Scandinavia Highlights with Rob & sue
From 24th June - 29th July we toured Scandinavia taking in UAE on the way there and St Petersburg on the way home.
Muscat in Oman was very hot and Ramadan’s eating rules very interesting. One evening meal was served and getting cold but we couldn't touch it until 7pm. There were very few females on the streets but hundreds of expats (Muslim workers from Pakistan-Malaysia-Indonesia etc) all very well behaved.
Muscat in Oman was very hot and Ramadan’s eating rules very interesting. One evening meal was served and getting cold but we couldn't touch it until 7pm. There were very few females on the streets but hundreds of expats (Muslim workers from Pakistan-Malaysia-Indonesia etc) all very well behaved.
Sunday, most things closed so they crowded the beaches. Oil money provided great infrastructure and the roads were superb. Not a road cone insight! We felt very safe and enjoyed our 3-night stay. Dubai has amazing buildings, shopping and transport but outside of town is quite average as a day trip to the Massadan Peninsula revealed.
50° North Travel Co's tour of the capitals of Scandinavia started in Stockholm. The highlight here was the Vassa Museum. A huge Swedish warship launched in 1628, toppled over and sank. In 1961 it was retrieved and housed in this stunning museum, which over 25 million people have visited. Much walking and a waterway tour showed off this beautiful city. Our hotel, owned by one of the Abba group, was once a theatre and displayed Abba history.
Next was a bus and train trip to Copenhagen. This is another beautiful city full of bikes, canals and history. While our group did the town, I walked the docks to find the Diesel House museum which houses a 4 story high diesel generator that supplied electricity to Copenhagen for 30 years. It’s 22,500HP engine is run twice a month unfortunately not the day I was there.
50° North Travel Co's tour of the capitals of Scandinavia started in Stockholm. The highlight here was the Vassa Museum. A huge Swedish warship launched in 1628, toppled over and sank. In 1961 it was retrieved and housed in this stunning museum, which over 25 million people have visited. Much walking and a waterway tour showed off this beautiful city. Our hotel, owned by one of the Abba group, was once a theatre and displayed Abba history.
Next was a bus and train trip to Copenhagen. This is another beautiful city full of bikes, canals and history. While our group did the town, I walked the docks to find the Diesel House museum which houses a 4 story high diesel generator that supplied electricity to Copenhagen for 30 years. It’s 22,500HP engine is run twice a month unfortunately not the day I was there.
In 1912 Denmark built the first diesel powered cargo ship. Next we visited the Carlsberg Brewery Museum. It was started in 1847 by Jacobson. Carl was his son and named after the family and the hill - berg - where it all began. The next day we hired bikes and toured the sites.
The overnight ferry to Oslo was so smooth our electric toothbrushes stayed standing all night.
The overnight ferry to Oslo was so smooth our electric toothbrushes stayed standing all night.
Mr Google can helped us with information about all the amazing places we visited: - Viking ship, the Kon Tiki, the Arctic & Antarctic museums, the Olympic ski jump and the Vigeland Sculpture Park Plus as well as the Opera House. Oslo is soon to ban fossil fueled cars downtown so I saw many Tesla cars. They also incur a lot less tax.
On to Bergen via the Flam railway. Bergen is a famous port renowned for fishing. Whale meat can be found at the fish market.
From Bergen we caught the Kong Harold ferry-cruise ship run by the Hurtigurten Co (which means fast route).Carrying 500 passengers plus freight and up to 36 cars, it stops at 17 ports going north to Kirkiness. Bookings can be made to hop on and off at any port with a meal plan to suit .Some even slept in chairs or a sofa inside or out. Meals were good and the scenery amazing. We hardly ever were in the open sea, as we usually travelled behind an island or in a fjord. Port stops were timetabled and the ships passage shown on cabin screens from many cameras. Excursions were available along with town visits depending on the time in port. The crew imparted great knowledge and footage in theatres especially on the trips available.
Norway was a poor country until the North Sea Oil fields were discovered. Fish is also a major export with 1 salmon exported every 3 seconds.
From Kirkiness we travelled by minibus to Inari Finland. We were still inside the Arctic Circle where the sun doesn't set for 4 months. This area of the Sami people and their reindeer herds. We bused onto Rovanieme the home of Father Xmas. The area was covered in forest and lakes.
Finally we flew to Helsinki for 4 nights. This included a day trip by ferry to Tallinn in Estonia.
From Helsinki we trained to St Petersburg, such a great city for the tourist. Smoking was common everywhere.
A very good time away with great people and great countries and no mishaps.
Cheers Rob Nicoll