Vikings, fjords and charming cities are Scandinavian highlights
From left, Jim Raynak, Marcia Rea, Janis Raynak and John Rea explore fjords.
My wife Janis, our friends John and Marcia Rea and I did a land-based Scandinavia tour. We discovered that the Scandinavian communal attitude, as well as a generous social safety net, contributes to a happy population.
Copenhagen is an interesting and beautiful city. We took a boat tour on our first full day and were very impressed with the colorful buildings in the new harbor area. There is also a vibrant pedestrian street in the heart of the city.
All of the Scandinavian countries have constitutional monarchies and we witnessed the changing of the guard at the Amalienborg Palace, the winter home of the Danish Royal family. The iconic Little Mermaid statue was somewhat unimpressive, but Tivoli Gardens was fantastic. This treasure in the city center was a combination amusement park, flower garden, musical entertainment hub and dining location.
We left Copenhagen and traveled across the 5-mile Oresund bridge into Sweden, eventually stopping in the spectacular harbor city of Gothenburg. We took a canal tour there and experienced a very entertaining view of this 17th century city.
Our next stop was Oslo, the capital and largest city in Norway. City Hall is where the Nobel Peace Prizes are awarded and a photo of Barack Obama is displayed. A visit to Vigeland Sculpture Park was a visual treat, with 192 sculptures of various shapes and sizes depicting many aspects of life. The Monolith column is 46 feet high with 121 human figures, carved from a single block of granite.
A trip to the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo demonstrated the significant impact Vikings had on European history. Another highlight was the zip line plunge from the ski jump north of the city center.
A visit to the village of Lom brought us to one of the largest and best preserved stave churches in Norway. The all-wood structure was built around 1150 without the use of any nails, looking like a medieval fairytale.
The remainder of our trip was mostly spent in the heart of the fjords. We cruised Sognefjord, the longest of the Norwegian fjords, and rode the Flam Railway. The beauty was breathtaking, with waterfalls, snowcapped mountains and verdant countryside.
Our last stop was Bergen, an old trading port that is now a bustling harbor city. Many royal ceremonies were held in the 750-year-old Haakon’s Hall. We enjoyed riding the funicular and dining in the busy fish market.
To contribute to Your Travels, send a 400-word essay and a large, highresolution photo attachment to jill.cassidy@arizona republic.com. We’ll contact you when your story is scheduled for publication.