Bon Voyage

We're finally (yet sadly) back for our final post!!!

Check out our video below, where we are interviewed about our favourite country in this blog that we'd go to next, our favourite experiences/places in the country we posted about and our contributions to this blog! You finally get to put faces to our previous posts!

We hope our posts have given you all some really fun and unique travel locations, ideas and info!

Comment where you are off to next and if you are travelling to any of the countries we posted about!

Bon Voyage✈️

The Travel Buddiez

Trolltunga, Norway by Tori

Trolltunga is one of those places that 100% needs to be visited at one point in your life.

Trolltunga is basically a large slab of rock that sticks out about 700m above lake Ringedalsvatnet and the surrounding canyon. The cliff also stands over 1, 100 meters above sea-level creating the most breath-taking views.

The large granite formation has been moulded and sculpted by nature over the past 10, 000 years and is only available to visit from about mid-June to mid-September.

The hike to the cliff is around 10-12 hours long and covers 23 kilometres but is still frequently visited by thousands of tourists even though there is little to no safety railings; there are a few small metal hooks have been placed into the rock to act as footholds.

Since my trip was during the cooler winter months, I wasn't able to make this journey but will certainly be apart of my travels in the near future.

- Tori

This brings us to the end of our glance into Norway! Also check out the other Norway posts at Introduction to Norway , Aurora borealis, and  Norwegian culture!

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My details: Victoria Porreca (44920216)

Norwegian Culture by Tori

Welcome back! This week we'll chat about the Norwegian culture and day to day life. Do you want to read about the Aurora borealis first?; read last weeks blog using the links at the end of this post!

The Norwegians live a very care-free, stress-free lifestyle. From taking regular long-weekend vacations up to the ski fields for a family retreat to actual government schemes which stress personal and relaxation time, the Norwegian lifestyle is very comfortable.

They have a range of recreational activities that are usually done as a family unit like bike rides and soccer but many people there are very skilled at long and short distance skiing; not surprising considering the geography and their national sport.

One in particular that we were lucky enough to try out was dog sledding. Dog sledding is literally 5 dogs connected with harnesses and ropes, pulling along a wooden sled which held 2 people; the driver and the passenger. We followed closely behind our guide who led the dogs through the pitch black countryside for around 2 hours.

Dog sledding is a major part of these northern European countries and countries close to the Arctic circle and is still used by people who live in under these same extreme temperatures.

We also got to go out on a small boat a few days later hoping to see some Killer whales. They didn't come up to the surface for very long or very close but we did see glimpses of the whales.

After all this, I can easily say that Norway is such a beautiful and unique place and can't wait to visit again.

- Tori

Don't forget to read other Norway posts and stay updated:
Introduction to Norway 
Aurora borealis

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My details: Victoria Porreca (44920216)

Aurora borealis by Tori

The Aurora borealis is an amazing lights show, unique to the northern hemisphere which is caused by particles that have been released from the sun and are travelling 18 hours to reach our atmosphere and collide with the particles present in our atmosphere

This was outlined in my previous blog post (link to that post will be at the end of this post if you need a catch up!).

Image source: http://fjordtravel.no/destinations-norway/see-the-northern-lights-in-norway/

There are several contributing factors that make the chances of seeing these lights higher and lower like temperature and clouds, etc., but on my visit there, I was lucky enough to be able to witness this amazing dance in the sky first hand.

Our guide took us out into a large, open area, overlooking a short cliff at about 7:30pm local time where we began our wait. We made a small fire and spoke about the importance of the lights to the indigenous people of Norway, known as the Sami, and all about the culture of the area. By about 11:00pm, we had learned and questioned just about everything there was to know about the Norwegian way of life all while still waiting on the lights to appear.

Due to the light clouds that had formed, the lights weren't coming for us, so close to 1:00am, we decided to head back to the hotel. On the way back, our guide spotted a clearing and chose to try our luck one last time to see the lights. By this point it was 2:30am but we were able to see this amazing natural dance and the 7 hour wait was well worth it.

Stay tuned for next week to read more about Norwegian culture and food!

Image Source: http://sevennaturalwonders.org/index_/seven-natural-wonders/aurora-borealis

- Tori

Don't forget to read last weeks Norway post and stay updated: Introduction to Norway
Be the first to see when Travel Buddiez posts an update on our twitter page

My details: Victoria Porreca (44920216)

Norway by Tori

Norway is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. During my visit there earlier this year, the temperatures dropped to 1-2 degrees Celsius on a 'warm' day. The snow and atmosphere of the country was gorgeous and I'd love to visit again.

Image Source: http://pcwallart.com/norway-city-snow-wallpaper-1.html

When I visited, I was able to experience so many amazing things like dog sledding and the Aurora borealis; or simply the Northern Lights. This type of Aurora lights are unique to the northern pole (Aurora australis or Southern Lights in the south) and are caused by electrically charges particles being released from the sun and travelling through space to us. When these particles reach our atmosphere, they mix with oxygen and nitrogen hence causing these spectacular lights shows.

More details and pictures are coming up in later blog posts. Hope I capture how extraordinary of a place Norway is for you. Stay Tuned!!

- Tori

Be the first to see when Travel Buddiez posts an update on our twitter page

My details: Victoria Porreca (44920216)

Introduction

Hey everyone, welcome to our travel blog. We're 5 different students from different cultural backgrounds and walks of life. Our posts are our stories from around the world, sharing our unique experiences and different views of some of the most beautiful places to visit. Our group is made up of:

Poorya Mahdavi - I am a 19y/o IT Student at Macquarie University, my favourite hobby includes Skateboarding and playing sports. My background is Persian which is the language spoken from people whom live in Iran, which is my focus for this blog.

Joshua Iacono - I am a 19 year old commerce student and my favourite hobby is following and playing basketball. I've travelled a few places, but one of my favourite trips in particular was to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Akash Chabhadia - I am 19 year old Software Engineering international student at Macquarie University. My hobbies are computer software, golf , horse riding, cricket etc. I have visited places across India, Australia and Europe. My posts will be focused on India.

Victoria Porreca - I am a 19 year old biology student at Macquarie University and my favourite hobby is art and drawing. My favourite places that I have visited was Northern and South-Western Europe. In particular, Italy was my favourite as I got to see a lot of family there. My posts will be focused on Norway.

Brittany Dalamangas - I am a 18 years old IT student majoring in cyber security and hope after graduating to work with ASIO! Love travelling, food and travelling for food:) My favourite places I have visited are Greece, Portugal and Italy! My posts will be focused on Greece.

Here is a group picture.