This trip began as they almost always do — an airfare deal that seemed too good to pass up. This time it was $450 for roundtrip from Chicago to Stockholm. We booked it quickly before the deal was gone and then filled in the rest of the itinerary over the next few months. While we told everyone we were going to Scandinavia, I just learned while writing this that Finland is technically only a Nordic country and not part of Scandinavia, so I’ve updated my blog title appropriately.
Our flight out of Chicago was delayed about two hours due to the weather. We flew on Icelandair, which connects through Reykjavík, and we ended up missing our connecting flight. We had been to Iceland with Lydia back in 2013 before Edie came along. The transfer desk said we either had to spend a night in Iceland or fly to Copenhagen and spend the night there. Since we went to Denmark a few years ago, we opted to add a new country for Edie and stay there. Thanks to EU passenger rights, we were given free transport, free hotel, and all free meals during our time in Iceland.
Reykjavík, Iceland
The hotel was in a small town called Reykjanesbær close to the airport. Upon checking in to Hotel Keflavik, we were told they didn’t have a family room at all but they would let us know when something was available. After eating our free breakfast, they let us know our room was ready, and the only room that would fit all four of us was a Diamond Suite (called “The Sapphire” room), which was the only room at the hotel with a hot tub on a balcony. The bathroom was designed by Versace with fancy clear faucets and a jacuzzi tub that had programmable lights, jets, and different rain options you could combine as you wish.
The driver from the airport gave us his number and we used him as a personal driver for the rest of our visit. We texted him and he picked us up and drove us about 45 minutes into Reykjavík. We started at a tour company on the outskirts of town, but unfortunately all the tours had left for the day and the only rental car they had left was a manual transmission, so we were relegated to staying in the city. It was cold and raining as we started walking into town. We came across another tour company who told us the only remaining tours had just been canceled because of the rain. The woman working there advised us to just enjoy walking around and shopping, and so we did! We stopped at Brauð & Co for a delicious cinnamon roll that we ate at a nearby playground, and then grabbed some coffee from Reykjavík Roasters to warm us up on our walk. Our first tourist stop was the imposing Hallgrimskirkja church where we took the elevator to the top for incredible views of the city and surrounding area. We walked down the main road from there which turned into a Rainbow Road as we approached the city center. Our second stop was the Icelandic Punk Museum, which is a small cramped museum underground in an old public bathroom. There was graffiti and stickers everywhere, videos playing with headsets dangling from the ceiling, and the old bathroom stalls were converted into changing rooms where you could try on old ripped jackets. It could not have been more punk!
We continued the walking tour around town and stopped for a beer flight at Skuli Craft Bar followed by lunch at The Laundromat Cafe, literally an old laundromat that still had working washers/dryers in the basement near the bathroom. We strolled past the quirky Icelandic Phallological Museum on the way to their opera house and event space called Harpa. It’s a beautiful building on the coast that looks like it’s made out of ice cubes. We warmed up inside for a bit in a play area, then ventured back out to take a closer look at a lighthouse behind the building. After that we summoned our driver to come pick us up there. As he pulled up, some other tourists that called a taxi started to walk towards him, so we jumped in quickly as they ran up to us and said that it was their taxi. We tried to inform them that we had called this particular one and then left before they seemed to fully understand. What was doubly funny was that as we were leaving their taxi was pulling in and that taxi driver gave our driver dirty looks as if we were the people that he was meant to pick up. We weren’t paying attention to the time and it was evening rush hour so it ended up taking nearly an hour and a half (double the time!) to get back to the hotel. Once there, we had our free dinner at the hotel restaurant and then spent the rest of the evening in our private hot tub. In the morning, our taxi driver was waiting for us for our free ride back to the airport and we continued our journey.
Stockholm, Sweden
Once we landed in Stockholm, we took the express train to downtown and walked to our hip hotel, Downtown Camper. They couldn’t find us in their system, likely because we changed from 2 nights to 1, but ultimately figured it out after involving several others. We dropped our bags and started with lunch at nearby Tres – A Mexican Love Affair. Since our visit was cut short, we hopped in the first car we saw, a somewhat shady “taxi”, that took us to the Vasa Museum across town (with me doing most of the navigation). The museum is based solely around a massively impressive wooden ship from 1628 that was surfaced nearly completely intact after over 300 years. It’s quite a sight to see, and a highlight of Stockholm for us. You can view the intricate details from 6 different floors! From there, we walked along the coast, past an amusement park, and tried but failed to get into the ABBA Museum. We took a nearby ferry back to old town and wandered through the streets there. We tried to go to the Nobel Prize Museum but it had just closed. We enjoyed churros and slushies in the plaza and then stumbled upon a 700 year old underground prison which is now a bar named Sten Sture. We then went to a traditional viking restaurant named Aifur, where we had pre-bought tickets, for dinner. It’s a very unique place and quite an experience (they announce everyone entering very loudly to the entire restaurant). We then strolled back to the hotel, with a quick stop at Café Järntorget for ice cream along the way.
The next morning, we had alarms set at 6am to catch our flight to Oslo, but I awoke to text messages that our flight was canceled and we were rebooked in the early evening. After running to the lobby to cancel our taxi, we let the kids sleep in a little more, and then took advantage of our “extra” day in Stockholm. We started with breakfast at Fox in a Box Cafe, which funnily enough is also a great escape room the kids loved in Chicago. We had no idea it was a chain! We headed back to old town and made it inside the Nobel Prize Museum this time. It’s a mix of history, celebrating past reward recipients, exhibits on the great care given to the reward ceremonies and receptions, and a few play areas for the kids. We made a quick stop at the nearby Runstenen Wooden Horse Museum and then strolled along a long promenade with a very cool umbrella fountain. Our last stop was doing the interactive Avicii Experience, which the kids loved, and then we headed to the airport.
Oslo, Norway
Now in Oslo on a shortened schedule, we had to trim down our itinerary a bit, but it ended up working out. We started with a long walk down a promenade to the Grand Hotel. It was a very fancy hotel. There was a reproduction of the Fearless Girl statue out front and a gold rocking horse in the lobby. We dropped off our luggage and ventured out for dinner. There were tons of restaurants lining the street and we wanted to eat outside but they all had bad reviews. The best rated place nearby was called Pizza Crudo located in the basement of a mall. Not our usual style but it was actually very good. After dinner, we found and wandered down a pedestrian boulevard, stopping at Paradis Gelateria for a treat. We continued down to the waterfront towards the Opera House. It’s made from angled exterior surfaces that arise from the water all the way to the roof, so you can walk right up it! It was a popular spot for locals to hang out in the evenings, and we got there just as the sun was starting to set. We stayed there and walked along the perimeter of the roof before heading back down on the other side. There’s a cool glass art sculpture in the water named She Lies and a Redbull Cliff Diving platform attached to the roof and hangs out over the water. On the far side, there’s a museum for the artist Munch with a large statue of a woman and a party area on a pier with a small beach in between them. The museum had just closed and it was getting dark, so we started walking back towards the hotel through empty streets. We saw some of the walls of Akershus Fortress as we walked through a park to see a statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Back at the hotel, I tried to see if we could sneak the kids into the rooftop bar but I got turned away, so we just went to bed.
In the morning, we stopped at a bakery chain called Baker Hansen to have cinnamon rolls for breakfast and picked up sandwiches to-go for our train ride through the countryside to our next stop. The train ride is known as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world and it didn’t disappoint! We passed by dozens of waterfalls, lots of lakes, and a few glaciers. We had to change trains in Myrdal and the final leg of the trip was on a train named Flåmsbana, which included a stop at the massive Kjosfossen Falls before heading into Flåm.
Flåm, Norway
Flåm was the most unique stop of this trip. It’s a small town of 400 permanent residents that live in a valley between steep mountains and a small tourist village on the shore of a fjord. Upon arrival we see a massive cruise ship docked next to the tiny tower and couldn’t figure out how it even docked there. We walked along the coast to our hotel and checked in. Then we headed back into town to stroll around and grab a snack at the Flåm Bakeri. Back again at the hotel, we had the included dinner which was quite tasty and then ended the evening with beers on the patio overlooking the fjord.
The next day was our day of adventure! We awoke to a ring of fog lining the mountain tops in all directions and walked into town for breakfast at Flåm Bakeri (again). Continuing down the coast a bit further, we met up with our kayaking guide to get suited up and trained on how to kayak. They were two person kayaks so we had one adult and one kid in each one. There were a few other groups with us on the trip and we spent around 3 hours total kayaking around the fjord. It was a bit terrifying for me personally but it was amazingly beautiful and well worth it. After we shook off our sea legs, we had a few hours to kill with no plans. Off in the distance we saw a waterfall half way up one of the surrounding mountains. We thought, what the heck, let’s go check it out. We walked across town and into the valley where the locals live, for about 30 minutes. There we learned from signs that the falls were named Brekkefossen and followed the signs onto a hiking trail. It was an additional 30 minute hike up steep stairs that winded up the side of the mountain. I tried to give up a couple of times but Edie really wanted to get to the top. I kept saying we’ll go up to the next landing and see if there was a good view, but there never was. Jaime had hiked ahead of us and on her way back down she told us it was totally worth it, so we trudged along with her to the top. The views were simply incredible. There was the massive waterfall right next to us in one direction, and to our right was a view of the valley and fjord. Pictures do not do it justice at all. We stayed there for some time to soak it all in. Hiking back down was pretty easy but was a bit hard on the knees and gave us adults a limp for the rest of the trip. Arriving back in town, we ate dinner at the hotel again (you don’t turn down an included meal in this expensive part of the world!). Afterwards, we went into town to try the local beer at the Ægir BrewPub, which is built like a medieval wooden church (known as a stave church). It was a cool place and the bartender was very friendly. We had a couple flights and pints to end the day.
For our last day in Flåm, we split up. Jaime wanted to take a rescue boat tour of a neighboring fjord, Nærøyfjord, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but Lydia wasn’t thrilled about going on a boat. On the other hand, I really wanted to go to the top of one of the nearby mountains and visit the Stegastein Viewpoint, a 30m viewing platform that sits 650m above the Aurlandsfjord. Jaime took Edie on the boat ride and as it was speeding around and tilting, they commented about how Lydia really wouldn’t have liked that part. Lydia came with me on the bus ride to the viewpoint, which was up very narrow roads and hairpin turns along steep cliffs. We commented about how Mom really wouldn’t have liked the bus ride! We somehow got into the middle of a bicycle race which made it even harder to stay on the road, and we had to back up several times to let passing cars go by. All of us thoroughly enjoyed our morning activities. We met back in town and checked out the Flåm Railway Museum behind a gift shop, and then had pizza for lunch at, you guessed it, Flåm Bakeri. It was a great place and one of only a few options anyway. Instead of doing a longer tourist fjord boat tour common in Norway, we opted to take a local boat to our next destination. The boat was named the Norled and it took us past a lot of waterfalls and small towns over the course of about 5 hours before arriving in Bergen.
Bergen, Norway
We arrived via ferry a little before 10pm. It was still light out so we got to enjoy views of the iconic wharf and coastline coming in. The city was still very much alive. Lots of people were out in the streets, restaurants and bars were packed, and after walking down a popular pedestrian boulevard, we arrived at our hotel and they had a DJ spinning music in the lobby. We loved it! We were pretty exhausted but we had to go back out. We dropped our luggage off and went back to the waterfront and wandered around. The wharf district is named Bryggen and is full of historical wooden buildings that are leaning in every direction and walking down alleys between them felt like stepping back in time. Most of the stores were closed though the restaurants and bars were lively. We continued our walk through town, aiming towards the Floibanen Funicular at the far end. We arrived there and it was pretty empty so we were able to quickly get a ride to the top, just in time for an amazing sunset over the city. We walked along the ridge line taking in views from several different angles. After night fell completely, we headed back to the funicular for the final ride of the day. We ended up back at the hotel just before midnight and crashed.
We slept in the next morning, ate some breakfast, and then took the tram to the outskirts of town to visit the Fantoft Stave Church. It was a bit of a walk from the tram stop through a residential area and a short hike through the woods. The church was burned down in 1992 and was entirely rebuilt in the same original style. It was a gorgeous building and it was fairly crowded. After a relatively quick visit, we headed back and walked around an old part of town, and then back to the market at the wharf. We did a lot of shopping in the old buildings, with the leaning floors and crooked staircases. A little further down the coast we strolled the grounds of the Bergenhus Fortress and climbed the 13th century tower Rosenkrantztårnet, which had great views from a different perspective. Next, we stopped at the nearby Statsraaden Bar for a pint before some more targeted kids shopping (Lydia has started a keychain collection with one from each city). Back across town, we had a great Italian dinner at Villani Skostredet and a treat down the block at Hallaisen Ice Cream Parlour. We had read about lots of street art in Bergen but we struggled with the local tour apps, so we set out on our own. Zig zagging up and down streets, we marveled at the different street murals and styles. We swung by the funicular again but there was a massive line this time so we skipped it. Back at the harbor, we went to a busy fish market and settled on some okay donuts from Donut House on the way back to the hotel for the night. The next morning, we headed to the airport for our next city.
Amsterdam, Holland
We were a little worried about our stop in Amsterdam after reading all about flight delays, extreme security lines, and bankrupt airlines. We made it there just fine though and saw piles and piles of luggage everywhere, so it’s clearly not caught up yet. Luckily we only bring carry-on bags so we escaped the madness. After a quick stop at the hotel to drop off our stuff, we went out to see the city. Our first stop was a tiny statue with a saw attached to a tree branch called The Little Woodcutter. Next to that was a ticket booth for canal cruises. With Lydia’s new dislike of boats I figured we would save this for a different trip, but once she saw the boats going under the bridge she got really excited and asked if we could go. Of course we could! We bought our tickets (and a keychain) for the next available departure a few hours away. We tried to go to the nearby Van Gogh Museum which was unfortunately sold out. We were able to get tickets to the larger Rijksmuseum which had Van Gogh paintings so we considered it a wash. In addition to seeing the famous Van Gogh self-portrait, we saw a beautiful library and Rembrandt’s phenomenal 400-year-old The Night Watch being restored, along with other great works of art in the Great Hall. After the museum we had our canal cruise which was very fun and educational. We learned that Amsterdam has more bicycles than people, got to see tons of cool narrow buildings, and saw a lot of ornate house boats. For dinner we went to a place near the hotel called Robo-Bar where they served Asian food and your cocktails were made by robot arms that you can watch! We all got a kick out of that. It was still a little early, so we wandered around some more and finally caved at one of the many french fry places, this one was called Fabel Friet. Walking some more we stumbled into an ice cream place named IJscuypje en Barts to end our evening.
For breakfast the next morning, we picked Bagels & Beans solely because we have a place in Chicago near our house called Beans & Bagels. Unfortunately they were closed due to staff availability so we quickly found a backup and had some delicious quiche at De Laatste Kruimel bakery. We read about a famous cookie place called Van Stapele Koekmakerij that sells out every day and it was only a couple blocks away so we went there and got in the huge line. They only sell a single type of cookie, a chocolate cookie with a gooey chocolate inside. We bought them early and somehow resisted eating them until after dinner. Our plan for the day was to walk all around the city and visit various famous attractions, quirky ones we found online, and places recommended by friends and family. Our first stop was a women’s community from the 1400s with a beautiful courtyard named Begijnhof. Then we went to the Anne Frank House which was long-since sold out. Down the street the Amsterdam Cheese Museum was less busy. It’s a store on top with lots of free samples and a quirky museum in the basement. Nearby we stumbled into The Mouse Mansion, a retail store with several miniature displays. Continuing on, we stopped at Winkel 43 for their famous apple pie and the girls had some lunch omelets too, and then we stopped at a playground next door for a bit. Back across a few canals we went through the older and busier part of town. Our main stop there was the Our Lord in the Attic Museum. It was fascinating! It’s a hidden Catholic Church built in the 1660s when Catholics were not allowed to worship publicly. It looks like normal canal houses on the outside but inside there’s a large church covering three floors with a priest quarters and a couple other living areas. Of course we then went from the church to the Red Light District. It was very tame during the daylight with just some questionable store signs we were quick to avoid. Our last planned stop was at Wynand Fockink, a liquor store / tasting room. They primarily focus on Genever, a regionally famous drink. They had 8 different types and we tried a good number of them. They even gave the girls shot glasses of water to join in the fun! On the way back to the hotel we had french fries from a different place, this time Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx. We rested at the hotel for a few minutes while we figured out what to do for dinner. We decided on going to Foodhallen in a new part of town for us. It was more of a residential area, but still a nice evening walk. The food hall itself was a bit chaotic though — we had to claim a table and split up to get food. Each place had really long lines so we ended up all eating at different times. Not the best option in hindsight, but all of the food was still tasty.
I had been having redness in my eyes the last couple days, so I woke up early and went to a tourist doctor while the rest of the family packed up. I was the first one there and despite not having an appointment I was seen right away. The doctor gave me a prescription but unfortunately we had to leave for the airport before the pharmacy opened so I never got it filled. It’s okay though, I had some over-the-counter eye drops that cleared things up in a couple of days.
Helsinki, Finland
Upon arrival to Helsinki, we went straight to the hotel and up to their Monkey Rooftop Bar to kick things off with a nice cocktail and views of the city. We walked around town a bit before stopping for dinner at Friends & Brgrs. We didn’t have any firm plans for the evening and we saw an amusement park from the rooftop bar, so we decided to surprise the kids and take them there. They were so excited they were jumping up and down and hugging for several minutes while we waited for the tram. The amusement park, named Linnanmaki, had a cheaper night pass that we got for the kids. After one ride though, both of us adults went and got passes of our own too. It allowed Edie to go on more rides with a companion and there were no lines at night so we all got to go on a ton of rides. We did everything from bumper cars to roller coasters (old and new), to water rides and swings. We split up for a little bit in the middle so Edie could check out rides Lydia wasn’t interested in and Lydia could go on some more adventurous bigger-kid rides, like their most popular (and crazy) roller coaster named Taiga. We all had a blast! It really wore everyone out too. We went back to the hotel and ordered desserts at the hotel restaurant, and the kids were literally falling asleep at the table while waiting.
The main attraction for us in Helsinki was Suomenlinna, an island castle with tunnels, and we did a few stops on the way there and back. We started at Old Church Park which is a modern-looking park with headstones / graves still scattered throughout. From there we grabbed a drink at Robert’s Coffee and walked down a long Esplanadi with an ornate mermaid statue named Havis Amanda at the far end. That led us to Market Square which was still setting up, so we grabbed the first ferry to Suomenlinna. The island was a great time. It’s easy and walkable with well-defined attractions and maps. There’s a brewery too, though it was closed at the time of day we were there. We walked the entire length of the island, stopping at a large tower in the middle, and navigating through construction to find the small path to the southern half. After a quick ice cream stop, we toured an old submarine (with torpedos next to the beds!), a dry dock, walked through extensive tunnels, visited an ornate grave of the island founder, stopped at a small beach, and ducked into hidden bunkers. At the southern end, we walked along the ridge line with overlooks of the city in the distance. We tried to have lunch at the pizza place there but it was booked for a event, so we went over to the Royal Gate and hopped on a water taxi back to the city. We still ended up having pizza, at a place named Niska, then we walked along the coastline and took a ride on the SkyWheel. Afterwards, we went back to Market Square which was busier this time and did some shopping before walking over to Senate Square with its beautiful buildings. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped briefly at the Three Blacksmiths statue. Once back, we stopped for another cocktail at Monkey Rooftop Bar while researching dinner options. We decided on Big Bowl, a hearty noodle-making place that we all enjoyed. Walking around after dinner, I was tempted by a pizza vending machine, mostly for the novelty. We went to a different part of town and found a fun neighborhood with a live band and a large gathering of people. We grabbed some ice cream at Jäätelötehdas and ended the night people-watching. Back at the hotel, there was a fun party in the plaza outside our windows.
The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and took a quick 1 hour flight to Stockholm with a 1 hour time change, so we landed at the same time we took off.
breakfast at hotel, quick 1 hour flight to Stockholm (with 1 hour time change), Brunkeberg Tunnel,
Stockholm, Sweden
Back in Stockholm again, we aimed for a different part of town and went through the lengthly Brunkeberg Tunnel that cuts through a large hill. We stopped at Prime Burger for lunch and then set out to find a tram for our next stop. We had a hard time figuring out how to get tickets. I kept the girls entertained at a local children’s festival, mostly playing handball, while Jaime found a different station to purchase tickets. The tram dropped us off right in fromt of the ABBA Museum (we had tickets this time!). The museum was quirky, educational, and fun. Definitely worth a visit. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel for a quick stop before heading out for another pizza dinner at Deglabbet. You got to cut your own pizza with scissors! The weather was perfect, the pizza was delicious, and we got to sit outside. Edie was even given a free popsicle for paying. We hung out there some more, trying their dessert pizza before calling it a night. It was a great ending to a great trip.