with meandering cats and dogs added to the charm and seemed never ending, we definitely didn’t have time to see them all. Watching the sunset at the top of the Galeta Tower is a must and the atmosphere grew even more when the night lights turned on and you can hear live music spill out from the bars.

The most stressful part of the trip was the shopping. Attracted to almost everything, from elaborate jewellery to colourful textiles, each shop intrigued us. Not wanting to buy anything before visiting the Grand Bazaar to see what they had on offer, the shop owners on the street trying to lure us in did not help! The Grand Bazaar was quite an experience, it was like a maze, each turn just led us deeper into the largest and oldest market in the world. Many of the stalls sold similar things and as you passed each one the owner tried to sell us something. When we did want to buy anything, the battle really started, not wanting to get ripped off we had to be tough and haggle until we were happy. We had the same sort of experience in the Spice Bazaar, however we ended up sitting in a shop, drinking tea and having a chat, not buying anything and leaving with a bar of turkish delight as a present, our outlook on the Istanbul shopping experience changed.

After a day of walking, shopping and sight seeing, a traditional turkish bath was essential! We visited the Cagaloglu Hamami, one of the oldest in Istanbul, built in 1741. We got the complete bath service, which includes getting scrubbed and massaged as well as the use of the sauna. The massage was ok, I would have liked a longer scrub and I thought it was pretty overpriced. However, it was in an incredible environment and that in itself was a great experience and I did fully unwind from the hectic day with help from a Kadayif, a warm, crunchy, sweet desert with a melted cheese centre!