Summing Up the Nordics Roadtrip

Summing up the trip:

Day 1: Left Prague. Stops in Dresden and Berlin, Germany. Slept in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Day 2: Wandered Copenhagen. To Helsingor - ferry to Sweden. Some sightseeing Swedish coast. Wandered & slept in Oslo.

Day 3: Drove through Norway countryside to Sweden. Drove clear down to Malmo, Sweden, where we slept.

Day 4: Hustled out of Malmo. Drove thru Denmark, through Germany and to Prague.

The Plan

As I said a couple days ago, the plan was simple: visit Oslo & get back within 4 days. Sightseeing in between Prague and Oslo was optional. Mostly we wanted a journey through the Nordics, but reaching Oslo was the goal.

The Team

Both I and my coworker and fellow expat, Eng from Malaysia are bacheloring it this summer. So we've been hanging out together more to keep from pining for the wives & families.

We felt a third person would really help. No local volunteers. Eng asked his friend from university who likes to travel and lives "nearby." Ngiik Yan flew over from Ireland to visit Prague for 2 weeks and also the roadtrip. Our team of three clicked.

Soon after we started, we settled into 3 roles: driver, navigator and kitchen. Eng and I switched back and forth between driver/navigator. Ngiik Yan was the backseater, doling out supplies, pointing out photo opps.

Oh, a 4th member of our team was "Amy", the GPS. Amy's voice was sweetest when she complained I was driving too fast. Amy was very helpful (when she wasn't being annoying). Amy was very adverse to water routes.

Anytime Eng or I told others about our plan, all we heard was "Oslo? You're idiots for trying." After some time, we figured Europeans are just naysayers when it comes to long-distance driving. Well, we showed them, even idiots can finish as winners! haha

Stats

Left: 8:30am Friday morning

Returned: 8:00pm Monday evening

Odometer: 3,400 km (2125 miles) (= Boston-Chicago return trip)

Main staples: 10 liters water, 5 large loafs milkbread, 7 Redbulls, 12 bananas, chips...

Issues in Hindsight?

-Mistook a line on a map as a bridge; took ferry instead.

-Just "Bezine" petrol means 91, not 95 "Super," so the mix triggered check engine light.

-Rental engine was governed to 160 km/h (100 mph); made for slow driving in Germany.

Successes

-Made it back safe and sound.

-Showed those naysayers. :-)

Pictures

I gotta say, after only 1 day home, I look at the hundreds of pictures and movies and my head is swimming trying to remember "where and when was that windmill?"

I'll use only pictures from those I'm confident about...and I'll just post what I felt were highlights (so, no pictures of the car rental place).

After only 2 hours on the road, we stopped at Dresden. Glad we did. Beautiful interior of ...some place. (Main trouble with sightseeing on the fly: "Wow, that's pretty, what is it?")

Driving through Berlin, I just happen to drive through Checkpoint Charlie.

Long first day of driving, before taking a break on our ferry over to Denmark.

Copenhagen is one of my favorite places in the world. And Nyhavn ('new harbour') is my favorite part.

Little mermaid from the H.C. Andersen's story is a must-see in Copenhagen.

Short drive from Copenhagen is Helsingor to see the Kronborg castle. Maylia and I had visited this before moving.


On the ferry from Denmark over to Sweden. Leaving Helsingor and Kronborg castle behind.
Fast food break brought us to Sweden's "Max" burger joint. In Sweden it is disclosed how much CO2 or "greenhouse gas" must be released to make your meal. Am I supposed to feel guilty?

My contributed 3+ kg of CO2 was delicious.

We did it - we reached Norway! Yes, this is a "border" for Schengen area countries. All five we visited are part of the Schengen area, so we don't show ID or even slow down.

After a 2nd long day of driving, I decide to have a congratulatory beer.

Nordic countries are expensive, even by European standards. Only after messaging with Dennis in SanFran that I realize this cheap Heineken beer was $10!

Oslo has some nice sights. I'm not sure what this is, but I know we parked very near it. :-)

Walked into a hotel in Oslo and saw this old artwork of Tivoli in Copenhagen, just the view and road we were driving on the night before.

Again, very nice sights in Oslo. This park was popular, even as early as we got there. I still have to find out what it was. Many statues, most in series to express different stages of life and relationships.

My favorite one - crazy man with 4 kids.

When we left Oslo to start our way back, we avoided the highway until reaching Sweden. Took a couple hours more, but we saw some beautiful countryside.
Reaching Malmo, Sweden near Denmark was the goal for day 3. We were tired, but glad to see another great locale. Much quieter than Copenhagen.
From Malmo, Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark, we took the Oresund bridge. A fun ride as half is a bridge, then half as a tunnel. Wild to watch as the water seems to rise to you (in our direction, that is).

That's it from me. Thanks for reading.