We didn’t take a big trip this summer, so I thought I would finally get around to reflecting on our trip to Scandinavia last summer. It’s amazing how long it can take to get around to things in the modern world we live in. It didn’t used to be this way, even just a few short years ago (at least for me).

I think my interest in Scandinavia started when I was in college when I saw a couple movies one night by a female Danish director – Susanne Bier. It was a double header at the cinema at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at Notre Dame – In a Better World and After the Wedding. I went by myself, and it was the most perfect movie night. I loved the movies, hearing the Danish language, and being transported to another place, that I then knew I wanted to visit. Around that same time, I saw the Swedish Dragon Tattoo trilogy over the course of a weekend, again by myself at the cinema at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at Notre Dame, and again loved being transported through film, to Sweden this time, and I knew that I wanted to visit Sweden as well. The way that movies transport us and inspire us is what I love most about film.

Fast forward more than 10 years later, with a partner who shares an interest in Scandinavia, we took the trip. I’ll admit that as much as I love traveling and seeing new places, I don’t love planning trips. Thankfully my partner likes planning trips, and he loves adventure. We planned a two week trip to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, with a long layover in Iceland, which allowed us to see Reykjavík for a day. It was our first big trip together, and our first time abroad together. We not only survived, but we loved every part of it.

Our first stop was Copenhagen in Denmark. Copenhagen felt clean and calm for a big city. The first thing we did was walk down Strøget, a pedestrian street full of shops. Taking in the Danish architecture was a great introduction to Copenhagen. Then we strolled around Nyhavn, which was less calm and was bustling with tourists and locals, at least so it seemed. The colorful architecture along the canal was vibrant and whimsical. Just across from Nyhavn, we loved Broens Street Food, a collection of food trucks where we got food and drinks, and people-watched the locals – lively and communal. Our first night in Copenhagen, we stumbled upon an Italian restaurant near Strøget, and it was one of our favorite meals on the whole trip. Especially fun because it was a completely unexpected, spontaneous find.

We went on a canal boat tour to enjoy the architecture from the water. Water is such a central part of life in Copenhagen with plenty of opportunities to swim in the canals, which my partner took advantage of at a couple different spots in the city. I am not a strong swimmer, so I watched from the concrete steps that act as a meeting place, and are perfect to enjoy a good book. Another central part of life in Copenhagen, getting around by bike, is something that I did take part in, although with a certain level of anxiety. So many bikes, such narrow bike lanes. It was fun to see the city by bike on the less crowded side streets, but it was challenging on the busy main streets. I may or may not have caused a small pile up in my hesitation and lack of experience on a bike in a big city, especially one where most people get around by bike. We enjoyed strolling through parks in Copenhagen, including the King’s Garden and Ørstedsparken. As far as museums go, we only went to one in Copenhagen – the Glyptotek, which has a beautiful salmon-colored facade and a courtyard garden in the center.

We got to see a friend who moved to Copenhagen for work. She took us to Tivoli Gardens, the amusement park in the middle of the city, and to the Meatpacking District for dinner one night, which is a hip newer area for restaurants and bars. We wandered through Freetown Christiania on our last night in Copenhagen. It was hard to tell if we were welcomed by the residents, or if we were intruding on their private lives. So we felt a bit conflicted about walking around their streets, but it was fun to see the street art and experience an overall different vibe from the rest of the city. I bought some authentic bright red Danish clogs, which are a favorite souvenir that I got on the trip. Of course, we tried a few varieties of smørrebrød while in Copenhagen, including pickled herring, one of the most traditional smørrebrøds. It wasn’t my favorite, but it paired very nicely with aquavit.

After a few days in Copenhagen, we took a train to Stockholm. We made the mistake of not getting our train tickets ahead of time, and the only seat options for the train at the time that we wanted were first class. But it was a nice treat. Pulling into Stockholm on the train was magical. The architecture, the domes, the spires, and the colors were all what I pictured Stockholm to be. Stockholm is bigger than Copenhagen, and it felt much more metropolitan with more global influence, while Copenhagen felt more purely Danish. Our hotel was across the street from a beautiful park that we enjoyed strolling through in the evenings to and from dinner. The first night we went to a traditional Swedish restaurant where I got Swedish meatballs. While good, the dish was heavier than I expected. We happened upon a Coriscan restaurant one night, Campoloro, which was such a delight. It was downstairs, tavernous, small, with wine bottles lining the walls. It was my first time having Corsican cuisine, and it was very flavorful. We learned that our waiter was a photographer and we bought a book of his photographs at the restaurant. A memorable souvenir with a story!

We went to the Fotografiska Museum, a fun contemporary museum set in an early 1900s building, which was an interesting juxtaposition. Gamla stan, Old Town, was very charming to meander through and admire the architecture on the narrow winding streets, but of course a bit touristy with souvenir boutiques. The best bars on the trip were in Stockholm – a speakeasy through a gorgeous art nouveau door, Lucy’s Flower Shop, Black Milk Gastro Bar, where we were the only ones and we got to know the bartender who gave us a private tour of the restaurant and kitchen before we left. We did some shopping in Stockholm – clothing stores, record stores, and bookstores. Shortly before our trip I got a Swedish perfume, which I love, so I made it a point to go to the original perfume shop in Stockholm – Stora Skuggan. Speaking of stores, we appreciated the Apoteks on every corner throughout the trip – so convenient and helpful. The green cross sign signaling an Apotek became a reassuring recurrence everywhere we went.

We went to several museums in Stockholm because they are conveniently located in Djurgården, which is an island of museums. Vasa Museum, the home of a a Viking warship, was engrossing. I’ve just never seen anything like it, and the size of it is hard to comprehend as you’re walking around it, looking at it from different levels trying to capture all of the details. The ship tragically sank on its maiden voyage and was resurrected and restored hundreds of years later. The bodies of a few of the people who died on the ship were in display cases, which was certainly eerie. Moving along the island of museums, we went to Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum, a fun contemporary art museum with a cool museum shop. Then we stopped for some wine and oysters along the water before taking a ferry over to Moderna Museet, another modern and contemporary art museum. As far as modern and contemporary art museums go, I preferred Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum to Moderna Museet. It was smaller, more intimate, and I found the architecture fascinating.

Onward to Norway! Our next destination on the trip was Oslo, and we took a train from Stockholm to Oslo. We arrived in Oslo around 10 pm. It was close to 11 pm by the time we got settled at the hotel and made our way to a pizza place downstairs, and it was still light out as we enjoyed our pizza outside. A perk of being close to the Arctic Circle! I was really looking forward to walking on the roof of the opera house in Oslo, but it was closed for an event while we were there. Surprise surprise, we went to more museums in Oslo – the National Museum, which was expansive and fabulous, with a nice restaurant on the ground floor, and a rooftop for views of the city. It was my favorite art museum on the trip. We also went to the Munch museum, dedicated to Edvard Munch, the Norwegian painter and printmaker. The Munch museum is in a cool high rise, with stunning views from the higher floors. Near the Munch museum we took a ferris wheel ride, and the views of the Oslofjord and the city were beautiful! I really liked the winding streets of Oslo. They made the city feel circular in a way. The architecture in Oslo felt like a good mix of older classical architecture and newer modern architecture. We walked around Bjørvika, a waterfront neighborhood full of new, modern architecture, which was, well, very Scandinavian – exactly what I picture when I think of modern Scandinavian architecture.

We made a stop by Vigeland Park, a park full of sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. There were a lot of tourists there, but it was worth the stop to see the sculptures and the gardens. We had a fun dining experience at Arakataka, where we did a tasting menu. Our waiter was so passionate about the local seasonal produce in the dishes, and about the restaurant industry, which added to the already delicious experience. One thing we noticed about both Stockholm and Oslo was the lively, almost rowdy, nightlife. It was fun to people-watch the locals going out to the clubs.

We spent the rest of the trip in Norway, on to the countryside after Oslo. We took the Bergen Line scenic train from Oslo to Bergen. It was 7 hours of just devastatingly beautiful views of the Norway’s vast natural landscape. It started out green and sunny, and progressed to overcast and snowy as the train rolled on. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the train window. I saw a moose out in the distance! We kept seeing moose crossing signs throughout Norway, hoping we would see one because our dog’s name is Moose, but sadly we never saw one again. Seeing the changes in terrain and weather as we rode along was one of the most spectacular things about the ride. Arriving in Bergen, it was a cute hilly and colorful town. The first thing we did was walk through the fish market along the water, and we had dinner at a touristy seafood place. It wasn’t the best meal of the trip, but we got the fish market experience. The next day we took the Fløibanen funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen overlooking the city. It was a quick cheap ride, and the view was beautiful! Once you get to the top you can simply enjoy the view or hike through trails. We enjoyed some ice cream while taking in the view, and I got to see some goats (my fav!). We also took the Ulriken643 cable car to the top of Bergen’s tallest mountains. This ride was a little rockier than the funicular, but the expansive views of Bergen and its surroundings were worth it. There’s a restaurant at the top, sheep meandering around with their loud bells, and hiking trails. We didn’t do a hike, but it was fun to see others set out on their treks and get smaller out in the distance as they got farther along in their journeys. The colorful wooden houses in Bryggen Wharf were fun to walk around, and we stumbled upon an artisan shop where I got a couple of artisan handmade Norwegian sweaters, one of my most treasured souvenirs from the trip. We had a fantastic meal in Bergen, my favorite on the trip, at Allmuen. I made a reservation for the wrong day, but they graciously took us anyway when we arrived, and thank god they did because the dishes were the best (especially the potatoes – I’m a sucker for potatoes!). There was some kind of literature / publishing party going on in the back of the restaurant, and eclectic art on the walls, which both added to the cosiness of the experience. They do a tasting menu, but we got there too late in the night to try it. I loved everything we had, so it worked out well anyway. Bergen did feel like a bit of tourist town, but it’s also a college town and it was fun to see that side of it with the university and the students.

Heading out of Bergen, we rented a car – an electric car! Our first. It was a Hyundai Ioniq and I loved it. It was an adventure finding electric charging stations and figuring out how to use them…we also found ourselves worried about running out of battery and looking for charging stations frequently, especially since we didn’t always know where we were going and when we would find the next charging station. We drove to Flåm, which was our next destination for a night. Our hotel, Flåmsbrygga Hotel, was right on the fjord and we had the most beautiful view of the fjord from our balcony. We had dinner at the hotel and tried the Viking meal with a beer pairing. After dinner we walked along the fjord, where people were sauna-ing & plunging into the fjord. We didn’t rent a floating sauna pod, but they looked like a lot of fun.

The next day we went on a fjord boat tour to get the fjord experience from the water. It was chilly even in August. It goes without saying that the views were incredible…and the waterfalls interspersed throughout the fjord added a dramatic element to the majestic mountains. We also took the Flåm Railway train ride, which had a vintage feel and was just a couple of hours. The views were nice, but I definitely enjoyed the scenic train ride from Oslo to Bergen much more! The Flåm train stops at a waterfall where a Norse forest spirit serenades you with a Norwegian folk song. It’s very kitschy, but a good opportunity to get out and take pictures of the waterfall.

After a short time in Flåm, we continued our journey with our Hyundai Ioniq rental car. We embarked on Sognefjellsvegen, the highest mountain pass in northern Europe. This drive was at the top of the list as a highlight of the trip. It was very windy as we made our way upward in elevation. It was a tad daunting at the start. But as we got going, the terrain along the route was just beyond…green and lush in some areas, red and rocky in others, and dark and snowy the farther along we got, each turn revealing a somehow even more spectacular vision than the last. I felt like I was on a different planet. We saw sheep along the way, with their classic bells, frolicking on the road. Something to watch out for as you’re driving! This incredible drive brought us to Lom, where we stayed at Røisheim Hotel, a rustic historic hotel nestled on the hillside dating back to 1885. We stayed in the old stables, which was a fully wooden structure, and we had the coolest wooden barrel tub in the bathroom. Very cozy! We had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, and we were notified that it was ready by a dinner bell that is rung everyday at dinnertime. The hotel had a scrumptious breakfast spread in the morning. All of the hotels that we stayed at in Scandinavia did actually – breakfast spreads for days.

The next day we attempted a hike behind Røisheim. It was certainly a steep incline up the mountain. At the end of the hike was a lake, which we were looking forward to seeing after the difficult hike, but sadly we didn’t make it to the top to complete the hike. It was just too hard for our amateur hiking experience. So we turned around after a valiant effort, but not before coming across some sheep along the trail! With their bells, of course. We heard them before we saw them. They graciously got off the trail and out of our way so that we could pass.

Back in the car, we went to the Lom Stave Church, the only stave church that we went to see on the trip. It was cool and dark and spooky. And then we were off to return our rental car. We drove through several tunnels on the way, some quite long. There were so many tunnels…and we drove along fjords, of course, which were just spectacular. After returning the car, we took a bus and a ferry, before making it to our next destination in Norway, Ålesund, which was the last on our Scandinavian tour.

Ålesund was a beautiful town, full of art nouveau architecture, one of my favorite design styles and periods. Our hotel, Hotel Brosundet, was in an art nouveau building on the water, and it featured a sauna right on the water to encourage sauna + cold plunge in the water. I sauna-ed, but I did not plunge. My partner did both, and he loves the cold plunge feeling. The hotel also had tubs outside that you could bubble bath in, but we didn’t get a chance to use them. They booked up fast. It was an upscale hotel. A little bit of a splurge, but worth it!

We went to the Art Nouveau Centre and KUBE museum, which was a beautiful representation of art nouveau art and decorative arts, as well as some contemporary art. We took the 418-step staircase up to Mount Aksla to see panoramic views of Ålesund, the Sunnmøre Alps, and the fjord. It was a trek up there, but doable, and you can take breaks on your way up if you need to. We went to a cool antique shop that was filled with treasures (we regret not buying anything, but there were so many things that we wanted – how to choose!), and we stopped at a brewery on the water next to the port. It was fun to watch all of the cruise ship travelers coming and going. We saw a lot of cruise ships at the various destinations throughout our trip. We went to a cute wine bar before dinner one night, greeted by a cat meandering in the street, where I had the best orange wine (my favorite). Then on to dinner at the hotel restaurant, which just like the hotel, had an upscale, cozy ambience. Since I was lucky to find a couple authentic Norwegian sweaters in Bergen, my partner was on a mission to find a Norwegian sweater in Ålesund, which he did!

Our Scandinavian tour sadly came to an end, and we flew from Ålesund to Copenhagen, and then started our way back home. We had a long layover in Reykjavík, so we stored our luggage in a locker at the airport and popped out of the airport on a short whirlwind tour of Reykjavík. On the bus from the airport to the center of Reykjavík, we got to see the most interesting volcanic terrain. Again, I felt like I was on a different planet. On our short tour in Reykjavík, we went to the Hallgrímskirkja church, which towered over us, but was also serene with its white / grey concrete and granite walls. We went to the Harpa Concert Hall on the water, a few shops where we got Icelandic socks and slippers, a moody perfume store, and tried some hot dogs. We squeezed in a seafood restaurant, Saegreifinn. We ordered at the counter and ate at a communal table, packed together next to our neighbors. Reykjavík was so windy. It gave windy a new meaning for me. The most wind I’ve ever experienced! It was time of rush back to the airport to catch our flight back to the U.S.

Gosh it’s been fun for me to revisit and relive this trip by writing about it…thank you for coming along and indulging me!