Nordic Wanderings

Some people spend copious amounts of time searching the internet for the best places to travel. This trip was not like that. Erin and I booked it on a whim. We had been chatting about meeting up in July and briefly looked at flights. Then one evening I found a deal I couldn’t pass up. A return trip to Europe, first class, for $182! I would have to use all of my points, but honestly, I was planning on ditching the credit card anyways. “I booked it!” I told Erin excitedly, and that was that, we were going.

Our first travel day was filled with long layovers, sickness, flight delays, train station closures and cell phone issues. But when we finally reunited in the wee hours of the morning in Copenhagen, the relief and excitement was palpable. We quickly jumped in an Uber and headed to our hostel, eager to get some shut eye. 

The next day we slept in and had a lovely breakfast by the water. The rest of the day was spent exploring Copenhagen, wandering the streets, eating pastries and heading out on a boat tour. In the evening we popped by a grocery store and picked up supplies for a picnic and spent hours in the park just laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. 

Monday morning we rented bikes from the hostel and explored some different areas in Copenhagen. This was one of the trip’s highlights for me. Scandinavia has such a great biking culture that it is easy to see why so many people use their bike as their main form of transportation! I will say though that I was astonished by how tall everyone was. Being vertically challenged it was something that really stood out to me throughout our entire trip. Admittedly, I even had trouble finding a bike with a low enough seat to fit my shorter frame! 

Around noon we checked out of the hostel and prepared for our long travel day to Sweden. Since we decided on visiting a small coastal town, it was quite a trek to get there to say the least. The train tracks were under construction so routes were taking longer or not going at all. We ended up missing our second train and since it was the last one of the day for our area we were on track to pay for a two hour Uber. Yet, thanks to an angel at the bus station, we hopped on a bus and then hitched a ride with a woman who worked at our Airbnb the rest of the way.

By the time we arrived in Fjallbacka, it was already past 9pm but the sun was still out and we grabbed some pizza and sat on the wharf watching the sunset. It is worth a mention that the days are so long, not just in Sweden but in all of Scandinavia. I think Norway had something like 3 hours of darkness total. It was wild!

The next day we decided to try a small hike up one of the mountains in the area. It was supposed to yield a nice view of the area and be mostly stairs all the way up. Yet shortly after we started, the stairs disappeared and it was simply a rock face that you had to climb. Wearing only Berks, because of the anticipation of stairs, we decided to skip the hike and go for a dip in the sea instead. The water was refreshing and this began the first of many cold plunges throughout the trip. 

That evening we stumbled upon an outdoor concert and tried to guess the names of the popular songs they were playing in Swedish. I got one or two, but Erin crushed it! I think she only missed one. 

Wednesday we had an early rise as it was another big travel day. We took the bus to Oslo, Norway, where we picked up our rental car and headed to the west coast.

Norway is known for its fjords and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It was like Gros Morne, but on steroids. The mountains were massive! 

For the first two nights we stayed at a fantastic spot on the water in Slinde. It had a wharf, boat, wood burning oven and was nestled right in the fjord. We had planned to do a few hikes in the area, but given the heatwave that Norway was experiencing, boy was I thankful to be able to jump in the ocean! We also took the boat out for a spin, met this wonderful French family who wanted a break from the hustle and bustle of Paris and yes, went on a short hike. 

After that it was on to Eitorn, another community within the area of Sognefjord. There we stayed with a beautiful couple whose hospitality was second to none. They took us on a boat tour of the area, visiting communities that we had wanted to see but were just too far to drive. They even stopped and waited as we picked up a few groceries before the journey back. 

That night as we had a late supper on the deck, we were treated to a thunder and lightning show. It was wild! I like to think it was Zeus, but I guess we’ll never know.

The next morning I went for a quick swim while Erin SUP boarded. We knew it was probably our last time in the water, so we wanted to take full advantage. After we dried off, we packed the car and headed to see a glacier. 

I had never seen a glacier before and this one was apparently the biggest on the European continent. It was amazing the difference in temperature that was felt the closer we got. 

After visiting the glacier we made a trip to Flåm and then made the treacherous drive up to a viewpoint over the fjord. This drive definitely took a few years off our lives, but the view was admittedly, spectacular. We finished out the day by visiting the Borgund Stave Church (c.1180) and made our way to Helmsdale for the evening so we could make the trek to Oslo the next morning to catch our flight to Dublin.

      

To be honest, I’ve never really had a desire to go to Ireland. Yet, since our flights home left from Dublin, we decided to spend some time exploring the city. I’m really glad we did! New experiences were peppered with a sense of familiarity and strong resemblance of home. While there, we listened to traditional music and learned about the history and culture of the island. I also made a silver ring as a keepsake from my trip (a fantastic workshop, would highly recommend). 

Then sadly, it was time to head back over the pond. Time to rest and begin dreaming of our next adventure.