T-Rex Norway, Sweden & Denmark Journey
This blog documents my journey to Norway through Bergen, Oystese and Oslo. It also follows my journey to Stockholm Sweden as well as Copenhagen and Helsingør Denmark.
Kulturhavn Harbor
August 27th, 2017
While there isn't a major festival specifically named "Kulturhavna,"
Copenhagen hosts numerous cultural events, especially around its harbor ("Kulturhavn"), like the huge Distortion festival (Distortion Ø at Refshaleøen) for electronic music, Syd For Solen for pop/rock in Valbyparken, and general urban culture celebrations like Rød Plads Takeover for street art/skate culture. These festivals bring the city's vibrant culture and harbor areas to life with music, art, and community events throughout the summer.
Today is our last day, tomorrow, we fly home.
Christiania & Reffen
August 26th, 2017
Freetown Christiania is a unique, self-governing community in Copenhagen, Denmark, established in 1971 as a squatted military base, known for its alternative lifestyle, anarchist principles, and controversial history with cannabis trade, which saw a major crackdown in 2024. It's a popular tourist attraction with its own businesses, cafes, and unique atmosphere, but it remains a complex and often debated part of the city.
Reffen is Copenhagen's large, seasonal street food market on Refshaleøen, known for its diverse global food stalls, bars, and cultural events in a raw, industrial setting made from repurposed shipping containers.
Kronborg Castle
August 25th, 2017
Today we took a short train ride to Helsingør, about 40 minutes from Copenhagen. Here, we visited the Castle. This is one of Europes most significant Renaissance castles, immortalized as “Elsinore” in William Shakespear’s play Hamlet.
It's renowned for its strategic location controlling the Øresund strait, its impressive architecture, and its history as a royal residence and military fortress.
We got the audio tour and spent the day wandering the castle. We saw the Great Hall, the largest Renaissance banqueting hall in norther Europe.
We also came across Holger. Holger Danske is a famous legendary Danish hero and central figure in medevial European literature. His is known as a “sleeping Hero” who will awaken to defend Denmark when it is in its greatest hour of need.
FB Post - Took train to Helsingør this morning to check out Kronborg castle. Great Day! Wendell and Pearl sampled French Hot dogs.
Copenhagen
August 24th, 2017
FB post - Did a Rick Steves walking tour of Copenhagen from Tivoli park to the Little Mermaid.
Today we walked through the Old Town of Copenhagen. We found many statues and monuments, including a bronze statue of Hans Christian Anderson as well as “The Little Mermaid”.
We also walked over to the Nyhavn canal with its postcard view o Copenhagen, with its brightly colored townhomes along the canal. Hans Christian Anderson once lived in three different houses here.
We found a canal tour and took in many more of the sights from the water.
FB post. Took a Jazz boat cruise. Great night except I was the 6th youngest person on the boat (Wendell, PEarl, Laura and a young couple sitting next to us were younger!) We were jazzing it up to the oldies!
Train to Copenhagen
August 23rd, 2017
Today is a travel day to Copenhagen. We took a 6 hour train ride from Stockholm to Copenhagen. The train journey was comfortable and scenic way to travel between the two city centers. We had great You views of the Swedish countryside, forests, and lakes, culminating in the impressive crossing of the Øresund Bridge into Denmark.
I had booked a reservation The Generator Hostel. This hostel is centrally located in downtown Copenhagen and will give us easly access to many of the sights we want to see. I hasd reserved a room for four. However, when we arrived, there was a mixup on the reservation. We could only get a room for two. There was an event going on in town and this was our only option. I took the room and we all slept in it. The girls shared a bed and I slept on the floor.
Once again, Laura came to the rescue. She went to the front desk and told them that her sister hurt her foot and needed extra pillows to elevate her foot as well as extra blankets. She was successful!
Ice Bar & Wirströms Pub
August 22nd 2017
The kids really wanted to check out an Ice Bar, so we went to the ICEBAR by ICEHOTEL. This is the world's first permanent ice bar, located in the heart of Stockholm atVasaplan 4, 111 20 Stockholm, Sweden. They maintain a constant 23 Fahrenheit temp, so we were provided with warm ponchos and gloves when we entered. (included in the entrance fee). Everything in the bar is made of ice, even the glasses! It was not crowded, so we had plenty of space to get some fun pictures.
Next, we headed to Old Town part of Stockholm. Since Pearl and I had already done the guided walking tour, we just took Wendell and Laura through the highlights. We stopped at Old Town’s main square, Stortorget, meaning "Big Square," the city's oldest public square. It is famous for its iconic, colorful medieval buildings, the historic Stock Exchange (Nobel Prize Museum), a central well, and its popular annual Christmas market, serving as a central hub for tourists, cafés, and history.
Stortorget, main square with the central well /fountain in the middle.
Later that night, I took the kids to one of my favorite bars in Old Town, Wirströms Pub. I had found this pub a few years earlier while visiting this area with Sandy. I was looking for an Irish Pub to taste the Guinness recipe for Sweden. I saw a Guinness sign outside this pub, so we went in. It is a small bar when you enter, but there is more. If you walk to the back of the bar, you will find a staircase that goes down. Follow the stairs and you will enter a labyrinth of “cave” rooms. There are some rooms with bars and others with stages set up for live music.
We went down to t he lower rooms and got a table to listen to some live music. It was really fun as they were playing Chicago Blues music. Just lie being at home!
Wirströms Pub
Vasa Museum
August 21st 2017
Today we head out to see the Vasa Museum. This museum houses the only almost fully intact 17th-century ship ever salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. After 333 years on the seabed, the ship was salvaged in 1961 and is now a unique historical and art treasure. We also took a water taxi to get to this museum as well.
Vasa Museum
Later that day, we met up with Laura, our AFS exchange student from Belgium. She lived with us in Chicago for the 2014/2015 School year. She had free time and wanted to join us. I had reserved 4 bunks as I was hoping to have my son Joseph join us, but he could not, so I had the extra room!
Laura
I had purchased a box of wine to have back on the boat. There is an upper deck we are allowed to hang out on and it was the perfect place to enjoy some wine with the setting sun. However, when I asked the bartender on the boat (yes, there is also a bar on the ship) for some wine glasses, he informed me that I would have to buy full glasses of wine first. When I told this to the kids, Laura got up and went straight to the bar. When she returned, she had four wine glasses. I do not know how she does that!
Wendell Laura and Pearl toasting the day on our Hostel ship.
ABBA Museum & Old Town
August 20th 2017
Today we are going to visit the ABBA Museum. This museum is an interactive exhibition located on the island of Djurgården in central Stockholm, dedicated to the history and music of the iconic Swedish pop group. Today we will take a boat taxi service to get to the museum.
My expectations of the ABBA museum were pretty low. However, my daughter, Pearl had enough enthusiasm for both of us. However, I did find it interesting to hear their story. We walked thorough time line of how they got started and followed their career. We were able to sing along, recreate an album cover and see all t he different costumes they wore. Even Wendell seemed to enjoy it.
Wendell returned to the ship and Pearl and I headed over to Old Town. I had downloaded the Rick Steves self guided walking tour of Old Town Stockholm to my phone, so we decided to take the tour. There is a Rick Steves Europe App you can get to have free access to these tours. Rick Steves offers self-guided walking tours of Stockholm, focusing on the historic Gamla Stan (Old Town) with its cobbled alleys, Stortorget Square, Royal Palace, and cathedral, plus a modern city walk. We had lunch on Stortorget Square and covered a lot of ground walking!
Tall Ship Hostel
We even got a nice view of our hostel from Old Town.
Stockholm
August 19th 2017
Today is a travel day. Sandy and Grace need to fly back to Chicago for school and work. I was able to convince Wendell and Pearl to travel some more, so I made plans to take them to Stockholm and Copenhagen. Once Sandy and Grace were off to the airport, Wendell, Pearl and myself boarded a train to Stockholm Sweden. This was a six hour train ride.
I had reserved a beds at the STF af Chapman & Skeppsholmen Vandrarham. This is an iconic 19th-century ship permanently moored on the island of Skeppsholmen.
STF af Chapman & Skeppsholmen Vandrarham
We walked to the Old Town part of Stockholm and found a nice plaza where we were able to get some dinner.
Since the ship is anchored on an island, we had to do a bit of walking to get around. There were bridges that would take us to Old Town and back. It was really nice to be on the water and see the city light up at night.
Walkway to the ship
Since we were on an island, there were walkways to get around.
Ship Mates!
Inside our room on the hip. There were six bunks. We occupied three of them. Two other people arrived later and slept in the other bunks. Life in a hostel!
Viking Ship Museum
August 18th 2017
Today we went to the Viking Ship Museum. This is where the famous Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune Viking ships are housed. Here are the world's best-preserved Viking ships and more than 5500 other objects from the Viking Era. We walked through the exhibits, watched a video presentation on the history of the Viking Ships and how they were discovered and I even found a penny press. (although it did not take a penny, needed a Krone)
We also saw the Kon Tiki.
They even had some cut outs of traditional Norwegians for us to pose our heads into.
After the museum, we stopped for a few beverages. I tried a local Norwegian Gin and had a Gin and Tonic. It was garnished with Rosemary, blueberries and raspberries. Hmmm interesting. I also was able to stop in an Irish Pub for a cold Guinness. See my travel blog on Guinness Around the World for more information.
We headed back to the rental and enjoyed the sunset with some drinks poured into our new Viking Horn Glasses that we got as souvenirs. It was not too bad to drink from, but difficult to set down as it would trip over. Needed to get the horn sling for my belt or a horn holder!
Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Jump
August 17th, 2017
Woke up this morning to a nice quiet sunrise. I was able to enjoy my coffee before anybody woke up!
Next we headed out to the Holmenkollen Ski Museum. This museum is the world's oldest museum dedicated to the history of skiing and is uniquely situated inside the base of the iconic Holmenkollen ski jump. The museum's exhibitions cover 4,000 years of skiing history, from Stone Age rock carvings and Viking-era skis to modern racing equipment and snowboards. They also had interactive exhibits where you can feel the thrill of a ski jump in the on-site ski simulator, and an activity exhibit called "Winter Joy".
Sculpture outside the Holmenkollen Ski Museum.
We took an elevator to take you to the observation deck at the top of the steel ski jump for a magnificent panoramic view of Oslo and the surrounding forest and fjord. From here, you can “zip-line” down to the bottom. Wendell and Grace took the zip-line down. Wendell went first, then Grace went. She decided to add some thrill to it and did the whole trip down upside-down! I chickened out and took the elevator back down.
We aalked to Karl Johans Gate is Oslo's main street, a bustling boulevard connecting the Central Station to the Royal Palace, filled with shops, cafes, historic buildings like the Parliament and National Theatre, street performers, and iconic statues, making it the city's central hub for shopping, culture, and people-watching. It's a key pedestrian thoroughfare, known for its blend of old-world charm with modern city life and extensive public transport access.
Then we walked over to the Oslo Opera House. The Oslo Opera House, designed by the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta, is a striking modern landmark located in the Bjørvika neighborhood at the head of the Oslofjord. It is renowned for its unique, sloping, walk-on roof, which makes the building a public space and offers panoramic views of the city and harbor.
Akershus Fortress & Vigland Park
August 16th 2017
Walked to Akershus Fortress for touring today. Came across a plaza with food trucks and fun art.
Grace and myself by the food trucks.
We made it to Akershus Fortress. This is a medieval castle and fortress complex in Oslo, Norway, that has served as a royal residence, military stronghold, prison, and a present-day public attraction. Strategically located on the banks of the Oslo Fjord, it has guarded the city for over 700 years.
After touring the Fortress, we walked over to Vigeland Park. This is a renowned, free-to-enter sculpture park located within Frogner Park in Oslo, Norway, and is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist. It features over 200 sculptures in bronze, granite, and wrought iron by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, depicting the cycle of human life and emotions. The Vigeland Park sculptures explore the human experience through various life stages, emotions, and relationships. The main sculptures include the Fountain, which depicts different ages and represents the circle of life and the struggle to toil through life's burdens; the Monolith, a granite pillar with intertwined figures representing humanity reaching for the divine; The park features many other individual pieces and groups showing the full range of human emotions and relationships in naked form to symbolize their timeless and universal nature.
Pearl and Grace at entrance to Vigland Park
We returned to our rental and enjoyed swimming in the fjord. The water was a bit cold and there were small jelly fish! I got a few stings, but it was not too bad.
We made dinner and enjoyed sitting on the dock and taking in the sunset.
Clear sunny view from the dock.
Train to Oslo
August 15th 2017
Said goodbye to Miriam, Arild and Ingrid. What a wonderful family. So thankful to have them in our lives.
Arild, Miriam and Ingrid
We took the train from Bergen to Oslo. It was about a seven hour ride, so we had time to sit and comfortable. We played some card games and took a nap as well.
Boarding the train to Oslo.
We rented a house right on the water within the city limits of Oslo. We did not rent a car, so this made it easier for us to get around. The house had a patio/deck that extended over the water. We had some beautiful views of the water.
Our VRBO rental in Oslo.
Bergen
August 14th, 2017
Miriam took us to the Bergen Fish Market. We had fun walking around and checking out all the local catches and locally made products.
Bergen Fish Market
After the market, we alked around town to the “Mountain Train”. This train/trolly runs a steep incline from the city center to the top of Mount Fløyen. At the top
Mountain Train/Trolly
At the top is Troll Forest trail. The main highlight is the trail adorned with creative wooden troll statues and mythical creatures inspired by Norse mythology and Norwegian fairy tales. There were many other hiking trails available as well. We chose to take the trail that took us back into Bergen. It was a nice day and we did not want to pay to take the trolly twice.
Troll Forest.
This will be our last night in Oystese. Miriam’s parents prepared a nice big dinner for us and we were able to say our good byes and thank them for their generosity.
Anne, Ronny, Betina and Miriam
Flogefonna Glacier & Country Cottage
August 13th, 2017
Took a car ferry across the fjord to hike a glacier, took a few selfies with the local wildlife (sheep and cows) then ended up at Miriam's parents cottage. Had coffee and cinnamon rolls (like we have had everyday. Yum! So this is where my mother gets it from! Ha ha) and we got to make Melkekaker (milk cakes). Feeling so fortunate to have Miriam Froastad and her family in my life!
Miriam got up early and made us a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and coffee. Ready for another day of adventure!
WE took our car and went to the car Ferry to cross over to see Flogefonna Glacier. The Ferry ride was long, but they had a nice area for us to sit and relax.
Car Ferry
Folgefonn is a collective term for three plateau glaciers located in Vestland county, Norway, and is the heart of the surrounding Folgefonna National Park. It is the third-largest glacier on mainland Norway, covering approximately 207 square kilometers. The roads to get there are very windy and slow moving. There is also a summer ski resort that is open year round.
The drive back was just as scenic. We ran across some sheep grazing along the road as well as a traffic back-up from some cows crossing the road.
Sheep in the road.
On our way back, we stopped at Miriams parents country cottage that they were staying at during our stay. There was a place to park at the bottom of the hill and a path to the cottage. Everything had to be carried up to the cottage, no ATVs. The cottage was beautiful and had fantastic views.
Family country cottage.
Miriams dad, Ronny had set up an outdoor griddle for us to make Melkekaker (milk cakes). This in Norway refers to various soft, pan-fried flatbreads or griddle cakes, similar to pancakes but often thinner, using buttermilk and flour, cooked on a griddle (takke) until golden, perfect with butter, jam, or brown cheese, a staple alongside other Norwegian flatbreads like crispy Flatbrød or potato-based Lefse. We each gat a chance to make our own. To make one, you poured the batter on the griddle, waited for it to cook. Then flipped it over with a flat wooden spatula.
Melkekaker batter
Once we were done cooking, we had coffee and cinnamon rolls. Coffee and cinnamon rolls are a quintessential Norwegian tradition, a core part of their daily kaffekos (cozy coffee time), offering a sweet, cardamom-spiced break often enjoyed with freshly brewed coffee, featuring buns that are less sweet and iceless compared to American versions. We also got to enjoy the Melkekaker we made!
Kaffekos Time!
The rain cleared to a sunner afternoon and the kids were able to play some darts on the deck as we took in the fantastic views.
Later we returned back to the house and enjoyed the deck views.
Vøringsfossen Waterfall
August 12th 2017
Today we took a ferry from Norheimsund to Eidford.
Another great day. Took a Ferry to Eidfjord, Miriam Froastad picked us up and drove to Voringfossen to see a beautiful waterfall. Now it is time for Norwegian pizza!
Our Ferry to Eidford
Miriam drove to Eidford and picked us up at the Ferry Landing. Then she too us to see Vøringsfossen Waterfall: One of Norway's most famous natural attractions, this stunning waterfall has a total drop of 182 meters (597 feet) into the Måbødalen canyon.
Nature photo of the water fall.
We took in the view the waterfall from the top of the plateau near the Vøringsfoss Cafeteria. A unique staircase bridge with 99 steps spans the canyon, providing an unforgettable experience of walking above the powerful water. We were able to enjoy a glass of wine while viewing the falls from the Cafeteria.
Vøringsfossen Waterfall
We returned to the cafeteria and enjoyed some Norwegian pizza!
Norwegian National Road 7
This is the road we had to drive to get to and from the falls. Many times, it was only one lane due extremely narrow older segments known for steep hairpin turns where uphill traffic has right-of-way. On challenging stretches, you'll find "M" marked meeting points for two cars to pass.
Langhamrane Trail
It all begins with an idea.
August 11th 2017
Today Miriam took us on ahike up the Langhamrane Trail. The trail leads up the mountainside, often through a forest area initially, eventually opening up to expansive views of the Hardangerfjord, surrounding mountains, and the Folgefonna glacier in the distance. It is known for its rewarding summit view.
The trail was steep and wet and slippery in parts. It is a local trail, we definitely needed Miriam to guide us.
Hardangerfjord & Fyksesund Fjord
It all begins with an idea.
August 10th, 2017
Today, Arild’s father (Nils) offered to take us on a boat ride into Hardanger Fjord to Fyksesund. When we first met Arild back in Chicago, he was particular on how we pronounced his name. No matter how hard we tried, we could not get it right. Eventually we offered to call him Bob (he refused to be called Sven or Ole) as a nickname. He agreed. It was funny that when we met his father Nils, he introduced himself as “Bob’s Dad”. Ha Ha!
Nils was great. He is a very proud grandpa and was very excited to take us out to see the Fjord. His boat was docked at Øystese Guest Harbour. This is where we boarded his boat.
Myself, Grace and Pearl at Øystese Guest Harbour
It was a cloudy day, but we stilled loved the boat ride. Miriam had made cinnamon rolls and coffee for u s to have during the ride.
Nils took us up Fyksesund fjord which is a 6.8 miles long narrow branch of the main Hardangerfjorden. We docked at the end of the fjord and did some hiking to see some of the falls and creeks of the area.
On the way back, Miriam had provided a lunch for all of us.
Thanks Nils for the great boat ride!
Steindalsfossen Falls
It all begins with an idea.
August 9th 2017
Our first adventure was a trip to Steindalsfossen Falls. This is a small water fall near Oystese that has a trail that you can hike under the falls with out getting wet. The trail was easy to hike adn we got a lot of great pictures.
Steindafossen Falls
Next, Miriam took us for a hike. We stopped at a traditional Torvtak for lunch. This is a traditional Scandinavian structure with a sod roof. Miriam has really matured since she lived with us. She had planned and packed the entire lunch for us. She even had wood to start a fire for cooking our hot dogs. I can tell that she is going to be a great mother!
Torvtak shelter
AFter lunch we hiked to Orredalsfodden falls.
Another short hike brought us to Skarsvatnet Goldfish Lake. It was nice to just kick back and relax and enjoy the beauty of the nature around us. Since 1914, this lake has been home to golden ide, a fish species rarely found in Europe. Here, you can feed the vibrant fish, which often swim near the surface and are easy to spot.
Back at eh house, we had an other wonderful evening on the deck. Arild stopped by and joined us for a glass of wine. It was nice to see him again. Ronny and Anne also joined us as we had a nice meal that Miriam made for us all.
Sandy, Grace, Pearl, Miriam, Wendell and Arild.
Bergen & Øystese
It all begins with an idea.
August 8th 2017
This trip started as a family trip to attend a wedding for our AFS exchange student Miriam. Miriam lived with us for a school year in 2010/2011. During the winter break of 2010, her sister and boyfriend (Arild) came to visit her. She ended up planning to marry Arild, so we were excited to come to Norway for a wedding. They had just had a baby together, a beautiful baby girl named Ingrid. They had an opportunity to buy some land and build a house, so they post-phoned the wedding to use the money for the house. This is typical in Scandinavia as most people do not get married. We had already planned on coming, so we did not change our plans. So three or our kids, (Wendell, Pearl and Grace), Sandy and myself made the journey to Norway.
We had a redeye flight from Chicago to Bergen and arrived late morning on August 8th. We rented our car and drove to downtown Bergen for a quick lunch before we started our journey to Øystese where Miriam lives.
We stopped at Bryggen Tracteursted, a renowned restaurant offering traditional Norwegian and Hanseatic-inspired cuisine in a historic, 18th-century wooden building within the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bryggen. It is known for its cozy, rustic ambiance and a menu that features local specialties. We tried the Norwegian Tapas: A popular dining option is their "tasty bites" or Norwegian tapas, featuring small, shareable plates like reindeer tartare, monkfish cheeks, and various stockfish dishes. They also had a great wine list!
The drive from Bergen to Øystese was a scenic journey of approximately 50 miles, taking around 1 hour and 20 minutes. WE had to drive through some tunnels that actually had intersections under the mountain.
Øystese is a village located along the Hardangerfjord. It is known for its stunning natural scenery featuring mountains and orchards. Many of the homes on the steep sides of the Fjord. Miriam’s parents house was not different. It was near the top of the Fjord. Miriam, Arild and Ingrid are living with her parents (Ronny and Anne) while they build their new home. Her parents graciously let us stay in their home for our visit. They stayed in their country cottage during our stay. They gave us a warm welcome and we spent the evening on the deck overlooking the fjord. It was a wonderful evening.
Miriam’s Parent’s home in Øystese
