We got up at 4:30am to catch our flight to Oslo. Our lack of sleep didn’t make us grumpy, but I did fall asleep every time we sat down for the rest of the day. We went into a museum exhibit titled Sensory Overload that had moving colors on the walls and cacaphonous background noise. It also had beanbag chairs and I took a 20 minute nap in there. Later we walked along the Fjord and I napped in the sun while sitting at the base of a statue. I took a couple of micro naps in front of the palace, but it was too windy to stay asleep.

Day two was gray and blustery. We walked to a sculpture garden on a Friday morning, and we were confused to see so many children out of school. It turned out to be a youth climate change protest.

We had a lovely Airbnb room with a couple who are much more adventurous travelers than we are. They have trekked around central Asia and Africa on their vacations. They also had an affectionate cat that clearly ran the home.

We would love to come back to Norway someday if we get rich. Everything is so expensive, and even simple groceries are 3x more expensive than most other places. It is very beautiful though.

Gothenburg, Sweden is under renovation and the city center is torn up with detours required to get anywhere. It is probably a great biking city when not under construction. After laboriously crossing the center, we spent a couple hours exploring a massive park with deer roaming free. We found a fitness park within the grounds that had wooden beams on axels for weight lifting.

I thought our bus to Copenhagen would cross the Queen Louise Brige, so I was surprised when we turned into a port in Helsingborg and drove straight onto a ferry. This was the same day that the Norwegian cruise just up the coast was getting emergency helicopter rescues. Our sea crossing was smooth.

We loved Copenhagen as soon as we drove into it. The city is clean, brightly colored, and orderly, and there are so many bicycles! We spent three days wandering along the canals and through the parks. With all of the cognates, I am half-convinced that I read Danish.

Tonight we fly to Venice.