I walked through Helsinki with a smile on my face. The city was, to me, delightful: the stately rows of buildings, hued in warm colors, the quirky Nordic design sensibility, the long sunlight-filled evenings (stretching on until about 10:30pm during my May visit). Helsinki was small but full of treasures, a place I never expected but love but … More Delightful Days in Helsinki
I mentioned here that Helsinki was something of a blank slate for me, and that included when it came to food as well. Finnish food doesn’t have quite the reputation of, say, French cuisine, and I found myself wondering what the culinary options in Helsinki would be. I needn’t have worried, however, as they were almost … More Helsinki: Finnish Foodie Favorites
One nice thing about Helsinki was that it was essentially a blank slate for me: I traveled there because it was an easy trip from Norway, and not because I set out in search of something specific. As a result, there was plenty of room for Helsinki to surprise me, and it more than rose … More Cathedral Hopping in Helsinki
In the past year, I have visited four of the five Nordic countries (I’m coming for you soon, Iceland, I promise), and I have noticed the same phenomenon in each: they all seem to be having a moment, culinarily-speaking. In Stockholm, I met the world’s most enthusiastic and knowledgeable cheesemonger, in Copenhagen, I had the … More Helsinki: Michelin Magic at Restaurant Ask
If I’m being honest, I only went to Norway for the fjords; my visit to Oslo basically happened because I thought, “well, if I’m in Norway, I guess I should see the capital too…?” That kind of attitude, though, is misguided: Oslo is great. No, it’s never going to be the biggest or the most … More Odds & Ends from Oslo
The man walked on to the Norwegian Air flight from JFK to Oslo, guitar slung over his back, long, wild hair, head-to-toe denim, piercings galore. He reached his row, occupied by an elderly, conservatively-dressed couple and himself. “Yes,” he said with a grin and a chuckle, “I am the guy sitting next to you.” I … More Oslo: Fun and Funky Street Art
For the past year or so, there has been one constant with just about every place I have traveled: I take a food tour. There are many reasons why I love a good food tour, but the main one is that they always, always lead me to places I never would have found on my own: the … More Oslo: Discovering the City’s Hidden Culinary Gems
Before I visited Oslo, if you had asked me to name the most noteworthy sculptors, I would have thought only of the usual suspects: Rodin, Michelangelo, Bernini, and the like. One name I would not have said – having never heard it before – was Gustav Vigeland. As it turns out, however, his is a name well worth knowing. Vigeland … More Oslo: Sculpture Masterpieces at Frogner Park
I enjoyed my time in Bergen, but if I am being honest, for my first day or so there, I wasn’t that captivated. Yes, the city was pretty, the harbor was colorful, and everything was neat and tidy – but none of it seemed that memorable, particularly after the jaw-dropping beauty of the fjords. I was … More Bergen’s Back Streets
If I could only use one word to describe Bergen, Norway, it would be this one: pleasant. It’s not flashy or particularly thrilling, but it is a pleasant place to be, with a cute, historical harbor area, funiculars that whisk you to gorgeous mountaintop views, and lots of lovely streets to wander down. The other thing … More Pleasant Days in Bergen
