I have 11 days to spare, from July 9th till July 20th (of 2010), during our 2010 Family Vacation. After considering various combinations like:

(a) Greece + Turkey

(b) Hungary + Romania + Bulgaria

etc.

I decided to try Scandinavia this time around. The main criteria for this was that my wife Rosemary would love to visit Greece and Eastern Europe and she would not be with me during this period. Since I am planning a separate and detailed European trip with Rosemary, I decided to stick to a region she is not that excited about and which would be good, weather-wise, at that time of the year. Hence the Scandinavian decision.

– Norway

– Sweden

– Finland

– St. Petersburg (Russia)

I will touch each country separately in my blog. For starters, I visited the Tourism Websites of these countries and ordered their brochures. I am also spending a significant amount of time at the Library, doing research on these countries. As I have mentioned elsewhere, my first point of reference is Rick Steves’ books and DVDs. But then, it is always nice to cross-check with other sources.

### Norway:

Going through the brochures and guidebooks, I feel that it is a pity that I wont be able to spend more time in this country (but then, I feel this way about any country 😉 ). I will have to stick to the “best” the country has to offer, atleast on this trip. Hopefully, I will get to visit this region again. The current plan is to spend 1 day in Bergen, 1 day for “Norway in a Nutshell” tour through Sognefjord and 2 days in Oslo.

Bergen: A beautiful coastal town with a lot of history. The Bryygen Hanseatic area will be interesting to visit. I also plan to visit the Fish Market area and also make a trip to the top of Mount Floyen.

Norway in a Nutshell: By all accounts, a must-visit area. I plan to book a “Bergen-Oslo” version of this tour. From the photos and descriptions, I am looking forward to the spectacular scenery. This trip will take a whole day and I should reach Oslo in the evening.

Oslo: After reviewing the list of main sights in Oslo, I have decided to spend 2 days (and 2 nights) in Oslo. I intend to spend one day visiting non-Bygdoy sights and one day visiting Bygdoy sights.

So, current plan:

July 10th – Arrive in London (Heathrow), from San Francisco. After storing the big bags at Baggage Storage, I will catch a flight to Bergen. Should reach Bergen by 13:00.

July 11th – Leave Bergen early in the morning for the “Norway in a Nutshell” tour to Oslo. Reach Oslo in the evening.

July 12th – Whole day in Oslo

July 13th – Spend the day in Oslo and catch a night train to Stockholm.

To continue …