Hej, hej! Here is a recap from my cruise to Scandinavia and Russia in May. Scandinavia and Russia were exciting places to visit, obtained lots of food inspiration and learned about various cultures. A friend and I stopped at the following places:
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Tallin, Estonia
- St. Petersburg, Russia
- Helsinki, Finland
Copenhagen was my most favorite city to visit. It’s considered one of the foodie capitals of the world. Travel/foodie experts weren’t kidding. There are so many eateries and options to try. I recommend walking around Strøget and grab a Danish hot dog. Then, explore Nyhavn and get some Smørrebrød (Danish for “open-faced sandwich”). For dessert, step into a local bakery and indulge in the best Weinerbrød (means “bread from Vienna”) Danish pastry with a custard-like pudding filling. These pastries were brought to Denmark by Austrian bakers and since then it has evolved into the Danish specialty. Absolutely amazing.
Copenhagen is the central part of the Nordic food revival and has a thriving cafe culture. It’s also a bike-friendly city which makes it easy to get around the city. Why not enjoy a nice bike ride and eat your way through this amazing city?
Copenhagen is fun city to explore. They have few places you can visit and things you can do. Some highlights include:
- Tivoli Gardens (world’s oldest amusement park – 1893)
- Little Mermaid Statue
- Strøget
- Nyhavn
- Christiansborg Palace
- Rent a bicycle
- Rosenborg Castle
- Copenhagen Cathedral
- Amalienborg
- Kastellet
- Go for Hygge (pronounced “Hooga“)
What’s a cruise without having amazing food? Dinner time is best time of day on the ship. They served things like roast duck to grilled chicken to baked Alaska and pancetta for dessert. It was mind blowing. If you’re wondering about going on a cruise, take the plunge and try it out. All of your food and lodging is paid for with the exception of shore excursions.
Sweden is known for their meatballs, lingonberries, Gravlax, etc. Have you ever been to IKEA? If yes, then you are very familiar with the traditional Swedish meatballs, served with macaroni or mashed potatoes with a gravy and lingonberries. It is one of the most iconic meals from Sweden.
Another popular Swedish meal is Gravlax. Gravlax is salmon with cold potatoes and fresh dill often served with a side of mustard sauce. It has origins from France but with a Swedish twist. These are often present on a Swedish Smörgåsbord. Smörgåsbord is a Swedish buffet including meatballs, mini sausages called prinskorvar in Swedish and cured salmon of
Stockholm is the most populated of the Nordic countries. It has attracted the most innovative from all areas of the world from the founders of Skype to Spotify. They are also known for some of history’s most iconic music artists such as ABBA and Ace of Base.
When in town don’t miss out on the Vasa Museum, the world’s first open air museum Skansen and much more. Sweden is a place to add to your list. They have few places you can visit and things you can do. Some highlights include:
- Gamla stan
- Vasa Museum
- The Royal Palace
- Skansen
- The City Hall
- Strandvägen
- Stortorget
- Gröna Lund
- ABBA: The Museum
- Go for Fika
Russia was my third favorite place to visit on this trip. The architecture and rich history were great. It includes 200 museums and at least up to 600 eateries. St. Petersburg is a very large city. You could stay here for at least two to three days and still not be able to see everything. They did have a tricky visa process but the easiest way to see this city is through a cruise ship because the excursions were government approved. This is a good way to save extra money on having to get a visa.
Some highlights included:
- Hermitage Musem (abou 1,000 people
- Peterhof
- Church of the Spilled Blood
- Sunken Gardens
- Winter Palace
- And many more
Tallin, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland were also awesome places to visit. They weren’t as exciting as the first few countries we checked out. But still really fun. Tallin was quite the charming little town and had some fun things about it that set it apart from other countries. We visited Rakvere Castle which was a rundown medieval fortress with a lot of interesting obstacle courses. They served us a really yummy lunch and dessert too.
Helsinki was the last port from our cruise. It was a quick visit but we got to tour around some neat structures and learn about the Finnish culture. Finland is known for their salty black licorice, reindeer, blueberry pie, cinnamon rolls, rye bread, meat stews, soups and other yummy foods. We visited the plaza square where the Helsinki Cathedral was located. Also, we visited the Temppeliaukio Church (“Rock Church”). Very charming city
This trip was amazing. We learned a lot about these Scandinavian countries including Russia. If you have a chance to visit these places, take full advantage of it. Cruises are the way to go if you want to sample different countries. You will love the Scandinavian/Nordic culture, amazing food and immaculate structures. There’s a reason why they call the Danish the happiest people in the world. I can see why. We all could use some hygge/fika time. You can’t go wrong with visiting this part of the world.
