Helsingborg,
Sweden – August 29, 2012
We
left Copenhagen at 4 AM for a quick trip across the straight to
Helsingborg, Sweden. Helsingborg is very close to Denmark, and
ferries run between the two countries every 20 minutes. Among other
things, Helsingborg is the home of IKEA headquarters (which are not,
for the record, blue and yellow).
 |
| Fishing village, Sweden |
We
weren't able to dock, so we had to tender ashore. We'd chosen a tour
again, so we got on the coach and started out on our journey. Our
guide told us about the town as we made our way to our first stop,
the fishing village of Raa. After about 20 minutes there, we boarded
the bus again and went to Sofiero Castle, the summer residence of the
late Swedish King Gustav. For the first time this trip, it was a
beautiful, sunny day, and we spent an hour there, admiring the
gardens and the castle. From one point in the grounds, you can
clearly see Denmark, including the castle that Shakespeare used as
his setting for Hamlet.
 |
| Sofiero castle |
 |
| Gardens at Sofiero Castle |
 |
| Gardens at Sofiero Castle |
 |
| Gardens at Sofiero Castle |
After
the castle, we went to the keep, the only remaining portion of
Helsingborg Castle, which was built in the 1300s. We took some
pictures and then went back to the dock – but instead of
immediately getting a tender, we walked down the pier and through
some pedestrian shopping areas before traveling back to the ship.
 |
| The Keep |
We
were back on board by 1, and spent a relaxing afternoon on board.
Oslo,
Norway – August 30, 2012
Our
day started with a city tour of Oslo. We went by the opera house
(which was designed to look like a glacier), the old fortress, the
palace, and city hall. Our guide told us the history of the places
we were seeing. Interestingly, when we were in Denmark, our guide
told us they used to own Norway. In Norway, our guide said they used
to be partners with Denmark.
After
that, we stopped at Vigeland Sculpture Garden. This garden is the
work of one man, who designed dozens of sculptures. We walked
through the garden – as it rained on and off – and admired his
work. After that, it was off to the ski jump that overlooks the town.
The ski jump was impressive, but I was hoping to have a view of the
city from there, and that wasn't possible.
Our
next stop was the open air museum. This museum contains old
buildings from around Norway – including an old stave church and houses
with sod roofs. Apparently, to create a sod roof, you put down a
layer of birch bark, then a layer of sod (grass side down), then
another layer of sod (grass side up).
We
were only there for an hour, but I could have easily stayed longer.
 |
| Stave church |
 |
| Sod roofs |
We came back to the ship and had lunch, then spent some time in the conservatory (which I just discovered today). When it was time for the ship to leave, we went up on deck to watch as we sailed through Oslofjord.
No comments:
Post a Comment