Oslo

(Again, I apologise for taking so long to write this)

The oldest of the Scandinavian capitals, Oslo is intimate, modern and elegant. More compact and less crowded than Stockholm, it is similar in size to Helsinki and feels like a town as opposed to a large city. For example, an accidental (and very pleasant) discovery was the presence of some lovely old houses a mere few blocks away from the main street. Small enough to be easily traversed on foot (with the exception of some attractions that are at a distance from the city centre), Oslo is nevertheless serviced by an extremely good public transport system. This is a trend that I have observed consistently throughout my travels, and one that also leaves me ruing the tragic state of the public transport system back in Melbourne.

Helsinki and Stockholm

(I apologise to everybody for taking so long to write this)

I arrived in Helsinki in the early afternoon and had two days to explore the town before flying to Stockholm. Having been an outpost of the Russian empire for more than a century, I had read that the city exhibited Soviet influences. This was not apparent when I arrived, but it became clear in retrospect as I visited the other Scandinavian capitals. In comparison to Moscow and St Petersburg, Helsinki feels like a much smaller, more intimate town. There are few tall buildings, many wide boulevards divided by parkland, and the inner city is essentially surrounded by water -- it occupies a peninsula that projects out into the Baltic Sea, resulting in some beautiful harbours.