Month: December 2024
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Ateneum and Kiasma galleries, Helsinki
During our stay in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, as a part of our 2024 to 2025 Northern European holiday, we went in to two large art galleries in Helsinki, the Ateneum and Kiasma. Ateneum The first Gallery in Europe that we entered was the Ateneum, an Museum of Finnish and International art gallery right… Read more
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Stockholm
We visited the capital of Sweden as a part of our grand Northern European Tour, just after our trip to Glasgow, and before we went to Finland. Before we arrived in Stockholm, we had not really done a lot of research in to what to expect. We knew that the capital of Sweden would be… Read more
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Stockholm Castle, Sweden
Travelling around Northern Europe in our grand tour of 2024-2025, we visited the Swedish capital of Stockholm for a few days. We had no specific plans or bookings, and we wandered down the street from our hotel at Queens Hotel, down the street Drottninggatan. Here we crossed the bridge at Riksbron to go through the… Read more
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Glasgow
Our visit to the Scottish city of Glasgow was part of our round the North of Europe tour, and followed our trip to Edinburgh in the previous week. We had been given negative vibes about Glasgow, with friends and family warning that it was not very interesting or attractive. Getting there We found Glasgow airport… Read more
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Finland Sauna and Arctic ice dip
As a part of our mammoth Northern European Tour, no trip to Finland would be complete without a sauna and getting into a frozen lake at sub-zero temperatures! Apukka resort We decided that the sauna and ice experience would be a bit more special if we chose to do it at Apukka resort, north of… Read more
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Ounasvaara Skiing (Finland)
Near the town of Rovaniemi in Lapland, is the ski resort of Ounasvaara. It is a small hill, with three lifts and a few ski runs. Nothing at all for an experienced skier, but a great area for beginners. The location is in Finland, and was intended as a key part of our Northern Europe… Read more
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Helsinki
The frozen capital city of Finland was next on our Northern European tour. The city was just really a stopping off point for us to get other forms of transport out of the city. We visited Helsinki twice – first for a day to get the Santa Claus Express train to Lapland, and the second… Read more
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Husky Dog Sled ride
On Christian’s bucket list of things to do, was to ride in a sled on the snow, pulled by a team of huskies as a part of our Finland Experience. We booked the experience on the day that the timeslots became available, and we found out that a week later, it was fully booked. We… Read more
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Santa Claus Village and Arctic Circle
Of course, when you go all the way to Lapland, you have to meet Santa Claus! Just north of Rovaniemi is the ‘official’ home of Santa, in a village located on the Arctic Circle. Getting there We were staying in Rovaniemi town centre, so we just hopped on the bus for €3.50 each person, each… Read more
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Santa Claus Express overnight train
A highlight of our holiday was to go from Helsinki to Rovaniemi on the overnight train called the “Santa Claus Express”. This train takes around 12 hours to cross most of Finland. Catching the train We were surprised to find the train is not obviously marked, and it just arrived at a platform like a… Read more
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Viking Restaurant Harald, Helsinki
If you are reading this blog, you will know that we love to eat at interesting and different restaurants. As a part of our mammoth round-Northern Europe tour, whilst in Finland, we went to the Harald Viking Restaurant in Helsinki. The restaurant The restaurant Harald is located on the first floor in the middle of… Read more
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Edinburgh, Scotland
On our grand north-european tour, our last stop in the UK was to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Neither of us had been to Scotland before, so this really kicked off the new locations for us! We flew from Bristol airport to Edinburgh, and took the Airport Transfer bus (line 100) for only £16 for… Read more
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Edinburgh Castle
Our visit to Edinburgh Castle was a part of our Northern Europe tour in 2024-2025, and was the second castle that we visited (after Windsor Castle). The Castle can be found at the top end of The Royal Mile, on top of an extinct volcano. Tickets to The Castle need to be bought online for… Read more
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Dartmoor and Plymouth
Christian went to University in Plymouth, so the city was a prominent part of his youth, and so a visit was in order! To get to Plymouth, there is the main road (boring!) or the more scenic route through one of England’s most wild and barren areas – Dartmoor. Dartmoor – forest or wilderness? As… Read more
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Exmouth, Sidmouth, and Otterton
Christian’s mother has decided to call Exmouth home, after trying various towns across the south coast of England. The town of Exmouth is … wait for it … located at the mouth of the river Exe. At the bottom corner of East Devon, the town is a major hub for the area. We visited Exmouth,… Read more
