Last year, I was blessed to travel abroad to Denmark and Norway to see the 2025 Geoguessr World Championship, amongst other things. This was my first time leaving the country – a burden I’d been wanting to shed for over a decade. We spent several days in Copenhagen, Oslo, the smaller cities of Gudvangen and Flåm, then Bergen, before rounding out the trip with final night back in Copenhagen.

The Geoguessr World Championships took place over two days, going down to the wire in the overtime-reserved “NMPZ” mode, where players guess their location on Google Maps without the ability to move, pan or zoom the streetview camera, hence the name. Fan favorite American, Radu C, won in the sixth round of the NMPZ overtime with very close guess near Santiago, Chile, eliminating Hungarian, Debre, who opted for Southern Mexico. Radu soaked in the moment with several celebratory laps around the K.B. Hallen arena, which reopened in 2019 after being destroyed in 2011 by a fire. Geoguessr has exploded in popularity recently, and it was exciting to be part of such an exciting moment in its unique storybook.

When we weren’t preoccupied with the Geoguessr finals, we spent time soaking up Copenhagen’s rich history, stunning architecture, unique food, and interacting with their kind citizens. We paid a visit to world famous Tivoli Gardens, enjoying the day with coffee and ice cream, watching as the children and families enjoyed theirs by riding rides and playing games. The second-oldest operating amusement park in the world, Tivoli Gardens’ architecture, gardens, concert hall, art, and location in downtown Denmark have made it influential in realms beyond theme park enthusiasm.

I found Denmark’s citizens to be gracious, carefree, and kind. Workers who interact with tourists are often trained to be this way, but even passersby were relaxed, grateful, and humble. It was a nice break from the rushed, chaotic cycle that permeates so many American minds. The real culture shock was in the seamless, efficient methods of travel. No amount of reading will prepare you for the sheer number of bikes you’ll see in Copenhagen. The ease of movement around the city put everything within reach, where time felt less constrained. This led to more spontaneous adventures, meals, and walks. We lived in the “whats” and wheres” with little attention paid to the “how.”

Norway is gentle, enchanting place. The landscape is remarkably well-preserved, and Oslo and Bergen were busy but unobtrusive. The journey we took from Oslo en route to Flåm by electric train showcased many powerful locations, entirely undisturbed outside of the occasional bike path and utility poles. Flåm, a small and isolated tourist city, provided the best shots of the trip. Sundown in Gudvangen (pictures 1 and 2 below) was equally gorgeous.

Despite the full agenda and beautiful sightseeing, my favorite moment of the trip came during a unique exchange between a [mostly] deaf traveler and a bus driver. As our first day in Flåm began to wind down, we caught a bus to Gudvangen where we’d be staying that night, before heading back to Flåm in the morning. As we boarded the bus, a man approached the bus driver and asked how he could get the Bergen that night. The bus driver, who had driven the man to Flåm earlier in the day, explained that it was too late and there were no more buses routed to Bergen. The bus driver had previously explained to the man that he needed to get on another bus that could take him to Bergen, but the man misunderstood and waited on the same bus, where we were also now situated. The man became hostile but not belligerent, loudly proclaiming “I’m dead!” and winding himself into a severe panic attack. The bus driver was remarkably composed for the situation, reiterating that he had previously explained to the man how to get to Bergen, and that there were no options left tonight for him. It remained unclear if he needed to be in Bergen for business, family, etc. but his visceral reaction indicated it was of dire importance.

It’s easy to run this encounter through a prototypical American lens: instructions were given, the man didn’t listen, and he missed his bus – better luck next time. We’ve all seen this happen to others, or perhaps victimized ourselves through the same process by missing alarms, signage, or even fine print. Instructions can be overwhelming, ignorable, or, in the event of the bus passenger, unintentionally miscommunicated. But the fact that they were present and given alleviates any the business or service provider of any wrongdoing: it wasn’t their fault you messed up.

In a divine act of kindness, this bus driver found both time and resolve to get on the phone with his employer, outline the misunderstanding, and come up with a solution for the man who, minutes earlier, had been directly in his face screaming. He explained to the man that he still needed to finish the last stop of his route in Gudvangen (where we’d be staying), but after that they’d find a way to get him to Bergen. Our short hop to Gudvangen was only 20 minutes, but a bus ride to Bergen from there would have been over 2 hours. It’s likely the man was dropped off at a location with other accessible transit options to get him to Bergen, at worst, by morning. My friend’s mother gave him some crackers and a drink – the rest of the ride took place in silence.

If you want someone to enter in your life
Show a part of your world, they can dream about
It will seem a fair idea, if you make it their idea
Go back to your corner, let them come to you

Patience is the hardest thing you have to learn
Hours seem like oceans when desire burns
Rushing in will ruin all, you must bide your time
Sow a seed in water, wait for love to grow

Being patient with someone is such a fulfilling and beautiful thing in this life. People who work jobs requiring large volumes of patience do incredible work. I’m envious of their capacities day after day, week after week. I have a lot to learn from people like the bus driver who can find it deep within themselves at the end of a shift to give every ounce of it they have to a stranger most in need.

The rest of the trip was calm and reposed. We spent a few nights in Bergen, toured Edvard Grieg’s home and experienced a live rendition of his music, saw a collection of Edvard Munch art, walked in a constant drizzle of rain, and spent too long deciding on food. We flew back to Denmark for one final night before returning home. We ate a delicious meal at Løjtehus Restaurant. I ordered my first ever fish and chips and a Carlsberg beer. The waitress told us to enjoy our trip.

We had.