Nordic Ventures: First Steps into Scandinavian Landscapes
Over the past decade, I have been making incursions into Scandinavia. Firstly, there were two business trips to Sweden, with the first of these going via Copenhagen. The second allowed for more exploration, since it was a summer visit, so I got to potter around Södertälje and stroll about Stockholm in the summer evening sunlight. Staging a return with a better camera might be a possibility in the future.
2015 saw me make a visit to Iceland, where the first day saw me stroll about Reykjavík. A day tour to the sights of the Golden Circle followed on what was the day with the best weather of the trip. The last full day saw me head to Landmannalaugar for a spot of hillwalking. Return trips are a possibility and I could go as far as Greenland if I feel really adventurous, but that can wait.
Norway too has seen my presence, with an elongated weekend allowing a visit in 2016 that took in both Oslo and Bergen. Explorations of Norwegian fjords were limited by the time available, so there may be a chance to see more should one come my way. That first exposure forms the basis for any future excursions, for I now know a little of the lie of the land, with boat trips that I can do and mountains that I can wander.
The Faroe Islands also have scenery that attracts me, though there is much more to see in those countries that I already visited; for instance, a few days around Stockholm exploring some of its many islands has its appeal. In fact, there may be so much that I need to leave Finland aside, though it too is packed with wooded lake strewn countryside.
Extended weekend escapades have been my lot so far, but I hope to progress to longer stays. After all, it looks as if there would be plenty to occupy a trip lasting a week or more, so that is a thought to hold as I like the prospect of what I might find and that there should be no shortage of things to do. When you consider that Scotland still can do the same after more than two decades of exploration, a putative Scandinavian project could have some time to run yet.
