It was a snowy January day when she asked me, “Wanna go to Scandinavia for the weekend?”

“But it’s winter there!” I protested.

“It’s winter here, too. What’s the diff?”

I shrugged. She had a point. “Fine. I’ll go.” Moments later, six girls booked a flight.

When I would mention to friends where we were going, I’d laugh and bat a hand when they made requests for Swiss cheese and Swiss chocolates and even recommended that I buy a watch. Clearly, they hadn’t grown up watching the Swedish chef on Sesame Street like I had and therefore were unaware of what Scandinavia was known for—MEATBALLS. Shaking my head, I’d instill my great wisdom upon them and say, “Not Switzerland, you silly goose. I’m going to the land of Vikings, IKEA, and tall people with blond braids.”

Travelling to a place many people (like me) knew nothing about made Scandinavia all the more alluring.

We began our girl’s getaway wearing all our clothes in layers—every day, all day—in Stockholm, Sweden. I was expecting old ruins from Viking days gone by or at least leftover timber dwellings (think Pioneer Village). But aside from the cobblestone historic old town, Gamla Stan, there wasn’t a whole lot of medieval-ness. Stockholm was surprisingly modern. I’m not saying it was difficult to find cave-like cafés down narrow stone stairwells to sample famous cinnamon rolls. I’m not even suggesting that we didn’t take a million selfies in front of beautiful old colourful buildings perched on their picturesque harbourfront. We did all of these things and much more. I was just impressed with how Stockholm had kept their old stuff looking like it was built yesterday and the way they blended old and new together seamlessly.

My things-I-loved-about-Sweden list includes the Stockholm Public Library (because it’s free, the round atrium is stunning, and I’m a writer), the old town (reasons why listed in paragraph above), the cemetery (dead people buried in a forest—UNESCO), and topping the list hands down was the Vasa Museum.

So, you know when you’re trip planning and you Google ‘what to see and do’ and the top place is some maritime museum and you’re like, ‘meh’? That was me researching the Vasa Museum. So when we arrived, we expected to spend fifteen or twenty minutes inside just to say we saw the place, similar to what some people do at the Louvre in Paris: run in, elbow through the crowd to see Mona Lisa, take a selfie, exit the building. But at the Vasa, two hours went by and we were still picking our jaws up off the floor. I know what you’re thinking, “The whole museum is about one ship? What’s the big deal?” It’s not just any ship—it’s a warship from the 1600’s that sank on its maiden voyage. It remained under water for 333 years. This Scandinavian treasure is 98% complete, original, and preserved like it was built yesterday. It’s housed in a modern building dedicated to telling its story and the story of those who went down with the ship. I felt like I was walking through a Netflix original documentary in real time. My pictures suck, but I still took 4000 and I would go back to take 4000 more.

After Sweden, our group of six downsized to four as we continued our journey via high-speed train to Copenhagen, Denmark—the land of (more) Vikings, the Little Mermaid, and apple Danishes.

Having spent the first half of our trip in Stockholm, a city of almost a million people, we thought Copenhagen would be much quieter given that it has half the population. Wrong. This city was busy and full of life and their pedestrian area kicked-ass. What’s cooler (or sadder) is that they have a monarchy and we happened to be there when their king passed away. No, we didn’t see the funeral, but we caught glimpses of the procession and toured the palace for a taste of royalty.

And now, for my favourite attraction in Copenhagen… Do you know where the two oldest theme parks in the world are? That’s right—Denmark! Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest, was the highlight of Copenhagen for me. I know this sounds crazy, but the theme park was sort of cheesy, and that’s exactly what I loved about it. It delivered the vintage feel of the 1800’s in bucketfuls. Back then, this place must have been the cat’s meow! Tivoli Gardens was all lit up and decorated like a true winter wonderland. They had snow, snowmen, ice rinks, fire pits, hot cocoa, a sound and lights display, and even toboggans.

Ohhh, the toboggans. Inside a penguin themed tent stood a manmade hill equipped with wee sleds built for four-year-olds surrounded by supervising parents. Moms and dads watched as their four-year-olds—and my friend and me—slid down. Our out of control giggling must’ve inspired other adults to misbehave. We started a trend. After us, the line grew to include those over the age of four. And rightfully so! Why should children have all the fun?

And now, in closing, I will answer your burning questions.

Yes, I tried Swedish meatballs and they very were good.

No, I did not see one single IKEA.

Sadly, I looked for but didn’t find any apple Danishes.

The Little Mermaid was just that—little. They should’ve named her the Mini-Mermaid.

Big shocker—Vikings didn’t really have horns on their helmets.

And, most surprisingly, did you know that Vikings weren’t even blond? Okay, some were. But mostly they were red-headed. Interesting fact: During the Nazi regime, the blond stereotype was portrayed as historical proof in propaganda in order to recruit Scandinavian supporters.

And lastly, did we freeze our butts off? You’re damn right we did. IT IS COLD in Scandinavia and don’t ever let anyone tell you it’s not that bad. However, even though I despise winter more than Frosty The Snowman hates summer, I’m glad I went in February instead of waiting for better weather and here’s why… if I had waited around for the perfect circumstance, the perfect forecast, the perfect time in my schedule, I would’ve missed the perfect opportunity without knowing when the next one would arise. Life is short or life is long depending on how you look at it. But one thing is for certain: life is unpredictable. So who cares if it’s not the best weather? Just do it at least once. Will I go to Scandinavia again in the winter? NO. Well… probably not. Then again, mayyybe.

*sighs and shrugs shoulders* Fine. I’ll go.