Land of the Midnight Sun
Updated: Aug 29
For our trip to see Sun at Mid night we joined a tour company named Insight.
The tour was through Scandinavian countries. Denmark, Sweden, Finland and finally Oslo.
We had lot of difficulty in getting Visa - finally a friend in Mumbai helped us to get a visa for Sweden
Denmark - Copenhagen
DENMARK
From London we first arrived in Copenhagen. Here we stayed at a hotel. My cousin who had lived in London introduced us to one of her friends so we called him and he drove us around Denmark.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen, its capital, is home to royal palaces and colorful Nyhavn harbor, the
Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Gardens is the famous amusement and pleasure garden in central Copenhagen.
Christiansborg Palace
This is an important Copenhagen landmark on the island of Slotsholmen. The canal tour passes it, and it is particularly important because it houses Denmark's Parliament and other parts of the Danish government and royal complex
Canal tour
It is a boat tour through Copenhagen's harbour and connected canals / waterways. The boats commonly leave from Nyhavn or near Ved Stranden, and the tour gives a view of the city from the water. Among the sights normally seen are Christiansborg Palace, Amalienborg Palace, the Opera House .The Little Mermaid. And Nyhavn itself is a historic harbour, famous for its colourful old houses along the water.
The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid Statue by Hans Christian Anderson. It sits on a rock beside the Harbour - Created by Edvard Eriksen in 1913.
Elsinore - Hamlet’s castle seen from ferry. Castle is Kronborg.
Kronborg Castle is the castle associated with Shakespeare's Hamlet. Shakespeare called the place Elsinore, the English name for Helsingør. The castle stands beside the Øresund, facing Sweden and collected the famous Sound Dues.
We joined our tour company “ Insight “ to go to Sweden.
SWEDEN
Sweden is a Scandinavian nation with thousands of coastal islands and inland lakes, along with vast boreal forests and glaciated mountains. Its principal cities, eastern capital Stockholm and southwestern Gothenburg and Malmö, are all coastal. Stockholm is built on 14 islands. It has more than 50 bridges.
From Denmark we crossed by ferry from Helsingør to Helsingborg, with our bus travelling on the ferry. We then continued by road through southern Sweden towards Stockholm, stopping for lunch along the way.
Lake Vista scenic drive.
For the ultimate road trip, drive along Sweden’s Wilderness Road, a ruggedly majestic route through some of the country’s most outstanding and remote nature. Take in breathtaking scenery, from dramatic mountains and expansive plains to pristine lakes and waterfalls, all peppered with wildlife large and small.
Beautiful setting 14 islands between Lake Malaren Lake Mälaren is the third-largest freshwater lake in Sweden, stretching 120 kilometers west from Stockholm. & connected to Baltic sea.
Stockholm
The medieval old town, Gamlastan with an old church & miniature boy’s statue.
Jarnpoke ( “ Iron Boy “ )Little boy looking at the moon.
Gamla stan means “ Old Town “ It is the historic centre of Stockholm, with narrow medieval streets and old buildings. with an old church.
The minature statue of a boy.
Jarnpoke ( “ Iron Boy “ )Little boy looking at the moon.
It also has royal palaces and museums such as open-air Skansen.
Stockhome is also well known for Nobel Prizes, most of the prizes are awarded in Sweden, while the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Norway.
Alfred Nobel was a Swedish inventor, engineer, and industrialist. He is best known for inventing dynamite. In his will, he left much of his wealth to establish the Nobel Prizes, which are awarded every year for outstanding contributions to humanity.
The reason for why most of the Nobel Prizes were awarded in Sweden and only Nobel Prize for Peace is awarded in Norway, that is because both Norway and Sweden were combined country in his time.
Vasa Museum - It houses the extraordinary Vasa warship, which sank in Stockholm harbour on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was salvaged more than 300 years later, in 1961. The almost intact ship is the centrepiece of the museum.
West Sweden
West Sweden – an outdoor adventurer’s paradise. A highly esteemed part of the country, West Sweden serves up a varied landscape with thousands of lakes and an idyllic archipelago. Adventures involving nature, culture and culinary excellence await.
Discover West Sweden on water
Opportunities to discover West Sweden from the waterside abound. The Bohuslän archipelago, with over 8,000 islands, is celebrated for its outstanding beauty, while the inland part of West Sweden is sprinkled with rivers and lakes, both mighty and small. The Bohuslän archipelago stretches across some 280 kilometres and standout spots include Grebbestad, Fjällbacka and the Koster Islands. Kayaking is an ideal way to discover these unique coastal havens, which are blessed with both calm and wilder waters to accommodate paddlers of all levels. Rent a kayak and set off independently or join a guided excursion.
Exploring the Koster Islands and the surrounding Kosterhavet National Park – Sweden’s only marine national park – is an experience to behold. While paddling around the islets and rocky bays, keep an eye out for the local seal community, often found sunbathing on the rocks. These charming creatures aside, there’s much to discover in terms of flora and fauna as the national park is home to over 1,200 species. Come break-time, find yourself a secluded beach on your island of choice or stop by one of the many eateries serving freshly caught seafood.
There are also plenty of paddling opportunities further inland across the beautiful provinces of Dalsland and Västergötland. Vänern, Sweden’s largest lake, boasts some 22,000 islands and the Lurö archipelago, offers varying nature with numerous islets and sandy beaches.
As for long-distance canoeing, the beautiful DANO lake district in Dalsland is hard to beat. Its maze-like network of more than 1,000 lakes and rivers of crystal clear waters stretches some 135 kilometres to the northeast. Although it feels delightfully remote, you’re never far from communities where food and accommodation are available.
Few places offer the diversity of West Sweden – its varied landscape, culinary heritage and broad cultural spectrum provide an experience for all senses.
Northern Sweden
The northern part of Sweden offers a wide range of things to do, regardless of the season. During early summer, you can enjoy the unique Midnight Sun. In winter, the spectacular Northern Lights, often called the most incredible light show on Earth, can be seen in Swedish Lapland. Northern Sweden is also home to the Sami, one of the world’s indigenous peoples.
Arctic Sweden
A culture-rich natural wonderland. Arctic Sweden, also known as Swedish Lapland, is the northernmost region of Sweden – a vast landscape of dramatic nature, rich Sámi culture and distinctive Arctic flavours. Depending on the season, you might experience the Northern Lights dancing across winter skies or the Midnight Sun shining around the clock in summer.
Where one sees Midnight Sun
When we reached North Sweden we were not lucky to see midnight sun from North cape. Weather being very rough.
Many Midnight Sun tours continued north through Norway, often via:
Lillehammer
Trondheim
Narvik
North Cape (the classic destination)
Tromsø
Lofoten Islands
Northern parts of Sweden or Finland
We managed to see midnight Sun where there was bridge
"The name of the town has escaped me, but it was in northern Sweden, near a large bridge over a wide expanse of water. There we finally saw the Midnight Sun well enough to photograph it."
crossing a broad expanse of water,
still in the far north,
In those latitudes during summer, the sun often appears to touch the horizon and then climb again, producing exactly the sort of "partial sunrise" memory.
We crossed over to Finland Silja cruise Cruise liner to Finland.
Finland
First we reached Helsinki. Our sightseeing included
Sibelius monument in a garden
Russian Orthopaedic Cathedral
Finlandia house
Lively market near harbour
KUOPIO - Ascend the Kupio viewing tower
Land of Thousand lakes
Sibelius monument in a garden Sibelius monument in a garden Russian Orthopaedic Cathedral Finlandia house Kupio viewing tower Lively market near harbour Land of Thousand lakes
Rovanemi
From Kuopio we travelled northwards to Rovaniemi, the capital and administrative centre of Finnish Lapland. Our hotel was situated on the banks of the Kemijoki River, and even the setting seemed to tell us that we had entered a very different part of Europe. At Rovaniemi, at Lapponia House, we crossed the Arctic Circle and were given a certificate to commemorate the occasion—a small but memorable souvenir of our journey into the far north. This was the land of Lapland, where the landscape stretches vast and open, and where, in the surrounding wilderness, one may encounter herds of reindeer roaming freely through the forests of Urho Kekkonen National Park.
Our visit to the national park near Tankavaara gave us an unforgettable feeling of being at the edge of Europe’s last great wilderness. The forests, open spaces and immense silence were very different from anything we had experienced elsewhere on our European travels. There was a sense that we had travelled to the very end of the inhabited world, into a region where nature still dominated the landscape. It was a fitting experience on our last visit to the far north, and one that has remained in my memory.
After the visit to Tankavaara we crossed in to Norway, which i have written in the next section titled NORWAY. From Norway we came back into Finland and continued our journey by driving through stony Finmark to Alta situated on the World's richest Salmon river.
From Alta to Narvik we passed a fjord. It was a fishing village. Spent in Narvik at leisure.
This was followed by riding a mountain train to Sweden, rope railway to top, looking at view points.
Onwards Narvik to Mo I Runa. Ferry across Tyssfjord - here you can see killer whales during Autumn for eating Herring. Pass Rago National park where fjords were cutting deep into narrowest part of Norway.
Bid farewell to Arctic before reaching Mo I Runa at the head of Rahnasfjord.
NORWAY
From Tankavaara we continued northwards, crossing the rolling tundra and making our way into Norway. Along the way we visited a Lapp folk museum, which gave us an interesting glimpse into the traditional life and culture of the people of Lapland. We stopped at Karasjok, an important centre of the Sami people, before continuing towards the North Cape. The landscape became increasingly stark and dramatic as we travelled farther north, until we finally reached the Northern Cape—the northernmost point of Europe that we were to visit.
The Sami people are one of the most fascinating indigenous peoples of Europe.
The Sami traditionally live across the northern parts of four countries:
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia.
Their homeland is often called Sápmi, which stretches across the Arctic regions of these countries.
For centuries, many Sami families lived by:
Reindeer herding
Fishing
Hunting
Small-scale farming
The image most people associate with the Sami is that of reindeer herders moving with their herds across vast northern landscapes. Even today, reindeer remain an important symbol of Sami culture.
The colorful traditional clothing, called gákti, is distinctive. The patterns and colors can indicate a person's family or regional background.
One of the most beautiful aspects of Sami culture is their traditional singing style called Joik. A joik is not merely a song about a person, animal, or place—it is often said to evoke or represent its subject. Many visitors find it haunting and memorable.
Historically, the Sami faced significant discrimination. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, governments in Norway, Sweden, and Finland encouraged assimilation, and Sami languages and traditions were often discouraged. In recent decades there has been much greater recognition of Sami rights, languages, and culture.
Today, many Sami people live modern urban lives while still maintaining a strong connection to their heritage. There are Sami parliaments in Norway, Sweden, and Finland that represent Sami interests.
Today it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage area together with the nearby Nærøyfjord.
"Of all the places on our Scandinavian tour, one memory that remained hidden for years was a hotel overlooking a magnificent fjord. When I finally rediscovered the name—Geiranger—I felt as excited as if I had found a lost treasure."
That feeling of rediscovery is itself part of the journey. Even now, decades later, my travels are still giving me new moments of happiness.
Oslo
The city is situated at the head of the Oslo Fjord in the southeastern part of the country. Oslo is famous for its unique blend of urban sophistication and wild, untouched nature. As Norway’s capital, it is renowned globally for the annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, cutting-edge waterfront architecture, and its seamless integration of pristine wilderness into daily life.
Viking Ship in Oslo Museum
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