The Scandinavia trip
Today I will tell about my advantures in Scandinavia.
I've got a week off, and decided to go to the North. Just in time, in mid-November, when it's dark and cold there) Anyway, I decided that I want, I booked my tickets, took my backpack and left home.
Day 1 (Saturday)
The first challenge was to get to Oslo from Charleroi. I didn't have visa for that day. My residence permit was valide only from the day after. Likely, the person at the registration desk did not even ask for my visa, assuming that I have it) So, I managed to take the flight and by midnight I arrived in the hostel in Oslo.
Day 2 (Sunday)
In the morning I asked a girl at the reception how to get to one museum. "Well, it's outside the city, in the mountains". Stop. The magic word "Mountains" has sounded. Do I need a museum? No, I need the mountains) After a couple of hours of sight-seeing in the city of Oslo I took a train and went up to 500m above the see.
When I arrived at the summit, it has already started getting dark. There was a walking path going down, I decided to follow it and see where it will lead me.
What can be better then following an unknown road in unknown forest? Only to get lost there) That's what happened to me) Because of the weird sign-posting. The signs show random distances to random places, titles are always different. First I was trying to find one train station, then another (as there were no signs to the 1st one any more). After a 1h walk I decided just to follow the trail) It will lead me somewhere.
At the meantime, it became dark. Likely, I did not turn from the main trail, and there were street light posts) Suddenly I noticed lights on the horizon. Is there something, finally? I came closer. It was a restaurant. I came in and asked a girl whether there's a station nearby. "Yes, we have a metro, 5km through the forest, it should take about 1h". Damn it! It's already night outside! But, I've got no choice, so I continued the walk in the direction that she pointed. The sign with the name of the village was pointing to the oposite direction...
The girl was right - in 1h I found a metro station. Not that line that I expected, but it was the metro! Oh, how few is needed for happiness) I returned to Oslo, and decided to spend the rest of the evening like a normal tourist.
Day 3 (Monday)
The next morning I took a train to Stockholm. The road took about 6 hours. Finally, I've got time to study Luxembourgish:) I arrived at 14h, droped my stuff in hostel, and went to the medieval town, Gamla Stan. Again, at 15h it was already dark) I spent several hours walking along random streets and taking pictures.
Day 4 (Tuesday)
On Tuesday morning I took a train to Malmö, the 3rd biggest town in Sweden, from where I was supposed to go to Copenhagen. Malmö is a lovely Northern town, rather big, but calm and slow to compare with Stockholm. Here it worth saying that by the time I've got there I barely could walk - my foot hurt because of the long walks during the past days. But, the interest was stronger than the pain, so I took a map and went to the city centre.
A couple of hours later I returned to the railway station and took the train to Copenhagen, through Øresund.
Day 5 (Wednesday)
On the fifth day I realized that I cannot walk. The foot hurts with each step. So, I rented a bike and continued)
The greatest advantage of sight-seeing by bike - within several hours you can see absolutely everything. By foot it would take 2 days minimum.
Day 6 (Thursday)
When I woke up, I realized that yesturday I have already seen everything in the old town, and actially, there is nothing to do there another day. I went to the railway station, bought a day pass for the Copenhagen region, asked in the tourist office what is worth visiting, and took a train to the first place.
***Half an hour later I was already in a small town called Roskilde. There is the main Danish Cathedral, the burial place of Danish kings - that's why I actually decided to go there. But not only the Cathedral worth seeing - the town itself is beautiful!
After a short walk, I took a bus direction to Hillerød, where I wanted to find the castle. Again - station, searching for the main street, eating local sweets up to overdose, and finally, the castle:
I would love to visit more towns, but there was another cultural program for the evening. The Tivoli park.
Day 7 (Friday)
On Friday morning I left Copenhagen and went back to Sweden. The next destination was Göteborg, the 2nd biggest Swedish town. Didn't really plan to go there, but it was the cheapest option to get home - thanks to RyanAir) Again, the sight-seeing was at night (bloody polar winter with its short daylight time!).
Day 8 (Saturday)
The last day of my vacation. If everything goes smoothly, around midnight I'll come home.
The morning started with a walk along the fjord:
Then - flight to Paris, X-mass market at Champs-Élysées, the Eifel Tower, the Cathedral, and finally TGV to Metz. To Metz, not to Luxembourg. Adventures did not end yet)
***In Metz (where I arrived at 22h) I decided to go to the city centre. First 1-2 km I was honestly trying to remember the way, but then I decided to find the Cathedral. I found it, and then reallized that I have 40 min before the last train home, and I've no idea where I am. I did not find the Gare myself, so I started asking people on the streets. Eventually, I found the station and took the last train to Luxembourg.
I've got a week off, and decided to go to the North. Just in time, in mid-November, when it's dark and cold there) Anyway, I decided that I want, I booked my tickets, took my backpack and left home.
Day 1 (Saturday)
The first challenge was to get to Oslo from Charleroi. I didn't have visa for that day. My residence permit was valide only from the day after. Likely, the person at the registration desk did not even ask for my visa, assuming that I have it) So, I managed to take the flight and by midnight I arrived in the hostel in Oslo.
Day 2 (Sunday)
In the morning I asked a girl at the reception how to get to one museum. "Well, it's outside the city, in the mountains". Stop. The magic word "Mountains" has sounded. Do I need a museum? No, I need the mountains) After a couple of hours of sight-seeing in the city of Oslo I took a train and went up to 500m above the see.
When I arrived at the summit, it has already started getting dark. There was a walking path going down, I decided to follow it and see where it will lead me.
What can be better then following an unknown road in unknown forest? Only to get lost there) That's what happened to me) Because of the weird sign-posting. The signs show random distances to random places, titles are always different. First I was trying to find one train station, then another (as there were no signs to the 1st one any more). After a 1h walk I decided just to follow the trail) It will lead me somewhere.
At the meantime, it became dark. Likely, I did not turn from the main trail, and there were street light posts) Suddenly I noticed lights on the horizon. Is there something, finally? I came closer. It was a restaurant. I came in and asked a girl whether there's a station nearby. "Yes, we have a metro, 5km through the forest, it should take about 1h". Damn it! It's already night outside! But, I've got no choice, so I continued the walk in the direction that she pointed. The sign with the name of the village was pointing to the oposite direction...
The girl was right - in 1h I found a metro station. Not that line that I expected, but it was the metro! Oh, how few is needed for happiness) I returned to Oslo, and decided to spend the rest of the evening like a normal tourist.
Day 3 (Monday)
The next morning I took a train to Stockholm. The road took about 6 hours. Finally, I've got time to study Luxembourgish:) I arrived at 14h, droped my stuff in hostel, and went to the medieval town, Gamla Stan. Again, at 15h it was already dark) I spent several hours walking along random streets and taking pictures.
Day 4 (Tuesday)
On Tuesday morning I took a train to Malmö, the 3rd biggest town in Sweden, from where I was supposed to go to Copenhagen. Malmö is a lovely Northern town, rather big, but calm and slow to compare with Stockholm. Here it worth saying that by the time I've got there I barely could walk - my foot hurt because of the long walks during the past days. But, the interest was stronger than the pain, so I took a map and went to the city centre.
A couple of hours later I returned to the railway station and took the train to Copenhagen, through Øresund.
Day 5 (Wednesday)
On the fifth day I realized that I cannot walk. The foot hurts with each step. So, I rented a bike and continued)
The greatest advantage of sight-seeing by bike - within several hours you can see absolutely everything. By foot it would take 2 days minimum.
Day 6 (Thursday)
When I woke up, I realized that yesturday I have already seen everything in the old town, and actially, there is nothing to do there another day. I went to the railway station, bought a day pass for the Copenhagen region, asked in the tourist office what is worth visiting, and took a train to the first place.
***Half an hour later I was already in a small town called Roskilde. There is the main Danish Cathedral, the burial place of Danish kings - that's why I actually decided to go there. But not only the Cathedral worth seeing - the town itself is beautiful!
After a short walk, I took a bus direction to Hillerød, where I wanted to find the castle. Again - station, searching for the main street, eating local sweets up to overdose, and finally, the castle:
I would love to visit more towns, but there was another cultural program for the evening. The Tivoli park.
Day 7 (Friday)
On Friday morning I left Copenhagen and went back to Sweden. The next destination was Göteborg, the 2nd biggest Swedish town. Didn't really plan to go there, but it was the cheapest option to get home - thanks to RyanAir) Again, the sight-seeing was at night (bloody polar winter with its short daylight time!).
Day 8 (Saturday)
The last day of my vacation. If everything goes smoothly, around midnight I'll come home.
The morning started with a walk along the fjord:
Then - flight to Paris, X-mass market at Champs-Élysées, the Eifel Tower, the Cathedral, and finally TGV to Metz. To Metz, not to Luxembourg. Adventures did not end yet)
***In Metz (where I arrived at 22h) I decided to go to the city centre. First 1-2 km I was honestly trying to remember the way, but then I decided to find the Cathedral. I found it, and then reallized that I have 40 min before the last train home, and I've no idea where I am. I did not find the Gare myself, so I started asking people on the streets. Eventually, I found the station and took the last train to Luxembourg.