Copenhagen
A long (18 hour with 2 stops) and uneventfully flight from Portland brought me to Copenhagen right on time. I had an hour before my friend Thea from Michigan arrived so I figured out how to buy train tickets to the city center. That entailed getting some local currency since my Visa did not require a pin. This is an issue with transit systems worldwide and self-service gas stations. Thea also arrived right on time and we headed to town. They never checked tickets on the train. Naturally we went out the wrong side of the train station but saw Tivoli Gardens right across the street. A couple of wrong urns and eventually we got the Imperial Hotel. An older 4 star with an excellent location.
First stop was lunch at a sidewalk café. The chicken salad was delicious but they charged $5 for water, each! We wandered thru the old part of town stopping at the Church of our Lady, famous for its statues of the apostles by Thorvaldsen. A little revisionist history had Paul as one of the apostles and left out Judas. Across the plaza were some of the university buildings. As we walked back toward the hotel we stopped in the “New Square” for a couple of happy hour beers, $4 each. After a brief rest dinner was at Frk. Barners Kaelder (Miss Barners Kitchen) recommended by our concierge as like his grandmother’s cooking. It was old, small, with dark wood. We had pickled herring and roast cod, yummy.
The next day broke bright and sunny. Breakfast at the hotel was hearty, bacon and eggs for the Americans, cold cuts and cheese for the Europeans. After a stop at the tourist information office we headed toward the canals. We wandered past several museums and the Christiansborg palace, but saved those for that next day which was predicted as rain. We boarded the canal tour boat at Ved Stranden. We past “The World” a cruise ship condo, studios from $600K and suites from $13.5 million! We hopped off at the little mermaid and found that there were now three mermaids in that area, Hans Christian Anderson’s, a bimbo mermaid (big boobs), and a GMO mermaid (looked like it was crossed with an octopus). The next boat was in 45 minutes. It took us thru Christians Haven, a pleasant neighborhood of yachts and waterfront apartments. By the time we got back to the start we were hungry so we had Smorbrod (Danish open faced sandwich) at an outside café.
The heart of Copenhagen has many pedestrian only streets. There are thousands of bikes and no one locks them. Supposedly they pedal the equivalent of 31 times around the world each day in Copenhagen. We walked to the round tower, completed in 1642. It was an observatory built as part of the university. It has a hollow core and a 7.5 turn equestrian ramp to the top, 35 meters high. It is still used as an observatory by amateur astronomers. That evening we went to Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli was supposedly the inspiration for Walt Disney to start his park, although he left out the many beer gardens. We had hoped to catch a concert, but no such luck. We did have dinner at Nimb Terrace noted for Nordic gastronomy. The meal was extraordinary both in appearance and taste. We had roasted Brill with grilled asparagus. There were two appetizers, the best was a seared scallop with fennel. With wine it was $120 for 2. A lovely day and over 7 miles of walking.
Wednesday broke rainy and windy. We walked a mile to the Rosenborg castle. Admission was $16 and included the treasury. The architecture was impressive, and the exhibits were well done. The tapestries were very nice as was the great hall. The treasury with the crowns and lots of gold pieces was the best part. It was still raining as we left so we stopped for coffee on the way to the Christianborg Palace. There were 4 separate areas you could visit and admission to all 4 was $22. The stables were nice but unremarkable, the royal kitchens had more copper than I have ever seen in one place, and the reception halls were typical with very nice floors. The ruins under the palace were wonderful. The current palace is the 5th structure since the 11th century. The first was destroyed after a war with the Hansiatic league. The second was demolished just after it had been completely rebuilt by the previous king. The 3rd and 4th were lost to fire within 50 years of completion. The current one includes the parliament and the Supreme Court. It is no longer the royal residence, but is used for ceremonies.
The sun finally came out as I left the palace (Thea went her own way for the afternoon). I decided to visit the Thorvaldsen Museum, free on Wednesdays, but came away thinking Thorvaldsen was a great artisan but had no originality. The sculptures looked like what you find all over Europe with lots of copies of antiquities. It was so warm and sunny that I had to stop and sit in the sun and have a beer by the city hall, and then a nap in the room.
For dinner we went to the Standard, which is a restaurant and jazz club started by the co-founder of Noma, the top rated restaurant in the world. The food was absolutely amazing, but dinner took so long (3 hours) that we skipped the jazz club, $210 with wine, an incredible bargain. Walking back, 10pm was just dusk. We went by a good sounding blues club but it was hot and smoky inside so we kept going. The evening was so pleasant, people were at the outdoor cafes everywhere. Some places had craft cocktails, some beer and wine and some just coffee, lots of live music, what I love about cities like this. So I wound up with 20,533 steps for the day, a two year best.
Thursday we picked up the car from Europcar, two blocks from the hotel. The car had GPS, I had my GPS, we had google maps, we had the printed directions Thea had brought, and we had the directions from the rental car company. They did not agree! Eventually we got out of town and to Rungsted to see the house\museum of Karen Blixen, best known for writing “Out of Africa.” It was not somewhere I would have thought to stop, but I really enjoyed learning about her life and writings. A benefit of traveling with well-read friends. From there we went to Helsingborg and the Kronborg castle, which was the inspiration, and setting for Hamlet, $20 entry. It was a great structure and former customs house at the narrowest point between Denmark and Sweden. We spent 2 hours there and toured the whole place. Of course I liked going thru the basement and foundations the best. There were players doing various scenes from the Hamlet roving thru the castle to make it even more realistic. A fantastic stop.
Jonkoping, Sweden
Then we took the ferry to Sweden. It was a 20 minute ride and there were continuous ferries. On board there was a duty free liquor store which was doing a land office business. Since it almost three by the time we landed, we gave up the plan to go to Kalmar and took the shorter route toward Stockholm. But then we decided to detour to Vaxjo and visit their glass museum. They have been making glass in that area for over 300 years with 90 glass works. Some of the table ware was incredibly beautiful, and the art installations were spectacular. As we left the rain intensified. Eventually we reached Jonkoping, a city of 90,000 on the side of a lake. We did not have a reservation, but tried a place by the lake. The Vox hotel was very hi-tech and we bargained a bit for the room, settling for $94. We had dinner at the hotel and it was Nordic/Asian. I had a roast duck with soba noodles, and the duck was crispy yet falling off the bone. Breakfast the next morning was an incredible buffet spread, pickled fish, Swedish pancakes, and everything else you could possibly want.
Stockholm
It was misty as we headed for Stockholm but the traffic was light until we got right into the city. We stopped for gas and coffee along the way. Unfortunately we got a gasoline car instead of the usual diesel, and gas was over $6 a gallon. The Nofo hotel ($216 a night) was built in 1790 as a brewery. Very charming except for the lack of an elevator or any help getting the luggage up 2 flights. We did however, get street parking right across from the hotel. We had to pay until 5 but the weekend was free. The afternoon was sunny and warm as we walked down to the old town. We bought a hop on, hop off bus ticket and had a beer by the Nobel Prize museum, $8 entry. The museum does not get high reviews but we both loved it, we are a bit nerdy. We hadn’t had lunch so we opted for an early dinner at Mr. French. The roasted cod was terrific. The hike back up the hill was invigorating.
The next day was still misty so we tried to find the hop on bus. We went to stop 6 on the map (and where the hotel said we could catch it) and waited. Eventually I saw one go by a couple of blocks away. We asked a city bus driver and he said it did not come down the street we were on, so we walked over to the next main street and one went past us and stopped in the next block. We went there and waited, but the next one by did not stop for us, so we walked a mile into the old town and finally caught one. We took it to the Vassa Museum, the top attraction in Stockholm. The Vassa is a Swedish war ship that sank in 1628 an hour into its maiden voyage. It was raised in the 1960’s and conserved. It is 90% original. We spent 2 hours there and loved it. The Nordic museum next door was beautiful on the outside did not get such good reviews so we took the hop on bus to the city hall.
City Hall was built around world war one and is eclectic but stunning. The guided tour was $9 and we went thru the blue hall, (which is actually red brick), the council chambers (101 city councilors from 9 parties) and then to the golden hall (an extravagant mosaic master piece). The Nobel Prize banquet is held there every year on December 10th. We passed on the 365 steps up the tower. We got back on the bus and the driver said nothing as we boarded. He skipped the next 7 stops and kicked everyone off the bus at the ferry terminal saying he did not know where he was driving. We got on another bus and argued with the driver about where we wanted off, but eventually got to where we wanted to be. It was on this bus we discovered that the information office that sold us our tickets had given us an out of date route map. Lots of streets were closed because of the women’s triathlon.
We stopped for a beer and then headed to the Royal Palace. After we figured out how to cross the triathlon we got to the palace 20 minutes before they closed, however they sent us to the royal armory which was open until 6 and free. In addition to arms they had early costumes, and an entire floor of royal carriages. It was still early so we tried to take the hop on bus back to our hotel area so we could have dinner there and make it an early night. Instead the bus took us to the central station and kicked us off. Now we were almost 3 miles from the hotel. Eventually we found our way back to the old town. Several of the small restaurants were full with a line out the door. Eventually we came to Magnus Ladulas, named after the son of the founder of Stockholm. Part of the building dated from the 1500’s and the bar from the 1800’s. Thea had to have the Swedish meatballs, and I had what they called a seafood casserole. It actually was like a cioppino only better and with a dollop of sour cream. With the hike up the hill to the hotel we had over 17,000 steps. The hop on kicked off bus was almost worthless as we only got to two correct stops and missed half the route.
Sunday was clear and sunny. The buffet breakfast was quite nice with good pickled fish. We started at an over look with great views of the harbor and the old town. Then we walked to Riddarholmen to see the church built in 1290 and the burial place of the Swedish kings. The steeple had been replaced in the 1835 with a gothic wrought iron one after a fire. Then we walked by the House of Nobility which was the medieval seat of government. Then we once again faced the prospect of crossing the triathlon (this time the men’s) to get to the medieval museum. This was in the spot where they had excavated north of the parliament building intending to put in an underground garage. They found part of the old city wall and so many artifacts that they made it a museum. It was fascinating, free and I wish we had more time there.
Ferry to Helsinki
The ferry terminal was just minutes from our hotel and we were in line promptly at 2pm. The wait was short and soon we were parked on the boat. This was more like a cruise liner than a ferry. 4 decks of vehicles. Duty Free shopping (cheap booze), on 7, multiple restaurants, a nightclub and casino on 8, the sun deck and bar on 9, kids play area on 10, and great outside viewing on 11 and 12. Our cabin had 4 berths but it would have to be 4 people under 10 years old to fit, for 2 people it was just cozy with a huge port hole. We sat on the sun deck, drinking our beers, as we sailed out of Stockholm and thru the archipelago. The archipelago has over 30,000 islands between Sweden and Finland. At 8 we had reservations for the 9 course Nordic tasting menu at the no name restaurant.
The opener was a perfect radish with tarragon mayonnaise and desiccated reindeer dust accompanied by artichoke chips with cream cheese and chives.
1st – Braised baby romaine heart with roasted hazel nuts and horseradish snow, 2nd perch and cucumber, 3rd millet and onion in an onion broth, 4th duck heart, and broccoli and cauliflower salad, 5th whitefish with a steamed egg, whitefish roe, spinach and a radish slice, 6th marinated lamb carpaccio with grilled cabbage, 7th homemade fried cheese served with lingonberries, 8th cloudberries with potato ice cream, 9th marinated strawberries with smoked ice cream and a tiny heart shaped waffle. This was truly modern Nordic gourmet dining.
Breakfast was a decent buffet and we sailed into Helsinki right on time.
Helsinki
We went from the ferry to the rental office. We had reserved an apartment and picked up the key but had to wait until 2pm to actually put our stuff in the unit. We deciphered the parking meter ($3 per hour) and walked toward the harbor. We turned the wrong way for the tourist information office and came to the Orthodox Church, closed on Monday. We walked thru a touristy flea market that did have some nice local fruit. The tourist office was very helpful with maps and brochures. Then we went to Kappeli, an old café on the esplanade, for coffee. We stopped at the city museum, free, but thought it was not worth a stop. From there we went back to the car and started looking for the apartment. It was on a canal not far from the railroad station. After moving our things in, we started looking for parking. Street parking is limited to 4 hours. We looked under the bridge where 2 people had said there was free parking but found only bus parking. So we resigned ourselves to paying for underground parking. There was a place a couple of blocks from our apartment so we drove in, and went down, winding around but always going lower. The walls were gunnite but painted, it looked rough. Eventually we came to a gate and got a ticket. We went down further and stopped by a door on an almost empty floor. We appeared to be on level -3, we took the elevator to -2 and then walked a ways and took another elevator that had only 2 stops but they were very far apart. Then we came out in an underground arcade. We took an escalator up and finally came out of a Metro stop, blocks from where we went in. When we returned we discovered a security pad on the elevator and had to enter the number from the parking ticket, fortunately I hadn’t left it in the car like I normally do. It was $80 for 2 days!
From there we wanted to go to the cathedral. When we got there, they were filming and it was closed for 2 more hours. So we took the number 2 tram, $4 each (the only place that doesn’t take cards in the whole city). It does a big figure 8 thru the main parts of the city for about an hour and a half. We saw lots of great architecture, public art, parks, and got a good feel for how the city is laid out. Then we went back to the cathedral (Lutheran) and had figured out how to avoid the 80 steps (no landings or handrails) up the front, go around back and 6 steps to get up. The setting is dramatic, the exterior imposing, and the interior plain as a tomb. In the crypt underneath there is a charming café and we heard someone practicing organ. Just past the cathedral we again passed the film crew. They were filming “The Unknown Soldier”, A WWII Finish legend. We walked on back to our apartment picking up some groceries for breakfast along the way. The apartment is in an older building on the 6 and ½ floor. The elevator was a wire cage with a wood seat. Everything in the apartment, including the cabinets, dishes and appliances came from IKEA, but it was airy and pleasant. The washer looked like a toy, it only came up to my knee and the operation was totally obscure. We tried to go to a beautiful floating restaurant for more Nordic food but it was booked. Across the street was Granilittilinna in an old stone hotel. The place looked like it had been there for 100 years, all dark paneling and wood floors. Their specialty was reindeer, but I opted for the beef liver which came with lingonberries, mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. Dinner for two with wine was $60 and very traditional.
Tuesday was sunny and cool. After a slow start we made our way to the ferry to Suomenlinna, a group of fortified islands in the Helsinki harbor, $5 each. It was built by the Swedes in the 18th century to defend against the Russians. It was Sweden’s most expensive undertaking, but the Russians took over Finland in 1808 anyway. We wandered thru the fort and over the ramparts for a couple of hours. There was a nice museum, $6, with a film about the construction. As we got off the ferry coming back we passed thru the market on the docks and a young Finish girl handed us some fried Lapland fish, the size of anchovies but better tasting. We went thru the original market building which is now a lovely market/ restaurant cluster. But then we went back to the outdoor stand and had salmon, Lapland fish, veggies and beer for $35 for 2. The weather turned blustery as we head to the Orthodox Church to see the interior, it was very ornate. We then split up and I went to see the Finnish art at the Ateneum museum. What art a people save says something about their character, this was a bit dour and had more naked men than naked women. I was beat by then so headed back to the apartment for a nap. When Thea got back we had Irish whisky and cheese. A long and enjoyable day.
Turku
We actually got on the road early on Wednesday. Our first stop was Raseborg castle dating from the 14th century. A woman from the ticket office came over to explain about the history as they did not have an English brochure. The castle was built on an island but the land is rising from the ice age compression at a very rapid rate and the sea is now quite far away. This castle seemed more like a Viking castle than any I have seen. It was abandoned after the roof caved in destroying 12 very large beer casks. From there went to Fiskars Village. Fiskar started producing iron in 1649. They are best known for the sewing shears with the orange handles. Over the years they have done, iron copper, finished iron products and now kitchen wares and knives. The village is now filled with artisan shops and cafes.
Our next stop was Ekenas with its old wooden houses. It sits on an inlet and is a very peaceful summer resort. From there we went to Hanko which was a Russian spa town in the 19th century. The seaside villas are impressive and the beaches some of the best in Finland. I don’t know if the water warms up enough to swim very much. This is an area where you could seriously unwind. Unfortunately we had to back track a bit to get to Turku but the Aboa Vestas museum there was open until 7. This museum preserves some of the excavations of 13th century Turku. You walk on the original stone streets and see how the medieval city evolved. The modern art section is just OK. Turku is a quite beautiful city with bar and restaurant boats on the river. Our hotel, Best Western Seaport, was at the ferry terminal, in a cute old building. There was free parking but it was limited. The place was OK for $135 a night with breakfast and free parking. We were beat so we just went across the street to the Vietnamese restaurant. The menu was more Thai but sufficed, $47 with beer. There was no A/C or operable windows in the room, so it was quite warm.
Tampere
The morning was overcast and we got to the cathedral as it opened at 9. It was built at the end of the 13th century as Catholic and became Lutheran with the reformation. It is the mother church of Finland, and has a small museum upstairs $2. Next was Turku castle, the largest in Finland, $5. There is a medieval and a renaissance section and it takes at least 1.5 hour to walk thru it all. As we drove north it started to rain, and then I missed my turn in a construction detour. Eventually we got to Uusikaupunki to see the Bonk Museum, $6. Bonk was the Finnish Rube Goldberg and invented many things including fish electricity, and the energy scuttle. An odd but enjoyable stop. We were looking forward to old Rauma, a world heritage site, but it was pouring and blowing by the time we got there. We managed to walk around and see some of the largest remaining group of old wooden in all the Nordic countries. They were excellently preserved and, on a nice day, you could spend an afternoon wandering around. There was 4 hours of free parking but we forgot to set the timer wheel and got a ticket.
On the road to Tampere we passed a Bronze Age burial site but it was raining too hard to stop. Tampere is the second largest city in Finland and has an immense university. The car GPS tried to lead us down a bus only street but we figured it out within a block. We stayed at the Lapland hotel, $120, the nicest and least expensive so far on the trip. They apologized for the rainy weather but added that it was normal. We went for a walk thru the main part of town and took pictures of the church voted prettiest in Finland. Dinner at the Hotel was Lapland cuisine, smoked fish and reindeer appetizer and roasted Char for the main course,$100.
Savonlinna
We had a long drive so we set out early. We took a break in Jvaskyla and visited the Alvar Aaltoo museum (a famous Finnish architect). The museum next door had an exhibit of mid-20th century Finnish archetcture. The whole drive was mostly rainy and a bit stressful. We arrived in Savonlinna about 3:30 at the only place I could find to book. It was opening night for the opera season and I guess most people book quite early. A Russian with no shirt assured us we were in the right place and it was clean so we put our suitcases in. The place was run down on the outside, the living room was very pleasant, but the beds needed replacement. It was an apartment for 6 and we had to rent smelly linen and top of the outrageous room rate. They were accommodating enough when we opted to only stay one night. We did luck out and found free parking in town near the Olavinlinna castle where the opera was.
We walked along the waterfront for a bit and stopped at a restaurant with a view and had pike-perch which is better than either of its namesakes. Opening night was Othello and was in the central courtyard of the castle. The courtyard was covered but the rain held off. The chorus was massive and over whelmed the space. The acoustics were great for the soloists. The staging was modern but the costumes were traditional. Occasionally there would be a bit of video projection. Eventually I realized it was from the 1952 Orson Wells movie of Othello, one of the best films ever made. The whole production was outstanding, though afterwards about 150 people took bows. We went back to the water front afterwards and had a drink at the bar of one of the lake cruise ships.
Hamina
We decided that we should stay closer to Helsinki our penultimate night. First we went back to the old city of Savonolinna and visited the local museum. They had a nice exhibit and film about the local freshwater seals. They also had a couple of old boats moored outside and you could clamber thru one of them. We then went to Kerimaki to see the world’s largest wooden church, seats 3000, 5000 including standing room. The original pastor thought it should seat half of the population at once. The drive to Hamina was longer than I thought and since I had slept not a wink, it was tough to stay awake. At one point we were merely feet from the Russian border. Thea did not drive manual transmission and was not on the insurance, so we stopped for coffee often.
Hamina started life as a Swedish fortress that was never completed. The center of town has an octagonal layout for the streets. Our hotel, Spa Hotel Hamina $139, had a full spa but I was too tired to partake. The room was pleasant. We wandered around the town square, but it was quiet as a tomb. Most restaurants were closed on a Saturday night. We ate at the hotel and had fried whitefish which was terrific $92 with a bottle of wine. The Wi-Fi didn’t work so Thea negotiated a $44 discount on the room, I think she can work all my deals. Breakfast was the usual nice buffet. I have had pickled fish for breakfast every day since we left Copenhagen.
To the airport
The morning started out warm and sunny, our first stop was Kotka. The national maritime museum looked closed as there were no cars. After a taxi dropped someone off, we realized our mistake and went in. The whole building looks like a wave from a distance. Inside it was one of the best maritime museums I have visited, $9. We could have stayed longer, as there were several boats tied up outside to visit too, but we needed to move on to Porvoo. This is the second oldest town in Finland, and on the river there were several old brick warehouses that had been converted to bars, restaurants and boutiques. The old town area was very pleasant and full of people but not that different from other old towns in southern Finland. Thea was determined to try Hesburger, ubiquitous in Finland. Her burger was the thinnest we had ever seen, I had a smoothie which was nice. They were so disorganized that you could hardly call it fast food.
Thea wanted to see Sibelius’ house on Lake Tuusulanjarvi so that was our next stop. The house was a bit underwhelming. Afterwards we drove around the lake and stopped at Villa Kokkonen designed by Alvar Aaltoo. It is one of the classic houses of modern architecture but we just missed the tour and had to be content with taking pictures of the exterior. Eventually we got to the house of Pekka Halonen, which was the highlight of the area in my opinion, $7 entry. Halonen was an early 20th century painter of Finnish landscapes and the house, sitting on a spit into the lake, would inspire anyone. The gardens were also a delight. From there we went to our hotel by the airport. The Hotel Pilotti, $99, had tiny rooms with a nautical theme. The room was like the cabin on a ship and the bathroom was equally tiny, but they did have a free shuttle to the airport. We asked for a nice restaurant and they suggested the food court at the mall. We ate at Santorini, and had a decent last meal together. Thea took the 5:20am shuttle to the airport and I was on my own once more.
Hameenlinna and Rauma
It looked like a nice day, but I had no plan and no reservations. I looked again for a hotel in Pori for the Jazz festival and saw a reasonable deal in Rauma, about an hour away. I had been looking for a hotel in Pori for 2 months and was not ready to stay in a school dorm for $15 plus disposable sheets. I headed north stopping in Hameenlinna, Finland’s oldest town, to see their castle. There was a public yoga class going on in the park by the castle. The sign said museum and Heavy Metal. It turned out that meant armor. I did the guided tour, I was the only one, and learned a ton about armor. The castle was in good shape and entry for both was $12. As I drove to my next stop, Samallahdenmaki, a World Heritage Bronze Age burial site, I stopped for a sandwich and coffee. The service station shop was exactly like anywhere in the world, beer, slot machines, lotto, bad coffee, and unhealthy snacks. Apparently when Bronze Age Scandinavians came they changed the burial rituals of the natives. There were 8 cairns and some other signs of construction. Almost no visitors were around so it was a great experience if you love old, old stuff like I do. I got to Hotel Raumanlinna in the late afternoon. It had the best designed single room I think I have seen, $82, but the elevator did not have an inner door. I got settled and had dinner at Wanhan Rauman Kellari. Great grilled salmon with a dill butter, baked potato, salad, and veggies. I had an orange colored cocktail that was nicely tart but unidentifiable. Total bill $30, and you don’t go away hungry.
I know I had already visited Rauma, but it was raining so hard we did not really appreciate it. Rauma is a world heritage site and has more than 600 18th and 19th century wooden buildings. These buildings are kept up and used as shops, restaurants, and houses. Wandering aimlessly for 2 hours in the morning gave me a nice feel for the place. I then headed north and took a turn off to see a lighthouse, but it was in an industrial area and not accessible. I finally arrived in Pori and found a free parking place. There was a market on the main square, but it was more fleas and commercial than fruit and veggies. I did catch a set at the street stage of vey talented young musicians. I bought s t-shirt and had some of the tiny fried white fish and a beer. Nobody of note was playing that evening, so after ine more street set, I headed back to Rauma. Dinner was at the GoTo bar and grill. A nice Caesar salad and a fish appetizer for $23 and I was ready for bed.
Vaasa
The driving in this area is monotonous, 2 lane road, wooded on both sides, no one driving the speed limit, frequent slower stretches, and some construction. I needed to find some intermediate stop and turned off to check out Yyteri, reputed to be the best beach in Finland. I went past the turn off and over a causeway to the end of the road. There were a cluster of buildings with signs like, Race Office and Race Committee. I think they meant sailboat races. At the end of the road there was a lighthouse and a jetty you could walk out to the end of. I drove by a beautiful golf course that looked very unforgiving. Finally I came to an enormous beach. It was definitely world class, lacking only sun and warmth. It was in the mid 60’s but people were in the water.
I got to Vaasa early and found the hotel Vallonia, $80, further from town than I expected, but nicer than I expected too. Vaasa is only 45 miles from Sweden and at one point I was thinking of taking the ferry from Vaasa. The top sight in Lonely Planet was the Terranova museum, $6. They had 3 exhibits; Vaasa history, an excellent private art collection, and a surprising exhibit of Finnish rugs. Afterwards I took a long walk down the very nice water front before having dinner at the Stramper. The price fixe was shellfish soup, salmon, and strawberry mouse. With wine $55. I probably should try to economize but I only buy one meal a day usually.
Oulu
Once more I was driving north, avoiding the main road. The woods are birch and evergreens, and there are lots of moose crossing signs. This part of Finland seemed to have more farms, which seemed strange since the sea freezes over in the winter and people can walk to Sweden. Whomever corners the red paint market could make a fortune here. My first stop was Jacobstad, one of 10 wooden towns along the Finnish coast. It was exceptionally clean but the streets in the old part were not paved. The houses were very well kept with lovely gardens in the back. The city hall had a huge clock tower. From there I went to Kokkola but didn’t find much to see except a big tower with a Star of David on the top. I think it was a water tower. My last stop was my favorite, Raahe. It had a very authentic feel. Lots of wooden buildings, a couple of tiny museums, $2 entry, and a pleasant waterfront. One of the museums had the, purportedly, oldest diving suit in the world, 1727. The other had kitsch the sailors had brought back from all over the world.
I arrived in Oulu just at 5 and there was no rush hour! The hotel Apollo, $104 and free parking, was close to the center and had a bathroom so small it reminded me of a sailboat head, but it worked just fine. Oulu is a lovey, prosperous city on the water. I walked down to Main Square, past the new theater, and across a pedestrian bridge to Sokeri-Jussin, a tavern in an old sugar mill on an island. I sat outside and had salmon tartar and Arctic char, with bad wine $50. Everyone was out walking or biking. There was a rock concert, $50 admission, but you could stand on the street behind the stage and hear perfectly. I tried to go to bed early but sunset was 11:32 and there was a nightclub across the street that ran until sun-up, 3am. Oulu is a most pleasant town.
The next morning was warm and sunny, the further north I go, the more sun I see. My first stop was the tourist information office where they were super helpful. From there I went to see the ruins of Oulu castle which blew up when lightning struck the powder magazine in1793. There is not much left but an observatory was built on the ruins.
There is a beautiful series of islands connected by pedestrian bridges with museums and civic buildings. I went to the Norther Ostrobothnia museum, $5, which had a nice arctic exhibit and a great prehistoric exhibit. The art museum was just OK. From there I wandered down to the Market hall, which was nice but not as nice as Helsinki’s. They did have an extensive outdoor section with both veggies, places to eat, and kitsch. After a pleasant beer in the sun I took a nap. It rained while I was napping but was sunny afterwards as I wandered around the pedestrian area, watched the bungie jumping from a crane platform, and eventually had dinner. I know the burgers in the restaurants here are big, beautiful and $20, but who taught them to eat them with a knife and fork? It is a sandwich, pick it up! I was asking the hotel desk clerk for some information and she mention that she was from Estonia, and when I said I had been there she became extra helpful. She even signed me up for the Scandic Hotels loyalty program with 20% off.
Lapland
Another day broke raining. I started out for Yli-Li, which had excavations from an Iron Age settlement. On the way I saw someone driving a motorized soapbox race2 on the highway, or maybe it was a sidecar that got away. The rain let up when I arrived and I went thru the exhibits, $5, and saw a short film on the settlements in the area. Outside you could see where they were still excavating and they had a very nice recreated Stone Age village. The guy there, in leather garb, was glad to have someone to explain things too and I reluctantly had to cut him off after a bit. As I pulled out the Garmin helpfully said animals on the highway 160km ahead. I was on the back roads all the way to Rovaniemi, so never saw a sign for when I crossed the Arctic Circle. In Rovaniemi I went to the Arktikim Museum, $10, which had fantastic exhibits on the Arctic, the Northern Lights and the Saami people. There were also exhibits deploring the acts of the Russians in the war with Finland during WWII. Rovaniemi is the “Official home of Santa Claus” but I’m not into Xmas so I headed further north. Pretty soon I saw a young elk by the road and then two of the biggest reindeer ever right on the road, and I was 160km (and 3 hours) from where Garmin first notified me.
I had booked a room at the Hullu Poro Oy, a resort at the Levi ski area in Sirkka. The room was lovely, $72, and probably 5 times that in the winter. I took a walk before dinner and nothing is as sad as a ski resort in the rain, I was soaked. I saw the lifts and some beginner hills but nothing very steep. I ate at the Rock Café and had simmered reindeer with mashed potatoes and lingonberries, $36 with a beer. It was just right on a cold rainy night. I got my last 2000 steps walking up and down the corridors of the hotel. Sunset was at 1:17 am and sunrise was 1:38am, fortunately they had black out curtains.
The morning broke sunny and not very warm. I drove thru Munio, not much to see, and veered off to Hetta which seemed to be a jumping off place for trekkers. I saw lots of reindeer on the road, they are much bigger than the ones I saw in Norway. The further north I went, the shorter and skinnier the trees got. I stopped at a Saami café and got a coffee and a piece of fry bread stuffed with reindeer. Just past there was a reindeer farm, but it didn’t look like much so I kept on. North of Karesuvanto I came to a German fortification from WWII. I was definitely out on the tundra, and the mosquitoes were intense. I abandoned the idea of going to Klipisjarvi and turned southwest toward Sweden.
Kiruna
Kiruna is famous for its ice hotel and dog sledding in the winter. In the summer it is just known for the world’s largest underground iron mine. I went straight to the information office and the last tour of the day was leaving in 15 minutes, $40. They first discovered iron here in 1642. It took LKAB 60 years of open pit mining to clear the first 230 meters off the mountain and 50 years to go another 1100 meters underground. They have 500km of underground road and we drove down to the 500 meter level in a 40 passenger bus. The ore body goes down at least another 1000 meters and is 70% iron which is why they stay competitive with open pit mines. They are using a hanging wall mining technic and eventually the town will collapse because of subsidence. They are building a new town center and will move some of the older buildings including the church. I stayed at the Arctic Eden, $106 which was ok but the breakfast was 4 star. Dinner was at Spis Mat och Dryck, and amazing hostel, deli, bar, and excellent gourmet restaurant. I had the shitake soup to start and the grilled char $60 with 2 glasses of Bordeaux.
Lamponia
As I headed south I was in Lamponia, a 9400 sq km world heritage nature site. The area is also known for its Saami culture, and there were reindeer on the road everywhere. The local cars here have 3 or 4 huge lights in front like rally cars. I guess they are for moose, which are nocturnal, and they have 50 days of darkness here in the winter. My first stop was Jokkmokk and the Ajtte museum of Saami culture, $9. The museum was laid out like reindeer antlers, which seemed strange but actually worked quite well. Each branch had a different aspect of the culture. I really felt like I had a better understanding of these people after my visit. Just off the main square there were some Saami set up with tents selling handicrafts. I loved the reindeer hides but passed on them and bought a present for the friends I will be visiting in France. I picked up some maps and continued south.
Distances are more than they seem in Sweden, it is wider east to west than the other Nordic countries and I keep underestimating my times. The countryside is nicely rolling with trees, rivers, and lakes. But after many hundred km it all starts looking the same. I stopped for the night in Arvidsjaur, which is a ski area in the winter, although I didn’t see any high slopes. The Hotel Lamponia $92 was quite nice. I wandered up and down the main street before dinner and it looked like any ski town. Dinner was at the hotel restaurant across the street beside a small lake. I had the reindeer fillet which came with a great tomato salad and assorted veggies, $45 with a beer. After dinner I strolled around the lake, 1.5km. At breakfast the next day the coffee cups looked like little flower pots, which should have been a clue about how the coffee was going to taste.
Umea
I left in the morning without a plan as to where I was going. I really wanted to drive the “Wilderness Road” which is called the prettiest drive in Sweden. After over 2 hours I was still an hour from where it started, and sick of driving. It is 370 km from Vilhelmina to Stromsund and I could not find any lodging in-between. There is lots of wilderness to see in North America, so at Storuman I turned for the coast. Umea is a pleasant college town on the coast and it is 45 miles from Vaasa, Finland. I could have taken a ferry and saved 6 days but Lapland was worth the drive. I booked the hotel Stora from my phone, $98, when I pulled off the road in Storuman, and was pleasantly surprised to find an 1895 hotel that had been updated and was smack in the center of the old town. I had accidentally booked a room with bunk beds but they upgraded me for free. The breakfast buffet featured breads from the hotel bakery and they were outstanding. I walked down along the waterfront and everyone was out on a sunny weekday afternoon. For dinner I went to Koksbaren, a gastropub. I didn’t have a reservation so I sat at the communal table with a window view of the old train station, which was being renovated. There is a lot of construction work going on in the heart of town. For a starter I had a perfect oyster lightly poached in seawater, atop crushed frozen strawberries with a hint of wasabi foam. The main was fried perch with chanterelles, bleaks roe, smashed new potatoes, and a sour cream and Vasterbottensost cheese sauce. It was an amazing dinner, $65 with 2 glasses of Loire white wine.
I liked Umea so well I decided to stay one more day. I got caught up on my blog, visited the Vasterbotten Museum, and did not drive. The museum had a variety of exhibits and was free. One was skis thru the ages and there was a pair of skis and a pole, carbon dated to 3400 BC. There was a nice exhibit of Lapland landscapes by Swedish artist Eigil Schwab which I really liked. There was also an exterior exhibit of old buildings which I left for the kids. The plazas were filled with people and there was a small stage with some musicians, but not my style. I was not very hungry so I stopped at a Tapas place for dinner. They did not have an English menu, but I could figure out half of it. I ordered the whole roasted sea bream, $44 with a glass of wine. Another pleasant day in sunny Sweden. The hotel breakfast buffet featured breads from their own bakery and they were outstanding.
Hoga Kusten
I was really looking forward to the high coast, another World Heritage natural site. There has been a total post glacial rebound there of 800 meters and the land is still rising at 8mm a year. I stopped in Ornskoldvik to pick up directions at the tourist office. Two things make this town unique. First there is a huge ski jump right in town that ends at a roundabout. Second, the sea gulls walk on the streets and cars stop for them, I saw this 3 times. The tourist office was super helpful with maps and brochures. I first headed to Norrfallsviken. After a long drive down a pretty 2 lane past lakes and farms, I got to the end of the road. There were hundreds of campers, people on the beach, playing volley ball, boating and just wandering around. I don’t care how beautiful it was, it was too crowded for me. The next, don’t miss spot was called Rotsidan. This entailed 10km of narrow, twisting gravel road thru the trees. When I got to the end, there were over 100 cars parked in between the trees. It was nicely wooded so I got my walking stick and hit the trail. It was a great trail and after about 1 km I reached the ocean. It was beautiful, large expanses of flat rock running into the water. People were sunning and swimming and picnicking. It looked a lot like Arcadia National park in Maine.
After a brief look I headed off to Sundsvall. There was a nice 1867m long suspension bridge along the way. I didn’t book a hotel in the old city because I didn’t want to pay for parking, turns out after 4pm there is free parking everywhere. Sundsvall burned down in 1888 but they rebuilt many beautiful buildings. The grand stairway in the Elite Knaust Hotel is worth seeing. There were many outdoor cafes and bars. I enjoyed wandering the old part more than most cities so far on this trip. I drove up the ski mountain to the Hotel Sodra Berget, $95, which has a fantastic view of the whole city area. The ski runs go down the face of the mountain into the city below, not many runs and not too steep. The restaurant had the perfect view but the food was pricy but only OK.
Stigtuna
I got a leisurely start and the route was on a main highway, so it went pretty quick. The Swedes like their big American iron. I saw a mint 1958 Pontiac in Jokkmokk and today I saw a mint 1955 Ford convertible, salmon and white, pulling a tiny camping trailer. I’ve seen a number of Vettes, Cadillac convertibles, assorted muscle cars and some rat rods. They love to cruise in them when the weather is nice. The number of people pulling camping trailers or driving RV’s is impressive. The northern half of the country is barely populated and is very pretty. Just to break the trip up I stopped in Gavle. A pleasant town with a nice market square and some quirky public art. Nice to sit outside and have a coffee.
Uppsala has a major university, and imposing cathedral, a castle, and lovely river walk with outdoor cafes. It is the ecclesiastical heart of the country. I liked Gamla Uppsala, the original city a few kilometers north. It had Viking burial mounds and was reputed to have had a fantastic pagan temple with idols of the Norse gods. Of course the Christians built over that. I didn’t like my hotel choices so I opted to stay in Stigtuna.
Stigtuna is the oldest town in Sweden that is still a town, founded in 980. I booked into the Stora Brannbo hotel, $80, for one night. It turned out to be a lovely resort in a park like setting, so I extended for another night. I walked down to the water front and the good floating restaurant was booked. I kept walking along the water and finally turned into the center of town. I saw a nice patio and stopped, it turned out to be a pizza joint but I had a couple of beers and a salad, $25, and watched the world go by for an hour. While Stigtuna seems to be a tourist town, there were not many people about. I saw a sign for a boat to Birka, the Viking settlement, but it was only on Tuesdays. The next day I did laundry and loafed. My walk about town took in the 3 ruined churches and some of the many rune stones scattered about. Stigtuna has lots of rune stones. The local, museum $6 was way over priced for their 6 cases of wooden artifacts. Dinner at the Copper Kitchen, out on the back deck, was very pleasant. A Greek salad, trout and wine $50.
Kalmar
OK enough nature, time for castles! It was a long drive, with heavy traffic, so I stopped in Norrkoping to break it up and walk a bit. They have taken an old factory and warehouse district on the river and created a model urban renewal area of museums, cafes, shops and offices. It was quite pleasant to wander over the bridges and pass the cascades. I got to Kalmar just after 3 and went straight to the castle and it was quite the castle, started in 1180. The castle is most famous for the Kalmar Union established there. It provided a common throne and foreign policy for the 3 Scandinavian countries from 1397 to 1523. Sunday was the last day on Medieval Week with a faire and skits in the castle, which is why I could not get a room on Saturday night.
I checked into the Calmar Stadshotell, $140, which was right on the town square. I was worried about parking but there was free street parking between 3pm and 9am. Kalmar is a lovely town to wander, cobble stone streets and outdoor cafes. It seemed to be a tourist destination but mainly for Swedes. I walked down to the water front and eventually stopped at Grona Stugan for dinner. For a starter I had Steak Tartare with a burnt leek and fermented garlic mayonnaise, wow! The main was a whole flounder fried in butter, with 2 drinks $60. One of the best meals in Sweden so far.
The next morning I drove to Oland, Sweden’s smallest province. It is an island connected to Kalamr by a high trestle bridge. My first stop was Borgholm castle, . Dating from the 13th century, it sits in a 30 meter high precipice, and is in good shape though all the wood floors and roofs have been burned out. The summer residence of the Swedish royal family was next door, with beautiful gardens that were open to the public. The island is covered in Don Quixote like windmills. At one time there were 1400 and there are still 400. It seems they used to be more of a stud symbol than actual mills. They are the old fashioned kind where they turn the whole building into the wind. The island has lots of dairy farms, which you can clearly smell. The whole island was clearly a tourist Mecca, primarily for Swedes.
The traffic in Borgholm, the capital was horrendous, so I took to the back roads. I went half way north and then drove down the east coast. I was looking for a café and stopped at one but it was full of screaming kids and 20 people in line but candy, I drove on. I did stop at Himmelsberga which had a large outdoor ethnographic museum. Lots of people picnicking but nothing great. I turned west right before Eketorp, a reconstructed 300AD fortress with costumed reenactors. The south half of the island is a flat, treeless, limestone plateau. The geology was interesting and there were traces of Stone Age settlements. I had seen ¾ of the island and wanted out of the car. Back in Kalmar I went to the lans (county) Museum, $12, where they had an outstanding exhibit about the salvaging of the Kronan, a Swedish Man o’ War sunk in battle in 1676, 20,000m artifacts so far.
In continued to wander about town, taking pictures of the old city walls. I settled on Kallaren Kronan for dinner because it was in a basement with a brick barrel ceiling. I ordered the pheasant breast which was good, but the bowl of roasted root vegetables that came with it was superb, $41. Dinner seems to cost the same no matter how good or average, varying only with the number of courses and drinks. One interesting thing about the hotel, they had a rack of dumbbells in the room.
Back to Copenhagen
I left early in the morning, originally planning on visiting Malmo, but changed my mind and went to Lund instead. Lund was a smaller university town, it seems most Swedish towns are university towns. I really wanted to see the Skissermas museum, but it was closed form2 years form reconstruction. I’m not much into churches but the cathedral was impressive especially the crypt. The most amazing thing is the astronomical clock from 1380, it plays at noon and 3. There was a terrific pop singer on the main square that I would have loved to listen to for a while, but parking tickets are $50 here so I went back to the car.
I had really looked forward to crossing the Oresund Bridge, an engineering marvel, I had followed the construction in ENR and was expecting an information stop in the middle. The toll was $58, the speed limit was 110km and I was in Denmark before I could get excited. My hotel by the airport, Cabinn, $110, was only a 2 star and turned out much nicer than I expected, until I saw that the shower was just a pipe sticking out of the ceiling controlled by a diverter valve at the sink. Dinner was on the patio of Kastrup Strandpark overlooking the sailing harbor. The starter was called half baked salmon and was great, the main was veal with béarnaise sauce, which turned out to be baby beef, $61 with 2 drinks.
To Bordeaux
I had a few issues with returning the car. First the gates in the garage were an issue, then I had to turn the key in between terminals 2 and 3. When I got to terminal 3 I followed the signs to terminal 2 which lead outside. In terminal 2 I did the self-check-in and then went looking for Europcar. I retraced my steps to terminal 3 and eventually found it. I went back to terminal 2 and upstairs to security, they sent a group of us back towards terminal 3, where the line was shorter. Once thru security, a snap, I went back to terminal 2 and stopped for coffee and OJ. I then hiked almost to terminal one and boarded. I reached for my phone to put in in airplane mode and no phone! I ran out of the plane back to the bar where I had breakfast. They had turned the phone over the information booth. They made me unlock the phone, which took 3 tries and then I rushed back to the plane. KLM was pissed at me but I was in my seat at 9:50, departure time. I had 7600 steps already!
The connection in Amsterdam was only 30 minutes and I worried about my suitcase. Sure enough, when we got to Bordeaux there were no bags for anyone from Copenhagen. I messed up buying a ticket for the bus to town and wound up with 8. I sold 2 and figured I would use the rest somehow. The Royal Hotel Saint Jean, $104, was two blocks from the bus stop and was way nicer than I expected. I had a queen bed and the corner room with a view of the train station. After settling in I walked over to the train station and bought the ticket to La Rochelle, $61 round trip. The hotel had happy hour so I had a few glasses of St Emillion, $5 for 2. I was quite tired after all the airport running so I just had dinner at the Brasserie du Levant across from the station. Pate and mussels with fries, and a nice Bourgogne, $30.
Thursday broke cloudy, I had slept like the dead. I passed on breakfast at the hotel as I wanted to do an outdoor café, coffee, juice and croissant, $6. I opted to walk to the old city and I fell in love with Bordeaux on the way. Block after block of 17, 18 and 19th century buildings and cobble stone streets. Not tourist restored just in use. The basilica St Michel is a flamboyant gothic church built mainly in the 15th century, with a separate 114m bell tower. There are Gallo/Roman catacombs underneath. The area in front of it had a flea market that seemed to be mostly African vendors. Eventually I got to the tourist office and saw a red tour bus. It looked too much like the one in Stockholm so I got on the yellow bus. The driver sold me a ticket and I got a good seat on the right side. As he was getting ready to leave some more people showed up with tickets they bought at the tourist office and I got kicked off, maybe I should swear off tour busses. At loss for a moment I looked across the street and saw L’Ecole du Vin. I checked it out and stopped in their wine bar for a lite lunch. Two glasses of Laland de Pomerol and a charcuterie plate, $20.
I took the tram to La Cite du Vin, which just opened the end of May. It was a fantastic building that looked like wine swirling in a glass. The technology inside was very flashy, and I had a glass of a Brazilian Cabernet Franc that was quite good. However I should have taken pictures of the exterior and used the 20 euro entrance fee at a local wine bar, it was not very informative unless you only drink wine out of a box. I took the tram back and stopped at the cathedral St Andre. According to legend the original structure was built under the patronage of St Andrew. The current structure was built in the early 11th century, and during the French revolution it became an animal feed store. It is a very impressive piece of gothic architecture. I had my steps so I took the tram back to the hotel where my suitcase still had not been delivered.