New York City - Day 5 - Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration

Our last day in New York was gorgeous sunny day with clear blue skies but it was the coldest! Minus 7 degrees all day. The girls were very exited to visit the Statue of Liberty; there’s something about iconic buildings and landmarks that resonate with kids. They loved the Leaning Tower of Pisa, in Italy and Big Ben in London. On our previous trip in 2014, Braino and I had opted for the budget friendly way of seeing the Statue of Liberty; taking the public ferry across to Staten Island and back. But this time around, we decided it was worth the money to take the official ferry to Liberty Island and see the Statue up close. This trip also includes a stop at the Ellis Island National Musuem of Immigration, which I was really looking forward to. 

We booked our Statue of Liberty experience tickets on the Headout App and caught the subway down to Battery Park in the Financial District where the ferries depart from. It was $125 USD for all of us. 

The view looking back on the Manhattan skyline was amazing! And seeing the Statue of Liberty close up was a very cool experience too. Our ticket didn’t include climbing up inside the statue but we could walk around the base. The best part was the very informative museum that details the origin, construction and significance of the Statue. Absolutely the best way for the girls to learn about the history of it. 

We ate lunch at the cafe on Liberty Island (the girls will remember the pigeons flying around inside) before catching the ferry to the next destination, the National Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island. 

This was honestly my favourite thing we did in New York. Braino loved it too. It was so fascinating to realise that everyone who came to America from 1892 to 1954 - which was over 12 million immigrants - had to pass through Ellis Island. The main immigration hall has been preserved and now holds detailed exhibitions of the accounts of immigrations, the process they went through once they arrived at Ellis Island and what their life was like once they settled in America. It really gives you a perspective of what life was like only a few generations ago, before airplane travel has allowed us to see so much of the world. And after spending so much time exploring Europe and Great Britain, it puts into perspective how recent the modern histories of the United States and Australia for that matter, really are. There is no better way to learn about history than through travel. 

I wished we could have explored the other spooky old buildings that make up the rest of the Immigration Center - the hospital quaters, the quarantine quarters and builidngs were people had to live for extended periods of time if their immigration requests were taken long to process.

Once we got back to Manhattan, we caught the subway across to Brooklyn, mainly to see the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge and visit Williamsburg, where we had stay for half our two weeks in NYC back in 2014.

Navigating the subway and wandering the streets is, in our opinion, one of the best ways to see the sights and get a feel for New York. The girls had been absolute little champions with all the walking were had been going. And we found the subways to be pretty safe, if a litte old and grimey.

But once we arrived in Brooklyn, in the early afternoon, we just couldn’t deny how cold it was, even with all the layers we were wearing. Our hands were starting the freeze and we hadn’t packed any gloves. The blue sky and the sunshine were very deceptive. After capturing the classic photos of the bridges, we retreated back to the subways and headed for the accomodation. 

We stopped in at the apartment for a restful afternoon before heading back out to Time Square, where we celebrated our last night in New York with a family dinner at Applebees! Very classy! Haha. To stretch the budget out we had generally been cooking basic dinners at the apartment and eating breakfast in too. Lunch was really the only meal we ate out most days.

This trip to New York as cemented Braino’s love for the city, Hallie loved it too, it’s now one of her favourite places.  We now have goals to spend a month here later in life, once we’re retired (once the girls are grown up but maybe they can come too) - exploring all the restaurants, museums, galleries, theatre shows, music, sports and iconic architecture. Visiting with the girls has been amazing, but it’s been a very budget friendly, kid orientated trip. We managed surprisingly well considering the freezing winter temperatures but I wouldn’t recommend visiting in January. Even March / April back in 2014 was chilly. A summer in New York is still on the bucket list. 

New York City - Day 4 - Rockefeller, Grand Central Station & Basketball in Brooklyn

On our fourth day in NYC, we caught the subway to The Rockefeller Center and saw the iconic  ice skating rink - although the famous Christmas tree had already been taken down. We had decided to not go up to the ’Top of the Rock’, the viewing platform at the top of the Rockefeller Center. Braino and I had visited this popular tourist attraction last time we were here and while the views across Manhattan are spectacular, we couldn’t justify the cost for a family of five. 

The child friendly alternative was a visit to FAO Schwarz, the famous toy store at the bottom of the Rockefeller Center next to the Ice Skating Rink. It’s home to the floor piano that can be seen in the movie ‘Big’ and was likely the inspiration for Duncan’s Toy Chest in Home Alone 2. The girls had bit of Christmas money from their grandparents to spend so Hallie got her new toy Scarlet Macaw and Farley purchased some magic felt pens that change colour. (Rooney was saving hers for a skateboard)

On the next street over -  48th Street, we found an amazing book shop; McNally Jackson Bookshop. It had a great kids section but I loved the variety of non-fiction books on the upper level. I could have spent hours browsing. 

Afterwards, we walked down to the New York Public Library and then Grand Central Station for the touristy photo op.  We stopped at a Chic-Fil-a for lunch (a simple but tasty chicken takeaway menu ) and we also caught a glimpse of the Chrysler Building. 

A note for parents;  while the New York Public Library is an incredibly beautiful building and absolutely worth a visit for the architecture and the gift shop alone, the children’s library portion of it is is actually across the road at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation on 455 Fifth Avenue. There was an exhibit inside the New York Public Library that had the original toys of Winnie the Pooh that were owned by the real life Christopher Robin, son of the author A A Milne. 

From there we walked back to our apartment and had a rest that afternoon. We wanted to kids to be well rested for our night at the basketball. 

Ideally, Braino’s would have loved to have watched a game at Madison Square Garden but tickets for games there were incredibly expensive. The Barclay Centre in Brooklyn was a cheaper alternative, we were absolutely in the cheap seats, high up in the back of the stadium.

The game was Brooklyn Nets vs the New York Knicks, which was actually the very same game we saw at the Barclay Center in 2014 when we visited on our honeymoon. 

 Farley read a book for most of the game and by the second half I let Rooney play a game on my phone to keep her occupied but it was still quiet surreal to relive the experience with our girls, almost 11 years later. 

We also saw Sydney Sweeney sitting court side. Last time, it was Phil Colins who was the celebrity sitting court side, they always show celebrities on the big screen. 

New York City - Day 3 - Central Park & The Metropolitan Museum of Art

On our third day, a visit to The Metropolitian Museum of Art was on the itineary so we caught the train to the edge of Central Park and walked through the park again. We ventured into Central Park on our first day but it was all grey skies and drizzling rain but this time we were blessed with a stunning blue sky and a thick layer of snow across the whole park. It was magical!

The highlight was watching local families ride toboggans down a hill in a particular section of Central Park. Kids and parents were zooming everywhere, even across the footpath and down the slope on the other side. It was chaos but very entertaining. 

The Met is now my favourite art musuem. It’s incredible with so many anicent and modern art pieces. I really loved the building itself and the easy to nagivate layout. And it’s location on the edge of Central Park on the Upper East Side is perfect! (The Natural History Museum is on the opposite side of Central Park)

We spent a bit of time wandering around the anicent Egyptyian wing of the museum, comparing the artefacts to what we saw in Egypt, both at the ancient sites and in the museums in Cairo. I was excited to see another false door. There is even a whole Egyptian temple inside The Met! It was relocated from the banks of Lake Nasser in Aswan when the dam was being contructed.

We also enjoyed the Japanese Art section, but were a little disappointed to discover that The Great Wave of Kanagawa by Hoskusai even though it was in the brouchures. The girls were able to do a free kids art workshop where they created portraits, adding gold leaf for look inspired by works of art at The Met. I stayed on a little longer at The Met while Braino headed back to the apartment with the girls to appreciated some of my favourite impressionist artists like Monet, Cezanne, Renior and Manet.

That night I went to the movies by myself to see Nosferatu. Last time we were in NYC it coincided with the Tribeca Film Festival where Braino and I saw three different films. While this wasn’t quite the same, Nosterfatu brought back memories of studying German Expresionist cinema in high school and university. And it was a good follow up to reading Dracula’s while we visited Whitby in England (which I haven’t actually shared on the blog yet)

New York City - Day 2 - American Museum of Natural History

Our second day in New York City was dedicated to visiting the Amercian Museum of Natural History, where the extensive collections easily filled out the majority of our day. The AMNH houses an enormous collection including specimens of plants, animals, fungi, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts.

Some of our highlights were:

• Wandering the halls containing the realistic dioramas of widlflife, habitats and cultural artefacts from around the world.

• Watching the Worlds Beyond Earth film in the amazingly preserved classic theatre.

• Exploring the all the dinosaur fossils on the Fourth Floor

• Marvelling at the gems and minerals in the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals

There were also so many other additional exhibitions, some at an additional cost, so we could have stayed longer but we covered a fair bit in our visit, enough information for the girls to absorb in one visit.

Tickets

I purchase tickets in advance the night before via the Headout App. There are no timed entries with the tickets but we did arrive just on opening time as I had read the museum can get very crowded and the line to get in can be quite long. When we arrived there was a line of people waiting but the line moved quickly once the doors opened.

Adults tickets are $30 USD while kids were $18 USD

Afterwards caught the subway back to the Flatiron District and stopped in at a bookshop called Books of Wonder on 42 West 17th St which is dedicated to new and second hand children’s books. We can’t go past a good book shop and this one had a wonderful vibe with an incredible variety of childrens classic and modern favourites.

That evening, Braino went out to watch a NFL playoff at a pub near Madison Square Gardens and it actually started snowing overnight, we woke up to see a light dusting of snow in the surrounding city streets.

New York City - Day 1 - Times Square and Central Park

We arrived late at night into JFK Airport having flown from London Heathrow Airport. We actually flew from Hurgharda to London Heathrow and spent a night there at the Sofitel Hotel at the airport. It was a wise decision to break up the long flight across two day, especially because I suffered a short but intense bout of gastro - not fun- but after a good night sleep at the Heathrow Sofitel, I was fine for the flight across the Atlantic.

The next day was our offical first day in New York City and we had a bit of a late start where we did some much needed washing at the laundry facilities in the accommodation. I took the girls out to Macy’s which was only a few blocks up from where we were staying in Midtown, while Braino tackled washing just about everything in our luggage. (We didn’t have access to any free laundry facilities while in Egypt)

The afternoon brought a light drizzle with it but still we ventured off to the iconic Times Square where we had a look in some of the surrounding shops like the Disney Store and the M&M store. The girls loved choosing from the huge variety of colours of M&Ms.

From there we caught the subway up to the edge of Central Park (5th Ave &59th St ) but the rain had set in by this stage and we didn’t get far into the park before heading back in search of a diner or cafe but we came across a subeay station first and decieded to called it a day.

Times Square

Times Square

Radio City

Ice Skating in Central Park

New York City - Budget Friendly, Five Day Family Itinerary

We had always intended to end our trip by spending a number of months in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico but in order to get there we would be transiting through the United States of America. Braino’s choice was to stay in New York City - in the heart of Manhattan to be specific. We had travelled to NYC in 2014 on our honeymoon and Braino has loved New York ever since. 

We were there in mid January, so it would the middle of winter and we got the coldest temperatures we’ve ever experienced. Some days were as low as minus 7 degrees celsius! Technically colder than what we experienced in Tromso during the day. But we still had a really amazing time, New York is now one of Hallie’s favourite destinations too. 

Times Square

Rockerfeller Center

Our AirBnB

Riding the Subway

State of Liberty

Manhattan Skyline from the ferry to the Statue of Liberty

INTINERARY

Here’s our itinerary for the five full days we spent in New York City.

DAY 1.

• Times Square

• Central Park

DAY 2.

• American Museum of Natural History

• Book of Wonders

DAY 3.

• The Metropolitian Museum of Art

• Central Park

DAY 4.

• Rockefeller Center

• New York Public Library

• Grand Central Station

• The Barclay Centre to watch Brooklyn Nets vs New York Knicks in the NBA. (Basketball)

DAY 5.

• The Statue of Liberty

• Ellis Island Immigration Museum

• Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed in a suprisingly cheap but well located apartment building in Midtown, a few blocks over from the Empire State Building. We found it on airbnb but the building itself seemed to be a very popular acommodation for groups, as we saw so many other groups coming and going during our stay. We had an extremely basic room, with two queen beds and a set of doube bunks. There was a tiny bathroom and a kitchenette and small table. 5 nights in such a small space was a bit of a challenge but we spent most of our days out and about so it was fine. The kids love it when we are all in the one hotel room, which we’ve done a few time when we’ve only stay in a place for a night or two. New York was the longest day we had in a room like this, but it kept things very budget friendly.

The location was the amazing part, right in the centre of Midtown - with views of the Empire State Building (if you pressed your face against the window and looked up, hahah)

GETTING AROUND

We flew in and out of JFK International Airport and had arranged an airport transfer via Booking.com to transport us from the airport into Manhattan and then back again on the day we departed. Airport transfers are something we’ve priortised throughout most of the trip as it takes away a lot of stress when we’ve arrived in a new location - definitely worth the extra money.

During our stay we caught the subway or just walked and felt generally really safe. We were suprised to find that we could literally just tap our phones onto the subway ticket gates and pay for subway tickets using the creidt cards in our phones wallets - no need to buy a pass or physical ticket.

The kids were free on the subways, or more specificlly, we had no problems with them walking through thr turnstiles with us. Maybe Farley should have had a ticket but no-one seemed to be checking.

We did a lot of walking! Over 20k steps some days and considering temperatures were below zero degrees celcius every day, thats a solid effort from the girls!

SIGHTSEEING AND BUYING TICKETS

We generally purchased tickets in advance using the HEADOUT app, which I had used in Paris and Rome as well. It seems to be the perfferred app for addmission tickets, as you get a QR code to scan on arrival at most places. If you want to a tour or have a guide, I’d recommend apps like Get Your Guide or Viator, but we’ve had no problems with HEADOUT.

Museums of Cairo

After our full day of pyramids, our second day in Cairo was all about museums, filled with visits to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum. 

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo

THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IN CAIRO

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo (EMC) was first constructed in 1902 and houses over 150,000 artefacts inside the beautiful historic building. The museum sits in the downtown area of Cairo, right on Tahrir Square, the site of the major protests of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. 

We did a bit of a whirlwind tour through the museum, but we still saw some of the most impressive pieces like the treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb, including the golden death mask (it’s prohibited to take photos of it) 

Statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye

Sphinx in the entrance hall

The colossal statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye in the entrance hall of the museum are absolutely awe inspiring. Including their daughter Princess Henuttaneb, the monolith statue is the largest known dyad ever caved and originally stood in Mediate Habu in western Thebes (modern day Luxor). 

I was really interested to see more false doors (you can read more about my new found fascination with false doors in my previous post from our visit to Saqqara) and I loved seeing the statues of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who, in my opinion, is the most fascinating and mysterious Pharaoh. He introduced his own short lived monotheistic religion and was possibly the father of Tutankhamun

Tutankhamun’s Golden Throne

False Door

Statue of Pharaoh Akhenaten

We were surprised at how crowded this museum was, even though we arrived at opening time. Luckily Tarek suggested we head to the Tutankhamum section on the upper levels before the rest of the tour groups defended upon this area. Due to it’s age and magnitude of the huge collection, the Egyptian Museum had more of the feel of an old warehouse rather than a world class museum. Which is why I was so impressed to visit the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum afterwards. 

Front exterior of the GEM

THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

The Grand Egyptian Museum is simply incredible;  absolutely state-of-the-art. It’s situated right next to the Giza Plateau (and actually across the road from the Steigenberger Pyramid Cairo Hotel where we stayed) and it’s not even officially opened yet. The GEM complex is offering limited access to selected areas to test the readiness of the site ahead of the offical opening. 

Statue of Ramses III

Inside the GEM

The construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum has been in the works since 2002 and the main contract for the design of the museum was awarded to an Irish firm after an extensive international competition. 

The enormous 3200 year old statue of Ramses II that stands in the front hall once stood in a traffic circle known as Ramses Square in Cairo, but has been relocated to the musuem to preserve it against it from traffic polution.

Eventually, a large portion of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo will be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum, including close to 5000 treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb.  It’s location, in close proximity to the Pyramids of Giza, will make sightseeing in Cairo so much more efficient. The view from the museum out towards the pyramids is amazing! So beautifully framed by the architecture of the museum. 

And not only that, there is a new international airport under construction, located in Giza - The Sphinx International Airport. And there is a new monorail in development that will link Cairo Airport to the Pyramids of Giza. Visiting Cairo will be so streamlined in years to come! 

Inside the Grand Egyptian Museum

The view out to the Pyramids

We felt so privileged to be able to visit the Grand Egyptian Museum before it was officially opened and we were so impressed by the sheer scale of it. It feels so vast and spacious - a very welcome upgrade from the Egyptian Museum of Cairo, which has stood the test of time but felt like it was buckling under the sheer volume of artecfcts and daily visitors. 

And extra note: both museums do have areas designed for children. The Childrens Museum at the GEM wasn’t opened yet and we didn’t get a chance to see the childrens area in the basement of the Egyptian Museum. But I’d recommend looking into it of you’re traveling with kids.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara

After our visit to the Giza Plateau, we travelled south in our mini van with our guide Tarek to Saqqara which was the necropolis of the ancient capital city of Memphis. The main site is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which is an early example of pyramid building . It was constructed around 2660BC and predates the pyramids of Giza by several centuries. 

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

My favourite part about Saqqara was the Mortuary Temple that we first entered through to get to the Step Pyramid. The monolithic looking stone facade almost seems out of place, its architectural design almost looks modern, or sci fi even, something you might see in the movie like Dune. Inside are rows of huge columns, lining the way through to the vast archeological complex beyond. 

The Mortuary Temple of Djoser

We took the opportunity to go inside the Step Pyramid of Djoser and Tarek led us down the surprisingly spacious corridor deep into the centre of the Pyramid where we came to a vertical shaft that extends deep down into the ground and also rise up towards to the peak. We could also see another passage that extends off into the other side of the pyramid about half way down the shaft and at the very bottom we could see the impressive granite burial vault. 

Internal Shaft of The Step Pyramid of Djoser

Beyond the Step Pyramid there are many more temples, tombs, pyramids, albeit in more crumbled states, as well as mastabas, a flat style tomb that predates the Step Pyramid. Tarek took us into the Tomb of Idut, a princess who is believed to be the daughter of Pharaoh Umas. I was absolutely captivated by the false door that was still standing intact within the tomb. Ancient Egyptians believed that the soul of the deceased could freely enter and exit the tomb through a "false door," which are characterised by a recessed surface with a symbolic entrance in the centre. I find this whole concept so fascinating and not to mention how beautiful these carved stone ‘doors’ are. (We later saw more in the Egyptian Museum and the The Met in New York City.

The False Door inside the Tomb of Idut

I hadn’t been to Saqqara on my original trip to Egypt in 2007 and I was so happy we had the opportunity to to visit it on this trip. It was such an unexpected highlight, especially because our guide Tarek has so much knowledge from his recent archeological work at Saqqara. 

Even though we managed to avoid the crowds at Giza with our early start, Saqqara felt a lot less touristy than the Giza Plateau. Wandering around Saqqara felt like we were visiting an active archeological dig rather than a tourist attraction. The Step Pyramid of Djoser itself is an early prototype of pyramid building, one that bridges the gap between the very early Mastaba Tombs and the phenomenal pyramids that famously sit on the Giza Plateau so it’s well worth the trip for anyone who is interested in ancient Egyptian history. 

Lunch with an incredible view.

Inside the Mortuary Temple of Djoser

Inside the Tomb of Idut

Afterwards we headed back to the Giza Plateau where we had a delicious lunch at a restaurant that overlook the Pyramids. Dining at places like this is one of the benefits of arranging a tour with company like Memphis Tours. The restaurant was geared towards tourists and was included in our overall tour prices. We would have never been able to find a place with a view like this by ourselves and it’s so incredible convient to outsoruse alot of the daily sightseeing logistic to someone who was way more knowledgable.

Everywhere else in the world we’ve been, we have done all the researching, planning and logistical details and it’s been such a rewarding experience. But I’m so gald we splurged a bit (ok maybe a lot, hahah!) and saw Egypt with a tour company.

The Pyramids of Giza & The Great Sphinx

After Luxor, we flew to Cairo where we had two full days to explore the Prymaids and Museums. Unfortunately we did experience a bit of bad luck in the form of a cancelled flights, which saw us arriving at the Luxor airport at 6am only to discover we had been rescheduled onto a flight at 12pm. Sitting in the airport for 6 hours was less than ideal but in hindsight it was only a minor inconvienence. We all handled it well, a bit of ipad time for the kids and a few card games and quizzes saw the hours creep by without much discomfort. And thankfully we had nothing else planned for that day. We later found out that the flight was probably cancelled because of the thick fog that Cairo experiences in the winter months.

All transport to and from the airport and to the sights was arranged by Memphis Tours, which was so incredibly convenient. Driving through the streets and freeways of Cairo is unlike anything else in the world… except for, I assume maybe, in India. To the uninitated, the traffic of Cairo looks like pure chaos, but it seems to work for the Egyptians. Braino, who has been an absolute pro when it comes to driving all our hire cars, was glad to be a passenger for this leg of the journey.

We stayed at the Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo Hotel which is located in Giza, right near the Pyramids and the new Grand Egyptian Museum. We had a fantastic view of the Pyramids of Giza from our two ajoining rooms, which was a total bucket list thing for me - a room with a view of the Pryamids. Overall, we loved the hotel; the breakfast buffet was great and the pools were lovely too. The location was well and truly worth it.

The view from our room at the Steigenberger Pyramid Cairo Hotel

Our guide in Cairo was Tarek, who was also an Archeologist and Egyptologist, he had worked on an excavation in Saqqara were they unearthed numerous mumified cats. Fasinating stuff, I loved hearing about it. While the Step Pyramid of Saqqara was on our itinerary for later in the day, our first stop was an early visit to the mighty Pyramids of Giza, only a short drive from our hotel.

Our guide, Tarek, Archeologist, Egyptologist and enthusiastic photographer.

We entered the Giza Plateau at the northern end, at the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza, tomb of the Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Built c. 2600 BC, over a period of about 26 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only wonder that has remained largely intact.

Visitors are a allowed to climb up the lower blocks of this pyramid and are able to venture inside, down into the burial chambers. On my first visit to Egypt in 2007, I went inside the Great Pyramid. I remember it being a little claustrophic walking down and back up the narrow shaft with a very low ceiling. It’s an additional cost so we opted not to do it with the kids but I kind of regret not doing it. It would have been a very cool experiene for them.

A camel with the Great Pyramid of Khufu in the background.

On the lower blocks of the Great Pyramid.

The Pyramid of Khafre

Next, we drove in our mini van past the Pyramid of Khafre, the middle pyramid with the stone - cladding top to it, around to the panaromic view point. While it appears bigger than the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre is slightly smaller in dimensions and only appears larger because it sits higher on the plateau than the Great Pyramid of Khufu. From the panoramic viewpoint we could also see the smallest of the three Pyramids, the Pyramid of Menkaure.

If you would like to capture the iconic view of all 9 pyramids, which includes the smaller step like pyramids that sit in front of the Pyramid of Menkaure, you have to travel south via camel across the desert, at an additional cost. This viewpoint isn’t accessable via car or by foot. As much as I wanted to get that classic postcard view of pyramids, I knew I wouldn’t be able to convience anyone else in the family to ride a camel with me. I’ll even admit that it’s a little scary when a camel goes from sitting to standing with you on it’s back.

The Panoramic Viewpoint of the Giza Plateau

Our next stop on the Giza Plateau was the famious Great Sphinx of Giza. It was still early in the morning, around 9am by ths stage, so we were able to beat the crowds and get some wonderful photos of the Sphinx. Before we reached the viewing platform on the right hand side of the Sphinx, we walked through the impressive Valley Temple of Khafre, which had a really mystical feel to it. The girls were probably most excited about seeing the Sphinx. while it does feel smaller than expected in person, its still a breathtaking sight to behold. A lot of mystery surrounds The Sphinx, my favourite theory being a Hall of Records is buried deep inside the Sphinx that contains lost knowlegde of Atlantis.

The Great Sphinx of Giza

The Valley Temple of Khafre

The Pyramid of Khafre with the Great Sphinx in front.

Our next stop of the day was the Step Pyramid of Saqqara which was a 30 minute drive south along the Nile - I’ll share photos in the next post. Looking back on these photos, its absolutely incredible that we were able to show the girls this wonder of the ancient world. It’s a priceless memory that will last forever and I’m blessed to have visited the pyramids for a second time with my husband and daughters.

Nile Cruise in Luxor to Banana Island

After we visited the Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple on the West Bank of Luxor, LT and our driver dropped us back to our hotel for an afternoon rest. Ibrahim, our Memphis Tours Leader, acommpanied us for an afternoon cruise. Initally, we thought this would be a felucca ride up and down the Nile, a felucca being a traditional sail boat used in Egypt. However, when we met our boat driver at the dock, we were found out that we were actually going to go to Banana Island. Also, because there wasn’t much wind that afternoon, our boat driver (I unfortuantely can’t remember his name) recommended we take one of the motorised boats instead.

We actually had a stunning Nile view from our hotel room but it was an added bonus to see Luxor from the vantage point of the Nile. Our boat driver / guide was fantastic, he was so chatty and friendly and really had a lot of interesting information.

Banana Island is a small banana plantation on the banks of the Nile. There seemed to be a number of boats arriving with tourists but it didn’t really seem like a tourist attraction, it was just a banana farm! But it was interesting nevertheless! Our guide told us about the organic banana farming practices and all the interesting featured of banana trees and then we were able to sit down at the picnic tables that overlooked the Nile and indulge in a bowl full of little organic bananas, which were actuallty really delicious. The girls loved them, which was great because we all had been struggling with a lack of appetite after over night of fevers.

The sun was setting as we headed back down the Nile when our guide offered to let Braino and I steer the boat for a bit. I was so terrible at it our guide quickly booted me back out of the drivers seat, haha! But Braino navigated us skillfully down the Nile for quite a while. The boat was actualluy rather big, a group of 30 people could have fit quite easily in to it but we had it all to ourselves.

The first time I came to Egypt in 2007, our tour included two nights of sleeping on a felucca while travelling from Aswan to Luxor. This was a really unique experience, because there was no showers, toilets or even rooms. Our group pretty much camped out on the deck of this sail boat for two days. I loved it but I didn’t think it would be the best option this time around with the girls. Braino and I did consider doing one of the famous Nile cruises boats that travel between Luxor and Aswan but it’s rather pricey and we thought that could get a little tidious for the kids, because there isn’t much onboard to keep them occupied. I’d love to do a Nile cruise later in life maybe, when I can kick back and read Agatha’s Christies ‘Death on the Nile’.

Visiting the West Bank of Luxor With Kids

After the full day we all spent sleeping, getting through the awful fever and lethagy we had all experienced, we mustered enought energy to head out in the moring, with our guide LT, to explore the sights of the West Bank of Luxor.

The Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is where the Pharaohs from the eighteenth dynasty to the twentieth dynasty. During this time were buried. Royal tombs were built deep with in the rock of the fairly unassuming limestone valley in an effort to hide the mummified remains and treasures from grave robbers. The pyramids that were used as burial chambers in the eariler dynasties were a little to obviously for graverobbers, so these style of hidden tombs gained popularity.

However, throughout history, many of these tombs were robbed and any artifacts that was found in modern times are now in the Egyptian Museums in addition to other museums in the world. The most well known tomb was Tutanhkamun’s, which was discovered in 1922. It hadn’t been disturbed at all and was found full of treasures, including Tut’s mummy.

Our ticket allowed us to enter three tombs and although guides are not allowed to enter the tombs and do any talking, LT advised that we visited the tombs of Rameses III (KV11), Ramses IX (KV6) & Ramses IV (KV2). Some of the tombs, like Tutanjkamun’s require an additional payment.

Although the tombs are generally empty, the intricate hieroglyphic adorning the walls are amazing, many of which still have colours after all these millienia. It’s amazing to think that there could still be tombs, sitting undiscovered in the cliffs of the valley.

Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Our next stop was only a short drive away to the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Queen Hatshepsut was one of ancient Egypt's most successful and prominent pharaohs and only one of the very few female Pharaohs, reigning during the 18th Dynasty from approximately 1479 to 1458 BCE. As the daughter of King Thutmose I and wife of Thutmose II, she initially served as regent for her young stepson, Thutmose III. However, she soon declared herself pharaoh, adopting full kingly titles and regalia.

Hatshepsut is renowned for her prosperous and peaceful rule, which was marked by significant architectural achievements, including her magnificent mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri and the two obelisks at Karnak Temple (of of which is still standing).

The temple is breathtakingly intriging from a distance and up close there are many impressive statues lining the three different levels and more well preserved, colourful heirogliphics. I would rate this as one of my favourite places in in Egypt, maybe because I remember first learning about Queen Hatsheput in a computer game I used to play as a kid; Where in Time is Carmen Sandiago.

The Colossi of Memnon

Our last stop on the West Bank of the Nile was The Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues standing as guardians at the entrance of the ancient mortuary temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Crafted around 1350 BCE from quartzite sandstone, each statue, towering at approximately 18 meters (59 feet) high, depicts the seated figure of Amenhotep III. It was fasinating to see all the current archeological exacavations that stretched beyond the statues. Other than the two statues there are only a few souvenir vendors at this site, making it a quick visit to see the Colossi and take photos. We managaed to arrive just before the large bus load of tourist we saw leaving Queen Hatshepsuts Temple at the same time we did, so we had the Colossi all to ourself for the short time we were there.

Because all our travel was arranged by Memphis Tours, we didn’t have to worry about a thing - LT, our guide, picked us up directly from the hotel with our driver in our own private mini van. And we didn’t have to worry about tickets or paying admission on entry. LT had all of that arranged for us in advance. I would highly recommend visiting with a guide; LT was able to provide so much fasinating information and it was a incredibly convinient having someone else take care of everything, considering we were still feeling a little bit unwell.

Because we missed a whole day of our itinerary due to feeling sick, we didn’t get to visiting the following sights:

• Ramesseum

• Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu

• The Valley of the Nobles

Other sights you could add to your West Bank of Luxor interary are:

• The Valley of the Queens

• Hot Air Balloon at Sunrise

• Deir el-Medina (Valley of the Artisans)

• Temple of Seti I

Tour guides will also recommend shops you can visit that usually involve a bit of a demonstration on the production techniques. For exmaple LT recommended we stop in at an Alabastor workshop. Alabastor is a stone similar to marble that is unquie to the West Bank of Luxor and I believe this particular place was the oldest authenic workshop in Luxor.

He also offered to take us to a perfumerary on the East Bank near Karnak Temple where we could purchase esential oils and perfumes. However, declined on both occasions. With these sort of visits, there is a bit of an implided expectation that you purchase something, so we felt that if we weren’t going to buy anything we didn’t want to waste anyones time. However, if you do have the budget and the luggage space, it would be very interesting to see how things are made.

East Bank of Luxor - Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple

Luxor, once known as the ancient city of Thebes, was the captial of Egypt from 1570 BCE to 1069 BCE. Like most of Egypt, The Nile flows right through Luxor, dividing it into the East Bank and The West Bank. The East Bank is where you’ll find mots of the large hotels, shops, residential areas and two of the most important sights of Ancient Egypt; Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.

We arrived in Luxor in the afternoon, after our driver from Memphis Tours transported us by Mini Van from Hurghada. The Drive took around 3 hours and we drove though some very barren, desert landscapes.

Unfortunately, Hallie and Rooney came down with feverish, flu like symptons on this day, so by the time we reached the hotel in Luxor, The Sonesta St George, they were in no state to head out sightseeing. Braino stayed at the accommodation while they slept and Farley and I headout with our guide LT to visit Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple. As sad as it was that two of the three girls were sick, it was still a lovely afternoon, spending some one on one time with Farley.

Karnak Temple

 Dating from around 2055 BC to around 100 AD, the Karnak Temple Complex is a collection of temples, chapels, pylons, and other structures, making it one of the largest religious complexes ever built.

Inside the Karnak Temple Complex, the Precinct of Amun-Ra, is the only part that most visitors get to see. The other three parts, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, are not open to the public. 

The most impressive area is the The Great Hypostyle Hall, where the awe-inspiring towering columns soar towards the heavens. The other iconic sights to look out for are the Obelisk of Thutmose I and Queen Hatshepsut along with many huge statues of Ramses II. 

Our guide, LT was a qualified Archeologist and Egyptologist and had so much knowledge to share. He also specialised in spiritual tours and had worked on film shoots as a historical consultant including The Scorpion King with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. He was such an interesting character and was very proactive at offering to take our photo, which is always lovely. I actually didn’t get any photos with him. 

First Pylon of Karnak Temple

Obelisks of Thutmose I & Queen Hatshepsut.

The Great Hypostyle Hall

The Great Hypostyle Hall

The Great Hypostyle Hall

The Great Hypostyle Hall

Aries Sphinx Statues in the Great Court

Luxor Temple

After Karnak Temple, we headed to Luxor Temple, which is only a short 2km drive away. There is an Avenue of Sphinx Statues that once linked Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.

Farley, LT and I arrived as the sun was setting but were surprised to find the crowded were still quite thick. LT mentioned that these crowds were nothing compared to amount of people who visit between Christmas and New Years. Visitors would have to line up for hours just to enter the temples. No Thanks! I’m glad we had missed those sort of crowds by a couple of days

Luxor Temple resembles a smaller version of Karnak Temple and was built by Amenhotep III (1390-52 BC) but completed by Tutankhamun (1336-27 BC) and Horemheb (1323-1295 BC) and then added to by Rameses II (1279-13 BC). The Temple interestingly has evidence of Christian worship and remains of a Coptic church. There is also a Mosque that was built on top of the Temple while it was still buried under the sand. It has been preserved and still stands to this day.

The front of Luxor Temple is guarded by 6 statues of Rameses II - two seated and four standing. Originally two 85m tall obelisk stood on either side of the entrance but one only remains today, the other can now be seen at the Place De La Concorde in Paris.

Avenue of Sphinx

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

If I could choose a super power, I would want to be able to go back in time to see ancient sites in all their splendour . Or to the late 1800s, when these temples were half buried in the sands of time, before any one saw the value in excavating the ruins of the past. Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple are magnificant in their current states, it’s hard to imagine what they would have looked like over 3000 years agao. Even with the crowded they still have an ethereal, otherworldly vibe, that makes you marvel at history and the evolution of civilisations. I felt very proud to be able to return to Egyot and share the experience of visiting these temples with Farley, 18 years after visiting them for the first time.

Egypt - Two Week Family Holiday in to the Land of The Pharaohs

Straight after our time in Norway, we flew via London to Hurghada, Egypt where we spent two weeks exploring the main sights of Egypt, arriving on January 2nd.  

Before we left Australia in May 2024, we had all our accommodations and flights booked until the new year, which was everything up to Norway. It was in August that we decided we’d head to Egypt after our time in Norway based on a few reasons: 

• I had been to Egypt in 2007, when I was I 21, and had the most amazing time. I’ve always dreams of going back and loved the idea of showing my family the magic of Ancient Egypt. 

• As Australian, we were able to stay for 90 days out of a 180 period in Europe, based on the Shengen Zone tourist restrictions. So after Norway, our 90 days were up and we were not able to visit any more European countries so we had to make a decision to head beyond Europe at this point. (Although Ireland is apart of the European Union, it is seperate to the Shengen Zone, which is why we were able to stay for 90 days Ireland first. ) 

• We were able to find some cheap direct flights to Hurghada from London with Easyjet so while we were still in that part of the world, it seemed the like most opportune time to include a visit to Egypt. 

• Also, as we had spent so long in the colder climates, we were keen to change it up a bit and get some sun. January is in fact Egypt’s winter as well but the temperatures were quite pleasant  - around 23 degrees celsius. 

Our itinerary 

4 x Nights in Hurghada

Hurghada is a coastal resort town along the Red Sea. It’s a hot spot for snorkelling and scuba diving and has an endless choice of all-inclusive resorts. Amarina Abu Soma Resort and Waterpark was a smaller resort but it had great pool area and a private beach too. 

3 x Nights in Luxor

From Hurghada we visited Luxor and Cairo as a part of a private guided trip through Memphis Tours. This ment that we had private drivers and mini vans to get around in, private guides at all the sights and 5 star hotel accommodation and flights between Luxor and Cairo and also between Cairo and Luxor. 

Unfortunately, we all came down with a nasty fever / cough. Braino first showed signs of it on the last day in Hurghada and then poor Hallie and Rooney came down with it on the day we travelled from Hurghada to Luxor, which also happened to be Hallie’s Birthday. (Thankfully we had a bit of a celebration for her the day before, knowing that her birthday fell on a travel day) 

Then Farley and I felt sick that night. We all spent the following day in beach and missed out on a whole day of sightseeing. We even arranged for a doctor to come out at night as Hallie’s fever was still pretty intense, she had a bit of a delirious spell. He prescribed some antibiotic for us and we were able to make the most of the following day. 

What we did in Luxor included: 

• Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple on Luxor’s East Bank (This was just Farley and Me on the afternoon that we arrived. Braino stayed in with Hallie and Rooney who were feeling sick) 

• The Valley of The Kings ,West Bank of Luxor where we entered three of tombs - Rameses III, Ramses IX & Ramses IV,

• The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, West Bank of Luxor

• The Colossi of Memnon, West Bank of Luxor 

• Boat ride on the Nile to Banana Island, a Banana Plantation along the Nile. 

We stayed at the Sonesta St George Hotel in Luxor which had a beautiful view out over The Nile. 

Karnak Temple, Luxor

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Luxor

3 x Nights in Cairo 

During the two full days we had in Cairo our Itinerary included: 

• The Giza Plateau where were visited the Pyramids of Giza and The Sphinx

• The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. 

• The Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo

• The newly built Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. 

In Cairo we stayed at the Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo, where we had an incredible view of the pyramids from our rooms. 

Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara

The Sphinx at the Giza Plateau, Cairo

4 x Nights in Hurghada 

After our time in Cairo, the tour with Memphis Tours officially ended upon our arrival back in Hurghada. We stayed for another 4 nights at Pickalbatros Jungle Aqua park Neverland Resort, which was another huge all - inclusive resort with multiple water slides and pools. It was also where we celebrated Farley’s birthday. 

We thought the kids would love all the waterslides but to be honest, our energy levels were still low post sickness and the water in the pools was still quite cold. Some were heated but it was hard to get a lounge chair around these popular pools. 

To top of it off, Braino, Hallie and I all caught a case of Gastro towards the end of our stay. Unfortunately for me and Hallie it was the day that we caught the flight back to London so that travel day was extra challenging.  

Neverland Jungle Waterpark Resort

Neverland Jungle Waterpark Resort

Overall, Egypt is an incredible, eye opening place to visit and we will always look back on our time there with a sense of wonder. But it was unfortunately affected by the bout of sickness that we all experienced. Thankfully it didn’t have us out of action for too long but it did affect our energy levels and the general morale of everyone during our excursions

We also realised that all inclusive hotels probably aren’t our thing. Even though they seem like good value for money, there isn’t a lot to do unless you want to literally swim and sit by the pool all day. At both hotels we were all in the one hotel room so it was quite a small space to hang out in. The food was all buffets, and while the variety and quality wasn’t too bad it got a bit monotonous going to the same dining room three times a day. 

Also, we were there during the time of year when the weather was slightly too cool for swimming. Perfectly fine for Europeans escaping the freezing winters but for us, the weather was similar to a Brisbane winter. Perfect temps for the days of sightseeing  in the sun but not so much for swimming and lounging by the pool. 

I’ll share some more posts on the specific places we visited in Cairo & Luxor in upcoming blog posts. 

NORWAY - New Years Eve in Bergen

After our missed flight debacle of leaving Tromsø, we had two full days in Bergen, plus 2 half days as we flew in earlier in the morning and then we flew out late in the afternoon. But we honestly didn’t do too much. There is a family friendly science museum and a cable car / funicular to the highest point that overlooks the harbour. But by this stage of the trip, I feel like we have visited enough Science Museums and have gone on enough cable cars up mountains to last a lifetime, haha. And after the unexpected expense of our bonus night in Tromsø, we were pretty happy to take it very easy and not plan anything at all.

The view of Bergen from across the harbour at the Fish Markets

Bergen is an incredibly beautiful town! The kind you can enjoy just wondering around, taking in the scenery. The archetcture is so charming and the many of the streets in the main part of town had little to no traffic.

The accommodation we were staying in was in a fantastic location, just behind the historic area of Bryygen. It was so convenient and easy to walk everywhere. Our apartment was in the attic, on the 4 floor of the building, even though it was a mission to lug all the bags up the floor flights of stairs, we had an amazing view over the rooftops and out to the harbour in front of the Bryygen Historic Area. And we were there for New Years Eve, which gave us a great view of all the fireworks that were going off over the city. Even though there was heavy snow in the late afternoon of the 31st of Decemeber, it cleared by midnight and the fireworks were able to go ahead. The girls didn’t stay up that late bbut we did have a dance party in the apartment before bedtime.

Bryygen

Bryygen, the historic wharf of Bergen, serves as a testament to the town's significance within the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th century to the mid-16th century.

The distinctive wooden houses of Bryggen have endured numerous fires, with the most recent occurring in 1955. Their reconstruction has consistently adhered to traditional patterns and methods, preserving the main structure as a relic of an ancient wooden urban landscape that was once widespread in Northern Europe.

Today, approximately 62 buildings still stand as part of this former townscape and many of the historic building are now shop for local artists. We enjoyed wadering around the narrow alleys and admiring the historic buildings that resembles a film set, but there wasn’t much to do in the way of attractions or tours. I imagine it would be very busy and crowded during the summer months, but with the loghts dusting of snow, it was really quite magical looking.

The historic area of Bryygen

The historic area of Bryygen

The historic area of Bryygen

The beautiful view of snow covered roofs from our apartment.

The beautiful view of snow covered roofs from our apartment.

The beautiful view of snow covered roofs from our apartment.

Fantoff Stave Church

The other short excursion we did while we were in Bergen was visit the Fantoff Stave Church, located a short bus or train ride out of town. Stave Chruchs are unique to Norway, being the oldest preserved wooden churches in Christianity. The Fantoff Stave church was built in Fortun in Sogn in 1170 and moved to Fantoft in 1883. In 1992 it was burnt to the ground in an act of arson and what stands today is a reconstruction of the original.

We could two buses out to the Fantoff Stave Chruch, there was a bus stop very close by. But on the way back we walk downhill for about 30mins to get to the train station, to catch the lightrail train but into town. We couldn’t go inside the church - I believe it was closed for the winter. But we still had a good time walking through the snow covered forest to find the church and climbing the rocky hillside to take photos.

I think Stave Churchs looks so mysterious, like something from a fantasty story like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings. They date back to a time when Viking Hertitage still had a strong influence even though Christianity was spreading across Norway. Hallie commented on how it reminded her of a temple from Japan, which I thought was a really intelligent thing for a 7 year old to say. it shows how much she is absorbing from all our travels.

Fantoff Stave Church

NORWAY - Big Challenges And Stunning Scenery.

Tromso is a truly amazing place, filled with such natural beauty. We’re so grateful to have been able to experience all that we did above the Arctic Circle, with such clear weather and fresh snow at the start of our 12 night stay. 

However, while in Tromso, we experienced some of the most stressful and awful incidences of our whole trip. More on that at further down in the blog post. But first, lets admire some of the stunning scenery.

The photos below were taken on a day with beautiful weather - the 22nd of December I think. I was able to wander around town by myself, capturing these beautiful photos during the daylight hours. 

Our Christmas day was very quiet and cosy! We had prepared a few small surprise gifts for the girls and Santa also stopped by with some small presents - mainly books, colouring pens, digital watches and a few trinkets. We were planning to go to the English-spoken Christmas Service at the Arctic Cathedral at 4pm, but by 3pm the bad weather had set in, with rain and strong winds. So we stayed in a watched movies and played monopoly instead. I cooked reindeer stew for dinner and I’m pleased to report it taste just like the stew at the Reindeer excursions with the Sami. (You can get frozen reindeer meat at the local supermarket)

Bad Weather, Missed Flights and Lost Toys

From Christmas Day to the 28th. The weather really turned - it was rainy and windy and the snow all turned to slush, making it really slippery and wet to walk around. I really feel for people who arrived in Tromso on Christmas or after. So many of the whale watching tours and northern lights tours were cancelled - even the cable car stopped running due to the high winds. On these days we ventured off to two of the museums, which I’ve written about in a seperate post, but simply walking around the footpaths felt really dangerous. 

But departing Tromso was one of the worst, most stressful things to happen on our trip, thanks to a rescheduled flight that we missed, resulting in us having to book a whole new flight and an extra night of (very expensive) accommodation 😭😭. What kind of airline bumps a whole family to an earlier flight with less than 12 hours notice - those 12 hours literally being the night before 😡😡😡😡. Wideroe, that’s who! 

Our original flight wasn’t cancelled either, so there was no real reason that we were bumped - I’d be ok with being bumped to a later flight, we would atleast have had a chance to reorganise ourselves. We were definitely not prepared for getting to the airport at 6am rather than 12pm on the 28th. 

However, I am proud of how the whole family handled the awful situation. Braino and I kept our cool, no one raised their voices or lost the plot or had an emotional meltdown. We just got things sorted as best we could in a calm manner. 

I’m also incredibly grateful that we have budgeted well and stuck to our budget, which means we have a healthy amount in contingency put aside for unforeseen things like this. I’m currently trying our luck at getting some sort of reimbursement from Wideroe but I don’t like our chances. Our travel insurance unfortunately won’t cover something like this - I’ve gone through the terms and conditions in detail. 

The other absolute lowlight of our time in Tromso, was loosing Hallie’s treasured toy wombat Happy Bang. It’s been her comfort toy ever since she was one year old and has become some what of a family icon. She mysteriously disappeared from a carry bag that was filled with other toys, gloves and beanies while we were out. ( I was carrying it, so I’m the most to blame 😭😭😭) 

We retraced our steps multiple times, searching high and low, asking in the 7-Eleven we stopped at, contacting the bus company and even making the trip out to their head office to search through the lost and found. The lady who worked at the lost and found department put in an amazing effort to search all the 34 buses and 26 buses for us, the two buses we caught during the short window of time were she could have disappeared. We even posted on a Tromso community Facebook group in the hopes someone picked Happy Bang up. 

Hallie handled the devastation really maturely, she even set up a gravestone for Happy Bang in the yard of the accommodation when we left. Braino and I seemed more devastated about it really. We thought Happy Bang would be the one toy we’d keep forever. It feels akin to losing a pet. We have since implement a no toys to be brought out on day trips rule, even Farley’s favourite Leprechaun Clover. They always end up in a bag or with Braino or I carrying them and we can’t handle another loss, we already had a few close calls before this incident. 

Ironically, we did purchase exactly the same wombat toy many years ago, in the instance that this exact thing would happen. It’s called Sad Bang but it’s face isn’t as cute so it never achieved the same level of attachment as Happy Bang (the name Bang is a reference to the book Happy Birthday Wombat from the Diary of a Wombat book series, where the wombat pops balloons with a BANG! . I read the book to Hallie as a baby and Bang was one of her first words. I guess she always associated the word bang with wombats.) 

Rest In Peace Happy Bang, I hope she has found a loving home in Tromso. 

NORWAY - Family Friendly Museums of Tromso

Tromso has a surprising variety of museums for a smaller, remotely located town. We visited two that were ideal for kids - the Troll Museum and The Science Centre of Northern Norway 

The Troll Museum is quite small but has a vast array of exhibits dedicated to the fairy tales and folklore of Norway, many of which contain the mythoogical creature that is iconic to Norway - The Troll. 

Many of the Norwegian Fairy Tales that feature trolls were displayed as beautifully designed miniature dioramas, along with some human size trolls. I really liked the display that showed all the rock formations around Norway that have inspired Troll myths and legends. Many actually looked like the rock giants from Frozen 2.

 Hallie and Rooney loved the interactive sand display, which had a landscape projected onto the sand from above and changed as they dug out and piled up the sand. The dug out parts would become an ocean via the projection while any piled up parts became islands with trolls stomping around. 

The sand projection exhibit that the girls loved.

Dioramas of Norwegian Folklore

Diarama of a Norwegian folk tale.

The Science Centre of Northern Norway includes a planetarium where we watched the featured film Extreme Auroras . It features breathtaking time lapse footage of the Auroras and was shot and produced by renowned local Tromso photographer Ole Christian Salomonsen.

While the Science Centre is on the smaller side, it kept us busy for hours and had a number of interactive displays that we hadn’t yet come across in the other science centres we have visited.

Here is a list of other museums and attractions that would be worth a look while in Tromso. You can purchase a Tromso Pass which provides discounted entry into a number of these museums, along with admission to the cable car. We opted not to get one as we had booked the other excursions like the whale watching cruise with Brim Explore and reindeers. We wanted to factor in some down time and, I’m not going to lie, Norway is very expensive! The exchange rate against the Australian dollar is a killer so we had to restrain ourselves when it came to all the touristy recommendations.

Polaria 

An aquarium in a impressive architecturally designed building that hosts seal shows and a hands on rock pool. 

The Polar Museum

A small museum dedicated to Arctic explorers and expeditions  

Tromso Museum / The Arctic University Museum of Norway

A university museum dedicated to the arctic region, including the history of the Sami, the science behind the Northern Lights and ecosystems of the Arctic. It looks like it has a good kids section too. 

Full Steam Museum 

This museum is located next to the Polar Museum along the wharf area. It has exhibition about the Sea Sami and the Northern Lights. 

NORWAY - Northern Lights Above Tromso

We were extraordinarily lucky to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis dance across the skies above Tromso on multiple nights during our stay, between December 17th to December 24th.

Many people book Northern Lights Tours, were they go out with a guide for hours at night, traveling to remote areas beyond Tromso, away from the light pollution of the city. However, we didn’t not plan to book anything like this, mainly due to the high prices and also the fact that it’s not really idea for kids to be outdoors all night in below freezing temperatures. Plus many tours group do not cater to children under the age of 10. But Tromso is know as a place where it is common to see the Aurora Borealis from town and we definitely got lucky with great conditions.

The best vantage point for seeing the Northern Lights is from Storsteinen, which is 421 meters above sea level and is accessible by the Fjellheisen Cable Car in Sollivenien in Tromsdalen, across the bridge from the main island of Tromso. We went up to the top of the mountain around 5pm on a very clear night and miraculously timed it perfectly with a stunning Aurora Borealis display stretching across Tromso. An hour or so later, the Aurora had disappeared but no doubt it returned throughout the night. The girls loved sliding around in the snow, along with a number of other kids who didn’t really understand the magnitude of what they were witnessing in the skies above.

I would have loved to have gone up the cable cab during the daylight hours also, to capture the breathtaking view. But, the cable car is very expensive so we planned our trip to maximise viewing the Aurora Borealis. There is a walking track that leads up the mountain but it’s only recommended for experienced hikers during the winter months.

The view from the top of the Fjellheisen Cable Car

The view from the top of the Fjellheisen Cable Car

The view from the top of the Fjellheisen Cable Car

The view from the top of the Fjellheisen Cable Car

The view from the top of the Fjellheisen Cable Car

The photos below are from a different night where we could first see the Aurora from right outside our door, which why Braino thought it would be funny to go outside in his summer cloths for a photos, despite it being freezing!

Later that evening, I decided to venture off to the other side of town to Prestvannet in Tromso. Prestvannet is a small lake on the highest point of Tromso, which is easily accessible by bus 40 - just get off at Stalheim. The lake was completely frozen, covered in deep snow, with many other groups of people out photographing the Northern Lights too. A lovely couple took my photo in exchange for me taking a photo of them.

The view from our accomodation in Tromsdalen

The view from our accommodation in Tromsdalen

I was incredibly impressed by how well my iPhone 15 captured the Northern Lights, just shooting handheld. Braino much old iphone didn’t produce the same results. From the lake and the top of the cable car, we could see the vibrant green colours of the auroras with our naked eye, but it does look more vibrant through the lens of a camera. Around the town, with a bit more light pollution, the auroras can look a lot more pale in colour to the naked eye.

It’s made me appreciate how much effort and time it takes to capture professional footage of the Aurora Borealis. It’s so incredibly cold, my hands were freezing when I had them out of my ski glove to work the camera. Being outside all night, in remote landscapes, capturing timelapse photos, you’d really need the best quality clothing and camera gear.

The view from the frozen lake at Pressvannet

The view from the frozen lake at Pressvannet

The view from the frozen lake at Pressvannet

NORWAY - Reindeers Sled Rides with the Sami

A few days before Christmas we had a wonderful afternoon learning about reindeers and the Sami, the indigenous reindeer herders of northern Norway with Tromso Arctic Reindeer.

The Sami have inhabited the Arctic region across the north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia for over 10,000 years. Traditionally, they have had a close bond with reindeers with reindeer herding providing the basis for their economy. There are also Sea Sami who make their living from catching fish and large aquatic creatures.

If you’ve ever watched Frozen 2, the Northuldra people in the movie are some what based on the Sami. We had a very big Frozen 2 phase during 2020, Braino and I probably have more of a sentimental attachment to the movie than the girls to be honest. It certainly kept us entertained during the lock down year of 2020.

The reindeer tours with the Sami run during the winter months and are very popular with tourists in Tromso. We booked our tour via the Tromso Tourism Website and joined 3 other bus load of tourists at the main bus terminal to set off for our afternoon adventure.

The Sami camp and reindeer paddock is about 30 mins north of Tromso, located along the water. After a brief introduction, we were able to fed many of the friendly reindeers in the herd. The reindeers were so sweet and quite slow paced (not like the bossy deer in Nara, Japan). They leisurely ate pellets out of the buckets we were provided with. However the girls were a little nervous about having their big antlers too close. We saw two reindeers locking antlers and fighting but even that seem pretty relaxed.

After some hot chocolate in the dining tent to warm, it was our groups turn to go on the sled ride. The Sami guides led the train of reindeers pulling the sleds around the paddock with beautiful views out across the mountains. The sleds were quite simple wooden platforms with seats and blankets - the girls really enjoyed this part. I had imagined we’d go sledding through a forest but this was still really special.

Once the darkness settled in, all the guests huddled into the traditional Sami tent, a ‘lavvu’, where we were able to try reindeer stew cooked over the fire and listen to stories and information about the Sami culture. This was my favourite part! It was so fascinating to learn about the history of the Arctic and the people who have lived in this part of the world for thousands of years.

Like many indigenous cultures, the Sami have faced persecution and have had to fight to retain their culture and way of life. The Sami religion is similar to Paganism, based around spirits of nature; it came under persecution when Christianity spread across Norway in the 17th Century. The Sami have a special way of singing, called joiking (pronounced Yoiking), it’s similar to a chant and every Sami person has a tune that is unique to them. (Again, it’s similar to what you can hear in Frozen 2) As a big group, we learned how to Joik and sung around the fire.

One of the guides explained how the idea of the tours grew from tourists stopping by the paddocks, asking to pat and take photos with the reindeers. But while the large group did feel very touristy, I appreciate that its a way for the Sami people to earn money while educating the rest of the world about their culture. Being able to get up close to reindeers the snow was obviously a very unqiue Christmas experience for the girls.

If I have one recommendation it would be to book the morning tour so you get a little more daylight, which is better for photos. We left booking a tour a little late and there were only afternoon times available - the daylight disappears around 2:30pm. Alternatively, you can do a tour at night, with the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights along with the reindeers.

P.S: We all really enjoyed the reindeer stew, so much so that I made some more for dinner on Christmas Day.

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NORWAY - Orca Sightings in the Arctic Fjords

One of the main things we did in Tromso was the silent whale watching cruise through the fjords with Brim Explorer, where we were able to see a pod of Orcas (Killer Whales) in the wild! Hallie has always had a love for orcas so this was one of the reasons we decided on Tromso for Christmas. It was an absolutely incredible experience to see these intriguing animals in the wild and just cruising through the Fjords was spectacular in itself! It’s a breathtaking, other-worldly landscape.

Below is a video I put together on Instagram, if you’re able to watch it you’ll see a shot of the orca’s fins swimming close to the boats. It probably the best footage I got of the orcas but you can see some in the photos below, as well as the beautiful scenery.

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The Brim Explorer’s boat is a high speed, hybrid-electric boat designed to reduce the impact on the wildlife of the Fjords. We boarded the boat at 9am in the morning and it took about 2.5 hours to get out to the part of the Fjords where the Orcas are known to feed on herring. The inside of the boat was warm and comfortable and while it was possible to go out on the decks and enjoy the view, the wind and wind chill factor was pretty extreme due to the speed at which the boat was travelling. I went out quite a few times to take photos but only for a few minutes each time.

We came prepared with lots of snacks, a packed lunch and plenty of games and colouring pens for the girls as there wasn’t much else to do other than enjoy the view. The two lovely crew members gave intermittent talks about the Arctic climate and lifestyle. Many passengers were sleeping or watching movies on their phones but I was just so obsessed with the scenery.

Once we arrived into the area of the fjords off the Island of Skjervoy, the boat slowed down to a much steadier pace, making it was easier to spend time on the deck. Over the next hour and half, the captain and crew would alert the passengers to sightings of the orcas and everyone would head to side of the boat that gave the best view. The pod of orcas was made up of possibly 8 different orcas and we mainly saw their dorsal fins and backs swimming through the water. At one point though, the orcas came very close to the boat and I saw one of the orcas eyes and face! Amazing! But I didn’t have time to get the phone out for a photo. The captain also announced a few times that they could see a humpback whale but I never caught a glimpse of it.

In the photos below, you can see a glimpse of the dorsal fins of the orcas…

Once the daylight started to disappear around 1:30pm, we headed back towards Tromso. The crew members gave a number of talks about whales and orcas with loads of interesting information. They also served a limited amount of soup that you could pre-purchase, but we had packed enough food to keep us going. They did have free coffee refills which was very welcome!

Overall, this was a fantastic day trip with the kids. Even with the extreme cold, it was a conformatable way to see the spectactular sceney of the Norwegian Fjords and having the opportunity to see a pod of Orcas in the wild was truly a once in the a life time experience. It’s uncommon to see them off the coast of Australian, unlike humpback whales.

NORWAY - Arriving in Tromso, Above the Arctic Circle

When we were planning our trip, we thought how incredible it would be to plan for a white Christmas. But when we starting researching places to go; to guarantee snow at the end of December, we’d have to travel up to Scandinavia.

Rovaniemi in Finland sits right on the Arctic Circle and is a very popular Christmas destination. Known as the home of Santa, the town is fully decked out as Santa’s Village. However, our girls have never really been keen on the whole Santa aspect of Christmas, we’ve never done the shopping centre photos with Santa because the girls simply never wanted to. So a full on Santa’s village with people in costumes didn’t really feel like the best choice for us.

But once we read about what Tromso in Norway had to offer, we decided that was the better option.

Here’s a brief list of the activities and sights we saw in Tromso which I’ll do more detailed blog posts for:

• A whale watching, specifically Orcas, through the Arctic Fjords.

• Reindeer feedings and reindeer sledding with the Sami, the indigenous people of Scandinavia.

• Having the possibility to view the Northern Lights (Aurora Borelis) from the town of Tromso.

These photos were taken on our first full day in Tromso, where we first got to experience the Polar Night. During the winter months, the sun doesn’t technically rise in Tromso, whihc sits well above the Arctic Circle. Between the hours of 11am to roughly 1:30pm, there is a enough daylight peeking over the horizon to turn the sky a beautiful shade of blue, but everything has a subtle bluish tinge. But 3pm it’s totally as dark as night. It’s really magical for those few hours on a clear day with fresh snow.

We have been getting use to the decreasing daylight hours, in Scotland the daylight was gone by 4:30pm and in Stockholm and Copenhagen it was dark by 3:30 - 4pm. But it was a real experience to have such little daylight Very exciting though. I love being in the snow, surrounded by mountain peaks and clear skies.

The girls were so thrilled to play in snow for the first time. Generally the snow was about shin deep, but in some parts of town were the snow had been pushed to the side of roads and footpaths, it was over 6ft tall. The snow was very fresh, fluffy and dry, perfect for rolling around in.

After our little adventure into the main part of town, where we organised bus passes and some of the activities for the coming days, we came home to our accommodation. The girls were so keen to play in the snow some more so we built a snowman out in the front. While the girls were playing, Braino and I were sitting on the porch, when Braino said ‘wouldn’t it be wild if we just saw the Northern Lights in the sky from here’. And sure enough, 5 minutes later, we saw a faint streak of green across the sky!

Braino had spoken to a neighbour early who said that the conditions have been perfect for seeing the Northern Lights from Tromso. It was so extraordinary to see them so soon during our stay and I love this photo of the girls.. but stay tuned for more Aurora Borealis action!