Scandinavia: 3 Counties, 1 Day
After one beautiful full day of enjoying everything Copenhagen has to offer, it was time to start the next stage of our Scandinavian adventure. After a short walk we arrived at the civilized Copenhagen station and we boarded our train to Gothenburg. Not long after leaving Copenhagen, we came to the famous Oresund Bridge which connects Denmark and Sweden.
This caused a flurry of excitement and our fellow passengers (a large group of Australians) rushed to the window to take as many pictures as possible. These pictures would really only depict the vast expanses of water on either side, so I felt it best to sit back and enjoy this feat of human engineering. With the train making several stops in the idyllic Danish countryside, the train soon filled up and so it’s worth reserving a seat beforehand.
Gothenburg station was quite a change from Copenhagen, far busier and larger, with more Subway restaurants than you could ever expect to find in one train station. After a trip to the tourist office to equip ourselves with a map, we walked to the harbour in search of the boat tour the woman at the tourist office had suggested. It turns out, there are no boat tours, and the promised Ferris wheel by the seafront was also mysteriously missing. With our plans out the window and only a few hours to kill, we found the nearest restaurant and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. There was then just enough time to soak in the beautiful Swedish sun and relax in a park. Although we didn’t have much time in Sweden, I was left with a very positive impression. Super friendly people, all of whom spoke perfect English, and a wonderfully relaxed vibe.
With our tans topped up, it was then time to head back to the station and board our final train of the day and complete our trifecta of Scandinavian countries, final destination: Oslo. The train was pretty empty, so we got to spread out and rest after our (far from) hectic day. As we approached Oslo the sun started to set and we were treated to a beautiful sunset. I would have to rate Gothenburg-Oslo as one of the most scenic train journeys I have done. We arrived quite late and had to make do with the most expensive dinner known to man from the local newsagent. A taste of things to come in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
