Hello, friends!
So I've made it back to Cambridge, and am currently sitting in the Gutman Library back at Harvard trying to put my life back together post-vacation. I had a really wonderful time exploring the Nordic countries (the Finnish do not consider themselves "Scandinavian," so apparently my vacation hashtag was incorrect for my entire trip), and I've decided that the best way to document this trip is by creating my very own list of travel superlatives. So here it is--the "best of" from my two weeks exploring Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark...enjoy!
Best Museum: Fram Museum (Oslo, Norway)
I actually almost skipped the Fram Museum, but Jan and Kristine insisted that it was super awesome and worth a visit...and they were totally right! The Fram is a Norwegian ship with a long history in polar exploration; it was originally designed to the specifications of Fridtjof Nansen, who planned to reach the North Pole by jamming the ship into the ice north of Russia, and then basically waiting three years as the polar ice shelf moved the ship to the pole (it's worthwhile to note that no one else at this time believed the ice shelf was moving at all). Although this plan didn't end up working, the Fram made it pretty damn close to the North Pole and then was also used on the Norwegian expedition that originally made it to the South Pole (fun fact). At the museum, you can actually walk on and through the original ship and also learn about awesome Norwegian polar exploration history.
Runners-Up: Nobel Museum (Stockholm), Skansen (Stockholm), and the National Gallery (Copenhagen)
Best Meal: "Knut" Restaurant (Stockholm, Sweden)
Food is a huge part of what I enjoy about travel, and I spend a lot of energy (probably too much energy, to be frank) figuring out how to eat awesome food when I'm abroad. My second night in Stockholm, I basically decided to just walk from my hostel in the opposite direction of the tourist areas, and found a great (albeit expensive, but everything's expensive) restaurant called "Knut." I had a wonderful dinner of lamb with mint jus, then awesome traditional Swedish candies for dessert. The other capitals I visited are also well-known for "New Nordic"cuisine (there are 13 Michelin stars in Copenhagen alone), but this was the best meal I experienced during my trip, by far.
Runners-Up: Any Norwegian Breakfast, Hot Chocolate (Stockholm), Reindeer Sausage (Tromso)
Best Photographic Lighting: Turku and Helsinki (Finland)
The cities I visited in Finland were the only stops on my trip that weren't overcast, since it was way too cold there for cloudy weather. The beautiful part about it, though, was that the sun never comes up very far off of the horizon ("high noon" there looks like about 4:00 PM here), so everything has this beautiful, magical winter glow. The photo below was taken just as the sun was setting in Helsinki, probably around 3:00 PM.
Runner-Up: Tromso (Norway)
Most Beautiful: Norway
I already discussed this ad nauseum in my previous blog post, but Norway might just be the most stunningly beautiful country I've ever visited, and the Huffington Post thinks so too. The fjords, the Northern Lights, the people, and even the charming Oslo architecture...Norway really just can't be beat.
Runner-Up: Stockholm (Sweden)...although it's really not even close.
Most Cost Effective: Finland (But only if you're a student!)
Everyone even remotely interested in education policy knows that Finland is known for its prominence in K-12 education, but I didn't have any idea how much I would sense this phenomenon during my short time there. Although I didn't meet any Finnish teachers or even see an elementary school, it was clear throughout my visit how much Finland respects its students and the education system more broadly. In addition to very generous support for college, students are treated very well in Finland more broadly: subsidized student housing, student museum admissions at about 2 euros, super discounted train and bus tickets, and there are even 2-3 euro student lunch buffets at all the universities (my price as a non-local student was 7 euros, which is also super reasonable by Nordic standards).
If you'd like to learn more about Finland (especially Finnish education), check out my friend Alistair's blog on his time there as a Fulbright this year!
Runner-Up: Just not applicable.
Best Airport: Copenhagen International Airport (Copenhagen, Denmark)
My travel book spoke AT LENGTH about how incredible Danish design is (the term "achingly efficient" may or may not have been used), and the airport is no exception. It is hands-down the most beautiful airport I've ever visited (sorry, Singapore), and as I was walking through it I could actually feel myself making a resolution to fly through there as often as humanly possible (no joke). What clinched CPH the title, however, was the fact that they have a legit H&M RIGHT THERE IN THE AIRPORT! Is there a better way to spend time before a flight than shopping at H&M? No, I don't think so.
Runner-Up: Oslo International Airport (Norway), which is also nice, I guess...but no H&M.
Best Mode of Transportation: Baltic Ferries (Stockholm, Sweden to Turku, Finland)
According to both my friend in Finland and my very wonderful travel book (shout-out to Lonely Planet), inter-country ferries are a Very Big Deal in the Baltic Region, specifically 24+ -hour booze cruise ferries, which are especially loved by the Finnish. To experience this phenomenon, I decided to take an overnight ferry for my travels to Finland from Sweden, and for about 40 euros, I got a cabin to myself (although only because it was the low season--it was actually built for 4 people) and access to bars, restaurants, and a very large duty free on the ship. Although I spent most of my time either sleeping or worrying about a repeat of the Titanic (I was on a steerage-esque level BELOW THE CAR DECK and the water looked very VERY cold), apparently most people spent the rest of their time shopping for booze; liquor is so expensive in the Nordic countries that people actually brought extra luggage rollers to move the CASES AND CASES of liquor they purchased off of the ship. Great job, Finland.
Runner-Up: Swebus Buses (Oslo to Stockholm), but only for cost-effectiveness.
Place I'd Most Like to Live: Copenhagen, Denmark
Although I was in Copenhagen for less than a day, I got an inexplicably good vibe from the city, especially the people. Everyone bicycles everywhere; it's got great architecture, design, and food; and people ACTUALLY SMILE AT STRANGERS ON THE STREET. I have experienced this phenomenon relatively few places in Europe, and I found myself really, really liking it there. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it would be so easy to justify Danish classes to my advisor as an academic necessity; otherwise, I'd be brushing up on my Danish in a heartbeat! Looks like I'm just going to have to go back for another vacation sooner rather than later.
Runner-Up: Oslo (Norway)
All right, so that's it - my first vacation of 2014 in a nutshell. Many more travels are in the works for the upcoming months, so stay tuned...and thanks so much for reading!
Dara
So I've made it back to Cambridge, and am currently sitting in the Gutman Library back at Harvard trying to put my life back together post-vacation. I had a really wonderful time exploring the Nordic countries (the Finnish do not consider themselves "Scandinavian," so apparently my vacation hashtag was incorrect for my entire trip), and I've decided that the best way to document this trip is by creating my very own list of travel superlatives. So here it is--the "best of" from my two weeks exploring Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark...enjoy!
Best Museum: Fram Museum (Oslo, Norway)
I actually almost skipped the Fram Museum, but Jan and Kristine insisted that it was super awesome and worth a visit...and they were totally right! The Fram is a Norwegian ship with a long history in polar exploration; it was originally designed to the specifications of Fridtjof Nansen, who planned to reach the North Pole by jamming the ship into the ice north of Russia, and then basically waiting three years as the polar ice shelf moved the ship to the pole (it's worthwhile to note that no one else at this time believed the ice shelf was moving at all). Although this plan didn't end up working, the Fram made it pretty damn close to the North Pole and then was also used on the Norwegian expedition that originally made it to the South Pole (fun fact). At the museum, you can actually walk on and through the original ship and also learn about awesome Norwegian polar exploration history.
 |
| It's very difficult to take a picture of an entire boat from ten feet away...but I tried. The Fram! |
Best Meal: "Knut" Restaurant (Stockholm, Sweden)
Food is a huge part of what I enjoy about travel, and I spend a lot of energy (probably too much energy, to be frank) figuring out how to eat awesome food when I'm abroad. My second night in Stockholm, I basically decided to just walk from my hostel in the opposite direction of the tourist areas, and found a great (albeit expensive, but everything's expensive) restaurant called "Knut." I had a wonderful dinner of lamb with mint jus, then awesome traditional Swedish candies for dessert. The other capitals I visited are also well-known for "New Nordic"cuisine (there are 13 Michelin stars in Copenhagen alone), but this was the best meal I experienced during my trip, by far.
 |
| I was too embarrassed to whip out my giant camera at Knut, so Swedish hot chocolate will have to do! |
Best Photographic Lighting: Turku and Helsinki (Finland)
The cities I visited in Finland were the only stops on my trip that weren't overcast, since it was way too cold there for cloudy weather. The beautiful part about it, though, was that the sun never comes up very far off of the horizon ("high noon" there looks like about 4:00 PM here), so everything has this beautiful, magical winter glow. The photo below was taken just as the sun was setting in Helsinki, probably around 3:00 PM.
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| Everything glows with the most beautiful light! |
Most Beautiful: Norway
I already discussed this ad nauseum in my previous blog post, but Norway might just be the most stunningly beautiful country I've ever visited, and the Huffington Post thinks so too. The fjords, the Northern Lights, the people, and even the charming Oslo architecture...Norway really just can't be beat.
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| Tromso harbor. |
Most Cost Effective: Finland (But only if you're a student!)
Everyone even remotely interested in education policy knows that Finland is known for its prominence in K-12 education, but I didn't have any idea how much I would sense this phenomenon during my short time there. Although I didn't meet any Finnish teachers or even see an elementary school, it was clear throughout my visit how much Finland respects its students and the education system more broadly. In addition to very generous support for college, students are treated very well in Finland more broadly: subsidized student housing, student museum admissions at about 2 euros, super discounted train and bus tickets, and there are even 2-3 euro student lunch buffets at all the universities (my price as a non-local student was 7 euros, which is also super reasonable by Nordic standards).
If you'd like to learn more about Finland (especially Finnish education), check out my friend Alistair's blog on his time there as a Fulbright this year!
 |
| A free activity in Finland! I chillily enjoy Finnish design at the Turku Public Library. |
Best Airport: Copenhagen International Airport (Copenhagen, Denmark)
My travel book spoke AT LENGTH about how incredible Danish design is (the term "achingly efficient" may or may not have been used), and the airport is no exception. It is hands-down the most beautiful airport I've ever visited (sorry, Singapore), and as I was walking through it I could actually feel myself making a resolution to fly through there as often as humanly possible (no joke). What clinched CPH the title, however, was the fact that they have a legit H&M RIGHT THERE IN THE AIRPORT! Is there a better way to spend time before a flight than shopping at H&M? No, I don't think so.
.JPG) |
| ACTUAL H&M in the Copenhagen airport. Yes, I looked like an idiot snapping this picture, but I did it for you, loyal readers! |
Best Mode of Transportation: Baltic Ferries (Stockholm, Sweden to Turku, Finland)
According to both my friend in Finland and my very wonderful travel book (shout-out to Lonely Planet), inter-country ferries are a Very Big Deal in the Baltic Region, specifically 24+ -hour booze cruise ferries, which are especially loved by the Finnish. To experience this phenomenon, I decided to take an overnight ferry for my travels to Finland from Sweden, and for about 40 euros, I got a cabin to myself (although only because it was the low season--it was actually built for 4 people) and access to bars, restaurants, and a very large duty free on the ship. Although I spent most of my time either sleeping or worrying about a repeat of the Titanic (I was on a steerage-esque level BELOW THE CAR DECK and the water looked very VERY cold), apparently most people spent the rest of their time shopping for booze; liquor is so expensive in the Nordic countries that people actually brought extra luggage rollers to move the CASES AND CASES of liquor they purchased off of the ship. Great job, Finland.
Runner-Up: Swebus Buses (Oslo to Stockholm), but only for cost-effectiveness.
Place I'd Most Like to Live: Copenhagen, Denmark
Although I was in Copenhagen for less than a day, I got an inexplicably good vibe from the city, especially the people. Everyone bicycles everywhere; it's got great architecture, design, and food; and people ACTUALLY SMILE AT STRANGERS ON THE STREET. I have experienced this phenomenon relatively few places in Europe, and I found myself really, really liking it there. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it would be so easy to justify Danish classes to my advisor as an academic necessity; otherwise, I'd be brushing up on my Danish in a heartbeat! Looks like I'm just going to have to go back for another vacation sooner rather than later.
 |
| Interior of the GORGEOUS new opera house in Copenhagen. As I was walking through, the best adjective I could think of to describe the space was "magical." |
Runner-Up: Oslo (Norway)
All right, so that's it - my first vacation of 2014 in a nutshell. Many more travels are in the works for the upcoming months, so stay tuned...and thanks so much for reading!
Dara
Hope you loved Copenhagen. Is that not the most incredible airport ever?
ReplyDeleteUmmm YES it was incredible. Probably could have just happily stayed at the airport instead of going through all the silly hostel business, but that might have been less fun :)
ReplyDeleteWow, adventure girl… It will be fun now that I know this exists to look back and see where you have been:-)
ReplyDelete