I Got Sunburnt in Stockholm

5 years ago, I celebrated my birthday in Stockholm while visiting my friends, S and F. Five years later on my birthday, I came back to Stockholm for their wedding.  Enough said for a smile, no?

I touched down at 1 pm and got into the city center quickly. There was no need for a map. I was somewhat familiar with Stockholm, but strangely, exploring a sunny Stockholm was a whole new experience to me.

I had been on the road for 5 days having fun in Copenhagen, Oslo and Bergen. It was time to slow down. Look how sunny it was. Incredible. If I did no have my suitcase, I’d be skipping like a child. I did stop for gelato and espresso. Then I checked into where I would stay for the night: Stf af Chapman.

Yes. On that boat.

Made Each Hour Count in Bergen

I arrived at Bergen Station a little past 9 PM on September 5th after completing a cross-country trip from Oslo to Bergen in a day. Less than 3 hours to go till my birthday.

Immediately I faced some critical challenge. There’s no map and no wifi in the train station. All I had was just the name of the hotel that sort of hinted the name of which street it’s located on. It was late. Most stores were closed. Not so many people were out and about.

Ugh.

I walked towards the brightest street directly in front of the station. One uphill cobblestone slope. Pretending calm as if I just returned from a trip on my way home and wishing to get there safely, I eventually got a few pointers and checked in at the hotel. I guessed my first birthday wish just came true :)

I did not know what I could expect. It was really late accordingly to the hotel receptionist. Oh well.

It turned out to be a perfect night. Just like how I wanted it to be.

See, a lion waved hi to me at the first corner I turned. It was more than what I could wish for already, wasn’t it?

Norway in a Nutshell: from Oslo to Bergen in One Day

Waking up at 7 AM, I could not contain my excitements about today, the last 24 hours of my certain age. I was going to get old tomorrow and I was going to travel across this country in one day!

The plan was simple enough. I took the Bergen Railway departing from Oslo at 8:05 AM, arrived at Myrdal at 12:44 PM. At Myrdal, I would board the Flåm Railway at 1:24 PM, arrive at Flåm at 2:25 PM, and get on the Fjord cruise there at 3:10 PM. The cruise would take me to a small town called Gudvangen at 5:45 PM and a bus would take me from there to another town named Voss at 7 PM. At 7:37 PM, I would board the Bergen Railway again that would take me from Voss to Bergen. I would complete the cross-country trip at 8:54 PM. As long as everything was ON TIME, I would be fine. See? Norway in a Nutshell. How simple was that? :)

Bagatelle, Oslo

6 PM on a Wednesday night, I, alone in Oslo, sat down at Michelin-starred Bagatelle for dinner.

The menu was sealed. I opened it up gleefully.

One Fine Day in Oslo

Good morning, Oslo!

Off the DFDS Seaways cruise, at 9:45 am, I found I did not have a map for the city, I had not read up about it and no wifi I could use at that moment.

But hey, that was the fun part. I chose one street that looked fine to me, like this:

I turned whenever it felt right, got distracted here and there, asked a college student, kept walking, asked again and, voilà, I ran into the Central Station!

From Copenhagen to Oslo

There are many ways to travel from one place to another. I like it nice and slow ;)

Instead of a 75-minute flight, I decided to spend 17 hours on a ferry boat sailing from Copenhagen to Oslo.

33 Hours in Copenhagen

When the airplane glided above Øresund towards the Copenhagen Airport in this rainy morning, about a dozen of gigantic wind turbines greeted us. The airport, in spite of a strike, was crowded but orderly. I made my way into the city without much trouble.

I had about 33 hours in this city and I had no plan except knowing where I was going to sleep for the night. Having only slept 3 hours during the flight and now wandering along the waterfront in the rain after dropping off my luggage, I was deliriously excited.

The Royal Library. The Parliament. Christiansborg Palace. I was just a giddy tourist in Queens’s Reception Room!

My Trip to Scandinavia Did Happen

Snow is on the ground now. Two weeks before Christmas. 2013 is almost gone. I am embarrassed about asking you to stay tuned and not being able to write about my trip for so long.

Yes. The trip to Scandinavia did happen in September. Those 7 days were wonderful.

Here is my itinerary: I landed in Copenhagen at 7 AM on September 2nd, took an overnight ferry boat from Copenhagen to Oslo the next day and arrived in Oslo in the morning of the 4th.

Every Time When I Leave

Yours truly here. I am about to board my flight to Copenhagen at Newark Liberty Airport. I am going to be away in Scandinavia for 7 days.

I am excited to see this again: