Travel 2009: Scandinavia Galleries

Brussels : I had four hours in Brussels before my train to Cologne, and had a wander for a couple of hours.

Brussels

I had four hours in Brussels before my train to Cologne, and had a wan ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:20am PST

Stockholm to Aland : I had only one night in Stockholm before getting the early-morning ferry to Mariehamn in the Aland archipelago.

Stockholm to Aland

I had only one night in Stockholm before getting the early-morning fer ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:22am PST

Mariehamn : Mariehamn is the main town in Aland.

Mariehamn

Mariehamn is the main town in Aland.

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:23am PST

Foglo : Foglo is a group of islands to the east of Mariehamn, reached by a half-hour bus ride followed by a half-hour ferry crossing.

Foglo

Foglo is a group of islands to the east of Mariehamn, reached by a hal ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:26am PST

Kokar : Kokar (pronounced "shirkar") is the island at the extreme south east of the archipelago. The guidebooks all talk about how strikingly bare and treeless it is, and yes I guess it is compared with the rest of Finland, but I kept on thinking, "Hah! Let me show you the islands where I grew up" (a search for "Lafonia" should do it).

Kokar

Kokar (pronounced "shirkar") is the island at the extreme south east o ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:28am PST

Helsinki : It was my fourth visit to Helsinki, and I was more focused on chilling out with my friend and doing laundry than on sight-seeing. Still, we did get into town a couple of times.

Helsinki

It was my fourth visit to Helsinki, and I was more focused on chilling ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:30am PST

Karelia : Karelia is a region in the south-east of Finland, along the border with Russia. It's the home (or storehouse) of some of the most traditional aspects of Finnish culture, especially of folklore.

Karelia

Karelia is a region in the south-east of Finland, along the border wit ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:32am PST

Oulu : Oulo is a university town on the west of Finland, near the top of the Gulf of Bothnia. To get here I got the bus from Nurmes to Kajaani, and then a direct train from Kajaani.

Oulu

Oulo is a university town on the west of Finland, near the top of the ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:34am PST

Kemijarvi : Kemijarvi is a small town about 50 km north of the Arctic Circle, set on three lakes. To get there was a three hour train ride from Oulu to Roveniemi and then an hour on the bus. Kemijarvi does have a train station, but with only one night-train a day. I say Kemijarvi is a small town (and it was the smallest I visited), but it's still ten times the size of the town where I grew up.

Kemijarvi

Kemijarvi is a small town about 50 km north of the Arctic Circle, set ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:36am PST

Lulea : Lulea is a large town in Sweden, more-or-less facing Oulu across the Gulf of Bothnia, and the nearest railway station to Finland. Getting there involved three buses and a train, and once there I got the 4.35 night-train to Goteborg, on the other side of Sweden, a journey of over 18 hours.

Lulea

Lulea is a large town in Sweden, more-or-less facing Oulu across the G ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:38am PST

Copenhagen : It was about three hours on the train from Goteburg to Copenhagen. I only had one night there, with just enough time to poke my nose into one museum, and I clearly need to go again.

Copenhagen

It was about three hours on the train from Goteburg to Copenhagen. I o ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:40am PST

Cologne : I'd had a few hours in Cologne on the way out, with just enough time to get something to eat before my sleeper train to Copenhagen, and I'd decided to break my journey there on the way back, to see a little more.

Cologne

I'd had a few hours in Cologne on the way out, with just enough time t ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 1:41am PST