Scandinavia 2022

Comfy 787 seats !

Aug 19

Arrived on Norse Atlantic flight, everybody had their own row on a 787. Got the train from the airport and then walked from the train station through the local park to the Radisson Blu hotel. Massive line to check in, took over an hour.

Small but clean and comfortable room with a view. Kids used the pool downstairs which is beautiful.

Made a 1 mile walk down past the opera house and national theatre to the waterfront and the Akerhaus Fortress.

Found the Amundsen Brewery for BBQ ribs, burgers and really excellent fries (and ginger beer). Walked home, kids swam again and we tried to stay awake to beat jet lag.

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Aug 20

Woke up around 7 AM, the room at the Radisson is way too warm. Staff does not seem to be able to do anything about it, they are nice but slow and ineffective.

We walk back down into the pedestrian area near the national theater and have a fantastic breakfast of croissants, pan a chocolate, eggs and bacon, and local waffles. Plus the cappuccino is excellent.

From there we walked out to the waterfront and got a ferry to the Norse folks Museum. A cool re-creation of a Norse Village. We took the local bus line up to the sculpture park, an amazing open park full of sculptures by Vigeland. While we’re there we discovered a pool with a bunch of high dives and platforms. We walked back to the hotel through a cool neighborhood and regrouped bur room is still too warm, we head back to the pool. Enzo wants me to put in here that Finn was really scared to jump off the high dive and it was funny.

We Checked out the 21st floor lounge and did the crossword with a view of the city and then went out for dinner at Prima Figlia, an Italians place that was delicious.

Home just before 10p to wind down.

Aug 21

Last morning in Oslo. The hotel was a decidedly mediocre stay. Small hot overpriced. We head to the airport early on the Flytrain. We pick at airport food, find a coffee and a croissant, and wait for our flight. Meet a nice older couple from St Louis and talk crosswords.

The flight is full but easy, once we land in Helsinki we are immediately liking it. No customs or immigration to speak of. The airport train station is a staggeringly deep (150ft below) and cavernous place. Our train is quick and we walk out of central station into a very cool neighborhood. It’s a little slow since it’s Sunday but the trams are busy and the buildings are amazing.

The Bob W is small but clean and cool - the AC working is a huge gift. We shop for food and make pasta with red sauce then head out to explore the water front. The market is closed but there’s a cool Ferris wheel and a lot of activity. On the walk back we find a live band at the Hard Rock Cafe and come ice cream. The town is really amazing and beautiful. Excited to explore when it’s busier and more is open. Enzo declares he loves Helsinki. Finn appreciates they have plastered her bane everywhere. Very welcoming. .

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Aug 22

Rain all night into the morning, encouraging is to take it slow. We do breakfast at the Bob W apartment with a little assist from the Fazen cafe next door. We walk back down to the waterfront when the rain is gone, and the market square is open. A combination of tourist wares, and a pretty cool farmers market. They obviously do strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries here. They are beautiful. We march up to the Helsinki castle but it is closed on Mondays, we snap a few pictures and wander our way around the waterfront. We walk the pedestrian streets of the neighborhood and head home for a midday break. Right below the Bob W is the Finnish version of a Target store.

After a couple hours we motivate and head back out, we go to look at the church in the rock which is, you know, a church built into the bedrock. We take tram number for over to the Viking cruise ticket office and buy our ferry tickets for Tallinn Estonia. It’s a day to do a little bit of travel planning so we book one night in Sweden and two nights in Tallinn on Airbnb.

Karen and Finn go shopping for shoes and a hoodie respectively, JD and Enzo kick it at home and we all meet for dinner at the Olivia restaurant at the train station, despite the fact that it’s at the train station it’s quite lovely and the food is delicious.

We finish the night with the house or dragons pilot and the she hulk pilot as a family.

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Aug 23

Woke a little early today to pack up - we had sprawled everywhere at the Bob W (as is our way) but managed to get packed and out in time to make the #4 tram to the Viking cruise departure. We left a family selfie on the big board of faces in room 505.

The boat is nice, very large, lots of places to eat and hang out. We grab some fries and a coffee and a table by the window. After many years of talking about it, we teach the kids how to play spades they pick it up really quickly and seem to enjoy it. Once the boat arrives in Estonia, we disembark and make the walk to town. Everyone is a bit tired but as soon as we make it to the old town city walls, it’s clear that we are in an amazing place.

We walk through the old town and drop our bags at our hotel then head out and find a bite to eat at a great little Italian place down a side street. From there we do a little reconnaissance find a grocery store and an ATM, and then pay to walk the city walls which turns out to be the shortest trip in history.

Still, this medieval town is amazing and we walk all over it, wandering from winding Street to winding Street. We eventually grab a table in the town Square and play some more cards, grab a beer and some french fries and soak in the day.

Our Airbnb is a three level, three bedroom masterpiece of medieval architecture, complete with treacherous stairs and open beam ceilings.

We hit the grocery store and head back home, it’s supposed to rain tonight so we’re going to lay low and maybe venture back out once the town is dark and lit up for the evening.

The rain is brief so we head back out into the town. It’s lively and lit up - we wander around and enjoy the town at night, plop down for a couple more rounds of spades and then head home to our apartment.

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Aug 24

Noooooo one slept well- a bit hot and stuffy in the apartment. We get a late and lazy start, Enzo and Jd go checkout the swimming place (big pool and 2 slides) and the team eventually motivates for a hike up to the top of the Town Hall Tower (112 steps). Great views of the old town from to top, then we traipse back down and settle in at the Hell Hunt for fries and cards. When the rain arrives all the guests on the outdoor patio huddle under a few umbrellas. We move inside - great bar with a great vibe - and play a few more hands before heading home. Enzo writes his D&D campaign while the rest of us watch a couple episodes of Umbrella Academic. The second floor of our Airbnb has a cool projector setup that makes it feel like movie night.

Next up, Karen and I need to do some traveling planning for our remaining unaccounted for days !

We travel plan for a bit then venture back out. The city has emptied out of tourists and the streets are wet. Our second trip to the gelato shop is a BUST, they closed minutes before we arrived.

We trek around town a bit more then decide to have our last meal at the same place we had our first meal - Contravento - a spectacular Italian place down a super cute side street. Enzo seems to have a fantastic sense of direction - or at least he seems to remember where we found every little shop and eatery.

Dinner is awesome - the waiter tells us that this is the oldest restaurant in Tallinn and we are surprised how packed it is even after tourist hours.

Back at the apartment we finish the night with a few hands of cards

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Aug 25

It’s travel day ! We are up around 9am packing and rearranging. We need to do laundry at our next stop so the purple compression bag is getting full.

Finn and JD go find coffee then the whole tram heads out to find breakfast. Instead we find gelato - yes! The gelato place is open !! And it’s excellent, totally worth the wait. We leave our bags at the Airbnb (a mixed success, great location and vibe but missing some basics like reliable Wi-Fi, good towels, and a French press!).

We head down to the Kalevspa which has 2-3 pools and water slides. The kids run wild while Karen and I do a little travel planning. The pool and slides eat up a few hours and the kids have a blast. We head back to the apartment and gather our belongings then stop for burgers on the central town square.

From there it’s a 23 min walk to the port and a 20 minute wait to board our boat. Our room is awesome, and executive suite with a balcony and plenty of room for the four of us. We spread out and explore the boat, heading the grocery store and eventually landing at the C-P for some cards and a set of acoustic music by a reasonably talented guy playing classic rock. We do a mishmash dinner and retire to our balcony to wrap up in a blanket and watch the sunset. Tomorrow morning we pull into Stockholm for the second half of our trip.

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Aug 26

We wake a couple of times during the night when the boat stops at some of the outer Swedish islands. Then a knock on the door comes and brings us a lavish breakfast which we eat out on our deck. It’s absolutely stunning to watch the beautiful, green islands of the Swedish archipelago roll by as we sip coffee, eat croissants, and gnosh on bacon. We spend the last couple hours of our boat ride admiring the scenery and packing up, this was a splurge that was definitely worth it.

At the port in Stockholm, there is virtually nothing that resembles customs and immigration. We wait in a staggeringly long line for the 79 bus which takes forever to arrive, once we’re on it we are packed in like sardines. On the upside it takes us right to the Gamla Stan, A hilly beautiful old town with cobbled streets. Stockholm is a magnificent city, definitely Scandinavian but expensive and open, it feels very much like a world capital.

Our small Airbnb is down a side street in the old town, it definitely gets an A+ for location but not for much else. It’s not bad, but we are spoiled and it’s a little threadbare inside. Once we drop our bags we wander the old town, stopping at a pizza place, they make great pizza throughout Scandinavia in Stockholm no exception.

We venture to the royal museum and then the armory museum, both of which are free and actually really interesting. Getting a small glimpse of Swedish history is engaging for all of us. The weather is perfect and we walk back through the old town for a while, then Maya, a friend of Finn‘s from school who now lives back in Sweden, comes over to scoop finn 🤑 up for a sleepover. A sign of just how worldly these kids are that they can have a sleepover while 6000 miles from home.

Enzo, Karen, and JD regroup at the Airbnb. We struggle to find a decent place to stay tomorrow night and settle for a two star hotel about twenty minutes away, will let you know how that goes. We booked flights, find what appears to be a pretty cool apartment in Copenhagen, do a load or two of laundry in a machine that seems to take hours and hours to get the wash done. As evening arrives we head back into the old town and check out a few of the shops, read menus, and try to explore a bit. We are all tired and a bit hungry and we end up at a slightly over the top Italian place called Michelangelo. Food is good, the service is slow, but it’s nice to get out. Afterward we come back to the Airbnb, collect our laundry from the dryer and switch over a load, then come up The wonky and worn stairs to our apartment.
We settle in for the night to the sound of the old town still alive and busy, might be a night for earplugs or at least Headphones.

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Aug 27

Finn is gone for an overnight so we start our day with a walk through the Gamla. It’s very quiet in the morning. We end up at the central square at Kaffekoppen for breakfast - it’s delicious (pancakes, cinnamon rolls and a broccoli and blue cheese quiche.). Finn and Maya meet us and we all walk the old town for a bit. Maya and Finn go shop for a bit and Enzo, Karen and JD haul the luggage from our mediocre Airbnb On Bredgard to the 2
Star Hotel Bema in the Normalm neighborhood. It’s actually a decent hotel and at least we can drop our bags. Our hotel fronts onto the street and is ground level so you can literally enter and leave the room by climbing through the window.. We take the bus back and find the girls in the central square again.

We walk the city center for a bit and then cross out of the old town into Ostermalm where we find a loud and busy music and dance festival. A hip hop, krunk, freestyle dance off is happening with a big crowd and loud music. We settle into a burger and beer place next to the festivities, while the girls go watch the dancing we eat and regroup on the next phase of traveling.

Food takes not less than 2 hours but since the weather and music are great we don’t mind.

Eventually we load up and head to the Hotel Bema for a midday rest. Maya departs after a bit (we are all pretty tired
And not very entertaining). Late in the afternoon we venture out to explore the area around the hotel. We find a great pedestrian street and walk it end to end, it’s full to shops and hotels and eateries. We see folks dressed to the nines walking into some fancy event we never quite get the name of. We stop for tacos and then head home as the sunsets. Enzo feasts on local pizza from a shop 2 doors down from the hotel - Karen and I grab a beer at the same place and do the crossword.

We crank up the fans and settle I. for another warm night, tomorrow we are on the Copenhagen.

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Aug 28

We wake up and pack up from the Hotel Bema and make our way down to the Central Station. The airport express train is quick and efficient and even though the security lines are a bit long, in no time we are sitting at an airport cafe eating a hodge podge breakfast. The flight from Stockholm to Copenhagen is short and uneventful.

We catch the train from Copenhagen airport (almost abducts JD) to our booking.com place called Carinas Apartment. It’s a good size, with open beams and slanted ceilings. It’s also a bit of an odd U shape but there’s plenty of space for all of us to unwind and unpack. We throw in some laundry and go find the Aldi - which has the basics. But the real discovery is the indoor mall near our house with the Meny super market and pastry/bagel shops.

We shop and unload, then head down to the Nyhavn - the photo-op waterfront area of Copenhagen. It’s amazingly beautiful in the end of day light. The weather here is over cast and a tad gloomy but from time to time the sun peaks out from the clouds and lights up everything. There are scores or eateries along the canal and masted ships moored - ever 10 feet is another perfect photo. We walk around for around for a long while then head back and make pasta for the kids before settling in to watch House of Dragons together. Then we head to bed, keeping windows open for air and Finn sleeping on the couch.

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Aug 29

We all sleep pretty well, it’s chilly in a good way. Much of the trip has been marked by places that are a bit too warm at night, not hot but a little stuffy and nobody has AC.

We make breakfast at home and laze about the apartment a little in the morning before setting out to explore. We (or I?) had expected the Indre By to be something of an old town similar to the Gamla Stan or Tallinn Estonia. Instead it’s more of a shopping district. Our apartment seems perfectly situated between the Nyhavn and the main shopping / pedestrian streets.

Midday we finally motivate toward Tivoli Gardens - we one of the worlds oldest amusement parks. It’s absolutely wonderful, green and lush and full of cool rides - a couple of excellent roller coasters and high adrenaline rides. We spend several hours walking around, eating badly and having a blast. Karen and JD eventually buy a ride pass as well and we all give the rides a go (the wooden roller coaster called “the mountain” is a favorite).

We walk home and recover for a few hours, so some laundry and rest - then head to Mama Rosa for a very mediocre and over priced dinner. As it gets dark we walk back to Tivoli for round two. On the way there we come across a street performer duo on a big drum and digerigoo. They are great and Enzo is really taken with the sound.

At night, Tivoli is lit up and beautiful, we do all the rides again and thoroughly enjoy the park at night, staying until the very last possible moment.

We walk home through the awesome shipping street, even on a Monday night it’s alive and hopping.

We settle in for a good sleep in our chilly but spacious apartment.

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Aug 30

Slow start to the day, the Airbnb had a nespresso maker so the coffee is excellent. There’s also a very odd toaster that is like a hot plate with a grate on top. We do most breakfasts at the apartment. JD goes for a recon walk while everyone else sleeps in a bit. Later everyone rolls out and grabs a spot at the Maven cafe - an outdoor spot attached to the church right outside our front door. Their fries are good but their fresh baked bread (served in little buckets with fresh butter) is insanely yummy. We hang there for a bit and then it’s time for Finn’s ear piercing appointment at Dark Crow tattoos and piercing. We figure there’s no better way to get her ears pierced than to do it somewhere that gives her a great story. She’s very nervous, the piercing artist is using Japanese needles which she assures us are the very best. She’s an interesting woman from Mexico City who not only does a great job with a piercing but gives us detailed after care instructions, and her card so we can reach out and ask questions even after we’re home.

From the piercing, we all head out on a walk, we walk through our neighborhood over the canals and into Christianhayn. It is more residential, but really beautiful and interesting. We loop around and walk back across the “kissing bridge” into Nyhavn which remains ridiculously photogenic at any time of day.

Enzo and JD head home while Finn and Karen go do a little shopping. Everything is wildly over priced (and really upscale - we are surrounded by Gucci, Burberry, Prada, et al) but they manage to escape with only a handful of H&M items.

When they return we book a canal cruise for late in the day, then JD and Finn do a little grocery shopping (eating at the apartment saves a ton of money).

The canal cruise is loads of fun, a little kitschy but a great way to see parts of the city we would never otherwise experience. We go under all 14 bridges and learn a bit of history, winding through the canals as the sun gets low in the sky.

We cook at home and watch some Umbrella Academy before crashing a little early. Tomorrow is a travel day on to our last stop.

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Aug 31

We have a slow morning, throwing in a last load of laundry (into another of those European combo units) and making coffee in the yummy nespresso machine. Karen and JD head out and walk around a bit while the kids sleep in. We eventually come up and begin the process of repacking, redistributing clothes and extras until everyone’s pack is thoroughly stuffed.

Our flight is later in the day (4:40p) and we’ve learned that creates a bit of a hassle re: checkout times and baggage. 2p is the sweet spot for flying out without having to rush in the morning or having to find a home for your luggage. We decide to opt for boring comfort and head to the airport several hours early, buy a day pass for (adequate) Aspire lounge and settle in.

The Norwegian air flight is quick and easy and we arrive in Bergen on time. We jump on the flybussen (30 mins) to Bergen central and trek up up up the narrow paths and stairs to our Airbnb.

The places is hilariously laid out - multiple
Floors of sketchy stair cases and rooms. There’s plenty of space and a nice kitchen - better equipped than most but without a toaster or French press.

We head down into town (a 10 minute walk) to the waterfront area. There’s a long line of shops and restaurants, all aimed squarely at tourists (and priced
Accordingly)

Bergen is beautiful and surrounded by mountains but it’s by far the town that feels most like a big tourist trap of anywhere we’ve visited this far. There are cruise passengers all over the place and some of the tourist spots feel very jaded. That said we do have a decent (if overpriced) dinner down near the waterfront and then walk the town for a bit. There are scores of cute shops and off the main drag it’s super quaint and lovely.

The residential area is built into the side of the mountain making the journey to and from our Airbnb a very vertical endeavor. The winding cobbled streets are interesting and lots of fun to explore.

We head to the grocery store for some essentials (though we can’t buy beer after 8pm which is a tragedy). And then walk home, watch some Netflix and head to bed. Everyone agrees that this is one of our favorite stops.

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Sept 1

Everyone sleeps pretty well, it’s cooler here than on our other stops. It’s sort of a strange multi floor layout with Enzo sleeping way up top, JD and Karen sleeping in the bedroom near the bathroom, and Finn sleeping on the couch in the TV room.

It’s a slow roll, so Karen and JD head down to town to find good coffee and a bakery. The kids eventually join us, navigating themselves from the Airbnb down to the waterfront. We eat at Baker Brun - which is clearly a tourist destination but also has the best baked good and coffee around (flat white !).

From breakfast we explore the fish market (amazing and a little scary with the giant crabs) and sort out options for a fjord cruise tomorrow. There are a lot of back alleys and side streets here and each time you weave a new path through the town you find new shops and graffiti (there are recreations of Banksy all around and lots of street art.)

We take the funicular up to the top of the mountain overlooking Bergen - Great views and some seriously great nature. The kids spaz out on the playground for a bit, then we walk half a kilometer to a large pond where a Norwegian class of young kids is getting canoe lessons for what we assume is a field trip. It’s a beautiful setting with ducks and trees - we walk around the pond then take the path back to a ropes course playground with a cool zip line. After enjoying the outdoors we head back down in the funicular, joined by a gregarious group of school kids. It’s a raucous but fun trip down the mountain.

We head home to regroup and then motivate to visit the Norgen Seawater Pool - it’s a solid 35 minute walk but we get to see a new part of town, plus Karen and the kiddos enjoy the pool which is heated and the diving board into the sea (which is not heated). After an hour and a half we meander back toward town. Karen and Finn do a little souvenir shopping while Enzo and JD head to the grocery store. Dinners out have been expensive throughout the trip ($100 at a minimum) so it’s nice to spend $25 and get everything we need to feed the crew at the Airbnb.

We eat and sprawl on the couch to watch some family TV (which has become our tradition). We should be able to finish the 3rd season of umbrella academy before we head home ! Tomorrow is our last full day, hoping for beautiful sunny skies for the fjord tour.

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Sept 2

Our last full day starts out like most of our other days, a little slow everyone enjoying their morning and sleeping in as much as their body and the light will let them. We make instant coffee and toast in a pan, once everyone is up we head back down to the waterfront. It is distinctly more touristy today, it feels like a cruise ship just dumped loads of people right in the middle of town. After breakfast, we head over to Rosencrance Tower. It’s a pretty neat little piece of an old fortress where you can see lots of armor and arms, and climb to the top for a decent view of Bergen.

After an hour or so, we head back down into town. We stop by our favorite donut shop and pick up 10 cinnamon donuts then head to meet with our boat for the fjord tour. It’s a large catamaran and it’s got a healthy number of people on it, but there’s still plenty of space on the top deck. The hour and a half boat ride out to the main fjord is beautiful, the weather is perfect, and we pass loads of little towns, maybe villages is a better word, a little pieces of civilization darted along these very vertical slopes. the mountains closed in a little bit as we get further and further up the fjord, dead ending into a very quaint hamlet that seems to exist in the middle of nowhere. It didn’t get his first road until 1976, completely isolated.

On the way back we sit inside out of the wind and play spades, we can really feel the wind down of the trip happening now. Once we are back on shore, we find a local piercing place to help replace a lost stud in Finn‘s newly pierced ears.

We stop by Nirvana Pizza and the grocery store to grab some supplies for tomorrow’s travel day. We retire back at home with pizza and watch the final episodes of umbrella academy before packing up. We have a bit of a late check out tomorrow so we should be able to take it easy. It’s a stunning sunset over the water which we can see from the top floor of our Airbnb.

A beautiful way to end a great trip.