Helpful hints
We will be starting our small group Scandinavia trip next week and was wondering if anyone had done this trip recently
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We will be starting our small group Scandinavia trip next week and was wondering if anyone had done this trip recently
Comments
I did this trip in 2018 and the itinerary has changed a bit. That said, the hike up the "hill" behind Bergen (Mt Floyen) results in some great views. It's best to start after 4 PM, when all the cruise ship crowds have or are returning to their ships. Assuming you are doing this over summer, you won't run out of daylight. And it's not difficult.
For those who do not wish to hike up the hill, there is a funicular.
It's a very pleasant trip. Beautiful scenery and cities. The museum tours were excellent. Do not miss the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, an optional activity, which is a charming and relaxing way to spend an evening with a stroll and a bite to eat. The Scandinavian cultures respect minimalism. The hotel rooms will feel sparser than what you might be used to. Help, such as luggage handling, will be given readily but may not be offered unless you request it. (They assume you are just as proud of your self-sufficiency as they are of theirs.) The Clarion hotel in Bergen is "challenging" at best. Hopefully Tauck has sent in a team of handymen by now.
We are going in August. I would love to hear any feedback you have. We are staying at an alternate hotel in Stockholm as bell as the Clarion in Bergen.
Wan, what was the problem at Clarion in Bergen?
Sliding doors don’t slide, soap dispensers don’t work, shower floods on bathroom floor, room key is fussy and requires a certain “twist”. That kind of thing. Plus the room was tiny. I was told the other large hotel in Bergen was no better. This is the second largest city in Norway! But we really liked the other hotels. Bergen is otherwise a very beautiful place. Hopefully you will get some sun.
I don't recall any issues at the Clarion when I was there.
Your comment about shower floods got me thinking about how bathroom designs vary from country to country, and I forget where, but in some country they use half a glass door for showers which inevitably results in water everywhere. Such dumb designs in some places. We need an engineer such as Smiling Sam to set them on the right path
Most European bathrooms are small, especially in Scandinavia. The half shower doors serve a purpose, both in function and aesthetics. I can understand how Americans would not like them, and I agree that unless the shower is equipped with a hand-held device, water will spray everywhere. My cottage in Denmark has one and I love it; my husband not so much. What I really prefer are the curved and completely doorless showers that can be found in the American Southwest. Our next home will have one.
BKMD - Problem solved!
kfnknfzk - My home in Tucson has the shower that you describe. I love it.
Lucky you, Smiling Sam! Our design incorporates some Portuguese azulejos tiles...not too many, just enough to add a pop of color. If we are off topic, it is BKMD's fault.