Scandinavia

Having left Berlin, we travelled to our first stop in Scandinavia – Copenhagen. I was a little nervous getting there because this was where I was supposed to meet Jan Glew whom I had dated earlier this year. I left a note for her at the American Express office, and later that day, I discovered she had received it and understood the situation. Whew!

Then we set out to explore this wonderful city. The Tivoli Gardens were as described in the travel book, but I found them not terribly exciting. But such was not the case with Nyhavn - that iconic site is a historic waterfront lined with colourful 17th- and 18th-century townhouses, bars, and restaurants. Of course, we were drawn to that most famous statue - the Little Mermaid. It is displayed on a rock by the waterside on the Langelinie promenade. We were especially intrigued by the Old Stock Exchange building and its Dragon-tail spire. The Grundtvig’s Church was stunning! And, of course, I could't miss seeing The Little Mermaid!

Then we were off to Stockholm.

We were given the address of a business in the city centre, where an envelope awaited us. Kathy's uncle Georg, who had lived in the city for a number of years and therefore had many acquaintances, had left some money for us to enjoy the nightlife. We were greeted by the receptionist, who knew exactly why we were there, and were ushered into the president's office. We were greeted warmly and, after a brief discussion, were handed an envelope. We were able to splurge a little that evening.

A visit to the Vasa Museum the next day was most informative. Located on the island of Djurgarden, the museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th-century ship ever salvaged. The 64-gun warship sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. The main hall contains the ship itself and various exhibits related to the archaeological findings of the ships and early 17th-century Sweden. The ship is kept continuously wet so the wood does not disintegrate.

On the second evening there, we went to a nightclub where the audience sat at tables interspersed among several levels in the hallway. From there, we could readily see the stage and enjoy the performance. We very much enjoyed a very nice meal with champagne. This was a wonderful way to spend the evening and our last visit to Scandinavia.

Our final stop in Scandinavia was Oslo. This itself was most attractive and very similar to what we had visited in both Stockholm and Copenhagen. More interesting, at least to me, was a large ski-jumping hill at Holmenkollen, a suburb of Oslo. Wow! Do individuals really ski down that ramp and then jump into mid-air? We next visited Frogner Park, which is historically part of Frogner Manor and is Oslo's largest park. The Vigeland Sculptures boast over 200 statues and are the world's largest such installation by a single artist.