To Sweden by car without a ferry. Ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. Norway. Reflections on the Road to the West Coast

Part 11, final

Oleg:

I preliminarily distributed three days in Stockholm as follows: Skansen, Tom Tits Experiment, metro and Gamla Stan. Some serious museums will obviously not arouse interest in 5.5 years, but I wanted to make it interesting for everyone. I didn't plan any more details. Perhaps because the cities in general on this trip were a side thing, an addition to the main course - the Nature of Norway! This means they didn’t arouse much enthusiasm in me, I planned to the minimum.

This day is dedicated to Skansen, which, in addition to being an ethno-museum under open air, is also an Aquarium and Zoo. But first you need to get a Stockholm Card (SC), which gives you the right to free travel on public transport and visit museums. But even earlier – breakfast. Swedish breakfast, not as a system, but as a process of satiation with authentic Swedish dishes, is very unusual. Let's just say that only 10 percent of the dishes offered seemed edible to me. You can spend a day or two like this, but, for example, a week... Excuse me. I was especially “impressed” by the cut melon, which had clearly been lying there for more than one hour, and by the number of citizens consuming “bird food”, i.e. different types seeds, and, unlike muesli, they are seeds, not flakes. Maximum - they lightly pour some contents from the tube and sit there, “pecking”. And that's all breakfast! And, of course, coffee! A dubious brown drink that leaves an unpleasant aftertaste, with the only advantage being the presence of caffeine. In general, this is a dubious matter, breakfast in Swedish hotels. However, people’s tastes can be different, I’m not saying anything here, I only know that my wife and daughter generally had the same opinion!

Okay, we didn't come for breakfast. We are going to pick up the SK in Kulturhuset. This is an organization of some kind mall, bearing the name Kulturhuset, i.e. House of Culture, Palace of Culture! :) So I asked everyone how to get to this Kulturhuset. Nobody knew what was typical! We were tired of looking for him. In the end, the card was received. And, by the way, the opportunity has arisen to conduct an experiment - is it profitable to buy it if you don’t visit a bunch of museums? I didn't tell you? I paid for my card in Moscow in the evening. Having received confirmation of payment. I decided that I would pay for the insurance policy for Ira tomorrow, or another day, but now that’s it, I don’t have the strength, it’s time to sleep. But, alas, later I was unable to pay for it - at first the discount for IKEA Family club members did not appear, then, when it appeared, none of the 3 cards were accepted for payment! It was never possible to pay for it due to some glitches. Looking ahead, I’ll say - yes, the insurance company is profitable, and not for 10 rubles!

Already on tram number 7 I traveled to Skansen for free, and the ticket was 44 sek! Although, there we met a conductor, thanks to whom Ira rode for free! However, I think that she herself will tell you in more detail, she was very inspired and impressed by this whole situation. Read it, it's really interesting!

Skansen is good. Not in the condescending sense of “Well, nothing, nothing...”, but in the sense of very, very good! There are interesting exhibits or activities for all ages. We all, for example, liked lemurs and small colored frogs (Varka later took pictures with their sculptures).

BMW 118d at the home of Ikea, Helsinborg, Sweden.
An amazing trip around Sweden by car... My experience of renting a car, an interesting route through the southern part of the country, the magnificent nature of Scandinavia, forests, lakes, the Baltic Sea... And useful tips for those who go on the road, as well as the technical part and travel expenses.

We flew by WizzAir from Kyiv to the Skavsta low-cost airport and immediately set off on a trip to the southern part of the country. We had been to Stockholm before, so we didn’t visit it. I often rent a car in different countries, usually Sixt, attractive price and great service this time predetermined my choice. In Sweden, when filling out the documents, they didn’t block anything unnecessary on my card; they immediately took out the rent amount for the week. In Germany and Spain, they usually blocked a deposit - two times the rental amount and then, after returning the car, the rental amount was withdrawn, and the deposit was returned after 2-3 weeks; in Israel, $1000 was blocked.

I chose a BMW116 manual, instead of which I received a BMW118d with an automatic transmission. Stunning snow-white car.

Sweden has amazing roads, signs, markings...

The roads and highways are free (!) and absolutely not congested; very often you got the feeling that you were driving completely alone.
In Sweden, only 9 million people live on a vast territory, and the roads are built simply amazing, often alternating two- and one-lane sections for safe overtaking, there are camera signs everywhere, well-readable signs, and dividers between lanes.

Even flowers at simple junctions...

The whole country is 100% nature, forests, lakes...

In June it gets dark very late at night... In this photo it is already after midnight:

Roe deer are running outside the window:

Among which there are castles full of legends and stories

This is also the country of Nils...

And a country of children and for children. There are a lot of families with 2-3 children.

We also visited Coppenhagen, but left the car in a multi-storey parking lot at the railway station in Malmo, Sweden. This parking is free. The cost of travel by train is 9 euros, and the cost of traveling by car between Sweden and Denmark on a 7 km long bridge is 40 euros one way, and in Coppenhagen you will also need to pay for parking. The train looks more than obvious.

Multi-level parking at the train station in Malmo:

Bridge from the Swedish side:

And from Coppenhagen:

The architectural masterpiece Turning Torso in Malmo, I will write about it separately:

The Baltic Sea... calm or stormy, cool and refreshing:

There are no crowds here... Here you can find solitude:

And even such landscapes are pleasantly pleasing to the eye:

And this is the bridge between the city of Kalmar and the island of Öland. The bridge is 5 km long, it is the only one large island in Sweden, which can be reached by bridge.

Lighthouse in the southern part of the island:

Technical part:

Rental price for 7 days is 280 euros, which is 40 euros per day
The diesel engine was surprisingly very economical, we drove 1700 km, consumption was 5.5 l/100 km. For the entire route I filled up 95 liters of fuel at 13.35 CZK per liter, 140 euros in just a week.

I bought a flight from Kyiv to Stockholm for 109g there and 169g back. (only 25 euros).
With all fees, taxes and 1 piece of baggage up to 32 kg (for WizzAir Ukraine this service is free).
The ticket was purchased 1.5 months in advance. Many people criticize or are afraid of low-cost airlines, but I consider WizzAir to be the best airline :) After all, tickets for a family of three cost less than 90 euros.

Sweden is a country for peace and comfort:

More about Sweden and Astrid Lingren.

Written on June 3, 2012 – 20:25 | by MipH |

A story about a trip of 14 people in 5 cars to Sweden ski resort Ore from Moscow to New Year holidays 2012. Through Riga, in New Year's Eve we took the ferry to Stockholm. An amusing trip. Almost 4 days there, 3 back and 2 weeks there. I alone managed to go to the Norwegian city of Trondheim for a day, while the rest were riding snowmobiles on a frozen lake and snowy hills.

You can find all the detailed reports I made during and after the trip, including videos, at . Here I tried to summarize the main points and links about the trip.

Cars

We drove 5 cars: Subaru Legacy (3 liters, all-wheel drive, Velcro), Subaru Tribeca (3 liters, all-wheel drive, studs), Honda Accord (2.5 liters, Velcro), Nissan Qashqai (I don’t know, but 2 liters, it seems to me, spikes), VW (1.4 liters, turbo, Velcro of the 3rd season).

We were happy with the fuel consumption of the Golf. At some point, I “lowered” it to 5.7 liters while driving evenly along the highway at a speed of about 80 (2 people + clothes). In other cases, the consumption remained in the region of 6 - 6.5 (speed 100-130). Considering the cost of gasoline at 75 rubles, this consumption was a big plus.

We left Stockholm in very difficult weather conditions: It was night and everything was covered with heavy wet snow. The further north you went, the more wet it turned into normal. On the highway, the first driving Subarik Tribeca sometimes accelerated to 120 according to GPS, and it was scary, because my car is light, moreover, only with front-wheel drive and on not the freshest tires, it was difficult to clear all that mess and snowdrifts on the road on such speeds So I asked to limit it to 100 according to GPS. But the all-wheel drive Legacy seemed to feel at ease. Otherwise, it was very comfortable on the small turbo engine behind these three-liter monsters.

It’s difficult to drive through cities in a convoy of 5 cars, because at traffic lights you don’t always have time to get through them when you’re 5th (it seems like I got through 4 traffic lights in a row on the yellow-red one).

The only thing that annoyed me while driving was the worn-out front tires, especially the middle part of the tread (this happens when overinflating, but I checked several times and it seemed that the pressure was normal), where the depth during the trip became less than 5mm and constant slipping on porridge or the snow began to strain. And as I was driving early in the morning, when the Moscow snowfall began, at 130 km/h, I even became scared after, when I saw the wear of the front tires.

By the way, in Sweden, for the most part, the roads are not flooded with anything, but are only cleaned in a timely manner and in cities on difficult climbs they are covered with stone chips. Therefore, it is always clean and, most importantly, beautiful. But upon entering Norway, I immediately found myself on a dirty highway filled with reagents. True, all this was quickly covered by snowfall, so on the way back I was already spitting from the snow =)

Visa information

- Schengen visa through the Swedish consulate: http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____78583.aspx
— instructions for filling out questionnaires: http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____49156.aspx (block on the right “Files of related topics”)
— tickets to: Service Center http://www.77msk.ru
— accommodation (apart-hotel Brunkulla): PAC Group http://www.pac.ru (you can use a direct operator http://www.skistar.com/ru/are/)
— medical insurance (ROSNO): http://www.ozon.travel/insurance/
— green card (ROSNO, but not earlier than a month before the trip and only in the office)
— photos: Firm Plus 7 http://maps.yandex.ru/sprav/1128637485/

Passport delivery:
- at 9.30 at the embassy there were already 45 to submit documents! and this is only November 14; Some people are accepted for 5 minutes, and others 30... I stood there for an hour and a half, there were not enough seats. After 10:00 there were almost no people coming (the total numbers reached 55, it seems). The closer to NG, the more people It will be according to the security.
— it’s better to have exactly 1400 with you for collection, there may be no change, then you will simply be sent to the “shop to change.”

Receiving a passport:
— receiving a passport from 16 to 17. At 15.50 there is already a line on the street of almost all the people who want to pick up documents that day. Therefore, it’s up to you to decide whether to arrive 30 minutes before opening and freeze outside waiting, or to arrive exactly at 4 pm and wait half an hour inside (after 4 pm, almost no one came). 20 people took the documents in half an hour (this is in addition to other people like couriers or “businesses” who have their own queues).

Let's go there

4 days of travel and we are there (day + night - Belarus, night + morning in Latvia, day in Riga, night on the ferry, day in Stockholm, evening + night - to the motel, morning and a little afternoon - to the destination in Are, Sweden). Difficult, almost 3,300 kilometers from Moscow (including the ferry), a lot of emotions, difficult in Sweden during snowfall and then ice, long attempts to find a motel for the night (we had to spend the night somewhere on the way on the night of January 1-2, there were no places or it was expensive), a tour of Stockholm.

Yes, there’s a lot of things, it’s complicated and there’s probably no need to write anything. Some may be wondering what New Year's Eve was like on the ferry. I don’t know, at 10 local time we met “in Moscow”, but I didn’t make it until 12 present, I passed out, because after a sleepless 2 days of travel (we ended up in Riga at noon somewhere, there was only time to eat and rest). I can say that this way to meet is certainly better than a feast in front of the TV, or even alone, but the second time I would think about whether it’s worth it if you are not a social person or you are tired of long parties, and on New Year’s Eve the noise lasted until the morning.

We stood for almost 8 hours on the border of Belarus and Latvia. It was something! No toilets, no explanations, everything is very slow, a couple of transport checkpoints. If the Latvians are still civilized, then the Belarusians are a real scoop and you can’t say anything else. Although the Latvians seemed to slow down more. But the service there is better, there are convenient restrooms, everything is lit, there are explanatory signs everywhere.

Stockholm

Frankly, driving outside the city at night is more beautiful and pleasant in general than during the day. Because during the daytime in winter everything is gray, sometimes there is snow, and sometimes there is none. And all around there are fields and gas stations, nothing interesting. ( we're talking about about the motorway)

By the way, the city has underground roads, or rather, they pass under the houses, which greatly facilitates movement. An interesting and compact solution. This road can only be distinguished by the entrance and exit, but there are just houses there and that’s it. To travel around the city, it is convenient to sit in a special tourist bus, they ride along 3, it seems, routes, inside you can take headphones and listen in Russian about the sights they pass.

They said (and we observed) that wooden houses were preserved in the city (history). They are prohibited from being demolished or rebuilt, and the owners are required to maintain them in good condition. Caring for tourist attractiveness. Otherwise, it’s an ordinary European town, in which, as it has repeatedly turned out, there are some more problems with getting out of the underground parking lots on your own, rather than by car (it’s not obvious where the exit is). There is no snow at all in winter this season.

Apartment Brunkulla

We lived in the Brunkulla apartments almost in the center of the town of Are (Village), you can walk in all directions to get to the ski lifts, but how difficult it is to do this in the morning, carrying everything on yourself, and sometimes uphill, and by the time you get there you will be sweating. I have never lived in such good apartments, but my experience is modest, only 2 times. Large living room and 4 rooms for 2 people each. In the large hallway, under the bench, there are special flexible hoses that need to be inserted into your boots so that they dry overnight. Nearby there is a large drying cabinet for clothes (heating and ventilation quickly dry wet clothes after rolling or washing). 2 full rooms with toilets and showers, one of which has a Finnish sauna, which someone uses almost every evening.

The kitchen has everything: refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave oven, dishwasher, toaster, kettles and all utensils, extractor hood. The building has 3 floors, an elevator, parking under the windows and free.

Lots of windows, warm and cozy. The second eight people have windows overlooking the very lake, behind which the sun peeks out from behind the mountains in the morning. There is internet for 500 rubles per week via wi-fi, which we partially divide among the rest through distribution from laptops. There are heated floors everywhere, a vacuum cleaner, a mop and all other accessories. Large plasma TV.

I don’t know, but it seems to me that there is one large supermarket right on railway station for the whole city; As it was written in the guidebooks, alcohol is sold only in one special store. Prices are hellish for everything. In the morning we arrived on the slope, next to which there was a gas station. Gasoline cost 14.60 CZK. In the evening after the ride it costs 14.70, which is more than 70 rubles.

P.S. On New Year's Eve, a funny thing happened: the prepared New Year's gifts remained in the car, which was parked on the parking deck, to which access was closed while driving. I had to hand it out somehow unsightly later. I also received several gifts, which was nice. I rarely participate in any celebrations and rarely receive gifts.

P.P.S. Alexander O., my boss, one might say, and the technical director of our company, who has been shouting for the last six months how he will always be ahead of me on all the slopes (in the context that the level of his skating is very high, and I’ve become attached to some kind of sucker 😉), in the end, he doesn’t even see me, because I’m either in the woods, or he and his girls are hanging around on the slopes while we’re rolling somewhere forward. Well, to talk about the level of skating... Well, yes, I learned something in 2 years, but why talk about it, everyone has as much as they need, some more, some less. I’m sure I would skate better if I had more strength, more muscles, more endurance. But I have exactly what I have, and I try to make the most of it.

Trondheim

As a result, someone said that they would never return to Sweden: the price-quality ratio is not in favor of the Swedes. I can say that if we ignore this component of the question, then the place is quite good and, more importantly, sincere. Therefore, I would return, I would even say that I would really like to return. It’s friendly, there are not many people, there are no crowds or queues, beautiful northern nature, especially in clear weather.

Introduction

Scandinavia. Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Finland and Iceland are added to the generally accepted concept, but this is not entirely true. The main goal of our trip is Norwegian fjords. Until now I have not come across anything more beautiful and fascinating than these places. Most likely, this is because I haven’t been to many places yet. It’s just Norway, it’s very close, just a stone’s throw away. And you don’t have to get attached to “someone else’s” transport, you can see everything from the window own car. I say this for those who live in the north-west of our country. For example, in St. Petersburg. This is where we start, however, as usual.

St. Petersburg – Finland. Turku

Market Square Turku

The legend of our trip is such that we leave the modern capital of Finland, Helsinki, on the way back. Therefore, we will set sail from the old capital of Finland - Turku. This city can be called the capital of Finland conditionally, since independent state Finland did not appear until December 6, 1917. What is interesting about this city? Let's start in order. The first mentions date back to 1229, but people have settled there since the Bronze Age. Moreover, before the mentioned date, Novgorodians lived there and called the city Torg (1191), from this word the name Turku came. I noticed another feature in the name. Trade relations were carried out not only with the west, but also with the south, and with the Turks as well. The great trade and conquest routes “from the Varangians to the Greeks” also passed through these regions. Loanwords, including those related to trade, seeped into the Finnish language. Turkki is still associated with that period and now means something Turkish, trade - "fur coat", for example. But don’t tell anyone my speculations, otherwise historians will bury me, and archaeologists will not dig me up. So, I don’t know all the subtleties, but since the Novgorodians called it “Torg”, it means they traded. This is understandable, the settlement was very conveniently located: a stone ridge extending to modern Sweden; the opportunity to trade by sea and passage deep into the continent by river and plain. The city stands at the mouth of the Aurajoki River.

Aurajoki

The Swedes took advantage of all these favorable factors when, at the beginning of the 13th century, they came to these lands to baptize everyone and fight a little. They called Finland the “Eastern Country” (Osterlanden). Dismissive, isn't it? It seems that since then Finland has become a bone of contention between Russia and Sweden and has been waiting for these warriors to kill each other and it will be possible to live in peace. The Swedes began to develop the occupied territories, and after briefly experimenting with the name, they decided to name the city Abo (A-river, bo-live). Of course, not everything is in order here either. After all, all normal people would read this as Abo, but no - for the Swedes it is Obo, and again confusion and discrepancies begin.

Be that as it may, by 1300 the city finally became a City (it received official written confirmation in 1309), but in 1300 a serious event occurred, namely, it was consecrated Cathedral, which is the main Lutheran church in Finland. It was built in honor of the Virgin Mary and the first bishop of the country - St. Henry, who baptized Finland. By the way, the cathedral took only 42 years to build; we also have more serious long-term construction projects. Of course, in those distant times the cathedral was a little smaller, and after the fire in 1827 it had to be completely restored. There is another masterpiece building that begins its history from the same times. Abos Castle (Abo slott, Turun linna). But we'll talk about it a little later.

Cathedral

I have already mentioned that the Swedes insolently drove the Novgorodians out of their homes. But the Russians never forgave such treatment; they waited for the Swedes to build something valuable and in 1318 they returned and burned everything, the entire city. Peace was then concluded and by the mid-15th century the city had become a serious religious and educational center. Development took place in both navigation and trade. Rob the city, of course they robbed it periodically. The Danes, for example, in 1509 and 1522. Then serious troubles came only in 1713. Where can serious trouble come from? Of course, from Russia. Cause? The reason is always the same. As soon as the “Window to Europe” was opened, Russia’s eyes began to be bothered by the proximity of Finland’s borders.

Market Square

Until the end of the Great Northern War in 1721, Russian troops remained in Turku. Exactly 20 years later there is war again. And again the Swedes and Russians. In September 1742, Russian troops entered Turku. To end the war, the famous Treaty of Abos is concluded (1743) and again Turku is at the center of events. Now guess who started fighting with whom in 1808? The Russians were tired of practicing with the Swedes (apparently the Swedes don’t understand Russian at all), so in 1809 Russia confiscated Finland from Sweden. This year Swedish rule ended and Russian rule began. Turku abandoned its dominant position in 1817 when Helsinki became the capital. Ten years later, in 1827, the fire completely “finished off” former capital and almost completely destroyed the city. Turku was rebuilt even after the bombing by Soviet aircraft during the Winter War. About 4,000 bombs were dropped on the city.

Turku Castle (Abos)

Turku Castle, or Abos Castle, was also seriously damaged. I have already mentioned it, it is the same age as the Cathedral and has also been remodeled and transformed several times over its long history. Currently, Turku Castle is one of the most important monuments in the history of construction in Finland. In the premises of the castle there is a historical Museum city ​​of Turku. The castle chapel is popular as a wedding venue, and the castle's Renaissance halls can be rented for special occasions.

If you are planning to stay in the city or for some reason you have a lot of free time, let's see what else interesting there is in the city. Perhaps you came with children, then you definitely need to visit the Moomins. The island is located near the city of Naantali, 10 minutes by car from Turku. The park operates in summer time 06.07-28.08, and visiting it can take the whole day. Opposite the Moomin Park across the bay, in the Kultaranta area, is the summer residence of the President of Finland, which can also be visited in the summer from 21.06 to 14.08 on any day except Monday. I will repeat again and again that many museums and other attractions are closed on Mondays, so try to use these days to cover distances. Among the usual hotels in Turku itself, I can recommend Holiday Inn Turku

For those who find museums boring, I dare to suggest water parks. One of them, by the way, is located in the same Naantali at the Naantali Spa hotel. As a water park it is nothing special, but the hotel is famous for the fact that some of the rooms are located on the luxurious ocean yacht Sunborn. Ruissalo Spa Hotel is approximately the same, but the accommodation is much cheaper. The Holiday Club Caribia hotel is located in the center of Turku. This water park is perhaps the best all-season water park in this region. Recently a large summer water park was built in Turku and theme park JukuPark with big amount slides for every taste. For those who want to taste a cocktail from medieval history, archeology and contemporary art, I invite you to visit the & Ars Nova Museum, located in the center of Turku, on the banks of the Aura River. The Ars Nova Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1995, but while it was being built, many artifacts were discovered on the site, which laid the foundation for another museum, Aboa Vetus. The museums merged in 2004. If we have already started studying art, then we cannot ignore music, so I suggest visiting the Sibelius Museum, located next to the Cathedral, on the banks of the same Aura

View from the Ruissalo Hotel Spa Hotel

Ferry to Stockholm

Boarding the ferry

The shortest and fastest way to get from Turku to Stockholm (with a car) is by ferry. Unless, of course, your car is an amphibian. But there are many options in achieving the goal. They mainly use the services of ferry monsters such as Tallink Silja Line and Viking Line. There is also an option to get to Naantali and take the Finnlines ferry (FinnLine), but it arrives not in Stockholm itself, but in Kapellskar (I don’t know why it’s pronounced “-sher” although it’s Kapellskar). There is also the option to travel around the Åland Islands. The website www.alandstrafiken.ax provides comprehensive information on ferry traffic around the islands. The closest and last island to Sweden will be Eckero. From there to " big land» can be reached by ferries of the same name (information on www.eckerolinjen.fi).

You can stay for a couple of days, in case you want to go fishing in the Åland Islands. Once returning from Norway, we did just that, looked at the homeland of the “sea wolves” and did not regret it at all. But you and I will do like most: towards Stockholm we will take the Viking Line - most likely it will be "Isabella" (Amorella) - and back we will go on the "Silja Serenade" or "Silja Symphony" (they are twins) upon arrival in Helsinki . The poetic names of the ships of these companies (until the recent past) please the ear, don’t they?

So, since we have chosen the Viking Line ferry, let's get to know the company itself and the capabilities on board. The company was started by a group of businessmen from the Åland archipelago, who formed the Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen company in 1959 and purchased the SS Dinard ferry from England and renamed it SS Viking. Disagreements in the company occurred already in 1962, as a result of which three companies appeared, but after briefly “hanging out” at sea separately, the companies decided to work together. In 1963, the Viking Line appeared. The distinctive color is borrowed from the favorite lipstick of the wife of the Manager of Alandspilen service. The ship of this company was called Apollo and was the first “red” one, after it (1967) almost all the ships were 9 bright red. By the way, the famous “Europe” was also built for the Viking Line and was launched in 1993, had all the distinctive signs of the Vikings, but Sweden plunged into a financial crisis, the Swedish krona “sank” significantly and the final price of the project increased by 400 million SEK. Rederi AB Slite (Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen) did not receive a loan from Nordbanken, since one of its main founders was Silja Line's eternal competitors. As a result, the latter chartered the “Europe” and painted it in their own colors. There were many names during this time, but the ones that always stood out were female names ending in “-ella.” The ships were named after Ellen Eklund, wife of managing director Gunnar Eklund. And they turned out to be Isabella, Gabriella, Rosella, Marella, Aurella, Turella, Mariella, Amorella and even Cinderella - that is, Cinderella in the common people.

Having arrived on the car deck, remembering to turn everything off and making sure that your car will not go anywhere without you, we take the most necessary things and look for our temporary shelter, that is, a cabin. Let your things wait for you alone for a while, and in the meantime you will go up to the observation deck and say “goodbye” to the hospitable city of Turku. If you don't mind money and your health, you can buy dinner and indulge in gluttony at the buffet. For a family of three it will cost you 60-90 euros, depending on the destination and the ferry company. You can have dinner at a cafe for half the price. But here, as they say, there are no comrades according to taste. For example, we can eat in our room what we took from home, plus we buy hot smoked fish in thermal bags. On long trips we always take a car refrigerator. It is better not to abuse alcohol. The Swedes often organize raids on the road. A couple of glasses of beer or good wine will relax your body and calm your soul.

Another thing is if you are going on a cruise, then it’s not a sin to “break away” a little. Many Finns and Swedes do just that on the weekends. For them, these ferry lines are something like nightclubs or hobby clubs or simply floating motels and restaurants. In bars, for particularly zealous drunks, they give you plastic bottles to take away so that they don’t break. Once I saw a wonderful picture of a drunken Finn sleeping in the corridor, putting this same plastic bottle under his head. How did I know he was Finnish? When about two hours ago I saw him, still “half-dead,” he kept swearing – “perkele” – something like “damn it.”

If it does happen that you are not sleeping, you may find the ship arriving in just a few minutes at one of the ports of the Åland Islands - in our case, Langnas. On the way back we will stop at Mariehamn, the capital these same islands. One day I couldn’t sleep, and I climbed out onto the deck to look at Mariehamn at night. An interesting picture, one ferry has not yet left the port, the other is already preparing to moor, and in the distance ferries are still approaching or departing. It's a bit cramped in those places. After the death of the Estonia, ferry companies are trying to adhere to schedules so that the ferries seem to travel in pairs, and in the event of a serious situation, help comes immediately. Ferry companies try not to advertise various kinds of excesses, but such is life, and accidents happen. For example, there was such a case with our “Isabella”. On December 20, 2001, a serious storm occurred, with wind gusts reaching 30 meters per second. When approaching the port of Långnäs, the ship hit an underwater rock (reef), which led to a hole outer casing, damage to the fuel tank, left rudder and left propeller. The vessel was anchored and held in place by the reverse operation of the starboard and side propellers. No one was hurt, but when, at one in the morning, passengers began to be given life jackets on a ship standing in the middle of an icy howling desert, people sobered up before our eyes. Having quickly realized that there was no water flowing, there was no list and the lives of the passengers were not in danger, panic was avoided. At the time of the accident, there were more than 150 crew members and 632 passengers on the ship, including four Russian tourists from Saint-Petersburg. Divers from Finnish and Swedish rescue services worked in the disaster area all day on December 20. They assessed the condition of the ferry's bottom and deemed it safe to leave passengers aboard the vessel while it was towed to the emergency landing site. Anything can happen, as in life - either a drunkard starts a fire in his own cabin, or someone falls overboard and then the whole world searches for him. And it happens that someone reports that a person is overboard, a search begins, and after checking the lists, after a long time they discover that no one fell anywhere. There was an incident on the m/s "Silja Europa" in 2002: a passenger fell overboard, but swam to the nearest island, from where she was safely rescued. About two hours before arriving in Stockholm, the ferry finds itself in a maze of skerries and islets.

Outskirts of Stockholm

If you want to see the beautifully rugged coastline, the sunrise and the ferries of other companies passing by, wake up early and go to the top deck. How many times have I traveled along this route and every time I go out onto the observation deck with a camera it feels like the first time. Very beautiful places, unforgettable experiences. While admiring the surrounding landscapes, don’t forget to have breakfast, and half an hour before arrival you need to vacate the cabin and prepare the car.

Morning in Stockholm skerries

Sweden.Stockholm

Panorama of Stockholm

Stockholm

So we arrived in the wonderful city of Stockholm. Every time I fall more and more in love with him. In order to understand and get a feel for Stockholm at least a little, you need to have at least five days in reserve. Let's try to get started, and then after reading my notes, you can decide for yourself what to do - stay for a couple of days in Stockholm at the expense of the time spent in the fjords of Norway, or somehow distribute your time priorities differently.

Metro in Stockholm

So, a little history. As usual, there are many versions regarding the name. You will hear all sorts of legends, each more interesting than the other. I liked this version: previously, to protect against enemy ships, they used ordinary logs with fixed anchors (drifts) - simple and effective until now. I ran into these myself a couple of times on a boat, although mine were natural. So these logs, pillars, are stock in Swedish. And holm is a hill, an island. Or maybe this name did not come from the Swedes at all or not from them alone? After all, at that time, both Finns and Germans lived there, along with them. In Finnish, Stockholm is Tukholma. Part of the city is still called simply Stadsholmen, that is, “city on the islands”. And that's it, simple and clear. It is actually located on 14 islands. The first mention of it dates back to 1252, but the city appears there not as Stockholm, but as the settlement of Agnafit, named after King Agne. Legend has it that he was hanged on a hryvnia (necklace, hoop) by his own bride (with the help of servants, of course). What did he want? He devastated Finland, killed many, including the leader of the Finnish tribes, who had a daughter. That's who he was going to marry. For some reason she didn't like it. She asked Agni to hold a funeral feast for her murdered father, waited until the “groom” got drunk, fell asleep and... The golden hryvnia on which the king was hanged was cursed five generations ago. Agni's body was burned, and this place became known as Agnophyte.

Plan of Gamla Stan

Just as the Swedes had influence on Finland, so did the Danes on Sweden. The struggle for sovereignty lasted until 1523, when the famous Gustav Vasa came to power. The flagship of the Swedish fleet, the Vasa, named after him, sank in 1628 before it could reach the bay. In the last century it was raised and turned into a museum (a must visit).

Dewgarden Island

The ongoing wars between Sweden and Russia did not interfere with, but even helped the development of the Russian merchant colony in Stockholm. The Russians called the city not Stockholm, but Stekolny. Officially, Stockholm has been the capital of Sweden since 1634. There were many more events, but it makes no sense to list them all. The “architectural history of the city” began in the 18th century, which can be well studied by visiting Gamla Stan. I love walking there after sunset. This is a magical time, people meet rarely, quietly, calmly, dreamily, and every street, every house will tell you its own story of life in the old city. And during the day, in addition to the beautiful streets, you can see the Royal Palace and everything connected with it, right up to the changing of the guard. Very beautiful Church of St. Gertrude (German).

Church of St. Gertrude

I also advise you to visit the island of Djurgaden (Djurgården or Djurgården, the “d” in pronunciation is almost inaudible). You can spend the whole day there, starting with the already mentioned museum of the ship "Vasa". For children there is a museum of fairy tales by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren - "Junibacken", further maritime museum"Aquaria" and attractions "Gröna Lund". Both adults and children will enjoy the open-air city-museum, park and Skansen Zoo. Completely suitable for adults on the island National Museum Swedish cultural history - "Nordic Museum". In summer, perhaps the most interesting thing is to take a boat ride along Stockholm archipelago. Excursion options great amount. Choose what you like best and go ahead.

Stockholm has a huge number of hotels, apartments, hostels, and hotels afloat (ships). You can choose to suit every taste and budget. From what I have tried, I can recommend the Hilton Stockholm Slussen Hotel. You can take a room with a view of Gamla Stan.

View of the city from Skansen

Sweden.Karlstad

Embankment of the town of Karlstad

Exactly halfway between the capitals of Sweden and Norway, on the northern shore of Lake Vaern, largest lake in Sweden and the third largest in Europe after Ladoga and Onega) is the small town of Karlstad. Here we will stop for a while to rest and have a good meal at the buffet. I recommend a place called Barbros Brugga (www. barbrosbrygga.se) – it’s inexpensive and has a summer terrace.

Terrace at the cafe

While you eat, I'll tell you something interesting about this cute European town. It received city status in 1584 from King Charles IX, after whom it was named. In general, this quiet town has always been prone to revolutions and kings named Charles. Firstly, it was in this city that the most significant coup in the modern history of Sweden began, when in 1809 the reigning Gustav IV Adolf was overthrown, and another Charles, but this time XIII, ascended the throne. Another significant event occurred in 1905, when Norwegian and Swedish troops were brought to the city. The city hosted negotiations between the two countries' diplomats, as a result of which the Swedish-Norwegian union was dissolved and Norway finally gained independence and proclaimed its own king, Haakon VII (1872–957; born Danish Prince Charles). This is how Karlstad influenced the fate of another Karl.

Karlstad Cathedral

On the site of the former residence of Duke Charles, the founding father of the city of Karstad and the future King of Sweden Charles IX from 1723 to 1730, the Karlstad Cathedral was built according to the design of Christian Haller - perhaps the main attraction of the city. The height of the church tower is 58 meters, so the entire city is clearly visible from it. Like many other old cities, Karlstad suffered from several major fires. After the fire on July 2, 1865, only 7 houses out of 240 survived in the city, including the cathedral. This served as an impetus for new development of the city. Karlstad is a very pleasant, quiet, European town.

Norway.Oslo

Panoramic view of Oslo

If you stick to my schedule and leave Stockholm in the morning, have lunch in Karlstad and don't turn anywhere, then when you arrive in the Norwegian capital, you still have enough time to visit some attraction, for example, the Holmenkollen ski jump or the Vigeland sculpture park, which is part of the Frogner Park . I recommend purchasing Oslo Pass cards. In many hotels, cards can be purchased directly from the receptionist. As for hotels, I can recommend the Radisson Blu Hotel Nydalen. Now a little about the city itself.

Oslo harbor

The modern name Oslo was given to the city in 1050, but it acquired its status two years earlier thanks to the newly-crowned King Harold III the Severe. Of course, the settlement existed here before, but it began to emerge precisely with the arrival of Harold III. Therefore, it is necessary to tell a little about this outstanding person. Already at the age of 15, he was an experienced fighter, and was wounded at the Battle of Stiklastadir (near Trondheim (Nidaros)) while defending King Olaf II. But the king died, and Harold III was forced to flee to Gardarika (Rus) and arrived in the service of Yaroslav the Wise in 1031. Harold III knew that Yaroslav had Olaf II’s young son, Magnus I, adopted by Yaroslav immediately after his father’s death. Harold III served Yaroslav faithfully for 12 years, not forgetting his own interests, and in 1043-44 Yaroslav gave his daughter Elizabeth in marriage to Harold III, thereby cementing the union of Rus' and Norway. Yaroslav, truly the Wise, sent 11-year-old Magnus I to rule Norway back in 1035 (from 1042 and Denmark too). Harold III returned to Norway in 1045, and the very next year he entered into joint rule of Norway with Magnus I. In 1047, Magnus I died at the age of 23 (unfortunately fell from a horse). Thus, Harold III became the sole king of Norway. From that moment on, the future Oslo began to settle down. In 1048, Harold III took Tora, daughter of Earl Thorberg Arnason, as his concubine. Jarl is the highest title of the nobility; in some places, jarls were something like today’s “plenipotentiary representatives” of kings (kings). Thora gave birth to Harold III's future kings Magnus II and Olaf III the Quiet. Elizaveta Yaroslavna bore him two daughters, Maria and Ingigerda. Mary died on the same day and hour when her father fell in the famous Battle of Stamford Bridge in England, and Ingigerda became Queen of Denmark when she married Olaf I.

Pier at the Town Hall

Oslo did not become the country's main city until 1299. The first capital is Trondheim (Nidaros), then from 1217 to 1299 - Bergen. Oslo became the capital under King Haakon V (1299), at which time the Akershus fortress appeared (you definitely need to visit there). So Oslo was Oslo until 1624, when the wooden city burned to the ground again. At that time, Norway was a province of Denmark and the remains of the city were renamed Christiania, in honor of the Danish king Christian IV, who began to build the city anew right from the walls of Akershus Castle, already made of stone and in the traditions of the Renaissance. Then, in 1877, due to the ongoing spelling reformation, the city was renamed Christiania by the Swedish king Oscar II. In 1905, Norway finally gained its long-awaited independence (I mentioned this when we were in Karlstad). And in 1924, the capital of Norway again sounded like Oslo.

The history of the capital is inextricably linked with the Akershus fortress. It was built by Haakon V after he was attacked by Alf Erlingsson, a nobleman, earl, governor and favorite of the queen widow Ingeborg of Denmark. By the way, Haakon V is her son, but all this did not matter to Alva - he was a “gentleman of fortune,” simply a pirate. In 1290, Haakon V began building a fortress to defend Oslo. That same year, Alva was captured and executed. During the Second World War, the Germans stationed the Gestapo in Akershus. Now, in addition to the castle itself, you can visit the Museum of the Resistance and the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Akershus Castle

Next to Akershuz Castle is the new City Hall. “New” sounds strong. 35 years passed from the moment of the decision to build it until the official opening. The decision to build it was made back in 1915; over three years, 44 projects were considered and in 1918 the best project was chosen. Then there was no funding for a long time. Only in 1931 did King Haakon VII lay the first stone, but this stone lay there for another two years. Construction began in 1933. They built it very slowly. In 1940, the Nazi invaders arrived, and construction was again postponed until 1947. In 1950, Oslo turned 900 years old, and it was precisely on this date that the construction of the City Hall was completed. May architectural aesthetes not judge me, but it seems to me that the building is similar to our Soviet research institutes of the 70s. Although appearance is not the main thing. The timing of construction also largely depended on the fact that each of the more than 8 million bricks was made by hand. And for the sake of the new building, a lot was done both for the surrounding landscape and for the interior decoration of the Town Hall. Every hour near its walls you can listen to the melody of Edvard Grieg. Every year on December 10 (the day of the death of Alfred Nobel), a solemn presentation of the award of the same name is held here for “promoting peace in the world.” The Prime Minister and the royal family take part in this celebration. The height of the larger (by 3 meters) of the twin towers is 66 meters. I expected to photograph the city from the height of one of them, but, unfortunately, I did not get inside the building.

Oslo Town Hall

On the other hand, yesterday, upon arrival, we went to the Holmenkollen jump, and from there the view will be more serious. After a long drive in the car, I decided to take a break from the steering wheel, and we went to the springboard by metro, but the line to it did not work, and we had to change trains in the Majorstuen metro area and go by bus. To be honest, I regretted that I didn’t go by car, there was no way to get on the bus, it was packed with people, and when I got back, it was the same picture. The weather quickly changed from sunny to cloudy, and even with a cold gusty wind, but the jump and the views from it are worth it. Even all these voluntary deprivations did not overshadow the grandeur of the sensations when you are on the top of Holmenkollen.

View from the Holmenkollen ski jump

The next day we went to the museum island Bygdo. I say island, because initially (at the dawn of the last 1000 years) it was known as an island, but gradually the land rose (glacioisostasy), the water receded, artificial filling was made, and the island became a peninsula. Be that as it may, our path lies precisely there in order to see the diversity of a large number of museums, namely: the museum of the ship "Fram" ("Forward"), on which Fridtjof Nansen sailed to the Central Arctic (1893-1896), Otto Sverdrup - on the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (1898-1902) and Roald Amundsen in 1910-1912, who conquered the Antarctic; the Kon-Tiki Museum, which tells about the great traveler Thor Heyerdahl, his assistants and their Fatu Hiva expeditions (1937-938). ), Kon-Tiki (1947), Voyages to Easter Island (1955–956) and (1986–988), Ra and Ra II (1969 and 1970), and Tigris (1977–978); The Norwegian Maritime Museum is dedicated to the history of navigation in Norway from ancient times to the present day; then there is the Museum of Viking ships, part of which is located in the open air. small town old buildings (150), brought from all over Norway. There is also the Oscarhall castle (Oscarshall slott) - built in 1852 for Queen Josephine and King Oscar II, the son of Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, the founder of the current Swedish royal dynasty. In 1881, King Oscar II opened the castle as a museum to the public.

Viking Drakkar

Finishing our walks around Oslo, I would like to say a few words about Frogner Park, or rather, about its part and the central alley - the Gustav Vigeland sculpture park, sculptures depicting human conditions in their original, i.e., naked form, located on 30 hectares. It all started in 1921, when the city authorities of Oslo decided to demolish the house where Vigeland lived in favor of building a new library, and as a result of a lengthy litigation, the “city” and the sculptor agreed to provide a new house for Gustav’s residence in exchange for ownership of all of his subsequent creations, including sculptures, drawings, prints and models. The sculptor worked on the future park for 20 years.

Naughty baby

Norway. Reflections on the road to the West Coast.

Panorama of a mountain river

Route along the fjord

Now that we have become acquainted with the capital of a picturesque country called Norway, we can set off on a further journey deeper into its territories. Usually, with each country, there are certain, stable associations. Somewhere it is more pronounced, somewhere less. My associations with Norway are, first of all, the fjords and their inhabitants - the Vikings, the mountains and their “undead” trolls, and, oddly enough, the music group A-HA. There is something Scandinavian-sad in their songs, and while we are still not far from Oslo, I will tell you a little about this Norwegian group, since their creative path and world fame began here. These guys are not at all like the Vikings we know from stories and films about powerful, warlike and cruel conquerors. But in achieving their goals of conquering the world, they, like their distant ancestors, went to England with their last savings, namely to the capital of modern music, London. They also tried more than once to win the hearts of fans, returning home beaten, but, having gathered their strength, they set off on a new campaign. The Lord saw their efforts, and now they have forever written their names in the history of world music. Having created a certain national-idyllic musical atmosphere in our car and moved the camera closer, we begin our journey towards the fjords of the west coast. It doesn’t really matter which route you choose and how you prefer to greet the night, the nature of this country is beautiful everywhere and you will have a lot of impressions. The only thing is, since we decided to go after Norway to Denmark by ferry, it is advisable to head towards Bergen or Stavanger, since the necessary and convenient transport for us starts from there. .

To plot routes, I always use the Internet and enter the data into the navigator. Of course, just in case, you can print out a few paper maps with topics and attractions. www. visit... (for example, ...norway, ...sweden, ...finland or...denmark.com). By the way, for those who use paper maps, there is the “Golden Rule of Tourists”, which states that the place of interest is where the campsites are most concentrated. I always identify several of the most interesting places, up to 100 kilometers away, draw a “web” and determine a cottage base not far from the center. For me it is of great importance that the cottage be located directly by the water, with beautiful view to the fjord If you take the time to choose and bargain, a cottage with all amenities for 4-8 people will cost you from 50 to 100 euros per day. As for the rules for traveling on roads, I think many of you tested your license honestly, so the signs won’t scare you much. Gasoline in Norway is very expensive, and you should have filled up to capacity in Sweden, where gasoline is the cheapest in the countries we visited. All roads outside the Russian Federation are good, not always for two cars, but good. Mountain roads are almost all wide enough for one car, so out of habit you slow down, since it’s impossible to guess what’s around the corner. But then you notice a large number of“islands” where you can stop and let oncoming traffic pass, and you calm down. If the oncoming car managed to stop before you on such an “island” and let you pass, do not forget to show them your palm, in short, to thank them. In order not to waste time waiting for food to be prepared somewhere in a roadside cafe, to look at the surrounding open spaces while eating, and just to save money, it is better to take lunch (“brake”, “shabashka”) in the car. Every 20-30 kilometers you will find well-equipped parking areas, chosen in such a way that not only your stomach will be satisfied. And lastly: if you have not booked accommodation, try to find accommodation for the night before 18.00, otherwise you may encounter difficulties.

Place for a "snack"

Norway. Trolls, Jotuns, etc.

Still from the movie "Trollhunter"

The landscape is gradually changing, the mountains are becoming higher and steeper, and settlements are becoming less and less common. The altimeter went up along with the road, and the air temperature began to drop slightly. We are entering central Norway. To the land of majestic mountains, the kingdom of the trolls. Who are these same trolls who are so revered in Norway? Figures of which are sold on every corner, about which legends, fairy tales, poems are composed and plays are staged. Let's start, perhaps, with this - with the names of the territories we are passing through. Namely the mountain plateau of Hardangervidda, Jotunheimen (the land of the Jotuns), Trollheimen (the land of the Trolls) and famous mountain Dovre. You might not go that high, but these names help explain the origins of trolls. The Norwegians are sure that they still live here. Of course, in the myths and legends of the entire planet Earth there were giants, but only trolls turned out to be so “tenacious”, and, perhaps, their distant relatives Yeti. Jotuns are giants. The first Jotun was Ymir. God Odin and his brothers killed Ymir and created the world from individual parts of his body. Ymir's flesh became the earth, his skull became the sky, his blood became the sea, and his bones became the mountains. Since then, the Jotuns have been fighting with the gods - the Aesir and the Vanir. Once upon a time, the Jotuns stole wonderful treasures from the gods - rejuvenating apples (also found in the myths of many countries, including Slavic mythology) and the hammer Mjolnir (the hammer of the thunder god Thor, son of Odin). The main task of the god Thor was precisely to protect the world of Gods and the world of people from such giants. Thor then corrected himself, disguised himself as a woman and, together with Loki (a former jotun accepted into the camp of the gods for his cunning mind), deceived the giants, took the hammer and killed everyone. Stupid and ruthless jotuns gave birth to even more stupid and even more ruthless creatures - trolls. All the most vile things were mixed into the collective image of the troll. A troll can kill a person simply on a whim, destroys livestock, steals women, dragging them into his caves. Some of them are left as wives, first mocking them for a long time, and then they rub them with a special composition, after which the woman turns into a disgusting and ugly monster. Trolls are cold creatures, and only the warmth of human blood could warm them. Norway recently released a pseudo-documentary about trolls, “Trollhunter,” which tells all about these “mammalian predators” from the perspective of a hunter working for the government. Next, I will give summarized statements from the cute stories of the film’s characters: “There are two types of trolls - mountain and forest. There are several subgroups, for example, roglefants, dobregubens, tusoleds, pintuses, hardings, yorkers, etc. The fetus is gestated for 10-15 years, the child usually one. They live 1000-1200 years. At birth, they usually have one head and one (like a Cyclops) or two eyes, but then with age growths similar to heads appear (snake-gorynych), their number can reach 12. They are needed to scare away other trolls and to attract female trolls. They feed mainly on stones. They love concrete-coal mixture and old tires. They love blood in any body, especially if it is Christian blood (vampires). Cannot tolerate ultraviolet light (vampires again). The reason for their death in the light is the body’s inability to absorb vitamin D, which must be converted into calcium. Therefore, younger individuals are torn apart, and older ones turn to stone in a matter of seconds." What else interesting can you tell about them? They can’t stand the spirit bell ringing, and when someone disappears in the village, they ring all the bells, and if this does not help, they take the bell to the mountains and ring it there. And in general, trolls hate everything related to Christianity, especially crosses. Isn't it very similar to vampires? By the way, vampires cannot tolerate silver, and trolls cannot tolerate steel. If you meet a troll in the forest, ask him a riddle, he cannot refuse, he must guess it, otherwise he will die, but if he guesses it, it’s his turn to riddle. It's like Russian roulette, the main thing is to hold out until the first rays of the sun. Forest trolls have been getting smaller lately and are increasingly trying to stay closer to houses (house trolls), we have a lot of them in Russia. There is less and less room for terrible trolls, both in life and in fairy tales. Thanks to the Finnish writer with Swedish roots, Tove Janson, the world became acquainted with completely different trolls. Cute and touching, more like white hippos, Moomintrolls. In our country, both the entire Mumidol family and their friends are also well known: Sniff, Snusmumrik, Freken Snork and Too-tikki

Freken Snork

Norway. Road landscapes

High in the mountains

Cone

Compared to other Scandinavian countries, Norway is a completely different world. Glaciers melting in the sun and turning into turbulent rivers, falling like waterfalls from huge rocks, gathering in lakes in the valleys, smoothly flowing into beautiful fjords. The scale and power of local beauties will not leave anyone indifferent. If you do not take into account the northwestern part of Sweden, then in Sweden and Finland, and especially in Denmark, the landscapes quickly become boring when traveling by car. There is nothing to look at. Be it the plains of Denmark, sweeping by at a speed of 150 km/h, or the endless forest of Finland at 80 km/h. In Norway you don't have to turn off the camera. The landscape changes before our eyes. Ears get stuffy from the altitude difference, like on an airplane. If you have the opportunity to drive along old roads, bypassing modern “straightening paths” and tunnels, winding along “troll stairs”, everything around you changes in a matter of minutes. Rising higher and higher, you pay attention to the vegetation, how it smoothly turns from dense forests into stunted trees, then into ugly wooden dwarfs, spider bushes and, finally, completely disappearing. All that remains is mossy grass of various shades, from green to yellow, from orange to brown. Norway is a paradise for artists and photographers. Unfortunately, I can never “take my time”, since I always travel with my family, and they quickly get tired of stopping every couple of kilometers and waiting for my batteries to “run out”. Therefore, you have to “straighten” the road and dive into tunnels, and there are a great many of them in Norway. In the 70s, when Norway became a rich country (due to its own oil and gas development), the country made holes in the mountains, called them tunnels and drove cars through them. In Norway, in the Laedal region, the longest road tunnel in the world (Laedalstunnelen) was built in 2000, 24.5 kilometers long.

Tunnel

Wherever you are, there is water around you. You are driving along the road, there is a river nearby, you glance at a rock, there is a waterfall, you look down at the valley, and there, like lines on your palm, rivers and streams spread out. Just like blood running through a person’s vessels and filling him with energy, so these rivers fill everything around with life. Water carries information from the very top to the very bottom, accumulating in fjords and lakes so that the sun takes it back up. This has been going on for millions of years and will continue to do so for the same amount of time, and maybe longer, as long as people don’t interfere too much with this process. Most of the water is, of course, in the sea, and in the fjords. If you drive along the West Coast, it's unlikely you'll miss a ferry ride. Therefore, we need to talk about “big water”.

Vodnoye Highway

Just as 10,000 years ago, the sea is an important part of Norwegian life. The warm Gulf Stream flows along the western coast, so the water in the fjords does not freeze all year round and for some settlements is the only transport route during the cold season. Ferries and speedboats constantly ply along the fjords. They differ from each other in size, which in turn depends on the distance and seaworthiness. There are a huge number of offers to spend time on the water. The pleasure is not cheap, and you are tied to a certain schedule, and this is also not always convenient. The schedule may change altogether. That's why I only use ferries as a last resort. On a small ferry plying the fjords as a cargo carrier, you can see “from the inside” some of the features of the life of ordinary Norwegians living in settlements without roads.

Captain's bridge

Ferry in the fjord

Norway. Norse

Sit and think

Arriving in Norway at the most favorable time, relaxing and having fun as best they can, forgetting about everything in the world and admiring the splendor of nature, marveling at “how wonderfully they arranged everything” and looking with undisguised envy at the way of life of the Norwegians, many do not even realize how The path of becoming and choosing one’s own path of development was difficult for an ordinary Norwegian. It all started with the fact that as soon as the Glacier exposed the territory of modern Scandinavia, people immediately came here. There are many versions about tribes, languages, origins and even where settlement began from North to South or vice versa, the main thing is that our distant ancestors immediately realized that these were suitable places for living. With the arrival of warlike Germanic tribes, the concept of “Viking” was formed. It cannot be said categorically that the Vikings were only merciless conquerors. Without Evil there is no Good, and without Heaven there is no Hell. The bravery of these people will remain in history forever. The discovery and settlement of other lands, great military campaigns, the establishment of trade routes, patronage of other peoples - all this is the pride of Norway. And although the Vikings are not only Norwegians, don’t even think about mentioning, for example, the Danes in a conversation with a Norwegian - you will be laughed at. Or that Iceland was discovered by bandits expelled from Norway. For a Norwegian, the Vikings are only Norwegians and no one else, and they were never bandits, only great travelers. Norwegians consider themselves the smartest and most correct on the planet, perhaps that is why “white” Americans also think so, because the Vikings “accidentally stumbled upon” a distant continent 1000 years ago and managed to seriously “inherit” it there. Be that as it may, after 250 years of Viking history, their campaigns suddenly end. Why? Perhaps with the advent of Christianity, or maybe this is a complex of factors. However, the Norwegians did not cease to be travelers and discoverers. The world knows such names as Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, Thor Heyerdahl and others. After the Viking Age, Norway became dependent on its neighbors Denmark and Sweden until 1905, when Norway gained independence. Perhaps that is why Norwegians, like Finns, value their history, freedom and independence very much. Both of these peoples pursue a policy of justice and equality. They strive to make the social difference as little noticeable as possible. So that people can study for free, are protected by social programs and do not think about old age. This, of course, is not communism, but it is nice to live in a society where they try to make everyone rich, not poor. Equality extends to family relationships and gender relationships. Norway has a huge number of different public organizations. Including organizations that ensure that equality is not violated. It has come to the point that it has become more difficult for a man in Norway to get a job than a woman, and fathers are on maternity leave. They are very careful in raising children, allowing them to misbehave, but in such a way that it does not harm others. For publicly spanking a child, you can be imprisoned. “Public opinion” is always on the child’s side, unless the child throws mud at “public opinion.” Norwegians are full of contradictions. They call everyone first name, except, perhaps, the members of the royal family; they are very critical of the statements of foreigners about their country and government decisions, but are accustomed to be polite and courteous with clients and guests. They are obsessed with a healthy lifestyle, but they can easily get drunk as hell with you and engage in local battles with their neighbors, even to the point of bloodshed. In general, Norwegians say about neighbors this way: “the best neighbor is the one who is not visible.” Perhaps this is why there are so many small farms. They protect nature - not as zealously as the Finns, but they also take the environment seriously

Life in the fjord

Village without a road

Norway. Where to stay?

Hütter

Rorbu

If you have not booked a place to stay in advance, you pass through beautiful places and along the way you come across a sign “Hytte” or “Hytter”, be sure to stop and ask the owners about accommodation for the night. For just 40-50 euros you will get a separate house with all the amenities, and if it is located near the water, then a boat to boot. In general, in places with a large concentration of campsites, guest houses, cottages, etc. you can act like in large shopping complexes when buying something. You drive up to one of the “traders”, reserve the place you like for an hour, then drive on, choose the best one within an hour and... relax. During the peak season from mid-June to mid-August, you are unlikely to be able to do this, so it is better to book in advance, and in the Bergen area even out of season it is quite difficult to find something suitable in terms of price-quality ratio. Norway is a very expensive country and you, of course, can simply stay in a tent, in a small house, without amenities, or in a campervan. But by varying seasonality, booking method and simple perseverance, you can stay in a luxury apartment with a magnificent view of the fjord for very little money. The most interesting and not expensive time- first half of June.

Sognefjord

Norway. Interesting places

In Norway there is a special interesting places, where during one walk you can get acquainted with almost all the components natural beauty Norway. One of these places is located in the Stryn area, near the city of Olden, famous for its mineral water. This place is called " National Park Jostedasbreen", and in particular we are primarily interested in the Briksdailbreen glacier. scenic road, majestic mountains, stormy rivers, mirror lakes jade-colored waterfalls and, of course, a river of ice.

Brixdalebreen

Another "Mecca" of tourism in Norway is the area of ​​​​the city of Fla (Flåm). Both small ferries and huge ships moor there, and trains from Norway's most famous railway line to Myrdal depart from there. The length of this road is only 20 kilometers, and the train travels along it for an hour, winding through tunnels, stopping in especially picturesque places, carrying up to half a million tourists a year. Many people take bicycles and, arriving in Myrdal, set off on their way back through the valley. As a photographer, I was interested in having a good walk there and not paying money for it, so I cheated and drove along the railway by car. After driving about 16 kilometers and photographing some interesting places, we left the car and went for a leisurely walk through the valley. Three kilometers of magnificent scenery, the remaining kilometer is a “troll ladder”, there is no point in climbing it. An amazing feeling from a walk, especially impressive is the spiritual unity with nature and people walking and driving towards you, they all greet you as if you were their good friend. Among them were Russians, infected with the universal love of nature and humanity and ready to hug you like an old friend.

Flåm Valley

From photographs of waterfalls it is easy to determine what time, not even of the year, but of the season you came. Here, for example, are photographs of the Tvindefossen waterfall taken at the beginning of summer and at the end. How much less water has become. Therefore, for those who love water and waterfalls in particular, it is better to visit Norway at the beginning of the holiday season. Using this waterfall as an example, I would like to say a few more words about the “promotion” of places. The Tvindefossen waterfall is very beautiful and there is a campsite next to it, but due to the fact that it is located away from tourist routes, it is not as famous as, for example, the Kjosfossen waterfall Kjosfossen, located on the route of the Flåm railway. Companies that offer tours to Norway do not bother looking for something unusual, “fresh”, but simply “lick” information and routes from each other. Norway is a great country and there are countless beauties in it. Of course, in the guidebooks of the beginning of the last century, all routes were tied to the railway and the sea, but now, when car roads stretched into the most “wild” places, it is possible, no, even necessary to break away from “stereotypes” and move on to search for new ones unforgettable impressions. Towards interesting events and unforgettable stories. We Russians are also great travelers and discoverers. True, for some reason we love to travel anywhere, just not in our native country.

Aurlandfjord

This is the view of the Aurlandfjord from the Stegastein observation deck. The old one leads to him Mountain road Aurlandsvegen, located between Aurland and L?dal. The Lapel enters the city of Aurlandsvangen (Wangen), it is located between two tunnels, one of which is the longest road tunnel in the world (L?dalstunnelen), I have already mentioned it. Observation deck located 6 km from Aurlandsvangen, at an altitude of 650 meters above sea level. The view from such places is mesmerizing. From above everything seems unreal, like a toy. Times change, but people never cease to be amazed by the beauty of Norwegian nature, still looking in fascination at the smooth surface of the greenish water of the fjords, sandwiched among the majestic mountains.

Bergen

When I first visited Bergen, I was amazed by the abundance of sunshine, friendly atmosphere, rich furnishings, beautiful cars and yachts. I told myself that I wanted to come back here and get to know this city properly. As it turned out, the sunny idyll in this city is as rare as my visits to it. In total, only three months a year the sun shines here, so if you are in Bergen and the sun is shining, drop everything, look, walk, breathe, study, take pictures and feel like the lucky ones who got the lucky ticket. While you are walking around the city, I will introduce you a little to its history. Firstly, it was founded in 1070 by Olaf III the Quiet, the son of the well-known Harold III. Oh, my dear readers, if you dig into this royal “nest”, then “Santa Barbara” will seem like a “5-minute” story to you. So, Olaf III is the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise and after the death of his father he marries Ingrid, the sister of Olaf I (Danish), who, in turn, married the half-sister of the same Olaf III - Ingigerda. How do you like the novel? But that's not all. Like Olaf III's father, Harold III was unable to have a male heir from his legal wife. And, then, Olaf III resorts to the already tested method of his father - a concubine (and even the same name) - Thor. Born son Magnus III ruled Norway for only 10 years and was buried where it all began, in Trondheim. Sorry for getting distracted. As for the city of Bergen itself, it was the capital of Norway from 1217 under King Haakon IV (the illegitimate son of the same King Haakon III) until 1299, when Haakon V came to power and proclaimed Oslo the capital of his country. Until about the 1830s the city was also largest city. Today Bergen - major port. Its medieval promenade is included in the UNESCO heritage list. Just like 1000 years ago, ships depart from here to England, Iceland, and Denmark. 80 percent of the most interesting routes visiting the sights and beauty of the fjords by water begin from Bergen. Unfortunately, the weather does not always allow you to travel from here. This happened on the last of our trips. The storm did not allow us to travel from Bergen to Denmark; we had to go to Stavanger, located 211 kilometers to the south, and, crossing ourselves, set off into the raging sea. But when you remember the stories of the Vikings, plowing the stormy expanses of the Atlantic on their longships and laughing in the face of fate, one inevitably becomes ridiculously afraid of sailing on huge floating hotels.

Bergen waterfront

The story of the Norway-Denmark ferry

Fjordline ferry

I’ll explain in a little more detail the situation with the ferry, or rather, its absence in Bergen. The situation is far from standard and perhaps someone is interested in knowing what to do about it. I'll start from the beginning. While my wife went in the pouring rain to look for an umbrella with a design of the Norwegian flag!, I decided to scout out the situation about loading on the ferry, where to drive up, and so on. I stopped in a small parking lot, I saw a girl standing with luggage, I just learned from her that there would be no ferry, and she was looking for a ride to Stavanger (the next point on the road to Denmark). A little taken aback, I went to pick up my wife at the market; she bought two umbrellas, apparently for both hands. We returned to the port again and went to “sort it out.” They explained to us that due to the storm, the departure would be from Stavanger (you might think there is no storm there). We were offered two options. The first one is to take the money and “don’t be an eyesore,” and the second one is “go to Stavanger, we’ll cover the expenses.” The trip plan was drawn up a long time ago, and there was no point in changing it, so it was decided to go to Stavanger. Having arrived there, we somehow found a mooring place (it turned out not to be in Stavanger at all, but in the suburbs, and the girl who explained our possibilities to us in Bergen did not know exactly where the ferry was arriving). The ferry was delayed for another couple of hours, but they compensated us in full and gave us a more expensive cabin. The money was issued in exchange for checks from ferries that were on the way from Bergen to Stavanger. It is not possible to plan everything, and it is not necessary.

The ferry, of course, is not as clean and big as our beloved “Silians” and “Vikings”, but everyone was so tired that there was no strength to find fault. After taking a shower, as usual, we went to explore the “new” ferry. And lo and behold, literally 15 minutes passed from the start, and all the tables in all establishments were filled with people greedily guzzling alcohol. Meanwhile, the ship entered the open ocean and we entered a duty-free shop. And so, when the rolling began, at first it was funny to watch how people crashed into the shelves and into each other, but when we left the store and walked along the windows, and a wave hit one of them with a roar so that the ship shook, I finally , I understood those “alcoholics” who had already “plucked up courage.” The pitching, surprisingly, quickly decreased, and in the morning the sky cleared of clouds and greeted the battered tourists with the bright sun. Watching the ships passing by from the observation deck, it was striking that they were “burrowing” quite strongly into the wave, and our ferry did not even stagger. It looks like there was a really bad storm that night. A couple of words should be dedicated to our smaller brothers. You can bring your pets on ferries for an additional fee and in special cabins or hotels for animals. The transportation of animals is strictly regulated, be careful. On this particular ferry, the hotel for animals was located right in... the pipe. Our dog would not have stood such a test, or rather, we would not have stood such a test, so our beloved dog rode “humanly”, i.e. in the cabin.

We have arrived in the kingdom of Denmark. We land on its northern coast, in the port of Hirtshals. On the way to Copenhagen we will try to have time to see the main cities of Denmark and their attractions. Therefore, without wasting any time, we head to Aalborg. Don't be surprised when you see the 110 sign crossed out, this means you can go 130, although the “locals” drive 150 km/h.

Aalborg received its name and city status in 1342 under King Valdemar IV, the revered king in Denmark who unified the country. Before this, Aalborg was called Alabu and was known back in 1040. What is interesting about this city? For example, in 1516 this city received a monopoly on the herring trade. Imagine something like this in our time. Let's assume that St. Petersburg received such a privilege. How long will it take before the capital moves away from Moscow, and the presidents finally have a good reason to return to their native lands? Here's another story for you. This happened in 1940, when Denmark was occupied by Germany. It is believed that Aalborg was the first city captured by airborne troops. Aalborg also produces good alcohol – Aquavit, which is supplied to more than 140 countries. Almost all bitters are made from Aquavit (living water). We learned something interesting about the city, now we’ll look for what interesting things you can see here.

Lindholm Hoye

Before entering the city, let's stop briefly at a place called Lindholm Hoje. Here, during excavations in the middle of the last century, traces of Viking settlements, activities and burials were discovered. More than 650 burials are identified here, the oldest of which date from the 5th century onwards until the 11th. Many of us have seen the magnificent burial rituals of rich Vikings in feature films. The body is placed in a drakkar (warship) and set free to float, stuffed with flammable materials. Then a volley of burning arrows is fired from the shore and all this burns beautifully along with what is extremely necessary for a Viking in Valhalla (a paradise for valiant warriors), i.e. his slaves, wife, concubines and material goods. And here, in Lindholm Hoya, the poor Vikings rest, and therefore the ships had to be imitated with stones, beautifully laying them around the deceased (male). For women, rounded grave boundaries were made. Now let's move to the town itself.

The city has many medieval beauties: the Cathedral of St. Budolfi; Aalborghus Castle; The mansion of Jens Bang (a merchant who never found a common language with the local authorities and, as a result, immortalized his attitude towards them on the facade of his building facing the Town Hall in the form of that same protruding tongue); Church of Our Lady; Monastery of the Holy Spirit and several other beautiful buildings. Bright pedestrian streets inviting you to stroll along them. For families with children, Aalborg has a zoo, and for fans of the TV series "Friends" there is a café called "Friends".

Denmark. Aarhus

Aarhus. Second largest, most important and very ancient city(first mentions 8-10 centuries), conveniently located in the center of the kingdom. Covered in legends and myths. Like all ancient cities in Europe, it has its own cathedral. But of particular importance for us, tourists, is, of course, the museum." Old city", founded in 1909. All moments of the life of ordinary Danes are collected and carefully stored here. This is truly the soul of Denmark. You yourself will be imbued with this idyllic atmosphere from the very first minutes of your stay in this wonderful man-made World. What you and I saw before was deprived of the echoes of that single impression of Scandinavian Life that you are about to see here. I would really like you to be lucky with the weather. Near the museum it is very broken beautiful park. The variety of plants and smells, well-groomed paths and places for simple relaxation will pleasantly surprise you.

The third largest, but not the most important city is ODENCSE. Translated as "Sanctuary of Odin" In 1988, the city's 1000th anniversary was celebrated throughout Denmark. In this city, much is connected with King Canute IV the Saint (patron saint of Denmark), brother of Olaf I, whom we know as the husband of the granddaughter of Yaroslav the Wise. Two beautiful buildings that tell the story of the murder of the king, his brother and his loyal subjects. The story of the murder of King Canute is shrouded in mysticism, thanks to which he (Canute) became a Saint. They killed him in the then wooden church of St. Alban, which you see now in stone splendor. And the remains of the king and his brother Benedict were transferred to the cathedral that was under construction, and named in honor of him, Canute. Isn't it convenient? They killed on time, built on time. After these events, there was a crop failure for several years, regarded as punishment for the murder of the king, and strange things happened to the grave, so people wisely named Canute a saint and calmed down on that. So with all the killed kings, they call them saints and, it seems, there is peace and order. But still, we and our children, brought up on the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, are, of course, much more interested in coming into contact with the life of that great master of words, who carried us into the world of unreal, fairy-tale stories, for which we were ready to stay awake and wait for the outcome of this riots of fantasy. Yes, it is in this city that there is that very street and that very house, that very room and that very hat, a life-saving rope and, of course, books, books, books. Everything related to Hans Christian Andersen.

Denmark. Great Belt Bridge. Roskilde

Great Belt Bridge

On the road from Odense to Copenhagen we will pass the impressive Great Belt Bridge (Storeb?tsforbindelsen), connecting the islands of Funen and Zealand. A majestic structure, a victory of modern technology. It took 10 years to build and costs DKK 21.4 billion. The maximum height of the canvas is 57 meters, the height of the pylons is 280 meters. The total length is 6790 meters. Of course, this is not the longest bridge, but there is something to see. We have very little time left to get to the capital, but there is another city along the way that simply needs to be visited.

Roskilde Cathedral

This is Roskilde. Why did he attract my attention so much? Roskilde was the capital of Denmark until 1443. The city is so ancient that the origin of the name is shrouded in legends (kilde). One of them says that King Roar supposedly lived in the 6th century and that the city is named after him. Starting from 1020, Roskilde became the residence of the kings until 1416, and almost from the same moment (1412) Roskilde Cathedral acquired the permanent status of the tomb of the royal family. There are 39 burials in total. Now about the Cathedral itself. First wooden church on this site it was built by Harold I Bluetooth, the king who united the lands of not only Denmark, but also Norway. Under him, Denmark converted to Christianity in 965. By the way, he was buried there around 986. Then, in the 11th century, the church was rebuilt, making it out of travertine (a porous stone used in the construction, for example, of the Colosseum and St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican). In 1170, Bishop Absalon began construction of a brick church in the Romanesque style, but the style was later changed to French Gothic. Construction was completed in 1280, but since then every century has made changes to its appearance and interior decoration. Until 1536 the Cathedral was Catholic, and then it is still Lutheran. Just a couple more interesting observations. Starting from 1427, everyone has 20! The kings were named Frederick or Christian, except for one - Hans. All but him, Frederick I and Christian II are buried in the Cathedral. The last on this list was Frederick IX. Having no sons, he declared his eldest daughter Margrethe II as his successor (in 1953 the law on succession to the throne was changed; before that, Frederick’s younger brother Prince Canute was the heir). By the will of the last king Frederick IX and his wife Ingrid, a mausoleum was erected for them outside the walls of the cathedral

According to my schedule, you should arrive in Copenhagen at 8-9 pm. Staying in a hotel, for example - Park Inn by Radissin Copenhagen Airport. After having dinner and washing off the road dust and fatigue, I advise you to get a good night's sleep, since tomorrow you will have to walk a lot. There is a lot to see in this city. While you are still not completely asleep, I will try to explain to you in a few words where you have arrived. So, Copenhagen (Koenhavn), which means “Harbor of Merchants”. In 1167, near the village of Havn, Bishop Absalon built a castle and surrounded Havn with fortifications. The castle later developed into the city of Copenhagen. Bishop Absalon is an outstanding personality. This is the same “Grey Cardinal” (like Richelieu for France), only Absalon was such a ruler for Denmark. He became the Bishop of Roskilde from 1158, and from 1177 - the head of the Danish Church, while being an adviser to Kings Canute V and Waldemar I. Bishop Absalon turned Copenhagen into a fortified city. The city received official city privileges in 1254. King Eric of Pomerania played a major role in the history of the city. Pole Boguslav was the king of all Scandinavia. They knew him as Eric I - Duke of Pomerania, Eric III - King of Norway (1389-442), Eric VII - King of Denmark (1396-439), Eric XIII - King of Sweden (1396-439). In 1416–417 Eric begins the transfer of capital privileges from Roskilde to Copenhagen. And in 1433 the city completely became his (Eric’s) residence. In 1440, Christopher III of Bavaria became King of Denmark and in 1443, Copenhagen became the permanent capital of Denmark and, as a result, the residence of all subsequent kings of Denmark. As in the history of any other capital of Scandinavia, there were both good and bad. Good is always the absence of bad. The saddest years were the years of epidemics. For example, 1711–712. when the plague claimed a third of the city's population. In 1728, a quarter of the buildings burned down. In 1853, about 5,000 people died from cholera. But this was the case everywhere, and cities were rebuilt quite quickly, and the population was restored. In 1807, a bombardment by the English fleet killed about 2,000 people and a third of the buildings burned down in fires. This was the so-called preventive (preemptive) war. Prevention of an imminent threat, but, whatever one may say, it is still aggression. In modern times (between the Middle Ages and modern history), this attack was one of the first such examples. In modern history, the latest military actions of the United States serve as an example of such warriors.

In February 2011, the Supreme Court in Denmark made a decision in the Christiania quarter (not to be confused with Oslo), allowing everyone to be evicted. What kind of quarter is this? Is it similar to Luc Besson's 13th Quarter? So, before it is demolished, try to visit there. Free City Christiania began in 1971 when a group of hippies moved into the abandoned military barracks of King Christian. Of course, they didn’t have any permission. The barracks belong to the Danish Ministry of Defense. The status quo of Christiania has not been determined, and the authorities have repeatedly tried to clear the barracks premises, but to no avail. And yet, since 1995, residents of Christiania began to pay taxes. Today it is the only place in Denmark, where you can freely buy soft drugs. No, I’m not trying to persuade you to buy, it’s just that this fact shows how independent Christiania is. About 1000 people live here, there are cafes, restaurants, hotels and even a school. There is a code. For example, you cannot have a weapon, steal or use hard drugs. "Paradise" for hippies.

Subway without a driver

Copenhagen, like Stockholm, has many attractions, but a couple of days is enough for a superficial acquaintance. If only the weather didn't disappoint. It’s not convenient to travel everywhere by car, since when you “leave” it to visit something, you always have to return to it, going through the same places twice. Therefore, I divided the inspection day into two parts. Before lunch, travel by car to those places that take a long time to walk to, and then leave the car at the hotel and go by public transport to where it’s nice and long to walk. By the way, public transport can also be an attraction, for example, driverless subway trains. For me, a person living in St. Petersburg, this is wild.

Rosenborg

The first part of my route included Rosenborg Castle, built from 1606 to 1624 under King Christian IV and used as a royal residence permanently until 1710, and then twice more, both times in emergency situations. The first happened in 1794, when Christiansborg Castle completely burned down, and the second time a little later in 1801, when Copenhagen approached British Navy. The castle itself houses the Museum of Royal Jewels, and next to it there is a beautiful park and the Royal Garden. Next we will go to no less a nice place– Kastellet fortress. Construction began under the same king Christian IV in 1626. The fortress on an earthen rampart is made in the form of a pentagram, with defensive sections at the peaks of the rays. It is amazingly beautiful here, there is a lot of greenery, the townspeople love to relax there on picnics, near the windmill, and to run along the well-groomed paths. Then I suggest getting to royal palace Amalienborg, which is official residence and home of the Danish Royal Family. It consists of four almost identical mansions, designed in the Rococo style and named after four royals. The fronts form a rounded square with a monument to Frederick V in the middle. It was named so (Amalienborg) in honor of the wife of Frederick III, Queen Sophia Amalie, who in 1673 built a palace on this site called Sophie Amalienborg, which burned down in a fire in 1689. Next to the Amalienborg ensemble is the Marble Church, or Frederick's Church, which began construction in 1749 by King Frederick V. It was designed by the same architect as Amalienborg - Nikolai Eitved, the largest Danish architect who started as a gardener at Frederiksberg Palace. The church was built from white Norwegian marble; the project turned out to be very expensive and lengthy (construction continued intermittently for almost 150 years). They began to replace marble with limestone, and the original dimensions were reduced threefold. The official opening took place on August 19, 1894. It’s very cozy and round inside, so I couldn’t resist making a round panorama. This completes the first part. Now you can drive the car to the parking lot, relax and refresh yourself.

Nyhavn embankment

After a short break we head to walking tour along the most picturesque streets of Copenhagen. For example, Nyhavn (Nyhavn, New Harbor). It was built in 1670–673 under King Christian V. This place was known as a “green” place, although on the other hand, in which port in the world was it different in the 17th–9th centuries? Now there is an art museum here, and the Nyhavn embankment has become one of the most favorite places for tourists in Copenhagen. H.H. Andersen lived and composed his fairy tales here. From here you can take a boat for a walk along the canals of Copenhagen. Those who like the presence of adrenaline in the blood and the quick melting of money in their wallet will enjoy the rides of Tivoli Park. If you like to walk around shopping and entertainment complexes, you will like the shops on the longest pedestrian street in Europe, Stroet. If you would like to visit there, but don’t want to walk far, do like us, take a train. After such a walk, you will sleep soundly, and early tomorrow morning we will go back to Stockholm.

Marble Church

Amalienborg

Ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki

As we agreed, we will go back from Stockholm to Helsinki on the Tallink Silja Line ferry. It will be “Symphony” or “Serenade”, they are the same. Now a little history. Even before 2006, these were two different companies Tallink and, accordingly, Silja Line. Tallink is a rapidly growing company that started in 1989 with one vessel and one destination, and this moment owns 12 ships on six routes between five countries. Finland (Helsinki, Turku), Sweden (Stockholm), Estonia (Tallinn), Latvia (Riga) and Germany (Rostock). The headquarters is located in Tallinn. The most respected company in Estonia. It already has a network of its own hotels in Tallinn, and even its own taxi fleet. As for the Silja Line, everything is not so simple. The history of the company begins in 1904, when two shipping companies, Finland Steamship Company and Steamship Company Bore, joined forces. In 1918, a third company, Rederi AB Svea, was added. Silja Line was formed in 1957 as the fourth company of this group. The ships of the companies sailed under their own emblems, and after 1970 they all “dressed up” in the Silja Line emblem and became white like the “belek” (young walrus), whose emblem adorns these ships. True, not all differences were removed; a specialist would recognize which ship belongs to which company by the characteristic features on the pipes. Since 1959, 45 vessels have been in operation. Today, 11 continue to work. We are sailing on one of them (in no case are we sailing). What I like most about these ferries (Serenade and Symphony) is the street inside the ship, made in the form of a passage. A central passage created for a promenade, bordered by boutiques and cafe-restaurants. The cabins with windows facing this street are called “Promenade”. As on other ferries, there is room to dance and admire the expanse. I really like leaving my suitcases in the cabin, going up to the mini-water park, ordering a beer and, climbing into the jacuzzi, looking at the receding Stockholm.

Finland.Helsinki

We arrived in the capital of Finland - Helsinki. Many of you, of course, have been here more than once. But how many of you know the history of this city? By tradition, I will tell you about this wonderful city. It all started with King Gustav Vasa, who finally rid Sweden of the Kalmar Union, making it an independent state. By his order dated June 12, 1550, hundreds of merchants were resettled from the settlements of Rauma, Porvoo, Ulvila and Tammisaari to the area around the mouth of the Vantaanjoki River. The port city was built as a counterweight to the trade and transit city of Revel (Tallinn). But after 10 years, Revel became Swedish, and interest in Helsinki faded for many years. Traders slowly returned to their native lands. And the place was chosen poorly. Relying on maritime trade, the harbor turned out to be shallow. Therefore, city life was transferred to modern Salutorget (Kauppatori, Market Square). And trade slowly began to develop, and they still trade in this place. You can verify this by arriving there in the morning.

Market Square

The proximity of Russia and constant conflicts forced Sweden to begin construction of the Sveaborg fortress in 1748 –“ Swedish fortress"(then Suominlinna - "Finnish Fortress") on several islands close to Helsinki. This gave quite a serious impetus to the development of the city. Before this, houses were built exclusively from wood, but now stone ones are also being built. The fortress lasted more than 10 years and cost the treasury 640 tons of silver (25.6 grams (1 riksdaler) * 25 million). Then the Russians waited until the fortress was filled with all sorts of “good”, and in 1808, after a short siege, the Swedes surrendered the fortress without firing a single shot. A strange incident, but it demoralized the Swedish troops so much that already in 1809 Finland became the Russian Grand Duchy. They say that Tsar Peter I called this behavior of the Swedes back in 1703 (Kronstadt) “ Buffet"(take what you want).

Suomenlinna Fortress (Sveaborg)

So, on April 12, 1812, Alexander I declared the provincial Helsingfors (Helsinki) the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland, and already on June 24 Russia had no time for Finland, the war with Napoleon began. Something very similar happened 129 years later. The borders of Finland were also moved away from St. Petersburg (Winter War) and the Second World War also began, but with Hitler. So, in 1812, having become the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland, the city began to rapidly build and develop. The city owes its St. Petersburg appearance to Karl Ludwig Engel. He was born in Berlin, lived in Revel, studied the architecture of St. Petersburg and finally created a project for the development of the city center in the classicist style. The most famous building is the Helsinki Cathedral. Construction of the cathedral took place in 1830–852. The cathedral was dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the heavenly patron of the reigning Emperor Nicholas I. And Emperor Nicholas II ordered to decorate the temple with sculptural images of the apostles smelted from zinc. Engel also wrote the new University and Presidential palace. In 1870, Helsinki and St. Petersburg were connected Railway. In 1917–918, Helsinki was in a fever, like the whole country. All the problems of “Big Brother” spread to Finland. During this time, Finland gained independence, managed to become a Republic, then a Monarchy, then again and finally a Republic on July 17, 1919. From those times to this day, the capital has been growing and developing without sudden leaps or major failures. Quiet and calm, in Finnish.

I have stayed in many places in Helsinki. It all depends on your budget and preferences. For a wasteful option, I can recommend the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel. For a budget - one of the Omena Hotels

Helsinki Cathedral

Epilogue

Well, that's the end of my story. There are four hours left in the flight to St. Petersburg. If you are still in doubt whether it is worth going to such big Adventure, then in my report on a trip to Europe I will talk about a really difficult journey, but this is just a leisurely stroll. As for this particular route, then, of course, this is not a dogma. The main goal, whatever one may say, is Norway, a country to which you want to return. How you get there doesn't matter. It doesn’t even matter how you return, through the north or the Åland Islands, Denmark or any other way. The main thing is that it is interesting, unforgettable and remains in your memory for a long time. I wish you a pleasant journey, good luck and “neither nail nor rod.”

In Russia, many would like to live like in Europe. At the same time, Russians often have little idea of ​​how life works in the country they want to follow as an example. We will try to correct this and tell you about what the average motorist lives in Stockholm.

Why go to Sweden by car?

If you are traveling alone or as a couple, the benefits are not very obvious. But if you are a whole family or a group of friends of four or five people, then traveling in your own car does not seem such a waste. Especially if you know the prices for local public transport.

About 1,300 rubles per day (converted from Swedish kronor) costs a day ticket for all types of transport, including commuter trains. A weekly ticket costs just over 3,000 rubles, and a monthly ticket costs just over 10,000 rubles. Housing in the center of Stockholm will also be quite expensive, and accommodation in the suburbs will be a good saving without loss of comfort. Moreover, Swedish nature is so good that it is unreasonable to limit yourself to the city. Overall, traveling by car and organizing your tour wisely makes it possible to get a comprehensive experience of Sweden without overpaying too much.

Road

What’s good about traveling from St. Petersburg to Stockholm is that the holiday begins already on the road. Yes, of course, first you will have a 300-kilometer journey to Helsinki, but if you choose your travel time wisely, there will be no queues at the border, and the road is mostly smooth and comfortable. Especially in Finland. Russian “Scandinavia” is noticeably worse, because it is narrow and winding. But in general, if you are not in a hurry, set the cruise control to a comfortable speed of “90” and turn on the audiobook, then you will not feel any inconvenience.

The Viking Line ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm leaves at 5 pm, so if you leave St. Petersburg in the morning, you will have time to walk around the Finnish capital. Departure is right from the very center, from the picturesque embankment, and, of course, it’s worth arriving in advance. A short queue - and the cars are already loaded into the hold. For me personally, it was a discovery that they are not fixed on the deck in any way - due to the size of the vessel, the motion on it is practically zero, and it is enough to put the car on the handbrake.

On the ferry there are bars, restaurants and, of course, a huge Duty free with a selection of Scandinavian goods. To each his own, but we noticed an excellent collection of craft beers from Sweden and the Åland Islands. Including, say, an almost unhopped variety brewed according to a 19th century recipe. The taste is so-so, but the experience is interesting.

But don't overdo it with alcohol if you're driving! After all, when unloading a ferry in Stockholm, the first people you will see are polite but strict police officers handing you a breathalyzer tube. I was embarrassed to ask what happens to those who do not pass the test. I'm sure it's nothing good.

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Car park

I guess it won't surprise you that there are a lot of Volvos in Sweden. As a rule, they are quite modern, from the 2000s: S60 and S80 of both generations, the entire line of crossovers, little C30s... Expectedly, there are more practical and respectable V70 business station wagons than in Russia. “Suitcases” from the 80s and 90s were practically not observed in the vicinity of the capital - there is a suspicion that there are much more of them in the distant provinces, but we did not get there.

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There are practically no Saabs, although 12 years ago in Stockholm there were old but well-maintained classic 900s on almost every corner. Now you won’t find here not only the “classics”, but even the second generation 900 or 9000. Perhaps in St. Petersburg they are much more common in traffic. Relatively fresh 9-3 and 9-5 come across regularly, but in general Saab in its native Sweden is almost a “bygone nature”.

For other brands the situation is quite typical for Europe. “Germans”, “French”, “Italians”... The traces of Asian expansion are noticeably less visible than in Stockholm - you rarely see both Japanese and Korean cars in Stockholm.

Roads

Impressions from the organization of traffic in the Swedish capital remained ambivalent. Local residents who are well acquainted with the realities probably feel very comfortable here. The driver is left with a minimum of space to independently interpret the road situation: there are usually dedicated lanes for left turns, everything is perfectly marked, marked with signs, there are an abundance of overpasses, bridges, tunnels and interchanges... But it is not easy for a beginner to survive in these conditions.

Let's say you can get used to the orderliness of movement, and over time you begin to like it. But the constant repair of roads in the city center is a disaster. The roads are kept in perfect order, and the transport system is constantly being improved. Therefore, even in winter, several important roads in Stockholm were closed. Google Navigator, of course, had no idea about this and went crazy, plotting detour routes. The conclusion is simple: to drive in Stockholm, you urgently need high-quality paid navigation with constant Internet access via a local operator’s SIM card. True, even they, according to reviews from residents of the Swedish capital, are not aware of sudden closures. Probably, the best option there will be two or more navigators with different programs - fortunately everyone now has a smartphone.

We, not bothering with navigation, were completely confused at first, and a Russian-speaking taxi driver helped us out. Noticing a car with St. Petersburg license plates blinking sadly with an emergency light, he stopped nearby and helped quickly figure out where to go. It is noteworthy that the driver, judging by his appearance and accent, was either Azerbaijani or Turkish. But at the same time – impeccably polite, neat and friendly. Well, as you can see, migrants are very different.

Sweden has toll roads. In particular, you need to pay to enter the Stockholm center. The payment system is convenient. You create an account on the website, enter the car number and bank card number... Money for each entry is debited automatically.

However, apparently, the system cannot read Russian numbers - in any case, no money was debited from my card. The natives confirm: the system is relatively new, and it works so-so. The fact that they don’t read our numbers is not so bad. The Finns cause more trouble - if the alphanumeric combination of the Finnish driver’s license plate matches the Swedish one and differs only in the “region” (FIN instead of S), then the Swede may receive a receipt. Such is the injustice.

Unfortunately, little can be said about cleaning the streets from snow, because during our stay in Sweden there was almost no snow and the temperature was near zero. However, according to local reviews, the Swedes prefer to water the main roads with reagents. Granite chips, beloved by the Finns, are used only on small paths in villages. The center of Stockholm is usually cleared down to asphalt, unlike Helsinki with its packed snow. All this is reflected in the condition of cars - in Sweden they are on average much dirtier than in Finland.

Manners

To say that the Swedish driving mentality is “calm” is an understatement. The Swedes are simply champions of endurance, and one can only envy them. I was able to fully experience this immediately upon arrival. Having got from the ferry directly into the center of Stockholm, the non-local driver inevitably becomes stupid. The traffic organization schemes, as mentioned above, are very sophisticated. The signs are mostly familiar, but there is a problem with the traffic lights.

Having approached the next intersection, I saw an additional section familiar to the Russian eye to the left of the main traffic light. “Yeah, I’ll have to wait until it lights up to turn left,” I thought. But then the green changed to red, and again to green, and the additional section remained dark. During this time, a whole line had accumulated behind - at least someone would have honked, blinked or leaned out of the window! No, they sit, calmly wait. Well, I turned left without any section, and only later learned from a local resident that it was generally intended for cyclists.

Swedes, on average, seem even more balanced than their Nordic neighbors, the Finns. In any case, in Helsinki I received both beeping and disgruntled waving of my arms when I got confused in the parking lot.

However, it cannot be said that absolutely everyone is sinless. I've seen a couple of reckless drivers, even on large SUVs. I specifically looked at the numbers - no, no, not Russian, but the most Swedish ones. It is possible that their compatriots were driving - many immigrants from Russia continue to live according to the traditions of their homeland, buying expensive cars on credit, having barely saved up for the minimum down payment.

If we convert local salaries into rubles at the exchange rate, it turns out that a cleaner can easily count on 150,000 rubles after taxes, and a qualified engineer or programmer can expect 300,000 or more. Despite the high cost of living (renting a modest one-room apartment 30 km from Stockholm costs 60,000 per month), cars are still more affordable than in Russia.

True, very high taxes on the maintenance of powerful cars often lead to completely tragicomic situations. For example, when a Russian family, having bought an Audi A8 and received the first receipt for transport tax, is horrified and begins to work in shifts (!) after work, going to work for Uber. And then he becomes even more horrified when he finds out how much taxes he needs to pay for entrepreneurial activity... In the worst cases, luxury cars sit in the yard for half a month without moving, because after paying loans and taxes there is not enough for gasoline, but pride does not allow you to get rid of from an unaffordable purchase.

Parking

As is the case with roads, the organization of parking space in Stockholm and the surrounding area does not leave the driver with much choice. In Russia, as a rule, it is allowed to stand wherever it is not prohibited. In Sweden it's the other way around. It is prohibited to leave the car anywhere where it is not permitted by special signs and markings.

Needless to say, parking in Stockholm is paid? True, it is quite inexpensive by local standards, translated into our currency - about 140 rubles per hour. That is, less than one thousandth of a fairly modest salary. Most parking meters accept bank cards, which is quite convenient. True, the interface on some devices is strictly in Swedish, and there are a lot of buttons. I had to use the method of scientific poking and, after several fruitless attempts, finally get what I wanted. It is also convenient that you can pay not for an even hour, but simply deposit a certain amount and receive a “non-round” number of parking minutes.

All this allows the Swedes to regulate parking rules quite strictly. In the town of Tulling, where we spent several January days, according to local residents, the parking situation is close to catastrophic. The Swedish disaster looks like this: all the previously allocated spaces for cars during rush hours are almost 100% occupied. Locals are thinking about how to expand the space so that there is always enough for guests. The idea of ​​building a multi-storey parking lot has already been rejected - it would ruin the gorgeous view of the forest.

At the same time, no “parking wars” with fights and “reserving” spaces with blockers or empty boxes in Tulling are by definition impossible. A visiting motorist cannot take the place of a resident. The number of spaces for apartment owners or tenants is clearly calculated based on the number of residents, and although the spaces are not personal, they are marked with a “Rent” sign. Naturally, places are paid. For additional convenience, the houses on the ground floors are equipped with garages, which are often used to store bicycles, strollers and other equipment.

There are special guest places: they are marked accordingly, and are also paid (the tariff is significantly lower than in the center of Stockholm). But it is not all that bad! If you are a guest and have arrived for a short time, then for the first 24 hours you can stand on the side of the road for free. If you wait longer, then expect a fine for about 4,000, if converted into rubles at the exchange rate.

There are almost no violators here - the Swedes have long understood that living in a law-abiding society is much easier. However, among the visitors there are real “lawless people”. As old-timers remember, there was one motorist with a right-hand drive car with British license plates - he disturbed the peace of the inhabitants of Tulling for three months. I parked my sports car anywhere and didn’t pay any fines. The fines went somewhere to Britain.

The police, realizing that the receipts did not work, several times pasted the offender with “shameful” yellow stickers (almost like our “Stopkhamovites”). But in the end, a tow truck arrived and quite barbarically dragged the car onto the platform with a winch. The intruder from Foggy Albion was never seen in these parts again.

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Instead of concluding, I would like to slightly upset our “green” urban visionaries who are striving to establish life in Russian megacities “like in Europe.” To live like in Europe, it is advisable to first buy a time machine, rewind approximately to the period of the Khrushchev thaw, then open the borders, change the command economy to a market economy, let in Western capital and begin motorization of the population. Well, and also to prevent mass development of the city outskirts by settling citizens in low-rise suburbs.

With the same urban landscape that we have in Moscow or St. Petersburg, we will never be able to live like a European. Even if we suddenly change our mentality to a balanced Swedish one and stop violating traffic rules.