Scandinavian Trip

When did we go….

• Oct 5-22, 2024

 

 

Why did we go…

• we wanted to experience a wellness vacation and check out some hydrotherapy spas in their countries of origin
• our trip was organized by a company out of Oslo called Up Norway, who did an amazing job curating a wellness excursion for us that had an intuitive app and great service on demand as required (we would highly recommend this company as they are wonderful people and offering numerous amazing excursions)

 

 

How did we get there…

• 3.5 hour flight to Toronto and then a 7-hour flight to Copenhagen
• 30 minute ride to our hotel in Copenhagen
• Copenhagen to Astad (3 hour train ride and a half hour taxi ride)
• Astad to Gothenburg (half hour taxi ride and a 1 hour train ride)
• Gothenburg to Oslo (4 hour train ride, including passing through Ed, Sweden)
• Oslo to Geilo (3.5 hour train ride, we missed our train due to an accident in the tunnel under the city and hence had a 3.5 hour delay)
• Geilo to Bergen (5 different modes of transportation including 3 train rides, a bus ride and a boat tour)
• Bergen to Austevoll (1.5 hour ferry ride)
• Austevoll to Bergen (1.5 hour limo and ferry to Bergen and 1.5 hour flight to Copenhagen)
• 8.5 hour flight from Copenhagen to Toronto and then a 4 hour flight to Calgary

 

 

Where did we stay…

Copenhagen (Oct 6-9)

• Villa Copenhagen
• opened in 2020
• converted the 1912 Central Post and Telegraph Head Office
• located on the west end of the old town beside Tivoli Gardens
• outdoor pool and sauna (beautiful ambiance)
• nice workout facility although very small and packed with keeners
• beautiful café, brasserie, two bars, and restaurant

Astad (Oct 9-11)

• Astad Vingard
• Swedish organic vineyard
• Japandi style resort, spa and vineyard
• our room had a natural pool, bathing jetty, outdoor shower and sauna
• hiking trails in the Akulla Beech Forest (twelve nature reserves and over 60 km of hiking trails scattered across the vineyard)

Gothenburg (Oct 11-13)

• Dorsia Hotel
• our check-in host (Hakan, same age as me) was proud to tell me that he was wearing his Borje Salming underwear
• bright, eclectic family run boutique hotel with a fascinating history
• the owner, Thomas Peterson, who is 77, was present throughout the day to mentor the staff
• very popular restaurant and bar centrally located in the old town

Oslo (Oct 13-16)

• Sommerro Hotel
• the building was the former headquarters for Oslo Lysverker, the city’s electrical company
• located in the Vestkandbadet area, which embodies the 8 hour rule (8 hours of work, 8 hours of recreation, 8 hours of sleep)
• rooftop terrace dining and wellness oasis (the first in the city with sweeping views over Frogner)
• fitness facility, pool, sauna, cold plunge, library and cinema
• 7 restaurants including a beautiful rooftop terrace bar and restaurant
• the main floor restaurant/bar had a great vibe, including a three piece band at night

Geilo (Oct 16-18)

• Geilo Mountain Lodge
• historic hotel built in 1917
• owned by Jan, his daughter Julie, and Timba (2 year old Irish Setter)
• Jan was a tremendous host with excellent local knowledge

Bergen (Oct 18-19)

• Opus XV1
• heritage hotel owned by relatives of the legendary Norweigan maestro Edward Greig
• centrally located
• jazz club in the hotel

Beckerwyc (Oct 19-21)

• Beckerwyc Hotel
• located on a hill overlooking the harbor
• elegant new boutique hotel that houses the exclusive restaurant Mirabelle by Orjan Johannessen
• terrace with a jacuzzi overlooking the harbor

Copenhagen (Oct 21-22)

• Villa Copenhagen

 

 

 

 

Where did we eat…

Copenhagen

• Villa Copenhagen (breakfasts, included with our hotel stay, fabulous selection)

• Kodbyens Fiskebar (dinner, Somebody Feed Phil recommendation, fun vibe, great food)
• Café Vito (lunch, in an Italian courtyard area down a steep staircase)
• Goldfinch (dinner, Asian inspired, good food, fast service until it came time to pay our bill when the staff were on hiatus)
• Café Mons Klint (lunch, cafeteria food but decent)
• Bistro Royale (dinner, met up with former business associate Steve Creamer, amazing food, ambiance and service)

Astad

• Smakbaren (lunch, Sinnenas spa, light menu)
• ANG (dinner, Michelin star, 19 course dinner meal and 10 course breakfast the following morning,  dined in four locations including two through speakeasy entrances, possibly the most amazing meal we’ve ever had)
• Logen (breakfast & dinner, onsite, rustic setting, nice buffet breakfast and a lovely four course dinner with an 18 year old exceptional server)

Gothenburg:

• Sodra Larm Bar & Bistro (lunch, nicely appointed, enjoyed my first Swedish meatballs)
• Dorsia (breakfasts, nice buffet and one dinner, hotel restaurant, good food but average dinner service as they assigned us to a different person than we had requested)

• SK Mat & Manniskor (dinner, Mare’s birthday, 21 year old waiter (Oscar) who, a few nights earlier, had served the food writer (Marco) we met at Astad, average ambiance but excellent service and food)

Oslo

• Asia (lunch, Aker Brygge harbor promenade, decent Asia inspired food, fun people watching)
• Sommero (dinner, hotel restaurant, casual burger dinner but a super fun chat with the three local chaps at the table beside us)
• Ekebergrestauranten (dinner, hilltop overlooking the city with an amazing sunset, great waiter and excellent food)

• Amann (dinner, hotel restaurant, excellent Thai food)

Geilo

• all our meals were at the hotel and were exceptional
• they included local game meats which were amazing

Bergen

• Olivia’s (dinner, Italian, on the Brygge, decent food and ambiance)

Beckerwyc

• Smakeriet Burger Bar (lunch, at the main harbor, nice burger & fries)
• Beckerwyc Hotel (breakfasts, 10 course offering, very nice selection)
• Mirabelle (dinner, award winning culinary experience, open kitchen and spectacular fjord and mountain views, 17 course meal with 6 wine pairings, head chef Skylar was from New Brunswick and knew some people that we did from his time in Kelowna working at Mission Hill winery)
• Beckerwyc House (dinner, original hotel, harbor setting, lovely two course dinner, fun server Marcin from Poland)

Copenhagen:

• Cofoco (dinner, quaint spot in an old building, excellent shared food)

 

 

 

What did we do…

Copenhagen:

• hung out at our rooftop pool overlooking the city (beautiful setting) and used the fitness facility
• walked around checking out the neighborhoods of Christiana, Nyhavn, and the White Meatpacking District
• had a three-hour guided city tour with a super fun 80 year guide (Bjarne) who toured us through most of the major historical sites in Old Town along with some cool side street experiences in unique shops, including a store run by blind people where all the products were made by them
• took a nine-hour guided tour through South Zealand, where we climbed 45 meters up a spiral walkway at the Forest Tower in Gisselfeld’s forest, visited the sea from Mons Klint cliff that has a 70 million year history via its chalk layers packed with fossils of prehistoric sea creatures
• visited the famous Tivoli Gardens (where Walt Disney got his inspiration) enjoying the Halloween decorations

Astad:

• enjoyed our in-room spa facility
• spent time at the Sinnenas Spa, which included an underground sauna (beautiful facility with a great selection of hydrotherapy services)
• walked the property and up into the vineyard enjoying the unique structures and the beautiful and lush foilage

Gothenburg

• walked around the city exploring the old town
• had a 3 hour guided tour by Birgitta (73 year old gal who has guided for 30 years, slow walking tour as she was awaiting a hip replacement, great historical and cultural information)
• also enjoyed the tradition of fika with our guide (coffee and pastry while casually chatting)
• did some shopping, mostly for our grandson, in the old town area which had a bunch of unique Swedish shops/brands

Oslo

• walked along the Aker Brygge waterfront promenade enjoying the harbor views, where we witnessed a small child almost drowning (yikes)

• had a sleep session at our hotel Wellness Center, where we learned that acupressure points are the key to proper sleep vs. other sleep methods
• checked out several local areas (it’s a spectacular walking city and is very clean and safe)
• met the excellent staff at Up Norway, who curated this fantastic trip
• spent time at the Badstueforening floating sauna (located on the main harbor where the cold plunge was into the sea, including a high diving board experience)
• enjoyed the sunset from a viewpoint on Ekebergparken before dinner and climbed up a muddy path to watch the Nordic Pixel Forest light show after dinner
• visited The Well, which is the largest Nordic spa at over 10,000 square feet, experienced a few sauna rituals for the first time, which was very fun, amazing facility (we were there on a Tuesday, which is their only clothing mandatory day)
• walked around Vigeland Park, admiring some of the over 200 statues by Gustav Vigeland (a beautiful sunny day with the trees turning bright yellow and red)
• met up with our Calgary friends Karen and Keith for a couple of beverages at our hotel rooftop bar, which was fun to hear about their Oslo personal and business ventures
• walked around our neighborhood (Frogner), which is a beautiful historic part of the city
• Marilyn bought a sweater from the famous Dale of Norway company, and I bought a jacket from Amudsen, which is one of their premier outdoor brands

Geilo

• hung out at the beautiful historic Geilo Mountain lodge, enjoying the rustic ambiance, the local reading material, and the company of our lodge hosts

• toured the countryside, including a hike through the Mabodalon Valley to the beautiful Voringsfossen waterfall and a sauna ritual session lakeside at Ustaoset (our driver/guide Bernard was very knowledgeable, as was our sauna host Rachel)
• did a spectacular adventure day with a train ride on the Bergen Railway from Geilo to Myrdal over stark mountains, onto the Flam Railway with spectacular waterfalls down to Flam where we boarded a boat for an amazing cruise through the Songefjord to Gudvangen where we boarded a bus through farmland to Voss and then a train in the dark to Bergen

Bergen

• walked around the town harbor promenade, but we were only there for a few hours
• had two incidents of people yelling at Marilyn in our first five minutes of walking around (strange!!!)

Beckerwyc

• walked to the main harbor and explored the small seaside village
• strolled through a beautiful hillside park that was donated by a local philanthropist, whose mother owned the property and asked him to maintain it, but he took it one huge step further to make this amazing place
• enjoyed the hotel hot tub overlooking the harbor and across to the mainland (unfortunately it was not very warm so it was a quick dip)
• a local gal named Regina toured us around our island viewing all the unique landscape and properties while providing us with some amazing stories and also over to Stolmen where 200 German intelligence officers were stationed during WW2 and some of who stayed after the war as well as visiting a small farm where we bought some local honey
• hiked to Kongskleiva, the highest peak in Austevoll, with 360 degree panoramic views of the Austevoll archipelago

 

 

 

Background:

Copenhagen

• capital city of Denmark sitting on the coastal of Zealand and Amager
• population of 1.4M, and collectively they own 2.7M bikes
• home of the Amelianborg Palace, which houses the royal family
• known for its humor, creativity, and hospitality
• ranked as one of the ten most expensive cities in the world
• known for the ‘smorrebrod’ open faced sandwich
• Denmark is known for its sustainability initiatives
• Danes are known as the happiest people in the world

Astad

• located in the Halland region just south of Gothenburg
• beautiful Akulla beech forest nature reserve

• organic vineyard setting
• one of Swedens’ largest vineyards

Gothenburg

• second largest city in Sweden and fifth largest in the Nordic countries
• population of 600,000
• located on the west coast of Sweden
• it is an important port city known for its Dutch-style canals and leafy boulevards
• it is famous for Volvo, archipelago islands, and world class seafood
• significant trade and port center on the West Coast because it was the only city on the West Coast, along with Marstrand, to be granted rights to trade with merchants from other countries
• known as Little London as it underwent an industrialization process in the 1800’s that was largely managed by immigrating Brits

Oslo

• capital of Norway sitting on the country’s southern coast at the head of the Oslofjord
• population of 700,000
• known for its green spaces, museums, Viking history, fantastic architecture and outdoor activities
• many of the central areas in Oslo are traffic free, which makes this compact city even more walkable
• Oslo, and Norway in general, is a very expensive country

Geilo

• town in southern Norway
• in the municipality of Hol in Buskerud county
• pronounced ‘yay low’
• population of 2500
• known for its ski resorts (over 50) and mountain trails
• is the gateway to two national parks

Bergen

• located on Norway’s southwest coast
• population of 300,000
• surrounded by mountains and fjords including Sognefjord, the longest and deepest in the country
• the Norweigan fjords have been voted the worlds most unspoiled tourist destination by National Geographic
• Bryggen, in the city center harbourfront, features colorful wooden houses on the old wharf, once a center of the Hanseatic Leagues trading empire
• a funicular takes you up Floyen Mountain for panoramic views and hiking trails

Austevoll Archipalego (Beckerwyc)

• municipality and archipalego in Vestland County off the coast of Bergen
• the municipality consists of 667 islands, of which 12 are inhabited
• fishing has supported the economy for generations and its ports have the largest ocean going fishing trawling fleet in the world
• population of 5300
• historical roots in herring fishing

 

 

 

What did we not do that is on the agenda for next time:

• explore other cities and towns throughout Sweden and Norway
• go to the fourth Scandinave Nordic country of Finland

 

 

 

Final thoughts:

• the weather was between 0 to 15 degrees and mostly pleasant, although the humidity from the wind off the water was biting at times
• we were fortunate to visit during the fall season when the leaves were changing to their vibrant yellow and red colors
• the famous brand IKEA is Swedish and the letters stand for the owners initials (Ingvar Kamprad) and his home farm (Elmtaryd) and home village (Agunnaryd)
• Norway is one of the richest countries in the world thanks to their vast oil reserves
• Scandinavian people seemed to be slim and fit despite drinking java as half their liquid consumption
• many of the places we stayed and dined at in Norway are part of the De Historiske (historic hotels & restaurants) of Norway group (this included Bekkjarvik in Austevoll, Geilo Mountain Lodge, OPUS 16 in Bergen, Ekebergrestauranten restaurant in Oslo)