Oulu-Helsinki-Stockholm-Lund-Copenhagen

Posted on 25th Feb 2026 by insightndes

It’s back on the train heading to Helsinki.

I had not reserved a seat. The train conductor pointed out that the train was going to get very full. She found a seat with a cancelled booking for me.

Some of the trees are heavily laden with snow.

Some pretty houses on the way.

Its then on to a tram to go to the ferry.

It’s warmed up in Helsinki do the snow is getting slightly slushy.

We get sightings of the different waterways from the tram.

Some interesting buildings on the way.

The tram arrives at the ferry terminal

Checking in and going through passport control is fast and straightforward.

Off to find my cabin which is on the fifth deck, the level we entered on.

The sun is setting as we leave Helsinki giving some magical views.

How close !

A wander round the boat, some food, then to bed. There is live music on board and a massive dinner buffet. However I got up for the breakfast buffet. Again with a view.

Then it’s a trip with a bus and underground to the Central Station.

Temperatures have risen since my previous visit.

A little walk to the central station.

The snow is reducing.

I changed to a regional train at Lund. No pictures as I spotted a train leaving before my planned connection so did a rapid change. Now I was 35 minutes ahead of schedule.

The sky is grey with very low cloud.

Malmo sky

Disappointingly the crossing on the bridge from Sweden to Denmark is very foggy.

The bridge crossing.

Modern buildings not far from Copenhagen Airport

Tourism, Travel

Helsinki

Posted on 20th Feb 2026 by insightndes

It is cold and snowy in Helsinki.

I had plenty of time before checking in time for the hotel, so decided to ride the tram to the end of the line and get the flavour of Helsinki.

Got to the end of the line having passed the central station. Hopped onto a different tram on the basis that it would go to the central station, which it did.

It’s one stop up the line on the train to where I am staying.

Snowy forest near hotel.

The hotel is in the Tripla mall which is attached to the railway station.

Had some good food in Helsinki.

View of the station from the restaurant

Sun about to rise Kaiseniemeniahti – frozen.

The snow is often not cleared but strewn with grit to help the grip. Most of the time this is fine but just occasionally I found a slippery patch.

Travel

No fly zone …. Paused

Posted on 19th May 2025 by insightndes

Due to work commitments I had to fly back to Scotland. Still managed to complete the journey by rail.

Very early start to get the 0740 flight to Heathrow. A trip involving a tram and the airport bus to Budapest Airport. Budapest is a fairly pleasant airport compared to the nightmare that is Heathrow. Then onto Inverness Airport, which now has its own railway station. Inverness airport is relatively pleasant.

Not great flying but almost halved the carbon footprint compared to flying both ways.

A 45 min wait for the 12 min train ride to Inverness. Then a further wait before heading to the far north.

Beauly Firth.

In contrast to the other train lines the vegetation is really close to the track.

A spectacular display as the sun sets on the journey north.

Environment, Tourism, Travel

Thurso to Bucharest and back- the summary

Posted on 6th Mar 20256th Mar 2025 by insightndes

The journey

The map taken from the Interrail app shows just how far the journey was, but misses the far north line and the detour to Oxfordshire.

From the Interrail app: 5784 km distance

15 trains on the Interrail ticket, 20 in total.

Seven countries.

Weather

Sunny almost throughout, but a big variation in temperature. Highest ,around 14 centigrade in Augsburg, lowest -10 in Bucharest.

Food

The food was good, but had to get creative in the meat centric countries. I had my first experience of a Lebanese restaurant in Bucharest, the very good Coin-Vert Libanez.

I had to fight through the snow and ice to get to it. A week later I had my second Lebanese restaurant experience in Paris.

Plenty of good food on this trip.

Hotels

I stayed in three Premier Inn plus rooms, three varieties of Ibis: budget, styles and no moniker, a Radisdon Individuals Schiller Park in Linz and Ramada by Wyndham in Bucharest.

Best bed:Premier Inn plus

Best shower: Premier Inn plus

Best view: Ramada by Wyndham

Best location: Hotel Schiller Park- in central location near the railway station.

Best breakfast: Ramada by Wyndham

Best rooms: Premier Inn plus

Most expensive: Premier Inn St Pancras

Best check out times: Ibis / check out by noon.

I like the simplicity of the Ibis Budget.

Locations

Both Augsburg and Linz were amazing places to visit. Smaller and not as busy as Vienna but interesting buildings and history. Bucharest lacked the beautiful buildings but the lake was beautiful.

Travelling by train emphasised the change in landscape and buildings. Farmhouses are tiny and ramshackled in Romanian but huge and well maintained in Austria and Germany.

People

As well as meeting the natives of each country that I visited I was surprised to meet people from so many other countries. I had conversations with Qataris, Russians, Albanians, Norwegians, New Zealanders, Moldovans, Canadians, Taiwanese and probably more. Talking to Austrians in German with their local accents was a joy, including a woman in her 90s from Vienna,

Cycling

Cycling was awful in Bucharest, but faster than cars. Driving in Bucharest also looks awful. Paris cycle way provision is good in Paris, but blocked by vehicles on the Sunday. Vienna was busy, Augsburg pleasant. I heard a tram hitting a car in Vienna and saw the massive crumpled side of the car, the tram just drove off. The closest I came to an accident was Inverness, where a car was being driven at 60 mph in a 30 zone, as I was turning right. The bike gave a good way to cross cities between stations and to get to hotels. It was also a great luggage trolley.

Tourism

Linz

Posted on 1st Mar 20251st Mar 2025 by insightndes

I start the visit to Linz with some food at a nearby Korean restaurant.

The next day I explore.

Back to the hotel for breakfast.

And then more exploration.

Linzer Landstraße

There are plenty of impressive buildings

More tram action

I think I can see the top of the steeple from my hotel window.

The bells

Interesting courtyards and passages off streets

Looking away from the Hauptplatz to the Landstraße

More views

The semi ruined Schloß had been developed

Time for refreshment.

And then have a trip on the Pöstlingbergzug. This heads from the Hauptplatz to the Pöstlingbergkirche. Which appears in my earlier photos on the other side of the valley.

Going up.

Passing place.