Up Norway, Scandinavia’s sustainable luxury travel curator, shares with Green Prophet, its top recommendations for romantic train journeys. The unforgettable escapes were designed for honeymooners, couples in love, solo travelers indulging in self-romance, or families embracing quality time together to experience the true magic of travel by rail.

Everyone is advertising rail travel these days as a slow mode to see where one travels, offering affordable journeys and local insights. Some trains like Saudi Arabia’s new slow train are also offering luxury options.

Blending intimacy, adventure, and the unhurried rhythm of slow travel, each recommended train route can be seamlessly integrated into any Up Norway itinerary or crafted into its own fully customized adventure, making them the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a year-round romantic getaway.

Up Norway’s recommended train routes where the journey itself becomes as memorable as the destination include:

Head North:

Travelers can begin their journey in Oslo aboard the Dovre Railway, which winds through the scenic Norwegian countryside with views of rolling hills and forests. In 90 minutes, the train arrives in Brumunddal, near Hoel Manor, a lakeside estate on the Nes Peninsula where couples rediscover romance through farm-to-table dining, lakeside wellness experiences that include saunas, cold plunging and hot tubs, and scenic bike rides to Helgøya Island—a heart-shaped gem celebrated for its panoramic views and tranquil setting.

Continuing along the Dovre Railway for another 25 minutes brings couples to Lillehammer, a historic Olympic town known for its alpine landscapes. From the train windows, passengers can glimpse snow-covered peaks and frozen lakes, adding to the anticipation of their arrival. Here, the brand-new Nermo Hotel, launched late last summer and still relatively undiscovered, offers stabbur suites—converted Norwegian storage houses offering panoramic views, crackling fireplaces, and access to winter sports like skiing and bobsledding.

Further along the Dovre Railway is Otta, a gateway to UNESCO-protected farm culture, and Hindsæter Lodge, which invites guests to unwind with gourmet dining and spa indulgence amidst dramatic mountain trails.

Central Norway:

For a dramatic fjord experience, couples can transfer to the Rauma Railway at Dombås, a mountain town in central Norway, to embark on a one-hour, 40-minute journey through one of Norway’s most iconic rail routes. The train passes deep gorges, cascading waterfalls, and towering peaks before reaching Åndalsnes, where a short transfer leads to Storfjord Hotel. This Relais & Châteaux retreat offers outdoor hot tubs and private fjord cruises to immerse couples in the region’s breathtaking beauty.

Arctic Norway by train:

The Ofotbanen Railway offers a 43-minute journey from Narvik to Riksgränsen, Sweden, crossing the Arctic with snow-covered plains and towering peaks. Here, Niehku Mountain Villa offers activities like snowmobiling and snowshoeing by day, followed by magical moments beneath the northern lights on winter nights.

Southern Norway:

The Sørlandsbanen Railway provides a four-hour, 20-minute route from Oslo to Kristiansand—recently featured on this year’s New York Times list of 52 best places to visit— passing through coastal forests and charming towns before arriving at Boen Manor. This riverside estate combines gourmet dining with access to the historic Setesdal Line, where guests can embark on nostalgic steam train rides through Norway’s idyllic countryside. Guests can also visit Kunstsilo, Norway’s celebrated contemporary art destination, for an inspiring blend of heritage and modern creativity.

Western Norway:

Lastly, the Bergen Railway crosses Europe’s highest mountain plateaus on a three-hour, 45-minute route from Oslo to Ustaoset. Here, the exclusive Hallinghi Lodge near Geilo—where only one group or couple can stay at a time—offers a remote, off-the-beaten-path experience with secluded dining, scenic hikes, and sauna rituals, all set against awe-inspiring highland vistas.

Want to start booking your train? Try Rail Ninja for scheduling and prices in Europe.

The post Travel by Valentine’s train on 5 romantic itineraries around Norway and Sweden appeared first on Green Prophet.

Valentine’s Day, which falls on the fourteenth of February, is an annual celebration that reminds you to appreciate the people you love. It gives you the opportunity to show the people in your life how much they mean to you and how much you appreciate their affection with a Valentine’s Day cards. Homemade ones are the best obviously, made from up-cycled items around your home, and adorned with a poem written by you. If you are insecure about your creativity, you can celebrate with a small eco gift or a card that perfectly communicates how you feel. The concept of Valentine’s cards is not only for married people or romantic partners. It is for everyone. Everyone must appreciate the people that love them. Boomf helps you do this by making certain that the appropriate valentine card is available for your use.

Apart from Boomf, there are so many other places where you can get Valentine’s cards. So, if you are having issues with getting a place to purchase perfect Valentine’s cards, this article is for you. The following is a list of where you can get the perfect Valentine’s cards to celebrate your Valentine’s Day.

Etsy: Etsy is a nice place to look for personalised gift items. Valentine’s cards are a major part of the highly demanded inventory of online stores. You can add the name of the recipient to the cards to ensure safe delivery. It is necessary to note that shipping may be a little slower especially if the seller is personalising something for you. Check to make sure the Etsy seller is making their cards at home or at a small business. Better to support a mom and pop shop than an exploitive factory. The maker’s website also offers upcycled gifts and mementos.

Paper Source: This is a highly recommended online store. They have a very strong wordplay attribute especially when it relates to Valentine’s Day messages. It is a great source of for punny Valentine’s cards that are particularly perfect for partners with a healthy sense of humor. 

Minted: This is your go-to source for customisable valentine cards. On Minted, if you find perfect Valentine’s cards but don’t like the colour, you can change it to any colour of your choice. You can also opt for photo cards or the more traditional Valentine’s cards. Time constraints should be taken into consideration to ensure that it arrives before February 14. So order ahead.

Love Pop: This site has some of the most eye-catching Valentine’s cards. Characters such as Mickey and Minnie, Deadpool, and Darth Vader are only just a few of Love Pop’s licensed characters. For an additional $5, they will throw in a personalised message alongside a photo. This makes it a great surprise for the recipient and the paper bouquet may also last longer than flowers. 

Hallmark: This is one of the biggest stores for cards in general. It has a variety of options available, even Valentine’s cards. The website’s search option has a unique way of narrowing down your options and helping you find what you need quickly. You can search by tone, language, and recipient. 

Amazon: This global store has a vast array of Valentine’s cards from reputable brands to be purchased by customers. Hallmark and American Greetings have shops on Amazon. The shipping is quick and the availability of valentine cards from different brands provides with a lot more options to choose from and improves your probability of finally locating the perfect Valentine’s cards to celebrate your loved ones. Some Amazon shops are run by small business owners. Try and find those using recycled materials or who are giving back to their community.

All of these are viable brands that offer multiple categories of Valentine’s cards for your choice. Boomf is a good source for your Valentine’s cards as you can not only personalise them with text and photos online, but also add a fun extra in the form of confetti or a pop-out figure. Such Valentine’s cards will certainly be the highlight of the celebration and make this day memorable for years to come. 

The post Where to buy a Valentine’s Day Card appeared first on Green Prophet.

1. 52 Reasons Valentine Deck of Cards: For couples who haven’t yet uttered the “L” word – the “52 Reasons why I LIKE You” is a heartfelt Valentine with training wheels.  Grab an old deck of cards (image above) and some glue, and tuck into this easy tutorial (link here).

2. Sea Salt Caramels: Sweets for the sweet is a classic Valentine strategy. A simple recipe for a decadent treat is explained in this short, clear  video (link here). Substitute kosher salt or Dead Sea salt for the final topping, giving your caramels a Middle East flavor.

3. A Year of Pre-planned Dates: Dream up twelve things that you want to do with your honey-pie. Write them on some stiff paper (use cut up cereal boxes, etc. to increase the up-cycle ante), connect them with a ring or loop of yarn, and hand them over with a hug.  Advance planning leaves you free to enjoy the moment and each other. (Instructions can be found at this link.)

4. Peanut Butter Truffles: Reese’s peanut butter cups are impossible to score in Jordan, but these promise a close second. The alleged aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate are pinned on two chemicals it contains. Tryptophan is a brain chemical involved in sexual arousal, and phenylethylamine is a stimulant released in the brain when people fall in love. The science may be dicey, but the taste is good .  Recipe link here.

5. Sweet Pomegranate Syrup: Rich, dark, and smoky tasting pomegranate syrup is a staple in most Middle Eastern cooking. But its intense flavor and molasses-like consistency can make it a tad medicinal ( I recently swallowed a tablespoon to quell a hacking cough).  Lighten it up as a simple syrup and expand its versatility. Added bonus, it’s the color of love!  Link here.

6. Make the Tiniest Book of Love: Good things do come in small packages, especially those that can be whipped up in about an hour.  Decorate a matchbox (or not); and fill it with a handwritten love letter.  Unlimited opportunities to personalize this; add some candy or keys to a new car.  Link here.

7. Can Money Buy Love? Cash remains the greenest of gifts.  Stow some coins and bills in an empty candy box, especially thoughtful if it relates to upcoming travel where different currency is used.  Doubt you need further instructions, but the link is here.

8. Bottle Bouquet: This idea can be replicated with many different themes to suit the specific tastes of your love – make a movie bouquet, with DVDs. popcorn and theater candies, or a music bouquet, with CDs, new ear-buds and maybe tickets to a live show (link here.)

All images taken from referenced internet links.

The post 8 green Valentine gifts that won’t put you in the red appeared first on Green Prophet.

The post Stupid Cupid Learns Valentine’s Day Middle East Style appeared first on Green Prophet.

As it turns out, I haven’t received a Valentine’s Day gift since 2006, but even when I wasn’t single and out saving the world, I never encouraged my boyfriends to give me chocolates or flowers. A book? A sweet card? Maybe. But since anyone can go out and buy a box of chocolates at the last minute without putting any real heart into it, having red gifts never appealed to me.

So when I read that Iraqis are celebrating a surge of red-lined shelves this Valentine’s Day after enduring war for so long all kinds of complicated thoughts arose. On the one hand, I rue this wasteful “holiday:” chocolate production and cut flowers are often associated with human rights violations and environmental devastation, but on the other hand, how can I begrudge Iraqis a bit of lighthearted fun?

Valentine’s Day is for everybody

“Valentine’s Day is for everybody — not only for lovers,” an Iraqi school administrator named Lina told the Jordan Times, adding that, “It’s for you and I, for me and my brother, even for someone on the street. It’s not just about me and my fiancé… Iraqis need happy moments to make them forget what they have been through — we have had enough sadness.”

Nina was browsing through stocks of all kinds of red “stuff” – teddy bears, lip-shaped pillows, red scented candles, heart-shaped purses, and even silky nighties. Having access to this suggestive merchandise is a new thing in Iraq, which is a conservative country, and Nina associates it with a new found openness and happiness even as bombs continue to fall in certain neighborhoods.

Conservative Muslims are concerned about this new trend since they fear it will usher in a more casual western attitude toward relationships, but one shopkeeper told the paper that he expects to sell all of his love goods since the holiday is becoming increasingly popular.

This is a huge step in the right direction. Unmarried people can show their affection for one another without fear that the moral police will nab them and a more loving ethos will become increasingly acceptable. But what will it take to dispel the notion that love can be expressed with things? What will it take to de-commercialize the most sacred of all states of being?

Love can’t be expressed with things

The belief that anything about our true nature – our class, our status, our success, our love – can be revealed with material goods is at the root of our environmental and social problems.

In 2010, the Guardian reported that humanity’s cult of consumption and greed are the biggest threats to our planet. These traits are so powerful that they derail even the best laid government plans to mitigate climate change. So the idea that we (wealthy westerners) have spread this unloving quality to the rest of the world fills me with untold regret.

The Institute of HeartMath (IHM) reported that the heart is like a radio station that “broadcasts a pattern of information on a radio wave through its electromagnetic field. That pattern changes based on what we are feeling. The pattern that’s broadcasted through the heart’s electromagnetic field can be detected (measured) in another person’s brainwaves, when two people are touching or in close proximity. In other words, we are always transferring nonverbal emotional information to each other.”

The gift of dyed teddy bears will not make your partner feel special for more than a fleeting second, but touch, good thoughts, and genuine care can last a lifetime. The ancients have always known this. It’s time for us to turn our backs on consumer culture and reclaim our hearts.

:: Jordan Times

image via flickr, dno 1967b

More on Valentine’s Day:

Going Green for Valentine’s Day

Muslim Couples Required to Plant Trees Before Marriage

7 Ways to Green Your Wedding Day

The post Iraqis love Valentine’s Day. We don’t love new consumerism appeared first on Green Prophet.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and if you’re anything like us, you’re scratching your head looking for fun-loving things to do that don’t involve diabetes-inducing chocolate and environmentally destructive flowers. Why not treat your special sweetie to an awesome snowshoeing tour offered by Adventures in Lebanon?

Not only will you have plenty of excuses to snuggle up to stay warm, setting off all kinds of love chemicals, but you’ll burn off so many calories that you don’t have to feel guilty about closing the night with a wonderful meal back in Beirut.

The Valentine’s Day tour starts at 9am on February 12th. Your trip, which will be arranged by Adventure in Lebanon’s Joe and Viviane Karam, will commence at the Futuroscope parking lot across from the Habtoor Hotel.

From there you will travel 27 miles to Zaarour – a small snow-covered resort overlooking the majestic Mt. Sannine. At 5,400 feet, you will be able to experience a snowy landscape without losing your breath!

The four hour snowshoeing tour will end up at Kanat Bakich and requires a medium level of fitness. Not to worry though since there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy the scenery, take photographs, replenish your electrolytes, and enjoy a picnic lunch right in the middle of nature.

Adventures in Lebanon asks attendees to bring warm layers, waterproof hiking boots and a jacket, along with sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, gloves, and other wintertime gear. Reservations should be made in advance.

If snow and shoes don’t appeal to you, the same company is offering a Valentine’s Day wine tour that starts at Château Kefraya. Visit Adventures in Lebanon for more information.

image by Hector Mawad via Adventures in Lebanon

More on Love and Valentine’s Day:

Going Green for Valentine’s Day

Moroccan Love Potion Spiced With Pot

5 Green Valentine Ideas for Your Eco-Girlfriend

The post Treat Your Valentine to a Hot Snowshoeing Tour in Lebanon appeared first on Green Prophet.

Only one month before Valentine’s day, when thousands of women are expected to swoon over after a last minute pitch to be romantic, Egypt will host the world’s leading flower producers at a three day long exhibition.

Almasry Alyoum reports that flowers create numerous jobs and that tens of thousands of visitors to the show are expected. But what they failed to mention is the extraordinary cost – environmental and social – decorative flowers often represent.

From January 12-15, many of the world’s leading flower exporters will congregate in Egypt. It is said to be one of the largest events of its kind.

One of the countries named by the paper as a leading producer, Kenya, produces a large majority of its roses on the shores of Lake Naivasha. The 500,000 people who moved to the region looking for work with the flower farmers mostly live in abject poverty, given the lack of infrastructure and appalling low wages.

And biologically, the lake that provides water to keep the floral industry alive, is a dying lake. With more extractions than it can handle and the influx of pesticides from both flower farmers and subsistence farmers in the catchment, it has been under pressure for years.

It is a Ramsar protected wetland but until recently, the Kenyan government has paid little more than lip service to the task of keeping the lake alive.

The Netherlands are also sited as among the greatest flower exporters. European Union environmental standards are typically much more stringent than in Africa, but it should be noted that many of the flower farmers in Kenya are Dutch.

Head of the Union of Producers and Exporters of Horticultural Crops (UPEC), Medhat al-Meligy, explained to the paper that the cut flower industry provides job opportunities and an economic boost.

Other flowers will be on show also, including orchids, tulips, and carnations.

But before buying your guilty bunch, find out where your valentine’s favorite flowers come from. Because it isn’t romantic if it isn’t fair and sustainable.

:: Almasry Alyoum

More on flowers and agriculture in the Middle East:

Wake Up And Smell The Roses

The Greenhouse That Grows Kids Into Hothouse Flowers

Recipe: Almond Blossom Liqueur

image via ZebraMule

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