Majestic Stockholm
Posted On Monday, July 31, 2006 at at 12:48 AM by AlvinWe arrived by train from Oslo this morning, managed to find a hotel in Gamla Stan - the old part of this city where there were lots of alley ways and attractive street side cafes. Stockholm had a grandeur feel about it. We also checked out the location of the pier where we would board the over-night ferry to Helsinki - couldn't wait for that journey as the dinner buffet was reputedly to be a real gourmet's treat. Yummy !
The other city we visited in Sweden was Lulea in the North. We crossed over from Finland on a delayed bus and missed our train to Narvik by 15 minutes; but no worries, we thought, let's stay for another day in this town, why not ? Lulea turned out to be a very attractive town with pretty squares and friendly locals and the outdoor cafes were set in a very pleasant outdoor environment and the town had a relaxing, laid-back vibe about it. We enjoyed our day in Lulea and walked to the nearby lake where we were amazed to find out that "Status Quo" was on tour there !
Friends From Oslo
Posted On Saturday, July 29, 2006 at at 12:45 AM by AlvinAfter our bus, train, boat journeys from the northern parts of Norway - Narvik, Lofoten islands, Geringer, Hellesylt, Strondal, Voss, Trondheim, Forde and so on, we finally reached the capital, Oslo in the morning. Oslo was quite a nice city with a long promenade and there were many street-side cafes where we wiled away the day over a beer or two. We spent two days here exploring around the City Hall and the Vigeland park where we found many interesting human sculptures.
Along The Norwegian Highway From Narvik To Voss
Posted On Thursday, July 20, 2006 at at 12:43 AM by AlvinThe panorama was just stunning during this part of our journey as we traveled by buses and trains from the Norwegian North (Narvik) down South (Voss). We passed silent mountains, rushing waterfalls, beautiful churches and grinding glaziers. Over the different Scandinavian countries we had travelled so far, Norway scored the highest marks when it came to raw and beautiful scenery; with Finland coming top for relaxing lakeside excursions and Sweden for cultural excitments and lush green grasslands.
Throughout this journey, food was a constant topic between Mandy and myself as we discovered (to our half horror, half exclamation) that peoples from this part of the world were not known (really) for their culinary skills; and we ended up having breakfast: salmon with bread and lettuce; lunch: salami with bread and lettuce; dinner: a combination of salmon and salami with leftover lettuce...all from the breakfast table. Bring on Hong Kong and the city's many foods !
Throughout this journey, food was a constant topic between Mandy and myself as we discovered (to our half horror, half exclamation) that peoples from this part of the world were not known (really) for their culinary skills; and we ended up having breakfast: salmon with bread and lettuce; lunch: salami with bread and lettuce; dinner: a combination of salmon and salami with leftover lettuce...all from the breakfast table. Bring on Hong Kong and the city's many foods !
Fjords and More Fjords
Posted On Wednesday, July 19, 2006 at at 12:40 AM by AlvinStaying at a hostel in the lovely fjord-side town of Hellesylt for a few stationary days. We really enjoyed this short pause in our hectic journey. We hiked along many scenic trails and Mandy cooked ourselves some serious pasta ! We also spent some leisure times in the town centre just watching busy caravans and cars from all over Europe easing past this lovely peaceful town.
A Fine Finn Farm and The Santa Claus Village (Yikes!)
Posted On Wednesday, July 12, 2006 at at 12:34 AM by AlvinWe managed to book a room through the Internet and stayed at a Finn farm, with a mega Finn breakfast consisting of home-made "really rough" porridge, bowls of fruits, tonnes of bread and some major yogurt and of course non-stop supply of fresh air in this beautiful farm. We walked around the local villages, farmlands and relaxed with a sauna followed by a dip in the lake - true relaxation. That's Mandy in the photo enjoying her pre-dinner dip. 
The following day we said goodbye to the nice farm owner and took an overnight train to a cold drizzling Roveniemi and arrived all groggy and disorientated. We quickly warmed ourselves up with a couple of hot coffees and a hearty Scandinavian breakfast. As for the The Santa Claus Village in Roveniemi, unless you are a great fan of his and likes to listen to Christmas Carols in the middle of Summer - skip it ! Below is a photo of his postbox ! 
However, there was one redeeming feature at the Santa Claus Village - you can take a photo right on the Arctic Circle line, loved it ! 
24 hours sunny Helsinki
Posted On Tuesday, July 11, 2006 at at 5:50 PM by AlvinWe landed in Helsinki just after lunch and we found Helsinki to be a very laid back and peaceful capital. We enjoyed the 24 hours sun light and we felt like we were sleeping during the "day" even when it was actually mid-night ! We found one thing strange about Scandinavia - none of the rooms had proper (thick) curtains to block off the 24 hours sun ! Never mind.
We took time exploring the many churches in Helsinki and paid a visit to the Olavinlinna Castle - Savonlinna (one of the many lakeside towns in Finland) during our stay at the Finn Farm in Punkaharju village.
We took time exploring the many churches in Helsinki and paid a visit to the Olavinlinna Castle - Savonlinna (one of the many lakeside towns in Finland) during our stay at the Finn Farm in Punkaharju village.
