Scandinavia - Friday, September 11, 2015

Up at 5:30 and ready to start the day.  Deb up at 6:00 and we both are showered and out the door before 7:00, which is probably a record.  Down to the buffet breakfast and then our first snafu of the day.  Our car and driver was to arrive at 8:15. After a few anxious minutes, Jan, our driver from Wednesday arrives with his trusty Mercedes van, apologizing that he just woke up.  Not sure if he overslept, or that the service had to call him in due to another driver being a no-show. Either way, he was very fast and we arrived at the airport by 9:00!

We breezed through the check-in line, and then reached the security line. Long and slow.  Same for the passport control line, and then the rush to our gate.  By the time we arrived, boarding had already begun; no Duty Free shopping for this crew.

Next problem, the airlines had arbitrarily changed Deb's seat because she and I were on different record locators.  This was not something that they should have done and I think that particular gate agent now understands his error, even if English is not his first language. Of course the person they had assigned to Deb's seat now was confused, but we got it worked out. And the lucky part is that his seat mate, assigned to the seat between us, went to the rear and grabbed a window seat.  Deb and I then ended up with the only vacant seat on the airplane between us.

Take off was right on time; the pilot alleges that we will arrive in Chicago ahead of schedule. After take off, drinks were served and wine was served free.  Not sure why, but the first decent thing United has ever done in my years of traveling with them.

We arrive in Chicago on time, leave for Omaha on time, and arrive in Omaha 10 minutes early.  Abby is there to pick us up, and Josh Needleman is there to pick up Howie and Lee.  Time for one last photo and then our great Scandinavian adventure of 2015 is at an end.  We all survived, our friendship survived, and we are home safe and sound.

Scandinavia - Thursday, September 10, 2015.

Up at 6:00 for our last full day in Amsterdam, and in Europe.  Down to breakfast at 8:30; however no full serve breakfast, but a buffet instead.  Evidently the hotel has a big conference that started yesterday, and I don't think they have the staff to handle a large group of sit down diners all at once.

We order a cab for the ride to the Van Gogh museum this morning.  We arrive shortly after opening and there are no lines.  We spend two and one-half hours in this thoroughly modern facility.  The information is vast, and the art work is obviously stunning.  My own feeling is that the process and the listening aids are not as smoothly laid out as they could be.  That said, it was still a wonderful experience and I will bring home a much greater depth of understanding of his work.

We then traveled next door to the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art.  We only looked at the gift shop and then stopped in their cafe for a quick split sandwich.

We then moved on to the Rijksmuseum, the National museum of Amsterdam, housing Rembrandt and Vermeer paintings among many other artifacts.  In this one, we could only rush from room to room, catching just the highlights.  Too much info and not nearly enough days to do this justice.  Thereafter we stopped for some snacks of Danish bites, and a glass before beginning the long march back to the hotel, looking for a restaurant along the way.

We came to Moeder's (Mother's) a restaurant recommended to us yesterday by our guide/driver Jan.  We tried it and it was truly local Dutch food; braised beef and cabbage over boiled potatoes, Hotch-Potch, which turned out to be mashed potatoes and cabbage, accompanied by sausage and a meatball, and spareribs with french fries.  Excellent ending of our feasting our way through Scandinavia.

Home to our hotel after quite a hike by 10:00.  Time to re-pack and prepare for our flight home tomorrow.

Scandinavia - Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Up at 6:00 this morning.  Down to the lounge area of this barge/hotel for our choice of Good Breakfast, Continental Breakfast, or English Breakfast.  We picked one English, one Continental and two Good.  The food was excellent and well presented.  This place never ceases to amaze.

Our car and driver, Mercedes and Jan respectively arrived just before nine, and we set off on a 5 hour tour of Amsterdam and surrounds.  According to Jan, there are 800,000 residents in central Amsterdam, 800,000 bicycles, and what seems like an equal number of vehicles and motor scooters.  Copenhagen's bicycle traffic was enormous, but compered to this, much more orderly and civilized.  Walking in central Amsterdam is hazardous.  I thought the bicycle storage in Copenhagen's streets was vast, but Amsterdam's is mind bending.

According to Jan, the rule in Amsterdam is that a collision between an auto/truck and a bicycle is always the auto's fault.  Although the bicycle always suffers the most, the auto pays.

I am sure glad that Jan was driving, as the narrow, crowded streets were harrowing just as a passenger.  We eventually toured outside the city, into the suburbs by about 15 kilometers, and the scenery, greenery and water were amazing.  All of Amsterdam is approximately 4 feet below sea level, so there is constant pumping of ground water into the lakes and drying of the land for farming. 

We went to a small cheese making operation and learned how the cheese was produced, sampled a number of varieties, and then made some purchases.  We will see if we can get it home to the U.S. for sampling.

We ended our motor tour around 1:30 and were dropped near the Ann Frank House to stand in line for the tour of the house and museum.  Tickets were not available in advance, although Deb had been trying for months.  The ticket line was anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours.  Our wait was approximately 45 minutes. 

The Ann Frank story, though familiar is a truly inspiring one. To see the size of the rooms and hear her words  from the diary, and to understand her father's perseverance in getting the diary published and the museum established was well worth the wait.  We spent approximately 2 and one-half hours doing this tour and shop. We ended with a glass of wine and a shared sandwich in the museum cafe before ambling back via the winding streets along the canals to our hotel about 6:15.

We ended the evening with a 2 hour dinner cruise along the canals.  The food was very good, the wine copious, but the tour portion lacked much depth.  Although we had earlier faulted Jan, our driver, for not imparting much knowledge, the dinner cruise proved that we had learned much more than we thought. Home to hotel and bed by 10:15.  A good long day.

Scandinavia - Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Our penultimate travel day.  Although our first impression of Copenhagen was that of a drab and dirty megapolis, we have found it an enjoyable place. I for one, would like to return to explore in more depth.  Awake and facing the world by 6:00.  Repacked and prepared the luggage for the trip.  The amount of belongings has increased - what a surprise.

We met in the lobby and walked around the corner to the coffee shop/patisserie for a cup and some pastry.  Then back to the lobby to haul luggage down and order up the taxi to the airport.

Again, we found ourselves assigned to "1st Class" seats (what a travel agent we have!) and therefore were eligible for access to the SAS lounge where free food and drink were available.  As we had 90 minutes before flight; we were obliged to partake of their largesse.

The flight left early (!!) and we arrived in Amsterdam at noon.  Our car and driver were a little late, but after we were on the road, we could see why - the traffic was extremely heavy, and the drive in was 30-40 minutes.

We arrived at our last hotel, The Good Hotel.  This is quite the establishment.  It is a temporary hotel that has been open only 3 months.  It is constructed on a barge in the river, and will be shipped in mass to Rio de Janeiro for re-erection at the 2016 Olympic games.  All the employees are disadvantaged people who are being trained for the hospitality industry.  The entire operation is eco-friendly and this is a not for profit endeavor.  The rooms are small but unique.  I urge all to visit their website, www.goodhospitality.org to learn more.

We struck out on a walkabout, navigating the rush at the Central train station and into the Old Town.  We stopped at the Tourist information center for some directions, and as we were leaving, Deb missed a step and took a tumble.  The result was a broken pair of eyeglasses, a gash near her eye and what eventually will be a nice shiner.  No broken bones or damaged knees, but soreness will be on the agenda tomorrow.  (Note to those who might like to see, Deb will show you the scar, and I will show the photo for payment of a fee.)

Deb insisted we continue the walk, and Dr. Howie, after a quick examination to determine her life wasn't in danger, agreed that it was OK to continue.  We made the short hike to the "red light district" but found no women in the windows.  We did see an array of sex toys such as I have never seen nor imagined. We backtracked to a recommended restaurant, The Grasshopper for wine and burgers.

A walk back to the hotel by 9:00 and into bed for reading and rest.  An eventful first day in Amsterdam.

Scandinavia - Monday, September 7, 2015 (Labor Day in the USA)

Later start today, up at 7:00 and meet in the lobby to go in search of breakfast.  We take a detour walk to the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel to see the lobby. This was originally the SAS Hotel, completed by the architect/designer Arne Jacobsen in 1960.  Just as Frank Lloyd Wright had done, everything in the hotel was a creation of Jacobsen, from the building/structure to all the furnishings, chairs, draperies, silverware and china service in the restaurant.  Although the fabrics and colors have been changed over the years as corporate ownership has changed, the basic bones and lobby remain the same.  It is a magnificent space.

We checked in at the coffee shop for breakfast, but it is more expensive then our own hotel, therefore we walked on to last night's dinner space - MAD, for omelets, pancakes and french toast.  Not too bad.

Onward we walked to tour the city. Lee led us to an area that was truly charming, the goal of which was to see an underwater sculpture.  In a canal there is a bronze sculpture under the water titled "Merman and his seven sons"  It is clearly visible and made for some interesting photos from the street along the canal.  We then walked back to the Stroget shopping street for a chance to enliven the economy.  Deb found some lucre at the Royal Copenhagen store.  This was secured, and they agreed to hold it at the cashier's desk until later in the day so someone wouldn't have to carry it through out the day.

In this store, they had on display a series of time line and history displays about the origins of fine porcelain in the 1700's in Denmark through to present day.  Very interesting and informative.

We then strolled about some of the side streets, going in and out of antique shops, jewelry stores, ceramic stores and eventually came to a shop recommended by the Royal Copenhagen store.  This was a store selling old patterns of Royal Copenhagen, including many of the figurines which are no longer manufactured.  Lee found that the proprietor had some of the old 1930's pattern of her mother, and she took the web site and card information so she can go home and find the pieces she is missing and then correspond to see if she can fill the blanks.

We then broke at a small cafe for a quick lunch and continued our trek, heading for the round tower and the Jewish synagogue.  We arrived at the synagogue first.  This was not open for viewing or tours, but it was interesting to walk around, although security and fencing did not allow for much to see.

Our next stop was the Round Tower which is the oldest astronomical observatory in Europe.  We walked up the inclined plane ramp winding around the tower (all inside) and reached the top for some magnificent 360 degree views of Copenhagen.

Upon descent, we stopped at a large bookstore, Arnold Busck, whose name caught my eye as my grandmother was a 1st generation american whose maiden name was Busk. Her parents immigrated from Denmark in the period following the civil war.

We then split up to meet back at the hotel for dinner.  Deb and I walked to the Royal Copenhagen to pick up our package and stopped at some other stores to window shop and finger the goods.  Howie and Lee also shopped for some booty for their grandchildren, both current and impending.

We dined for our last night in Copenhagen at Renee's around the corner form our hotel.  Excellent food and wait staff.  Our waitress was a young woman from Wales.  She had just returned from living in New Zealand and Australia; she and her french born boyfriend decided that Denmark was neutral and central ground to stay.  Excellent food and an enjoyable evening.  We were back in our room by 9:30, although Howie and Lee were going to take another walk - no telling what kind of trouble they got into!

Scandinavia - Sunday, September 6, 2015

This morning dawns cloudy with rain showers and 50 F. We decide to have breakfast in the hotel, the lounge (breakfast room) being adjacent to our room on the 6th floor.  We meet and have a so-so meal: pastries, coffee, juice, scrambled eggs, bacon, etc.  Only later do we find that the cost for this was approximately $30 per person. A far cry from the included breakfast at all our previous hotels.

We set off this morning for the Danish Museum of Design; however, we must first battle our way across the Radhusen Square, which, this being Sunday, is crammed with flea market tables selling antiques, junk, etc. A few of these sellers trap Deb and Lee - it was horrifying to witness.  Howie even had to trek back to the hotel room with some booty.  I was counting my blessings until I realized that Deb's purchases were all small enough to stuff into her purse.

The trail to the Museum followed the Storget, the number one shopping/walking street in Copenhagen.  Most stores were closed today, but the merchandise on offer in the windows promises an exciting day tomorrow!

The Design Museum is quite a walk, but we arrive there shortly after the 11:00 opening and start in.  For me, this is a highlight of the trip.  All the major master furniture makers of the Danish/Scandinavian Modern era are represented, Hans Wegner, Kaare Klint, Arne Jacobsen, even some non-Scandinavian, such as Charles and Ray Eames.  Also on display were ceramics, design products such as lamps, industrial design and more.  The current major exhibit was one on fabric and fashion.  The beautiful dresses and ensembles from through the ages were well displayed and interesting.

We ended, as all good museum tours must, with a refreshing glass in the cafe and then a trip through the gift shop.

Next we continued our walk to view the Little Mermaid statue in the harbor. This bronze statue, set on a rock only about 15 feet off the shore, is based upon a Hans Christian Andersen story, and was donated by a benefactor in the 1930's.  This is a major tourist stop, and on a Sunday afternoon, it was swarming.  As Deb has seen it many times, she stopped and rested in a park a bit away from the statue, and Howie, Lee and I continued on.  Howie and Lee had been to Copenhagen about 13 years ago when their son stayed here for a semester abroad, so they had seen the statue before - I on the other hand was a virgin in this regard.

My impression was that it was larger than I expected (everyone has commented on how small it is,) the setting is perfect for the story, and even the access very good.  The crowds however were not something I would go back for.  Maybe in the early morning in non-tourist season.

We then walked along the harbor and headed for the Nyhaven area, a very touristy strip near the harbor that boasts outside seating restaurants and people watching - if you are watching carefully, you may see the pickpockets at work.  We stopped at Guldmaegers Restaurant for our mid afternoon meal.  Two orders of mussels, one of a shrimp salad plate, and one of a salmon with salad.  We enjoyed an overpriced bottle of wine and watched the brand new waitress struggle with the rush to handle twenty four tables by herself.  She was not always successful, telling one couple that she was working alone, and if they couldn't wait a bit, maybe they should pick another restaurant - they did.

After this, we then walked back to the hotel, retracing our steps along the Storget and plotting our attack for tomorrow.  The Royal Copenhagen store seemed to attract a lot off attention, as did the Illum Bogliss store.

After a 90 minute hotel rest, we set off at 7:30 to find dinner.  We settled on a restaurant called MAD (Modern American Diner) for a couple of omelettes, a hamburger, and a 10" Cuban Hot Dog.  The hamburger was very good, the omelettes successful, and the hot dog more of a sausage than dog.  Still interesting.  We were back in our rooms by 9:30 resting, reading and feeling sorry for our feet which had put in a lot of service today.

Scandinavia - Saturday, September 5, 2015

Up at 6:00, we find the room's coffee supply is inadequate.  We rendezvous in the lobby for the trek a few blocks to the train station.  This morning we are headed to the City of Odense, approximately an hour away from Copenhagen, and the 3rd largest city in Denmark.  It is intermittently drizzling and raining this morning. We stop in the train station to buy coffee, pastries and an extra umbrella as insurance that the purchase will drive away the need for an umbrella.

We board our second class coach and find our assigned seats, settling in for the ride.  European train travel is smooth, on time and clean.  We continue to marvel and complain that, if our own government would concern itself less with immigration issues and develop an infrastructure for mass transit, both in the cities and cross country, it would do much to both increase employment and benefit the environment.

We are venturing to a place that Deb has never visited in her career; therefore we are not sure what to expect, nor are we sure that there will be enough to see and do here to justify the entire day.

Upon arrival and orientation to the streets with the help of maps, we set off for the Hans Christian Andersen museum. I had this blurry image of some old story teller known for the Ugly Duckling tale.  I, for one, was gobsmacked.  Although Lee was very familiar with his work, and Deb has some knowledge, I had no idea how famous he was in his own time, and how many poems, fairy tales, novels and plays the man had written.  We spent over two hours wandering this wonderful museum, learning about the man and the times he lived in.  The museum and exhibits were detailed, and very well curated.  A lot of information that would warrant a second trip in the future.

The weather cleared while we were in the museum, and switched to less intermittent drizzle, and eventually followed by sun shine, although a bit windy at times, and showers would literally blow through, barely lasting long enough to put up our hoods or open our umbrellas.

Leaving the museum, we walked a bit, stopped in a brand new (open 2 weeks) shop and atelier, and then proceeded to "Der Grimms Alling" (the ugly duckling) Restaurant.  We lucked into an afternoon buffet, complete with unlimited wine or beer.  Our waitress again spoke fluent English - she is studying for a degree in business, and has just returned from a month long trip that included Austin TX, Montana and other US destinations.

The food was very good and totally traditional Danish fare, just as they might eat at home.  Pickled herring, quiche, deep fried fish fillets, egg omelette with bacon, salad rolls, etc.  Our first truly native Scandinavian fare.

After lunch, we wandered the town and ended up at the Hans Christian Andersen home, near the city center.  A small, period home that was furnished and laid out as it would have been in the 1820's.  Thereafter, we headed back towards the rail station, with a stop at the H. C. Andersen Haven, a Nordic Green Space.  This wonderful garden with a stream running through was amazing in its floral beauty, more varieties of dahlias in total bloom than we have ever seen.  Deb and Lee have close up photos available for those who may be interested.

Back to the train station for our 5:07 train back to Copenhagen.  There was a slight delay due to bridge construction under way, but we arrived in Copenhagen at 6:35, a great adventure. I would tell more of the trip, but it seemed our car was filled with dozing Americans.  After arriving in the hotel, Deb was suffering from an upset stomach and so the Covert contingent opted to stay in for the night, reading resting and falling asleep by 9:00. 

Scandinavia - Friday, September 4, 2015

Another traveling day. They seem to come so frequently, yet we are now staying multiple days in our cities. Up at 6:00 and packed and down to breakfast at 8:15. Our taxi to the airport arrives at 9:30 and we are off to the Stockholm airport for our flight to Copenhagen. Our taxi driver turned out to be an Iraq national, living in Sweden, with Swedish and Iraqi citizenship.  He attended Ohio State and lived in the U.S. for over 10 years, earning a degree in engineering.

When we check in for our flight, we find that we are all four in "1st class," i.e., the first row of the plane and offered free drinks and food.  We have a bottle of wine after our 11:40 take off and are truly amazed at the smooth and quick flight.  We are into the Copenhagen airport and waiting for our luggage by 1:00 PM.

Onto another taxi to our hotel, the Square.  This taxi was less expensive and a shorter ride than Stockholm.  Our rooms are significantly more spacious than the closets we occupied in Stockholm. A very modern hotel in a very central part of downtown Copenhagen.

After securing our rooms and dropping our luggage, we head directly to Tivoli Gardens, a block from the hotel. Tivoli Gardens is hard to explain if you have never seen it.  It is a combination of Disneyland, a county fair midway, and gardens.  It is over two city blocks (large) in the center of downtown Copenhagen.  Although originally on the outskirts of the city, it is now totally surrounded. Founded in 1843, it is in private hands and is the 4th most attended amusement park in the world, following Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and one other. The gardens, flowers  and plants are magnificent.

We had a late lunch at one of the restaurants.  Danish meatballs, a chicken mayonnaise salad, and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs on top.  Beers and wines were served.  Although the food was good and the surroundings enjoyable, the real highlight was our wait staff. First, a young man (who claimed to be 44 years old,) talked in a perfect American accent.  He was born in Portugal, his mother moved him to Denmark in his teens, and he spent over 10 years in New York.  Next we met our main server, a lovely young girl who turns out to have completed a master's degree in mideast history, is a dual national of Israel and Denmark, served in the Israeli army for two years, as is required, and is leaving in a month or two for training in the French Alps to become a ski instructor.  She also has traveled extensively in the U.S. and speaks excellent English.

The weather turned against us during this afternoon, rain, off and on, and blustery.  There were not a lot of inside spaces available; Deb and I found refuge in an arcade hall while Howie and Lee took in a Hans Christian Andersen ride, similar to "It's a Small World," but, according to them, much better and enjoyable, although over priced for a ride.

Leaving Tivoli around 7:00, we headed back to the hotel in the rain.  We found along the way a pizza restaurant (Pontius Vesuvius) across from the hotel and stopped in to share a couple of pizzas, some beer and wine.  We then retired to our rooms for the balance of the evening, reading, watching television, and generally resting up for the next day's adventures.

Scandinavia - Thursday, September 3, 2015.

Up at 5:00 (I thought my wristwatch said 6:00) and completed my morning routine. We met for breakfast at 8:30 and planned our attack for the day.  Finally, a beautiful weather day - clear to lightly cloudy and temps in the mid-60's.  We began with a walk to the Nobel Museum, hoping to catch an 11:15 guided tour in English.  We completed some shopping along the way.  Upon arrival in the museum square we noted the milling crowds, all waiting for the opening of the museum at 11:00 and most were English speakers, meaning there was going to be a large crowd.  As the museum is adjacent to the Royal Palace Grounds and the horseback version of the changing of the palace guards was scheduled for 12:15, we decided to divert to the palace.

We wandered the grounds for a bit, and then, around 11:50, made our way to the area for the changing ceremony.  Crowds were beginning to mass - boy, the weather really draws out the tourists as five busloads descended while we were waiting.  This was a long and tedious process; the announcer had lots to say, both before and during the ceremony. And he said it in three languages, which seemed to drone on and on.  Two high points are all that can be listed for this anticlimactic event - 1) your faithful scribe managed to drop a newly purchased art tile to the cobblestone during a fumbled hand off, resulting in a sackful of very expensive ceramic pieces; 2) Deb's feet were hurting after standing on the cobblestones for such a long time, so she wandered around to the back of one of the buildings to take a seat.  As the ceremony ended, the entire procession of horses rounded the building right in front of her, resulting in a series of beautiful photos that were not obtained by the rest of us.

Next we set off to leave the Gamla Stan island and venture into another area of the city. We went in search of the large synagogue in the main area and located it in short order.  Although the building was closed and unavailable for tours, we discovered a marvelous and moving monument to Raoul Wallenberg outside the synagogue in a square leading to the water.  A most fortuitous discovery that lifted all our spirits.

We lunched at an open air french bistro bar and split a bottle of wine, had some wonderfully delicious fromage and jambon omelettes, and learned the difference between a croque monsieur and a croque madame sandwich.

Walking back the long way to our hotel, arrived around 4:30.  We rested up and then set out to our new favorite Under the Chestnut Restaurant for our last dinner in Stockholm - Swedish meatballs, naturally.  After a short walk to settle the meatballs, we retired by 9:00 to read and sleep.  A great ending to our Stockholm visit.

Scandinavia - Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Another rainy day in Stockholm.  Down to breakfast in this new place at 8:00.  Breakfast set-up is pleasant with much the same fare as the other hotels on the trip - scrambled eggs, hard and soft boiled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, cereals and assorted breads and pastries plus juice and coffee.  The devil is in the details, though.  Howie will be quick to point out that the cookies are not up to par as the cookies are not nearly as sweet and tasty. Also, there are no fried eggs, and the overall presentation is not as practiced.

Off this morning for a bus tour of the city, followed by a boat tour of the islands (Stockholm consists of 14 separate islands - who knew?) We hiked in the rain to the tour starting point, then stood around for 45 minutes, as the bus was late, allegedly tied up in morning traffic.  However, once on board, the tour proceeded briskly.  It was somewhat hard to hear the prerecorded spiel over the morning radio music the driver was playing until he finally turned it off. 

Off of the one hour bus trip, we were dropped at the boat tour dock.  Luckily, the boat was full and the 16 or so of us coming from the bus were forced to step inside the Grand Hotel for a drying spell, a cup of coffee and a delicious carrot cake topped with scrumptious cream cheese frosting.  The Grand Hotel is truly sumptuous, overly staffed and grand in every respect.  Easily the top hotel in Stockholm's main civic area.

The boat trip proved very educational and informative. Although the narrative on this trip covered some of the same ground as the bus tour, the vantage point from the water allowed a different, and better view.

After the tour, we walked a few blocks to the Moderna Musete, or Modern Museum. We paid our senior citizen fare and then spent two enjoyable hours touring the exhibits, with a break in the middle in the cafe for a glass of wine and beer.  The collection was very good, and we saw some new work by artists we had not before encountered.  Howie was especially taken by some photographs by South African photographer Ernest Cole, from his book Photos of Bondage (sic) published in 1967.  There was also a multiple room/multiple media installation by an artist, Adrian Rojalles (I think this was his name, as my notes are less than complete or legible, that was a real change up for us.

After the museum, we walked back to our hotel for a quick clean-up and then off to dinner.  We ended up less than a block from our hotel at The Back Bar of the Flying Elk - a pub tied to the restaurant we were aiming for, but which was full. A pleasant, though overpriced surprise.  Three kinds of beer and a glass of wine were consumed with the three Umami Burgers and one "pulled chicken" sandwich, all with fries.  We finished with a pair of desserts known as an Eton Mess.  Very tasty and interesting meal.

We then walked for a bit doing some window shopping before landing back at the hotel around 8:45.  Retired to bed or reading as the case might be - a truly touristy and enjoyable day.

Scandinavia - Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Up and packing by 6:00 for another travel day.  Down to breakfast by 7:30 and ready for our cab pick up at 8:30.  A snafu with regard to cab size - not the van we had ordered, but we persevered (and suffered with luggage on our laps) to the airport for our 10:45 flight to Stockholm.

Arrived Stockholm at 11:55. Cloudy and then rain by the time we arrived at our hotel on Gamla Stan (Old City) of Stockholm. After check in at what, to this point is the smallest set of rooms, we left in search of lunch and adventure.  We first stopped at Coran Cafe for a spot of lunch, which included our first Swedish meatball serving, and they were delicious - I see many more orders of this before we leave Stockholm.

On to sightseeing, beginning with the Royal Palace and a tour of the Royal Apartments.  A huge (some might say over the top) display of finery, medals, furniture, tapestry, rugs, etc.  Not dissimilar to a palace tour in England or any other European capitol.  We bought tickets good for multiple days, so we will be back to view other parts of the Palace.

We then wandered for hours along the winding streets and shops of this area, dating back to the 1300's.  Nice shopping and small stores, interesting sites and damp weather.  By 7:00 we were ready for a meal and debated various locations, We reached agreement and traipsed back up a winding hill to the "Yndor Kastanjen" which translates to Under the Chestnut Tree restaurant; yes, there was a chestnut tree standing in a small yard in front of the restaurant. The food looked promising and turned out to be amazing.  Two had a lamb sirloin dish, accompanied by a well made and tasty sausage, with parsnips and sauce, one had potato pancakes accompanied by bacon and a fruit salad, and one had cold poached salmon, accompanied by warm new potatoes and tastefully sauced.  All accompanied by a few bottles of the huset roda, or house red wine, which turned out to be a sublime merlot from the Castille region of Spain.  We all agreed it was a wonderful way to start our tour of Stockholm.  We were back to our hotel by 9:00.

Scandinavia - Monday August 31, 2015

Deb & I slept in until 7:00 AM; Howie was up and exercising earlier.  Down to breakfast at 8:15 AM.  The spread this morning in the hotel was similar to yesterday's Oslo spread, but the food wasn't as good - still, we managed to fortify successfully for the coming day.

Out to conquer the shops of Bergen. We ventured into our first shop, Pell Designs, and after a quick reconnaissance, discovered there was a dilapidated alley next door which, lo and behold, began a warren of little shops, jewelers, crafts, art galleries and sundry other wares.  As this was waterfront property, these small buildings were apparently the living and working quarters of the fish merchants on the waterfront.  All were small with upper lofts that may have warehoused food, grain and other merchandise moving in and out of the port.  The whole area turns out to be the World Heritage Site of Bryggen, the original name of the town.  We did our best to support the community. As time wore on, the number of tourists increased dramatically.  We learned that at least two cruise ships had docked and released their prisoners for the day.

We then walked a few blocks to the entry for the Funicular Railway.  Long lines in a crowded and poorly organized entry.  Also a tour group form China arrived at the same time.  They were noisy and pushing all the time to swarm onto the funicular car. Not a pleasant wait - no where near Disneyland standards.

The view from the top was amazing and photos were had.  The wait for the return trip was another 20 minute line, but much more pleasant, owing to the fact that you could take in the view as the line moved along.

Upon descent, we split into pairs.  Howie & Lee headed for the Leprosy Museum, while Deb and I headed for the modern art museum.  Turns out neither of us made our destination - the Leprosy Museum closed 10 minute before they arrived, and we just made it through the gift shop at the art museum, not purchasing anything.  Deb and I stopped at a cafe for a few minutes and returned to the hotel at 5:00. We met Howie and Lee and then repaired to the dining area for afternoon waffles. 

Then on to an outside bar down the street for a beer/wine moment served by an enchanting Jennifer Connelly lookalike.

Back to the hotel for dinner  - the first fish of the trip.  An adequate meal that was no feast for a gourmand, but, considering we had already paid, quite a bargain.  After dinner we took a short stroll and then to the top of the tower in the hotel to admire the sunset.  We were in bed by 9:30. All in all a satisfying day in Bergen and one to recommend to any thinking of traveling to Scandinavia.