I asked our group who traveled on the 8^th Alumni and Friends tour to Scandinavia in June about their highlights from the trip and listened in on a few candid discussions to get a sense of what each person remembered most. Here are a few of those highlights. 

We arrived in Bergen, Norway, on the Atlantic coast, nestled along a fjord with mountains surrounding it.  The city and roads wind through the valleys coming down into the fjord. As one of our group said, it was even more than we see in the pictures of Scandinavia.  It was colorful historic buildings, dark green trees, flowers, alternating clouds and sunshine, as if Scandinavia “reached out and wrapped its arms around us.”

As you might expect the fjords of Norway were mentioned by many.  On one particular day we took a popular trip by bus over a couple of ridges above Bergen to one of the larger fjords, traveled along them for three hours by boat, then returned by vintage train. They are as spectacular as Norway, tour guides everywhere, and naturalists claim. Steep peaks and rushing rivers flowing over waterfalls into the salt water are seen all along the miles of coastland, along with small villages, narrow roadways, and isolated farms. Everyone seemed so captivated that the boat was quiet throughout the trip. 

Also at Bergen was the historic wharf with its 17^th century buildings, Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We enjoyed walking through the narrow alleyways, unseen from the major streets to see the gathering spaces behind, enjoy the shops and cafes that are now housed there, and see the authentic, historic restoration that continues. This same kind of architecture and feel we also experienced along the old canals of Copenhagen.  All of Scandinavia and the regions of northern Europe were part of a maritime trading network called the Hanseatic League or Hansa in the 14^th-17^th centuries. We visited two of those trading cities that still reflect that heritage.  And, as one of our group mentioned, there were flowers and color everywhere.

We hadn’t planned to see the mountains of Norway, between the Atlantic, western side and the valley where Oslo sits on the eastern coast. As we were checking in for our flight and just about to send our luggage down the conveyer, our tour director, Irene yelled out for us to stop. The flight crew was not going to show up for the flight, and the flight was canceled.  We’ve experienced strikes in France, and closed historic sites, but never a flight canceled with nothing available for 24 hours. Irene got on the phone and found a bus for us and within a few hours we were traveling across Norway. I know, we all groaned a little  at the thought. But our apprehension quickly became appreciation. Here is what on of our travelers said:

“Sometimes travel plan A has a problem and you need plan B which was an eight hour plus drive across Norway instead of a flight to Oslo. The drive was amazing. The countryside was beyond beautiful. Waterfalls, snow, lakes, etc. So, embrace the change and see what you can discover with plan B.”

His thoughts were seconded by a number in the group. It helps to have fellow alums and friends along with the kinds of positive attitudes that turn an inconvenience into a singular, beautiful adventure.  A number or our tour directors over the years have commented on how well our groups have traveled together.  This was one of those times.

When we were in Stockholm the whole group took about a 30 minute walk across the city to visit the Viking Museum. This wasn’t a planned group activity, we just all wanted to see it.  Where else can you see authentic Viking artifacts, Rune stones, the remains of ships, gold arm bracelets. We were in the place to see it all, and we all did.  We also saw a new museum dedicated to a 17^th century ship, the Vasa, which capsized within about 1300 meters from the shipyard in 1628. It was to be the most powerful warship in the Baltic and beyond. It was finally found and salvaged in the 1950s and 60s and restored over several decades. Its immediate sinking made it possible after restoration to see a fully authentic 400-year-old ship. The museum was built around 2000 and is now one of the “world’s top 10 attractions.”  (You can find out more about it at the Vasa Museum website.

A couple of other highlights were also mentioned. Many of us enjoyed walking in Helsinki.  For whatever reason we do not hear much about Finland, but the city was enjoyable, laidback, and still vibrant. We had a cooking class while there, a highlight and one of our best meals! We also enjoyed ferrying across the water to visit the medieval Estonian city of Tallinn. 

Twelve of us continued on to an optional three day extension to Iceland. We saw puffins sitting on the water, and nesting on rocky  islands. We walked through the mid-Atlantic rift and witnessed the geysers that are the result of the volcanic activity that produces the rift; we had plenty of time to explore Reykjavik, and enjoy the cool weather that had been with us for almost of all of our two weeks of travel—average daily high in the 50s and low 60s. 

These are just highlights mentioned by the members of our group. It’s impossible to portray it all. You’ll have to join us sometime!

Next year, June 2026, we are off to Switzerland—from the low valleys to the highest peaks, from the modern, international cities like Zurich and Lausanne, to medieval and Reformation old towns in Bern and Basel. You can find out about it at our Fresno Pacific webpage, or at our Go Ahead Tours page.