There's Norway Swede be Tallinn you any lies! Only one way to Finland out about our crazy adventure!
This is going to be a super long blog post because it spans over two weeks! Also sorry this is late, but I was writing my final essays. I AM FOREVER DONE WITH SENIOR YEAR!!!!
MY SISTER VISITED ME!!!!! That is really the most important and exciting part of these two weeks.
She arrived on the morning of the 12th and then once we got back to my apartment, we napped for three hours. But after we woke up we decided to take a three mile walk to Den Lille Havfrue or The Little Mermaid statue.
After the mermaid and some ice cream we headed to one of the more famous parts of Copenhagen, Nyhavn, or New Harbor in English. On the way we happened to pass by Amalienborg which is the winter residence of the royal family. Once in Nyhavn we got dinner and we could sit right by the canal.
The next day we went on a food tour of Copenhagen! But to get there was a fun adventure that we did not know we were going to take. From my apartment to the place the food tour started was a single bus ride. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Nope. There was a marathon that completely cut across the bus route to where we needed to go. So what should have been a thirty minute bus ride turned into an almost three hour walk. Good thing we left early because otherwise we would have to join in the marathon! All you might know me to be the pickiest eater on this planet, but I tried, and for the most part liked everything.
You may or not be herring some rumors, but Katie and I ate fish! We both liked the fishcake! The two people who reelly don't like fish! Of all the food we tried, the only thing we did not finish was the pickled herring smørbrød. I liked it, but not enough to take a second bite, but Katie took that second bite. I really liked the hotdog! But this was a top notch hotdog, as for normal hotdogs at home, I probably will still avoid them, sorry Mom.
That night we finally picked what we are going to do for the rest of the time Katie was here for. Let's just say we had planned quite the adventure, but I'm not going to spoil it right now because we still had another day in Copenhagen before it all began.
Our last day in Copenhagen before our adventure began we planned on going to Tivoli, the amusement park in the center of the city. But, instead we went to the hospital! No, it wasn't for anything bad or serious. Katie had the opportunity to meet with one of the programmers who designs a software she works with! I got to go along (mostly so I could get her there). Luckily that didn't take too long and it was an interesting conversation (even though most of it went over my head because they were talking about brains). And we still got to go to Tivoli!!! It was so much fun! We got to ride on roller coasters and the swings and loopy thing with water! It was definitely easy to see where Disney World got it's inspiration.
Adventure day #1 was Copenhagen to Helsinki, Finland! We had an early flight so after we got to our hotel, we started to walk around the city. We went to lunch and I tried Finnish pizza, it was not as good as Iceland or Denmark's pizza. I may or may not have gotten us lost on our way to visit the Temppeliaukion Church. This church was literally built into a rock. It was so cool inside. From there we walked to the National Museum of Finland. After exploring the very cool artifacts from Finland's past we headed back to the hotel to walk around that area. We found the Uspenski Cathedral and a market! For dinner we had traditional Finnish food. I had fried goat cheese croquettes. These were so amazing. They just completely melted in my mouth. Katie had the ten-hour braised lamb bowl. It was also Finn-tastic! And then for dessert we had pancakes with syrup, jam, and ice cream. Finnish food is delicious. This restaurant we stayed at also was directly across from the Helsinki Cathedral.
The next day we left bright and early to catch the ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. We had three amazing days there. After checking into our hotel, we found a free walking tour of the old town. We went all around the city seeing the wall around the city, churches and cathedrals, government buildings, and the old town hall.
The next day we went out to the open air museum. We saw all types of buildings, farms, and windmills from all around Estonia. It was the Plimoth Plantation of Estonia! It was absolutely gorgeous and so different from anything I had ever seen before.
Then we went to a indoor and outdoor market area. There was fresh food, restaurants, and my personal favorite, BAKERIES!!! I got a unicorn cupcake that I forgot to take a picture of it because I ate it so quickly. Oops. For dinner we had traditional Estonian food. I had the duck and it was so ducking good.
For our last day in Tallinn, we walked around the old town some more and we went on a part of the wall that is still standing. We even went up to the top of one of the towers. Those stairs were small and uneven. Then we found a little square where we sat down for a bit with coffee and tea and a slice of cheesecake.
There even was some live music playing in the corner! But then it was time to go so we left for the terminal to get onto a cruise ship that over night would take us to our next stop on our adventure: Stockholm, Sweden!
Since we only had a day in Stockholm, we decided to do two walking tours. We did the City tour where we saw the newer parts of the city and got to hear some interesting stories. There was a failed bank robbery and hostage situation in Stockholm and from this attempt we get Stockholm Syndrome. Luckily, Katie and I were not held against our will. After that we went on the Old Town tour where we got to see some of the older buildings and hear about some of the monarchs. If you are ever talking about a Swedish king, assume his name is Gustav. And the next day we were off to Oslo! (In the pictures from the bus ride please ignore the bugs on the windshield the bus was very dirty).
Oslo Time!!! We arrived in Oslo by bus and then had to figure out how to get from where we were dropped off to our airbnb. But we found our way! The next day we left early to go to our hotel that we stayed in that night. Then we took a walk through the city streets of Oslo to the downtown after passing the royal palace. Olso, Olso smelled really good because there were lavender bushes everywhere. We took another walking tour because we again only had a short while in the city. We went to the opera house, the town hall, the Akershus Fortress, and the parliament building. After a quick lunch we went hopped on a bus to the Fram Museum. The Fram Museum is the where they have two of the restored boats from arctic explorations. We figured that we would be able to hit two museums, but nope. The Fram museum was just snow interesting that we spent over three hours there and even so we didn't get to read everything! Then we grabbed some dinner and we had Norwegian pizza. But there was just Norway it was better than Iceland's. Then we walked backed to the opera house and walked on to the roof, because that's allowed!
The next day we hopped on a train that brought us up to the north and west to Myrdal and from there we got on another train, the Flåmsbana. This is considered one of the most beautiful train rides in the world, and it was. And the train ride up through the mountains was also spectacular. If there is only time to check one of my albums that I will post at the bottom of this blog, it's going to be my Flåm album. We were so far north that it did not even look like it was May because there was so much snow and ice. It was absolutely gorgeous. Then we arrived in the small fjord town of Flåm and it was exactly how'd you expect it to look. It was just so picturesque. I literally am so amazed by all my pictures and that I cannot choose favorites to post, so looks like you'll have to check out the album below. We walked around and for dinner we went to a viking themed restaurant! All of the food was named after different famous Vikings or legends from the time. For our hotel we got to stay in one of the historic rooms, it was super fancy. (Also in Flåm there was a Mall of Norway to go with Minnesota's Mall of America! But there were no rides inside).
The next day we had a little while before our boat cruise of the fjords, so we took a walk to the Flåm Kirke. It was an absolutely beautiful walk surrounded by fields, mountains, a river, and train tracks. Then, we walked back grabbed some lunch before we got on the boat to go down the fjords! There were waterfalls everywhere and the weather could not have been better. Actually a little less sun would have been good. Who knew you could get tan in Norway?!?!? Not me, that's who.
Then we arrived at the bottom of the fjords we had to catch a bus that would bring us to the train station to catch a train back to Oslo. Only one problem. The bus sat at the bus stop where the boat dropped us off for forty minutes. So by the time we finally reached the station, our train had already left. It's like Mom taught us, the train waits for no one. So we quickly called the travel company to see what we should do. And there was a train bound for Oslo waiting at the station for a while. By the time they got back to us, we had five minutes to buy new tickets and run down the stairs through a tunnel, up the stairs and down half the length of train. But we did it. I have never felt so out of shape in my life before that moment. Then it was back to Oslo through the gorgeous mountains again! And then the next day we left bright and early to head to the airport to go back to Copenhagen.
After a quick nap at my apartment we went to the Carlsberg Brewery. They have the largest collection of unopened beer bottles in the world. It was so cool! We also got to try some of their beer. I preferred the dark, while Katie preferred the light. After that we walked to the old meatpacking district which is now home to many different restaurants, including a taqueria that we were told to go to from one of our tour guides in Stockholm. It was so good! It turns out zucchini in tacos tastes really good. The next day was a slow day, but we went out to get some BBQ! Copenhagen has some good barbecue! Since it was Katie's last night I decided to take her somewhere special. Churros and ice cream! She got a Belgian waffle and ice cream while I got the homemade churros. Absolutely amazing. Then it was back to the apartment for a good night's sleep before going to the airport to drop her off :(. We both had an amazing time and we got to Den-check-mark more countries and capitals off our list!
To see my other pictures I took in Helsinki click here!
To see my other pictures I took in Tallinn click here! (Check this one out too)
To see my other pictures I took in Stockholm click here!
To see my other pictures I took in Oslo click here!
To see my other pictures I took in Flåm click here! (DEFINITELY CHECK THIS ONE OUT)
To see my other pictures I took in Copenhagen click here!
MY SISTER VISITED ME!!!!! That is really the most important and exciting part of these two weeks.
She arrived on the morning of the 12th and then once we got back to my apartment, we napped for three hours. But after we woke up we decided to take a three mile walk to Den Lille Havfrue or The Little Mermaid statue.
 |
| When you wish upon a starfish, your sister arrives! |
After the mermaid and some ice cream we headed to one of the more famous parts of Copenhagen, Nyhavn, or New Harbor in English. On the way we happened to pass by Amalienborg which is the winter residence of the royal family. Once in Nyhavn we got dinner and we could sit right by the canal.
The next day we went on a food tour of Copenhagen! But to get there was a fun adventure that we did not know we were going to take. From my apartment to the place the food tour started was a single bus ride. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Nope. There was a marathon that completely cut across the bus route to where we needed to go. So what should have been a thirty minute bus ride turned into an almost three hour walk. Good thing we left early because otherwise we would have to join in the marathon! All you might know me to be the pickiest eater on this planet, but I tried, and for the most part liked everything.
 |
| Top (left to right): Dark and Light Craft Beer from Carlsberg, Smørbrød (pickled herring with capers and dill on traditional rye bread, potatoes with mayonnaise and onions on traditional rye bread), Spandauer (aka a Danish) Bottom (left to right): Fishcakes with a side of rye bread and homemade Remoulade, Danish red hotdogs with ketchup, mustard, remoulade, onions, fried onions, and marinaded cucumber |
You may or not be herring some rumors, but Katie and I ate fish! We both liked the fishcake! The two people who reelly don't like fish! Of all the food we tried, the only thing we did not finish was the pickled herring smørbrød. I liked it, but not enough to take a second bite, but Katie took that second bite. I really liked the hotdog! But this was a top notch hotdog, as for normal hotdogs at home, I probably will still avoid them, sorry Mom.
That night we finally picked what we are going to do for the rest of the time Katie was here for. Let's just say we had planned quite the adventure, but I'm not going to spoil it right now because we still had another day in Copenhagen before it all began.
Our last day in Copenhagen before our adventure began we planned on going to Tivoli, the amusement park in the center of the city. But, instead we went to the hospital! No, it wasn't for anything bad or serious. Katie had the opportunity to meet with one of the programmers who designs a software she works with! I got to go along (mostly so I could get her there). Luckily that didn't take too long and it was an interesting conversation (even though most of it went over my head because they were talking about brains). And we still got to go to Tivoli!!! It was so much fun! We got to ride on roller coasters and the swings and loopy thing with water! It was definitely easy to see where Disney World got it's inspiration.
Adventure day #1 was Copenhagen to Helsinki, Finland! We had an early flight so after we got to our hotel, we started to walk around the city. We went to lunch and I tried Finnish pizza, it was not as good as Iceland or Denmark's pizza. I may or may not have gotten us lost on our way to visit the Temppeliaukion Church. This church was literally built into a rock. It was so cool inside. From there we walked to the National Museum of Finland. After exploring the very cool artifacts from Finland's past we headed back to the hotel to walk around that area. We found the Uspenski Cathedral and a market! For dinner we had traditional Finnish food. I had fried goat cheese croquettes. These were so amazing. They just completely melted in my mouth. Katie had the ten-hour braised lamb bowl. It was also Finn-tastic! And then for dessert we had pancakes with syrup, jam, and ice cream. Finnish food is delicious. This restaurant we stayed at also was directly across from the Helsinki Cathedral.
 |
| Top: Outside and inside of the Rock Church Middle: Uspenski Cathedral and Goat Cheese Croquettes Bottom: View from the Restaurant with the Helsinki Cathedral in the back |
The next day we left bright and early to catch the ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. We had three amazing days there. After checking into our hotel, we found a free walking tour of the old town. We went all around the city seeing the wall around the city, churches and cathedrals, government buildings, and the old town hall.
 |
| Old Town of Tallinn! |
The next day we went out to the open air museum. We saw all types of buildings, farms, and windmills from all around Estonia. It was the Plimoth Plantation of Estonia! It was absolutely gorgeous and so different from anything I had ever seen before.
 |
| I would millingly go back here in a heart beat! |
Then we went to a indoor and outdoor market area. There was fresh food, restaurants, and my personal favorite, BAKERIES!!! I got a unicorn cupcake that I forgot to take a picture of it because I ate it so quickly. Oops. For dinner we had traditional Estonian food. I had the duck and it was so ducking good.
 |
| This was a Brew-tea-ful little square |
There even was some live music playing in the corner! But then it was time to go so we left for the terminal to get onto a cruise ship that over night would take us to our next stop on our adventure: Stockholm, Sweden!
Since we only had a day in Stockholm, we decided to do two walking tours. We did the City tour where we saw the newer parts of the city and got to hear some interesting stories. There was a failed bank robbery and hostage situation in Stockholm and from this attempt we get Stockholm Syndrome. Luckily, Katie and I were not held against our will. After that we went on the Old Town tour where we got to see some of the older buildings and hear about some of the monarchs. If you are ever talking about a Swedish king, assume his name is Gustav. And the next day we were off to Oslo! (In the pictures from the bus ride please ignore the bugs on the windshield the bus was very dirty).
 |
| I'd highly suggest visiting Stockholm! It's just such a swede place! |
Oslo Time!!! We arrived in Oslo by bus and then had to figure out how to get from where we were dropped off to our airbnb. But we found our way! The next day we left early to go to our hotel that we stayed in that night. Then we took a walk through the city streets of Oslo to the downtown after passing the royal palace. Olso, Olso smelled really good because there were lavender bushes everywhere. We took another walking tour because we again only had a short while in the city. We went to the opera house, the town hall, the Akershus Fortress, and the parliament building. After a quick lunch we went hopped on a bus to the Fram Museum. The Fram Museum is the where they have two of the restored boats from arctic explorations. We figured that we would be able to hit two museums, but nope. The Fram museum was just snow interesting that we spent over three hours there and even so we didn't get to read everything! Then we grabbed some dinner and we had Norwegian pizza. But there was just Norway it was better than Iceland's. Then we walked backed to the opera house and walked on to the roof, because that's allowed!
 |
| Hey Mom! This might be one to Frame |
The next day we hopped on a train that brought us up to the north and west to Myrdal and from there we got on another train, the Flåmsbana. This is considered one of the most beautiful train rides in the world, and it was. And the train ride up through the mountains was also spectacular. If there is only time to check one of my albums that I will post at the bottom of this blog, it's going to be my Flåm album. We were so far north that it did not even look like it was May because there was so much snow and ice. It was absolutely gorgeous. Then we arrived in the small fjord town of Flåm and it was exactly how'd you expect it to look. It was just so picturesque. I literally am so amazed by all my pictures and that I cannot choose favorites to post, so looks like you'll have to check out the album below. We walked around and for dinner we went to a viking themed restaurant! All of the food was named after different famous Vikings or legends from the time. For our hotel we got to stay in one of the historic rooms, it was super fancy. (Also in Flåm there was a Mall of Norway to go with Minnesota's Mall of America! But there were no rides inside).
The next day we had a little while before our boat cruise of the fjords, so we took a walk to the Flåm Kirke. It was an absolutely beautiful walk surrounded by fields, mountains, a river, and train tracks. Then, we walked back grabbed some lunch before we got on the boat to go down the fjords! There were waterfalls everywhere and the weather could not have been better. Actually a little less sun would have been good. Who knew you could get tan in Norway?!?!? Not me, that's who.
Then we arrived at the bottom of the fjords we had to catch a bus that would bring us to the train station to catch a train back to Oslo. Only one problem. The bus sat at the bus stop where the boat dropped us off for forty minutes. So by the time we finally reached the station, our train had already left. It's like Mom taught us, the train waits for no one. So we quickly called the travel company to see what we should do. And there was a train bound for Oslo waiting at the station for a while. By the time they got back to us, we had five minutes to buy new tickets and run down the stairs through a tunnel, up the stairs and down half the length of train. But we did it. I have never felt so out of shape in my life before that moment. Then it was back to Oslo through the gorgeous mountains again! And then the next day we left bright and early to head to the airport to go back to Copenhagen.
After a quick nap at my apartment we went to the Carlsberg Brewery. They have the largest collection of unopened beer bottles in the world. It was so cool! We also got to try some of their beer. I preferred the dark, while Katie preferred the light. After that we walked to the old meatpacking district which is now home to many different restaurants, including a taqueria that we were told to go to from one of our tour guides in Stockholm. It was so good! It turns out zucchini in tacos tastes really good. The next day was a slow day, but we went out to get some BBQ! Copenhagen has some good barbecue! Since it was Katie's last night I decided to take her somewhere special. Churros and ice cream! She got a Belgian waffle and ice cream while I got the homemade churros. Absolutely amazing. Then it was back to the apartment for a good night's sleep before going to the airport to drop her off :(. We both had an amazing time and we got to Den-check-mark more countries and capitals off our list!
To see my other pictures I took in Helsinki click here!
To see my other pictures I took in Tallinn click here! (Check this one out too)
To see my other pictures I took in Stockholm click here!
To see my other pictures I took in Oslo click here!
To see my other pictures I took in Flåm click here! (DEFINITELY CHECK THIS ONE OUT)
To see my other pictures I took in Copenhagen click here!
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