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Ethan and Iesha Nordic Travels
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  • Ethan and Iesha

Ethan and Iesha Nordic Travels

A 62-day adventure by Ethan Read more
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  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Last few days in Tromsø

    Oct 8–11, 2024 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    Our last few days in Tromsø have been very relaxed. We've woken up and made the most of the free breakfast buffet at our hotel, we've been trying to get as far through the day without having to eat anything else. We've been mostly successful, only eating things like packet rice and cup-a-soups for dinner.
    Iesha booked a Northern Lights hunting tour as a celebration for Ethan's final results being released while we were in Bergen. Unfortunately, even though the lights were very strong that night, we could barely see anything because there was a thick cloud bank that seemingly was covering the whole of northern Norway and even Finland. We caught a glimpse of some green through the clouds which just confirmed that there was an awesome being put on in the sky that we just couldn't see. There's always a silver lining though - on the way back we had to stop for a group of moose or reindeer crossing the road (we don't know for sure which they were but it was Ethan's goal for the night once it became clear that we weren't going to see lights).
    The following nights have also been strong Aurora potentials only to be disappointed by 100% cloud cover again and again. Now get the idea of how most people feel on these trips. We're so very grateful for getting the displays on our first two nights here, some Norwegian photographers are calling them the best lights they've ever seen!
    We've spent our days resting at the hotel and wandering around Tromsø. On our second last day, we went to the Troll Museum which was actually heaps of fun, especially for us because we love myths and learning about folklore. It was the museum we were hoping all museums would be like so far on this trip. We gave in to the gimmick and had a snack at the most northern McDonald's in the world. This was very consistent with our expectations (cold chips) but Iesha had a local McFlurry flavour which was quite nice. We also went to the Magic Ice Bar which is a cool little bar made completely out of ice (even the seats and glasses)! It's kept at a constant -7°C so we were giving some trendy ponchos to wear while inside. We noticed the drinks were all lightly coloured with mixers like Grenadine, Iesha said that would be the bar's trick to see spills when they happen.
    On our last day we had a lovely seafood lunch and Iesha had been craving mussels so she finally got to have some (the biggest serve ever). All in all, Tromsø has been an interesting experience. We had 5 nights here which would have been not enough if we had clear skies every night (they get Auroras essentially every night the only concern up here is clouds), but as it happened there's not a heap to do around town and when the Lights aren't happening. This led to the biggest problem of the trip so far - Iesha has successfully gotten Ethan invested in Grey's Anatomy which he's managed to avoid up until now. It was a dream to get the displays we did on our first two nights, hopefully they're not the last of our trip!    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Norway Recap

    October 11, 2024 in Norway ⋅ 🌫 3 °C

    Top 5 attractions:
    1. Northern lights in Tromso
    2. Cruises through the Sognefjord
    3. Exploring the fjord villages (Flåm and Balestrand). It felt so surreal being there. Definitely a trip highlight.
    4. Hiking up the mountains in Bergen
    5. Munch Museum

    Best food:
    1. Mussels and Fish Gratin at Maskinverkstedet (Tromso)
    2. Middle eastern dinner at Baban in Bergen
    3. Berry crumble bolle at the Flåm bakery
    4. Raclette Baguette in Oslo Mathallen
    5. Seafood dinner at the Bergen fish market

    Final thoughts/observations:
    * So far in Norway and also in Iceland we haven’t seen one obese person. Everyone is slim here and healthy
    * Oslo is cool but it’s just another big city. We preferred Bergen (the second biggest city in Norway) a lot more.
    * You can get on buses in Norway without a ticket easily. They don’t really check.
    * The villages and towns really just go to sleep in the off season. All the bars, restaurants and hotels just close which is sad.
    * We get the hype around Nordic saunas. They are worth it.
    * Have both decided that Fjords are our favourite geological feature.
    * We are so happy we chose Autumn for this trip. Couldn’t imagine the Norwegian scenery looking any prettier without all the orange, red and green tones.    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Travel day to Sweden

    October 12, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    Travel from Tromsø to Stockholm consisted of 26 hours of buses and trains! We had a 5am wake up to catch our first bus at 6:20am. It was dark and cold walking through the streets of Tromsø but we made it onto our coach. It was a 4 hour bus and we slept and observed the scenery which was literally a winter wonderland outside - snowing and fully white. It was beautiful. We got to Narvik which is another town in Northern Norway. It was a cute town but nothing really happening and we gathered just a lot of retired people lived there so we just sat inside a shopping centre food court for a few hours and then made our way to the train station, lugging our suitcases through the town. We then had another bus which was 1.5 hours where we crossed the border into Sweden into a ski village called Abisko (again another winter wonderland and even frozen lakes!). From there we got onto our train which was a 5 hour train ride to Boden (another Swedish town) and by the end of it we were tired, feeling gross and also a bit sick. We then hopped off and transferred into our sleeper train which was cool. It was so tiny but had beds so we could sleep. It was a good experience. We finally made it into Stockholm the next day at about 10am. We were both feeling gross and pretty exhausted so immediately got into our accommodation, showered, visited a burger place called Krubb which was so so delicious and then just rested for the remainder of the day, made a healthy vegetarian curry for dinner and went to bed early to recover.Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler
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    First Days in Stockholm

    Oct 13–14, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Sunday was our first full day in Stockholm and… wow it is beautiful. Definitely matching our ideas of a proper European city. All the buildings are so so old and there’s so many spires in this city. We started the day with a walk through Östermalm which is considered the wealthy suburb of the city which was evident from the people walking around and all the designer stores and fancy hotels. Here we had a bolle from a bakery which was yummy but also not mind blowing. We then went for a walk through Gamla Stan which translates to “old town” and is very popular with tourists. It was bustling with people and is filled with old buildings mostly from 1600s and romantic small cobblestone streets. Here we saw the royal palace which was quite big and we happened to be there at the right time to watch the changing of the guards. The coolest part was just watching the royal band and observing stupid tourists getting told off by guards. We also got to step inside the entrance of the castle which was so regal. In the evening we went for a stroll along the river and to a viewing point of the city followed by some drinks at a cute wine bar. On Monday we explored Djurgården which was a lot quieter but contained the royal gardens and lots of museums - still with amazing architecture. We went to a recommended restaurant called Ulla Winbladh for lunch. It was the cutest restaurant almost Ike a tea room building. We got some wine and the meatballs (which is what we came for) our first proper Swedish meatballs and oh my we pretty much had an out of body experience. The mixture of the meat with the sauce they put on with the mash and the lingonberries with cucumber was perfect harmony. We had never had meatballs that tasted so good. One of the best meals of our lives, so simple but so good. We then visited the Viking museum where we got to learn about the lives of Vikings. They even had a cool ride which told the story of a Viking family, the production quality was amazing and the story was very engaging. Every museum should have a ride! We then walked slowly back to our apartment along the waterfront, seeing some sights from different perspectives like the Parliament building and Riddarholm church. Lastly we stopped into a rooftop bar right next to where we are staying to have a couple of drinks as the sun went down and the city lit up.Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Last 2 Days in Stockholm

    Oct 15–17, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    On Tuesday we went to a recommended bakery for a sweet brunch. Most of the bakeries we've been to so far have been more specialised in doughy food while this one had a lot more pastry which was a nice change. We got three treats to taste, they were very sweet so it took us quite a while to get through them all. We sat at an observatory park to eat with a view. On the way back home we stopped into a few second-hand stores so Iesha could look for shoes to wear to the opera the next night. She found a really nice pair for a bargain price so that was a massive win. That night we'd booked an exciting fine dining experience at Punk Royale which serves fancy food in a 20-course daily changing menu but in a dark, smoky, loud, and packed restaurant. We remarked that it was like clubbing for adults. It was such a fun experience and certainly unique compared to the other usual Michelin-level restaurants, they take your phones away when you sit down so we don't even have any photos. Unfortunately the meal was ruined by both of us getting a bit of food poisoning or tummy bug which stuck with us throughout the whole night and the next day. For obvious reasons, the next day was a bit of a write-off as we recuperated in the apartment and ate comfort food. Luckily we were both feeling semi better by the time we got dressed to watch the opera at the Royal Swedish Opera house. The venue was incredible! It had been Iesha’s dream to see a show in a theatre like this so it was so special. It's such a nice old building that has been around since the 1700s; with tall regal ceilings, well decorated, lots of gold and paintings. It felt surreal to be watching Tosca in such an amazing European traditional opera house. The performance itself was also phenomenal, the singers have really got some pipes and are very good at expressing emotion even when they're singing in Italian. We had watched a plot synopsis video before going and bought a program which had descriptions in English so we at least knew what was happening in the story as the surtitles were in Swedish. It was Ethan’s first opera and it’s safe to say he enjoyed it and the experience immensely. When we got back home we had a cheese and cracker snack as it was going to be a late night with Iesha having a 2.5 hour exam starting at 1am.
    That brings to an end our time in Stockholm. This is the prettiest city we've been to by far, there is something very romantic about walking amongst the architecture and streets here. All the buildings are old and well maintained, and the public transport system is a breeze to navigate and is super helpful.    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler
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    First Few Days in Gothenburg

    Oct 17–20, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    After a 4 and a bit hour train from Stockholm we made it to Gothenburg on Thursday afternoon! Our first day turned out to be a half-day because we slept in until noon to catch up on the 2 previous nights of little sleep. We started this day with a breakfast (or lunch?) of some delicious bagels from a New York-styled cafe which was very cool. It was overcast and misty so we made our way through town to the Universeum which was a science museum exploring landscapes, space, the human body etc. we had so much fun in here and were there for 3 hours! It was almost like a zoo mixed with a way better scitech. They had created a rainforest habitat in the middle of the building that was 3 stories high- so inside it was misty and humid with birds flying around and even an enclosure with 2 sloths! We both had never seen a sloth before so we were very excited. We even saw one move and climb to get its food! It was so cool. There was marine life (little sharks, lots of fishes). And there were reptiles too with lots of dangerous snakes. On Saturday the weather was much nicer so we walked to Gothenburg’s main large park called Trädgårdsresan. Autumn was in full bloom this day and it felt like a movie walking through all the brown leaves under the warm sun and also seeings lots of leaves fall from the trees. The gardens had a rose garden, a lake and even a large green house you could go inside and look at palm trees and other plants. We sat on a bench for a while and both read our books before walking through the whole park. From there we made our way to a suburb called Haga which is the oldest suburb in Gothenburg, it was first built in 1648! It was cobble-stoned streets that were very busy and filled with cafes, shops, souvenirs and antiques. We had our first proper “Fika”! We shared a Hagabullen which is famous on that street (just a gigantic cinnamon scroll), we couldn’t even finish it between the two of us because it was so sweet. For dinner we had booked a table at Unity Jazz Club which is a cute and classy bar in the city where they play live jazz each night. We sat and had a yummy dinner of baked cauliflower and cheese with wine whilst listening to a live jazz vocalist and her band. They were so good- singing in both English and Swedish. At first Ethan couldn’t tell when she was scatting and when she was singing actual Swedish words but he got the hang of it fairly quickly. We found it interesting that scatting noises aren’t universal so her Swedish scatting was making very different sounds to English scatting. We had the nicest night here and was way better than spending our Saturday night at a nightclub or something like that. We then walked home and shared tea and biscuits on our balcony.Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Last 2 Days in Gothenburg

    Oct 20–22, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    On Sunday we started our day at the Gothenburg art museum. Gothenburg is known for its arts culture and we even got into the museum for free because they accepted that we were Australian students! There was lots of art and sculptures made by famous Scandinavian painters as well as paintings from Monet and Picasso. We had lots of fun observing and walking around. (Some of our favourite paintings are included here because of the incredible detail in them). We got some burgers for lunch then made our way on a bus to Slottskogen which was a massive beautiful park and forest. Little did we know it also contained a zoo on top of the hill of the park! Even better, it was free. It had seals, penguins, duck, sheep, moose and all sorts of deer even reindeer. We were very excited as we love seeing animals and the animals had big pens (except we thought the seals could have had more room to swim). Seals are literally just water puppies and one kept doing things like Milly- rolling around on its back and just laying like that which was funny to watch. The fallow deer were exactly like Bambi! It was our first time seeing a proper reindeer which was cool and one had the most gigantic antlers! This park was definitely such a good find. On Monday we spent the day strolling through the city and looking through shops. We walked through Hah again and had another Fika. We then went into a liquorice shop. They had lots of samples so we finally got to try salted liquorice… oh boy it was disgusting. Ethan tried a regularly salty type while Iesha was braver and tried the extra salty (it was covered in salt the same way sour lollies are covered in sugar). Iesha felt immediately sick after trying and Ethan complained he’d been insulted because “licorice was a safe choice” usually for him. We don’t get how people can eat that and wouldn’t wish this experience on our worst enemies. Eth was definitely in a bit of a worse mood after that. We finished off our day walking to the Skansen Kronan which is a 1700s fortress that has a nice view of the city. Our last night was spent making a homemade green curry, wine and watching Vikings (a show we have started this trip for obvious reasons and are both addicted to).Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler
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    Helsingborg

    Oct 22–25, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We spent 3 nights in Helsingborg and loved every bit of it. It seems a bit like Perth in that it's a great city, nice and chill, but not many tourists and when you are a tourist you can see most sights in 3 days.
    On our first night we had some German schnitzels which were very yummy and then walked around the city a bit while it was lit up. The city hall is the most impressive we've seen so far with its red brick, big clock tower, and stained class windows. It is huge! The next day we walked 30 minutes out of the city centre to visit Fredriksdal open air museum which is essentially a replica farm from various parts of the Skåne region in Sweden (some of the houses were built in Fredriksdal in the 18th century). We learnt about the history, walked through all the old buildings, admired the herb and veggie gardens which they use in the cafe, looked at the farm animals, and petted some very friendly cats. That night we walked to the end of the Helsingborg marina to watch the sunset over the ocean. The ocean here is a part of the North Sea called the Øresund Strait and Denmark is only 4km away (a 20-minute ferry) so we could see Helsingor (a Danish town) very well from where we were sitting. That's an easy swim if the water wasn't so cold!
    On Thursday we saw the sights of the city centre in the daylight. We walked up the Terrace Steps to Kärnan which is a 35-metre tall tower and use to be the centre of a bigger castle fortification to protect the city in the Sweden-Denmark wars. We couldn't go to the top of the tower because it was closed for the off-season but the view of the city was amazing even from the bottom, even across to Denmark again. From here we walked to the Santa Maria Church which is a Gothic-style cathedral with an extraordinary interior. We were lucky enough to walk in towards the end of a beautiful singing performance. Their voices in the great acoustics of the church was very special to hear. For the rest of the day we took a bus to one of Southern Sweden's biggest shopping centres to explore and buy a new carry-on suitcase for our journey home so we can fit all the things we've bought. There was also a huge lolly shop which obviously we couldn't pass without going in so we ended up getting a mix'n'match bag each which will (hopefully) last a couple of days. We then finished our Swedish stay by eating meatballs at IKEA which we thought of as being quintessentially Swedish and a fitting way to end our fortnight here.    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler
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    Sweden Recap

    October 25, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Best food:
    1. Ulla Winbladh meatballs (Stockholm)
    2. Krubb burger (Stockholm)
    3. Schnitzel (Edelweiss pub in Helsingborg)
    4. Ginger cookie (fika in Gothenburg)
    5. Maccas after food poisoning 😉
    -5000. Salted Liquorice 🤮

    Top 5 attractions:
    1. Opera theatre (Stockholm)
    2. Gothenburg Art Museum
    3. Universeum and Slottskogen zoo (Gothenburg)
    4. Gamla Stan (Stockholm)
    5. Kärnan (Helsingborg)

    Final thoughts/observations:
    * Most females sound like Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch) when they speak.
    * Squirrels are everywhere! This was our first time seeing squirrels and we love them. Red squirrels move so fast and so cute.
    * People in Stockholm dress extremely nice and have very cool fashion.
    * People in Stockholm don’t seem very friendly. It’s hard to get a smile out of them. However, when you talk to them they seem nice enough. People in smaller cities like Helsingborg were so smiley and friendly and also dress more casually. It was very evident which was crazy.
    * People don’t really make way or move on sidewalks when you walk past. We felt like we were always the ones constantly making way for other people.
    * Bike lanes are given so much priority. The cycle lanes are larger than the pedestrian footpaths.
    * Cyclists don’t give way to pedestrians on zebra crossings, same goes for e scooters and mopeds (they even ride on footpaths). Bizarre.
    * Everything is so Halloweeny. Pumpkins and decorations are everywhere. We loved it though because it matches autumn and its colours!    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler
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    Copenhagen City and Night 1

    Oct 25–26, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We arrived via train in the afternoon and enjoyed our first night at the “Library Bar” with live jazz. It was so classy, with table service by waiters in suits and amazing (and huge) cocktails. Our night ended with a night walk home and warm waffles along the canal.

    Wow Copenhagen!…We have had 6 nights in Copenhagen and they were jam packed with experiences. Copenhagen was definitely the city in which we had made the most notes about places we wanted to go over the past few months leading up to our trip. We ended up buying a 3-day tourist card which included all transport fees and entrance fees to any of the attractions we went to so we certainly had to plan those three days perfectly to make the most of the card. Everywhere we've been here has been so awe-inspiring that we have decided to make a post for each activity rather than by days. Even just walking around the city is impressive and beautiful, there are amazing buildings everywhere you look and the city is organised so that it's really easy to get everywhere. Our apartment was located right on the Nyhavn canal which was such an amazing location. We have felt so so happy in Copenhagen and even though it was bustling with people it still has an old charm to it!    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler
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    Copenhagen Food

    October 25, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    1 & 2: Apple Danish and pancakes from Kafeteria
    3: Filled Croissants from Buka
    4: Too many to choose from at Rug bakery
    5: Blueberry and Apple Danish from Rug
    6: Tacos from Hija de Sanchez in Torvehallerne (food market)
    7: Street food Danish pancake balls
    8: Street food Danish hotdogs
    9: Blueberry Danish at ….
    10: Cheesburgers at Gasoline Grill in Tivoli Gardens
    11 & 12: Ham and cheese croissant and raspberry Danishes at Sct. Pederi (the oldest bakery in Copenhagen)
    13 & 14: Smørrebrøds (traditional open top Danish sandwiches) at Restaurant Schønnemann: Chicken, Herring (Iesha’s first time trying traditional herring, it actually wasn’t so bad but the fishiness and richness of it not being cooked definitely got too much by the end of it), Duck, Roast beef
    15: Dinner at Bæst: House made fresh Mozzarella and prosciutto
    16 & 17: Bæst Pizzas: Ndjua and a Danish pork sausage pizza
    18: Cardomom bun, vanilla custard spandauer, apple cinnamon pastry at Juno bakery
    19: Spandauer at Andersen and Maillard
    20: Spicy fried chicken sandwich at Poulette

    There were many places we had been recommended to eat and drink while in Copenhagen, so many that we haven't been able to go to anywhere near all of them but the places we have been have all been great! Of course, our main objective was trying lots of danish pastries and we made sure to get breakfast from a different bakery every morning. The danishes here are quite different to Perth as most of them don't have any custard, we've had some filled with a coulis (of whatever berry we chose for the danish) and some with a marzipan filling. They've all been delicious! Every other country on this trip so far have focused more on doughy bakery foods like cinnamon scrolls so it's been a very nice change to have some perfect pastries. The crunch on the first bite and butter flavour of the pastries here is incredible. Aside from that we’ve eaten Danish hotdogs (have onions, pickles and lots of sauce… Ethan was not a fan but this was Iesha’s favourite sort of toppings), the "13th best pizza in the world", and tried world-renowned burgers and sandwiches from various restaurants.    Read more

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    Copenhagen: Sunny Day 1

    Oct 26–27, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    The sun was out and the streets were full of life. Our day consisted of a stroll around the pretty lake, Nyhavn, the old theatre, Amelienborg Palace and the giant Frederik’s church (inside was one of the most impressive and breathtaking interiors we’ve been in with extremely high ceilings and Roman style art and design). In the evening we went to the see the Danish ballet perform “A Folk Tale” which is a Danish ballet created by Bournenville. Seeing a ballet in Europe was a dream come true for Iesha. Ethan even loved the ballet and it’s humorous story line. Not to mention he was very impressed by how many double basses and French horns there were in the small orchestra… clearly the conductor has his priorities straight. The theatre was very modern but still was very cool and had 3 tiers in the theatre. It was such a lovely night.Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Copenhagen Museums & Galleries

    October 27, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Although our Copenhagen card gave us entry to almost every museum, they get quite tiring and monotonous once you’ve seen a couple. The ones we did visit however were very enjoyable!

    Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket (Sunday 26/10). This was a very cool museum of statues all donated by Carl Jacobsen (son of the founder of Carlsberg beer). Some of the statues were 3000 years old which was crazy and very special to witness.

    National Museum of Denmark (Sunday 26/10). This museum was pretty boring and hard to navigate our way through it so we speed walked the whole thing and didn’t take photos.

    The SMK National Art Gallery (Tuesday 1/10) also contained many extremely old paintings, some from Matisse.

    Cisternerne (Tuesday 1/10). This place used to be the city’s water reservoir. There is no natural light down there and it is extremely humid (but you couldn’t feel it as it was quite cold and damp). Each year an artist is invited to use the space. The artist this year was a lady named Taryn Simon who made an installation with lamentations by professional mourners in a number of different languages. It explores grief and the cries and noises have a reverberation of 17 seconds! It was pitch dark, extremely loud and very moving. It gave Iesha goosebumps and it made us both feel quite heavy with emotion as it was so powerful. Definitely Ethan’s favourite art installment he has seen.    Read more

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    Frederiksborg Castle

    October 28, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    On Monday we travelled an hour out of the city to Frederiksborg Castle. Thanks to our city card we travelled and got in for free. This is the largest Renaissance Castle in Scandinavia and was built between 1560 and 1620 and was mainly home to Christian IV (who seems to be quite a famous king here in Denmark). After massive fires in 1859 it wasn’t used as royal residence anymore and had since been reorganised as a kind of natural history museum by J.C Jacobson (the founder of Carlsberg beer - their family did a lot for arts in Denmark). However, some rooms weren’t damaged in the fires and are still the same as they were in the 1600s, including the Chapel (where absolute monarchs were anointed), and the Royal Audience Chamber. We were in awe of being around such old decorations and artworks, Iesha especially so as she found it hard to keep her hands to herself (as you can see in the photo of her touching a statue from the 1600s). Unfortunately she missed the large signs and security warnings and touched a very old celestial globe made for one of the kings and set off the alarms in the room. It was quite embarrassing and a security guard came and we thought we were going to get kicked out. Luckily we didn’t…oopsy. The castle was massive and had so many rooms that we thought most of them surely weren’t used by the families living there - such an insane display of wealth! The rooms are so grand with art and gold and high ceilings, it was breathtaking. Our first castle experience was so much fun and the original Baroque gardens were beautiful too.Read more

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    Carlsberg and Tivoli Gardens

    October 28, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Monday evening was spent at the Carlsberg museum and then the Tivoli Gardens. The Carlsberg museum was awesome and we are so glad we went! The museum is located in the original brewery and is very informative. We learnt so much about the science of beer making, the founders and all the science and research the Carlsberg Foundation has done. Big takeaway is they donate a lot of their profit to research, art and charity so we both decided we would start drinking their beer. A free pint was even included in our entrance!

    The Tivoli Gardens is very popular in Copenhagen and is the world’s second oldest theme park (1843). It was pretty busy for a Monday night but the atmosphere was so enjoyable. We felt like we were in one of those fairs the couples go on dates at in the movies. Everything was lit up and it was very cool being there during Halloween as everything was decorated and we even got to see the largest pumpkin contest on display. We went into a walk through haunted house together and got very scared but laughed a lot. We played Galoppen, ate snacks, watched a light show and Iesha went on 2 rollercoasters (Ethan chickened out). One of the rollercoasters was built in 1914 is one of the oldest in the world and is still operated manually by a person who just stands on it which was pretty funny.    Read more

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    Rosenborg Castle

    October 28, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Monday afternoon we visited Rosenborg Castle which ended up being our favourite. It was much smaller than Frederiksborg Palace and we could actually understand how people lived in there. It was still obviously very big but didn’t seem as ostentatiously huge as Frederiksborg which we both appreciated. The inside was a different story though because it had some incredibly expensive objects for us to see, including the royal regalia, Crown Jewels, 3 silver lions which protect the thrones, the silver and ivory coronation thrones, and even the actual crowns! Rosenborg was used as a royal residence from the 17th century until 1710. This was a period where the Danish royal family were absolute monarchs over Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands and you can certainly see the extravagance afforded by the family having that much wealth and power during their time at Rosenborg Castle. We both agreed that walking through this castle was the biggest smack-in-the-face display of wealth we’ve ever experienced and will likely ever experience.Read more

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    Christiansborg Castle

    October 29, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    On Tuesday we visited our last Danish castle, Christiansborg Palace. This is the most modern of the castles and is still used today for royal events (like their New Year’s Eve dinners and proclaiming of new kings/queens). We even explored the room connecting to the balcony where King Frederik X and Queen Mary stood while he was proclaimed in front of a huge audience earlier this year. There is a notable difference between the style and decoration of this castle compared to the older two but it was still very very extravagant. We visited the Royal Reception Rooms (which included the Great Hall and Throne Room among many other exciting exhibits), the Royal Kitchens (which aren’t used at all any more), the Royal Stables (which included all the royal carriages and the majestic white horses which pull them), and the ruins underneath the castle. The current castle sits on land which has housed 3 castles since 1167 when Bishop Absalon (the founder of Copenhagen) built his fortress there which was subsequently destroyed in battle. The castle was rebuilt for a first time and became the official royal seat of power before burning down and being rebuilt in its current form. It was great to see so much history and also to admire what a modern monarchy looks like when the country’s population seemingly all love the royal family!Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Last Day In Copenhagen: Cycling

    October 30, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    Our last day in Copenhagen was spent hiring bikes and cycling all around the city to things we wanted to see. The morning consisted of shopping in Nørrebro, visiting the pretty cemetery where Hans Christian Andersen is buried, and Nørre Farimagsgade which was the street Iesha’s dad and grandparents lived on for a bit in Copenhagen which was special. Bike riding was so much fun and we got the hang of it - no wonder it’s called the city of bikes. We also walked through Freetown Christiania which is an independent area in Copenhagen that is a hippy commune with shanty-town vibes because all the residents have built their own houses. The rules in Christiania are a bit different to the rest of Copenhagen but we still felt very safe walking around, although we did see one marijuana plant growing openly in someone’s front yard.

    We visited the Church of our Saviour (1696) in the afternoon which is a 100m tall church where you can climb all the old and narrow winding steps to the top. The view was incredible whilst the sun was starting to set. The day finished with a visit to the famous Little Mermaid statue. It was quite small but very serene and cute. They had just put all the Christmas lights up in Nyhavn the day before so we spent our final night sitting under the pretty lights with churros and icecream on the canal. Copenhagen has been amazing!    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Copenhagen Recap

    October 31, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Top 5 Foods;
    1. Raspberry Danish at SKT. Peders
    2. Pastries from Juno Bakery
    3. Chicken sandwich from Poulette
    4. Mozzarella and pizzas from bæst
    5. Beef tacos from Hija de Sanchez

    Top 5 Attractions:
    1. Frederiksborg Castle
    2. Rosenborg Castle
    3. Glyptoteket
    4. Carlsberg Museum
    5. Cycling around the city (the city in general is just so nice)

    Final thoughts/observations:
    * Lots of bikes! Bike stands are just every where you walk but the city has catered for the bikes so there’s separate cycling lanes and spaces to put your bikes
    * Danishes here are a bit different to Australia. Most of them don’t have custard and fruit and again marzipan is very popular here
    * No one checks public transport tickets
    * Seems like the Carlsberg family basically funded the whole of Copenhagen which was very interesting to learn
    * There seems to be no “anti-monarchy” tendencies. Everyone seems like they adore the royal family and show a lot of support
    * Back in the day the Danes ruled over all the Nordics for a while so no wonder why they had such amazing and lavish castles
    * We found it quite impressive seeing most women in long coats and heels riding their bikes so well. They make it look so easy
    * There wasn’t any drinking in public laws so we noticed that we saw heaps of people walking around with beers and it seems like the Danes live a drink on the street if it’s not raining
    * Iesha doesn’t know know if Danish blue cheese is a gimmick because she struggled to find any in the grocery stores! Maybe we were supposed to go to a specialist cheese store but she was a bit disappointed it wasn’t such a big thing    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Helsinki (Part 1)

    Nov 1–2, 2024 in Finland ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    We have loved our short but sweet time in Helsinki. The Finnish are extremely nice and have definitely been the nicest and most interactive Nordic people by far… it shows that they are the happiest people in the world! On our first day we went for a walk to Sibelius park to see the monument of the Finnish composer but Eth is not a fan due to his high school music composition software being named after him :(. We visited a cute little cafe on the lake and admired the hazy and misty day - it felt like being in the Twilight movies. We visited the Amos Rex Contemporary art museum which had a very cool design outside and inside and both enjoyed our first Bibimbap from a Korean restaurant in the shopping centre. It was delicious and came out in massive steaming bowls. That night with much anticipation we went to watch a game of Ice Hockey; Helsinki IFK verse Kärpät. The energy was very high and the stadium was packed. We sat next to a lovely Finnish couple who we had a good chat to and they helped explain the rules. We loved watching the high-intensity and fast pace of hockey with lots of big hits and nearly some “argy-bargy” at quite a few points during the game. We’ve decided we are going to get into watching hockey at home but it doesn’t seem like you can watch the Finnish league in Australia so we’ll just watch the NHL instead.Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Helsinki (Part 2)

    Nov 2–4, 2024 in Finland ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    The next 2 days were rainy and even snowy! It got a lot colder as well so we spent our time just walking around the pretty harbour, visiting the market square, and shopping. On Saturday it was All Saints’ day in Finland where they pay respect to people who passed away. We think initially this started with honouring soldiers who died in a war with Russia or WWII but has grown to be about anyone who has died, especially within the past year. Everyone goes to the cemetery and lights candles at graves so we paid a visit at sunset and it was so pretty seeing everything lit up and candles and people everywhere. We then went bar hopping to end our night. We have tried traditional Finnish meat pie called Lihapiirakka. It’s a sweet deep fried dough with mince filling that tastes like normal meat pie flavour. It was amazing and we kept trying to find more for the last few days but everywhere kept closing or didn’t have it. Iesha said it is like a Finnish version of the South African vetkoek which has curry inside of the fried bread instead.

    On our last night we had our first Finnish sauna experience at a place called Löyly. We had 2 hours where you have to shower and wash your hair before and then go and use the saunas. There were 3 saunas we could use which were all quite dark. We would have liked to have gone in the day to look at the ocean view but it was fully booked. We did a couple of dips in the 8 degree Baltic ocean as well which was very refreshing. We left feeling so refreshed and happy and definitely want to sauna at home (maybe just in winter though). We both have said we could see ourselves living in Helsinki and have enjoyed the city so much!    Read more

  • Ethan and IeshaEthan and Iesha Nordic TravelsTraveler

    Levi: Northern Lights Village (Part 1)

    Nov 4–6, 2024 in Finland ⋅ ☁️ -2 °C

    We spent two nights at the Northern Lights Village in Levi, which is in the Finnish part of Lapland. This portion of our trip was the very first thing we booked because we wanted to stay in a glass-roofed igloo so we could watch the northern lights from bed. We were really looking forward to these nights and boy oh boy they did not disappoint! Despite a less-than-desirable forecast, we got to see some faint lights on both nights! The resort has an alert app which gives a very loud and long notification (which you can't change - we tried) whenever the northern lights are visible over the cabins so we had quite interrupted sleeps but it was so worth it to see the lights again at our last Nordic location, especially with an incredible feeling of only opening your eyes and looking up and they are right there (plus you’re all warm in bed).Read more

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