ZEALAND (DENMARK)

Having spent a few days looking around the more interesting regions and centres of Jutland I briefly passed through Denmark's 'middle' island, Funen, before continuing east towards Zealand. Odense, the major centre of Funen was a nice enough town with some beautiful churches and gardens but unfortunately not a great deal more. Whilst the town also prided itself on being the the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, it really didn't have alot going for it.

Zealand, the most eastern of the contry's islands was undoubtedly the region of Denmark I found most interesting, with my favourite sights being the castles located in the island's north and the wonderful city of Copenhagen. After looking around Odense for a day I headed to Hellsingor, where I visited Kronborg slott, the castle of Hamlet. I wandered around the castle perimeter twice so as to fully take in its grandeur. The entire complex was quite captivating and given its location right on the ocean's edge, the surrounding windswept vegetation gave the place a really unique feel. During my time in Hellsingor I also visited a number of impressive churches and the busy harbour used to ferry people accross the 1 or so kilometer of sea between Denmark and Sweden.

My next destination was litterally just down the road in Hillerod where the single attraction was another magnificent castle. Although I had seen pictures of Fredriksborg slott before, the complex was still absolutely incredible and probably the single most impressive place I visited in the whole of Scandanavia. It was difficult to take it all in and the the beautifully manicured gardens, blue lake surrounding the castle and 'copper-green' roof of all the buildings made photos taken trully amazing ! I spent a great number of hours exploring ever inch of the estate before finally heading to the nation's capital, Copenhagen. Immediately it was obvious that this city was different to other cities I had visited in Scandanavia. For a start there were big youth hostels full of other travellers, something that I had certainly not experienced throughout much of northern Scandanavia. The other big difference between this city and others such as Stockholm and Oslo, was that Copenhagen felt considerably more 'European'. Whilst in some ways it was like any big city in that it was quite busy and the majority of people were concerned only with their everyday business and kept mostly to themselves, there was enormous diversity within the city - the people, the architecture and just the general vibe. I met a number of nice locals who were more than happy to offer advice about what to see and do, which once again gave me a good feeling about the city.

My stay in Copenhagen lasted almost 5 days in Copenhagen and during my time there I spent countless hours wandering around various regions of the city. My favourite areas were undoubtedly Cristianhavn and Nyhavn - the colourful, waterside suburbs where locals flocked on weekends to enjoy the sun, music and a great number of restuarants. Copenhagen I discovered is also known as the city of churches and after my visit there I understood why as around every corner there seemed to be another church or impressive and ornate Cathedral.

Other highlights from my visit were the 'alternative community' of Christiania, the many wind turbines situated just off the coast and the city centre, which despite being rather crammed with ornate buildings and offices was full of culture and history. Unfortunately I developed a rather negative opinion of this area, mainly because it was so damn hard to take a good photo without there being powerlines or some building obscuring the view of the site of interest (not exactly the best of reasons !).

The last noteworth site I visited in Copenhagen was the Carlsberg brewery, where for about AUD$5 I managed to look around both the Carlsberg museum and visitors centre which provided a detailed history of the company and brewing facilities along with a detailed explanation of everything to do with making beer. Also thrown in with this package was a beer sampling extravaganza, 3 pints of great beer with a more than healthy alcohol content. I must really learn to appreciate the benefits of being a 'student'...

Photos 1&2: Krongborg slott (Hellsingor).
Photos 3-9: Fredriksborg slott (Hillerod).
Photos 10-21: Various shots from around Copenhagen.
Photo 22: Display at the Carlsberg brewery.

JUTLAND (DENMARK)

After crossing the bridge from Malmo to Copenhagen I travelled by rail accross Denmark to the country's most western island, Jutland. My initial destination was Arhus, Denmark's second largest city and a thriving university town. Whilst the city was quite pleasant and I enjoyed walking around for the day which I spent there, I didn't find it particularly exciting. Conversely, my next destination, Aalborg, I thought contained far more appealing and captivating architecture and buildings and if I had my time again I would probably have spent a night there instead of in Arhus (such is life). Unfortunately the supposedly 'very interesting' viking burial ground just outside Aalborg did prove to be most dissapointing...

Denmark I found was very different to other parts of Scandanavia which I had visited. Whilst the country certainly lacked the mountain, forest and lake scenery of Norway and Sweden the gentle rolling farmlands of the country were quite peaceful and I found the Danes to be much more out going and friendly on a day to day basis than in other places in Scandanavia. For instance, in Ribe, my next destination after Aalborg, I arrived quite late at night and after trying to find the local youth hostel asked a local for directions. He kindly offered to drive me to the hostel and also suggested we meet up for a beer the next day... It's amazing how little things like that can really leave you feeling good about a place that would otherwise have just been another destination. Furthermore I found myself chatting to people alot more whilst waiting for trains or walking down the street, something that I felt would not have been possible in a Norway.

Ribe was a fantastic little town and not just because of the great people I met there. The oldest town in Scandanavia (established around 890 A.D.) the town had very narrow and quaint little cobblestoned streets containing colourful houses whilst the river which flowed through the town made for a very beautiful backdrop. I really enjoyed exploring the town and capturing some great photos in some of the best weather I had enjoyed since Gotland.

Photo 1: City canal in Arhus. Photos 2-4: Shots from Ribe.

MALMO AND LUND (SWEDEN)

Travelling south on the train from Kalmar I completed my travels around Sweden in the city of Malmo, situated a mere 7 km (by bridge) from Denmark. I stayed in the city for 3 days (which in hindsight I felt was probably 2 days too many). Whilst the city had a more Danish and hence European feel than other places I had visited in Sweden, I still found that there wasn't a great deal of places to visit or activities to keep me amused. Throughout my stay in Malmo I spent the majority of my time wandering around the city centre visiting various churches, squares and other buildings of interest along with the rather lacklustre castle and small parks. Thankfully the pleasant weather meant that at the very least my walks were peaceful and relaxing, despite there not being many sights of interest along the way. Quite by accident however I did discover an area of the city in which a great deal of construction development was occurring. The architecture in this area was quite unlike that of buildings situated elsewhere in the city giving the area a fresh and hip feel.

As a day trip from Malmo I also ventured to Lund, the oldest town in Sweden and a cosy University city containing a number of picturesque cathedrals and other old buildings. Despite not staying in Lund particularly long, I did find it pleasant just wandering around the town centre taking in the various sites. This past time did however seem to be quite a popular weekend activity for many of the locals as the streets were certainly filled with a great number of people.

Having spent the majority of my time in Scandanavia, travelling around Sweden I did feel somewhat more of a link with the contry compared with Norway and Denmark. Despite the scenery of Sweden not perhaps living up to my expectations, having the chance to spend time with Hanna in her 'home abroad' and the opportunity to meet some of her friends was something I really enjoyed. My nightlife experiences in Sweden were by far the most enjoyable of my entire Scandanavian trip, although I am almost certain that this can be attributed to the fact that more often than not I ventured out with friends and hence did not have to overcome the barriers of getting to know new people. Finally, I particularly enjoyed learning various Swedish phrases despite the majority of my vocabulary being completely useless outside the pub.

Photos 1-4: Churches and Cathedrals from Malmo and Lund.
Photos 5&6: The 'Turning Torg' in the city's new 'design-oriented' zone.

GOTLAND (SWEDEN)

Following my visit to Finland I headed south on the train to Oskarshamn, a rather small and uninteresting city where I spent a night camping on a patch of unlevel ground in the middle of a small forest just outside the city. After this most uncomfortable nights sleep, I took a ferry into the Baltic Sea, this time to one of Sweden's leading tourist attractions, the island of Gotland. Whilst the ferry trip to the island was fairly boring, given that I hadn't showered in 2 days I was most happy (and lucky) to find a cabin which had not been properly locked by the ships crew. Consequently I used the shower to clean myself and freshen up before grabbing a few hours shut-eye on a rather comfortable sofa.

Visby, the regional centre of Gotland was definately one of the most beautiful cities I visited both in Scandanavia and in South America. Undoubtedly the highlight of the city was stone wall surrounding the city centre, which had been errected hundreds of years previously to control people movements into and out of the city when Gotland had been an important trading centre for northern europe. After walking around the entire perimeter of the wall I ventured inside and found the buildings within the city to be equally as impressive. In particularly the characteristic orange terracotta rooves gave the city a colourful air similar to that of Bergen in Norway. A personal favourite of mine was the city cathedral, which towered above the other buildings and stood out noticeably with its pure white stonework and jet black towers. In addition the nearby monastery ruins provided an indication of the type of architecture present in the city hundreds of years earlier and further added to the mystic and erie feel given off as I wandered around the city.

One further thing I feel it necessary to mention is the way in which sunlight behaved on Gotland. Although this might sound odd, the sunsets and how the light illuminated everything on Gotland was amazing. It was so different to anything I had seen elsewhere during my travels and needless to say I found that it was almost impossible to take a poor photo.

After spending 2 interesting days in Visby I headed all the way to the north of Gotland to explore the island of Faro, another the region's exiciting attractions. Of particular interest for myself were a collection of limestone pillars formed by the sea over hundreds of years. I originally thought these geological features would be similar to the 12 apostles in Australia (and in some ways they were) however, given their setting above the waterline on a stony beach they were quite different to anything I had ever seen before. Despite once again being plagued by a lack of public transport on the island, I still managed to get a bus to the northernmost town of the main island before taking a ferry to Faro and subsequently walking along the main road until I was picked up by a kind old lady also staying on the island. Despite this being my first and only attempt at hitchiking in Sweden I discovered the Scandanavians weren't particularly fond of the practice and a great number of cars passed me without so much as blinking an eyelid before I managed to get a lift. Thankfully the old lady was also kind enough to give me a fully guided tour of parts of the island including a drive past some of the old fishing huts and of course the limestone pillars.

On her return to her rented cabin, my 'guide' decided it was time I enjoyed a half-decent meal and so stopped at a small restaurant in one of the small towns on the island. Despite it being closed for the low season, the owners were kind enough not only to serve us both but also to provide us a meal on the house before offering me a bed in one of their free cabins for the night. It was trully one of my most amazing experiences in Scandanavia and needless to say this act of kindness along with the amazing scenery I had witnessed over my 3 days on Gotland, meant that this destination was one of the highlights of my trip. On my last day I had a look around other parts of the island, including a short stroll along the first really sand beach I had seen in Sweden before I caught a lift to Visby to catch my ferry to Oskarshamn with Pieter, the Restaurant owner.

Photos 1&2: View of the stone walls surrounding Visby.
Photos 3&4: Shots of the city and walls at sunset.
Photos 5-9: Spectacular views of the beach and ocean at dusk.
Photos 10-12: Views of the cathedral and town.
Photo 13: Fishermans village on Faro.
Photos 14&15: Limestone pillars (Faro).

OLAND AND KALMAR (SWEDEN)

After a few hours on the train south from Stockholm I arrived late at night in the city of Kalmar but still managed to get a bus across the bridge linking the mainland to the island of Oland. I camped on Oland for a total of 2 nights, with my third night thankfully being spent in a warm and comfortable youth hostel in Borgholm. Unfortunately, I found my time on Oland to be quite dissapointing, with the scenery of the island being rather plain and quite drabb, despite many of the local tourist offices claiming otherwise. On my first day on the island I explored the southern regions of the island on bike. The vegetation of this area was characterised by low shrubs and dry dusty plains, making for a most uninteresting days scenery. On this trip I covered almost 35 km on a round circuit, along the way dropping in on a number of nice little towns, many of which contained numerous windmills, none of which were in use however. Apparently Oland has more windmills than Holland but I really couldn't see their purpose if they weren't being used !Still they at least made my photographs slightly more interesting. There was very little else to see on this bike ride and it was actually quite hot during the middle of the day so my enthusiasm for exploring great regions of the island was quite low.

My second day on the island I spent exploring the north tip, which was probably the most interesting region of Oland, although only by a small margin. After taking a bus to the islands northern most town I walked a few more kilometers out of town and camped the night in a field on the side of the road. The next day I walked almost 25 kilometers and visited one of the islands lighthouses along with the 'Trolls forest' and an ancient beach which extended a number of kilometers towards the islands interior. This region of the island did contain some picturesque scenery including a number of windswept plains and rocky beaches. Unfortunately the lack of public transport available during the low season meant it was difficult to get around except between major centres.

On my third and final day on the island I travelled to Borgholm, the regional centre of Oland. This city was probably the highlight of the island and I managed to get some good weather whilst wandering around the castle ruins and royal residence just outside the city. Thankfully this area of Oland was more densely populated and contained some quaint little farm houses nestled amongst the many crops and fields of wildflowers, providing far more diverse scenery than I had experienced elsewhere on the island.

Photos 1-3: Various photos from my bike ride in the south of Oland.
Photos 4&5: Rocky beaches in the north of the island.
Photo 6: Borgholm Slott.
















After my brief look around Oland I returned to mainland Sweden and spent a day looking around Kalmar, one of the major cities in the south of the country. I found Kalmar quite nice and was particularly impressed with the city's castle along with the diverse range architecture within the city. Kalmar castle, located almost in the city centre was by far the most impressive castle I encountered in Sweden and as such I spent the majority of my time exploring around this area. The remainder of the town however was very similar to other cities I had visited elsewhere in Sweden and hence did not excite me particularly.

Photos 7&8: Kalmar slott.