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Finishing our Viking Trail. Visiting Copenhagen for a few days, followed by a northward journey in Norway to the land of the midnight sun. Read more
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  • Scandinavia 2023
    Day 1

    The Departure.

    July 5, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    With everything that’s been happening these last few weeks/months it’s been hard to get really excited about this trip, but now that we’re sitting on the plane waiting for takeoff it’s sinking in. Woohoo! Copenhagen and Norway, here we come!Read more

  • Scandinavia 2023
    Day 2

    One long day.

    July 6, 2023 in Denmark ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    End of day one. We arrived after our flights, and took the metro from the airport to the Nyhavn, where we are staying. Take note Toronto, this is what public transit should be like!
    After a quick refresh at our hotel we met up with Amanda and her friend Thomas, who were grabbing a late lunch in a street food market just around the corner. Jackie and I shared a fish and chips, and the four of us embarked on a canal tour that took us around Copenhagen. The guide spent a decent amount of the tour talking about all the various architectures, and many of the Royal buildings.
    We went in search for dinner, and wandered aimlessly around until something caught our eye. The night was ended with a few games of darts and a few rounds of pool at a nearby Irish pub before we finally called it a day.    Read more

  • Scandinavia 2023
    Day 3

    25,250.

    July 7, 2023 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Well, today turned into the unofficial Walking Tour of Copenhagen. Started the day off with a coffee and croissant with Amanda and Thomas, before he needed to fly home to the Netherlands. Jackie and I then walked to the Kastellet, a 17th century star-shaped fortress. From there we walked to the little mermaid statue (as I believe every tourist In Copenhagen is legally obligated to do, and grabbed a freshly made churro, as all tourists In Copenhagen should be legally obligated to do (it was that good). Lunch was a sandwich from a nearby grocery store,l, where we met up with Amanda. From there we took the long walk back towards our hotel, and then onwards towards Vor Frelsers Kirke (the Church of Our Saviour) , and it’s 90m high spire which we climbed up its 400 steps to the top.
    From there we went for an early dinner at the street food market before walking Amanda to the bus station (as she’s taking the overnight bus to Oslo, where we meet up with her tomorrow). Jackie and I stopped for a drink on the canal outside our hotel before heading in, exhausted. 25,250 steps. One long day.    Read more

  • Scandinavia 2023
    Day 4

    On to Oslo

    July 8, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today we left Copenhagen and made our way to Oslo. A short 1 hour flight, and we arrived in Oslo, and a beautiful, warm day.
    We met up with Amanda (who had taken the overnight bus instead), and we walked to our hotel. After checking in we headed to the Royal Palace, and were able to get last-minute tickets to tour inside.
    After going through security, we had to leave all our belongings in a locker (including cameras & phones) and put silly little booties on so that we didn’t damage their floors. This is still where they royal apartments are, and during the non-summer months, the royal family lives. While not a large castle by European standards (a measly 173 rooms!) it was designed to look significantly larger. Inside they used rooms that progressively got larger, and you we needed to wind your way around, making the visitor more likely to assume they were in a huge palace. After the palace, we went back to our hotel and met our tour group. For dinner we ended up at a neat location with traditional Norwegian fare, where Jackie had a lamb burger, I had a fish soup, and then we shared “meat cakes”, which were like large meatballs in a brown sauce. Tomorrow is a long travel day (7.5h train ride), so we went to bed, and prepared for an early morning.    Read more

  • Scandinavia 2023
    21
    Day 5

    Trondheim on a Sunday

    July 9, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today was an early morning to catch a 7.5h train ride north to Trondheim. This trip took us through some valleys, alongside Norway’s largest lake (Lake Mjøsa, with its 362 square km of surface area), through the town of Lillehammer (home of the 1994 Olympic Winter Games), and finally on to Trondheim. Once in Trondheim our guide brought us on a amazing walking tour of the City, covering the main plaza, the courthouse, the Nidaros Cathedral (the northernmost Gothic Cathedral in the world), the university, the Kristiansten Fortress (where in 1718 they successfully defended the City of Trondheim from a large invading Swedish army), and then down to some good eating areas where we were free to find our dinner. Unfortunately the restaurant that we had intended to try was closed (due to it being Sunday), so we found a neat place called CowSea, which served the odd combination of sushi and hamburgers… the burgers were good, the sushi wasn’t the best, but passable. After dinner we returned to the hotel, and are settling in for another travel day tomorrow, off to the Lofoten Islands!Read more

  • Scandinavia 2023
    2
    Day 6

    Breakfast.

    July 10, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Thon Hotels advertise themselves as having great breakfasts, with slogans that imply “Good Breakfast, Good Day, Good Summer”. They aren’t wrong!
    We tried some traditional Norwegian goat cheese (brown, melts instantly, caramel/chocolate flavour), had some AMAZING homemade blueberry, raspberry and strawberry jam on a small croissant, and a variety of eggs, sausages and bacon. The most interesting however was the mackerel with tomato spread and the homemade pickled herring. The herring was fantastic (which I honestly wasn’t expecting.)
    After breakfast we packed and prepared for the bus ride to the airport.    Read more

  • Scandinavia 2023
    1
    Day 6

    Lofoten at last.

    July 10, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    I do not remember when I first saw, read or heard about the Lofoten Islands, but this has been the main reason I’ve wanted to come to Norway. Adding that I needed to cross the Arctic Circle to get here just made me even more excited to come.
    The flight to Bodø was quick, the views from the air spectacular, and the short trip from the airport to the ferry terminal uneventful. After a few hours wait for the ferry (when we were free to hike around the pier area, we boarded, and all tried to find seats on the port side, which had the best views… well, the best views from inside. The top deck gave the best views, but it was also quite sunny, and very windy. I spent at least an hour up top snapping pictures of every mountain we passed, and kept an eye out for sea birds. From time to time we went inside and grabbed a bite to eat, or chat with our tour mates. After a leisurely 3.5 hour cruise we arrived in Svolvær, the town which we will be staying in for the next few days. A short hike to our hotel, and we are ready for bed. Only challenge? The sun won’t set u til July 17th, so it’s just a bit bright out. Thank god for sleep masks!    Read more

  • Scandinavia 2023
    Day 7

    Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets.

    July 11, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today we went to Borg to visit the site of the longest Viking age longhouse ever discovered. The first thing we saw was a full scale replica of the chieftains house. It reminded me a lot of the North American Indigenous longhouses I have seen, with multiple areas defined for various purposes. This site had been inhabited for at least a thousand years, and we saw glassware, ceramics, beads and various weapons. What impressed me most was the sheer size of this house (83m x 12m), and that it had stood at this site for so long. We also were able to take a ride on a replica of a small Viking ship for a tour around the harbour. The nearby church caught my eye, as it stood out in stark contrast to its surroundings.
    I’m the evening we went for a hike in Svolvær, where our guide told us folklore stories of how Norwegians use to believe that trolls were responsible for things like boulders in the middle of fields.
    Finally, the most important things I learned today is that the term Viking does not describe a cultural group, but rather only the activity of raiding… also, Viking helmets NEVER had horns on them.    Read more

  • Scandinavia 2023
    Day 8

    Svolvær by foot

    July 12, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    So, after an absolutely SPECTACULAR ride on a RIB boat, going in and out of numerous fjords, learning about local fishermen’s lives, and the history of the area, we were free to plan our own events for the remainder of our time sun Svolvær. Jackie and I decided to walk out to Svinøya, one of the nearby islands. On this island is their main fish-drying facilities, and many really nice places to stay. Doesn’t sound like a good idea from a smell standpoint, I know… but it kind of worked. Afterwards we continued walking down the pier to the statue of the fisherman’s wife, who stands watch over the harbour, hoping to see her husbands safe return. A somber reminder of the many challenges these people faced. Afterwards we walked back to the hotel, and are preparing for tonight’s Sauna, and then a (hopefully) excellent dinner!Read more

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