Photo album The first two weeks of September was a trip I had been looking forward to for several months. Shreya had a conference to attend in Oxford, UK. We spent a couple of days in London meeting an old friend, then worked from Oxford. Oxford is a really quaint town and running along the old canals with historical buildings all around was such a nice experience. Parts of the UK look very similar to India, and parts of it sound very similar to India, so there is always a sense of familiarity. Read more...

Every once in a while, a trip goes so well, you want to thank the entire Universe for not conspiring against you. Such was the Bugaboos. The weather was ideal, the company was nice and the views were spectacular! The rock? Bugaboos rock is perfect! Much has been written about the Bugaboos, so I won’t go into the logistics and route details, focusing instead on the trip. We hiked in July 22nd and hiked out July 29th. Read more...

(Continues from part 2 of this series on Norway.) Bergen is the most popular place in Norway and tourism related services are around from the moment you exit the airport. A constant bus service takes you to downtown and is so busy that you often have to wait a few buses. We got dropped of near Festplassen and walked to Citybox Bergen, where we’d stay for the next 2 days. This is another one of those self-serve hostels that seem to be popular in Scandinavia. Read more...

(Continues from part 1 of this series on Norway.) I slept pretty fitfully that night, and not for very long. The sun had just from one corner of the sky to the other and my brain was confused. After an uninspiring breakfast (don’t worry, it gets better from here), we packed up and began the hike out. Munkebu hut has an incredible setting. Random waterfall on the hike out. Read more...

(Photos are from my iPhone and Shreya’s Sony A-6000.) I went to Norway for 9 days the week before Memorial Day weekend. As is the norm, I was blown away by the pristine beauty of the country, and will certainly go back. There is some great climbing and skiing to be done in Norway in the future. The highlights for this trip were 3.5 days spent in the Lofoten islands and the Sognefjord + Flåm tour. Read more...