Day 8: Arriving in Stockholm

8th August, Stockholm

So we woke up early, handed over the keys to Anita, loaded ourselves with our 18 odd kgs backpacks and walked to the tram station.

We got down near central station from where we have to catch our SJ high speed train to Stockholm at 6:35 AM. The train was pretty comfortable and as we had wi fi onboard, i caught up a bit on the blog which was neglected for a day or two. Pritha got on with her sleep. It was nice watching watching the fields and farms whizzing by, with a lake or two here and there. The conductor while checking the ticket reminded us that we have paid for our breakfast and we should go and have it at the lounge, so pritha did me a favour by getting me some and some coffee too.

The Lounge

We reached Stockholm Central exactly at 9:50 AM and Reine was waiting just there. It so happened that he didn't read my text properly and thought the train arrives at 9 AM and hence the poor guy was waiting for more than an hour. Stockholm as rest of scandinavia also have day passes which covers all transports in the city. Reine suggested us to take a 3 days ticket, which being a bit on the higher side we thought we will think over later and just bought a 100 SEK balance over his empty card. That was pretty stupid of us coz by the time we reached his house, that was over already.

We had to change trains once and then take a bus to reach Reine and Louise's house which was quiet some way from main city, in the suburbs. When we arrived Louise and vera, her 1 yr old daughter were waiting for us at the bus stop. We walked down to their beautiful apartment which so well decorated by reine and louise. We took over poor vera's room for the next few days. After catching up and taking some rest Louise and Reine decided to take us on a short tour around city centre.

We were also told about this secret party that was being organised by them the next day for us. We were so excited. So we along with vera in her pram strolled around Stockholm city centre, checking out the various parks with some or the other activities going on. We also checked out Sergel's torg which is like a central meeting area with wide stairs where people just chill out.
We also found out that in sweden all wine,strong beer or alcohol can be only bought at the state run stores called systembolaget which are open from 9AM to 3PM only. We thought it would be a nice idea to buy some beer and food from the systembolaget and grocery. So we barged into one and grabbed some Sodra pilsner(20 SEK), Nils Oskar God Beer(19.20 SEK) and hanna cider rose (17.90 SEK) to drink and some wraps for 50 SEK each and headed to the canal side. It was some nice time lying down on the grass, catching up over some beer.

After an hour or so Louise and Reine have to go back home, so they handed us an extra key so that we can come back home as per our will and enter without waking them up. We took a walk along the harbour watching some fascinating pieces of old boats harboured there, before saying goodbye to our friends.

Pritha decided to take a nap under a tree in the park next to the canal, whereas i decided to check out all the snaps taken till date. I could actually overlook the majestic chapman hostel harboured nearby which is actually an old ship. It looks fascinating and will recommend the experience to whoever visiting. After an hour we got up and took a leisurely walk towards the sergel's torg from where we were supposed to join the 6 PM Gamla Stan or the old town tour.

Day 7: Exploring Gothenberg

7th August, Gothenberg

We decided to do the southern archipelago today which consists of mainly 13 Islands. All are connected via ferries, which was included our day card. The Styrsöbolaget ferries to the archipelago operate from the Saltholmen terminal.This is served by tram route 11 or 9 from central Gothenburg. So we took the tram and waited for the ferry to Branno. This ferry went via Aspero ostra and Norra. The ferry ride itself is very picturisque with small houses here and there on the islands and the cool breeze making it more amazing.

On the Ferry

These tiny houses are dotted all around the Archipelago

Map of Southern Archipelago

We got down at Branno at rodsten and planned to walk across the island to the harbour on the other side called Husvik. The largest island within the southern archipelago is Brännö and has a population of 800. The walk across the island was brilliant amidst fantastic sunny weather and beds of flowers along with small and cosy cafes. We so loved the houses in bright pastel colours. When you reach husevik there is a small ferry terminal, where we found that we just missed the ferry to Donso and we can only do another island in our limited time. So we decided on Vrango with a pit stop at styrso brat ten, which was also the largest island in the archipelago.

Husevik

We took the ferry to styrso bratten which gave us around 40 minutes on the island. So we took a walk around the harbour area and chilled out for some time taking pictures, till our boat for Vrango arrived.

At Styrso Bratten

We had a hour and a half in Vrango, so we decided to venture into the village. Vrångö is the most southerly island of the Gothenburg archipelago. Around 380 people live there the whole year round. The island contains a post office, shops, and schools, among other things. Fishing is still an important industry and the there are six working fishing boats on the island. The island is most famous for its beautiful nature reserves and excellent sandy beaches. We liked the nice small swedish houses which were fascinating and we discovered a small nice fish vending shop which was selling fresh salmon fillets and mackerels apart from the regular Herrings. So i bought some for 106 SEK. We then returned to the ferry for our boat back to the main land.

Loved these bikes

Cosy houses in Vrango

We reached the mainland and rushed for the tram to Liseberg, which was our last destination for the day. Liseberg is one of the most famous amusement parks in scandinavia which hosts the oldest wooden roller coaster in the world called Balder. On the way we saw a massive protest rally which seems to be against US attacking iraq i think. Was good to see some ruckus on the streets, feels like home.

We reached Liseberg around 6:30 PM and even though its open till 11 PM, we were told that they have tremendous amount of visitors and every ride has an average 45 min to 1 hr waiting. So we thought its better to buy the entry (90 SEK each) and take the coupon booklet for 219 SEK, which has 16 coupons which we can use for the best few rides. We went up Balder which was a crazy wooden roller coaster and took us 20 minutes in the queue. After that i went for a small ride which was less scary and finally the world famous Helix, which was a 1.5 hrs waiting, but was too much of a roller coaster. So after all the we spend some time looking around before returning back home.

Day 21: Last day in Finland

21st August, Helsinki

We woke up to a nice sunny day, our last day in Scandinavia. We have a complimentary morning sauna in our hostel and we haven’t used it yet so this was the time. Eurohostel has separate sauna for men and women for which they otherwise charge 8.50 Euros. Sauna being such an integral part of any Finnish homes in the countryside; we have to enjoy it in Finland for namesake at least. The best definitely would have been in winter in the log houses in Lapland.  After a refreshing Sauna we walked down to the market place next to the finnair wheel, for some authentic finnish cinnamon buns and coffee for breakfast and some souvenir shopping. I wanted to get a reindeer horn and got a nice piece from the make shift souvenir shops for 8 Euros. We needed to get back to our hostel, check out and store the luggage in the luggage room as 12 PM was the check out time. But before doing this we have to visit the white Helsinki cathedral and the red Upenski cathedral, which were looking bright and shinny in the bright sun light. We got our luggage sorted and booked the airport taxi at 5:25 PM (cheapest option at 29.50 Euros for 2 persons).  As our transport cards were valid for ferries as well, we decided to pay a visit to the nearby fortress island of Suomenlinna . Ferries are every 20 minutes and takes around 10 minutes to reach. Suomenlinna is a nice island which was fortified during the Russian regime. It does have a lot of history to check out, but it does also have some really cute and cosy cafes. We settled for Café Chapman for our lunch, which has a buffet comprising of Black root soup, salads, game meat stew, salmon and pasta for 14 Euros. I highly recommend this. After a stomach full of good food, it was time for our nap next to the sea on the velvety grass. I am somehow addicted to this and would say, never slept better. After around 40 minutes woke up as it was getting a bit chilly and we needed to get back to mainland as our passes will expire around 3:30 PM. So after a bit of walking around the fort we took the next ferry back before the weather got cloudy. We still have a few hours to kill before we go back to our hostel to move for the airport. So this time was fruitfully used to walk around the design shops around the market place. These parallel streets called Tori quarters, with small design shops and exibitions with fantastic knic knacs are a fantastic place to move around. But only thing is the prices are a bit exorbitant as per Indian standards. I maybe repeating myself but finnish designs are as urban and chic as all other Scandinavian designs. After some nice window shopping we took a leisurely walk towards our hostel. We couldn’t resist a last treat of the famous ben and jerry icecreams (5 euros a scoop), not to be missed. Our cab came on time, but after 15 minutes of travel somehow broke down. The driver was a really sweet old guy, who immediately got a replacement for us. This took around 15 minutes and gave us some time to interact with the other 2 American occupants of our cab. In the meantime the replacement cab arrived. We reached the airport on time and were amazed when the cab driver just charged us 20 Euros for both of us, for the breakdown of the car . Can we expect such customer service in India? Ever?  By Far I will summarize this trip across Scandinavia, nothing but Fabulous, in between warm, kind and friendly people who did made a lot of difference to the trip. We had a lot to see and appreciate, be it their cleanliness, disciplined and polite behavior or tourist friendly and organized urban system.  Tak! Scandinavia.

Day 20: Exploring Helsinki

20th August, Helsinki

We overslept a bit and woke up around 10:30 AM. After a quick shower, Pritha had everything planned for the day. In the meantime Eeva started messaging me as she and her German friend wanted to see us. We discovered last night that I have lost my 48 hr tram pass and hence needed to buy a 24 hrs one for 8 euros again. We decided on going to the market square for some local food for breakfast and decided that’s where we will meet them. It was a bright sunny day and we walked down to the market square which was a 5 minutes walk from the hostel. There are a lot of make shift stalls selling souvenirs at good price as well as cafes and eating joints. So we settled for some reindeer meatballs with vegetables and some potatoes with fried vendance fish, which is a local fish served with garlic sauce. (11 Euros each). After we finished our meal and walked around a bit souvenir hunting, Eeva along with Daniella joined us. We took the tram first to the Toolo district, where the Temppellaukio church or rock church as it is called, is located. This church quarried out of natural bedrock is one of the most visited attractions in Helsinki. From there we moved to the Sibelius park, where the Sibelius monument is located. The monument which is made out of pipes of various sizes encourages people to play with various echoes and sounds created by this art structure. On our way back we walked past the beautiful sea, which also hosts the famous Café Regatta. The sky was about to burst and we got a well-deserved shelter at café Regatta, which is a café full of character, very cosy and famous for its cinnamon buns. We chatted a lot while it rained outside. Daniella seems to be well travelled too with long tenures in brazil and was good to share experiences with her. The café doesn’t accepts cards so carry cash. Eeva has to leave Daniella at the airport and hence we parted ways. We moved to Hakaniemi Market for some traditional market treats and atmosphere. The ground floor is full of seafood delicacies and meat sellers and the first floor have some souvenir shops. A fantastic place to hog on some salmons and caviars .We moved to the design district from here,where apart from the design forum are a lot of famous finnish design stores. Most shops close by 7 PM and we managed to have a look at a few before the rains came our way. We have to take refuge in the Forum mall till the rain subsided. It gave my feets some rest and Pritha some time to shop. In an hour or so we were again on our way and this time we headed to the Kampii chapel which is a fine example of Finnish wooden architecture, this futuristic chapel is a place for quiet meditation amidst the hustle and bustle of the city centre. We started walking from here towards the Meuseum of music, which was closed and then saw the parliament building, just outside which my brand new umbrella from decathlon gave way to the finnish winds. We started walking towards the central railway station which is one of the most famous buildings in Finland and a landmark in Helsinki. A few experience that we had in Scandinavia were quiet unique, especially how weather changes fast multiple times in a day. Here we were facing bright sun and rain at the same time, the result of which was a fascinating double rainbow. By now my shoes were completely wet and the ice cold water was giving me a hard time, so we decided to head back to hostel for some warmth. So changed into warm shoes and decided to have some dinner at the adjoining restaurant for some dinner. The ribs were even better this time, so finished a full rack along with some local beer (23 Euros) and Pritha took a combo of chicken wings, pork ribs and baked potatoes (10.90 Euros). We decided to check out the casinos Helsinki, this being our last night. It was raining cats and dogs outside but we dared it to the casino. You get 2 euros worth slot tickets free at entry. We came to know that the government governs the casino in Helsinki and private companies are not allowed to run them. By end of the night I was richer by 500 Euros and Pritha had a home run at slots using the complimentary 2 euros. Not a bad way to finish our last night in Helsinki. Trams run till 2 AM so we managed to get one back to the hotel.

Day 19: In the land of 1000 lakes

19th August, Helsinki

We arrived Helsinki around 2 PM by Iceland Air. It took quiet a bit before the luggage arrived. We saw the weather was pretty bad with the sky almost black in colour, and decided to take a cab to our hostel rather than doing the flybuss and Tram, which would have been very tiring. This was our last leg and we can use a bit of luxury. The airport taxi wasn’t available for the next 30 minutes so we just took a regular taxi from the queue outside airport. People all around Scandinavia are quiet honest and you don’t need to think if you are taken for city tour instead, as in asia. It cost us 45 Euros to reach our hostel, which was at Linnankatu 9. It was pouring like anything all the time and the driver told us its raining since a few days and no chances of it getting any better. The Eurohostel recepton confirmed this. We a bit sadly retired to our room, which was quiet a nice room for a hostel with twin beds, cabinets, a coffee table and chairs and wow a TV. Toilets and baths were common but spotlessly clean and as good as any star hotels. What was fascinating was they play birds chirping all the time in the bathroom and toilets, which definitely peps you up. By the time we took a nice hot shower (which I was having after 3 days) and shave off my Icelandic beard, guess what? The sun came out from between the clouds. Did the angels did this for us? Eurohostel is a highly recommended hostel as you get all the tourist info there and also can book almost everything at the reception. We stopped doing the touristy Hop on Hop off bus since Copenhagen, where loaded with Pritha’s knack for understanding city maps and knowledge of tracking public transport all around, we have started taking day passes and exploring towns on our own. So we bought the 48 hrs transport pass (12 Euros) which gives you unlimited access to tram, metros an ferries. Helsinki is very easy to traverse on trams where Trams 4/4T, 2 and 6 routes can almost take you around all tourist attractions. We took the tram and headed to senate square first. As we were terribly hungry got into the nearest shopping mall only to find it full of Asian fares. We normally only eat local food on our travels but as we were so hungry settled for a open thai stall and were we happy. Hell ya!! We dfinitely missed the spice from a long time, with moist eyes we eat the last strand of noodles and rice at 11.9 Euros was one of my most expensive Asian street food. After that we took a walk around the old town, which was average compared to the old towns we saw in other cities. After that we got into the famous Café Karl Fazer, so famous for its chocolates and pastries. After some special Karl Fazer hot chocholate (6.5 euros) and some pasteries. After this break we took tram 2 and took a long round acround the city as it was raining quiet a lot now. I love this “sit in the tram an forget about it “ trips. I have done this in the past in Amsterdam. So I had a well deserved sleep in the tram as it took me around the city. Pritha woke me up as we needed to get down near the hard rock café, which we visit as a ritual whenever we are in a city which has one. So a special margarita for 11.80 Euros and then we moved back to our cozy hostel. It was around 10:30 PM and Katajanmarja, the attached café was still serving. So I hogged on a half rack of back ribs and a local brew (18.9 Euro), while Pritha decided to call it a night. In the meantime Eeva messaged me on facebook that she may meet us tomorrow and show us around a bit. So time for a nap and hope tomorrow will be sunnier.

Day 11: Exploring Bergen

11th August, Bergen, Norway

Woke up in the morning and after a hot shower felt a bit better. We took a walk to the harbour, amidst sunny weather which wasn't supposed to be there for long.

A visit to the Tourist info centre gave us all the info regarding the fjord tour we wanted to take and also the trip to Floyen via funicular and to Ulriken via cable car. We were told that a tropical storm is gonna hit bergen any time and hence we only bought the ticket to the funicular (80 NOK). We returned to the fish market which was an open market with grills with fascinating seafood on offer . By this time the weather has gone bad. We after checking out a lot of places settled for a big seafood platter consisting of a hell lot of prawns, big king crab leg, whale steak, salmon and cod fillet, salad and fish cake. (600 NOK). i didn't like the whale steak which was very chewy and didn't suit my taste. The crab leg was superb.

We made a move for the narrow lanes of bryggen filled with japanese tourists and souvenir shops. After this we moved to the funicular station to go up. It was a charming drive up and the view was magnificent . But the wind was so strong and became so cold that both our health went for a toss. We managed to stay for a few hours and take some nice pictures but couldn't  stay back till dark to see the town glittering. We reached home with high fever and headache. Eva was sweet enough o offer us some tea and some pep talk before we went in for a nap.

Day 10: In the land of Fjords

10th August, Stockholm

We drove to the ABBA museum along with Louise, Reine and Wera. We booked the tickets online earlier (195 SEK) and wasn't very crowded either. I was pretty excited being an ABBA fan. The museum is very interactive with a lot of opportunities to be part of the ABBA's times. You can audition in a karaoke recording studio, can dance like an ABBA band member and also be part of the ABBA band as a 5th member via the hologram effect. It was very funny.

After buying some memorabilia  we decided to move straight to the IKEA flagship store whig was on our way back. I am already in love with the scandinavian designs which are so chic and minimalistic, but still so functional. The only issue is the price. We had a small fika there too where you get a nice cinnamon bun and a coffee for 5 SEK. Ikea remains the cheapest place to eat in Stockholm i guess.

After IKEA we headed back to Louise's apartment to finish packing as we had a flight at 6:30 PM. With Louise and Reine's help we made some nice pork swedish meat balls and boiled potatoes with lingonberry jam.

After a lot of hugging and kissing we were dropped at the airport by Louise, who along with Reine made our Stockholm tour so much fascinating.

10th August, Bergen, Norway

The norwegian flight was on time and i also managed to buy some Bjorn borg underwears which are so famous in Sweden. It was an hour and a half flight to Bergen. I was amazed when i found Norwegian gives free wi fi on its flights. Thats amazing for a low cost carrier. We landed to fascinating views of the fjords at the Bergen airport. The first thing that hits you is a 10 NOK for the luggage trolley. Welcome to Norway.
i didn't had any Norway kroner and was contemplating on how i would carry those two 18 kg backpacks and the other luggages to the bus. The trolleys are connected by a chain and has a small slot for a coin, which has a lever which if pushed by a 10 NOK coin engages to get it off the lock. I had a few danish ironers left and tried a 10 DKK instead and voila! it worked. So good that i didn't chuck them off. In the meantime pritha already collected info from the information centre. We were supposed to take the Flybuss which is a common transport in most of the airports around to reach the city centre. Our stop was the last one, Radisson Blu, Bryggen. There are busses every 15 minutes and it was quiet easy to get on one. The return fare was cheaper (160 NOK) and as we were flying back to oslo in 3 days, that was the best bet. The drive was very scenic passing by lakes and hills with colourful houses all around. We were already in love with Norway. Bryggen is the UNESCO heritage site and is really beautiful with the harbour next to it. It was getting a bit cold and took us quiet some walk over really steep lanes and stairs before we reached Anton's BnB at Breistølsveien 6.  We were welcomed by Eva and her husband Lars who were the sweetest couple we ever met. We had the entire ground floor to ourselves with a couch, a bedroom and the bathroom.

The stairs takes us upstairs to the dining room and a TV room in the attic. Lars and Eva both are PHD scholars and are researching in the university. They told us that this house was a 100 yr old house which they bought 2 yrs back and renovated it from scratch and i loved the way they have done it. We met Anton, the house dog and a sweetheart under whose name the BnB is named. Also the 3rd floor has a lot of birds and a turtle. Lars was worried that we should have dinner before the weather gets bad and volunteered to walk us to a nearby pub called Dr.Weisener famous for its salty meat soup. (95 NOK) The pub also dates back from 1889 and used to be a communal bath in those days. Lars amazed us by saying that they love bollywood movies, but rather than the cliched slum dog millionaire, he mentioned The Lunch Box. Wow..... We came back chatted with Eva and Lars over some nice tea before going to sleep. My fever was getting worse by the night with headache.