Scandinavian driving trip (2) - Netherlands to Sweden

Itinerary (1)

Mons Klint cliffs

We took almost 5 days to drive from the Netherlands to Sweden, entering Norway on the sixth day, where we spent the rest of our holiday. We stopped on the way in Germany, Denmark and Sweden, exploring some places longer and some just while driving through. The highlight for me over this long drive were the hidden gems, the Mons Klint cliffs near Copenhagen.


Day 1: Drive from Amsterdam to Asendorf, near Hamburg (Germany) (4.5h) with stops in Groningen, Bremen and Luneburg Heath

The first two days of our trip were mostly driving days. On the first day, we left early from Amsterdam and drove through the Netherlands and Germany. And we stopped on the way every few hours to explore some interesting places plus to enjoy the simple joy of a European road trip.

Groningen waterfront

Our first stop of the day was Groningen, a town I had heard of as two of my colleagues lived there but had never got a chance to visit. We took a break there, parking by the canal and spending some time walking around. It was a cute little place, generally known as a student town but not that crowded at that time, as it was the summer holidays and all the students were away. The canal front was pretty, with rows of huge boats parked there. We walked along the canal, and reached a nearby park where we had a chai break (this would be a routine over the trip). It was a calm peaceful place with lots of greenery around, and ducks swimming peacefully in the ponds. It was fun to sit there in the sun while loads of people around were enjoying their summer picnics.

Bremen

Our next stop was the German town of Bremen. We walked around the city centre, the Marktplatz, with the city hall, church and shops, all built in the typical German architecture. We walked into a few shops too. Then we walked towards the old town, called Schnoor. It had cobbled streets and pretty buildings all around, including the St. Peter’s Cathedral (Bremer Dom). It felt so cosy walking there. And then we walked around the Weser river for a bit before setting off again on our journey. Overall, Bremen seemed like a nice, cute town for a brief stop.

Schnoor, Bremen

Our Tesla stop that day wasn't as scenic though. It was next to a huge mall where we bought some stuff for the journey. The rest of the drive was through miles and miles of fields. Then we drove through Luneburg Heath, a scenic nature area, known for its purple blooms in autumn. The villages in the Heath looked charming, full of wooden houses and loads of places to stay. Throughout the nature reserve, there were green woods, and wildflowers, it was so refreshing to drive through it. There were also some purple heather fields in the area, though they were not fully in bloom yet.

We drove through a gorgeous sunset and reached our hotel, Hotel Zur Heidschnucke, near the village of Asendorf. It was an old hotel with spa amenities, surrounded by the green woodlands of Luneburg Heath. We wanted to go for walks around, but as we reached quite late, we couldn't. But we could already still feel the beauty around, that it would be a place worth spending some time at.


Day 2: Drive from Asendorf to Copenhagen (Denmark) (6.5h) with stops in Hamburg and Mons Klint

In the morning, we explored the hotel trails and green paths, and they were just such a pleasure to walk around. Then we were on our way. Today was another driving day, with two stops on the way. The drive was mostly through wheat fields and wild yellow flowers all along the way.

Hamburg

We first stopped at a sarson ka khet on the way and took some photos. Our next stop was Hamburg, one of the larger German towns. We first visited the tower of St. Nikolai, which is the only remnant remaining of the church after the war. Then we walked around the city centre, with its port, bridges, waterways and red buildings. The city centre was quite lively to walk through too.

St Nikolai tower

Hamburg waterways

To get from Germany to Denmark, we had to take a 45 minutes ferry from Puttgarden to Rodbyhavn, which takes you from Germany to one of the Danish islands. And then we drove from island to island, through green grasslands, water ways and very idyllic surroundings. Our next stop was Mons Klint, white seaside cliffs on the island of Mon. The drive till there was picturesque. We crossed over many small islands, linked with small and large bridges over the sea. There were hills everywhere, some filled with wild flowers and poppies, some had golden yellow wheat fields. We drove by scenic golf courses and small charming villages. With boats lining the marinas, and simple churches marking the villages. And the sea was everywhere. We drove up and down as this area was hilly, which added to the beauty of the landscape. I loved this drive.

The hike down

It was raining when we reached Mons Klint, but we got out anyway. And thankfully, after some time, the rain stopped. There was a reception centre at the entrance, with a small museum. There were a few trails there, and we decided to walk down the wooden stairs to reach the sea. It was raining a bit as we walked down, but then we came across a magical scene. And the sky also magically cleared at that moment. There were white cliffs of chalk against the deep blue of the sea, the dark gray clouds in the sky, and the white waves on the sea. It was such a mix of colours and landscapes, and as the rain had just stopped, the view felt surreal and refreshing. We were there for a while, taking a few pics and having a chai break, just enjoying being at such a breathtaking spot.

Mons Klint cliffs

Then we drove into Copenhagen, which felt boring given what we had just seen. We were staying at an airbnb, slightly outside of town in a residential area. We reached the Airbnb late and settled into it. It was quite comfortable and well located. There was an EV charging station nearby, as well as a park with a small pond and a few walking trails, though it rarely had any people there. 



Day 3: Explored Copenhagen

Copenhagen City Hall

On our first day in Copenhagen, it was raining. So we left our Airbnb much later in the day and mostly walked around all afternoon exploring the town. We used an app and followed its suggested route to check out all the main tourist spots. Overall, the city felt quite grand and also simple somehow. We enjoyed walking through the city, though the intermittent rain made the experience slightly challenging. Thankfully, the rain did stop at times, giving us space to move around a bit.

Olsen's world clock

We started at the main train station and walked around the Tivoli gardens. Then we walked to the City Hall (called the Radhus) which was quite grand from the inside. It had some captivating paintings, especially on the ceilings and the walls. (In fact, a year later when I visited the City Hall again for a friend’s wedding, I found the place to be a great setting for the wedding). As it started raining again, we spent a lot longer than planned at the city hall and had our chai break there. We also saw Jens Olsen’s World Clock in the city hall, which apparently can tell the time anywhere in the world at any time. Though by the time it was created, digital watches had taken over, so it wasn't as useful as earlier planned. 

Copenhagen from the top

Christiansborg Palace

Our next stop was the Christiansborg Palace which also functions as the Danish Parliament. We went up the palace tower (it’s free) and enjoyed the view of the city all around. It looked fascinating, with its new buildings and the port on the one side, and all the statues and stone buildings from old times on the other.

Nyhavn

From there we walked to Nyhavn, which was the prettiest part of town. It has lovely multi-coloured buildings lining the harbour. And all of them are now restaurants, with tourists milling around whenever you go. The rain added quite a contrast to the coloured buildings at that time.

Kongens Square

Our next stop was the grand square, Kongens Nytorv. It was a charming spot, with the green square full of bright and colourful summer flowers. We took a break there with chai. We next walked on the main market street, Stroget, which had got crowded by then as it had stopped raining. The area was lined with shops, and we checked a few of the things being sold there. And suddenly we also heard Hindi being spoken as there were so many tourists around.

Little Mermaid

Our next stop was the independent nation of Christiania. It was as expected, a very different kind of a place. With a lot of graffiti and people wandering around looking lost. It was a bit of a shock for sure. We then drove around the sea to see the Little Mermaid. It looked smaller than what we expected. We spent some time walking around the parkland nearby. There was a cruise ship parked there plus some gorgeous churches and fountains.

And then we drove through the city. There were some really nice areas, with big wide roads. simple but colourful huge houses, many water bodies and so many churches. The drive through Oster Sogade was beautiful, all along the lake. Overall the city felt slower than Amsterdam even. Lots of people were cycling in the centre. People drove within speed limits even on the highway. And didn't honk at red lights. It did feel like a great city to live in, simple and quiet. I visited the place again in winter, and it didn't feel so great then. Though the next day when the weather got sunnier, it felt better as everyone was out and swimming in the cold waters.


Day 4: Visited Kronborg castle and the Danish Riviera

Kronborg castle

The next day, we explored the Danish Riviera, the east coast of the Zealand island where the Danish have their holiday homes and spend their summers along the sea. We first drove to the Kronborg Castle and started the day from there. The castle was the highpoint of Helsingor town. It is quite striking, sitting atop an elevated plateau, overlooking the sea and Sweden beyond. It's also known as the castle where Hamlet's story is set in.

The grounds and moat around the castle are huge, with many colourful old barracks all around. The castle was owned by the Danish King and he used to spend some time there regularly. Whenever he was visiting, his whole court moved with him to Kronborg. It would then be full of activities and guests. And then he would leave, when the castle would become empty.

Sweden across the seas

We walked around the castle and sat on the stones by the sea. We could see Helsingborg in Sweden from there (which we would visit the next day). And regular ferries run from there, across to Sweden. I am generally not for visiting these castles as they all look the same to me after a point. But we did go in and I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite interesting and pretty to explore.

Inside the castle

We went up its towers, checked out the kitchens, the grand hall and ball room, the paintings and tapestries on the walls, and the underground barracks where soldiers used to live. It was all very informative to walk through. That day, they also had a Hamlet themed event being held in the castle for children. So there were various actors roleplaying different characters from the play, sitting in different rooms, giving clues to little children, which added to the fun of the day.

View from the top

From the tower, the view of the town around was lovely. It was a huge town with most houses having orange roofs. And lots of greenery. After exploring the castle, we had our chai break by the green gardens overlooking the castle.

Humlebaek village

Then we drove back till Copenhagen, all along the coast. There were wildflowers everywhere along the road and some very picturesque views. The coast was lined one by one with many big and small villages, with huge holiday homes all along the water. We stopped in two towns, Espergaerde and the beach at Humlebaek. We swam for a bit though the water was still cool. There were still loads of children doing watersports along the water, not finding it cool at all. And we had another chai break there, enjoying the serenity of the view around.

Charlottenlund

Our next stop was the Charlottenlund Fort. It was a green area and fun to walk through. We walked along the fort, the sea, the beach and the old bunkers. Just enjoying the calm views. The weather also got worse soon, so we called it a day. Overall the day was fun, seeing how the Danish spend their summers. It was calm and refreshing, though I must say, nothing extraordinary.


Day 5: Drive from Copenhagen to Gothenburg (Sweden) (3.5h) with stops in Malmo and Helsingborg

Today was another long day of driving from Denmark to Gothenburg in Sweden with some scenic stops on the way. We started out from Copenhagen, and first took the Oresund bridge crossing over to Sweden. It was a long bridge (about 16 kms) renowned as an engineering feat, with a hefty toll. Then we mostly drove along the Swedish coast, through miles and miles of wheat fields.

Ribban beach

Our first stop was the Ribersborgsstranden (also called Ribban) beach in Malmo. It was a sunny day and the water was quite warm. So the beach was full of people. The water was clean and almost green. We sat there for a while for a chai break, swimming in the water and sleeping in the sun on the grass next to the beach.

Helsingborg from the park

We continued our drive along the coast, through empty lands, with only fields till wherever the eyes could see. The road quality was fine but not as great as the Netherlands (I think I have been spoiled for life given the almost perfect highways of the Netherlands). Also I noticed, most of the drivers on the highways were following the speed limit, unlike in the Netherlands. 

Walking down to Helsingborg

Our second stop on the way was the Slottshagen Park in the town of Helsingborg, a park on elevated land with a view across town, and a castle and tower nearby. We had our lunch break there, enjoying the greenery and flowers in the garden. The park was up above on the cliff, so we admired the expanse of the small town below. We walked down the grand stairs from the park to the city centre along the waterfront. It was quite an active place, with grand buildings and an active city centre. The drive after was so boring, that we only stopped at a Tesla supercharger on the way. I think this boring part of the drive made me more tired than usual. 

And then we reached Gothenburg. We were staying at the Waterfront Cabins which sounded a lot more picturesque than they were. They were modern studio apartments near the waterfront. But they were quite tough to get to as a lot of the roads in town were closed. Also the first views of the place weren't great, though it got better as we checked in and walked around the complex. But as it was only a night halt, we didn't bother much. We drove into town for a bit and it seemed pleasant, though most of it was under construction somehow. Also I was too tired that day to enjoy it too much. (to be continued)


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