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August 26, 2006: Jerry and Charlene
boarded a plane in Redmond, Oregon. They were joined by Sue at SeaTac
Airport. Thence departed for Scandinavian adventure! On any page, click on
plane to return to main Scandinavia page. |
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August 27, 2006: Overnight plane
trip. Stopover at
Copenhagen Airport. Arrived at Årlanda Airport, near Stockholm.
Bus and taxi into Stockholm. Lodging at Hotel Wellington. Met
the guide and the rest of the group. Got matched up with our
"buddies." Sue's buddy was Bill; Jerry's was Brenda. |
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August 28, 2006: Walking tour of
Stockholm. Royal Palace, Gamla Stan (Old City), boat ride, Vasa
warship museum. Free time in the afternoon; many of us walked
through Skansen, a large open-air museum, and took a boat tour
of the canals. The first of several "cocktail" hours on the
patio of the hotel. Free dinner offered by hotel. |
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August 29, 2006: Tour of Stockholm
City Hall. Bus ride from Stockholm to Kalmar. Stopped in
Söderköping for lunch, near the Göta Canal. Drove through pretty
birch forests to Kalmar. Lodging at the Frimurare Hotellet in
Kalmar. Happy hour in hotel's warm and bright sunroom.
Candle-lit dinner in cellar restaurant. |
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August 30, 2006: Walking tour of the
town of Kalmar, on the way to Kalmar Castle. Guided tour through
castle. On the bus again to Copenhagen. Drove over the amazing
bridge between Sweden and Denmark. Arrived in Copenhagen.
Checked into Ibsens Hotel and had a little tea party.
Late-afternoon walking tour of the city. Ran into Hans Christian
Andersen on the way to dinner. Dinner at an almost-300-year-old
restaurant, Det Lille Apotek. Yum! |
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August 31, 2006: Walking tour of
Copenhagen. Went into Vor Frue Kirke, Copenhagen's medieval
cathedral. Toured Rosenborg Castle in the morning, then had the
rest of the day and evening free to do as we pleased. Lunched
along Nyhavn, one of the local canals. Toured the canals by
boat. Pre-dinner function in someone's hotel room, for lack of a
better place. Dinner at a nearby restaurant, where most of the
group ended up. After-dinner visit to Tivoli Gardens. The braver
souls went on the roller coasters. Whee! |
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September 1, 2006:
Tour of Viking Ship Museum and Roskilde
Cathedral. Lunch in Roskilde. Ferry from Roskilde to Ærø. Group
split up for lodging at three different places in the town of
Ærøskøbing (hotel, B&B, and pension). Dinner was a feast at the
local hotel. |
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September 2, 2006: All day to
explore. We rented bikes and headed north. Met up with the non-bikers
for lunch in Dunkær. Afternoon bus tour of Ærø, including
ancient portal tomb and Rise Church. Rode bikes back to town,
continuing on to the beach. Went wading before heading to tea
party with proprietress of pension. Dinner at local hot dog
joint. |
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September 3, 2006: Local ferry back
to Roskilde, and hence to Copenhagen. Had a few hours to explore
Copenhagen some more; went to the Danish National Museum.
Stopped to see front side of (underwhelming) Little Mermaid.
Boarded LARGE ferry for voyage to Oslo. Spent remaining Swedish
and Danish money in the duty-free shop. Checked e-mails at
on-board internet cafe. Happy hour with duty-free booty, then a
hearty seafood dinner before hitting the hay in our ... cozy
little cabins. |
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September 4, 2006: Arrived in Oslo.
Walking tour of Oslo. Norwegian WWII Resistance Museum, Nobel
Peace Museum, and Gustav Vigeland's amazing sculptures at
Frogner Park. Unbelievably good weather. Lodging at Hotel Stefan. |
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September 5, 2006: Bus ride up to
the Holmenkollen Olympic ski jump, panoramic view of Oslo fjord.
Cruised across harbor to Bygdøy peninsula, site of several
interesting nautical museums: Thor Heyerdahl, the Fram, the
Maritime Museum, and more Viking ships. Boat ride back across
the harbor. Spent the afternoon wandering around Oslo. Guess
what we did before dinner. |
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September 6, 2006: Headed northwest
out of Oslo to Lillehammer. Stopped for a latte in Hamar, site
of 1994 Olympic skating events. Toured Maihaugen Open-Air Folk
Museum, then had lunch in Lillehammer. Toured ancient stave
church near Lom. Spent the night in the rustic luxury of
Elvesæter. |
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September 7, 2006: Drove over
Sognefjell Pass, the highest in Norway. Paused for lunch before
taking a cruise down the impossibly scenic Sognefjord. Exciting
bus ride up Stalheimskleiva, with 13 hair-raising hairpin
curves. Paused for refreshment at Stalheim. Stopped at Tvinde
Falls. Arrived in Bergen. Stayed at Hotel Rosenkrantz. |
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September 8, 2006: Self-guided tour
of Bergen. Visited fish market and other local points of
interest. Guided tour of the old town of Bryggen. Chowed down at
an open-air food fair. Rode Fløibanen (funicular train) to top
of local mountain. "Last Supper," where we shared our "Wow
Moments" and a few other thoughts about the trip. |
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September 9, 2006: That's all,
folks! Plane trip from Bergen back to the U.S. by way of
Copenhagen.
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