oliviatamccue

It has been five years since I stepped foot on a new country.  This June, we went to 3 countries for 12 days.

Travelling as a family required agreement or at least the two parents to agree. Scandinavian Countries in Europe are often among the happiest in the world. Who wouldn’t want to go there in summer?   We had the habit of travelling by ourselves, so we did some reading, worked the transportation, shopped for the accommodation and planned the itinerary.

How to go about?
First thing was to firm up the transportation of the longest leg. There is no direct flight from San Francisco Airport (SFO) to Scandinavian countries.  Instead, there is direct flight from Oakland to Oslo, Norway or Stockholm, Sweden, operated by Norwegian airline.   Our choice was to fly direct to Stockholm, travel westward, and flew direct back from Oslo.  Norwegian airline has been rated as the best low-cost airline in Europe.  The base price was quite attractive, but the travelers would pay more to have meals, to have seating reservation as well as other options.   We ended up paying $100 more over the base price just to have the meals and the seat reservation; it has not been that cheap with the add-on.  Another thing was to pay the airfare using a credit with  travel insurance coverage, just in case.

With limited time, we targeted the capital cities.  Next, we made arrangement on transportation from city to city.  Many years ago, Eurorail was the answer to travel within Europe.  Airline and cruise ship have been doing a good job to change that; now we can choose among train, flight, and ship.  Our transportation involved a combination of air, ship and train.

Oakland to Stockholm by Norwegian air, direct, ~10 hours
Stockholm ARN to Copenhagen CPN by Norwegian air, ~1 hour
Copenhagen to Oslo by DFDS Seaways, ~18 hours, overnight
Oslo to Flam via Myrdal by train (most scenic train in North Europe), ~6 hours
Flam to Bergen via express boat (scenic Fjord), ~5 hours
Bergen to Oslo by Norwegian air, ~1 hour
Oslo to Oakland by Norwegian air, ~10 hours.

Where to sleep?
The transportation pretty much fixed where we would stay.   Accommodation is no different from many things in life – what you get is what you pay for.  What you pay for, is not just the money but also the time and interest to shop around.  It is possible to optimize based on your needs.  Some folks like 5-star hotel, some folks like homely and cozy stay, some folks like location, some like it cheap..   For us, we ended up with a variety – city backpackers hostel at Stockholm, a home away from home at Copenhagen, and one-night-stay at different hotels in Norway.

Staying connected
Wi-Fi is gradually becoming as relevant as electricity. I remember those days, when power was out,, we went to bed; now the younger generation rest when the Wi-Fi is not available.  2-weeks ahead of the travel dates, we ordered a tep wireless device which worked like a hot spot for 5 devices with unlimited data.

What to do?
Once the accommodation and transportation were fixed, we could shape the detailed itinerary on the long flight and along the way.  Some attractions offer guided tour, which does not require advanced reservation. In the end, we joined guided tours at the Stockholm City Hall (where the Nobel banquet was hosted), the Copenhagen City Tour and the Bergen museum; love all three of them.   And there is no need to plan ahead.

And a special treat

One more thing that needs to book ahead – there are some world famous restaurants in these cities, including Noma.   For four years, Noma was ranked as the Best Restaurant in the World by Restaurant magazine.  By the time we fixed the plan, the restaurant reservation was fully booked.  Still with some strategy, persistence and luck, we were able to enjoy a lunch just before we take the cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo.

Planning is part of the fun in travelling to new places. If the preparation work sounds like mundane work, you would be better off to join a tour.

Posted in Dear Diary