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Copenhagen, Denmark
We set off at 8.30 in the morning from Copenhagen Central Station. Changed trains in Göteborg and then headed towards Oslo. This first train ride didn’t feel super authentic, but we were damn well excited to be on the tracks finally, after around 10 months of having prepared for this trip. Our stop in Göteborg
allowed us to have a quick lunch at the train terminal, but it was a brief visit. Upon our arrival to Oslo, we set off to see the major sights; Snøhetta’s Opera House.
We had a few hours before boarding the night train to Stavanger. This allowed time for some sightseeing in Oslo a really lovely dinner in a cosy café with chess boards and fairly priced beer. The night train was a new experience for both Astrid and I. We were equally excited about what it looked like, about the layout of our little sleeping cabin and how sleeping in rocking bunk beds would be. We checked-in, old school style, with a pen and paper kind of registration, and a plastic card key with a number on it. After a little bit of getting used to, we were lulled to sleep by the swaying movement of the carriage, and after 6 hours of sleep, we woke up in rainy Stavanger.
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Oslo, Norway
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Stavanger, Norway
It was really very early in Stavanger when we rolled into the station with the night train from Oslo. So we took it easy, nestled up in a coffee place next to the tracks and found our rain coats. Stavanger is a city of constant rainfall, and it was no exception when we were there! We made our way down to the port to catch the ferry to Tau. No ticket prior to boarding needed - they come around and charge you for a ticket onboard.
From Tau a bus takes you directly to Preikestolen Fjellstue. Buses are a bit pricey, but it is really the only way of getting around up there, unless you have a car of course. Walking is not really an option; distances are too vast, uphill and there are no pedestrian tracks next to the road. Just get on that bus and save your energy for the hike up to Preikestolen.
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Pulpit Rock, Norway
After two days of constant travelling, we were beyond ready to get outside and
explore. So about an hour after we got to Preikestolen Fjellstue we set off. We’d been ‘warned’ by a few people not to do the hike at all, because of the insane amounts of tourists in neon coloured jackets. But of course, we joined the crowds and did the hike, and I’d also advice anyone to go. Not so much because of Preikestolen itself, but for the hike to and from. I mostly enjoyed looking at the scenery on the way up.
The wooden board walks, and puddles, the grass and moss-covered bedrocks and the heavy misty haze that painted a beautiful backdrop to the Nordic landscapes. We stumbled upon a tiny shelter with a fireplace inside too, and that made my trip! If there is one thing I love to witness in the landscape, it is these lonely houses, that subtly adds scale to the bigger picture. Once you reach Preikestolen you will, no matter the season, find a long line of tourists, waiting for their turn to get the “must-have” picture on the very corner of the rock. Luckily, that was not our wish. Instead we went up and around, kind of 2-3 cliff levels above the actual Preikestol. You will see small signs marking this ‘off’ route. But be careful.
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Bergen, Norway
We spend the night at Preikestolen Fjellstue. A really lovely lodge with little
guesthouses scattered out on a green field overlooking a large lake. We left
early in the morning after having enjoyed the view from our guesthouse as much
as we possibly could. Day 3 was mostly spent travelling. First bus back down to
Tau, then the ferry back to Stavanger and from Stavanger we boarded a 7 hour
bustrip to Bergen.
There are no trains between these two cities, since there is so much water and mini islands making up the landscape. Even the bus we travelled with boarded 3-4 ferries, taking us across little water passages. With 240 rain days per year, our day spent in Bergen was wet and windy. But we enjoyed this city equally much, with all its wooden houses and steep alleyways. By the harbour front there is a fish market where you can buy lunch to take with you, or salmon to bring home for dinner. We went with Fløibanen up the mountain, to find a splendid view over the city and the fjords. From here you can walk all the way down, which takes approximately 45 minutes, unless you, like us, stop to take pictures of ferns in the forest or large red sports fields.
The city hasplenty of nice places to have dinner, drinks and natural wine. Here are a few, that I was kindly recommended by Bergen-based @nerdmedsverd.
- Hoggorm: The bestpizza in town + natural wines.
- Kafé Spesial: Cheap, simple, student vibes. We had soup of the day here for dinner, and a great hummus with pita bread!
- Don Pippo: Wine bar that also serves food.
- Allmuen: A bistro with a good reputation.
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Bodø, Norway
We made it to Bodø early, before anything had really opened. We spent the
morning hours in Melkebaren, a cute coffee bar with really friendly staff. Apart
from this nice place, Bodø is really nothing special. Perhaps because it rained
heavily when we walked the streets of the small town, or because it simply
wasn’t all that jazzy. We cancelled our hotel that night in Bodø, and decided to
catch the late afternoon ferry over to Moskenes instead. Our second rescheduling on our trip.
This is what is so nice about this way of travelling. You are free to change plans, and go with the flow (and with instinct). As we arrived to Moskenes, in the South of Lofoten, it was beginning to get dark. When we finally hit the roads, it was pitch dark. As in totally black. We hadn’t really looked into exactly how long it would take us to get to one end of Lofoten to the other. So upon arrival to Moskenes, getting Google Maps to direct us to our cabin in Kabelvåg, we were both very baffled when it said 2 hours. Distances are quite serious on Lofoten! Roads are very curvy and narrow. But we made it, and arrived to our panoramic view room around 22.30, and planned where to go explore the next day, consulting Google Maps for travel time.
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Kabelvåg, Norway
A much needed day of island discovery! We drove South, down to Hamnøy, passing by Sakrisøy and the large Gimsøytraumen Bridge. On the way, whenever we saw places of interest, we stopped and had a quick look around. This is what I love to do the most.. Having time to be spontaneous, and just going wherever looks intriguing.
We found some lovely little harbours with shed-like boat houses and managed to catch a few snaps just when the sun came to kiss the grass-covered hillside in the background - a perfect backdrop for our photos! And yes, we rented a car here to be able to get around easily. Buses are also an option though.
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Hamnøy, Norway
You need to stop by Hamnøy - a fishing village with the most impressive mountain peak in the distance. It is a truly picturesque town, offering great views when standing on the bridge and looking down on the red houses. Most of the village are original fishermen cabins, the oldest one being from the 1890s. Today the houses act as accommodation, so you have the chance to live directly in the heart of this gorgeous place.
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Sakrisøya, Norway
From red to yellow, Sakrisøy is an even smaller village with yellow houses, between Hamnøy and Reine. There are fishing cabins, a restaurant, boat hire and a museum of toys and dolls. But to be honest, their main attraction is the lonesome yellow house, nestling on a little wing of concrete.
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Stamsund, Norway
A friend of ours, recommended us to visit Nusfjord. Within minutes, both Astrid and I fell head over heels in love with this corner of Lofoten. From the parking lot you have a lovely view out over the whole village and the U-shaped harbour. All the red houses serve as Rorbuer - cabins where you can stay. The big yellow house has a lovely old school shop where you can get souvenirs (I bought some dried fish!) and if you carry on walking through the shop, you will be greeted by the most wonderful café.
Here they serve waffles with rømme, which is mandatory to try, especially here in Nusfjord. If you walk all the way around to the other side of the harbour you can climb up the massive exposed bedrock to get a splendid view. I was mostly intrigued by the landscape architecture that made up the floor in between sheds and the rocks.
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Moskenes, Norway
Such an unforgettable hike to Kvalvika Beach. Once you reach the edge, you have the most incredible view. We were incredibly fortunate with the light. It was magical. Coming in from the left side, the sun strokes mixed with the salty sea vapours creating illuminated misty effects which was breathtaking both to witness and to photograph. We walked down to the beach, climbing as far along the rocks as we felt was safe enough. Seriously, one of the most beautiful moments I’ve ever had.
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Gällivare, Sweden
Early morning, started with a fiery sunrise. We drove up to where the buses depart from, left our rented car at the gas station, and shuttled ourselves East to Narvik. From here we boarded a train, that would take us across the Swedish border. The crossing uses Swedish trains, so we shifted from NSB to SJ. And by late evening, we arrived in Gällivare. A long day in transit. But since the Swedish train had these old school windows, we had the opportunity to take pictures of the train, as it snailed around the edges of the mountains. Luckily, Gällivare is very small, and our B&B was 200 meter walking distance from the train station. So no bus or taxi needed. Gällivare lies roughly about 100 kilometres North of the Arctic Circle, in the so called Swedish Lapland.
It is located in a major iron ore mining region, and shares the same story as neighbouring town, Kiruna. It is a mining town, it’s existence based around this industry. This also means that soon, the whole city of Gällivare will have to be moved to a different site. Yes. Moving a city. A phenomenon that could be the theme of someones PhD in sociology or ethnology. By all means, a really peculiar thing to do. But it is due to the very fact that mining rules jobs, and under Gällivare is a mindblowing hollow cave.
We started our day by visiting the Tourist Information center, located at the station. They pointed us in a direction into the forests and around the hills. We loved spending the day surrounded by ruska colours and strong autumnal vibes. We picked arctic blueberries and enjoyed hiking in the wild.
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Umeå, Sweden
True to its coordinates, the train that took us from Swedish Lapland down to Umeå is called the Arctic Circle Train. We departed early in the morning, at 7 and had an annoying change in Luleå. Here we boarded a bus, which was a surprise to us. But around 14.30 in the afternoon we made it to Umeå where we were supposed to catch a ferry later on in the evening. However, due to a storm, the ferries were not going as planned, and we had to reschedule and spend the night in Umeå. Due to our change of plans, we had a whole day in Umeå.
We had a long breakfast, waiting for the rain to stop, wandered down to Gotthards Krog, a beautiful restaurant that I couldn’t stop taking pictures of. Really cosy atmosphere, like in a luxurious fishing boat, dark details, dimmed light and with lots of velvet. From there we went to Bildmuseet, an art museum in the creative hub of the city. Next to it lies Umeå School of Architecture, by Danish Henning Larsen Architects.
We had the chance to sneak into the building and enjoyed the architecture, the framed view of the river that the large square windows provided, as well as the student work and models left on show in the small studios. Later in the evening we took the ferry to Vaasa. Some rather unsteady hours at sea, one of the less flamboyant times on our trip.
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Vaasa, Finland
We set off early from our very Finnish-looking hotel to catch the train to Turku. Here we had planned to visit St. Henry's Art Chapel, but we were 10 minutes late. So back we went into Turku, and explored what seemed to us, a Western movie setup with cowboys walking around synchronically on the streets.
In the late afternoon we boarded Baltic Princess (!) and had another entertaining boat experience. What an insane place. Stereotypical in all ways. Went to bed and woke up in Stockholm. By this point we were feeling like our planning had gone a little bit off board, with too much commute - too little fun. So if you are to do this, take more time to rest and enjoy the places you travel to. Allow time for delays or ferries that do not depart due to weather conditions.
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Stockholm, Sweden
It was 6AM or something extremely early like that, when the ferry made it to Stockholm. The part is a good bit out of the city, and the walk from the harbour to the metro station was around 20-25 minutes. We crashed at a café, had 3 cups of coffee each, and waited for the clock to show a more humane time to go explore the city. Checked into our hotel, left our luggage and went to Gamla Stan to catch the first sunshine. It was incredible to wander all these narrow streets, without tourists clogging the view.
Stockholm looked ever so beautiful in the autumn sun. Also, some of their metro stations are really cool, and being the train enthusiasts that we were, we went on a little “metro-crawl”, travelling around the underground tracks to find the photogenic stations.
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Such a smooth ride back home. We had 1st class tickets and paid the Bistro wagon quite a few visits. Will only be travelling to Stockholm again by train, it is hassle-free and easy. 5 hours later we ended our journey where we began: at Copenhagen Central Station.