It’s that time of the year when I start looking forward to possible destinations and cultural themes to explore in 2016. Autumn and winter is also the season when there are a lot more local media events for travel industry insiders, bloggers, and journalists with destination marketing organizations (DMOs) throwing mingles to explore their cultures through food, art, and other traditions.
Over the last few weeks, I attended several events organized by various countries I’d already visited before to see what was new on their radar and if there were some traditional and gastronomic highlights to further investigate in 2016.
Beyond that, they’re also great opportunities to introduce the wonderful Nordic Travel Bloggers (NordicTB) collective and some of our campaign work with other travel brands which have already been getting rave reviews.
Trufflelunch with Croatia
Istria has been on my culinary radar for years. While I’ve explored the gorgeous Croatian cities of Dubrovnik and Split and have made the case for why you should visit the Balkans, it’s the traditional gastronomy surrounding truffle in Istria that has lured me for years.
Since I regularly explore cultures through their traditional cuisines, I was invited by Croatian National Tourist Board to a light truffle lunch which showcased some of the flavors from the Istria region through truffle-infused Karl-Johan mushroom soup, roasted parsnip, squid, and pan-seared dill scallops.
Croatia’s focus for 2016 is to promote it as a destination for all four seasons – spring, summer, autumn, and winter – and not just a city break or summer beach destination.
Northern Norway lunch at the Norwegian Embassy
Since photographing the Northern Lights in Swedish Lapland, it’s always been a dream of mine to hop over the border to Northern Norway, especially Finnmark and the Lofoten Islands to photograph them there as well. Also, since I’m working on a personal photography project surrounding fishmongers and their lifestyles, the Lofoten Islands and their centuries old fishing community and tradition has always lured me.
I was invited to the Norwegian Embassy where photographer Claes Grundsten presented his absolutely stunning new landscape photography book called Lofoten 9 which showcases the unique topography of the Lofoten Islands including the Vega archipelago, and this only fueled my fire to get back to Norway before the winter season is over.
You can read my 10 things to do in Norway article I put together for National Geographic. I am currently obsessed with island hopping around the Lofoten Islands and hiking along Besseggen Ridge.
Here is an excerpt:
Find idyllic Norwegian fishing communities—characterized by old red cabins on stilts called rorbu, docked fishing boats, and racks of drying stockfish (unsalted dried cod)—scattered all over the Lofoten Islands.
Surrounded by dramatic craggy mountains and with views of Vestfjord that stretch to the east of the Lofoten Islands for roughly a hundred miles, the capital of Svolvær and its tranquil harbor are a great base for island-hopping via ferries.
Sample local fish dishes such as cod, haddock, and ling. Home to the world’s largest known cold-water coral reef, the Røst Reef, the Lofoten Islands are perfect for deep-sea fishing. For sports fishermen, the islands host the World Championships in Arctic cod fishing every year.
Beyond its panoramic beauty and fishing culture, enjoy soft adventure activities such as kayaking, hiking, and biking around its mountainous peaks—a testament to Norway’s unparalleled beauty.
Exploring Czech Republic and Marche Tourism at Travellink’s Blog Event
Travel company Travellink recently had its inaugural Blog Event which brought out various travel, lifestyle, and fashion bloggers to explore some of the destinations of their hosts – Czech Republic, the Marche region of Italy, and Latvia Tourism – including wine tasting with cheese as well.
Marche, like Istria in Croatia, is known for its gastronomy especially truffles and charcuterie which we got to sample alongside homemade Bramborový Salát (Czech potato salad) made by Czech Tourism. I enjoyed Travellink’s first event and will definitely be following its progression closely.
One of the unexpected highlights for me was winning Inspiring Instagrammer of the Year for my picture-puzzle style Instagram feed with a gift basket and trip to Hungary. My friend and fellow Stockholm Travel Massive co-chapter leader, Annika Myhre, was awarded the year’s Inspiring Storyteller of the Year for her beautiful blog, Resfredag.
