I'm on the final leg back to the jungle after a summer Europe trip frontloaded with a business layover in Boston the first week.
1) Boston is beautiful in summer and rich in history. A hot lobster roll with melted butter al fresco by the harbor in a sunny day are something to behold.
2) Southern Sweden is vastly different than my initial impression last November and highly underrated. Most things about Sweden in summer can be summed up as pleasant, convenient, and tranquil. Gothenburg was a highlight. Liseberg is surprisingly clean and well run.
3) Norway feels a bit like Lord of the Rings, with a touch of Alaska. Interesting driving experiences there. We stayed on the island of Hidra. Incredible stillness and solitude with a silence that fills your head. We spent some time hiking near Flekkefjord and took a car-ferried to Skågen, Denmark.
4) Råbjerg Mile, Denmark is an unforgettable experience. The northern coast has a strange, almost overexposed photo look to it with bright sun and pale colors of earth and vegetation. Even the architecture is pale.
5) Southern Denmark. The castles and gardens of Egeskov and Christiansborg Slot are impressive. It's hard to fathom having that much wealth transferred through time. Immaculate collections of automobiles, art, and plants stretch the grounds.
Maybe we just got lucky, but the weather was absolutely perfect.