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Trip Summary: Geneva 2017

Country: Switzerland

Dates: 28th - 31st April 2017

Flight information:

Airline carriers: Easyjet

Outbound: London Luton - Geneva Aéroport

Return: Gevena Aéroport - London Luton

Accommodation: Hotel Central

Travel companions: LSE Health Policy Society

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Trip Summary: Norway Summer 2018

Country: Norway

Dates: 30th July - 3rd August 2018

Flight information:

Airline carriers: Ryanair and Norwegian

Outbound: London Stansted - Oslo Airport, Gardermoen - Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik

Return: Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik - Oslo Airport, Gardermoen - London Stansted 

Accommodation: Spilling Residence, Søgne

Hostesses with the mostest: Sara Spilling, Lasse Spilling, Tove, and Pingu

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Trip Summary: Norway January 2018

Country: Norway

Dates: 11th - 14th January

Flight Information: Airline Carrier: Ryanair

Outbound: London Stansted – Oslo Airport, Gardermoen

Internal: Roundtrip drive from Oslo to Bykle, Aust-Agde

Return: Oslo Airport, Gardermoen – London Stansted

Accommodation: Spilling Residence and Cabin

Norwegian tour guides: Sara Spilling, Lasse Spilling (and Thomas)

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Trip Summary: Malta 2018

Country: Malta Dates: 23rd - 27th May

Flight Information: Outbound Airline Carriers: Jet2 and Ryanair

Outbound: London Stansted - Malta International Airport

Return: Malta International Airport – London Luton

Accommodation: Salini Resort

Travel companion: Annie Bryant

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Málaga Day Three: Friday 23rd March

The first, and most important, duty of the day is caffeinating. Pre-coffee I am non-human and a sight for sore eyes. Some warn me this is a sign of addiction and that I should really give it up but in all honesty I have absolutely no desire, no matter how cranky pre-coffee Serena may be.

So, yes, first stop was breakfast and coffee at Julia Bakery (see the post about breakfast spots) then on to the Alcazaba and Castillo Gifrabillo. As I still have student privileges, entrance to both of these attractions was €0.60 each. The full adult price of €2.20 is nothing to complain about though. The walk is steep and uneven but well worth the views when you finally reach the Castillo (even if it was so windy we could hardly stand up).

We went in search of Paella for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and wine for what seemed like the middle of a tourist area. We were even offered sweet wine on the house for dessert.

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Lunch at Plaza de la Merced

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Málaga Day Two: Thursday 22nd March

We had a lazy morning, allowing ourselves to rise from our slumber naturally. We headed to Nic Pic for breakfast and then out east to the Guadalmedina River. We were rather disappointed when we arrived at the river bank to discover a rather unaesthetically pleasing dry river with a concrete floor and graffiti on the walls. It seems that, due to constant flooding of the city, the river has been damned and is dry for the majority of the year.

In light of this, we headed south toward the marina. We boarded the Ferris Wheel (Noria de Malaga) for three, rather rapid, trips round - well worth the ‘family consisting of two generations’ price of €7 each. We then ambled along the marina front, stopping for ice cream and admiring the views of the female lighthouse.

I had a placement application to write so we made our way back to the Airbnb, stopping at a cosy Italian spot on Plaza de la Merced for a bite to eat. The rest of the afternoon consisted of searching the thesaurus for synonyms to words such as ‘strong’, ‘sound’ and ‘varied’.

I went for a short sunset run near the marina before going out to dinner at La Taberna del Pintxo Larios. This is a self-service tapas restaurant which has a similar set up to yo-sushi: pay-as-you-eat. The different cocktail sticks signify different prices of the dishes. The cold dishes are lined up on the counter for your perusing pleasure and hot ones are circulated by a waitress.

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Inside Málaga Cathedral

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Views from the cathedral roof

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Málaga Day One: Wednesday 21st March

Our trip had quite a dramatic start. Halfway into our 07:05 flight out of London Stansted a passenger fell ill with a suspected heart attack. Luckily there was an A&E consultant on board who assisted the stewardesses to assess and monitor the passenger. The decision was made to make an emergency stop at Madrid Airport so the passenger could receive medical attention. After an hour stop in Madrid, we were back on our way to Málaga. We landed and made our way to the Airbnb without any hitches.

We had lunch in Plaza de la Merced surrounded by talented buskers. In the afternoon we explored the old city, which mainly involved ambling around until spotting something of interest. Our main stop was at the Cathedral. We ascended the tower to enjoy the panoramic blue-sky views of the city.

For dinner, we went to a local tapas spot recommended by our Airbnb hosts. Unfortunately, due to the complicated menu and our lack of Spanish, we ended up ordering a bizarre range of food - namely a huge mound of Ensaladilla Rusa (which is essentially tuna potato salad).

We finished our night by binge-watching The Crown on Netflix with tea and biscuits.

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Málaga Breakfast Spots

Nic Pic: Calle San Juan de Letrán, 7-9 29012 Málaga

Cosy café just off Plaza de la Merced. Reasonably priced and very friendly service. Their philosophy is to make everything fresh and homemade. They have vegan and gluten free options too!

Julia Bakery: Calle Carretería, 44, 29008 Málaga

Light and airy café sporting a wide variety of bread, pastries, and scones. Slightly more pricey but well worth the visit. It is great for people with a sweet tooth. Vegan options available.

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Adventures at the Alcazaba and Castillo Gibralfaro

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Sunset view from the Airbnb

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Trip Summary: Málaga 2018

Country: Spain Dates: 21st March – 25th March

Flight Information: Airline Carrier: EasyJet

Outbound: London Stansted – Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport

Return: Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport – London Stansted

Accommodation: Airbnb

Travel Companions: Paul and Judy Ng

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Sibu Family