My trip to Scandinavia is in the books! This is my third blog for this trip, so I guess I had a lot to say. The other two blogs were on The Doors of Scandinavia and Scandinavian Street Fashion and Stores. This one will be about the experience and the sights seen.

The tour I took was through EF Go Ahead Tours. This is the second EF tour I have been on and I enjoyed it very much. It was a two week tour with a very ambitious itinerary. We joked that this was the “planes, boats and trains” tour! The itinerary had us flying into Bergen Norway, for days 1-4. Then we flew to Oslo, Norway for one night and then an overnight cruise to Copenhagen, Denmark on day 6. On day 9 we flew to Stockholm, Sweden. On day 11 we cruised overnight to Helsinki, Finland. While in Bergen Norway we also traveled on trains to see the Fjords. And of course we were on motorcoaches for the tours in each city. The thing I like best about EF is that there is built in free time for you to explore and do what you want to do. We had a fabulous tour leader who was very knowledgeable and had plenty of patience to cope with 35 adults! Imagine the skill set one needs to successfully manage all of the modes of transportation and managing all of the local tour guides in each city. Our tour leader got a 5 star rating from me!!

The hotels in each city were good choices. In Bergen we were at the harbor. Easy walking distance to anywhere! This was The Clarion Admiral Hotel. The hotel was older and there was no air conditioning. I got that information from one of the housekeeping staff…”there is no air conditioning in the rooms. You can open the windows”. Well, since I could hear all the birds flying around the harbor, I opted to just open the windows a little bit so that I would not have any guests come in while I was out! The bar and restaurant were air conditioned, so I did survive!! The hotel in Oslo was the Radisson Blu Park Hotel. I do love Radisson Hotels. I love the scent of Radissons. I forgot to ask what the name of the air scent was, and I am hoping to be able to find out! This hotel was a bit out of the mainstream but we were only there for one night so it was fine. Very nice hotel and restaurant. In Copenhagen we were at the Copenhagen Island which is part of the Arp-Hansen Hotel Group Copenhagen. This was a very stylish hotel on an artificial island in Copenhagen’s harbor. Beautiful, and it was a good location too. It was right near a Metro stop which we did use as well as Uber and of course, walking. In Stockholm we were at Courtyard Stockholm Kungsholmen. “Stockholm’s city center is located on 14 islands while the entire Stockholm archipelago stretches into the Baltic Sea, consists of nearly 30,000 islands, inlets, and skerries.” In Stockholm we opted for Uber to get us around as well as walking. The hotel in Helsinki was another Radisson, Radisson Blu Aleksanteri. Terrific location and the restaurant was good. Helsinki is a walkable city. The two nights we cruised overnight were really fun. These ships have lower levels for cars. People living there plan getaways on the ships for an overnight to get to another country and then drive their cars off in the morning! Accommodations were simple, but adequate and there were several restaurants on the ships as well as duty free shopping!

When I travel, I love seeing how people in different countries live. For the 4 countries I was in, the one main feeling I got was one of calmness. They are very athletic people. Most cycle EVERYWHERE! I think Copenhagen had the most cyclists. Everywhere you would see people out running. And I have to say, everyone looked happy! Studies show that Finland has the happiest people on earth…Do you think that is even more than at Disney??? I think all of Scandinavia is “happy”. Our guide in Finland said it is more like people are content. Isn’t that great?? Interesting comparison, Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen served as an inspiration to Walt Disney in 1951 when he visited Tivoli Gardens. He took notes on landscaping, food and the family friendly environment. Funny, I entered Tivoli Gardens and said to my friend that it reminded me of Epcot and at that time I had no knowledge of Walt Disney being there in 1951!! One happy place breathing life into another happy place.

I learned about Fika in Sweden, this is “a coffee and cake break”, but it is “a cultural and social ritual rather than a quick break”. Everyone should start this practice to slow down, connect with friends and acquaintances and recharge. In Sweden it is coffee or tea and a sweet treat which is usually their outrageously good sticky cinnamon buns. And did I mention how the DANISH DANISH is a perfect start to each day??

The weather is fairly unpredictable in Scandinavia. It rains a lot. In fact, we had such beautiful weather everywhere that the guides kept telling us how fortunate we were. Every day showed rain on the weather map in each country, but it was beautiful. The rain did not catch us until Finland and even there it rained for a morning and then got nice!! And then when winter comes, it gets really cold. But what they say is there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! Everyone is outside for a portion of every day. School children go out regularly for recess…their warm clothes are there at school with them to put on! They are outside regardless of the weather forecast.

Can’t say enough good things about this trip. The Fjords were amazing. Photos don’t do it justice. You can’t A-fjord to miss seeing them in your lifetime!!! So many beautiful sights in all four countries.

Yes, I was tired at days end, but it was a good tired that made sleeping each night easy. How could you not say all good things about a trip that started with seeing a rainbow on the first afternoon in Bergen Norway after a shower? And then we saw a second rainbow at the airport in Helsinki Finland before we boarded our plane home.

There was another “luck” theory I have too. My parents would say if you see a bride and groom while you are on vacation it will bring you good luck. Well, we got see a couple in Copenhagen outside of City Hall and then we saw another couple in Helsinki at Temppeliaukio Church. I figure with 2 rainbows and 2 weddings I should be looking at some good luck ahead!

Here are some highlights from the trip.

Bergen Norway-Rainbow #1 in the first photo

Had to show you a “typical” street…must make orthopedic surgeons smile!!

Borough of Fana- the medieval style Fantoft Stave Church

Views of Bergen after going up on the Floibanen funicular

The Fjords

OSLO NORWAY Fram Museum, National Gallery

OSLO Opera house

OSLO Vigeland Park

From Oslo to Copenhagen

sunset

COPENHAGEN DENMARK

Sunrise, Little Mermaid

Bikes everywhere!!!

The first bride and groom we saw!

Tivoli Gardens

Copenhagen

STOCKHOLM SWEDEN

ABBA Museum

Royal Palace

old town, Vasa museum

Overnight to Helsinki Finland

Helsinki- 2nd bride and groom, Temppeliaukio Church

Sibelius Park, Men at Work

2nd rainbow

That’s it for this trip. What a great experience.

I just got back from a fantastic vacation in Scandinavia. In addition to seeing all the sights you associate with Scandinavia, for me, an additional interest is street fashion and what is being shown in the stores! My long-term career in fashion lingers forever. I simply cannot help myself from checking everything out. I’ve gotten really fast at snapping photos of women who have given thought to what they put on before leaving the house. My camera is always available so that I can capture how women around the world want to dress.

Weather in this area of the world does present challenges. It is an outdoor way of life. People are always outside-walking, hiking, jogging, biking. It gets cold and there is plenty of precipitation (except on this trip…which we were told over and over how lucky we were with the weather we were having) and the best line I heard is “there is no bad weather…only bad clothing”.

On the street the biggest trend is denim which is pretty universal. Midi and maxi lengths were popular. And feminine styles of tulle and lace trims were all over. And it comes as no surprise that sneakers and flats rule! This makes it much easier to stay upright on all the cobblestone, slate, ridiculous inclines and stairs galore.

I did fit into my schedule a little time to see department stores in each city.

In Bergen Norway I visited SUNDF & COMPANY. This store was first established in 1845. I would compare it to Macy’s or Nordstrom. I did not find this location very exciting. It was geared to wool merchandise and nothing in their displays grabbed me. They did have an extensive cosmetic department. Speaking of cosmetics and beauty products, I went into a Lyko. Lyko is a Swedish cosmetic company and a leading Nordic e-commerce company. Their shopping bag reads “Your beauty playground”. I felt like I had walked into a very lively Sephora. Made me want to buy something and I did! I bought a Swedish hair product for hydration from Waterclouds and it is fabulous!

The next department store I stopped in was in Copenhagen. The name of the store is MAGASIN du NORD, founded in 1868. The parent company is Peek and Cloppenburg in Germany. This department store is comparable to Macy’s, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. I did find a nice pair of striped fingerless gloves that I had hoped to find on this trip. I think this store could be called a destination store. It is a beautiful store and has an entire lower level where you can buy interesting food and wine. There is also an extensive selection of interior design brands.

NORWAY-Bergen Norway-on the street

COPENHAGEN-on the street

On to SWEDEN where I went to Nordiska Kompaniet (NK department store). This is a beautiful department store established in 1915. It is in the luxury category and compares to Bloomingdale’s. I was in this store on a Saturday and it was very active. Great floor displays.

And then I got to Helsinki Finland! I can understand why the people here are so happy if having a beautiful shopping environment plays a part in their lives!! Two magnificent department stores in the city center are Sokos and Stockmann. Sokos is a department store chain founded in 1952. The parent is S group which was founded in 1904. I loved Sokos! They offer the latest trends and have inspiring ideas. They have mid-to-upper price points and can be compared to Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom. Merchandise was beautifully displayed. I was very happy to find a printed silk scarf that was designed in Finland. I also purchased a bracelet from their “pop up” display. The other major department store I went into is Stockmann. Stockmann is upscale and totally gorgeous! It can be compared to Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom. This is the largest department store in the Nordic countries. It was founded in 1862. Seeing this store made me think about adding a piece luggage for my return trip home. There was so many beautiful cashmere items! Helsinki also has other great shopping in the city center. Their indoor vertical malls are quite nice.

Helsinki-on the street

HELSINKI -SOKOS DEPT STORE

HELSINKI-STOCKMANN DEPT STORE

In addition to all of the beautiful sites to see in Scandinavia it was very enjoyable to do some shopping!