At the northern end of Oslofjord in Oslo Harbor as we pulled into dock, we could see the recently completed (opened in 2008) Oslo Operahuset, the Opera House, across the water. Covered in white granite and marble, the Opera House was designed to appear as if it was rising from the water. And pedestrians – … Continue reading
I’ve called this post “Osloinaday” to give you a feel for the whirlwind walking tour we made of the city after getting off the ship at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. You could say “Oslo in a day,” if you were taking your time; but, then, you could also take a week to do what we … Continue reading
Thursday morning, we caught a water taxi to the Bygdøy Peninsula where there are several museums we wanted to visit: the Fram Museum; the Kon-Tiki Museum; and, the open-air Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (we didn’t have time for the Viking Ship Museum or the Norwegian Maritime Museum which are also on Bygdøy). The Fram … Continue reading
Leaving the Kon-Tiki Museum, we caught the public bus to the Norsk Folkemuseum, the open-air Norwegian Folk Museum, where several farmsteads have been carefully reassembled in geographical and chronological arrangement. Unlike the rest of Europe, Norway never adopted feudalism; thus, farmers have always held absolute ownership of their lands, unlike countries such as England where, … Continue reading
Back in Denmark for the weekend of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, there were several local activities we wanted to attend. The solstice, also known as Midsummer, is a big holiday in Scandinavia; some say it’s second only to Christmas. Saturday, there was a Medieval Fair taking place at Esrum Abbey. … Continue reading
On our trip to Norway last week, we traversed the Øresund, the strait that separates Denmark from Sweden. The narrowest point of the Øresund is between Helsingor, Denmark, and Helsingborg, Sweden. Here’s a map of our travels in North Zeeland. This post is about site #36 on the map, Kronborg Castle at Helsingor. Way back … Continue reading
It was appropriate that after touring “Hamlet’s Castle,” as the tour books all call Kronborg Slot, we would head for the beach at Liseleje to participate in the Midsummer festivities there: a Midsummer Night’s dream. We arrived early, around 8:30 p.m. Down on the beach, a huge bonfire was awaiting the evening. In Denmark, Midsummer’s … Continue reading
Today, Monday, we drove south to the island of Møn. We were told that møn means “virgin” in Danish, so I guess that means we’ve now visited the Danish Virgin Islands. Møn is known for its white chalk cliffs, the Møns Klint, similar to those along the southern coast of England, such as the famous … Continue reading
Leaving the cliffs, we drove the backroads of Møn, finding ourselves at what appeared to be the highest point on the island. It was eerie on the backroads; it felt like we were the only people on the planet, not a soul in sight. Driving West into the settling sun, I stopped the car in … Continue reading
We left the island of Møl after breakfast and drove north to Copenhagen, planning to cross over to Malmö, Sweden, before noon. Unfortunately, there was an horrific backup on the expressway and we ended up sitting in traffic for 2.5 hours – probably the longest I’ve ever been stuck in traffic anywhere. At long last, … Continue reading
After our aborted trip to Ladonia, we took the ferry from Helsingborg, Sweden, to Helsingor, Denmark, then drove back to Hald in the continuing rain. The West coast of Sweden is comparable to North Zealand, only flatter, less wooded and a little less manicured, but we’re glad we made the trip over and back, even … Continue reading
Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world (the oldest is also in Denmark, those fun-loving Danes), was opened in 1843. If you ask me, it’s exponentially nicer than Disney World back in Florida, but then, I’m not a kid anymore. Well, I’m not a kid’s age, anyway. That’s the backside view of … Continue reading
We’re nearing the end of our time in Scandinavia; tomorrow we’re heading into Copenhagen so we can more easily get to the airport for our Sunday morning flight to Bordeaux (via Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport). Because we’re about to leave, today was spent cleaning up the house, washing clothes, and vacuuming and filling up the car … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 