Throwback Travels: Scandinavia Part IV (Copenhagen)

After taking a high-speed train from Stockholm into the center of Copenhagen (about 5 hours) we were in the final stop of our Scandinavian tour. You know that part of vacations where you realize you are about to resume your normal, somewhat less adventurous life? Yeah, we didn't have time for that! We soaked up as much of Denmark that we could in a day and a half and I gotta say I fell in love with Copenhagen!

We decided that we didn't want to waste any time so once we unpacked in our cute (but incredibly low-ceilinged, full-of-beams Airbnb) we jumped on the next train headed to Helsingør.

One of the cool things about the trip was that there were three countries we were planning on touring and there were three travelers. So we all had a country to research and plan out what we would be doing while there. I gotta say, Ariel did a great job of researching Copenhagen/Denmark, because we saw (and ate) so many cool (and delicious) things.

One of the less-known attractions (at least to me) was the Danish Maritime Museum. It was designed by Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels and was one of the coolest buildings I visited during this trip. The museum's design is pretty interesting, considering you cannot see the museum at all when approaching it. That was entirely intentional. In order to satisfy the original design competition's requirement, the design could not block the view of the adjacent Kronborg Castle. So as you approach the building, you encounter what was previously a drydock, now transformed into a central courtyard. Angular modernist walkways guide you down to the building entry and into the museum. The architect in me was LIVING for this type of thing. Sure I knew of Bjarke Ingels, but I had never heard of this museum. It was so refreshing to experience. Everything from the exhibits themselves, to the cafe was meticulously designed and I found it entirely satisfying.

The Kronborg Castle is probably the biggest attraction in Helsingør. After all, Kronborg inspired William Shakespeare to write his famous play, "Hamlet". And yes, there were a few lines acted out here and there. However, we spent a little more time than we originally intended at the maritime museum, so our tour of the castle, literally was more of a run-through. We ran up and down stairs. Into the castle cellars. Dashing through the courtyard before the castle closed was a little exhilarating and ultimately rewarding.

The next day we set out to see what the capital city of Denmark had to offer. And before we could do anything it was of most importance to sample some actual Danish danishes! The smell of the cinnamon rolls will never be forgotten. I think about this place every time I eat an ordinary cinnamon roll. That's what travel is for. Allowing us to have these little escapes, even after the trip is over, you will never forget the smell of fresh danishes in Denmark.

We explored the semi-autonomous commune of Kristiana. An interesting spot to check out, but coming from Washington State...nothing we haven't smelled before. It was interesting to see cannabis growing in the wild though. We checked out the Rosenborg Castle. It is a modest castle above ground--but it houses the Danish Crown Jewels underneath, so it was a little unsuspecting. I really liked the hand-painted tiles that adorned the king's toilet room. We had lunch in the popular Nyhavn area. My open-face sandwiches were so good! We climbed the spiral stairs of the interesting Church of Our Saviour. It is a little vertigo-inducing but the view from the top was incredible. At this point in the afternoon it started raining, so we headed into another castle. This time it was Christianborg Palace. More massive than the previous castle, and even more overwhelming in the sheer scale of things.

As the weather improved we headed over to Tivoli Gardens. I heard of the theme park before, but was not aware of just how beautiful it was. We didn't get to spend a ton of time here, but I would highly recommend it. We did eat at one of the park's restaurants (Michelin star-rated as a fact) and we rode one rollercoaster.

The last bit of day slipped beyond the horizon as we climbed the Round Tower and gazed out onto the city. It was hard to believe, but the trip was at its end.

Our early return back home the next day was an exercise in successfully navigating airports and customs. We flew from Copenhagen to Oslo. Then Oslo to Amsterdam. Then Amsterdam to Reykjavik. Then finally Reykjavik to Seattle. Of that, I only remember sitting in the Amsterdam airport eating beef tartare and drinking a Heineken in the airport beer garden. It was a long day.

Throwback Travels: Scandinavia Part III (Stockholm)

I think my obsession with Sweden came from the fact that my first car was a Volvo. I had always wanted to visit the country, so when this trip came about, I was so excited to realize this teenage dream of mine. We flew into Stockholm from Oslo, which was a super short flight. There is a train that whisks travelers from the airport directly to the center of the city in what felt like less than half an hour. Gotta love the efficiency!

We stayed pretty much across the street from the train station, so once we arrived we checked into our hotel and unwound a bit.

We continued our scooter obsession in Stockholm, which was a great place to explore with a scooter. We drove up to the bluffs on Södermalm to catch the last bit of sunset before feasting on some stereotypical Swedish meatballs. I think we ended up trying boar, reindeer and moose versions. Take that Ikea!

The next day was our only full day in Stockholm, so we maximized every bit of our time to see what all the Swedish capital had to offer. One of the things, I think, that makes Stockholm so unique are the series of islands that comprise the city. Some of the islands are super small and only have a single building on them, while others are entire neighborhoods. As most tourists do, we had to check out Gamla Stan (Old Town) to see what the fuss was about. And wow. The fuss was certainly worth it. It seemed like every corner afforded a postcard view of what American's think of when they imagine European cities. Small, winding streets with colorful building facades.

Nothing beats getting caught in a Swedish summer rainstorm. Luckily we were able to pop into a museum and let the weather pass. We continued to scoot across the city, checking out the library and other cool spots. One of my favorite things is really just exploring what the city has to offer. If something smells good, go for it. If something looks interesting, check it out. I haven't been let down yet--but y'know be smart about it. We ended up heading back to Gamla Stan at night to check out a viking bar, where we drank mead from a horn of some kind. Skål!

Throwback Travels: Scandinavia Trip Part II (Oslo)

Waking up in the middle of a new city is something that only train travel can afford. After our relatively peaceful night train from Bergen (aside from the aforementioned window opening) we dropped our bags off in the station, got some breakfast and set off to explore the Norwegian capital city.

Our first stop was pretty close by and a definite must-see attraction. The Oslo Opera House sits on the edge of the harbor and was designed such that the public can walk around on top of the building in what turns out to be a pretty cool public plaza.

We toured a couple of nearby attractions, most notably the Oslo City Hall (Råthuset), Akershus Fortress, and the National Architecture Museum. The rain was pretty relentless so it forced our plans a bit but we did discover an amazing Mexican restaurant right next to where we were staying.

The next day we were provided with the ideal travel day: sunny and bright. We took off exploring more of the city via e-scooters (which definitely became a trend for the rest of the trip).

Our first stop was Frogner Park. Most known for its impressive sculpture installations, the park was much more interesting than it appeared in travel guides. I think part of this is because there are so many statues and sculptures to see, all with different emotions and characteristics.

After the park, we scooted down to the Royal Palace. We mainly wanted to position ourselves in a good spot to eat lunch (I think we ended up eating at McDonalds...yay Americans!) but as we were taking photos of the palace, we noticed a rush of people and guards flocking towards an incoming line of vehicles. It was the Norwegian king! He waved at the crowd and that it pretty much the extent of my encounter with royals.

We also scooted over to the Government Quarter to pay our respects to the victims of the 2011 terrorist attack. The buildings at first glance appear entirely ordinary. Simple Brutalist buildings. But upon closer inspection we noticed many of the windows were still boarded up and the facade of the H-Block was actually more of a fabric covering. The fact is this: the buildings are of incredible value to not only Norwegian architecture--but the city of Oslo itself. Their innovative design, complete with frescos by Picasso showcase a merging of Norwegian sensibility with the aesthetic of Brutalism.

Of course we had to visit the Munch Museum to check out the famous Norwegian artist's most famous painting "The Scream". 😱

After that, we took the subway/metro/whatever they call it up the mountain to the ski jump. It provides a great view of the city and allows you to get some fresh air. We liked checking out the stave church and the troll statues in addition to taking the elevator...er...escalator? up to the top of the ski jump.

Honestly, Oslo was probably one of our favorite cities we visited. The people are so hospitable and warm. The food was amazing (Oslo Food Hall was *chef's kiss*) and we never got bored! The Oslo airport (which we actually ended up coming back to on our way home) is so clean and easy to navigate it makes our American airports look like dimly lit, outdated shopping malls. Okay, so we loved Oslo!