Exploring and Hiking Cinque Terre in Italy

We spent the last week of December 2022 at the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy, and decided to explore the incredible picturesque villages and landscapes which make up the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The five villages are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterossa al Mare,…

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Exploring and Hiking Cinque Terre - there is more parking options for boats than cars at this UNESCO site

Mount Etna Hiking Trail – Hiking in Sicily

In October 2022 we went on our honeymoon to Sicily, Italy’s largest island, which is home to the notoriously active volcano Mount Etna. Already in Catania airport you will be flooded with commercials and options for guided trips to the mountain, but these are quite pricey, and we wanted to be able to walk at our own pace, with…

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Mount Etna Hiking Trail - walking more or less along the dirt road up towards Belvedere

Valley of Butterflies Hiking Trail on Rhodos Island, Greece

The Valley of Butterflies on the Greek island of Rhodes is one of the island’s most popular destinations during the warm months from end of May to end of September, where especially the Jersey tiger moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria) gather by the thousands in the shaded canyon, which hosts the only natural forest of the Oriental Sweetgum tree (Liquidambar…

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Valley of Butterflies Rhodes Hiking Trail - small stream next to the path

Filerimos Monastery – Ialysos Hiking Trail on Rhodos Island in Greece

Greece is known for its beautiful coastline and its rich cultural heritage. However, hiking is becoming more and more popular among those who want to see more of Greece than just the popular sights and the sea. We spent Easter on the Greek island Rhodes, which is the fourth largest island of Greece and particularly known for its UNESCO World…

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Filerimos Monastery - Ialysos Hiking Trail - view from the terrace beneath the huge Filerimos cross

Matajur Hiking Trail

During a holiday in Slovenia in late November, we decided to take advantage of the good weather and went for a hiking trip to the Matajur mountain, which is located on the border between Italy and Slovenia. The starting point is, however, in Italy, at the mountain hut called Rifugio Pelizzo. Matajur is a quite popular destination for hikers from…

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Matajur Hiking Trail - the small church Chiesetta di Cristo Redentore on top

Gjuvvatnet Hiking Trail in Bortelid, Norway

The last hike during our hiking holiday in Bortelid, Norway was the Gjuvvatnet trail. It was the longest trail we did, both in terms of distance and duration but we were aided by the weather, which was less hot and sunny than the other days. There are several lakes called Gjuvvatnet in Norway, but this one is located just one kilometer…

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Gjuvvatnet Hiking Trail - weather got better before descending down to the lake

Kvitevatn Hiking Trail in Bortelid, Norway

The Kvitevatn trail was the second hike we did on our hiking holiday in Bortelid, Norway. It’s longer, but also less steep than the hike to the Reinstjønn mountain lake. Kvitevatn is the name of yet another mountain lake, twice as big as Reinstjønn, but located more to the north at a similar altitude. Our starting point was at the beginning…

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Kvitevatn Trail - sign post

Reinstjønn Hiking Trail in Bortelid, Norway

The Reinstjønn trail was the first hike we did on our little family’s first hiking holidays, which was centered around Bortelid in Norway. While we had already done one longer hike in Mols Bjerge National Park with our little daughter MK in a child carrier backpack, the Reinstjønn trail offered twice as much ascent due to the much more mountainous terrain…

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Reinstjønn Hiking Trail in Bortelid, Norway - the mountain lake itself

Skopos Trail on Zakynthos Island in Greece

Greece is mostly known for its cultural heritage and beaches, but the country also offers beautiful nature for outdoor enthusiasts to explore. We were so fortunate to go to the Ionian island of Zakynthos (also called Zante) in the middle of October when the weather was great, but not too warm for hiking. After a bit…

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Skopos Trail - View on Zante