The Rest of Scandinavia (#7 Copenhagen, #8 Malmo, #9 Stockholm)

Don't get me wrong -- I'm sure they are absolutely wonderful, delightful countries, full of interesting and important sights and culture. But, in the face of touring the entire world, I really couldn't think of very much to stop off and see in Sweden or Finland. So, my route will head east through Stockholm and Helsinki to my true destination, St. Petersburg.

But first, I'm in the mood for a nice cheese danish for breakfast. A real Danish danish. So, it's off to Denmark! Aarhus, to be precise. Did you know that Denmark is Europe's oldest kingdom? Me neither!

Start: ENTO, 0642; $13358.50 and 26gal

I'm hauling a load of newspapers and mail this morning, so it'll be a nice, quiet flight. There's about 100 miles of ocean between Norway and Denmark, so not much to see get pretty close to Aarhus, which is the second-largest city in Denmark, and its main port. I'll be flying over the Aarhus Cathedral prior to setting up my approach to the airport. At least, I'll be flying over where the Cathedral is supposed to be. Aarhus isn't one of the "extra detail" cities in FSX, so it turns out to be (nice looking) auto-gen buildings instead of the real McCoy. I should probably limit my "top 100" sights to landscapes, and stick to the 76 detailed FSX cities (don't worry, I've got a list!). Of course, some of the landscape features are missing, too (see Vøringfossen from yesterday).

You know, the other thing I've noticed aside from missing "landmark buildings" is that an awful lot of the countryside is made up of small farms. They're very nice looking (I don't know whether to thank Microsoft, or Flight1 [Ground Environment X]), but surely Europe is more than just farmland?!

End: EKAH, 0908; $14154.10 and 40gal

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I've got 2 CAVA passengers and 1 NF passenger. Although we're heading for Save airbase in Sweden (to the northeast), I'll take a detour (to the southeast) to see Copenhagen and Malmo along the way -- it's still early in the morning, so an 80 mile diversion seems okay to me! And both are supposed to be cities with added custom detail in FSX.

Approaching Copenhagen, I am hopeful. Although the landscape is still a patchwork, it looks more like lawns of good sized yards and less like farms. The it morphs into recognizable suburbs (which I suppose look pretty much the same everywhere!). And I see an actual city in the distance! Once I arrive, I am pleased. Copenhagan is a realistic, detailed, unique city.

Copenhagen

I wish I had more time to spend in Copenhagen. I wish I were really there! But, it's off to fly over Malmo, Sweden (a short 12 miles away). Again, a fairly nice rendering. Malmo is definitely different from Copenhagen -- much less a concentrated city, very few "skyscrapers" and has the appearance of being more residential.

Okay, enough tourista stuff -- on to the airbase.

End: ESGP, 1145; $16424.80 and 23gal

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There's not a single FSE job heading east, so I'm off on a solo flight to Skovde, where I'll pick up 154kg of fuel headed for Stockholm. About 15 miles out, it suddenly got very foggy. And I'm flying VFR. But, ESGR is uncontrolled, so what's a little water vapor between friends. I descend and use my handheld GPS to get lined up. The lower I get, the better I can see, and 6 miles out, I have the runway in sight. Ta da! One of my better landings, it turned out.

I was planning to get fuel at this stop, but they don't have any. Luckily, I have enough to get me to my next stop.

End: ESGR, 1233; $16424.80 and 17gal

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I want to go to Stockholm, just to say I did (and because it's another detailed FSX city). So, that's where I'm going next. Turns out to be a well-rendered city -- a believable mix of large and smaller buildings, and a few recognizable landmarks (which I don't recognize, since I've never been to Stockholm!). I'm not sure if this one is a storage tank, power plant, or Euro Epcot!

What is that thing?

The sky has cleared, but the wind has really picked up. My approach and landing remind me of a bucking bronco. Glad I don't have any passengers this leg.

End: ESSB, 1417; $16984.60 and 7gal