All posts by richardpieper

Denmark

Greenland

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Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) is the world’s largest island (with a population of under 60 thousand) and is noted for its vast tundra and immense glaciers.

The Greenland ice sheet is the second largest body of ice in the world covering around 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is an average of 1.67 km thick, and over 3 km at its thickest. It is almost 2,900 kilometres long and 1,100 kilometres at its widest. The ice sheet covers 1.7 million square kilometres (about 12% of Antarctica).

Although officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the island’s home government is responsible for most domestic affairs. Most travelers come to Greenland for the glaciers, ice fields and fjords. The Greenlandic people are primarily Inuit who call themselves Kalaallit (West), Inugguit (from Thule district), or Iit (East).

Prince Christian Sound

Our first touch into Greenland was while still on the ship. The Prince Christian Sound is a 100 km long channel that connects the Labrador Sea with the Irminger Sea.

The waterway is in Southern Greenland and separates the mainland from the many islands that make up the Cape Farewell Archipelago near the southernmost tip of Greenland. The channel is narrow, sometimes only 500 metres wide and almost all the way along is a long fjord system, surrounded by steep mountains generally between 1,200 and 2,220 metres. Many glaciers go straight into the channel where they calve icebergs. 

Our day started with a few minke whale sightings, closely followed by our first iceberg of the day. From here the day just unfolded for the next few hours of whales, glaciers and icebergs.

The only indications of human life to be seen is the Ikerassasuaq weather station (using the Greenlandic name for the sound) as you enter and then the small village of Appilattoq (with about 100 people). Animal life however is considerably more abundant, with minke, fin and blue whales seen frequently, as well as ringed and bearded seals that haul out on the floating ice.

For us it was just a really nice day of floating along the waterway, staring out the windows at icebergs, glaciers and wildlife.

Qaqortoq

Our first actual touch of land in Greenland came at the small town of Qaqortoq (the Q’s are pronounced as K’s making the town phonetically Kak-or-tok) . With about 3000 population Qaqortoq is a large town by Greenland standards. The area around Qaqortoq has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times. Beginning with the Saqqaq culture roughly 4,300 years ago. Written records of South Greenland begin with the arrival of the Norse in the late 10th century.

The ruins of Hvalsey are the most prominent Norse ruins in Greenland. They are about 19 kilometers out of town.

The site has the ruins of two great halls, 14 houses and a church house.

According to the Icelandic Book of Settlements the farmstead (Landnámabók) was established by Erik the Red’s uncle, Þorkell Farserkur (Thorkell Farserk) in the late 10th century.

The town itself is home to numerous colourful, historical colonial buildings along with the oldest fountain in Greenland, Mindebrønden, a spouting whale fountain, finished in 1932.

Our first place of visit was to hop over to the Great Greenland shop and factory that specialises in sealskin clothing . The town has a large showroom with a wide range of products, all produced locally. There is a warning though that before buying you should check that you will be allowed to bring items made of sealskin into your country of residence.

For those old enough to remember the outrage of the baby seal clubbing of the 1980’s then you will be pleased to know that things have come a long way. The furs and skins are amazingly warm and the showroom is quite the experience.

Seals are abundant in Greenland with an estimated total population of 12 million. According to statistics about 82,000 harp seals, 78,000 ringed seals and a much lower number of hooded seals are killed each year. The modern day hunting is much more humanely managed with hunters licenced, with quotas, no clubbing, and with close scrutiny. Young seals and mothers with young are fully protected.

A quick stop at a local cafe for a bight of my first ever musk ox burger, washed down by a local beer. All through the town of Qaqortoq, carved into boulders and lichen-covered rock faces, are carvings of whales, faces, and other traditional designs.

Together these stoneworks form a citywide open-air sculpture gallery known as Stone & Man. Today there are 24 separate carvings and sculptures, some took the shape of fully shaped sculptures made out of local boulders, while others looked more like recreations of ancient tribal markings of fish and whales, and others just look like graffiti.

There is also the Qaqortoq Museum, housed in the town’s oldest building (originally the town’s blacksmith’s shop).

Glaciers and icebergs abound and can be visited on either a boat tour or an unforgettable helicopter flight. You can also hike to the glacier near Narsarsuaq before you take your transfer to Qaqortoq.

Igaliku, is a small sheep farming community and Viking religious site. You can see the remains of the Garðar Cathedral, residence and two large cow barns.

Qassiarsuk hosts Brattahlíð, the original site where Eric the Red originally settled . The ruins of his settlement have been reconstructed (his longhouse and Thodhildur’s church).

If you are particularly cashed up, you can catch a boat or helicopter to one of the few thermal pools in the country. Greenland is not volcanic and has only a handful of places with hot springs, one of which is Uunartoq Hot Spring.

Nuuk

Nuuk was scheduled for our next stop but due to adverse weather conditions the stop was pulled and other venues in Canada (Nova Scotia) were added to our itinerary instead.

But for background only.

Nuuk (Godthåb) is the capital of Greenland and like most cities in Greenland, it is located along the ice-free, fjord-lined southwest coast, offering views of both the rolling landscape and the icy waters beyond. Nuuk contains a third of Greenland’s population and its tallest building. It is also the seat of government and in January 2024, had a population of 19,872.

While we just touched on two points of Greenland, in reality the majority of it is wildly inaccessible with 80% of its landmass made up of by a massive ice sheet.

Iceland

Reykjavik

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Having been to Iceland, and specifically Reykjavik, in June last year we had already hit most of the big ticket items that were on offer. The obvious was the Hallgrimskirka (big church), Harpa (concert house), Laugavegur (rainbow street) and the Sun Voyager (sculpture) and of course the Blue Lagoon. Our first foray saw us wandering all around town and taking in all of the pretty buildings and the tourist sights.

Having done that we were at a loss as to what was left to see on our two day stopover in Reykjavik. A bit of research revealed the existence of the Reykjavík City Card which offers free entry to a selection of the lesser museums and galleries, all swimming pools in Reykjavík, and free unlimited travel by bus within the Reykjavik Capital Area. The card also gives discounts on various tours, shopping and services.

The card did not include the expensive attractions (averaging $100 entry each) but for about $100 we got access to all (16) of the lesser attractions, free bus transportation and a way to see a bunch of stuff that we would not usually go to on a limited timeframe.

Being us, we titled it the ‘piss weak world‘ card. In hindsight this was an overly harsh description for what was a really good two days of exploring.

DISCLAIMER: I will state up front that modern art, contemporary art and performance art museums are absolutely not my thing. And without wanting to demean their existence, I am certain that I will, and will rank them highly in the piss weak category.

Our first entry was to the (Hafnarhús) Reykjavík Art Museum.

The blurb says that the permanent collection is of works by Erró, one of Europe’s most notable pop artists while the temporary shows tend toward the progressive and experimental, emphasising works from established contemporary artists.

Bearing in mind the disclaimer above, this was dog shit and 30 minutes of my life that I will never get back. Here are a few photos of pretty buildings as we left the art museum and headed to the next place on the list of piss weak worlds.

The next stop was at the Settlement exhibition which was immediately better.

Interesting displays of the evolution of culture and how Reykjavík grew from a farm
to a city.

This one was a really good place to visit.

The Listasafn gallery was next and might have been ok but it lost me when I walked into a gallery and found a bunch (about a dozen) of millennials laying or sitting on the floor in frozen poses.

I am sure that there is some deep contemporary art meaning to this, but to me it just screamed trust fund kids with nothing better to do.

Pass on this one.

The National Museum (Thjodminjasafn) is the oldest museum established in Iceland. It offered a variety of exhibitions illustrating the story of Iceland’s past, from
the Viking age to modern times. Excellent.

The next was the House of collections which was excellent again. This one aimed to bridge the gap between visual arts and science.

After this we were off to the Reykjavík Maritime Museum. Built in the old fish processing factory it was an odd sort of mix between museum and old school fish and chip shop.

We looked at the flyer for the Reykjavík Zoo to find that their cover image had cows on it. Having seen cows before, I figured that this zoo was more like a small Chinese dog (a Shih Tzu) so we skipped it.

That evening we made our way to one of the local swimming pools (Sundhöllin), with our dinner buddies Mark and Curtis.

Sundhöllin is a series of pools and saunas of varying temperatures that are very popular with the locals and offer an insight of the local lifestyle.

People of all ages were hopping from the 2 degree ambient temperature into the hot pool (39 degrees) and then plunging into the 12 degree pool or doing laps in the 20 degree pool. Others were heading straight from the really hot saunas, into the plunge pool and back.

I did the hot / cold / hot plunge and had a tingling sensation all over my body for the next few minutes. From here I settled in the hot pool for the next 20 minutes until it was time to get out into the 2 degree night air and race inside for hot shower and getting changed.

The next morning it was up early and off on the local bus into the outer suburbs of Reykjavík to visit the Árbær Open Air Museum. Now this truly was excellent. This is a historical village displaying tiny houses, as they existed over various periods of Icelandic development. The oldest versions had the turf roofs and stables inside with ingenious cooking and heating systems. As time progressed, so to did the build type and quality. Apart from the fact that it was a 3 degree summer’s day with a howling gale force wind, it was a truly excellent place.

Long story short, our piss weak world park pass was great value and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Yes there was some stuff that was not to my tastes, but there was plenty more that was. And the best bit was the free bus pass for the duration of the ticket. This gave us the opportunity to explore the city and see things well off the beaten path.

Our dinner buddies (Mark and Curtis) were super eager to see the volcanoes that Iceland had to offer. There had been recent volcano activity and while we went on our day one piss weak world tour they took a $500 (each) helicopter ride over the lava fields. The ride was nice but did not deliver on the sought after lava flows. That night we all headed to the pool for the hot swim and on our return to the ship were told by our favourite staff member (Fabio) that the Blue Lagoon trips for the next day had to be cancelled due to the eruption.

Eyes widened and the next morning they were up early again and had negotiated yet another $500 (each) helicopter ride. This time they hit pay dirt and were kind enough to share these images with us.

And as good as the stills are, the video was far better and you can zoom in and watch spouting geysers of flowing lava. As you can imaging, I pouted because I missed it.

Well I thought that Iceland would be a once in a lifetime experience and as it happens we have now been here twice in the last 15 months.

I must admit that we enjoyed both trips and while the place is seriously expensive and damages the budget, it really is worth making the effort to come and experience it.

Netherlands

Alkmaar

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For those that remember back (a bit over a year) we have already visited Alkmaar (about an hour north of Amsterdam) to catch up with friends that we had met in the Philippines (Michel and Sonja). The first time we arrived we happened to luck out and be there on the weekend that they hold their annual Kaeskoppenstad. This was to commemorate the siege of Alkmaar (1573), a critical turning point in the war against the Spanish as Alkmaar was the first city to withstand a siege by the Spanish army.

So on hearing of our impending return (we would take a cruise ship out of Amsterdam) we were told to forget about Amsterdam and stay with Michel and Sonja in Alkmaar instead. As it turned out, Michel (being very busy and important) had to work in the US and it was just us and Sonja.

While we were not here for the medieval festival, when we did arrive the entire town was awash with people yet again. As it turns out, when they know that we are coming, the entire town turns out. In reality, each Friday from March to September, the central square area (Waagplein) comes alive with a re-enactment of early cheese traders. Alkmaar is renowned for its cheese (cheese trading started in 1365) and they are lovingly referred to as cheese-heads.

Cheese carriers, outfitted in traditional white garb, and colorful straw hats, transport the cheeses on wooden sleds (called “berries”) which hold as much as eight cheese wheels, weighing 16 kilos each. Buyers and sellers negotiate the price of cheese through a series of hand slapping gestures. Cheese is brought to the weighing house, where it’s weighed, then brought to wagons for further transport.

Sonja posed for us at the bronze statue of a Dutch kissing cheesegirl.

It is a gift from one of the local Kaasmakers, renowned for making Beemster cheese.

A local ‘cheesegirl’ Denise van Dort modelled for the statue and gave her her first kiss on the reveal in July 2016.

Having wandered about the cheese thing, we paused at the local ice cream shop for a coffee and some apple pie for Jill. Sitting on a bridge over the canal while generally just watching the day go by really is a pretty good way to spend your time.

Sonja had organised some of her friends to take us on a boat ride around the Canals of Alkmaar. We were very quickly reunited with the concept of ducking to get underneath the low bridges on the canals. For those that have been following along, the first time here we did the inner city loop (restocking icecream at the fair), this time we did the wider loop taking in the Alkmaar surrounds. Our first stop was at a friend of theirs place who owned a restaurant and beerhaus with an incredibly impressive range of beverages on offer.

From here it was off again, after some minor engine trouble we found ourselves floating past windmills to truly cap off the Dutch experience. A bit further along we ended up at an oddly placed beach bar on the side of the canal. Feet in sand, we had a quiet sip for a few hours before continuing our journey, racing the setting sun to get home in time.

Putting the boat to bed we all headed to the local pizza joint for a bite to eat and good company. The pizza place had yet another impressive range of beers and the glasses that went with them (a really nice touch prevalent in this part of the world). Five of us ate and drank and the total bill came out at just 5 euros more than we had paid 2 days earlier for just Jill and I to eat in Norway.

The next day Sonja had to work so we took the opportunity to get all of our domestics (washing etc) under control . Once this was sorted we hit the shops and cooked up a storm so that Sonja could just relax when she came home to a fully cooked meal (including dessert).

After this we walked (about 500m) to Sonja’s sister’s house and met some family members, along with her daughter. On the Sunday we made our way (about 5km) from Alkmaar to the little village (715 residents) of Grootschermer, the town where Sonja grew up. Here we met her mum, sister, daughter and brother-in law (from the night before) and their son who also came out to visit.

On a Sunday the town of Grootschermer comes out and gets together focussed specifically around the tiny house (an old farm house). Around this area was a few people in dress up (must be a dutch thing) and some displays of making wool with an old spinning wheel.

Most importantly, they were smoking fresh eel and serving it up on bread rolls (Palingbroodjes), and on the other side they were frying up fresh dutch croquettes and serving them on bread rolls with mustard (Broodje kroket).

The hall church was thoroughly restored in 1978. The tower clock and bell are from 1648 and the old coat of arms of the Schermer (a mole and two pikes) are still in the clock. The eastern dial of the clock is larger than that on the west side because the farm workers had to be able to see the time from far away. The village church has an art committee that organises exhibitions every summer. During the exhibitions, the church is open on weekends and is freely accessible.

From here it was off to the Foundation Museum and Sculpture Garden of local artist Nic Jonk. This museum and its sculpture garden were opened in 1965. You can look at statues, paintings, glass art and much more. There are around 200 statues by Nic Jonk in public spaces around the Netherlands. His work can also be found in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Curacao and the United States.

Alkmaar and the surrounds really gave us an insight into life in a small village. Sonja was born, grew up and has lived her life within a 5km radius, and (much of) the rest of her family is within the same area. They have all travelled widely and experienced other things, but have chosen to stay rooted to a particular spot. And what a lovely spot it is.

This level of community and village type feel does not exist in big cities and even in small towns in Australia, I have not seen or experienced anything like it.

It was a shame that we missed Michel, but Sonja was an amazing host and we had a really good time and are so grateful for the hospitality offered. I am certain that we will catch up again, in Australia, Netherlands or maybe even back in the Philippines where we first met.

Denmark

Copenhagen

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Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, with a population of around 1.4 million (3.8 in the greater Copenhagen area). It sits on the islands of Zealand and Amager. It regularly gets voted in the top 5 most livable cities and the Danes always rank highly on the world’s happiest people.

Copenhagen’s 1,000 year history is reflected in the buildings, museums, sights and attractions that you come across. But in addition to this is the modern infrastructure, innovation and daring architecture that keep it high on the happiness scale.

Copenhagen started as a Viking fishing village back in the 10th century and became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century.

Denmark has the world’s oldest monarchy. The current reigning Queen
Margrethe II, counts legendary Viking King Gorm the Old (900-958 AD) as one of her ancestors. Royalty is present everywhere in Copenhagen mostly manifesting in the many palaces and regal buildings built by kings and queens throughout the centuries.

Jill could not have put our hotel any closer to the railway station if she had tried.

A funky little joint, directly opposite the station, would make our early morning departure quick and painless.

In the other direction was the historic Tivoli Gardens.

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park in the middle of town. It first opened its doors on 15 August 1843.

It is the second oldest amusement park in the world (the oldest is Dyrehavsbakken – also in Denmark).

Built in 1914 it has one of the world’s oldest wooden roller coasters that is still operating today.

The area around is known as the Strøget, which is one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets, running from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv (The King’s New Square). It is the city’s main shopping area.

Nyhavn is one of Copenhagen’s most iconic sights, with a row of colourful houses that are now restaurants and bars.

Originally it was a commercial port where ships from all over the world would dock, and was packed with sailors visiting its pubs, alehouses and ladies of pleasure.

The Danish fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen was most famous for his fairy tales even though he wrote novels, poems, plays and travel articles. 

He used to live on Nyhavn in number 20, where he wrote the fairy-tales ‘The Tinderbox’, ‘Little Claus and Big Claus’, and ‘The Princess and the Pea’. He then lived for twenty years in number 67 and for two more years in number 18.

As you pop out near the major canal you find yourself at the the first ever museum in Denmark. Now the Thorvaldsen Museum (displaying the works of Bertel Thorvaldsen) when it opened in 1848 its halls displayed mostly sculptures.

Charlottenborg Palace is a large mansion that was originally built as a residence but has served as the base of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts since 1754.


Christiansborg Palace is a former palace and now government building in central Copenhagen. now houses the Danish Parliament, Prime Ministers office, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. The Great Hall is the most imposing room in the palace and is where you will find Queen Margrethe II’s tapestries.

The equestrian statue of Christian V on horseback was raised in 1688 to celebrate the king who laid out the area.

Frederik’s Church, commonly known as the Marble Church sits due west of the Amalienborg Palace and forms the focal point of the Frederiksstaden district.

It is an Evangelical Lutheran church, the foundation stone was laid on October 31, 1749 but it stood as a ruin for nearly 150 years until it was finally finished until 1894.

St. Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Church is the only Russian Orthodox church in Copenhagen. It was built by the between 1881 and 1883, prompted by Princess Dagmar of Denmark’s marriage to Alexander Alexandrovich.

They later ascended to the Russian throne as Tsar Alexander III of Russia and Tsaritsa Maria Feodorovna.

Around the corner you find yourself at the Design museum. Originally the first public hospital in Denmark the museum now offers displays of decorative art, crafts, and industrial designs from the late Middle Ages up to the present.

The National Museum of Denmark showcases everything from Viking treasure, the 3,000 year old Sun Chariot, the Egtved girl’s grave through to Egyptian mummies and renaissance art.

No trip to Copenhagen is complete without going to see the Little Mermaid. But to get there you have to take a fair hike through Kastellet. This one time Citadel is now a public park but still houses one of the best preserved fortresses in Northern Europe. It is shaped like a pentagon with bastions at its corners. There are a number of buildings located within the grounds including the Citadel Church as well as a windmill and various military buildings.

The Little Mermaid is a bronze statue depicting a mermaid becoming human. It is based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

It is a small and unimposing statue and has been a Copenhagen icon since its unveiling in 1913.

Rosenborg Castle sits in the centre of Copenhagen and was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606-1607. It sits in the middle of the King’s Garden and is home to the Danish Crown Jewels, Crown Regalia, and gems. The park was created by King Christian IV in the early 1600s for parties and frivolities. Today the park is open to the public.

Amalienborg Palace Frederik VIII’s Palace was built during 1750-60 for Baron Joachim Brockdorff. Today the palace is The Royal Family’s private residence.

An hour outside of town you will find Kronborg Castle, ‘home’ to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The first castle on this spot was built in the 1420s. Ships passing into the Baltic Sea paid tolls at Kronborg Castle and Helsingør was once one of the most important towns in Europe.

The modern castle has the same dimensions as when they enlarged the castle (upwards), the old one was not torn down. They just built on top of it.

Deep under the castle you’ll meet Holger the Dane (Holger Danske), an imposing stone statue. Holger the Dane is a legendary figure in Danish culture and according to legend, if Denmark is ever in trouble, he’ll waken from his rock throne under Helsingør and defend her.

Our trip to Copenhagen was too short. There is so much history and so much to see and do, you really need much more time than we had available. The problem with this is that Copenhagen is brutally expensive. Accommodation, food and drink will seriously damage the wallet. It is lovely to see but I am not entirely sure that either of us would put this (or most of Scandinavia to be honest) on our must return list. They were all nice and interesting enough, but it may just be a been there done that tick for far northern Europe.

Norway

Norway

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Norway is the country that has been terrifying me for a very long time now. Everything that we have heard, from everyone we have met, has told us that Norway is the most expensive country in the world.

When in Iceland we paid 17 euros for a beer (about $28 AUD), their comment was that at least they were cheaper than Norway.

For those that remember our foray into Switzerland, on the first night we bought a (very ordinary) kebab and a soft drink each with a final bill of over $61 . The next night we ended up eating salad (bought from the supermarket) on our bed because we could not afford to eat out at the restaurants. The three most expensive countries worldwide are Norway, Switzerland, Iceland. These countries stand out for their high cost of living, groceries, accommodation, dining out, and purchasing power.

Despite my fears, it wasn’t that bad. In fact both Switzerland and Iceland were worse and their claims of being cheaper than Norway were false. Don’t get me wrong, this place is still seriously expensive, but not as terrifying as I had been led to believe. Although, we met others shortly afterwards that claimed that once you got out of the capital that the prices skyrocketed.

Norway is a Scandinavian nation with a population of 5.5 million and has has an extensive coastline facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. The unified kingdom of Norway was established in 872 (merging smaller ‘petty kingdoms’) and has existed continuously ever since. Norway was neutral during WWI, and in the WWII until it was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940 who held control until the end of the war.

Oslo

At the end of the Oslo fjord lies Oslo,it is a green and modern city with a population of around 700,000. Oslo’s history goes back 1000 years. In 1624, all of old Oslo burnt to the ground. King Christian IV decided that the city should not be rebuilt at the same location and instead be built to the north of the Fortress. It became the capital city of Norway after the constitution was drafted in 1814.

During Viking times, there was a large settlement in Oslo, but there are very few traces of Vikings in the area. About a 90 minute drive away at the Vestfold County is where the viking relics and evidence of occupation can be found.

Vikings

The Viking legacy is strong in Norway, the Viking Age began in 793 with an attack on the Lindisfarne monastery in England (which is the first known Viking raid). The slaying of King Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 is thought to be the event that marks the end of their glory days.

The Vikings are mostly known for their relentless pillaging but many of them lived peacefully as traders and farmers with many expeditions main aims being barter deals. Those who stayed home supported their families through farming . But it was mostly raids looting, colonisation, and trade that brought the Vikings to so many destinations.

Longships sailed across the Baltic Sea, down Russian rivers to the Black and Caspian Seas, across to Byzantium (Istanbul) and to Baghdad (Iraq). Vikings were the first Europeans to reach Greenland and North America. In fact, the Viking explorer Leiv Eiriksson arrived on the shores of North America around 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

Vikings are known to have settled many cities (including Dublin and the region of Normandy in France). Dublin was held as a significant viking settlement for more than three centuries. Between 879 and 920, Vikings colonised Iceland, which became the springboard for the colonisation of Greenland. Remains of a viking settlement in Newfoundland have been carbon dated to 1000.

Our adventure

After the drama of getting here (see the Sweden post), our accommodation was a short (800m) walk from the central railway station and a similar distance from the docks that we would end up sailing out of. Being so centrally located, and a little delayed we were on a tight timeline to get out and explore. Thankfully Oslo CBD and tourist attractions are compact and easily navigable.

The first thing we wanted to see was the Museum of the Viking Age. But the website immediately notified us that it was closed and will not reopen until 2027.

With the Museum out we aimed for the Cathedral (Oslo Domkirke) right in the heart of town. Along the way we came across funky little square (Christiania Torv) with some of Oslo’s oldest buildings found around it, including first town hall from 1641 (today a restaurant). The square is known for its fountain, with a sculpture of a hand pointing to the ground. This is allegedly where the Danish-Norwegian king (Christian IV) pointed to this spot and said: “The new town will lie here!”. Continuing past the square we got to the the Cathedral which is the seat of the Bishop of Oslo. It was first consecrated in 1697, but needed to be restored back to its original baroque interior after WWII.

From here we were in full swing and headed along the Karl Johans gate. This is a popular avenue that stretches from the Oslo Central Station to the Royal Palace. Along the way we stopped at the Eidsvoll plass which is the park that sits in front of the Norwegian Parliament building.

As you keep walking through the park and along the Karl Johans gate you come across some truly lovely old buildings. Including the National Theatre, one of Norway’s largest avenues for performing arts.

The photos below are just a collection of really cool old buildings as you yellow building below has been a restaurant since the 18th century and the next has been a hotel for about the same period, some funky old banks and university buildings and the national theatre.

As the walk continues you find yourself at Slottsparken (the Royal Gardens) and then Slottsplassen (‘The Palace Square’) and of course the Palace itself.

Directly in front of the palace you find the statue of Charles John of Norway and Sweden.

It was sculpted and erected in 1875.

Coming back along the other side of the park and you wander past the Oslo City Hall (Radhuset).

The building has two towers (63 and 66 meters tall) with the eastern tower hosting a carillon set of 49 bells.

Behind the city hall is the Oslo Fjord waterfront. This area holds the National Museum and the Nobel Peace centre.

This museum marks the start of the Oslo city harbour promenade.

Here you can walk along the Oslo harbour for almost 10 kilometres, with no interruptions.

Shipyards, container facilities and heavy traffic have given way to pedestrian walkways, parks and benches. And of course an upscale pier full of restaurants and shops (that we couldn’t afford) and at the very end of the walk is the Astrup Fearnley Museum which is the museum for contemporary art.

One of the more interesting things that we discovered on this amble along the waterfront was the spotting of floating saunas. apparently, urban sauna culture has taken Oslo by storm. In the city centre several options have appeared for combining a trip to the sauna with a following dip into the fjord. There were a bunch of saunas anchored to the docks that accommodate up to 7 people. There is an additional option where you can rent a sauna and take it for a cruise into the harbour and out to see the Fjord.

While we were there we saw this one lone little sauna (about the size of a 1970’s caravan) bobbing up and down on the bay while the bigger boats and ferries beeped their horn and all but ran it over.

Having almost looped the city we found ourselves back near the main railway station (on the water) staring at the Oslo Opera House.

And just next door to this is the Munch Museum. This is home to the collection of work by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch and includes the three versions of his iconic painting, The Scream.

Akershus Fortress is known to be the most haunted castle in Norway and attracts more than three million visitors every year. It was built around 1290 by King Haakon V as a defensive stronghold for Oslo. It was once used as a prison for Norway’s most infamous criminals and during WWII, Nazis occupied the castle and conducted executions there. Today the fortress area is a popular venue for major events, including concerts, public holiday celebrations and ceremonies.

Trolls

Once upon a time (according to folklore) trolls roamed freely in the Norwegian mountains and forests. But the trolls only went out at night, in the dark because if they were caught in the sunlight the first rays of the sunlight would turn them into stone. Because of this you can still see their faces and bodies carved into the mountain sides, cliffs and stones all around the country. These rock formations and mountains with troll-like-shapes have mesmerised people all over Norway for thousands of years. Now, most of the trolls can be seen at the tourist shops.

Oslo hosts The Viking Planet the world’s first digital Viking museum that uses VR technology, holograms, interactive screens and 270-degree film to explore the life of the Vikings. The venue allows you to learn and experience the everyday life of the Vikings, join a voyage, climb aboard a Viking ship in a storm and take a picture of yourself as a Viking.

About 15 kilometers around the Fjord you can find the Henie Onstad Art centre and sculpture park, Our time did not allow us to get here but it does look amazing.

Poncy statues

For a nation with such a strong and bold viking history, Oslo sure had the poonciest set of statues we have ever seen. We had expected to find butch and manly men and strong shieldmaiden type women immortalised in the statues around town. What we found could not have been more opposite.

The Polar Exploration (Fram) Museum is literally built around the two ships that define Norwegian polar exploration: the Fram and the Gjøa. Housed in two tall buildings designed to accommodate the ships, it comprises numerous exhibitions and offers an opportunity to board and explore the Fram.

Leaving Norway we hopped on the ferry (once again more like a cruise ship) to take us the 600 kilometers from Oslo to Copenhagen in Denmark. The ship leaves Oslo at about 3pm, travels overnight with a quick stop in Frederikshavn (Denmark) and delivers you at docks in Copenhagen at 10am the next morning.

Sweden

Sweden

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Ok so two of my closest mates (Jimmy and Angelo) had both spent the preceding week and month respectively in Sweden and both raved about how good it was.

My mate Angelo has been coming for years and catching up with some local friends and Jimmy was catching up with family.

So Sweden got quite the buildup before we had even arrived therefore our expectations were high.

At 450,295 square kilometres and a population of a bit over 10.6 million, Sweden is the largest Nordic country and the fifth-largest country in Europe. Sweden has been inhabited since prehistoric times, c. 12,000 BC. A unified Swedish state was established during the 10th century and in 1397, Sweden joined Norway and Denmark to form the Scandinavian Kalmar Union.

The Swedish Viking Age lasted from the eighth to the eleventh century with Swedish Vikings travelling east and south, going to Finland, Estonia, the Baltic countries, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Stockholm is the capital and Gothenburg is the home of Volvo.

Stockholm

The city of Stockholm is situated on fourteen islands and on the banks of the archipelago where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea.

Our entry to Sweden was on an overnight ferry (more like a cruise ship) from Finland. This meant that we sailed in past some of the 267,570 islands that Sweden has to offer.

This made for a pretty spectacular way to enter a country.

 After landing we grabbed a car from the docks to our hotel, which was quite literally right next door to the central railway station (we would leave by train). Once settled we headed straight for a flea market that we had passed on the drive in. As it turned out, the market was being held in the square in front of the Stockholm concert house (Konserthuset) which was built after WWI. Since 1926,  the Nobel Prize in medicine, physics, chemistry and literature has been awarded (on 10 December each year) in this concert hall.

The flea market was more flea than market, so we took some happy snaps and continued our journey. This saw us getting to Sergels torg a public square with a sunken pedestrian plaza and a distinctive grey and white triangular design. As we tend to do, we were wandering in the general direction of the palace but got distracted by funky looking buildings. The first that we saw was Saint Jacob’s Church.

Around the corner and we were in the Kungstradgarden, a long and impressive greenspace linking the city heart to the water.

The Kungliga Opera House that is home to the Royal Swedish Opera and the ballet company. As seems to be the way, the entire side facing the water was covered in scaffolding. But as in Helsinki, they did leave the front relatively clear.

As you cross the bridge you find yourself on a tiny little island and a park called the Riksplan, a public park with the Swedish Parliament house (Riksdagshuset) on your right.

And directly across from that is Gamla stan, the old part of the city that holds important things like the Royal Palace and Museums (Kungliga Slottet). We arrived at about 1pm to see hundreds of people starting to mass at the gates. A snappy google search told us that the changing of the guard would take place at quarter past. We started to hang about, but about three tour bus loads later and we decided to walk away.

Storkyrkan Cathedral is the oldest church in Stockholm and lies in the centre of Gamla stan, between the Palace and Stortorget, (the old main square of Stockholm).

It was built in the 13th century and currently serves as the seat of the Bishop of Stockholm.

Also on the Gamla Stan Island you will find the Nobel Prize Museum, a small museum with vast content.

Just across from Gamla Stan is another small island that is home to the Riddarholmen, the church of the former medieval Greyfriars Monastery. It is the largest church in Sweden and serves as the final resting place of most Swedish monarchs. We have seen quite the number of churches over the years, this one is up there with the best.

With Jimmy having just left Sweden, he talked up a couple of beverages that he rated particularly highly. So based on his recommendation we headed to a venue, ordered his suggestions, and then tinkered with some others. Fair enough to say that they were not terrible and we slowly sipped our way through the afternoon.

Having blitzed the old town area all that was really left was to wander the streets and check out the mix between old and new that Stockholm has to offer. It was pretty similar to Helsinki, but somehow felt so much more interesting. I cannot explain why but the feel here in Stockholm was much more welcoming.

Gothenburg

Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden, with a population of about 600,000 and 1.1 million in the broader metro area. The city isn’t actually called Gothenburg, in Swedish the city is named Göteborg, roughly pronounced yaw-ta-bore(g). Founded in 1621 it quickly became a major commercial fishing and shipbuilding hub, and later the birthplace of Volvo.

It sits on the west coast of Sweden and has been ranked as the world’s most sustainable city for the last six years running. Gothenburg was the first city in the world to issue green bonds to stimulate investment in solutions to climate change. Almost all the city’s hotels are eco-certified and plans to develop a zero-emissions transport zone in the downtown district are well underway.

Jönköping is located on the highway between Stockholm and Gothenburg. The tourist blurb suggests that there is plenty to do around Jönköping. This includes things like the lake Vättern Biosphere Reserve, fishing, camping, hiking/biking trails, kayaking, and of course there is the safety match museum.

Kalmar is by the Baltic Sea near the Danish border and is surrounded by water. It was a fortified city and a stronghold for royal power (13th to the 17th centuries). At the center is the Kalmar castle, which was used to defend Sweden against invasions.

Älmhult is the home of Ikea. It is a city/town of about 9,000 and it houses both the Ikea Hotel and the museum. The museum is massive and showcases the design and history of Ikea. while the hotel is the only place you can stay in a room completely furnished with 100% Ikea products. They even have price tags and information about where to find them in the store!

The most important thing that we learned in all of out time in Sweden, is that Australians pronounce the most famous Swedish store (Ikea) incorrectly.

We typically call it (eye kee ah) but after much consultation we have learned that it is actually pronounced (ick ee ah).

Leaving Sweden ended up being quite the adventure, it wasn’t meant to be it just happened that way. Our day started at about 5am with a short (about 100m) walk to the central train station where we waited and boarded our fast train towards Oslo in Norway. All went swimmingly for the first couple of hours with some stunning Swedish countryside to be taken in.

Until the train ground to a halt in the town of Valsviken. Apparently there was an issue at the next stop (Karlstad) which meant that no train (from either direction) could enter. This meant that we all got kicked off the train and milled about at the wrong station waiting for buses to come and get us to drive us to the station that they couldn’t use.

Once at the broken station we then got ferried to the next town of Kil where we met up with the similar train going in the opposite direction. Apparently they had all been similarly dumped and bused and were wending their way to the train that we had just abandoned.

While it all seems fairly innocuous, the communication throughout was less than stellar and there was much milling about in the cold and the wind while confusion reigned supreme. Hundreds of people, not enough buses, poor communication and at least 7 languages in play made for an entertaining few hour delay and drama.

On the up side, we got to see even more of the amazing Swedish countryside and lakes. The place really is very pretty.

Sweden had a really nice feel to it. By all accounts, the real value of Sweden is not to be found in town but in nature. There are countless national parks and nature reserves in Sweden along with four biosphere reserves. A Biosphere reserves is an ecosystem of special scientific and natural interest that are left undisturbed. In addition to this there are the many rivers and lakes that we drove past that are visually just stunning. So I guess we have a reason to return.

Finland

Finland

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The area that is now Finland was settled around 8,500 BC during the Stone Age towards the end of the last glacial period. The artefacts the first settlers left behind present characteristics that are shared with those found in Estonia, Russia, and Norway.

Finland covers an area of 338,145 square kilometres (130,559 sq mi)[4] and has a population of 5.6 million.

In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office.

The nation remained a largely agricultural country until the 1950s. After World War II, it industrialised quickly and established an advanced economy. It became a member of the EU in 1995, the Eurozone in 1999, and NATO in 2023.

Finland in the summer months – the sun doesn’t set at all in the northernmost parts of the country, hence the nickname “The Land of the Midnight Sun.” In the winter, the opposite happens, and the sun disappears for months. This time is called “kaamos”.

And – if you’re lucky – the Autumn and Spring may bring the colourful Northern Lights (photo from visitfinland.com).

And according to the WHO (World Health Organisation) Finland has the best air quality in the world.

Getting here

Our trip to Finland from Estonia was on the ferry. I must be honest and say that the idea of a ferry was not all that appealing. But on arrival I was met by more of a cruise ship than a ferry. The modern European ferries make the Australian ferry options look absolutely prehistoric. Our trip was on the Tallink Megastar.

The Megastar is the newest ship in the Tallink fleet and has been operating since 2017. The 212 metre vessel can hold 2800 passengers and reach speeds of 27 knots.

It has restaurants, bars, the largest mall on the Baltic Sea and a 2,800 square meter Superstore (think Myers) that is a fully stocked.

Add to this a huge duty free shop where you can get spirits, wines, beer, cigarettes, sweets, cosmetics and perfumes.

The garage area has a capacity of 150 vehicles.

The ride only took 2 hours and there was quite literally not a wave to be seen. The Baltic Sea (at least when we were there) was a millpond. Long story short, my fears of the ferry were unfounded and in reality this is the best and most relaxing way possible to get around up here.

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital of Finland with a population a bit over 600 thousand. I will state right now that the beer and the local food was absolutely the lowlight of our time here in Finland. Both the price and the taste left us both unimpressed. We did find a Syrian restaurant that saved us, but the local fare on offer was not great.

Our introduction to Helsinki was when we left the port and walked about a kilometer away to get our Bolt car without the harassment of the local cab drivers. Here is where we found the Bad Boy. It is a pink 8.5 metre sculpture made of concrete that weighs in at about seven and a half tons. And it is of a boy pissing. The water flow in the sculpture is heated so the boy can urinate all year round, even in winter.

It was was originally ordered as part of a public art festival in Sweden, where it urinated into a river in a park.

It then moved to Market Square in Helsinki where it urinated into the ocean in front of the Presidential Palace.

It most recently moved to in front of an electronics store, where it acquired a set of headphones.

There is a HOHO bus in Helsinki, but it is €34 each, and the town centre and loop really isn’t that big and is easily walkable. The Mannerheimintie is the central avenue that runs through the heart of the capital. Unlike the old towns of the Baltics, Helsinki is a very modern city.

But we were here and it was time to explore. Our wander towards town saw us looking at some interesting looking buildings, nice parks on a cool and pleasant day in the heart of town. Once we got to the circular Swedish Theatre we were in the heart of it.

Modern blocks, full of rows of shops and shopping malls to rival any modern city on the planet. There was the odd glimpse towards something vaguely historical, but for the most part it was just a modern city. The central railway station signalled the start of a bit more character. The railway tracks were built in the 1860s an the granite clad station in 1919. The building is known for its clock tower and the Lyhdynkantajat (“The Lantern Bearers”).

Just down the road from the train station you come across Rautatientori square and the the Finnish National Theatre. founded in 1872, is the oldest Finnish-language professional theatre in the country.

Across the road you find the Ateneum, which is the major Art museum in Helsinki. It is one of the three museums that forms the Finnish National Gallery.

The National Museum was closed for renovation at the time we were here. But when it is open it looks like this and it traces the Finnish history from the Stone Age to the present.

Helsinki Cathedral was one of the must do major attractions and once again, it was under construction.

The usually stunning building was covered in scaffolding.

While the main building was under renovation, they did leave one side free for photographs. Added to this the Cathedral sits on Senate Square, which is impressive enough in its own right. The square is in the oldest part of central Helsinki and is ringed by the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the oldest building of central Helsinki (Sederholm House dating from 1757).

Having had enough for day one and walking plenty we made our way back towards our accommodation, stopping for some very poor local beers and bites on the way. The next morning a great breakfast primed us for another day of walking to explore the rest of the city. But first we headed down to the location of the open air flea market. This was clearly just a weekend thing, and after standing and scratching out heads for a while it was back to the Mannerheimintie.

Also on Mannerheimintie you will find the Parliament house which was designed and built after WWI.

The Sibelius Monument is a park sculpture dedicated to the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957). It controversially looks like organ pipes, despite the composer not making music for the organ.

Kiasmais is a very funky location and is the home of the contemporary art museum.

At the end of the Mannerheimintie you run into the waterfront and the usual tourist fare that goes with that. A bunch of local ferries come and go, and there is a huge number of (summertime) pop up stalls to feed them and extract some money for trinkets. Add to this a Ferris wheel and a swimming pool and the place is complete.

Up the hill from the waterfront you will find the highly impressive Uspenski Cathedral. This is the largest Orthodox church in western Europe and is visited by half a million people annually. The cathedral’s size is emphasized by its location on the highest hill of the Katajanokka district. The central cupola of the cathedral is 33 meters high. The cathedral was designed by a Russian architect and was consecrated in 1868.

Suomenlinna sea fortress is a Unesco World Heritage Site located on the coast of Helsinki. It is accessible by ferry and is also a suburb of Helsinki with around 800 residents. The fortress was shaped by three historic eras when it helped to defend first Sweden, then Russia and ultimately Finland. There are six kilometres of walls, 100 cannons, exciting tunnels, and beautiful parks. 

In the past, all of Finland’s houses were built of wood and usually painted red, with a few blue and yellow thrown in.

Some of these have been preserved and sit just as they did decades or centuries ago. Visiting these picturesque places is like entering a living time capsule. Within Helsinki the districts of Käpylä (about 8km north) and Vallila (about 5km northeast) will give you an opportunity to explore some of these.

Olavinlinna Castle (also known as St. Olaf’s Castle) is one of Finland’s best known tourist sites. It was founded in 1475 and is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait.  

At around 400km from Helsinki we didn’t get here but it did look pretty cool. Our time in Helsinki was mixed. The town initially did not impress, but it did grow on us the more we explored. The local food and drink options were both expensive and poor, but other options (non-Finnish) were readily available and were typically better priced.

While it was perfectly nice, I don’t see either of us rushing back to Finland anytime soon. The weather was nice, the people friendly but this ticks one of those been there-done that type boxes rather than the oh my god we have to go back.

Estonia

Estonia

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Estonia finds itself at the edge of the European Union, connecting Europe to Russia, combining the best of the Nordics and the Baltics.

Estonia consists of the mainland, two larger islands (Saaremaa and Hiiumaa), and over 2,300 other islands and islets on the east coast of the Baltic Sea. The area has been inhabited by humans since at least 9,000 BCE. The Estonian mainland was one of the last pagan civilisations in Europe to adopt Christianity (after the crusades in the 13th century).

Once again my early knowledge was limited but the writeups suggested that it was as good as Latvia and Lithuania but with a much prettier Old Town. Given that we loved the old towns of the other two, then this was something to look forward to.

The train to get us here from Riga for some unknown reason was to take us around 12 hours, but the local 5 star bus only took three. So the bus it was. A very calm and relaxed bus ride, with full WIFI all the way. A cab ride (bolt actually) to the hotel and we were ready to explore the Old Town of Tallinn.

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia, with a population of a little under half a million. The town sits on a bay on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. The oldest evidence of habitation dates back 5000 years with evidence of hunting and fishing settlements.

As an important port on a major trade route between Novgorod (northern Russia) and western Europe in around 1050 AD, a fortress was built on the hill of Toompea in what is now central Tallinn.

The Church of St. Nicholas is one of the oldest in the city, dedicated to the patron of the fishermen and sailors.

It was partially destroyed in the Soviet bombing of Tallinn in WWII. While the building has been restored, it has not been used for regular religious activities since WWII. It now houses the Niguliste Museum.

Our accommodation was just outside the old town (closer to the port, as that would be our exit) but still a short walk to the centre of things. It retains its walled, cobblestoned Old Town which is now home to cafes and shops. Our entry saw us wander down to the town where we were met with some amazingly thick brick walls that made up the medieval defences.

At this point we entered and were already impressed. We passed through the gates and found ourselves on cobblestoned streets staring at old buildings and church spires. Almost every corner you turned landed you onto a new scene with old buildings, museums, churches, medieval defences, you name it.

The wandering continued until we found ourselves in the heart of old town at the Town Hall Square. This has been a marketplace and the centre of town since the Middle Ages and became the centre of Old Town in the 13th and 14th centuries.T he central part of the square is the gothic Town Hall that was built in the 13th century with its 64m-high tower.

In summer the square is packed with restaurants and at times plays host to medieval festivals, and is also a venue for open-air concerts, and fairs. In winter it becomes a Christmas market, the centrepiece of which is a towering spruce tree. The tradition of celebrating Christmas festivities here dates back to 1441 when the Brotherhood of the Blackheads are thought to have erected the world’s very first Christmas tree.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox Church. It was built in 1894–1900, when the country was part of the former Russian Empire.

The cathedral is the city’s largest cupola church. 

Up at the top of the hill near the cathedral you will find another defensive tower known as Tall Hermann and the old Toompea Castle.

As you keep coming down the hill you run into the Kiek in de Kok .

Meaning peep into the kitchen in old German and Bastion Passages Museum is a 15th-century defensive tower.

It is an artillery tower built in 1475 and is 38 m tall, has walls 4 m thick and still has Cannon balls dating back to 1577 embedded in its walls.

And as a 55 year old man I really should be more mature than to still find the name amusing.

Coming down the hill from the Kiek in de Kok you find yourself entering Freedom Square, at the southern end of Old Town. Freedom Square holds a Victory Column (2009) commemorating the Estonian War of Independence 1918–1920. The square also abuts St. John’s Church (built 1862–67).

And all around the outside of the Old Town is patches of the old city walls and the renovated gates that take you in and out.

We really enjoyed our time in Estonia, and in fact all three of the Baltic nations. The food has been good, and with one exception so have the beverages. Temperatures in February are terrible but by the time summer rolls around you are pulling low to mid 20’s with long days, so there is plenty of time to explore.

Our August foray into the three Baltic nations was pretty much spot on. It is technically the high season with the most tourists, but the volume of tourists coming here is way less than you will get in places like France or Italy. So even at peak times, the place is really manageable.

Latvia

Latvia

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Latvia is one of the three Baltic states (with Estonia and Lithuania). It borders Russia (east), and Belarus (southeast) and shares a maritime border with Sweden (west).

Once again this is a nation that we both had little knowledge of before entering. Like many of the nations in and around eastern Europe, they have been at the mercy of the big nation states around them (notably Russia and Germany). It finally got its independence at the end of WWI but was forcibly subsumed into the Soviet Union at the beginning of WWII. It was invaded by Germany in 1941 and retaken by Russia in 1944.

The Singing Revolution

At the end of the Cold War the three Soviet-occupied Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania sought and ultimately peacefully won their independence. It manifested in a series of events between 1987 and 1991 where widespread dissatisfaction with the Soviet system provoked mass demonstrations (peacefully singing). The Latvian official independence occurred on 21 August 1991.

The area that is now Latvia has a history dating back to 3000 years BC. One of the last corners of Europe to join Christendom, Latvians are still very much pagans at heart. They worship nature by jumping over bonfires at Midsummer Eve, and many surnames are about birds, animals or trees. Today with a population of just under 2 million,

Riga

Our time throughout the Baltics was short, but the long summer days (20 hours of daylight) gave us more than enough time to look around and get our tourist on. As with most of the European older towns and cities, most of the old touristy stuff is in the central area, or Old Town area of the city. The rest of the place is just like any other modern city and the surrounding suburbs. Interesting enough, but not really blog worthy or anything different.

Our first port of call, having got off the train was to hit the Riga Central Markets. The markets are set up in a series of five WWI Zeppelin aircraft hangars. It covers a vast floor space and is Europe’s largest market. There are more than 3,000 vendors that sell an impressive range of fresh local produce. The stalls are divided neatly into each hangar with meat, fish, dairy, and vegetables all found separately.

We had limited time on day one so did a quick scoot through vowing to come back tomorrow for our lunch. This vow was based upon seeing some of the most amazing deli meats and cheeses that can be found. Add to this some really delicious looking other random items and how could you not want to go back and gorge yourself.

As it turned out this was a mistake as the next day was Monday and the food court bit was closed. There was still much of the fresh fruit and produce, and being berry season the quantity, quality and price of the berries put our measly offerings back home to shame.

So our first evenings walk was aiming for the Freedom Monument.

It is a 42 meter tall monument honouring the soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920).

It is considered a symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia.

But to get there we found ourselves walking through the abundance of green space that is throughout Riga. For an old city it really is fantastically well laid out with a ton of green areas for the people to enjoy. Throw in the usual mix of old buildings and you immediately get a great feel about the place.

The next morning it was up and into it. So we headed down to the markets, only to be disappointed. We checked out where we would be leaving the next day (bus station) and made out way into old town once again to do the tourist thing.

The House of the Blackheads was originally built in 1334 as a warehouse, meeting and celebration place for merchants.

During the 15th century it was used by the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried merchants, shipowners and foreigners in Riga.

Over the years, many citizens of Riga became interested in the property, and carried out different works to expand and reform it, following a purely Gothic style. However, the old House of the Blackheads was completely destroyed during World War II.

The National Opera and Ballet was a nice enough building in the midst of the gardens and green spaces.

St. Peter’s Church is the highest church in Riga and a significant Gothic-style 13th-century architectural monument.

The tower is more than 130 meters tall and was completed at the end of the 15th century.

Since then it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. In 1666 it collapsed, in 1721, lightning struck the tower and it burned down and during WWII the church and tower burned down.

The National Library of Latvia sits on the other side of the river (the Daugava) from Old Town. The architecture is seriously cool.

The Old Town has an interesting architecture mix and most of the buildings have the status of cultural monuments. Almost everywhere you look in the old town area are some seriously nice buildings. It is really clean and well maintained and the people are happy, friendly and accommodating.

The streets and squares of Old Riga open up to countless restaurants, cafes and bars. Having come from Prague and Poland and heading north we are noticing a considerable increase in the pricing as we get closer to Scandinavia.

With almost 500 km of coast, Latvia has tons of beaches added to this over half its territory is covered by forest. As an interesting side note, it was Latvian-born tailor Jacob Davis who in 1871 in Reno, Nevada, invented denim as a tough material for trousers. He then went into partnership with Levi Strauss and made a fortune.

Latvian Beer

I am very pleased to report that the Latvian beers were very nice indeed. The price is increasing, but still not quite up to Australian pricing, but the quality of brew is much better. And much like the European standard, each ale earns its own glass,

Both Latvia and Lithuania have been lovely. Our next port of call will be to ride the bus up to Estonia where, if you believe the tourist blurb, the old town is even better again. But so far, if you are looking for a great European summer holiday, you cant really go past spending the month of August travelling in and about the three Baltic nations.

Lithuania

Lithuania

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Lithuania is a developed country with a high income, advanced economy, ranking 37th in the Human Development Index (HDI) and 19th in the World Happiness Report (Australia is ranked 10 on both).

To be honest, I knew almost nothing about Lithuania before arriving here. We hopped a train from Poland and made our way to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. The city lies in the southeastern part of the country at the confluence of the Neres and Vilnius rivers.

Lithuanians , Poles , Jews and Belarusians have historically considered Vilnius as their cultural center. A university has been operating in Vilnius since 1579.

Legend of the Iron Wolf

According to the legend, centuries ago Grand Duke Gediminas, was on a hunting trip in the forests of Šventaragis valley around the mouth of the River Vilnia. When night fell, the party, feeling tired after a long and successful hunt, decided to set up camp and spend the night there. While he was asleep, Gediminas had an unusual dream in which he saw an iron wolf at the top of the mountain standing with its head raised proudly towards the moon, howling as loud as a hundred wolves.

The Duke remembered his dream and consulted the pagan priest about it. He was told that the dream was a direction to found a city among the hills.

The howling of the wolf represented the fame of the future city: that city will be the capital of Lithuanian lands, and its reputation would spread far and wide, as far as the howling of the mysterious wolf…’ So the Grand Duke Gediminas, obeying the will of gods, immediately started to build the future capital which took the name of Vilnius – from the stream of the rapid River Vilnia.

He built a fortress on the hill (Gediminas Tower) and the city of Vilnius grew up around it. You can still climb the hill and visit the Tower which provides one of the best views of this beautiful city. We however chose to pay 3 euros and use the funicular.

Hopping off the train we found ourselves in one of the cleanest and most cared for cities we have ever seen. This place was Japanese level clean and well tended for, certainly cleaner than anywhere we have ever been in Australia. Our hotel was a charming little joint, about 700m from the train station and right on the fringes of Old Town.

The oldest buildings in Vilnius were built in the 13th century. The main attraction is absolutely the Cathedral Square. It is not only the most important location in the city, but is also one of the most significant and widely known symbols of Lithuania.The square regularly hosts events such as: fairs and gatherings of townspeople, military parades, religious and official public events, attractions and large concerts, New Year’s salutes and exhibitions.

The main feature of the square is the Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius. The square was so important that it was the main feature on the 50 litas banknote (pre-euro), the layout included.

1. Vilnius Cathedral 2. Cathedral’s Belfry 3. Gediminas Tower 4. Hill of Three Crosses 5. Monument to Gediminas 6. Royal Palace

The Valdnieku (Grand Dukes) Palace , next to the Cathedral has been converted to house the history museum. Up the hill was Gediminas Castle Tower, which we took the funicular to reach the top. From here we got panoramic views over the city and surrounds.

The Three Crosses memorial consists of three white reinforced concrete crosses.

The hill got its name after Franciscans died as martyrs when pagans tied them to crosses and threw them down the hill. The three crosses were erected to commemorate this event.

At the bottom of the hill and the far (back) end of the Cathedral you find yourself in the Bernadine Gardens. We did the slow meander through here on our way to St. Anne’s Church. By this time the masses of tourists had crawled out of bed and were making seeing the sights unpleasant.

In an attempt to dodge some crowds for a while we found ourselves in a local cafe/bar where Jill found her long awaited steak tartare. She had been wanting one of these since Prague, but for a variety of reasons was unable to have one up until now. So that with some zeppelins (potato/meat dumplings) washed down with an Argentinian specialty (Aperol and fresh orange juice) and a local lager.

The sheer volume of beautiful old buildings and churches to be seen in and around Vilnius is astounding. And they are all (and I mean all) in perfect condition. There is no scaffolding, no graffiti, no shoddy paint. There is a real pride to the standard of the buildings, everywhere you look.

The Gate of Dawn, or Sharp Gate is a city gate that was built between 1503 and 1522 as a part of defensive fortifications for the city.

City gates often contained religious artifacts intended to guard the city from attacks and to bless travelers. The Chapel in the Gate of Dawn contains an icon of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, said to have miraculous powers.

Upon arrival we went hunting (online) about places to eat in the general vicinity of where we were. This is a common search for us on arrival in a town. The magic search phrases are restaurant near me, cheap eats near me, local food near me. We were surprised to find that the results trickled in rather than overwhelmed us.

Not finding anything that rang our bells, we decided to just wander about and see what we could see. What we found was an abundance of places to eat, but they were pop-up restaurants for the summer season. Not permanent fixtures but rather just places that took over open spaces and became an alfresco dining heaven.

The food was good, the prices were reasonable (maybe even cheap) and the setting was stunning. Warm (mid 20’s) summer evenings, cool beverages and great food offerings. This gave us some flashbacks of Spain and the way we lived back then.

To sum it all up, Lithuania was fantastic. We did not spend enough time here and will definitely put it on a list of places to come back to. August really is a spectacular time of year to visit here.