Hello and Happy Monday. I hope you had a good weekend. How is your August going ? Good? We just returned from a holiday in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin and Amsterdam. A wonderful holiday filled with cool temperatures and light rain sprinkled with bursts of sunshine.

Our Northern Europe Vacation

Why we chose to vacation in Stockholm and the cities close to it had to do with our daughter Anjali studying in Stockholm for the summer. We were going to meet up with her after her program ended, and then decided to make a holiday out of it.

3 days in Stockholm, Sweden. 2 days in Copenhagen, Denmark. 4 days in Berlin, Germany. 2 days in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Cool, rainy summer holiday ☔️

The weather in all the cities we visited was cool in the 60s and 70s, partly cloudy, drizzling and sometimes even pouring rain, sprinkled with rays of sunshine.

I can honestly say this was the most unique summer holiday we’ve had weather wise ☔️🌧🌞🥰

Of course being from California, my Cali family wasn’t thrilled about it. But I loved it! I do enjoy sightseeing in cooler temperatures even with light drizzle – give me cool temps anytime over hot sweltering days!

Our first stop. 3 days in Stockholm

We made our first leg of the holiday Stockholm to pick up Anjali and check out the sites around the city. We covered a lot in 3 days. Vasa Museum, The Nordic Museum, The Abba Museum, Gamla Stan (Old Town), The Nobel Prize Museum, And City Hall where the Nobel Prize Banquet is held.

What I love about Stockholm

What I love about Stockholm is the beautiful vast water ways everywhere you look, surrounded by old buildings. It’s a gorgeous city that looks like a cheerful Venice.

Tourists are few in Stockholm making sightseeing stress free and enjoyable.

The local people are so friendly and speak English which makes it easy to get around. Metro and public transport are amazing, Ubers and taxis are easy and affordable and walking in the central part of the city is so picturesque that you can walk along the waterfront and get to many of the beautiful sites, while enjoying gorgeous scenery around you.

2 Days in Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen is a relatively small city especially where the main tourist sites can be found. It was raining while were here but that didn’t deter us from getting around and checking out this charming city.

We covered the Design Museum, The Little Mermaid Statue, and strolled and explored Nyhavn. Copenhagen is a pretty city worth checking out for a quick 2 day visit.

4 days in Berlin, Germany

Berlin is one happening city filled with history, excitement, fun and lots to do. Berlin! Oh my the history in this city! WWII monuments and museums and Holocaust memorials and monuments abound. The Berlin Wall, Cold War Memorials and Museums, Museum Island, restaurants with global cuisine, and a multi cultural atmosphere.

We barely covered all the major sites, we could have easily spent a week in Berlin to cover everything the city as to offer. We just have to come back 😉.

We saw the Holocaust Memorial, The Topography of Terror Museum, Check Point Charlie, East Berlin Wall, West Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall, a day trip to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, checked out Museum Island, and walked along the river. We covered a lot, and yet there is so much more to see here.

What I love about Berlin 🧸

I love the history that abounds in Berlin and how the city hasn’t shied away from its dark past. Museums abound on all topics historical from the Nazi regime to the Cold War. And there are also lots of new non historical and fun museums too.

The city is multicultural with people from all parts of the world who are are very proud of their city, what it has overcome, where it is now, and where it’s heading.

There is a palpable positive energy in this city – it was very cool to see in this time of so much political angst.

2 days in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, probably the most touristy city on our holiday and yet it was fun and interesting. This city is surrounded by hundreds of man made canals – really it’s another Venetian style city in Europe.

Amsterdam is flanked on both sides of the canals with gingerbread style homes. Seriously folks, all I could think is “Gingerbread must have been invented here.”

The famous sites in Amsterdam include the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, The Rijksmuseum and the Red Light District.

Off the Beaten Path

We got to check out a few off the beaten path museums such as the Van Loon House Museum to get a glimpse of how the merchants of Amsterdam lived.

The most unique museum I’ve ever been to was The Lord in the Attic Museum! A full church built in the attic of one of the homes. It was fascinating.

What I love about Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a charming city filled with canals, bridges and sidewalks flanked by picture perfect homes that look like they belong in a postcard.

Cafes and shops on every street, cool weather, beautiful buildings, this is a city one could get lost in just walking the streets.

We could have stayed for two more days and done a couple of day trips to Delft where Delft Blue Factory is, or gone to Kinderdijk to see the windmills. You know what this means? We just have to go back to Amsterdam!

That’s a brief look at our summer vacation 2023.

I hope this brief itinerary gave a glimpse of how beautiful the Nordics and surrounding areas are to visit. I’ll share more details on the places we saw and also share with you tips on where you HAVE to buy tickets in advance as they do not sell them on location.

Wishing you a Fabulous Week Ahead!

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