Photo Tour of a Scandinavia Summer Trip

We just returned from two weeks of exploring the Nordic lands of Iceland, Finland and Norway with a side trip to Estonia. I can’t wait to share all those adventures there. For now, here’s a recap of another whirlwind trip. We’re far from slow travelers and have crammed castle exploring around Europe and island hopping in the Pacific on our trips. My husband and I both work full-time and have kids in traditional schools and too much activities so we tend to pack a lot in our vacations to make the most of it. But, it is possible. It has its challenges but guaranteed to be worth it. This was our itinerary:

• Iceland – 4 days
• Helsinki, Finland – 3 days
• Talinn, Estonia – 1 day
• Bergen Norway – 4 days

South Iceland

We went to Iceland four years ago and did its most popular attractions like the Blue Lagoon, Golden Circle and Reykjavik. This time, we wanted to explore South Iceland with its glaciers, waterfalls and glacier lagoons. Iceland was just as incredible as we remembered it.

Unfortunately, we lost a day due to a 15-hour flight delay with WOW Airlines. That ordeal and review of that flight experience is coming soon. It wasn’t a great start to a vacation. Luckily that was the only mishap and the rest of the trip including five other flights went smoothly.

We ended up near our first night’s lodging close to midnight. Of course, it helped to have almost 24 hours of daylight. This was the spectacular Skogafoss Waterfalls that can be seen right off Route 1 (aka the Ring Road). It is the main national road that goes around Iceland. There was hardly anyone here as we expected. We decided to do a midnight hike to the top of the waterfalls with still some light to guide us. After all, there aren’t many places in the world to do this!

South Iceland also had its share of black sand beaches and basalt columns. But, the highlight for us was seeing some puffins at the Dyrhólaey Promontory. We went on a puffin tour during our last trip and loved it. There weren’t as many here but still so wonderful to see along with many other birds nesting.

 

Iceland is the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’. So, we go from volcanic features to glaciers which can actually be seen along the road. The scenery here was unbelievable. We ended up on a Zodiac tour at the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. This allowed us to get closer to the glacier while cruising along floating icebergs. We saw glacier falling off (calving) and even a seal sunbathing. Mother Nature smiled upon us with sunny weather that made for some great photos. It was spectacular!

One of our most memorable adventures was hiking along the Svinafellsjokull Glacier Tongue in the Skaftafell Nature Reserve. We wore crampons on our hiking boots and they even gave us ice axes. My kids made sure to use and test out those ice axes. The scenery around us was amazing. The black stuff along the glacier are remnants of the volcanic eruptions from a few years ago.

The beautiful Icelandic horses were out and about along this route. There were so many more here than along the Golden Circle route. My husband and I have never gone horse riding before and we regretted not doing this on the previous Iceland trip. So, what better place to get introduced to horse riding than in Iceland.

These magnificent creatures were a unique breed that came to Iceland with the Norwegian settlers about 1100 years ago. While all other horse breeds walk, trot and gallop, the Icelandic horses have two additional gaits called tolt and a “flying pace”. It was raining a bit during our riding tour but we still had so much fun. By the end of the hour, we were tolting and galloping.

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We ended our last few hours in Iceland and after riding horses at the Laugarvatn Fontana Spa along the Golden Circle. It was so relaxing along their pools and natural spring with a beautiful lake as a backdrop. They also offered a unique experience of witnessing them dig out their rye bread from their geothermal bakery. It was delicious!

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Summer season also means thousands of these purple and white flowers or Alaskan lupines (Nootka) were blooming all over Iceland. They really added to the beauty of this already incredible country. There was one stretch of land after the town of Vik where all we saw was lupines along both sides of the road. Lupines were used to control soil erosion but have also become quite invasive to other natural plants. I guess you can say they’re Iceland’s version of our backyard weeds.

Helsinki, Finland

Our next stop was Helsinki, Finland that is also known as the “daughter of the Baltic”. This seaside city surprised us with its many parks, markets and 300+ islands surrounding it. We always like to start sightseeing tours of cities along bodies of water with a canal or river cruise. Our cruise along some of Helsinki’s islands was a relaxing way to start the day and a wonderful orientation.

We loved the indoor and outdoor markets around Helsinki. The variety of seafood and produce here was astounding. And if you’re not into seafood, there’s also reindeer, elk and even bear meat. My husband sampled them and said they were all good.

My kids were so excited when they found out there was an amusement park in Helsinki. Linnanmäki is the country’s oldest and biggest amusement park boasting 44 rides and 13 restaurants. Entrance is actually free and you just pay for the rides. This was one of the most colorful parks we’ve ever visited. We were here on a cloudy Monday afternoon with some drizzle and there were no crowds. My kids never had to line up for any ride and went on several rides twice.

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Suomenlinna or ‘Castle of Finland’ is one of Helsinki’s top attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 18^th century fortress was built over several rocky islands connected by bridged. It was also a short ferry ride from the city. My kids enjoyed exploring the fortification structures, walking along the walls and seeing the original cannons. There were museums here, many picnic areas and green spaces and even a beach.

Talinn, Estonia

We never pass up to do a day trip to another country. Tallinn, Estonia was an easy two-hour ferry ride from Helsinki. Estonia was formerly a part of the Soviet Union. But, it also has deep roots with Denmark and Sweden. We focused on the Medieval Old Town area which exuded so much charm and history along cobblestone streets. It’s no wonder it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We followed a self-guided walking tour and did some museum visits and even explored tunnels. This was the stunning St. Alexander Nemsky Church.

We hung out at the Town Hall Square a lot that was flanked by the town hall, restaurants and souvenir shops. We highly recommend getting the Tallinn Card. It offered significant discounts or free admission to many of the attractions and museums. The whole town was such a wonderful place to walk around.

Bergen, Norway

Our final stop was Bergen, Norway which is considered the gateway to the country’s famous fjords. It does rain about 260+ days a year so at times, we felt like we were chasing the sun. But, it is still absolutely beautiful. Bergen’s most iconic area is Bryggen which is its old wharf. The colorful, tall wooden houses have become the city’s symbol. There’s more to this area than this historic facade though.

Bergen was surrounded by seven mountains and it was so picturesque. We went to two of the mountains for some grand panoramic views. The first ride was on the Floibanen funicular up to Mount Floyen. We loved the resident goats here. The other mountaintop ride was through the Ulriken Cable Car to Mount Ulriken, which was the highest of the mountains. There were several hiking trails here and the views were unbelievable.

The main reason we used Bergen as a base was for the fjords. I have dreamt of sailing along the Norwegian fjords for a long time and it almost felt unreal being there. The first cruise we did was a 3.5 hour tour to Mostraumen and was right out of the harbor. We sailed on the Osterfjord past steep mountains, waterfalls and quaint towns. They even gave us a sample of fresh mountain water right off a waterfall to taste.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHVfzYaBSe6/?taken-by=worldisabook

Undoubtedly, the most popular tour is Norway in a Nutshell which isn’t really a tour but more of a coordinated trip through trains, a bus and scenic fjord cruise aboard ferries. There are a few options but due to our limited time, we did the Bergen roundtrip one that took about 12 hours. This was one of the most beautiful and scenic trips we’ve ever taken. Norway is breathtaking and there really are no words to describe the splendor of the fjords.

This trip included cruising on the Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord fjords, a scenic train ride on the Flam Railway and a bus ride down the steep hairpin curves of Stalheimskleiva. We have never seen so many waterfalls in one day. We thought Iceland had a lot of waterfalls but Norway has got it beat. My husband and I repeatedly said during this particular leg of the trip that we couldn’t stop taking pictures. But, the pictures can’t even begin to capture the extraordinary scenery here.

Our epic Scandinavian summer adventure is in the books. It didn’t start out in a good way but this was definitely one of our best trips. Okay, I kinda say that after every trip. But, this nature-filled trip was certainly special. We’d love to return to Norway again for an extended time and next time explore Iceland’s western and northern parts. I have thousands of photos to sort through but stay tuned for more detailed posts and tips of these individual attractions.

*Have you visited any of these countries or are they on your travel wish list? 

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