A friend invited me to visit her for a couple of weeks in The Hague, Netherlands. On my way there I made a left turn to make a quick Juneteenth weekend visit to Norway, Sweden and Denmark. I flew overnight from JFK to London Heaathrow, using award points, then flew to Oslo. The plan was to spend the night in Oslo, have breakfast the next morning then take the train south to Sweden for lunch in Gothenburg. After Gothenburg, I would continue on to Copenhagen where I would have late dinner and spend the weekend. Three. countries. in. 24. hours. Whew!
I always have trouble sleeping in the first night at a new destination and it didn't help that in June, Oslo has about 20 hours of sun. Further north in Norway you do get close to the full 24 hours of light and although Finland is known as Land of the Midnight Sun, Norway is definitely a close second. I had an early train, but Oslo's Central Station is just steps from the Oslo fjord, the Oslo Opera House and the Munch Museum, so I did a mini tour to see those landmarks and I'm glad I did. The weather was a crisp 55 F and the fjord was beautiful with several locals taking a morning swim on what they said was a warm morning. Brrr.
I made sure to make it back to the station with plenty of time. I chose a "quiet car" for the ride from Oslo to Gothenburg. In a quiet car, you are supposed to only speak act whisper level. I really appreciate the peace so I could look at the magnificent scenery as it whizzed by. As we approached the Swedish border, the idyllic setting was disturbed when an announcement that the train would terminate in Halstead, a tiny Norwegian town, because of electrical problems in Sweden that prevented the train from continuing. The entire trainload of passengers would be bussed to Gothenburg, but only one bus had been confirmed. What!?! The situation was pure chaos. The stereotype that Norwegians are stoic and orderly is an absolute myth. One of the locals told me that Norwegians really hate "queuing" up for anything and that was evident. No lining up to get on the buses, just big blobs of people making their way on to bus.
Let's just say that after a two hour delay, and not being able to get on any of the buses that showed up, I started to get nervous. I had a train to catch in Gothenburg that would get me to Copenhagen at 10 pm and I was concerned that I wouldn't get to see anything in Gothenburg - there went my three-countries-in-24- hours plan. Gratefully, because I was solo, I was able to get the last seat on a bus that would get me to Gothenburg by 4:30 pm- two hours before my next train was scheduled to depart. I still had a shot of getting a glimpse of the city.
Gothenburg is home to Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer. That day it was also home to a Metallica concert, so the city was full of people in town for the concert, many of them had been on my train. Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden and has a delightful Old Town full of cafes, canals, and a beautiful botanical gardens with a ginormous greenhouse - The Palm House. I was determined to see the Palm House and have lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for a canal boat ride that travels under a 10+ bridges. I saw the boats going under the bridges and it looked like a lot of fun. After my 2.5 hours in Gothenburg, I continued the three-hour train ride to Copenhagen, Denmark where I spent three days.
"At midnight in Oslo, it was enough light outside
to take a walk."
Copenhagen is EVERYTHING. Do not overlook this gorgeous city full of canals, stunning architecture and Hygge, the Danish word that means to live well. Let me tell you, the Danes know how to live well! Being on a coast makes water central to life in Copenhagen - I saw boats of all kinds, from the queen's royal yacht to floating vessels fashioned out of wooden pallets and everything in-between. The city was more diverse than expected, because I wasn't expecting any diversity at all.
Excursions
I took a canal boat ride and did a walking tour to learn about the city. On my own, I took the water bus to The Little Mermaid, the iconic symbol of Copenhagen made famous by Hans Christian Andersen, who was born in Copenhagen. I walked to Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks int he world, that is located right in the city. One of my favorite places was the Black Diamond- the nickname for the Copenhagen Pubic Library that sits right on the main canal. The facade sparkles like diamonds when the light hits it at certain times of the day. The interior was just as spectacular - I'll let you in on a secret- the views from the sixth floor catwalk highlights the stunning architecture. I also visited Christiania, a small, independent community within Copenhagen with its own rules. It was started by hippies in the 1970s.
Culture and Connections
Denmark has a 1,000 year history and were colonizers like so many European countries.
Copenhagen was expensive- all three cities were. The food was good- very fresh. Breakfast buffet at the hotel was $50, and even in regular restaurants, the food was pricey! I paid $26 for a bowl of soup and a sandwich. Coffee culture is STRONG there (in all three countries) and there were lots of vegan and vegetarian options and/or restaurants. Bikes are everywhere and seems to be the primary mode of transportation for locals. I was there during PRIDE and In all Nordic three countries it was being celebrated out loud.
On the train from Gothenburg to Copenhagen, I met a Rwandan sister who speaks four languages: English, French, Danish and Swedish and she told me that there were Africans living in all three countries, primarily Ethiopians and Nigerians. The trains continued to have delays during the trip and this lady was so helpful in getting me to the right train for Copenhagen. On the last leg of the trip, I met a particle physicist and we had a conversation about dark matter. This is why I love to travel - the people I get to meet!
Accommodations:
In Copenhagen I stayed at the NH Collection Copenhagen, a beautiful hotel right on the canal, decorated in Danish Modern style. The hotel was central to everything, so I did a lot of walking, but I did fall in love with the water bus - a convenient way to get around the city since many sites, the street food market and outdoor music venues are on or near the water. Oh, and you haven’t had a danish ‘til you’ve had one in Denmark - they invented the delicious pastry.
Add Copenhagen and the rest of the Nordics to your travel list! #scarlettroams
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