Travel – Christina de Vries

Soarin’ Made Me Cry

Disneyland is filled with rides and adventures. Some are sweet, some get your heart rate up and others (apparently) will make you cry!

Or they will make me cry at least.

One ride that I did not take the last time I was here was Soarin’. I had never even heard of it until this time around, and I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest.

You wait in line and then you have a “pilot” giving you the flight instructions for your ride. As soon as we got in, you get strapped to a row of seats that are hanging from the ceiling, and then you’re off! Your feet leave the floor and you are facing a giant screen.

All of the sudden you’re flying up in the skies with the wind in your hair, and then you’re traveling all over the world in a matter of seconds without ever really going anywhere.

Now I’m a very visual person, and I get moved so easily. One of the things that I’ve found after I started traveling a lot, was just how emotional I get out of complete awe of what the world has to offer. The different sights, smells and sounds. By going on this ride my mind ended up getting somewhat of an overload I guess. I was “flying” over an African desert filled with elephants and I just started crying. Even I was a bit surprised.

It was something about the smells that they add to the ride, and the wind effects that made it feel so real, even though I knew it wasn’t. It just got to me. I felt so incredibly lucky to be in the position that I’m in where I get to travel as much as I do. Something about all the wonders that this world has to offer, and maybe more than anything else, it got to me exactly how reckless we are when it comes to taking care of it.

So many takes it for granted way too often, and it’s easy to do when we live inside of our own bubbles for too long. I think that’s why I love to travel as much as I do. It puts everything into perspective, and it reminds me of all the beauty we’re surrounded by, and how important it is to take care of it all.

So this is why Soarin’ made my cry, and why I think it’s the best and most spectacular ride that Disneyland has to offer!

If you ever get the chance to go on it, I would highly recommend that you give it a try!

Where Are You at 3am?

Usually I’m far gone into the land of dreams at 3am, but tonight I’m spending my night at a place that feels somewhat familiar to me, although I’ve never spent the night here or anywhere like it before.

I’m spending my night at Oslo Airport Gardermoen.

It sounds all kinds of dramatic, but it isn’t. I have a super early flight, so early so that there weren’t any morning buses or trains that would get me here in time, and I didn’t want to spend a ridiculously amount of money to book myself into an airport hotel for a just a few hours.

That left me with the choice of taking the last train to the airport that would arrive at around 1am, and that would give me a good five hours at the airport before my plane will take me up, up, up and away!

I was curious to see how spending a night at a place like this would actually be like, and I found it to be way more comfortable and interesting than I expected.

I definitely wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to waste money on a hotel. There are quite a lot of people here. You can see them sleeping or reading, talking with friends, or doing some late night working. Maybe they are writing too!

While being surrounded by all of these travelers, I found myself lost in one of my favorite activities; people watching.

My eyes drifted from traveler to traveler, and I started thinking about where they were from, where they were going, and what kind of stories they would be able to tell.

The travelers come in all different shapes, ages, and colors, and I find myself very calm and relaxed even though I’m surrounded by bright lights and sounds of maintenance workers. It’s so different to be here in a place that I’m used to seeing crammed with people and loud with voice, suddenly being a place of rest and stillness.

I even managed to sleep for an hour on one of the benches.

Now I’m not saying that I would prefer to sleep at airports. I love the softness of a good bed way too much, but this was a way more pleasant experience than I expected it to be. I still have about 2,5 hours left before I’m starting a 16 hour long journey, but even though I’m tired, it’s off to a good start!

I’m guessing most of you are sleeping, or you are in time zones that takes you far away from 3am at this writing moment, but wherever you are, I hope you’re smiling!

And if you find yourself other places than home at 3am, I hope you make the most of it❤️

Another Morning, Another Hostel!

Yes, I’m traveling again! This time, I went by bus over night from Oslo, over to Sweden, and then, at 7am this morning, I found myself in Copenhagen!

It’s been a little while since the last time I visited Copenhagen, and this time around I’m just here for two days. I basically came here for two things;

The Jason Mraz concert and to get a new tattoo!

And I’m very excited about both! I will also try to get quite a bit of writing done too. Arriving here so early gives me a good amount of hours to write and film some here in the city.

I love coming back to Copenhagen. Just like London and Amsterdam, it has such a wonderful atmosphere! First time I’ve traveled here by bus though, and I have mixed feelings about it.

I had reserved the front, single seat on the second floor, which gave me quite the view. The price was really good as well!

Now let me share some of the things I learned for future long distance bus rides:

☀️ Bring a pair of extra warm socks. You’ll want to take of your shoes, and your feet will get cold, which makes it hard to fall asleep, and just uncomfortable.

☀️ Wear a coat or bring a blanket. Again, it can get really cold!

☀️ Travel pillow!! I considered bringing mine, decided not to, and regretted that decision! I think my neck is bitter as hell because of it too.

☀️ You know those rude people that insist on talking extremely loud on their phone? Well, they will do the exact same thing, even when it’s in the middle of the night. Bring a headset, preferably those fancy ones with noise cancellation! The regular Apple headset worked to block out the worst for me.

☀️ Wear comfortable clothes! You’ll be sleeping, or just sitting, in a somewhat seated position for many hours. Make sure you’ll be as comfortable as possible. Those skinny jeans that feels like they’re hugging your calves, after a few hours of sitting in them, it will feel like they’re trying to squeeze the life out of you! Bring them wit you instead. I went for some flared, stretchy pants which made it possible to try to fold myself into in unnatural positions to try yo get comfortable 😜

So, now I’m having my morning coffee at the Hostel of this trip, and I feel ever so much wiser after 8 hours on a bus. Let’s see how much of my new wisdom will be put to use on my way home. I’m buying warm socks though, that’s for sure!

My dear lovelies, I wish you all a wonderful day! I’m about to finish my coffee and then head out into a city I know somewhat, to act like a proper tourist and get to know it even better!

If you want to follow me around in Copenhagen then add me on Instagram! I will be posting throughout the trip, as I always do😊 You can click on the picture above to get to my Instagram👆🏻

Excellent Vegan Food in London

Okay, I have to admit that a lot of other European countries need to look towards London when it comes to vegan food. They have really stepped up the dining out vegan game! Holy moly! Everywhere I went there were good vegan options, and at a good price point as well!
I was thoroughly impressed!

So today I’m sharing three restaurants that I fell in love with while on my latest trip to London.

The Diner

397 Strand, Covent Garden, London WC2R 0LX, UK

My good friend David introduced me to this place, and I will be forever grateful, and never worried about having to go hungry while in London ever again.

It’s a 50s style diner, and they have their very own vegetarian/vegan menu, packed with delicious meals that will make it hard for you to choose.
I ate there twice and tried both the Triple Tacos, and the Mac and Cheese. Both were equally as delicious! It’s the perfect place for hungover/comfort food, no matter if you’re craving something sweet or something savoury.

Highly recommend!!

Find out more on The Diner’s website here!

Pizza Express

You can find Pizza Express all over London, but I went to the one right next to London Bridge. So, what made me go there? I had seen them advertise a vegan pizza, and that made me curious! I do love a good pizza!

So I took myself out on a date to Pizza Express. They had two or three different vegan pizzas to choose from.

I ordered the Vegan Giardiniera:

Artichoke, closed cup mushroom, red onion, and black olives, with tomato, vegan mozzarella alternative and garlic oil, finished with fresh parsley on a Romana base.

It’s the best vegan pizza I’ve had so far! So much flavor, crunchy base, and that vegan mozzarella it was absolutely delicious!

I paired it with a glass of rosé wine and had a wonderful me-date right next to the London Bridge.

If you’re a pizza lover, then definitely give the Pizza Express’ vegan options a try! You can thank me later😉

Find out more on the Pizza Express website here!

Ethos

48 Eastcastle St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 8DX, UK

Ethos is one of those restaurants that I just stumbled upon while strolling through the streets of London. I actually almost walked right past it, but I’m so grateful that I didn’t.

It’s a beautiful restaurant with a very open, but warm atmosphere. They make vegetarian/vegan food and desserts, and a lot of the dishes are glutenfree as well. The concept here is that you take a plate and fill it with whatever you like (buffet style) and then they weigh it to find out how much you should pay.

I tried a little bit of everything, but my favorite was probably the lasagne, broccoli & cauliflower fritters, and their hummus. But there’s so much to choose from, both cold, hot, sweet and savoury. There’s something for everyone!

I made the mistake of having too much dinner so that I didn’t have room for any of the tasty looking desserts! You may learn from my mistake and try to contain yourself a little so there’s a little bit of extra space for the sweets and cakes afterward. I sure will next time😜

Find out more on the Ethos website here!

As if I didn’t miss London enough before I started writing this, now I miss it even more and I’m hungry as well!

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these restaurants, or if you have any recommendations for other restaurants with good vegan food in London❤️

Was it Fruitful?

So I went to London, I ate plenty of good food, drank the whisky and met some wonderful people too.

But Christina, you went to London to write! I didn’t see a lot of Insta stories of you doing that, so how fruitful was the trip really?

It was even more fruitful and creative than I imagined it would be! And the thing is, when I get into the mood of writing, that’s pretty much all I focus on, so that’s why I don’t show that much of it. And I can imagine that me posting a lot of pictures and videos of just me in a bar with my computer would be very repetitive and not really all that interesting to watch in the long run.

But I got down over 10 000 words on my novel! 10 000 words in 5 days!

There’s something magical with the relationship between me and London. My creativity blossoms as soon as I get a little bit of that London feeling.

A nice walk by the Thames, a coconut latte from Pret and then I’m all set. The words just pour out of me, and it feels so good!

And the best part of it all, is that the words have kept coming since I got home. It feels like I took a little bit of that London magic with me home this time around, and I’m so grateful for it!

I will be sharing more about my trip in the next couple of days! Have some wonderful restaurants to recommend to you guys, and maybe also a few personal stories to tell!

But now, I have to get back to my novel!

Hope you are all doing well❤️

Oh, and let me know; Do you have any places you go where you just get instantly more creative, or is that just me? And if you do, where is it?

Holy Doughnut!

Those who know me (or have been following me for a while) knows that I have a love for doughnuts. But finding vegan doughnuts isn’t always that easy, and sometimes not that tasty.

April last year I found a vegan doughnut at Vegabond in Amsterdam that was truly amazing, but today I think I found the one that outranks that one.

I was walking down the south bank from London Bridge to London Eye, and when I came to Blackfriar’s Bridge, there was a big sign with a picture of a doughnut, and underneath it the beautiful word “vegan” was written as well.

I had slept in, and hadn’t had breakfast yet, but I knew I wouldn’t be able let this opportunity pass. I headed in to the station and found a little Doughnut Time shop in the wall. They had doughnuts on display and two of them were vegan. I’ll be honest, I stood there for way too long trying to choose between the two, but finally ended up with the one called Ice Ice Bae Bae (vanilla buttercream, vegan cookie pieces, chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate chips)! They gave it to me in a cute little turquoise box, and I walked away smiling like a little kid.

I had planned on saving it for after I had found my breakfast, but it turns out that I have zero self control, so I ended up sitting down on a bench by the River Thames, sun on my back, and with a box of my biggest craving on my lap.

Unfortunately, there’s no picture of me actually eating this thing, because trying to eat this beautiful big piece is messy and needs two hands, but if you want a mental image, just picture an enthusiastic ginger Cookie Monster that it’s hard to tell by facial expression if she’s actually eating or having an orgasm!

You’re welcome! 😂

This was a delicious treat that turned into a party in my mouth! Should I have had breakfast first? Probably! Do I regret it? Absolutely not!

So, if you find yourself in London and craving a vegan doughnut, then find your closest Doughnut Time and go at it!!

You can thank me later 😜❤️

We Went to London!

Leander and I have taken some smaller trips together over the years, but we’ve never actually had the opportunity to travel by plane anywhere, just the two of us. So for Leander’s 11th birthday this year, I booked us a trip to London.

We were going to do the Harry Potter Studio Tour, but unfortunately, that was sold out by the time I was able to book our hotel and plane tickets. So we will just have to go back I guess 😝

So where is the London vlog, you might wonder? Well, I did film a little bit during the trip but decided pretty quickly that there wasn’t going to be a vlog for this trip. The main reason for this was that I wanted the London trip to be about Leander, and for him and I to have some really good quality time together. And if I’m focusing on getting as much good content as possible for a vlog, then my mind would often be elsewhere than on being mindful of all the experiences we were having together.

So what did we do on our trip? We walked around the city a lot, sat down at cafés, ate yummy food and cakes, spent some time at Hamley’s, did a little bit of shopping, had fun in the hotel swimming pool, got to meet some wonderful people, went to the science museum and we stayed up late, eating candy in our hotel room.

But the thing that I take away from the trip that was the most wonderful, was all the time we spent talking about life and thoughts. I’ve always said that the best way to really get to know someone is to travel together with them, and I do believe that Leander and I got to know each other even better than we already did throughout this trip. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hectic everyday lifestyle, and we probably don’t take as much time as we should to actually just sit down and talk about our feelings and experiences, but while we were away, we really did get the time to do so. There was no rush for anything, and we just had a wonderful time. Even when getting soaked in the rain, or when Leander was so tired on the evening of our first day that he walked like a drunk person, we still smiled, laughed and talked so easily.

It is also so fascinating to me to experience how he’s growing up so extremely fast. And he constantly takes me by surprise when he’s wording these really profound thoughts that are running through his mind. But even though he’s getting closer and closer to becoming a teen, he still finds the joy in toys and playing, which is something that I think is so important!

And he’s so funny and entertaining my little guy!

It’s so wonderful, but also scary at the same time, to watch him finding himself and taking on the world.

Solo traveling with kids is a little different from when I do travel completely alone though. There are a lot more breaks, earlier nights, and a bit more planning. But it was such a joy, and I do hope that I get to travel more with my little man in the near future.

Not only because I think it’s an absolutely wonderful way for us to get quality time together, but also for us to personally grow through traveling together. Some of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood are the adventures I went on with my family. We didn’t have to travel far or by train, but it was something about just getting out of the comfort zone of home, and try new things and explore new places.

And that is something I wish for Leander to have plenty of; ADVENTURES!

London was an absolute treat, and as I’ve mentioned before; London always feels like coming home! It brought me so much joy to share that with Leander, and it was just a pleasure to watch him fall in love with the same city.

London, thank you for all the wonderful memories we got to bring back home❤️