The Scandinavia guidebook pages we have been skimming through has finally lifted its pages and breathed life to these seemingly faraway countries as we first arrived in Oslo, Norway. During our visit, Norway's neutral grounding in past world wars clearly reflect its city - a calming vibe, barely unscathed by traumatizing tragedies of what tore the world apart. The surrounding neighborhoods of Bygordy showed a love and value for family life where kids and parents giddily play in their backyard. And it has saddened us greatly when the news about its bombing and shooting hit global news. Heroin, on the other hand, holds Oslo captive to addiction. And although drug users are not considered harmful by locals, heroin use is so rampant, law enforcers can't help but let druggies slip by and simply drive them on the opposite side of the main train station. 

On a lighter note, Norway is a super clean city thanks to their love of the environment but a super expensive one for sure and we thought UK£ was bad! Ha! So well dying of thirst, we had no choice but to buy a liter of Imsdal water for $5.00! Water never tasted that gooood we tried to drink sips of it until we crossed the borders of Germany a week later. Seriously, no pun intended. We only had a day and a half here and made the best out of it sightseeing the city. One of our goals was to see Edvard Munch's original "Scream" painting but to our huge dismay was closed for a holiday. BUMMER.  Instead, Oslo gave us the Viking Museum, Vigeland Park, Nobel Peace Center and Oslo City Hall.

Unlike the other many cities we've been to, visiting Oslo literally felt that we were barely scratching its surface. We didn't even get a chance to see a fjord! Hmmm...so I guess the more reason to come back for more.

educates the public about the Vikings!!! It houses three humongous Viking ships together with relics and artifacts preserved for this sole purpose.

or the Nobel Peace Center dedicates itself to the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize together with their desire to educate visitors of other cultures, history, world problems and current news. 

or Oslo's City Hall remains as one of the best municipal hall we have ever seen, lavishly decorated in beautiful, bright palettes by Norwegian artists. Basked in rich wood, orange and golden hues, the congress meeting room exhibits an elegance and luxurious ambience that won't go unnoticed. Every year, the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize are awarded here. 

is a beautiful sculpture park by Gustav Vigeland portraying different stages and relationships of human life mostly in granite. 

Just as I thought we've already seen the most picturesque sceneries in Europe, Cinque Terre came. Unlike Monaco or Nice's somewhat luxurious countryside combination, Cinque Terre effuses with age-old charm and timeless beauty. Monterrosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarolo and Riomaggiore makes up the Cinque Terre (Five Lands) of the Italian Riviera. A pirate's nest, terrorized and pilfered by the Mediterranean counterparts of Jack Sparrow once upon a time, Cinque Terre now stands as a bustling sea town drawing both locals and tourists especially during Easter time. Local trains connect each village but the connecting hike up and down its steep mountains and narrow tracks with a breathtaking view of the towns from up high is a MUST, MUST, MUST!  

After Monaco, we took the connecting trains to Ventimiglia to La Spezia finally to Deiva Marina's camping grounds, Camping La Sfinge. Oh and just a word of advice, try not to make Ventimiglia your stop over or spend the least amount of time at this train station. In a nutshell, three guys hovered over us like hawks ready to "help us with our bags." Thank God for the Philippine commuter instincts kicking in! Oh yeaaahhh!

Beginning at Monterosso al Mare, we tackled the 5-mile hike ahead of us where my oh-so fab thighs got a good dose of a month's workout. Monterosso's trail proved to be the hardest one while the Corniglia to Riomaggiore trail the easiest. Connected by the Via dell'amore bridge, said to have been the sneak out spot of Corniglia and Riomaggiore lovers, it took about a good 10-minute walk between the two. Unsurprisingly, the lovers bridge belongs to one of many where padlocks populate its handrails. By the end of the day, we took the scenic ferry route back to Monterosso for a pirate's view of Cinque Terre, Italy. Que bella...!

Vernazza

Ah! My favorite of them all and this is why...

As the clock hit midnight, we finally arrived in Nice! Thankfully, the front guy was nice enough to wait and accomodate us. Beaten and tired, we immediately crashed hoping for some Nice love and sunshine in the morning.

Just a Tip: Check if the reception of your Euro Hostel is open 24/7 (some hostels aren't) and it doesn't hurt to let them know what time you are coming. Have a working phone and the hostel's phone number handy in case you get locked out of the hostel!

By 0800AM, we hit the streets of Nice ready to begin our day. Grabbing some breakfast croissants from Monoprix, we decided to stroll around the center before finally hitting the beach. But La Place Massena welcomed us first with its checkered tiles, huge fountain and towering poles, which sit men statues that light up at night.

Soon after, we found our way to the rockiest beach we've ever been in. Sat, people-watched, ate our fab croissants and tested the waters for some dipping. Unfortunately, the water was way too cold and way too flat to our liking but breathtaking nonetheless! Then, we walked up the access stairs to Colline du Chateau to see a panoramic view of Nice. To our left, the Mediterranean sea was amazingly aqua blue and the little town of Nice to our right was stunningly full of charm and character, one of the best views we had ever seen in all of Europe and we are truly thankful to God for those moments. 

Back down, we decided to bike the stretch of Promenade des Anglais, Nice's boardwalk/main street after seeing the parade of blue rental bikes on the side streets. But to our dismay, we failed to figure out how to actually rent them. Fortunately, we came across a small local bike rental shop which charged us 10€ / per bike for three hours! And there we spent the rest of  our day meandering with other bikers and roller bladers, basking under the heat of the riviera sun and enjoying the still seascape.