Traveling by car in Scandinavia: Sweden, Norway and Finland. Roads, ferries, attractions, beautiful places, photos, advice and impressions.
Foreword
Finally it happened. We have cherished the dream of Southern Norway since 2007 i.e. exactly from the minute we returned from our wonderful trip to Northern Norway. The route was invented, the materials were prepared, but somehow everything did not work out. And now the time has been chosen, ferries have been ordered, our "forester" was treated a little in honor of the upcoming trip and made him a present - a new video panel with a navigator, mp3 and other difference necessary for the trip. Traditional fees, the trunk is full to capacity, we will leave tomorrow at dawn.
We started at 5:10 from Aprelevka and soon rushed along the excellently made "New Riga". After taking turns taking a nap in the car, already at 9:15 we stopped for a gas station somewhere in the vicinity of Velikiye Luki. After turning from the M11 highway to Pskov, we drove into a thundercloud, and a few minutes later a real hail rattled on the windows of the car. And this is in the middle of July! But the car is faster than a cloud, and the hail was left behind, and the majestic walls of the Pskov Kremlin appeared in front.
14:00, we are there. On the speedometer, there is a beautiful number of 777 km, which means about the same distance from our dacha to the center of Pskov. True, later, already walking around the city, we found a milestone with a pointer to Moscow 685 km.
Pskov greeted us with the sun, though a suspiciously gusty wind foreshadowed the arrival of a rain cloud, which must be the same one that we met on the way.
Looking ahead, I will say that the cloud still visited Pskov, spilled in a summer downpour and rushed away. In the meantime, the gentle sun was shining, and we, stretching our legs with pleasure, went to inspect the Pskov fortress. First of all, we stumbled upon a film group in costumes from a thousand years ago, which looked very appropriate against the background of the 20-meter fortress walls.
After taking a look at the film process and traditionally checking in at the Trinity Cathedral of the Kremlin, we were about to go around the walls around the perimeter, when suddenly our daughter Polya was bitten by a wasp. But we still managed to get around the Kremlin, and with the first drops of rain we sat down in a cafe on the bank of the river. While we were eating, the rain passed and the evening ended with a leisurely stroll through the city.
Izborsk and Pechory
Second day.
10:00, heading to Izborsk. In half an hour we are there. Remembering the photographs of my husband Andrey 10 years ago, I imagined Izborsk as a kind of medieval ruins overgrown with grass. How surprised we were to see a beautiful cobblestone pavement with souvenir shops leading to the fortress walls.
We entered the fortress along a neat path sprinkled with granite chips. And then my eyes just fled from the opportunities presented. We decided to go up the wall first.
After walking along the wall and looking at the lake from a bird's eye view, we went down to the cellars. I was especially impressed by the second dungeon, or rather, the underground passage, along which during the enemy sieges the defenders of the fortress went to the lake for water. There are many, many steps into the darkness - we regretted not having brought flashlights with us.
How good it was to be in the sun again. We decided to approach the Slovenian sources - time was running out. We tried waters from all 12 springs. According to legend, each of the springs is under the auspices of one of the 12 apostles, and the water is special here. She really turned out to be different. A general vote chose the most delicious one, filled a bottle with it and went to the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery.
By the way, Izborsk and Pechory left the impression of quite well-groomed and beautiful settlements that contrasted with bordering Estonia, but more on that later. In the meantime, Pechory was ahead. Probably, we would not have thought of dropping in here, if not for the beloved book "Unholy Saints". Now our path lay in such a place already familiar from the book, and expectations were not disappointed. The most beautiful monastery, hidden in a bowl of walls, as if inside a flower.
A sense of goodness and joy comes in the Sretensky Church. We drank holy water, bought an icon, and for a while said goodbye to Russia - Estonia was ahead.
Border with Estonia, road to Tallinn
From the monastery to the border point 5 minutes by car. Both borders passed in 1.5 hours. Our border guards were more affable and "disgusted" - they did not touch anything. The Estonians are all gloomy, they felt and examined all things. But now the border is behind, we are going in the direction of Tallinn.
Usually, crossing the Russian-Finnish border, we fell from ruin into a well-groomed land, but now it seemed the other way around - from beauty we fell into ruin. The normal road ended immediately. There was a feeling that the asphalt had not been changed since the times of the USSR. On the side of the road, dilapidated houses with old slate roofs. True, after a couple of tens of kilometers we ran into a couple of cars of repair equipment and road repairs - there is a hope that a new road will soon be.
By 7 pm we got to Tallinn. We checked into the hotel, and, no less important, put the car in the parking lot. In the center of Tallinn, scrap prices are 6 euros per hour. We found a daily parking for 10 euros and went to eat local herring and drink beer in the central square near the town hall.
Ferry to Stockholm
Day three.
He greeted the new day with a dazzling sun, which, of course, prompted us to have breakfast and look for travel. Morning walk we started with an ascent to a hill, an observation deck and fortress walls. In Russian Orthodox church got exactly to the service.
We stood and listened to beautiful singing. The day started off well. On the observation deck overlooking old Tallinn, the main attraction turned out to be a fat seagull, which turned to tourists with one side or the other, cleaned its feathers and posed as best it could.
Three hours passed like one minute. It's time to turn in the room. Throwing our things into the car, we headed into the city. The sea weather is changeable - only the sun was shining, and suddenly it frowned and dripped, and then it fell. Tourists rushed to restaurants, and we bravely opened our umbrellas. We weren't enough for a long time, and the restaurant turned up on the way too pretty. The dinner was a success, starting with smoked herring, bear and elk sausages (not to be confused with salmon), and end with a glass of good red wine.
Waddling heavily, we got out of the restaurant and headed for the car - it's time to go to the store and the port. There are many cars in the port, as well as ferries. I ask at registration where to go so as not to get lost. They give you a Swedish flag: "hang it on the mirror, and they will prompt you." And rightly so, the boys in waistcoats were pointing out with their hands where to go. In general, we got to the ferry, got in line and by five o'clock we were loaded.
Leaving our "forester" to doze in the womb of the ship, we set off to wander around the multi-storey city-steamer. Our "cruise" to Stockholm has begun. I must say that within an hour many wanted to escape from the wandering crowds of people into the cabin and close the door more tightly. May the cruise lovers forgive me.
Day four.
In the morning we woke up in Sweden, which means that the clock had moved back an hour. We discovered this fact after having breakfast and getting ready for the exit - why is the ferry late arrival? But at 10:15 am, the ferry solemnly moors to the pier. We are greeted by a cool morning, gloomy sky and gusty wind. Hello Stockholm.
We go to see the city. Again, the most worrisome are parking - both expensive and simply not. After circling around Gamla for a while, we decide to enter the underground parking. Expensive, but right next to the bridge to the island.
They promised Polina to show the caps of the guards near the palace and on you - instead of fluffy hats, indistinct caps. Then we realized that hats are only in winter. The changing of the guard still takes place at noon to the beat of drums and the solemn entrance of the royal guard.
The crowd "shouted hurray and threw their caps into the air." At the post, the guardsmen are cheerful and relaxed - they smile, take pictures with tourists, yawn and shift from foot to foot.
We wandered through the streets of Gamla, bought a magnet and drove on at 13:30.
We arrived at the place of the first tent overnight at 16:15. Camping on the shore of the lake greeted us with a low sky, gusty wind and low flying clouds. Despite the wind, it was warm. We set up our tent and go swimming - dinner will wait. The beach is shallow, sandy, but the waves are just like on a real sea. We jumped in the waves to our heart's content, and to the tent - to cook dinner and relax.
We got up at 6 in the morning. Until we rebuilt on the local time- conveniently. 8:45 am, drove towards Gothenburg. We were there at about 12:00. We park very well - next to the port and the old town.
The ferry is at 4 pm, so there is plenty of time. We walked around the city, photographed "Bronze" (even two), but "Wooden" was not found. But we went to the fish market and, to celebrate, ate Swedish herring of different salting. Even Polya condescended to sample the local fish.
Note that the bread loaf is still tastier. Gothenburg did not make much of an impression, except for the large number of Muslims - either refugees, or it is always the case here. And the ferry was 15 minutes late with the departure. The entire journey to Frederikshavn takes 3 hours, so there are no cabins. We tried to immediately get into a bar overlooking the sea and calmly rested, sipping wine and reading and playing. By the way, there is no security control on all ferries.
Denmark greeted us with the setting sun and a beautiful camping in the sand dunes on the seashore.
Denmark and ferry to Norway
Sixth day.
Today is Polina's birthday, we celebrate him in Denmark. It's great to have a birthday in the summer and celebrate it in different places or countries, although you only understand this as an adult. It was the first time for Paulie. We tried to please her as best we could. In the morning, a small quest - both Moscow blanks and chocolate euros bought in a camping store (along with a three-fingered adapter and a bag of milk) came in handy.
A leisurely festive breakfast with Moscow sweets turned into a walk along the sand dunes to the sea. An attempt to swim was unsuccessful - both the sea is cool, and there are a lot of jellyfish. At 10:40 we leave the hospitable campsite and head to Skagen and Cape Grenham, famous themes that two seas collide there - the North and the Baltic.
First, along the dunes and quicksand, then along a long sandy spit, you can reach the place where the waves of the two seas, crashing into each other, form a foamy ball, throwing jellyfish and fin on the scythe. This is Skagerrak. Yes, yes, the same Skagerrak, about which Julius Kim sang so well: "... and in the Skagerrak Strait, waves, rocks, gullies and monstrous crayfish ...".
Nearby, in the sand dunes, you can see the church Den Tilsandede built in 1300. According to legend, the church, built on quicksand, once, right during the service, began to plunge into the abyss of sand. However, her visit showed that the church was sunk by only 1.5 meters.
The rest remains beautifully white over the dunes to this day. With regret, we leave the beautiful Skagen and drive towards Hirtechals, from where the ferry departs for Norway at 17:00. But before that, we still have a mandatory birthday visit to the largest oceanarium in northern Europe. With pleasure we looked at all kinds of fish and fur seals, and even stroked the stingray and flounder - they are so pleasantly rough to the touch. We also very well got to the fish feeding session. Sea cows rubbed around the scuba diver feeding them, like tame dogs, opening their mouths and begging for another bite.
In the cafe, we ate festive fries and at 16:00 rushed to the ferry. Taking into account the experience of the two previous landings, we arrived in 50 minutes. This time they turned out to be practically the last. It's good that the tickets were bought in advance. After us, only two cars were launched. Looking at the endless crowd of cars stretching beyond the horizon, we were worried if we had enough room at all. By the way the cars were clogged with steam, fears only grew stronger. The cars were crammed like Norwegian herring into a barrel, as were the passengers. The ferry itself turned out to be a huge catamaran.
Coming out of the port, he rushed so that we were shaken and shaken. With difficulty, holding on to everything I could with my hand, I got to the shop. The cashier to my remark "something is storming today" cheerfully replied that today the weather is excellent, and the sea is calm, or it will still be. And she turned out to be right - half an hour before arrival such a pitching began that the "sailors" only had time to run between the rows of chairs with packages. It's good that Polya fell asleep at that time.
In general, 2 hours of torment, and we are in Norway. Another half hour before the camping, and now we are blowing out the candles and alternately biting off pieces of two cakes - chocolate and lemon. The night was hectic, the campsite lived an active life until 2 am. But in the early morning we played back - the only ones got up so early.
Lysefjord and Preikestolen cliff
Seventh day.
9:00, we leave the camping in the direction of Lysefjord. True, at first the husband put the wrong point in the navigator, but the misunderstanding was quickly discovered, and the right course was taken.
After 2 hours we stopped at a gas station - to fill the car and ourselves, and at the same time to wash the pretty dusty iron horse. While Polya and I were buying sausages, Andrei drove into a car wash (one with brushes, like from "Diamond Hand"), paid and waited for it to start working. He got tired of waiting quickly, and just in case he pressed the big red button. As it turned out later, it was an emergency. The brushes did not work, and we went to bow to the workers of the gas station. The boy, of Bosnian origin, said he shouldn't have pressed the emergency button and overloaded the automatics. While we ate sausages with gusto, the brushes washed the car up and down.
Clean and well-fed we go further. We had a very good time for the ferry and already at 13 o'clock we checked into a campsite near Preikestolen, which means "pulpit". We set up camp, have lunch, and almost immediately start climbing the cliff. According to the guide, 2 hours of travel and 4 km of travel.
Climb 600 meters. The road is not difficult, steep climbs alternate with flat sections. Every 50-100 m there are columns indicating how many have passed and how much is left. Closer to the cliff, the relief flattens out - for the last kilometer we walk along smooth flat stones.
And here it is, the Preikestolen cliff! Feeling the edge of the world. This is a steep cliff, going somewhere endlessly down, and you are a bird standing over an abyss, in front of only the sea and the sky - spread your wings and fly. But people "do not fly like birds", all that remains is to crawl on their belly to the edge of the cliff and carefully look into the abyss.
The evening sun broke through the clouds and flooded the cliff with gold for several minutes. And that's all. The beam has gone out, and we have to go back. 1 hour 45 minutes up, 1 hour 15 minutes down, 45 minutes on the cliff. By 7 pm we returned to the campsite - on time. They had barely had supper when the heavenly abyss opened and a downpour fell upon the world. All that remained was to crawl into the tent and plunge into free Wi-Fi, and then into a sweet dream under the sound of the rain.
Camping in Odda
Day eight.
It has been raining in the morning, the whole sky is covered with clouds. Slowly we have breakfast and go to the camping cafe to charge devices and drink coffee. There is nowhere to rush - you still cannot walk in such rain. At about 11 we leave towards Odda. It seems like a little ride, but the speed limit is 60-70 km / h, cameras, and objectively you can't go faster on such roads - sharp turns, narrow roads, and even ferries. So 200 km is about 4 hours of travel.
The first 2 hours it was raining, I did not want to get out of the car at all, then it got better. On both sides of the road, waterfalls and viewing platforms began to appear near them. We walked to one of them and got some water - very tasty. The next waterfall - Hardanger - as it turned out, is a specific, tourist place, there was even a tent with souvenirs and soda.
We stretched our legs, took a bunch of photos and an hour later we got to Odda. Time is 17:00, camping is pretty free, we chose a good place for a tent and cooked dinner. But by 19 o'clock in the campsite there was already nowhere for an apple to fall - there were a lot of people. It looks like Trolltunga is a cult place requiring a full day hike. Odda's only campsite is simply not designed for such an influx of "sportsmen".
"Trolltunga"
Day nine.
Climbing "Trolltunga" today. We left the campsite at 8:00, about half an hour to the parking and the start of the route. As it turned out, we made it at the last moment. In addition to us, three more cars climbed into the rather spacious parking lot. And that's all - the parking lot was closed, and the nearest one is 5 km down the road.
But we made it! We start up at 9:00. The first kilometer of the path is a steep climb through the forest. Considering yesterday's rain, it's also very dirty. We overtook a Chinese couple, sadly wiping their light sneakers with snow-white napkins. But further on the dirt was even more, and after another kilometer it became easier - flatter, cleaner. Met a waterfall. In joy, the fields galloped around him so that they collapsed and were skinned.
For the next 3 km, the ascent is still quite steep, but along beautiful large sloping stones. After 2 hours we made a break for sandwiches. The climb is almost complete, further 7 km of small descents and ascents. We began to come across tents - people walk halfway in the evening, spend the night and in the morning run light-handed to the "Troll's Tongue". Well, we continue to climb. After 5 hours of the journey, we finally saw the main attraction - another half hour, and we were there. The place is cult.
To take a picture directly on the "Language", you need to wait in line for 40 minutes (in our case). Although all the most beautiful pictures from the guidebooks were taken from a nearby rock. While taking pictures, half an hour flew by. We began to pack back, all the more, I wanted to cook some more hot soup. We crawled away from the "Language" and, having settled comfortably behind large stones overlooking the lake, had lunch. The way back, minus lunch, took 3.5 hours and went without incident. We returned to the parking lot by 19:30.
We walked 22 km along the marking poles, 25 km on the GPS track and gained an altitude of 1250 m. The mileage marking poles seem to be created to divert the eyes so that tourists would not be intimidated by the extra kilometers. To Polina's credit, it must be said that only three children of about the same age were met on the route, and they were all Russians.
On the way to the campsite, we bought ourselves some pickled meat - we deserve it. The tent stood where they left it, but there were still more people. It cleared up - it was so great after a hard day to sit by the tent overlooking the lake, stretching out tired legs, frying meat, drinking red wine and watching the sunset.
Day ten.
And in the morning it was raining again. What a climate! I can't even believe that yesterday was such a wonderful evening.
We decide to drive more, especially since the forecast for tomorrow is more than good - 28 degrees and sun. Today is the day of tunnels. What we have never met - both very narrow and dark, where two cars hardly parted, and large spacious ones with interchanges illuminated by a beautiful blue light. The apotheosis of the "tunnel" day turned out to be an ascent tunnel inside the rock. The tunnel resembled an underground multi-storey car park in the city of Annecy - you go in a spiral, higher and higher. We wound up 7 or 8 circles before we jumped out of the tunnel somewhere at the top of the mountain.
By lunchtime, the rain had almost stopped. We decided to stretch our legs and go to the second largest waterfall in Norway, and at the same time see Stavkirke (Frame Church) - an old wooden church, of which there are many in these parts. Our church turned out to be built in 1125, all blackened from time, standing on wooden pillars.
Industrial raspberries were spread around the church. Fortified with raspberries, we go to the waterfall. Half an hour up, 20 minutes down. The waterfall really falls down from the 200-meter cliff, dragging its waters into the Sognefjord. But you can't get close to him.
We got to the campsite under the Nigardsbreen glacier at the beginning of 7 pm. At the reception we were greeted by a colorful old woman who, it seems, had no idea about any of the European languages, except Norwegian, and about credit cards also did not hear. She accepted only Norwegian crowns for payment. It's good that we had local currency. We settled in. The campsite was half empty and unusually quiet, especially after Odda.
Day eleven.
It hadn't rained in the morning, but the air was so saturated with moisture that it seemed like it could be squeezed out like a sponge. At 09:30, having paid 4 euros for parking, we go to the glacier - at 11 o'clock we have a family hike to the glacier.
Surprisingly, they put cats on us, tied us with a rope and let us out onto the ice - almost like an adult. For an hour we wandered in single file on the glacier, looked into cracks, touched the blue ice, passed through the ice grottoes. On the way back, we stopped by the lake and fished out ice of various shapes for a long time.
It got very hot by lunchtime. We could not deny ourselves the pleasure of lying up belly to "tie the salsa". In the late afternoon we took a ride to the dam and to the alpine lake.
Geiranger and Snow Road
Day twelve.
9:00, we leave towards Geiranger. In general, in Norway, the term "leaving to the side" is very relevant - in order to travel 90 km to the west, you must first drive 80 km to the east, then 100 to the north, a couple of tens of kilometers to the west, then a little more to the south, again to the east, north again.
So it is now. The road to Geiranger took us anywhere but in the direction of Geiranger. However, what to want from her - the road number 55 is tourist, you go and admire. There are many observation decks overlooking the waterfalls and the Sognefjord.
To top it off, an hour later, winding and climbing the mountain, the road took us to the pass. A little more, and here it is - "Snow Road" in all its glory.
Every 200 meters a pocket with wonderful views of the snowy peaks and blue Lakes- it is impossible not to stop. But it all ends someday. The "Snowy Road" also ended. We are in a local eco-community called Lom. We decide to replenish our food supplies, and - finally - alcohol in Vin Monopolete (oh, those prohibitions on the sale of alcohol).
Along the way, we discovered another old church (Stavkirke) built in 1160 and an eco-path across the suspension bridge past the old houses.
At 15 o'clock in front of us was the famous Geiranger Fjord. We decide to go straight to the campsite - judging by the wonderful weather (+30 and sun), the campsite on the seashore will be sold out.
We put up a tent and go swimming. However, water burns: +18. Two married couples who spoke Russian were swimming in the sea. They swam up to us, we got to talking. It turned out they were traveling from Germany. Only Russians swim in such water, and ordinary Norwegians wander, tucking their trousers up to their ankles - no further.
Molde
Thirteenth day.
Early in the morning, we decided to stop by the Geiranger village to see what the big steamers were doing there. It turned out that they were doing nothing, since there was nothing but restaurants and souvenir shops. Well, we, too, were not left without souvenirs.
We drive further towards the province of Romsdal, more precisely, the city of Molde. On the way we pass the "Troll Road" - a very touristy place. Everyone stops there to walk along beautifully arranged paths, go to the observation point, drink coffee, eat ice cream and buy souvenirs.
By lunchtime we got to the coastal town of Molde.
There we finally managed to buy a variety of fish. No soups today, long live the fish evening. It's amazing how it is in a fishing country, well, they do not sell fish at all (vacuum packaging in supermarkets does not count). The evening was spoiled a little by the unexpectedly appearing cloud, with thunder, lightning and rain. But the cloud rushed away, the sun came out, and the fish did not get any worse from this.
After dinner, Paul and Andrei went for a ride around the bay on a pedal catamaran, and I admired the evening sea, sitting comfortably in an easy Helinox chair, devouring fresh grilled fish, sipping Chablis and eating all this with strawberries. If somewhere on earth today it turned out heavenly place- it's here!
"Church of the Trolls"
Day fourteen.
The morning greeted us with thick fog and air soaked through with moisture. Water droplets hung in the air, settling on chairs, clothes and towels. The forecast promised the sun after 12 o'clock, so in the morning we decided to ride along the famous "Atlantic Road", especially since its beautiful part is located just on our side, and there is no need to drive it entirely.
There isn't much to do in Kristiansund. We rode the famous bridge back and forth, walked around the islands and went to climb to the "Church of the Trolls". Trollkirka is a large cave, even several caves or grottoes. Having overcome a rather steep 3-kilometer climb and encountered a serious obstacle on the way in the form of a vast blueberry, we came to a black hole in the side of a mountain from which cold and dampness smelled noticeably.
The very first meters of the cave discovered that the power of our flashlights was clearly not enough for comfortable movement around the cave. The lanterns shone faintly, except for one. So from time to time I had to be guided by a sixth sense or, in the absence of one, to fall into the murmuring water under my feet. After a while, it brightened, the walls of the cave parted and a waterfall rumbling from somewhere above appeared in front of our eyes.
The path led to the shore of a small round lake, and a small manhole on the right led further into the next grotto. Squeezing through a narrow gap, we found ourselves in an inner well, where a ladder was attached to the side, descending into the second grotto, where another waterfall was waiting for us.
The third grotto, as I read in the information plate near the cave, is rather difficult to find. And so it happened. Holding on to the metal cables, we climbed to the top of the hill and saw a small sign pointing sharply to the right. Norse characters were scrawled on the tablets, and a well-trodden path led straight. We chose a path and after 5 minutes they suspected something was wrong. It is good that a group of Norwegians was walking towards them, among whom one young girl knew English.
In general, we noticed that the older generation of Norwegians (40+) practically do not speak English, only young people. It was this "youth" who explained to us that we slipped through the entrance to the third cave and kindly escorted us to the entrance to the hole. Laz turned out to be a narrow hole in the ground, in which Andrey and his backpack risked getting stuck altogether. The first 25 meters descended backwards, bending low, holding onto the ropes. Below, along the entire width of the cave, a stream gurgled. Only Polina could straighten up to her full height here, but she did not like walking on the water. Having passed a little along the ever-descending cave, we saw several lateral branches. I remembered Ellie and Fred from "7 Underground Kings", who was also standing in a cave with a skein of twine in his hands and pondering where to go next.
We didn't have a coil of twine, so after walking a little along the side routes, we returned back along the circular route, pretty tired. We got out to the sun. Then they had to wash their pants in a mountain stream on the way to the car. Having visited on the way back an extensive blueberry and bought at the nearest market, we settled down to rest and admire the sunset sea. Our final evening in Norway.
Road to Sweden
Day fifteen.
We left at 8:45. Before the supposed overnight stay already in Sweden 600 miles. With sadness we see off the mountains, fjords, tunnels running back. Ahead is the flat-gloomy Sweden, similar to the Karelian-Finnish landscapes. Goodbye Norway!
After the border we made a halt in mosses. There was also a lake, in which they bathed for vivacity before a long journey. We arrived for the night at 18.30. Very nice campsite. The tent was set up right on the shore of the lake.
Day sixteen.
Stockholm awaits us again today. It is 4 hours away. We are planning to go to Junibacken - a museum dedicated to the work of Astrid Lindgren and other Norwegian writers. The museum is excellent, but Polya has already outgrown it, unfortunately. We walked around Stockholm again.
10 days ago it was windy and cold, but now +30 and the sun are two different cities. Ferry in the evening. Heading to Turku.
Finland, Turku
Day seventeen.
We are in Finland, in the city of Turku. The ferry arrived even earlier than the scheduled time, so at 7:30 in the morning we were already rumbled on the iron ramp of the ship's dock. Moomin Island is open from 10:00, so I had to keep myself busy for two hours. Busy with shopping and a hearty breakfast.
By the time the "Island" opened, we were among the first visitors at the gate and quickly ran around the entire island. As it turned out, they did the right thing, because when Polya once again gathered in the enchanted forest and the hatifnat cave, there was already a queue there.
In general, in comparison with our visit to the Island 5 years ago, the number of people has increased quite significantly. We decided not to go to the second round and after watching the performance went to the souvenir shop. On the way, Polya watched the game "catch a fish" - a variant of a one-armed bandit, but with prizes. Polina was lucky - she pulled out a fish marked "main prize", "one-armed bandit" was defeated!
With a big beautiful box and a bunch of Moomin souvenirs we are going to our final overnight stay in Lapeenranta near the border.
There we already have a feeding camp on the shore of the lake. After Sweden and especially Norway, Finnish campsites delight with a large spacious territory, forest and rarely standing tents. In the evening we eat Finnish smoked "sucker", that is, salmon, herring and other cute fish with white wine and other Finnish delicacies. And in the trunk there is also Finnish cheese and jam.
Home!
Day eighteenth.
At 9:00 we leave towards the border. An hour and a half, and we are in Russia. At the very first gas station we buy such real tasty ice cream - ours! We decide to drive the car to Moscow - everyone wants to go home, we got a lot of impressions. Aprelevka. Hour of the night. We're home. The trip was a success!
Andrewblake 02-08-2010 17:33
The final destination of the trip is the city of Gothenburg, the second city in Sweden after Stockholm.
The trip starts on July 8 at 18-30 from one city near Moscow, as the heat has been for quite a long time, we will try to take a little to the Swedes. Four of us are going - Tolik and Lena, the owners of the two-year-old Lancer, and my wife and I. We spend the first night at their dacha in the Tver region, from where we start on the morning of the 9th.
A little background: Veta and Volodya (our former compatriots who made an invitation visa to Lena) and their four children of different ages live in Gothenburg. Three of us have Finnish visas, for which we had to book hotels in two Finnish cities.
The journey began with a slight misunderstanding, instead of New Riga we turn to Leningradka (largely thanks to the striped sticks dealer), which we planned to taxi only tomorrow, and we find ourselves in the notorious traffic jam on the overpass being repaired (which, however, is absolutely invisible), which, by the way , quickly dissolves. We thought that we would cut it off somewhere and spend the night in the right place. "Somewhere" there is a concrete road, already at the entrance to which the navigator stops suggesting to turn back and drive through New Riga. We saw on the way interesting phenomenon in the atmosphere, when on both sides of the Sun in the sky there are small and bright pieces of a rainbow, roofing felts imitations of the aforementioned luminary. The last time I saw this was almost 20 years ago. After a while we are on the spot, the evening is spoiled only by angry mosquitoes.
Phenomenon
In the morning we get up early enough, but swimming in the river and a long breakfast postpone the departure until 11-30.
After spending the night at the dacha
We start by driving horseflies out of the car and admiring the local nature. In a little over an hour, we get out on a straight line to St. Petersburg. The road is quite free, the quality of the coverage varies depending on the subject of the Federation, respectively, and the speed of movement too (we go along the highway as standard, trying not to exceed the limit by more than 10 km / h).
The first stop occurs at Leningrad region, we eat in a cafe, in which our driver already ate on the last similar trip. Fair enough and not expensive by Moscow standards. We go further, the next stops are only on demand.
Before Peter gets into a viscous traffic jam, the only thing that calms down is that the traffic jam in the opposite direction is a hundred times worse. Taxiing to the ring road, we decide that we will go through Sestroretsk, because according to radio stations, something is on fire on the Vyborg highway, and there are serious difficulties. I don’t know what difficulties there are, but in Sestroretsk we get stuck in such a traffic jam that we begin to fear for the time of arrival at the Finnish border (1 am Moscow time or 00-00 in Finnish - the beginning of our visa). If not for the air conditioner, then we would have died or turned back. Finally, the plug more or less dissolves, and the speed of approaching Finland increases. Moving north, I begin to understand what white nights are, although they are no longer as pronounced as they were a month before.
And here it is, the border. The country says goodbye to us with a huge pothole on the road (they say that it has been here for many years). We go through our customs quickly and taxied into duty-free. We buy everything we need , and we go towards the Finns, having previously expelled about a hundred mosquitoes from the car. At passport control, we shock the representative of Finland. He cannot understand what can be done in his country for 10 days, but he gives the passports.
the border
We have already booked rooms at the Villa Vanessa hotel near Kotka. The hotel, which is positioned as a "cheap cozy hotel", turns out to be more like a cheap motel, moreover, the cost of the rooms is higher than stated on the phone. It is the fact that they speak Russian that played a big role in the choice of this place. But I never got there anymore - since we arrived there quite late, there was a high probability of oversleeping breakfast, which was warned us by the employee in an almost ultimatum tone. We asked to wake her up at 7 am, which was not done, but the alarm clock insured this oversight. Breakfast is tolerable, except for the four of us, no one is present at it. While getting ready, I turned on the TV, which, it turns out, also accepts the RTR-planet, however, after 10 minutes of work, he passed out himself.
Okay, let's go to Helsinki! The number of rocks and boulders made of red granite amazes us, who are accustomed to the landscapes near Moscow. Even under St. Petersburg, this was not. Along the roads there is a net from animals (or from people), at one of the parking lots along the road we decide to take pictures on a boulder. Three companies that arrived before us and speak non-Russian are rapidly hiding in their vehicles. We could not understand the reason.
The road is fenced in with a grid
Granite rocks
Then we move in the right direction without stopping, admiring the scenery and prices at gas stations. An hour and a half later we are on the spot, driving through a city in which hundreds of people run and ride bicycles, which is hard to imagine in Moscow. I constantly shoot everything interesting through glass. Here we are in the port, where, having suffered a little with a parking machine, we leave the car. We go into the Viking Line building, on whose ferry we have reserved a place to visit one paid institution in other places. Taking a map of the city, we go for a walk. Senate Square, Assumption Cathedral (where they looked a little at the wedding of the Finnish couple), the embankment with its cafes, Market Square, where we buy souvenirs, strawberries, and eat almost real tom-yam, remembering Thailand (the girls in the cafe are not secret, but rather Laoski, on our "kapun cap" and did not lead an ear). From the market square we go to the boulevard, where, not far from the magnificent pavilion with food shops, we sit down on the grass, which thoroughly smells of horse dung. We drink local beer Nikolay Sinebryukhov (which turned out to be non-alcoholic), and locals and guests of the capital (Finland) scurry past, Asians climb into garbage cans in search of bottles and cans, Daddy, with a long gray beard, twists the handle of a barrel organ, a mime with a white face, then freezes, then sticks to passers-by, scaring the Korean boy to his wet pants. We decide not to twitch to the city museum, the zoo and the Sveaborg fortress, because We will not have time to really inspect before the ferry. However, we could see Sveaborg well from the ferry. We go to the car.
From the parking lot we see that the queue of cars for the ferry is already standing. We attach ourselves to the tail, and after a while we are already swallowed up by the interior of the ship. Cars are parked very tightly, we take our things and go to look for our cabin. She's in tourist class, four-seater, without a porthole, on the fifth deck. There are 11 living decks in total, plus promenade decks. This is where we go. The view from the 13th floor is impressive. I try to shoot everything interesting, while looking at other passengers. Here the young Finns have gotten some beer and have already started drinking with might and main (there is a duty-free shop on the ferry, where alcohol is much cheaper than on the shore), behaving worse than the Chinese; here are gypsies in wide skirts made of black velvet, with clusters of redheads in their ears, and here are quite pretty girls (probably Swedes). By the way, about the gypsies - they move in small herds, and, moreover, only women are dressed in national costumes, but even those will soon change into "civilian" clothes. There is a strong suspicion that this masquerade is for the transport of something forbidden.
Nearby there is a newly launched ferry of competitors Silja Line, even larger than ours. After waiting a little, we rush in pursuit.
Andrewblake 02-08-2010 20:24
To be continued
natalia_vw 03-08-2010 09:26
come on, interesting
russkit 03-08-2010 19:54
To be continued
Very, very interesting! Traveling is the second pleasure in life.
Andrewblake 03-08-2010 21:38
At some point, Lake Vettern appears on the right in the direction of travel. It has an elongated shape, and the road, bending around it, stretches along the lake for about forty kilometers. We stop near a beautiful old building on a high slope. Most likely, this is a hotel, but there is also a cafe. The main building is covered with red tiles, and small annexes have earthen roofs with reddish grass. We leave on the terrace, where I shoot a view of the lake.
By the way, on the way we pass settlements with names familiar to the Russian ear - Gislaved, Huskvarna, Salem (for King's lovers).
After a while we drive into the suburb of Gothenburg. We have already covered 500 kilometers in Sweden. We call the host, Volodya is trying to explain how to get to the street on which we will live. His data do not agree with the opinion of the navigator, as a result, we make a sightseeing tour of the city. It turns out that the already intricate interchanges are constantly being rebuilt, so the navigator knows nothing about them. The roads here are generally constantly put in order, new tunnels appear, punched in the rocks. Their length can be several kilometers (assuming that there is only one granite around, this inspires respect). One of the tunnels in the city center, passing under several canals, is highlighted in blue in the places where the water is over your head.
Soon we will meet with Volodya and drive to our house. This is not a separate building, but something like our town houses. His owners went on vacation to Denmark, for the 8 days that we will live here, we must justify their monthly housing costs. The house has two full floors and a room in the attic. The area is small by Swedish standards - less than 120 square meters. On the ground floor there are several zones that pass into each other: a small entrance hall with a built-in wardrobe and a pantry, where there is a washing machine and all sorts of pribluda for drying clothes, all this goes into the kitchen in a large island work table, a computer table by the window, another pantry and a bathroom ... Next is the living room with a large dining table, sofa and armchair in front of the TV. From the living room there is an exit to a small garden, most of which is covered with a board in a deck way, there is also a small composition of stones with lighting, all sorts of bushes, a table with candles. There is also a table and a gas grill under the plexiglass canopy.
On the second floor there are three small bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a music studio in the attic, a bunch of instruments and amps. We were asked to be in this room as little as possible. We go to the store to buy some food. It is not far away if you are on wheels, but we are not talking about "walking distance", moreover, it works only until 20 or 21 o'clock, convenience stores only at gas stations. Food prices are higher than ours, although not everything. We do not have crowns, so I pay by card. In general, cards are accepted for payment everywhere, even if it is a grandmother who sells seeds (it's a joke - you almost won't see seeds here). After dinner I watch the World Cup final. I don’t understand anything except surnames, well, okay. Our (Spaniards) are winning. We go to bed, my wife and I got the master's bedroom.
Ace_Odinn 04-08-2010 08:57
Cool!
And we are planning next year to Norway, via Finland ... not by ferry
Andrewblake 04-08-2010 09:10
Cool!
And we are planning next year to Norway, via Finland ... not by ferry
Ace_Odinn 04-08-2010 09:29
quote: Originally posted by Andrewblake:Norway and Denmark were in possible plans (from Gothenburg 300 km to them), but they did not grow together.
Andrewblake 04-08-2010 10:25
quote: Originally posted by Ace_Odinn:We counted about 2400 km from St. Petersburg to Oslo.
I really want to see the fjords.And Finland is already tired of it (firstly, my second homeland, secondly, St. Petersburg is a border town, we go to this Finland almost every week)
To be honest, I envy the people of St. Petersburg - it is much closer to the Finnish than to Moscow.
Until we got to Peter, we were already rather tired. That in Finland, that in Sweden (Stockholm) saw only cars with St. Petersburg numbers. In Gothenburg, no cars with Russian plates were seen at all.
ASv 04-08-2010 12:31
Interesting trip. And in Sweden, what did you do, where did you go, what did you see?
Andrewblake 04-08-2010 12:43
quote: Originally posted by ASv:
Interesting trip. And in Sweden, what did you do, where did you go, what did you see?This time only our child went to Finka to visit his relatives, we will probably go in winter, closer to the deer.
Andryukh, I am writing slowly. I will publish soon.
Andrewblake 04-08-2010 17:46
There is no sense in describing every day, so I will tell you about the most important thing.
What to see: There are not as many attractions in Gothenburg as in Stockholm, however, this does not mean that there is nothing to see. You need to start from the city center, which is not only rich in remarkable architectural structures, but is also the starting point for many excursions.
On the embankment, you can visit a wooden sailboat, a more modern huge sailboat with a steel hull, on board which there is a restaurant,
the Gothenburg Opera (who cares), an office center with an observation deck at a height of 86 meters,
Ferris wheel (medium diameter, so make four turns, during which the inhabitants of some booths will change).
Also from the embankment you can go on a journey on a 1914 steamer, which will make a circle along the skerries with a short exit to the open sea.
This excursion lasts several hours, and, as we could see, is very popular with Swedish (and not so much) retirees, who are drinking heavily on board.
Other excursions may include travel to various historical monuments, we visited an 18th century fort on an island near the outlet to the open sea.
The latest excursion does not include the theatrical performance in the fort !!! We have seen this from our own experience. You can also go on a journey through the canals of the city on flat-bottomed boats, with access to the bay. It's funny to watch people swim on them under the bridges, bending over to three deaths.
Further, you can visit the museum, which includes several ships: the largest of them is a missile cruiser, a submarine, a dry cargo ship, a fire ship, etc. ladders are thrown between them and you can go from one to another. But after the first two (we spent more than an hour on them), there was no particular desire to watch the others.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in tourist centers you can buy a subscription to most excursions (Goteborg pass). It includes visits to about thirty sites, however, its duration is limited to 24 or 48 hours. A subscription for 24 hours costs 245 kroons (1000 rubles), for 48 hours it seems like 390 kroons. At the same time, the total cost of excursions included in it is more than 1000 CZK. A percentage discount has been introduced for some of the excursions. It also includes travel by urban transport, and free parking at most parking lots (for the period of validity of the subscription). I must say right away that it is impossible to visit all the excursions in a day (especially, the maximum working hours of most are from 10 to 20 hours, and some close earlier). Therefore, you need to beat off the most expensive and those next to each other. We returned ours after visiting the aforementioned fort and a visit to the Universum Museum, which deserves a separate discussion. But we did not have time to visit the aviation museum or the Volvo museum (also, by the way, in Gothenburg). In addition to the subscription, we received four books with coupons for discounts (both in cash and in percentage terms), operating in the shopping center where we bought the subscription, and on the streets adjacent to it. It included both shops selling clothes and shoes, as well as various catering establishments, including McDonald's and Burger King. The total number of such establishments and shops is about a hundred.
Andrewblake 04-08-2010 17:46
Universum: This museum is located near the city center in a large, modern building flanked by a cliff. We took an inclined elevator to the very top, where we began to get acquainted with the flora and fauna of Sweden.
In many ways, it is similar to ours, but everything is presented really interesting: aquariums with freshwater and marine fish, terrariums, plants, birds, and even bees feel quite relaxed in front of the audience.
Window to Europe: travel from Moscow to Stockholm on Audi Q5
2018 will become a landmark year for Russia not only due to the holding of the FIFA World Cup. In fact, for the second time in history, it will open a “window to Europe” for the “Muscovites”. The upcoming completion of the M11 highway promises a new - sweet life for Russian auto travel fans and a significant change in priorities when choosing European routes.
text: Vladimir Makkaveev / 13.04.2018
Every year, European road trips are becoming more and more popular "vacation escort" among motorists in the European part of Russia. But the long-awaited opening of the M11 highway this year promises to give a new qualitative and quantitative impetus in this direction, making travel to Europe an order of magnitude more comfortable, faster and safer. If even last year, especially during the reversible repair of the bridge across the river. Walk near Chudovo, just to get from Moscow to Northern capital, it took 10-12 hours, then after the opening of the "scarves" M11 along its entire length during this time, in theory, it will be possible to drive almost to Helsinki. The pleasure, of course, will not be cheap (although there is no final price tag yet), but, firstly, if you wish, it will be possible to save from 20 to 60% by acquiring an Avtodor transponder; It will be quite realistic to overcome the ring road in just 5.5–6 hours. Behind the ring road, however, you will still have to cut the remaining 175 km for 2–2.5 hours along the not very pleasant and very dangerous two-lane Scandinavia highway, which is still far from being reconstructed. But on the other hand, having left Moscow on a weekday at 6–7 in the morning, you can easily breathe in the “sanctioned” air of the European Union after lunch, getting rid of the need to spend the night in Vyborg and the surrounding area. At the Torfyanovka border checkpoint, some temporary redistribution of traffic is already predicted after the opening of the M11, but on weekdays it is not so significant as to have a catastrophic effect on the travel time. If you choose wisely the date and time of the start, an hour to the border will be enough for your eyes.
Until 2018, or rather before the upcoming opening of the M11 highway, the time spent on traveling from Moscow to Western Europe along the southern (via Brest to Germany) and northern (via Vyborg to Sweden) routes were practically identical. The road to Brest, especially in its Belarusian segment, was much faster and more comfortable than the St. Petersburg highway. But everyone spoiled the Brest border (since the residents of the border regions were allowed daily, and not once a week, as before, to wander to Poland, an endless queue of tobacco and fuel merchants lined up to the Warsaw Bridge) and a sad "two-lane" all settlements from Biala Podlaska to Warsaw and the Berlin expressway E30. And on the northern route the “old Leningradka” with its endless settlements and repairs was exhausting the soul.
Everything should be different now. 8-9 hours from the Moscow Ring Road, and you will already be on the border of Finland, from which Helsinki is just a stone's throw away. In contrast to the Russian section, in Suomi the Scandinavia highway is almost completely completed (only a small section of the border remains to be completed), so 190 km to Helsinki, even taking into account the strict speed limits, can be overcome without problems in a couple of hours. However, do not rush! For fifty kilometers to the Finnish capital, turn left off the autobahn towards Porvoo, and you will be pleasantly surprised by the scenery of one of the oldest cities Finland, vaguely familiar to Soviet moviegoers from the comedy of Leonid Gaidai filmed here "Behind the Matches" with Yevgeny Leonov and Vyacheslav Nevinny in the lead roles.
The streets of old Porvoo are familiar to us from the comedy Gaidai.
This town is a kind of Finnish compromise between metropolis and countryside. A soulful atmosphere and a leisurely pace of life are combined with fashionable galleries, boutiques and gourmet restaurants. And, of course, genuine antiquity is preserved here. Not monumental, but so intimate and cute that in the small Old Town you will be stuck with your camera for a long time. Even the 15th century cathedral is a small and, by church standards, very modest building. Its power of attraction is in charm. Cathedral Square, by the way - perfect place for parking. Do not forget to just put the obligatory cardboard "clock" under the glass, which is sold at any gas station: like almost everywhere in Finland, parking here is limited in time in accordance with the instructions on the signs: you yourself set the time of arrival by means of the "clock" that must be put under the windshield. Up from the square along the Kolukuya lane, the Devil's steps of a natural stone staircase depart. And in the direction of the center are the very streets on which the main actions of Gaidai's comedy took place: on the corner there is a restaurant Wanha Laamanni (today it is the best restaurant in the city), where Partonen was drinking coffee when Vatonen and Iholainen tried to steal a horse from him. Most of the Old Town is built up with wooden houses in bright colors. The embankment of the Porvoonjoki River is framed by red-brown trade warehouses from the Middle Ages.
There are several small hotels in Porvoo where you can relax after a long journey and enjoy the atmosphere of old Finland, so that in the morning you can head further west to Helsinki.
Cathedral- the pearl of the Finnish capital.
The Suomenlinna Fortress protects the fairway at the entrance to the Helsinki harbor.
The capital of Suomi is beautiful in its central part, its Lutheran Cathedral is especially impressive, but against the background of other European capitals- boring. An hour's walk is enough to get into her spirit. But since ferries to Stockholm leave only in the late afternoon, you can have time to swim to the island fortress of Suomenlinna - a naval outpost built by the Swedes that has been covering the fairways of Helsingfors for many centuries. You can get there by a tourist boat in about 20 minutes, having previously parked your car in a paid parking lot in the port or in a multi-level parking lot at the Olympia ferry terminal. Alas, it will not be possible to immediately drive her into the belly of the ferry.
Tallink Promenade: a "street" of shops and restaurants.
Although the sea giants Viking and Tallink Silja arrive from Stockholm in the morning, they start loading only an hour and a half before departure. Prices, taking into account dynamic pricing, are, in principle, comparable (a cabin for 1-4 people and car transportation - from 112/158 euros), with the only difference that the Viking ferries are somewhat smaller and more ascetic, while the 13 deck giants Silja Symphony and Silja Serenade with their inner promenades are the real floating cities of the Baltic. Departing from Helsinki at 17: 00/17: 30, at 09: 45/10: 00 the ferries Tallink Silja and Viking are already moored at the berths of Stockholm. Tallink terminal is located a little further from the center than the Swedish port Viking, but if you are traveling by car and plan not only to walk around the center, but also to travel around the outskirts of the Swedish capital, it is even more convenient.
Unlike Helsinki, there is a lot to see in Stockholm and its suburbs, so you should spend at least 2-3 days here. For a start, you can take a ride through the residences of the Swedish king: to the Gripsholm castle (70 km from the center) and to the Drottningholm palace on the outskirts of the capital. Both royal residences are open to the public and are well suited for car travelers, with huge free guest parking facilities.
It is much more difficult to park in the center of Stockholm, but it is also quite possible: when going to the Old Town, it is best to park the car on the cobblestones of the Skeppsbronn embankment (just do not forget to feed the parking meter with your credit card at the rate of 45 CZK per hour). Iconic sights of the island of Djurgården - museums Nordic countries, Astrid Lindgren, the Vasa spacecraft and the ABBA group - also have small paid parking, but there are sorely lack of places for them, so advice: when going on a hunt for Stockholm experiences, come to Djurgården 20 minutes before the opening of museums and park without problems, saving yourself an extra headache. Half a day before the return ferry to Helsinki will be enough for you to “emotionally plunder” the museums of Djurgården, especially since it takes only 10-15 minutes to get to the familiar Tallink Silja terminal from the island.
Gripsholm Castle - country residence Swedish king.
Royal Palace Drottningholm.
Travel calculator |
|
| Visa | 35 € |
| Hotel / apartment cost | from 80/110 * € |
| Average restaurant bill | from 30/40 * € |
| Fuel cost | 1,45/1,51* € |
| Average fuel consumption | 9.8 l / 100 km |
| Route length | 1105 km |
| Total travel time (one way excluding ferry) | 16:28 h |
| Ferry crossing (Viking / Tallink Silja) | from 112/158 € |
| Max. permitted speed | 120 km / h |
| Max. acceptable blood alcohol level | up to 0.5 / 0.2 * ppm |
| * Finland / Sweden | |
Introduction
Scandinavia. Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Finland and Iceland are added to the generally accepted concept, but this is not entirely true. The main purpose of our trip is the Norwegian fjords. Until now, I have not come across anything more beautiful and bewitching of these places. Most likely, this is because I have visited a few places. It's just Norway, it's very close, just a stone's throw away. And there is no need to get attached to "someone else's" transport, you can see everything from the window of your own car. I say this for those who live in the north-west of our country. For example, in St. Petersburg. It is from here that we start, however, as usual.
Saint Petersburg - Finland.
Turku market square
The legend of our trip is that we leave the modern capital of Finland - Helsinki for the return journey. Therefore, we will set sail from the old capital of Finland - Turku. This city can be called the capital of Finland conditionally, since Finland was not an independent state until December 6, 1917. What is this city interesting for? Let's start in order. The first mentions date back to 1229, but they settled there since the Bronze Age. Moreover, before the mentioned date, Novgorodians lived there and called the city Torg (1191), from this word the name Turku came from. I noticed one more peculiarity in the name. Trade relations carried out not only from the west, but also from the south, and with the Turks as well. The great trade and conquest routes "from the Varangians to the Greeks" also passed through these lands. Borrowed words, including those related to trade, seeped into the Finnish language. Turkki is still associated with that period and now means something Turkish, commercial - "fur coat", for example. But do not tell anyone my conjectures, otherwise historians will bury me, and archaeologists will not dig up. So, I do not know all the subtleties, but since the Novgorodians called it "Torg", it means they were trading. This is understandable, the settlement was very conveniently located: a stone ridge that ran up to modern Sweden; the opportunity to trade by sea and the passage inland is river and flat. The city stands at the mouth of the Aurajoki River.
Aurajoki
All these favorable factors were used by the Swedes, when at the beginning of the 13th century they came to these lands to baptize everyone and fight a little. They called Finland the "East Country" (Osterlanden). Dismissive, isn't it? It seems that since then Finland has become a bone of contention between Russia and Sweden and has been waiting for these warriors to kill each other and it will be possible to calmly heal. The Swedes began to explore the occupied territories, and after experimenting with the name for a short time, they decided to name the city Abo (A-river, bo-live). Of course, not everything is all right here either. After all, all normal people would read it as Abo, but no - the Swedes have it as Obo, and again confusion and discrepancy begins.
Be that as it may, by 1300 the city finally became a City (it was officially confirmed in writing in 1309), but in 1300 a serious event took place, namely, the Cathedral, which is the main Lutheran temple in Finland, was consecrated. It was built in honor of the Virgin Mary and the country's first bishop, Saint Henry, who baptized Finland. By the way, it took only 42 years to build the cathedral, we also have more serious long-term construction projects. Of course, in those distant times, the cathedral was slightly smaller, and after a fire in 1827 it had to be thoroughly restored. There is another masterpiece building that begins its history from the same time. Abos castle (Abo slott, Turun linna). But we'll talk about it a little later.
Cathedral
I have already mentioned that the Swedes insolently drove the Novgorodians out of their homes. But the Russians never forgave such an appeal, waited for the Swedes to build something valuable and in 1318 returned and burned everything, the whole city. Then peace was concluded and by the middle of the 15th century the city had become a serious religious and educational center. Development took place in shipping and trade. Robbing the city, of course, was periodically robbed. The Danes, for example, in 1509 and 1522. Then serious troubles came only in 1713. Where can serious trouble come from? Of course, from Russia. Cause? The reason is always the same. As soon as the "Window to Europe" was cut through, Russia began to be irritated by the proximity of the borders of Finland.
Market Square
Until the end of the Great Northern War in 1721, Russian troops remained in Turku. Exactly 20 years later, the war is again. And again the Swedes and the Russians. In September 1742, Russian troops enter Turku. To end the war, the famous Abos Peace Treaty (1743) is concluded and Turku is again in the center of events. Now guess who started fighting whom in 1808? The Russians are tired of practicing with the Swedes (apparently, the Swedes do not understand Russian at all), so in 1809 Russia confiscated Finland from Sweden. This year the Swedish rule ended and the Russian one began. Turku left its dominant position in 1817 when Helsinki became the capital. Ten years later, in 1827, the fire completely "finished off" the former capital and almost completely destroyed the city. Turku was rebuilt again after the bombing by Soviet aircraft during the Winter War. About 4,000 bombs were dropped on the city.
Turku Castle (Abossky)
Turku Castle, or Abos Castle, was also seriously damaged. I have already mentioned it, it is the same age as the Cathedral and has also been redesigned and transformed several times over its long history. Today, Turku Castle is one of the most important monuments in the history of construction in Finland. The historical museum of the city of Turku functions in the premises of the castle. The chapel of the castle is popular as a wedding venue, and the castle's Renaissance halls can be rented for celebrations.
If you are planning to stay in the city or for some reason you have a lot of free time, let's see what else is interesting in the city. Perhaps you came with children, then you should definitely visit the Moomins. The island is located in the area of the city of Naantali, 10 minutes by car from Turku. The park is open in the summer 07.06-28.08, and visiting it can take a whole day. Opposite the Moomin Park across the bay, in the Kultaranta area, there is the summer residence of the President of Finland, which can also be visited in the summer from 21.06 to 14.08 on any day except Monday. I will repeat more than once that many museums and other attractions are closed on Mondays, so try to use these days to overcome distances. From ordinary hotels in Turku itself, I can recommend Holiday Inn Turku
For those who are bored by museums, I dare to suggest water parks. One of them, by the way, is located in the same Naantali at the Naantali Spa hotel. As a water park, it is nothing special, and the hotel is famous for the fact that some of the rooms are located on the luxurious ocean yacht Sunborn. The Ruissalo Spa Hotel is about the same, but the accommodation is much cheaper. The Holiday Club Caribia hotel is located in the center of Turku. This water park is perhaps the best year-round water park in the region. Recently, a large summer water park was built in Turku and theme park JukuPark with a large number of slides for every taste. For those who want to taste a cocktail of medieval history, archeology and contemporary art, I invite you to visit the & Ars Nova Museum, located in the center of Turku, on the banks of the Aura River. The Ars Nova Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1995, but while it was being built, many artifacts were discovered on this site, which laid the foundation for another museum - Aboa Vetus. The museums merged in 2004. If we have already begun to study art, then we cannot ignore music, so I suggest visiting the Sibelius Museum, located next to the Cathedral, on the banks of the same Aura.
View from Hotel Ruissalo Spa Hotel
Ferry to Stockholm
Ferry boarding
The shortest and fastest way to get from Turku to Stockholm (by car) is by ferry. Unless, of course, your car is amphibious. But there are many options for achieving the goal. They mainly use the services of ferry monsters such as Tallink Silja Line and Viking Line. There is also an option to get to Naantali and take the Finnlines (FinnLine) ferry, but it does not arrive in Stockholm itself, but in Kapellskar (I do not know why it is read as "-sher" although it is Kapellskar). There is also an option to take a ride around the Åland Islands. Visit www.alandstrafiken.ax for comprehensive information on island ferry travel. The closest and last island to Sweden will be Eckero. From there you can get to the "mainland" by ferries of the same name (information at www.eckerolinjen.fi).
You can stay for a couple of days, if you suddenly want to go fishing in the Åland Islands. Once returning from Norway, we did just that, looked at the homeland of the "sea wolves" and did not regret it at all. But we will do like most: in the direction of Stockholm we will take the Viking Line - most likely it will be "Isabella" (Amorella) - and we will go back to "Silja Serenade" or "Silja Symphony" (they are twins) with arrival in Helsinki ... The poetic names of the ships of these companies (until recently) are pleasing to the ear, isn't it?
So, since we have chosen the Viking Line ferry, let's get a little familiar with the company itself and the possibilities on board. The start of the company was laid by a group of businessmen from the Aland archipelago, forming the Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen company in 1959 and purchasing the SS Dinard steam-ship from England and renaming it SS Viking. Disagreements in the company happened already in 1962, as a result of which there were already three companies, but after “chatting” at sea alone for a short time, the companies decided to work together. In 1963, the Viking Line appeared. The distinctive color is borrowed from the beloved wife of the Alandspilen Service Manager. The ship of this company was called Apollo and was the first "red", after him (1967) almost all ships were 9 bright red. By the way, the famous "Europe" was also built for the Viking Line and was launched in 1993, had all the Viking insignia, but Sweden plunged into a financial crisis, the Swedish krona significantly "sank" and the final price of the project increased by 400 million SEK. Rederi AB Slite (Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen) did not receive a loan from Nordbanken, as one of its main founders was the eternal rivals Silja Line. As a result, the latter chartered "Europe" and painted them in their colors. There were many names during this time, but there were always female names ending in "-ella" that stood out. This was the name of the ships in honor of Ellen Eklund, wife of the managing director Gunnar Eklund. And it turned out Isabella, Gabriella, Rosella, Marella, Aurella, Turella, Mariella, Amorella and even Cinderella - that is, Cinderella in the common people.
Having driven onto the car deck, not forgetting to turn off everything and making sure that your car will not go anywhere without you, we take the most necessary things and look for our temporary refuge, that is, a cabin. Let your things wait for you alone for a while, and in the meantime you will go up to the observation deck and say goodbye to the hospitable city of Turku. If you are not sorry for money and your health, you can buy dinner and indulge in gluttony at the buffet. For a family of three it will cost you 60-90 euros, depending on the destination and the ferry company. In the cafe you can dine at half the price. But here the taste and color of comrades, as they say, no. For example, we can eat in the room what was taken from home, plus we buy hot smoked fish in thermal packs. On long trips, we always take a car refrigerator. It is better not to abuse alcohol. Swedes often arrange field raids. A couple of glasses of beer or good wine will relax your body and calm your soul.
Another thing is, if you are going on a cruise, then it's not a sin and a little "come off". Many Finns and Swedes do just that on weekends. For them, these ferry lines are like nightclubs or hobby clubs or just floating motel restaurants. In bars, for especially zealous drunks, they give out plastic bottles to take away so as not to break. Once I saw a marvelous picture of a drunken Finn sleeping in the corridor with this very plastic bottle under his head. How did I know he was Finn? When two hours ago I saw him still "half-dead" he kept swearing - "perkele" - something like "damn it."
If, nevertheless, it so happens that you are not sleeping, you may find that the ship arrives literally for a few minutes at one of the ports of the Aland Islands - in our case, it is Langnas. On the way back we will stop at Mariehamn, the capital these very islands. Once I could not sleep, and I got out on deck to look at night Mariehamn. An interesting picture, one ferry has not yet managed to leave the port, another is already preparing to moor, and ferries are still approaching or leaving in the distance. A bit cramped in those places. After the death of "Estonia" ferry companies are trying to adhere to such schedules that the ferries seem to go in pairs, and in case of a serious situation, help would come immediately. Ferry companies try not to advertise various kinds of excesses, but such is life, and accidents happen. For example, there was such a case with our "Isabella". On December 20, 2001, there was a serious storm, wind gusts reached 30 meters per second. When approaching the port of Longnes, the vessel hit an underwater rock (reef), which led to a hole in the outer hull, damage to the fuel tank, left rudder and left propeller. The vessel was anchored and held in place by the reverse operation of the right and side propellers. No one was hurt, but when at one in the morning in a ship standing in the middle of the icy howling desert, life jackets were handed out to passengers, people were sober before our eyes. Quickly realizing that water is not flowing, there is no bank and nothing threatens the lives of passengers, panic was avoided. At the time of the accident, there were more than 150 crew members and 632 passengers on board, including four Russian tourists from Saint-Petersburg. All day 20.12 in the area of the disaster worked divers of the rescue services of Finland and Sweden. They assessed the condition of the bottom of the ferry and considered it safe to leave passengers on board while it was being towed to the emergency disembarkation site. Anything can happen, just like in life - either a drunkard starts some kind of fire in his own cabin, then someone falls overboard and then the whole world is looking for him. And it happens that someone will report, they say, man overboard, the search begins, and after checking the lists, after a long time they find that no one has fallen anywhere. On m / s "Silja Europa" there was an incident in 2002: a passenger fell overboard, but swam to the nearest island, from where she was safely rescued. About two hours before arriving in Stockholm, the ferry finds itself in a maze of skerries and islets.
Stockholm suburbs
If you want to see the beautifully indented coastline, sunrise and other ferries passing by, wake up early and on the upper deck. How many times have I traveled along this route and each time, going out to the observation deck with a camera, it is the feeling of the first time. Very beautiful places, an unforgettable experience. While admiring the surrounding landscapes, do not forget to have breakfast, and half an hour before arrival it is already necessary to empty the cabin and prepare the car.
Morning in Stockholm skerries
Sweden Stockholm
Stockholm panorama
Stockholm
So we arrived in the wonderful city of Stockholm. Each time I fall more and more in love with him. In order to understand and feel at least a little Stockholm, you need to have at least five days in stock. Let's try to start, and then after reading my notes, you yourself will decide what to do - stay for a couple of days in Stockholm due to the time spent in the fjords of Norway, or somehow distribute priorities in time in a different way.
Metro in Stockholm
So, a little history. There are, as usual, many versions of the name. Whatever legends you hear, one is more interesting than the other. I liked this version: before, for protection from enemy ships, they used ordinary logs, with fixed anchors (sinkers) - it is simple and effective until now. Himself a couple of times ran into such, on a boat, however, mine were natural. So these logs, pillars, in Swedish, stock. And holm is a hill, an island. Or maybe this name did not come from the Swedes or not from them alone? Indeed, at that time both Finns and Germans lived there, along with them. In Finnish, Stockholm is Tukholma. Part of the city is still called simply Stadsholmen, that is, "city on islands". And that's all, simple and clear. It is actually located on 14 islands. The first mention of it dates back to 1252, but the city appears there not as Stockholm, but as the settlement of Agnafit, named after King Agne. Legend has it that it was hung on the hryvnia (necklace, hoop) by his own bride (with the help of servants, of course). What did he want? He ravaged Finland, killed many, including the leader of the Finnish tribes, who had a daughter. Here he was going to marry her. For some reason she didn't like it. She asked Agni to arrange a Tryzna after his murdered father, waited until the "groom" got drunk, fell asleep and ... The golden hryvnia on which the king was hanged was cursed five generations ago. Agni's body was burned, and this place became known as Agnofit.
Gamla-Stan's plan
Both the Swedes had influence over Finland, and the Danes over Sweden. The struggle for sovereignty lasted until 1523, when the famous Gustav Vasa came to power. Named in his honor, the flagship of the Swedish fleet "Vasa", in 1628, did not manage to enter the bay, sank. In the last century, it was raised and made a museum (be sure to visit).
Dewgarden Island
The incessant wars between Sweden and Russia did not interfere, but even helped the development of the Russian merchant colony in Stockholm. The Russians called the city not Stockholm, but Stekolny. Stockholm has been officially the capital of Sweden since 1634. There were many more events, but it makes no sense to list them all. In the 18th century, the “architectural history of the city” began, which can be well studied by visiting Gamla Stan. I love walking there after sunset. This is a magical time, people are rare, quiet, calm, dreamy, and every street, every house will tell you its own story of the life of the old city. And in the daytime, in addition to the beautiful streets, you can see the Royal Palace and everything connected with it, right up to the changing of the guard. Very beautiful Church of St. Gertrude (German).
Church of St. Gertrude
I also advise you to visit the island of Djurgaden (Djurgården or Djurgården, "d" is almost inaudible in the pronunciation). You can spend the whole day there, starting with the already mentioned museum of the ship "Vasa." open-air museum, park and zoo "Skansen". All for adults on the island is the national museum of cultural history of Sweden - "Nordic Museum." what you like best and forward.
Stockholm has a huge number of hotels, apartments, hostels, hotels afloat (boats). You can choose for every taste and wallet. From what has been tested, I can recommend the Hilton Stockholm Slussen Hotel. You can take a room with a view of Gamla Stan.
View of the city from Skansen
Sweden, Karlstad
Karlstad town embankment
Exactly halfway between the capitals of Sweden and Norway, on the northern shore of Lake Vaern (Vaern, largest lake in Sweden and the third largest in Europe after Ladoga and Onega) is the small town of Karlstad. Here we will stop for a short rest and have a good meal at the buffet. I recommend a place called Barbros Brugga (www.barbrosbrygga.se) - it's inexpensive and has a summer terrace.
Terrace at the cafe
While you are eating, I will tell you something interesting about this cute European town. It received the status of a city in 1584 from King Charles IX, after whom it was named. In general, this quiet town has always been predisposed to revolutions and kings named Karl. Firstly, it was in this city that the most significant coup d'etat began in modern history Sweden, when in 1809 the reigning Gustav IV Adolf was overthrown, and another Charles ascended the throne, but already XIII. Another significant event took place in 1905, when Norwegian and Swedish troops were pulled up to the city. Negotiations took place in the city between the diplomats of these two countries, as a result of which the Swedish-Norwegian union was dissolved and Norway finally gained independence and proclaimed its own king Haakon VII (1872–957; born Danish Prince Charles). This is how Karlstad influenced the fate of another Karl.
Karlstad Cathedral
On the site of the former residence of the Duke Karl, the founding father of the city of Karstad and the future King of Sweden Karl IX from 1723 to 1730, the Karlstad Cathedral was built according to the project of Christian Haller - perhaps the main attraction of the city. The height of the church tower is 58 meters, so the whole city is clearly visible from it. Like many old towns, Karlstad has suffered from several major fires. After the fire on July 2, 1865, only 7 houses out of 240 survived in the city, including the cathedral. This served as an impetus for a new development of the city. Karlstad is a very pleasant, quiet, European town.
Norway. Oslo
Panoramic view of Oslo
If you stick to my schedule and left Stockholm in the morning, had lunch in Karlstad and didn't turn anywhere, then having arrived in the capital of Norway, you still have enough time to visit some sights, for example, Holmenkollen springboard or Vigeland sculpture park, which is part of Frogner Park. ... I recommend purchasing Oslo Pass cards. In many hotels, cards can be purchased directly from the porter. From hotels I can recommend Radisson Blu Hotel Nydalen. Now a little about the city itself.
Oslo harbor
The modern name of Oslo was given to the city in 1050, but it acquired its status two years earlier thanks to the newly minted King Harold III the Severe. Of course, the settlement here existed before, but it sounded with the arrival of Harold III. Therefore, it is necessary to tell a little about this outstanding person. Already at the age of 15, he was an experienced fighter, wounded in the Battle of Stiklastadir (near Trondheim (Nidaros)) defending King Olaf II. But the king died, and Harold III was forced to flee to Gardarika (Rus) and came to Yaroslav the Wise to serve in 1031. Harold III knew that Yaroslav had a young son of Olaf II, Magnus I, who was adopted by Yaroslav immediately after his father's death. Harold III served Yaroslav faithfully for 12 years, not forgetting about his interests, and in 1043-44 Yaroslav gave his daughter Elizabeth in marriage to Harold III, thereby cementing the alliance between Russia and Norway. Yaroslav, truly the Wise, sent 11 year old Magnus I back in 1035 to rule Norway (from 1042 and Denmark too). Harold III returned to Norway in 1045, and the very next year entered into joint rule of Norway with Magnus I. In 1047 Magnus I died at the age of 23 (unsuccessfully fell from his horse). Thus, Harold III became the sole king of Norway. From that moment on, the future Oslo began to settle down. In 1048, Harold III takes Torah, the daughter of Jarl Thorberg Arnason, as his concubine. Jarl is the highest title of the nobility, in some places of the Yarl there were something like today's "plenipotentiaries" of kings (kings). Torah gave birth to Harold III of the future kings Magnus II and Olaf III the Quiet. Elizaveta Yaroslavna bore him two daughters, Maria and Ingigerda. Maria died the same day and hour that her father fell in the famous battle of Stamford Bridge in England, and Ingigerda became Queen of Denmark when she married Olaf I.
Berth at the Town Hall
Oslo was not the country's main city until 1299. The first capital is Trondheim (Nidaros), then from 1217 to 1299 - Bergen. It became the capital of Oslo during the reign of King Haakon V (1299), at the same time the Akershus fortress appeared (you should definitely visit there). So, Oslo was Oslo until 1624, when the wooden city burned down again. At that time Norway was a province of Denmark and the remains of the city were renamed to Christiania, in honor of the Danish king Christian IV, who began to build the city anew right from the walls of Akershus castle, already stone and in the tradition of the Renaissance. Then, in 1877, due to the spelling reformation carried out by the Swedish king Oscar II, the city was renamed Christiania. In 1905, Norway finally gained its long-awaited independence (I mentioned this when we were in Karlstad). And in 1924 the capital of Norway sounded like Oslo again.
The history of the capital is inextricably linked with the Akershus Fortress. It was built by Haakon V, after he was attacked by Alv Erlingsson, a nobleman, earl, governor and favorite of the Queen's widow Ingeborg of Denmark. By the way, Haakon V is her son, but all this did not matter to Alva - he was a "gentleman of fortune", simply a pirate. In 1290, Haakon V began building a fortress to defend Oslo. In the same year, Alva was captured and executed. During the Second World War, the Germans placed the Gestapo in Akershus. Now, in addition to the castle itself, you can visit the Museum of the Resistance and the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Akershus castle
Next to the Akerskhuz castle there is a new City Hall. "New" sounds strong. It took 35 years from the moment of the decision to build it to the official opening. The decision to build it was made back in 1915, in three years 44 projects were considered and in 1918 the best project was chosen. Then there was no funding for a long time. Only in 1931, King Haakon VII laid the first stone, but this stone also lay for two more years. Construction began in 1933. They built it very slowly. In 1940, the Nazi invaders came, and construction was postponed again until 1947. In 1950 Oslo celebrated its 900th anniversary, and it was precisely on this date that the construction of the City Hall was completed. Yes, the aesthetes from architecture will not condemn me, but it seems to me that the building looks like our Soviet research institutes of the 70s. Although appearance is not the main thing. The timing of construction largely depended on the fact that each of the more than 8 million bricks was made by hand. And for the sake of the new building, there was a lot that was done both for the surrounding landscape and for the interior decoration of the Town Hall. Every hour near its walls you can listen to the melody of Edward Grieg. Every year on December 10 (the day of the death of Alfred Nobel), a solemn presentation of the prize of the same name for "promoting peace in the world" is held here. This celebration is attended by the Prime Minister and the Royal Family. The height of the larger (by 3 meters) of the twin towers is 66 meters. I expected to photograph the city from the height of one of them, but, unfortunately, did not get inside the building.
Oslo Town Hall
On the other hand, yesterday, upon arrival, we went to the Holmenkollen springboard, and from there the view will be more serious. After a long run by car, I decided to take a break from the steering wheel, and we went to the springboard by metro, but the line to it did not work, and we had to change trains in the Majorstuen metro area and go by bus. Honestly, I regretted that I had not gone by car, the bus was not able to sit, the people were packed, and back - the same picture. The weather quickly changed from sunny to cloudy, and even with a cold gusty wind, but the jump and the views from it are worth it. Even all these voluntary privations did not overshadow the immensity of the sensations when you are at the top of Holmenkollen.
View from the Holmenkollen ski jump
The next day we went to the Bygdo museum island. I say the island, because initially (at the dawn of the last 1000 years) it was known precisely as an island, but gradually the earth rose (glacioisostasis), the water receded, an artificial dump was made, and the island became a peninsula. Whatever it was, but our path lies exactly there in order to see all the variety of a large number of museums, namely: the museum of the ship "Fram" ("Forward"), on which Fridtjof Nansen went to the Central Arctic (1893-1896), Otto Sverdrup - to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (1898-1902) and Roald Amundsen in 1910-1912, who conquered the Antarctic; the Kon-Tiki Museum, which tells about the great traveler Tour Heyerdahl, his assistants and their expeditions "Fatu-Khiva" (1937-938 ), “Kon-Tiki” (1947), travels to Easter Island (1955–956) and (1986–988), “Ra” and “Ra II” (1969 and 1970) and “Tigris” (1977–978); The Norwegian Maritime Museum is dedicated to the history of the development of sailing in Norway from ancient times to the present day; further is the Viking Ship Museum; Norwegian Folk Museum, part of it is located in the open air in the form of a small town of old buildings (150) brought from all over Norway. Oscarshall slott - built in 1852 for Queen Josephine and King Oscar II, son of Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, founder of the current Swedish royal dynasty. In 1881, King Oscar II opened the castle as a museum to the public.
Viking Drakkar
Finishing walks in Oslo, I would like to say a few words about Frogner Park, or rather, about its part and the central alley - the park of sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, sculptures depicting human states in their original form, i.e., naked, are located on 30 hectares. It all began in 1921, when the city authorities of Oslo decided to demolish the house where Vigeland lived in favor of building a new library, and as a result of a lengthy litigation, the "city" and the sculptor agreed to provide a new house for Gustav to live in in exchange for the ownership of all of his subsequent creations, including sculptures, drawings, prints and models. The sculptor has been working on the future park for 20 years.
Capricious kid
Norway. Reflections on the road to the west coast.
Panorama mountain river
Fjord trail
Now that we have met the capital of a picturesque country called Norway, we can set off on a further journey, deep into its territories. Usually, with each country, there are certain, stable associations. Somewhere it is more pronounced, somewhere less. My associations with Norway are, first of all, fjords and their inhabitants - Vikings, mountains and their "undead" - trolls, and, oddly enough, the musical group A-HA. There is something Scandinavian-sad in their songs, and while we are still not far from Oslo, I will tell you a little about this Norwegian group, since their creative path and world fame began right here. These guys are not at all like those Vikings whom we know from stories and films about mighty, warlike and cruel conquerors. But in achieving their goals of conquering the world, they, like their distant ancestors, went to the last savings in England, namely in the capital of modern music - London. They also tried more than once to win the hearts of fans, returned home beaten, but, mustering their strength, set off on a new campaign. The Lord saw their efforts, and now they have forever inscribed their names in the history of world music. Having created a certain national-idyllic musical atmosphere in our car and moved the camera and the camera closer, we begin our journey towards the fjords of the west coast. It doesn't really matter which route you choose and how you prefer to meet the night, the nature of this country is beautiful everywhere and you will have a lot of impressions. The only thing is that since we decided to take a ferry to Denmark after Norway, it is advisable to head towards Bergen or Stavanger, since the transport we need and convenient for starts from there. ...
To plot routes, I always use the Internet, I load the data into the navigator. Of course, just in case, you can also print out some paper maps with topics and points of interest. www. visit ... (e.g. ... norway, ... sweden, ... finland or ... denmark.com). By the way, for those who use paper maps, there is the "Golden Rule of Tourists", which states that the place where the most concentrated campsites are of interest is. I always identify a few of the most interesting places, with a distance of up to 100 kilometers, draw a "spider web" and define a cottage base not far from the center. For me, it is of great importance that the cottage is located directly by the water, with beautiful view to the fjord. If you are not too lazy to choose and bargain, a cottage with all the amenities for 4-8 people will cost you from 50 to 100 euros per day. As for the rules for traveling by road, I think many of you passed your license honestly, so the signs will not scare you too much. Gasoline in Norway is very expensive, and you had to fill up to capacity back in Sweden, where gasoline is the cheapest country we visit. All roads outside the Russian Federation are good, not always for two cars, but good. Mountain roads are almost all wide by one car, so you slow down out of habit, since it is impossible to guess what is around the corner. But then you notice a large number of "islets" where you can stop and let oncoming traffic pass, and you calm down. If the oncoming car stopped before you on a similar "island", letting you pass, do not forget to show them your palm, in short, to thank. In order not to waste time waiting for cooking somewhere in a roadside cafe, to look at the surrounding open spaces while eating, and just to save money, it is better to take lunch ("brake", "coven") in the car. Every 20-30 kilometers, well-equipped parking lots are waiting for you, chosen in such a way that not only your stomach is satisfied. And the last thing: if you have not ordered accommodation, try to find an overnight stay before 18.00, otherwise you may face difficulties.
A place for a "snack"
Norway. Trolls, Jotuns, etc.
A scene from the film "The Troll Hunter"
The landscape is gradually changing, the mountains are getting higher and steeper, and settlements are found less and less often. The altimeter went up along with the road, and the air temperature began to drop slightly. We are entering central Norway. To the land of majestic mountains, the kingdom of the trolls. Who are these same trolls who are so revered in Norway? The figurines of which are sold on every corner, about which they compose legends, fairy tales, poems and stage plays. Let's start with this, perhaps, with the names of the territories we pass. Namely mountain plateau Hardangervidda, Jotunheimen (Jotun lands), Trollheimen (Troll lands) and the famous Mount Dovre. You may not be able to climb that high, but these names will help explain the origin of the trolls. The Norwegians are sure that they still live here. Of course, in the myths and legends of the entire planet Earth, there were giants, but only the trolls were so "tenacious", and, perhaps, their distant relatives Yeti. Jotuns are giants. The first jotun was Ymir. God One with his brothers killed Ymir and created the world from separate parts of his body. The flesh of Ymir became earth, the skull became the sky, the blood became the sea, and the bones became mountains. Since then, the Jotuns have been at war with the gods –as and Vans. Once the jotuns stole miraculous treasures from the gods - rejuvenating apples (also found in the myths of many countries, including Slavic mythology) and the hammer Mjellnir (the hammer of the thunder god Thor, the son of Odin). The main task of the god Thor was precisely to protect the world of the Gods and the world of people from such giants. Thor then reformed, disguised himself as a woman and, together with Loki (a former jotun, accepted into the camp of the gods for his cunning mind), deceived the giants, took the hammer and killed everyone. Foolish and ruthless jotuns gave birth to an even more stupid and even more ruthless creature - trolls. All the vilest was mixed into the collective image of the troll. A troll can kill a man simply on a whim, destroys livestock, steals women, dragging them into their caves. Some of them were left in their wives, first mocking them for a long time, and then rubbing them with a special compound, after which the woman turned into an ugly and ugly monster. Trolls are cold creatures, and only the warmth of human blood could warm them. Norway recently released a pseudo-documentary about trolls, "Trollhunter", which explains everything about these "mammal predators" on behalf of a hunter who works for the government. Next, I will give summarized statements from the cute narratives of the heroes of the film: "Trolls are of two types - mountain and forest. There are several subgroups, for example Roglefants, Dobregubens, Tusoledy, Pintus, Hardings, Yorkers, etc. The fetus is hatched for 10-15 years, a child usually one. They live 1000-1200 years. At birth they usually have one head and one (like a cyclop) or two eyes, but then from age there are growths that look like heads (mountain snake), their number can reach 12 They are used to scare off other trolls and to attract female trolls, and they feed mainly on rocks. They love concrete-coal mixture and old tires. This is a delicacy for them. Blood is loved in any body, especially if it is Christian blood (vampires). Do not tolerate ultraviolet light (vampires again). The reason for their death in the light is the indigestibility of vitamin D by the body, which must be converted into calcium. Therefore, it breaks the younger individuals, and the older ones turn to stone in a matter of seconds. ”What else interesting can you tell about them? , carry the bell to the mountains and ring there. And in general, trolls hate everything connected with Christianity, especially crosses. Isn't it very similar to vampires? By the way, vampires hate silver, and trolls hate steel. If you met a troll in the forest, ask him a riddle, he will not be able to refuse, he must guess it, otherwise he will die, but if he guesses, it’s his turn to guess. It's like "Russian roulette", the main thing is to hold out until the first rays of the sun. Forest trolls, lately, have been crushed and they are trying more and more to stay closer to houses (house trolls), we have a lot of them in Russia. There is less and less room for terrible trolls, both in life and in fairy tales. Thanks to the Finnish writer with Swedish roots Tove Janson, the world is met with completely different trolls. Cute and touching, more like white hippos, Moomin trolls. In our country, both the entire Mumidol family and their friends are also well known: Sniff, Snusmumrik, Fröken Snork and Tuu-tikki
Freken Snork
Norway. Road landscapes
High in the mountains
Cone
Compared to other Scandinavian countries, Norway is a completely different world. Glaciers melting in the sun and turning into turbulent rivers, waterfalls falling from huge rocks, collecting lakes in the valleys, smoothly flowing into beautiful fjords. The scale and power of local beauty will not leave anyone indifferent. If you do not take into account the north-western part of Sweden, then in Sweden and Finland, and especially in Denmark, landscapes quickly get bored when traveling by car. The gaze has nothing to stop at. Whether it's the Danish plains sweeping by at 150 km / h or the endless forest of Finland at 80 km / h. In Norway, the camera does not need to be turned off. The landscape is changing precisely "before our eyes." Ears popped up from the difference in altitude, like on an airplane. If it is possible to drive along the old roads, bypassing the modern "straightening" and tunnels, winding along the "troll stairs", everything changes around in a matter of minutes. Climbing higher and higher, you pay attention to the vegetation, how it smoothly turns from dense forests into undersized trees, then into ugly wooden dwarfs, spider bushes and, finally, completely disappear. All that remains is mossy grass of various shades, from green to yellow, from orange to brown. Norway is a paradise for artists and photographers. Unfortunately, I never manage to "take my time", as I always travel with my family, and they quickly get tired of stopping every couple of kilometers and waiting for me to "run out of batteries." Therefore, you have to "straighten" the road and dive into tunnels, and there are a great many of them in Norway. In the 70s, when Norway became a rich country (due to its own oil and gas development), the country made holes in the mountains, called them tunnels and started cars through them. In Norway, in the Laedal region, the longest road tunnel in the world (Laedalstunnelen) with a length of 24.5 kilometers was built in 2000.
Tunnel
Wherever you are, there is water around you. You are driving along the road, next to the river, glance at the rock, there is a waterfall, look down at the valley, and there, like lines in your palm, rivers-streams scattered. As blood running through the vessels of a person and filling him with energy, so these rivers fill everything around with life. Water carries information from the very top to the very bottom, accumulating in fjords and lakes for the sun to take it up again. This continues for millions of years and will continue for the same amount, and maybe even longer, as long as the person does not really interfere in this process. Most of the water, of course, is in the sea, and in the fjords. If you go along the west coast, you probably won't be able to miss the ferry ride. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about "big water".
Water highway
Like 10,000 years ago, the sea is an important part of the life of the Norwegians. The warm Gulf Stream runs along the western coast, so the water in the fjords does not freeze all year round and for some settlements is the only transport route during the cold season. Ferries and speedboats are constantly running along the fjords. They differ from each other in size, which in turn depends on the distance and seaworthiness. There are a huge number of proposals to spend time on the water. The pleasure is not cheap, and you get attached to a certain schedule, which is also not always convenient. The schedule may change at all. Therefore, I only use ferries as a last resort. On a small ferry, plying the fjords as a cargo carrier, you can see "from the inside" some of the peculiarities of the life of ordinary Norwegians living in settlements without highways.
Captain's bridge
Ferry in the fjord
Norway. Norse
Sit-think
Arriving in Norway at the most favorable time, resting and having fun as much as possible, forgetting about everything in the world and admiring the splendor of nature, amazed "how wonderful they arranged everything" and looking with undisguised envy at the way of life and life of the Norwegians, many do not even know how the path of becoming and choosing his own path of development was difficult for an ordinary Norwegian. It all started with the fact that as soon as the Glacier laid bare the territory of modern Scandinavia, people immediately came here. There are many versions about tribes, languages, origins, and even where the settlement began from North to South or vice versa, the main thing is that our distant ancestors immediately realized that these are places suitable for life. With the arrival of the warlike Germanic tribes, the concept of "Viking" was formed. It cannot be categorically asserted that the Vikings are only merciless conquerors. Without Evil there is no Good, and without Paradise there is no Hell. The bravery of these people will remain in history forever. The discovery and settlement of other lands, great military campaigns, the establishment of trade routes, patronage of other peoples - all this is the pride of Norway. And although the Vikings are not only Norwegians, do not try to mention, for example, the Danes in a conversation with a Norwegian - they will laugh at you. Or that Iceland was discovered by bandits driven out of Norway. For a Norwegian, Vikings are only Norwegians and no one else, and they have never been bandits, only great travelers. The Norwegians consider themselves the smartest and most correct on the planet, perhaps that is why the "white" Americans also consider themselves, because the Vikings "accidentally stumbled" on the distant mainland 1000 years ago and managed to seriously "inherit" it there. Whatever it was, but after 250 years of Viking history, their campaigns suddenly end. Why? Perhaps with the advent of Christianity, or maybe this is a complex of factors. However, the Norwegians have not ceased to be travelers and discoverers. The world knows such names as Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, Thor Heyerdahl and others. After the Viking Age, Norway became dependent on its neighbors Denmark and Sweden until 1905, when Norway gained independence. Perhaps that is why the Norwegians, like the Finns, value their history, freedom and independence very much. Both of these peoples pursue a policy of justice and equality. They strive to make the social difference as less noticeable as possible. So that people can study for free, be protected by social programs and do not think about old age. This, of course, is not communism, but it is pleasant to live in a society where they try to make everyone rich, not poor. Equality extends to both family and gender relations. Norway has a huge number of different public organizations. Including organizations that make sure that equality is not violated. They went on to the point that it became more difficult for a man in Norway to get a job than for a woman, and fathers are on maternity leave. They treat the upbringing of children very carefully, they allow them to misbehave, but so that it does not harm others. For public spanking of a child, you can be jailed. "Public opinion" is always on the side of the child, if the child does not throw mud at "public opinion". The Norwegians are full of contradictions. Everyone is called "you", except, perhaps, members of the royal family, they are very critical of the statements of foreigners about their country and government decisions, but they are accustomed to be polite and courteous with guest clients. They are obsessed with a healthy lifestyle, but they can easily get drunk with you "to hell" and engage in a local battle with neighbors up to bloodshed. In general, Norwegians say about their neighbors: "The best neighbor is the one who is not visible." Perhaps that is why there are so many small farms in Norway. They protect nature - not as zealously as the Finns, but also take the environment seriously
Life in the fjord
Village without a road
Norway. Where to stay?
Hutter
Rorbu
If you have not booked a place to stay in advance, you are driving through beautiful places and you will come across a sign "Hytte" or "Hytter" on your way, be sure to stop and ask the hosts about accommodation. For some 40-50 euros, you will receive a separate house with all the amenities, and if it is located near the water, then a boat in addition. Generally, in places with a large concentration of campgrounds, guest houses, cottages, etc. you can do as in large shopping malls when buying something. You drive up to some "merchants", book the place you like for an hour, then go further, choose the best one for an hour and ... relax. During the peak season from mid-June to mid-August, you are unlikely to be able to do this, so it is better to book in advance, and in the Bergen area and out of season it is quite difficult to find something suitable in terms of price-quality ratio. Norway is a very expensive country and, of course, you can just stay in a tent, in a small house, without amenities, or in a camper. But varying seasonality, booking method and simple persistence, you can stay in a luxurious apartment with a magnificent view of the fjord for very little money. The most interesting and not expensive time is the first half of June.
Sognefjord
Norway. Interesting places
There are especially interesting places in Norway, where in one walk you can get acquainted with almost all the components of the natural beauty of Norway. One of these places is located in the Stryn area, near the city of Olden, famous for its mineral water... This place is called " National park Jostedasbreen ", and in particular we are primarily interested in the Briksdailbreen glacier. Scenic road, majestic mountains, turbulent rivers, jade-colored mirrored lakes, waterfalls and, of course, a river of ice.
Brixdailbreen
Another "Mecca" of tourism in Norway is the Fla area. Both small ferries and huge ships dock there, and trains from the most famous branch of the Norwegian railway to Myrdal leave from there. The length of this road is only 20 kilometers, and the train travels along it for an hour, winding through tunnels, stopping in especially picturesque places, carrying up to half a million tourists a year. Many people take bicycles and, arriving in Myrdal, set off on their way back through the valley. As a photographer, it was interesting for me to walk there thoroughly and not pay money for it, so I cheated and drove along the railway. After driving about 16 kilometers and filming some interesting places, leaving the car, we went for a leisurely walk along the valley. Three kilometers of magnificent landscapes, the remaining kilometer is the "troll ladder", there is no point in climbing it. An amazing sensation from a walk, especially impressive is the spiritual unity with nature and people walking and traveling towards you, they all greet you as if you are their good friend. Among them were the Russians, who were infected with a universal love of nature and humanity and were ready to hug you like an old friend.
Flåm Valley
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From the photographs of the waterfalls, it is easy to determine at what time, not even of the year, but of the season, you came. Here, for example, photos of the Tvindefossen waterfall (Tvindefossen), taken at the beginning of summer and at the end. How much less water has become. Therefore, for those who love water and waterfalls in particular, it is better to visit Norway at the beginning of the holiday season. Using this waterfall as an example, I would like to say a few more words about the "untwisted" places. The Tvindefossen waterfall is very beautiful and there is a campsite next to it, but due to the fact that it is away from the tourist routes, it is not as famous as, for example, the Kjosfossen Kjosfossen waterfall, located on the Flåm railway route. Firms that offer tours to Norway do not bother looking for something unusual, "fresh", but simply "lick" information and routes from each other. Norway is a great country and there are countless beauties in it. Of course, in the guidebooks of the beginning of the last century, all the paths-routes were tied to the railway and the sea, but now, when the highways stretch to the wildest places, you can, no, you even need to break away from the "stereotypes" and move on to find new unforgettable impressions. Towards interesting events and unforgettable stories. We Russians are also great travelers and discoverers. True, for some reason we like to travel anywhere, just not in our native country.
Aurlandfjord
This view of the Aurlandfjord opens from the Stegastein observation deck. It is reached by the old mountain road Aurlandsvegen, located between Aurland and L? Dal. The turn-off enters the city of Aurlandsvangen (Wangen), it is located between two tunnels, one of which is the longest road tunnel in the world (L? Dalstunnelen), I already mentioned it. The observation deck is located 6 km from Aurlandsvangen, at an altitude of 650 meters above sea level. The view from such places is mesmerizing. From above, everything seems fake, toy. Times change, but people do not cease to be amazed at the beauties of Norwegian nature, they are still fascinated by the smooth surface of the greenish water of the fjords, sandwiched among the majestic mountains.
Bergen
When I visited Bergen for the first time, I was amazed by the abundance of sun, soulful atmosphere, rich atmosphere, beautiful cars and yachts. I told myself that I want to come back here and how I should get to know this city. As it turned out, a sunny idyll in this city is as rare as my visits to it. In total, the sun comes in here only three months a year, so if you are in Bergen and the sun is shining, drop everything, look, walk, breathe, study, take pictures and feel like the lucky ones who got the lucky ticket. While you are walking around the city, I will introduce you just a little bit about its history. First, it was founded in 1070 by Olaf III the Quiet, the son of the well-known Harold III. Oh, my dear readers, if you dig into this royal "nest", then "Santa Barbara" will seem to you a story "for 5 minutes". So, Olaf III is the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise and after the death of his father he marries Ingrid, the sister of Olaf I (Danish), who, in turn, married the half-sister of the same Olaf III, Ingigerde. How do you like a romance? But that's not all. Like Olaf III's father, Harold III could not have a male heir from his lawful wife. And, then, Olaf III resorts to the already tested method of his father - concubine (and even the same name) - Thor. The born son Magnus III ruled Norway for only 10 years and was buried where it all began, in Trondheim. Sorry for the distraction. As for the city of Bergen itself, it was the capital of Norway from 1217 under King Haakon IV (the illegitimate son of the same King Haakon III) and until 1299, when Haakon V came to power, proclaiming Oslo as the capital of his country. Until about the 1830s, the city was also the largest city. Today Bergen is a large port. Its medieval promenade is included in the UNESCO heritage list. As well as 1000 years ago, ships are sent from here to England, Iceland, Denmark. 80 percent of the most interesting routes visiting the sights and beauty of the fjords by water begin, namely, from Bergen. Unfortunately, the weather does not always allow you to go from here. This happened on the last of our travels. The storm did not allow us to go from Bergen to Denmark, we had to go to Stavanger, located 211 kilometers to the south and, crossing ourselves, go to the raging sea. But when you remember the stories of the Vikings, plowing the raging expanses of the Atlantic on their drakkars and laughing in the face of fate, inevitably they become ridiculously afraid to sail on huge floating hotels.
Bergen embankment
History with the Norway-Denmark ferry
Ferry Fjordline
I will explain in a little more detail the situation with the ferry, or rather, its absence in Bergen. The situation is far from standard and, perhaps, someone is interested to know what to do about it. I'll start over. While my wife went in the pouring rain to look for an umbrella with a pattern of the flag of Norway! I decided to scout out the situation about loading the ferry, where to drive up, and so on. I stopped at a small parking lot, I see: there is a girl with luggage, I just learned from her that there will be no ferry, and she is looking for a ride to Stavanger (the next point on the way to Denmark). A little taken aback, I went to take my wife to the market, she bought two umbrellas, apparently for both hands. We returned to the port again and went to "sort it out". We were told that due to the storm, the departure will be carried out from Stavanger (you might think there is no storm there). We were offered two options. The first is to take the money and "do not be an eyesore", and the second - "go to Stavanger, we will compensate for the costs." The trip plan was drawn up a long time ago, and there was no point in changing it, so it was decided to go to Stavanger. Arriving there, we somehow found a mooring place (it turned out not at all in Stavanger, but in the suburbs, and the girl who explained our possibilities to us in Bergen did not know exactly where the ferry was coming). The ferry was delayed for another couple of hours, but they compensated us in full and gave us a more expensive cabin. The money was issued in exchange for checks from ferries that were on the way from Bergen to Stavanger. It is not possible to plan everything, and it is not necessary.
The ferry, of course, is not as clean and big as our beloved "Celia" and "Vikings", but everyone was so tired that there was no strength to find fault. After taking a shower, as usual we went to study the "new" ferry. And lo and behold, literally 15 minutes passed from the start, and all tables in all establishments were filled with people eagerly absorbing alcohol. Meanwhile, the ship went out into the open ocean, and we entered the duty-free shop. And so, when the pitching began, at first it was funny to see how people crashed into the shelves and into each other, but when we left the store and walked along the windows, and a wave hit one of them with a roar so that the ship trembled, I finally , I understood those "alcoholics" who had already "mustered up the courage." The pitching, surprisingly, quickly decreased, and in the morning the sky cleared of clouds and met the battered tourists with a bright sun. Observing from the observation deck at the ships passing by, it was striking that they "burrowed" into the wave quite strongly, and our ferry did not even stagger. It looks like there really was a heavy storm at night. A few words should be devoted to our smaller brothers. You can bring your pets on ferries for an additional fee and in special cabins or hotels for animals. The transportation of animals is strictly regulated, be careful. Specifically on this ferry, the pet hotel was located right in ... the pipe. Our dog would not have withstood such a test, or, rather, we would not have withstood such a test, so the beloved dog rode "humanly", that is, in the cabin.
We arrived in the Kingdom of Denmark. We disembark on its northern coast, in the port of Hirtshals. On the way to Copenhagen, we will try to have time to see the main cities of Denmark and their attractions. Therefore, without wasting time, we head to Aalborg. Do not be surprised when you see the crossed out sign 110, which means that you can go 130, although the "locals" go 150 km / h.
Aalborg got its name and city status in 1342 under King Valdemar IV, revered king in Denmark who unified the country. Prior to that, Aalborg was called Alabu and was known as early as 1040. What is this city interesting for? For example, in 1516 this city received a monopoly on the herring trade. Imagine something like this in our time. Let us assume that St. Petersburg received such a privilege. How long will it take before the capital moves from Moscow, and the presidents finally have a good reason to return to their native land? And here's another story for you. This happened in 1940, when Denmark was occupied by Germany. It is believed that Aalborg was the first city to be captured by airborne troops. And also good alcohol is produced in Aalborg - Aquavit, supplied to more than 140 countries. Almost all bitters are made from Aquavit (living water). We learned something interesting about the city, now let's look for something interesting to see here.
Lindholm Hoye
Before entering the city, let's take a short stop at a place called Lindholm Hoje. Here, during excavations in the middle of the last century, traces of settlements, life and burials of the Vikings were discovered. More than 650 burials are marked here, the oldest of which date back to the 5th century and further up to the 11th. Many of us have seen the lavish burial rites of wealthy Vikings in feature films. The body is placed in a drakkar (military vessel), set into free floating, stuffed with combustible materials. Then a volley of flaming arrows is fired from the shore and all this is beautifully burned up along with what is extremely necessary for the Viking in Valhalla (paradise for valiant warriors), i.e. his slaves, wife, concubines and material goods. And here, in Lindholm Hoye, poor Vikings rest, and therefore the ships had to be imitated with stones, beautifully laying them around the deceased (man). For women, they made the rounded borders of the grave. Now let's move to the town itself.
The city has many medieval beauties: the Cathedral of St. Budolfi; Aalborghus Castle; The mansion of Jens Bang (a merchant who never found a common language with the local government and as a result immortalized his attitude towards it on the facade of his building, facing the Town Hall in the form of that very protruding tongue); Church of Our Lady; Monastery of the Holy Spirit and several other beautiful buildings. Bright pedestrian streets, beckoning to walk along them. Aalborg has a zoo for families with children, and Friends cafe for fans of the Friends series.
Denmark. Aarhus
Aarhus. The second largest, most important and very ancient city(first mentioned 8-10th century), conveniently located in the center of the kingdom. Veiled by legends and myths. As in all ancient cities of Europe, there is a cathedral. But of particular importance for us, tourists, is, of course, the museum " Old city", Founded in 1909. All moments of the life of ordinary Danes are collected and carefully stored here. This is truly the soul of Denmark. You yourself will be imbued with this idyllic atmosphere from the very first minutes of your stay in this wonderful man-made World. What we have seen before, there were echoes of that single impression of the Life of Scandinavia, which you are to see here. I would very much like to be lucky with the weather. Near the museum is very broken beautiful park... The variety of plants and scents, well-groomed paths and places for simple relaxation will pleasantly surprise you.
The third largest city, but not by importance, is ODENSE. Translated as "Odin's Sanctuary" In 1988, the 1000th anniversary of the city was celebrated throughout Denmark. In this city, much is connected with King Knud IV the Holy (patron saint of Denmark), the brother of Olaf I, whom we know as the husband of the granddaughter of Yaroslav the Wise. Two beautiful buildings that rest the story of the murder of the king, his brother and loyal subjects. The story of the murder of King Knud is covered with mysticism, thanks to which he (Knud) became a Saint. They killed him in the then wooden church of St. Alban, which you see now in its stone splendor. And the remains of the king and his brother Benedict were transferred to the cathedral under construction, in honor of him, Knud, and named. Isn't it convenient? They killed on time, built on time. After these events, there was a crop failure for several years, regarded as punishment for the murder of the king, and strange things happened to the grave, so people prudently called Knud a saint and calmed down on this. So with all the killed kings, they call them saints and, like, peace and order. But nevertheless, we and our children, brought up on the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, of course, are much more interested in getting in touch with the life of that great master of the word who carried us into the world of unreal, fairytale stories, for which we were ready not to sleep and wait for the denouement of this riot of fantasies. Yes, it is in this city that there is the same street and the same house, the same room and the same hat, the saving rope and, of course, books, books, books. Everything related to Hans Christian Andersen.
Denmark. The Big Belt Bridge. Roskilde
Big Belt Bridge
On the way from Odense to Copenhagen we will pass the impressive Great Belt Bridge (Storeb? Tsforbindelsen), which connects the islands of Funen and Zeeland. A majestic structure, a victory for modern technology. It was under construction for 10 years, the cost of the costs is DKK 21.4 billion. The greatest height of the track is 57 meters, the height of the pylons is 280 meters. The total length is 6,790 meters. Of course, this is not the longest bridge, but there is something to see. There is very little left for us to drive to the capital, but on the way there is another city that you just need to visit.
Roskilde Cathedral
This is Roskilde. Why did he so attract my attention? Roskilde was the capital of Denmark until 1443. The city is so ancient that the origin of the name is shrouded in legends (kilde). One of them says that King Roar allegedly lived in the 6th century and that the city is named so in his honor. Beginning in 1020, Roskilde became the seat of kings until 1416, and practically from the same moment (1412), Roskilde Cathedral acquired permanent status as the burial vault of the royal family. There are 39 burials in total. Now about the Cathedral itself. The first wooden church on this site was built by Harold I Sinezuby, the king who united the lands not only of Denmark, but also of Norway. Under him in 965, Denmark adopted Christianity. By the way, he was buried there in about 986. Then, in the XI century, the church was rebuilt, making it already from travertine (a porous stone, used in the construction of, for example, the Colosseum and St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican). In 1170, Bishop Absalon began building a brick church in the Romanesque style, but then the style was changed to French Gothic. The construction was completed in 1280, but since then, every century has made changes in its appearance and interior decoration. Until 1536, the Cathedral was Catholic, and then it is still Lutheran. Just a couple more interesting observations. Starting in 1427, all of the following 20! kings were named Frederick or Christian, except for one - Hans. All except him, Frederick I and Christian II are buried in the Cathedral. The last on this list was Frederick IX. Having no sons, he declared his eldest daughter Margrethe II to be the successor (in 1953 the law on succession was changed; before that, Frederick's younger brother Prince Knud was the heir). By the will of the last king Frederick IX and his wife Ingrid, a mausoleum was erected for them outside the walls of the cathedral
In February 2011, the Danish Supreme Court ruled on Christiania (not to be confused with Oslo), allowing everyone to be evicted. What kind of quarter is this? Does it look like Luc Besson's 13th Quarter? So, while it is not demolished, try to visit there. The Free City of Christiania was founded in 1971 when a group of hippies moved into the abandoned military barracks of King Christian. Of course, they did not have any permission. The barracks are owned by the Danish Ministry of Defense. The status quo of Christiania has not been determined, and the authorities have repeatedly tried to clean up the premises of the barracks, but to no avail. And, nevertheless, since 1995 the inhabitants of Christiania began to pay taxes. Today it is the only place in Denmark where soft drugs can be freely purchased. No, I'm not trying to persuade you to buy, just this fact shows how independent Christiania is. It is home to about 1000 people, there are cafes, restaurants, hotels and even a school. There is a code. For example, you cannot have weapons, steal or use hard drugs. "Paradise" for hippies.
Metro without driver
Copenhagen, like Stockholm, has many attractions, but a couple of days is enough for a superficial acquaintance. If only the weather did not disappoint. It is not always convenient to get around by car, because when you "leave" it to visit something, you always have to return to it, passing the same places twice. Therefore, I divided the day of the inspection into two parts. Before lunchtime, travel by car to those places to which it takes a long walk, and then leave the car at the hotel and go by public transport to where it is good and long walks. By the way, public transport can also be a tourist attraction, for example, metro trains without drivers. For me, a person living in St. Petersburg, this is wild.
Rosenborg
The first part of my route turned out to be Rosenborg Castle, built from 1606 to 1624 under King Christian IV and used as a royal residence until 1710, and then twice more, and both times in emergency situations. The first happened in 1794, when Christiansborg Castle completely burned down, and the second time a little later in 1801, when the British fleet approached Copenhagen. The castle itself houses a museum of royal treasures, and next to it there is a beautiful park and the Royal Garden. Then we will go to an equally beautiful place - the Kastellet fortress. Construction began under the same King Christian IV in 1626. The fortress on the earthen rampart is made in the form of a pentagram, with defensive sections in the peaks of the rays. It is amazingly beautiful here, there is a lot of greenery, the townspeople love how to relax there on picnics, near windmill and run along well-groomed paths. Then I suggest driving to the Royal Palace of Amalienborg, which is the official residence and residence of the Danish Royal Family. Consists of four almost identical Rococo style mansions named after four monarchs. The fronts form a rounded square with a monument to Frederick V in the middle. It is named so (Amalienborg) in honor of the wife of Frederick III, Queen Sophia Amalia, who in 1673 built a palace on this site called Sophie Amalienborg, which burned down in a fire in 1689. Next to the Amalienborg ensemble is the Marble Church, or Frederick's Church, which began construction in 1749 by King Frederick V. It was designed by the same architect as Amalienborg - Nicholas Eitved, the largest Danish architect who started out as a gardener at Fredericksburg Palace. The church was built of white Norwegian marble, the project turned out to be very expensive and time-consuming (construction went on with interruptions for almost 150 years). They began to replace the marble with limestone, and the original dimensions were reduced by three times. The official opening took place on August 19, 1894. It is very cozy and round inside, so I could not resist and made a round panorama. This concludes the first part. Now you can drive the car to the parking lot, rest and refresh yourself.
Nyhavn embankment
After a short break, we go to walking tour along the most picturesque streets of Copenhagen. For example, Nyhavn (New Harbor). It was built in 1670–673 under King Christian V. This place was known as "evil", although on the other hand, in which port of the world in the 17th and 9th centuries was it different? Now it is an art museum, and the Nyhavn embankment has become one of the most favorite places for tourists in Copenhagen. Here G.H. Andersen lived and composed his fairy tales. From here you can take a boat trip along Copenhagen's canals. Those who like the presence of adrenaline in their blood and the rapid melting of money in their wallets will love the rides, Tivoli Park. If you like walking around shopping malls, you will love the shops on the longest pedestrian street in Europe, Stroet. would like to go there, but do not want to walk far, do as we do, get on the train, after such a walk you will be sound asleep, and early tomorrow morning we will go back to Stockholm.
Marble church
Amalienborg
Stockholm Helsinki Ferry
As we agreed, we will go back from Stockholm to Helsinki on a Tallink Silja Line ferry. It will be Symphony or Serenade, they are the same. Now a little history. Even before 2006, these were two different companies Tallink and, accordingly, Silja Line. Tallink is a rapidly growing company that started in 1989 with one ship and one destination and currently owns 12 vessels on six destinations between five countries. Finland (Helsinki, Turku), Sweden (Stockholm), Estonia (Tallinn), Latvia (Riga) and Germany (Rostock). The headquarters are located in Tallinn. The most respected company in Estonia. It already has a network of its own hotels in Tallinn, and even its own taxi fleet. As for the Silja Line, it is not so simple here. The history of the company begins in 1904, when the two shipping companies Finland Steamship Company and Steamship Company Bore joined forces. In 1918, a third company, Rederi AB Svea, was added. Silja Line was formed in 1957 as the fourth company in this group. The ships of the companies went under their own emblems, and after 1970 everyone “dressed up” in the Silja Line emblem and turned white like the “belek” (young walrus), whose emblem adorns these ships. True, not all the differences were removed, the specialist would recognize which ship belongs to which of the companies by the characteristic features on the pipes. Since 1959, 45 vessels have been in service. To date, 11 continue to work. On one of them we go (in no case do we sail). In these ferries ("Serenade" and "Symphony"), I like the street inside the ship, made in the form of a passage. Central aisle created for the boardwalk, bounded by boutiques and café-restaurants. The cabin with windows into this street is called the Promenade. As with other ferries, there is where to dance, from where to admire the vastness. I really like leaving my suitcases in the cabin, going up to the mini-water park, ordering a beer and climbing into the jacuzzi to look at the receding Stockholm.
Finland, Helsinki
We arrived in the capital of Finland, Helsinki. Many of you, of course, have been here more than once. But how many of you know the history of this city? By tradition, I will tell you about this wonderful city. It all started with King Gustav Vasa, who finally freed Sweden from the Kalmar Union, making it an independent state. By his order dated June 12, 1550, hundreds of merchants were relocated from the settlements of Rauma, Porvoo, Ulvila and Tammisaari to the Vantaanjoki estuary. The port city was built to counterbalance the trade and transit area of Revel (Tallinn). But after 10 years Revel became Swedish, and interest in Helsinki faded for many years. Merchants slowly returned to their native lands. And the location was unfortunate. Relying on sea trade, the harbor turned out to be shallow. Therefore, city life was transferred to the modern Salutorget (Kauppatori, Market Square). And trade slowly began to develop, and they still trade in this place. You can be convinced of this by arriving there in the morning.
Market Square
The proximity of Russia and constant conflicts forced Sweden in 1748 to begin construction of the Sveaborg fortress - "Swedish fortress" (then Suominlinna - "Finnish fortress") on several islands adjacent to Helsinki. This gave a rather serious impetus to the development of the city. Before that, only wooden houses were built, and now stone ones are also being built. The fortress was built for more than 10 years and cost the treasury 640 tons of silver (25.6 grams (1 riksdaler) * 25 million). Then the Russians waited until the fortress was filled with all kinds of "goodness", and in 1808, after a short siege, the Swedes surrendered the fortress without a single shot. A strange case, but it demoralized the Swedish troops so much that already in 1809 Finland became the Russian Grand Duchy. They say that Tsar Peter I called this behavior of the Swedes back in 1703 (Kronstadt) "buffet" (take what you want).
Suomenlinna Fortress (Sveaborg)
So, on April 12, 1812, Alexander I declared the provincial Helsingfors (Helsinki) the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland, and on June 24 Russia was no longer up to Finland, the war with Napoleon began. Something very similar happened 129 years later. Also, the borders of Finland were moved away from St. Petersburg (Winter War) and the Second World War also began, but with Hitler. So, since 1812, having become the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland, the city began to rapidly build and develop. The city owes its St. Petersburg appearance to Karl Ludwig Engel. He was born in Berlin, lived in Reval, studied the architecture of St. Petersburg and, finally, created a project for the development of the city center in the classicism style. The most famous building is the Helsinki Cathedral. The construction of the cathedral was carried out in 1830–852. The cathedral was dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, the heavenly patron of the reigning emperor Nicholas I. And already Emperor Nicholas II ordered to decorate the temple with sculptural images of the apostles melted from zinc. Also, Engel's "pen" belongs to the new University and the Presidential Palace. In 1870, Helsinki and St. Petersburg connected Railway... In 1917–918, Helsinki was in a fever, like the rest of the country. All of Big Brother's problems spread to Finland. During this time, Finland gained independence, managed to become a Republic, then a Monarchy, then again and finally a Republic on July 17, 1919. From those times to the present day, the capital has been growing and developing without sharp leaps and large failures. Quiet and calm, in Finnish.
In Helsinki I have stayed a lot. It all depends on your budget and preferences. For a wasteful option, I can recommend the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel. For the budget one - one of the Omena Hotels
Helsinki Cathedral
Epilogue
Well, my story ended. Four hours "fly" left to St. Petersburg. If you are still in doubt whether it is worth going on such a long trip, then in the report on my trip to Europe I will talk about a really difficult journey, and this is just a leisurely walk. As for this particular route, then, of course, this is not a dogma. The main goal, whatever one may say, is Norway, a country to which one wants to return. How you get there is not important. Even how you will return, via the north or the Aland Islands, Denmark or in some other way, it does not matter either. The main thing is that you make it interesting, unforgettable and remain in your memory for a long time. I wish you a pleasant journey, good luck and "not a nail, not a rod".
Sweden seems to be located not far from Russia, especially from St. Petersburg, but a very little-known country. Few of the residents know Swedish cities other than Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg. Moreover, many of those who know are limited to the first two cities. Also, many have probably been to Stockholm (after all, it is very easy to get there by ferry from St. Petersburg, albeit with a stopover in Helsinki). But literally a few have been to this country north of Stockholm.
When we were going on a trip to Norway, we were looking for any information about the roads of Sweden, about gas stations, opportunities to have a snack, about prices for a long time. Information is zero.
Even the Google map somehow strangely positions Sweden: the lakes seem to be marked, and the forests begin right on the border with Norway. In general, we drove blindly. The sensations were like going to the hinterland of China in 2010, when there were no popular today booking systems for hotels, tickets, as well as photo banks. Here is about the same with Sweden in 2015)))
Our route passed from Stockholm to the province of Dalarna, through Lake Siljan (there was little information about it - it is one of the largest and most significant in Sweden), through the Idre ski resort to the border with Norway. A total of 500 km from Stockholm. With one overnight almost at the border to rest (we were traveling with a six-month-old child).
So,
1. The roads in Sweden are very good, concrete, tidy and even. permitted speed 110 km per hour:
The sky is beautiful, northern, low, St. Petersburg. A lot of colors. Especially in August: yellow fields, blue skies and always red houses. From roadside food - there are "stalls" with McDonald's (the Swedes love him very much) and the same houses with a signboard "Thai food to go !!!". Thai food is also preferred here, as it turned out
2. There are many cameras on the road, there is always a sign in front of them. Cameras actually take pictures. Above the top right photo, we have a cross-over photo session.
3. When we leave from Stockholm on the way almost every 5 km refueling and shopping centers: Ikea, K-rauta. This is what a gas station looks like. Nearby there is always a shop, a cafe with food and a picnic area (tables under the roof). Fuel costs both in Finland and Norway !!! Almost the same. We refueled at 12.85 SEK (Swedish krona), which at a rate of 7.8 rubles turned out to be 100 rubles. Cards are accepted for payment.
Gas station snacks cost 30-60 sec. It is quite possible to eat, have a snack. There are also salads, coffee costs 25 sec.
This is what a roadside athlete looks like, this is much further from Stockholm:
And this huge horse is a symbol of Sweden. And it is produced just in the province of Dalarna. Dalakarlian horse or Dalarne horse (Dalahäst) - stylized wooden figurine, toy. Traditionally, a horse figurine is carved with ears connected and no tail. It is colored red. The first mention of it dates back to around 1650. And in 1937, at the World's Fair in Paris, the red wooden horse became a popular Swedish souvenir.
In 1999, the Dala Parna Museum of Dal Carlian Horses was opened with more than 150 collected exhibits from all over Dalarna.
The photo shows the largest statue of a horse. It was installed in 1989 near the city of Avesta. The height of this "toy" is 13 meters and it weighs over 65 tons. The Americans from Minnesota showed the greatest interest in the giant horse - they bought blueprints and the right to build a copy of the statue. The only condition on the part of the Swedes was the size limitation - the American counterpart should not be higher than the Swedish one. Now there are plenty of such horses up to about 9 meters in height in the USA.
4. On the way we meet a lot of cars with spotlights on the roof. Have you thought for a long time and wondered why this is? settled on the explanation that the searchlights scare away wild animals, moose at night. Most of the roads are not crowded.
On the way we pass many lakes, rivers and bridges:
Pine forest on both sides of the road:
5. Interesting tourist towns on this route:
Rättvik is a seaside resort the purest lake Siljan. We passed very cozy campsites and a tourist recreation center:
The second town is Mora or Mora. We even made a stop there. Take a walk, admire the Swedish life. But everything is closed there, there are no people, because it's a day off. And since we did not have Swedish kronor, but only Norwegian and Euros, we could neither buy coffee nor pay for parking. So the unsold coffee seller showed us a free parking around the corner.
Classic Sweden:
Look how many black birds are on red roofs:
The Swedes love vintage cars. Maybe it's a weekend car?
In a couple of minutes, 2 cars drove by. The house is the same in the background:
The Swedes also love Tesla, as well as the Norwegians, in fact. There are many of them, every 10th car passing by.
A fountain in the micro-town of Mora. The population is only 11,000 people:
Walking street in the Old Town:
The church, built in the XIII century and consecrated in honor of the Archangel Michael:
A lot of all kinds of sculptures. Overall a pleasant town:
Not far from Mora is residence of the Swedish Father Frost - Tomtenland... It was still early for us there, but judging by the description, an interesting place for children and adults. On the territory of the residence there is the house of Santa Claus, a workshop, the dwellings of his magical servants - fairies, gnomes, elves, trolls live right there. There is a stall and pasture for reindeer. The residence is open to visitors all year round (unlike Lapland), children are allowed to do whatever they want, even trample the lawns and pick flowers. Here you can look at the houses of the trolls, look into the Snow Queen's window, and pass your note with wishes directly into the hands of Santa Claus.
It is also recommended to visit the open stage carved into the rock in an abandoned quarry in the area. Dalhalla- this is a place that looks very interesting with chic acoustics, which is quite suitable for a choir of angels. Opera concerts are regularly held here.
After Moru, the road just started. It seems interesting, but after a few tens of kilometers it is already boring. The nature is somehow interesting. You go, you go up the mountain, but on the mountain there is a plain, that is, there are no peaks. As if the earth goes layers. There are also lakes and rivers on the upper plain. Then you climb to the next tier, and again the plain. And you look down, you really are on the mountain, at the bottom of the treetops. Somehow strange.
Approaching Norway.
On the border - the last Swedish picnic.
And here is such a beautiful lake:
This is what the gas station at the border looked like (white column). But there was no diesel. refueled already in Norway. Prices are the same as in Sweden.
Border Sweden - Norway.
The roads are busier immediately after the border. Many tourists from Norway, the Netherlands. Norwegians are very mature and well-groomed. Grandmothers over 60 years old with red manicure, with makeup. We don't see young people, a grandpa of 90 years old works at the gas station.
On the way back we were unlucky with the weather, we were driving in the rain.
We drove back from Oslo via Karlstad and Örebro to Stockholm with an overnight stay in Örebro. The path is 530 km, the roads are again high-speed, wide. On the border with Sweden, rain finally met us. Heavy downpour. We washed the car. But very soon it ended and again a clear sky with beautiful clouds. By the way, there are no such clouds in Norway. Norway's sky is high and looks like Vladivostok, while Sweden is pure Petersburg.
And since I myself liked the format for adding facts about new country, then -
Finally, a few facts about Sweden:
1. The computer mouse was invented in Sweden.
2. Swedes do not like to cook at home very much, so they often arrange family trips to pizzerias, burgenkings and McDonald's. Sweden has the largest number of McDonald's fast food restaurants in Europe.
3. The smorgasbord was invented centuries ago. When guests arrived, all the food was served at once, in large bowls. Thus, the owners saved themselves from unnecessary ceremonies, freeing up time for communication.
4. Swedes are long-livers. The average age of life is 80 years. This is often due to a measured, stress-free lifestyle and ecology.
5. Since 1986, Swedes are given the surname of the mother, not the father, at birth.
6. It is not customary for apartment buildings to have their own washing machine. This is due to the fact that in the houses of the HOA there is a special washing room, in which, by appointment, you can wash, dry and iron the linen. This is done to save energy.
7. The idea of child car seats first appeared in Sweden in the early 1960s. It was proposed to carry small passengers with their backs against the direction of travel.
8. ABBA remains one of the most popular bands in the world. 2-3 million discs are sold annually. In addition to them, Sweden has given the world such pop groups as The Cardigans, Roxette, Ace Of Base, etc.
9. Separate roads have been built for motorcyclists and cyclists to optimize traffic. And no Swede will visit green plants.
10. Shezia has the highest percentage of working mothers in the developed countries of the world - about 76%.
11. Stockholm is the only capital in the world over which hot air balloons are allowed.
12. The most popular Swedish souvenir is a road sign warning of the possibility of meeting a moose on the road. Every year, a huge number of these signs are stolen from Swedish roads.
13. There are over 300,000 people living in Sweden with the surname Karlsson.
14. In Sweden, it is not customary to immediately enter a university after leaving school. As a rule, graduates first start living separately, go to work, and after a couple of years they just enter the university.
15. Over the 60 years from 1850 to 1910, over 1 million Swedes migrated to the United States. And forgive 10% of the country's population.
16. Sweden is one of the most generous countries in the world. For several years in a row, donations to poor countries have exceeded 1% of GDP. This is an absolute world record.
17.42% of parliamentarians in Sweden are women! This is the world record for the most female legislators.
18. Sweden has passed a law according to which by 2025 the country will completely phase out gasoline and switch to biofuels.
19. Swedish inventors have received more patents than inventors in any other country in Europe.
20. In Sweden, in 1857, the first bodybuilding machines were also invented. Russia became one of the first importers of "physical training apparatus": they were ordered by the royal family and representatives of the high society.
21. The matches we use were invented in 1844 by the Swedish inventor Gustav Erik Pasch.
22. Royal Palace in Stockholm - the largest of the currently used palaces in the world (more than 550 rooms).
23. Around 80% of Sweden's heating systems are based on renewable energy sources, most of which are wood fuels and domestic and industrial waste.
24. There are many interesting tourist sites in Sweden. The first ice hotel was built here and is rebuilt every winter. There is a tree hotel with all the amenities. The Utter Inn is underwater - guests are brought there by boat. And the world's first hostel-plane will appear at the Stockholm airport. The hostel will be housed in a Boeing-747 building, parked in a permanent parking lot near the entrance to Arlanda airport.
Added by active readers and commentators:
25. Not long ago (in 2016), colorless wood was developed in Sweden. Scientists managed to remove her color !!!
26. Prostitution is prohibited in Sweden, but not moths are criminalized, but clients.
27. In Sweden, when buying a TV, you must buy a license to view TV content. If you have TV, but no license, you are an enemy of the people. Neighbors will surely knock on you, who have mirrors on their windows to spy on each other and what is happening on the street.
28. In Swedish houses, no one has a chandelier in the room, they do not like such central lighting. They have only table lamps in the house and like to put them on the windows.
29. If construction in Sweden is funded by budgetary funds, then anyone can sign up for an excursion and see and control how the construction is going. And also ask how budget funds are spent on this construction.
30. Swedes can also snitch and dismiss an official if he used official transport for personal purposes (a trip out of town, to a store or with his wife to the theater). Company vehicle only for work and during working hours! How scary it turns out to live there !!!)))
31.Sweden has not fought with anyone for 200 years
32. Maternity leave in Sweden is one of the longest in the world - 480 days. It can be taken in parts: monthly, weekly, daily and even hourly. As in Russia, both men and women can take parental leave. BUT!!! The father must sit with the baby for at least two months. Otherwise, the family simply loses those 60 days of paid leave. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are so many men with wheelchairs in Sweden.
Additional information about the trip to Norway:
About Sweden:
