End of Days in Scandinavia

September 29, 2019 · by Dano · in Scandinavia

So, it has come to an end. Our time here in Scandinavia, just a couple of days short of a month, has gone by fast. Tomorrow we fly out to Scotland for the next part of the adventure. We’ve had a good time here and met really nice people, which makes traveling all worth it.

Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm

Gothenburg

Apple celebration in Kivik City

It has been a bit expensive, close but not on the scale of Iceland, so dining out was limited. We did enjoy their tradition of “fika”, a mid-morning break with a pastry and coffee to just relax and do a little people watching. Gas has been the big expense averaging $6.30USD per gallon, next would be tolls. The bridge toll in Denmark for a single bridge was $67.00USD, one way! Good thing we didn’t need to spend a lot of time driving in Denmark! Guess parking would follow next with all major cities charging for street parking and some charging a “congestion” tax. $15-$20.00USD per day was about average.

The roads in Scandinavia are pretty good. Occasionally we would encounter a few places needing repair but these were very few. The only criticism about driving here is the other drivers, just like back home. Sweden is the land of the speed zone changes and ridiculous limits, 80 speed zone changes in 150 miles and a maximum limit at 80kph (54mph). Norway is the land of tunnels, hundreds of them, and long. One tunnel we went through was over 5 miles long and had a round-about inside! Denmark, it’s all about bridges and tolls! The Oresund bridge is the longest at 2.5 miles, and a cost of $67.00USD to cross, one way!

Denmark countryside

Denmark

The apartments and homes we rented were all good, reasonably priced and in good neighborhoods close to transportation and quiet! Most left us coffee and tea and some even left breakfast makings, sliced meat, cheese, bread. Yeah, nothing like a European breakfast to get you going in the morning!

Scandinavia was a good part of our trip; we enjoyed the countryside and the people. Would we recommend it, sure. Great place for people who enjoy the outdoors, beautiful scenery (the fjords are amazing!) and meeting friendly people. The big cities are like most big cities, people rushing about, lots of museums, good restaurants. But here they also have a lot of history, buildings and sites dating back to the 13^th century or earlier, and some ancient sites that are very much older. The small towns were our favorite, with a more intimate, friendly feel and slower paced.