Europe Fall 2022

August - November 2022
A 77-day adventure by Dave
  • 39footprints
  • 10countries
  • 77days
  • 356photos
  • 36videos
  • 13.9kmiles
  • 9.0kmiles
  • Day 2

    Uppsala

    August 23, 2022 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    We flew into Arlanda airport, which is halfway between Stockholm and Uppsala, a mid-size university town. I guess you could call it the Swedish Madison. We decided to stay here since we have a train pass and we've spent time in Stockholm before. It was a great choice since it is such a lovely town without all of the hustle and bustle of Stockholm. And everything is cheaper too. Uppsala is the home to Anders Celcius (of the temperature fame), Carol Linnaeus, (the father of taxonomy), and Norse gods (Woden, Thor., etc....) At least that's what the legend says. We spent Thors Day morning at Gamla Uppsala, the Old Uppsala just north of town to hike around the large burial mounds. This is where ancient vikings would gather for the Thing, or grand council to work things out. And to bury some high falutin people before building some large mounds on top. There was a nice museum on the site and an amazing buffet restaurant at an old mead house.

    Later, we enjoyed a picnic in the park near the river Fyris while some live music was playing in the background. Deanne found a bar that had a rockabilly band playing and we spent a late evening out watching them.

    More photos and vids are here https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z1ADqamgdwQtdqrbA
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  • Day 3

    Stockholm

    August 24, 2022 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    We spent just one day in Stockholm. Eight years ago, we spent about 4 nights here and saw lots of museums. Today, we took the 40 minute train from Uppsala to just walk around town and see the sights. We saw the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace and poked our heads in the free armory museum under the palace. And we walked around Sodermalm, where we stayed the last time. Instead of an expensive boat tour, we took a local ferry to Skeppsholmen, a small island in the city and walked back to the Central station. After 10 miles of walking, we called it a day and took the train back to Uppsala for dinner. Our 3 month Eurail pass covers trains like this for free. Stockholm is an amazing city with tons to see, but we're really enjoying the slower pace of Uppsala and the vibrant student scene.Read more

  • Day 7

    Hella Party in Helsinki

    August 28, 2022 in Finland ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    What a whirlwind trip. 8 years ago we took a ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki and absolutely loved it. For the price of a hotel room in Stockholm, we have ferry transportation with a cabin. It's just like a cruise ship, but it's only an overnight trip. Our friend Paul Herring is from Madison and lives in Helsinki with his partner Alyssa. We wanted to visit him and he knew of a friend's birthday party that just happened to be on the night we're there.

    We're trying to hurry down to Switzerland so we can hike in the Alps while it's still warm. So it's one night and then returning to Stockholm the next night.

    The hotel was right at the harbor and we hit the sights in town at 11 am. The weather was in the upper 70s and they don't get too many of those in Helsinki.

    In the early evening we stopped by Paul's apartment and then walked to the party with some friends of his. It was a birthday party for other friends. Kalle is the songwriter and keyboardist for a band called Kemopetrol who had a big hit in Europe about 20 years ago. His wife Mintie is from United States and actually from Macomb, Illinois of all places. That's the home of Western Illinois University. I graduated from Eastern Illinois University so we pretended to have a rivalry.

    They were both celebrating their birthdays and had put off the party a couple times because of COVID. What a fun group of smart and creative people. We hit the design museum earlier in the day and were surprised at how creative the Finns are given that their population is about the same as Wisconsin. Fiskar scissors? Text messaging? Heart rate monitor? Nokia phones? Angry Birds? All from Finland.

    It was totally safe to walk home after midnight. In the morning we walked all over town and hit a small museum before getting back on a ferry to Stockholm.

    More photos and videos are here! https://photos.app.goo.gl/5N2p4q2a9oocWrxy9
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  • Day 9

    Gothenburg

    August 30, 2022 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    It's pronounced YER ta BOR ee? I'm doomed.

    Or not, since everyone in Sweden seems to speak English. After another night on a ferry and a quick cab to Stockholm's Central Station, we jumped on a high speed train to cross through southern Sweden to the 2nd city of Gothenburg. The train was like most things Swedish: quick, clean, and efficient. Our 2nd class seats were as good as any first class seats we've been on and the wifi was strong. Imagine speeding through Wisconsin's north woods on a high speed train, watching beautiful lakes and trees whiz by and you'll get an idea of what our Swedish train ride was like. It took 3 hours, mostly because it stopped several times in between.

    We stayed at a Scandic hotel near the station. This chain is everywhere here and we literally walked by 2 other Scandics to get to our business/budget hotel. It's relatively big room for Scandinavian standards and super quiet. Breakfasts are included, but already we're getting a little tired of cheese and coldcuts for breakfast. At least there's always Muesli. After checking in, we hit the streets and walked through several parks near the canals and hit the Haga neighborhood. It's a trendy and quirky former working class suburb that is now near the center of town. We hiked up a gazillion steps to the top of Skansen Kronen, a former fort at the top of the hill behind Haga, for city views. Then it was a meandering walk back through town to the hotel. Trams are everywhere here as are bikes and bike lanes. As a pedestrian, you really need to pay attention so you don't get run over by one or both. Bike lanes look just like sidewalks so you need to look for the painted icons. I love the bike culture here, but they seem to have the right of way. After you mix in the electric scooters and electric skateboards, it's quite an adventure getting around town. As much as we like bikes, we haven't seen a need to rent any yet, as most things are within walking distance.

    The next morning we had another nice buffet breakfast at the hotel and hit a couple of museums. It was another sunny day. After a week in Scandinavia, we've had nothing but sunny days and warm weather. The city museum was well done and we took our time with the exhibits. The highlight was the remains of a viking ship and other viking artifacts. Outdoor restaurants were everywhere this time of year and we found a nice seafood restaurant at the remodeled old market in town by the canal. Deanne had "crawfish" which turned out to be 3 small lobsters. I opted for the hearty bouillabaisse and wasn't disappointed.

    Next stop was the Goteborgs Konstmuseum, or Gothenburg Art Museum. They had a lot of impressionists, Picassos, and Rembrandts, along with lots of Swedish artists of various styles. Great museums and they only cost about $6 each. A long walk back to the hotel later and we found the hotel elevator still broken. We're on the 5th floor which means the 6th floor to Americans. At least we're getting our steps in.

    Tomorrow we take a 3 hour ferry to Frederikshavn, Denmark across the Kattegat sea. I'd never heard of that one before. It's between the North sea and the Danish Straits which lead to the Baltic sea. From there, we'll take a local train up to the very top of Jutland and spend the night in Skagen.

    More photos and vids are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/CFMhcGSc3kiRdYQV8
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  • Day 11

    Skagen, rhymes with Dane

    September 1, 2022 in Denmark ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    The ferry from Gothenburg only took 3 hours, but it was a sunny day with blue skies. It was definitely an older crowd. I guess that's us now. The mostly Swedes were on a short trip or a booze run. It's another tax free ferry once they get a few miles out, and many people brought their dollys to buy cases of booze at cheap prices. Sweden's sin taxes are notoriously high. For Wisconsinites, the sale prices were about what you'd pay at a big box store like Costco.

    After we landed in Frederikshavn, we had to quickly walk to the train station about 10 minutes away. We practically raced a Swedish family trying to catch a train that left a few minutes after us, so they let us pass them at a stop walk. We made the train with minutes to spare and enjoyed the slow ride up to Skagen. It's pronounced like Skain and rhymes with Dane. You'd think I'd remember that but I kept saying Skoggin or Skahn all the time. I even did it in a video I recorded when we were at Grenen. That's the sand spit that is the northernmost point of Denmark and where the Baltic Sea meets the North Sea. The Danes add a few more seas in between them: The Kattegat and the Skaggerak.

    That was fun and the water was warm. Everyone goes out and walks where the two seas meet, but apparently don't mix. It was strange to see all the starfish there. Most were dead and formed a long path on the North Sea side. Was it warming waters that killed them? We walked past WW2 bunkers built by the Germans and biked back in town. We had rented 2 basic bikes that are the standard here. They're slow and clunky compared to what we're used to, but everyone uses them. The pace is slower here, and that's nice. The bike paths are amazing and you have to pay to park a car almost anywhere in town, so it was a wise choice, especially given the great weather. We passed quaint houses, lighthouses, sand dunes, and large sea vessels. We packed a picnic lunch and ate it out on the sandy beach and finished a half bottle of wine we'd been carrying for two days.

    Deanne mentioned a day or two ago that her watch was losing time and was scratched. I looked at it and noticed it said "Skagen, Denmark" on it. I had bought it for her on her birthday many years ago and didn't notice the brand name before. Today is her 62nd birthday, ironically, so I thought it fitting to buy her a new Skagen, Denmark watch. We had to look up the company online. It's an American company founded by 2 Danes but all their watches are made in China! But, we found a perfect watch for her that had tiny dragonflies on them. Before her friend Joyce died of cancer a few years ago she said she'd come back to Deanne as a dragonfly. So that sealed the deal. And then, when purchasing the watch the saleswoman said this model is called "Dancing." Even though the brand was different, it was sitll a Skagen, Denmark watch, and it was fate, indeed.

    In the morning, we took our bikes out for a ride to an abandoned church that was partially buried in sand. The parishoners got tired of digging it out because of drifting and it was officially closed in the 18th century and only the top of the tower was left.

    Other photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/2pmTetoLUyHT9KtE8
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  • Day 13

    Aarhus

    September 3, 2022 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Oooh. Our first First Class train. After changing trains in Aalborg, we got to sit in the first train that offered First Class seats. For only a couple dollars more per day of our trip, we decided to spring for it mostlly because it will allow us to take the trains we want. Eurail passes allot a certain amount of seats for passholders in each section, but they don't tell you how many. So, if 2nd class is full for pass holders, we can almost always get a seat in First. This one included free instant coffee, magazines, and candy. But the best part is we were the only ones in it, so we could spread out. Gone are the days of sitting on a bag of cabbage and having an old lady sleep on my shoulder (I'm looking at you, Myanmar).

    The town is pronounced Our HOOS. We immediately liked Aarhus as soon as we walked out of the station. Sometimes you get an immediate sense for a city. But as luck would have it, this is the week of the annual Aarhus Festuge https://www.aarhusfestuge.dk/, or Arts Festival. It seems to be a combination of art, music, and beer. Lots and lots of beer. At check-in, the host at our aparthotel told us it's like a mini-Octoberfest. There's beer tents everywwhere and stages for bands and people walking around with open beers or sitting in the parks drinking at 4 on a Thursday. What luck.

    It was Deanne's 62nd birthday, so I made a reservation at a Michelin starred restaurant called Moef. But after 9 days on the road, laundry was calling. Laundromats are hard to come by in Europe, so we book places with laundry every week or so. Between loads, we explored the neighborhood and enjoyed watching people learn Swing Dancing in a tent and went grocery shopping.

    The dinner was amazing. The chef and waitress explained everything and the chef told us which berries and herbs he grew and picked himself. We almost never order the same thing and since I wanted the Haddock with a french curry sauce, Deanne opted for a Confit pig with polenta, "the neighbor's currants", corn, and a sauce made from the roasted corn cob marinated with pork stock. Newsflash: Iowa girl orders Iowa food! Kidding aside, both dishes were amazing and we did the 'ole trading dishes across the table trick. Why doesn't anyone else do that?

    The next day we explored ARoS, the modern art museum. The highlight is the Rainbow Panarama on the roof. You walk in a circular, glass enclosed walkway and the windows are tinted the colors of the rainbow. It's like walking through ROYGBIV. And besides that, it was probably the best modern art museum I've been to.

    After that it was just walking around Denmark's 2nd largest city. We just missed the Queen's boat at the harbor. She came in on a boat for the fest, apparently. It's vibrant city, mostly because of the university and it's thousands of students. This weekend, they were all drinking but it was pretty mellow and everyone was well behaved, even when we walked through a park with lots of drinking games going on. The Latin Quarter is a quaint area with old buildings, tiny shops, and lots and lots of coffee shops and bars. All of them were pretty full on a Friday afternoon. Lunch was at a cool food court in an old warehouse. Each food cart was in a shipping container. There were maybe 25 carts. I opted for Jamaican and Deanne had Korean.

    That night we made a picnic dinner and had wine with the locals in the park nearby. EVERYONE was out eating and drinking in the parks. After sunset, we walked around town looking for bands in tents. We danced a bit to the silent disco where you get to use free headsets and dance with about 50 other people. We saw this in Australia once. Basically, it's a really weird scene to see so many people dancing but not hear any music, unless you have a headset of course.

    Later we took some Baltic dancing lessons in a tent and we ended up seeing a really fun Irish band in the tent Deanne first noticed as we walked out of the train station. We danced a lot to that one and especially enjoyed the version of Monty Python's "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life." We collapsed at home after midnight and regretted that we only booked 2 nights.

    More photos and videos of Aarhus are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/SdXR135SKCPQFZcU9

    Photos of just the ARos Art museum are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/W5KH7wQipTYGPxWDA
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  • Day 14

    Stege, Mon, Denmark

    September 4, 2022 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Stege and the island of Mon is quite the contrast to the citites we've been in so far. It's like Wisconsin's Door County or Michigan's UP. But right after the tourist season ends. It's a sunny September 4th and the place is like a ghost town. Apparently, their tourist season is July and August only.

    We're here because of the Mons Klint, or white cliffs of Mon. They rival the cliffs of Dover for sheer size and awe inspiring views. The east end of the island is chalky white limestone mixed with black veins of flint. But Stege is the main town on the island and on the west side. Not having a car is problematic, but we worked it out. There are public buses, but they don't run on Sundays, the day we have available to see the cliffs. There's a tourist office, but it's closed on weekends. Rumor had it there was a free green bus that made the trip, but there's nothing online, there's no mention of it at the bus stops, and most locals only heard a bit about it. But, we did find it and asked for the schedule from the driver. It's a modern, new long distance bus and was a great comfortable ride through the countryside to the cliffs at the GeoCenter, a museum.

    We found a lovely house to rent and it will probably be the biggest place we stay in the whole trip. A path in the back leads to the lagoon and there's a dock and swimming area. It's sunny but very windy so we took a pass on the swimming. There was a small end of season festival going on when we arrived, with people dressed in 1800's era costumes giving demonstrations on weapon making, wool spinning, etc. Later a band played American classic covers in a tent, but the whole deal didn't attract too many people.

    This morning we took the 50 minute ride to the Mons Klint and hiked several miles on a path through woodland and to the top of the highest cliff. Then it was down a long series of steps to the Baltic Sea, where we walked along the base of the cliffs. It was so beautiful.

    And finally, we hiked up another series of steps back to the top. It's been a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of cities. Tomorrow it's back to it, for 5 nights in Copenhagen!
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  • Day 19

    Copenhagen

    September 9, 2022 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Whew! What a whirlwind tour of Copenhagen and the area. We found a great apartment in the Vesterbro neighborhood of Copenhagen, across the street from the Meatpacking District. It's a trendy area with lots of restaurants and bars. But since we bought the 4-day Copenhagen card, we weren't much for nightlife. It allowed us free entry to almost all museums and castles in the area, along with free transportation. That meant we didn't need to rent a bike, which looked fun, but why pay double for transportation options? The card was an amazing deal and we were true Culture Vultures.

    We saw 3 castles, many interesting museums, and climbed the top of Our Savior Church for majestic views of the city. One of my favorites was the photography exhibit in Hamlet's castle (known by 3 names: Elsinor, Helsingborg, and Kronberg). The costumes used in the photo shoots were pretty amazing. The photogropher used models to recreate famous Danish royalty. Some of the castle exhibits were musty, and some were fascinating. Another favorite was the Viking Ship Museum in nearby Roskilde, where we got to row and sail in a re-creation of a Viking boat.

    We started off the first full day with a Canal boat tour and then hit the ground running. But on our arrival day, we made a late afternoon visit to the social experiment of Christiania, where hippies took over an abandoned military installation in the early 70's and never left. It's been about 50 years on now and it's still a thriving subculture.

    Bikes are everywhere. Even more so than anywhere else in Scandinavia, I think. The transportation system is good, but there are no trams and fewer buses than most places. There is a good metro system and regional trains, but since so many people use bikes, I think there is less of a network than similar sized cities like Helsinki. People can bring their bikes on trains and buses. There are whole sections of them for bikes. And since the area is flat, it's just a great way to get around.

    We thought we'd get an overnight train from Hamburg to Zurich, but it's sold out for the next month or so. And so we're adjusting by taking a day train from Copenhagen to Hamburg to Cologne in one day. In the morning we'll move on down to Bern, Switzerland . The Eurail pass makes plan B and C pretty easy. We really want to explore Hamburg, but we want to get to Switzerland while it's warm. We'll head back up to Germany later.

    Fun fact: St. Pauli Girl, an innocent looking German Fraulein is named after the St. Pauli district in Hamburg. That's the former red light district. So think about that the next time you see the beer label.

    More photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/5bZJ58NpPyJdnKfp6
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  • Day 21

    Cologne

    September 11, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Cologne was just a quick stop on our way to Switzerland. We had just enough time to check in, walk around town and grab dinner and a couple drinks. It looks like a great town even though it was raining. They desperately need the rain. The Rhine River is at record lows.

    Kolsch beer is the rage here, and they serve it in small narrow glasses. Too bad we're not staying longer because drinks are about half price compared to Denmark! For dinner, it was Sauerbraten for me and Salmon in
    a beurre Blanc sauce for Deanne, along with some German wines.

    Cologne's most famous landmark is it's gothic cathedral. We just made it inside before closing time. It's extremely tall and quite impressive. But after seeing a few of these, they tend to all look alike. I know.... sacriliege! After seeing that, we stumbled on a cafe called "Funk Haus" and of course Dr. Funkhouser and I HAD to stop in for a drink. Nobody in Iowa is quite sure, but they think it means Radio Station. We are asking several people what the surname means and have heard Radio Station and Fire Station. This cafe is named after the TV station that was in the building before. Maybe we'll find out in the Emmental valley of Switzerland where Deanne's family came from.

    More photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/CmhfqVJddU23wgAg7
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