As a Black man in Minnesota, Timothy Brewington said that where he comes from, when you encounter a police officer, you turn around.

“You don’t want eye contact, you don’t want any type of communication,” Brewington said. “And it’s really the uniform. You try to stay away from the uniform.”

In Black culture, police often represent the opposite of what they’re meant to, he said. Instead of safety, they present fear among people of color – and the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 further cemented this for many.

Black communities also tend to be more aware that American policing as we know it evolved in part from slave patrols that were “empowered to control and deny access to equal rights to freed slaves,” as the NAACP explains it.

So, where do people go from there? In a country where policing is meant to serve as the system of safety, of protection, of servanthood, how does law enforcement ensure the well-being of their entire community is protected regardless of race, identity and ability?

Woodbury, a growing population of more than 80,000, does not claim to have all the answers, but it is being intentional in hearing everyone’s voices, according to Public Safety Director and Chief Jason Posel.

In 2019, Woodbury’s Public Safety Department and members of the community joined together to create the Multicultural Advisory Committee, or MAC, to help strengthen the relationship between police and the community. Each committee member volunteers to represent their various ethnic and cultural backgrounds and work alongside law enforcement to review policy, help create initiatives and form relationships, which all contribute to creating a safer community.

“Our mission, the reason why we exist, is to serve all people with compassion and courage,” Posel said. “The Multicultural Advisory Committee is an opportunity for us to connect with the community, to work with the community to help address issues.”

Bridging gaps

The committee started in 2019 after a woman called the police department and shared how her grandson had negative encounters with law enforcement outside of Woodbury. With the desire that her grandson and others would feel safe and connected, she suggested that the community and the department have conversations to try to build trust, according to Brewington. From there, the committee bloomed and now has close to 20 members who meet in person every fourth Monday of the month.

“Like in any relationship, you have to get to know the person and, over time, you can really open up and state how you feel,” said Brewington, who joined the committee in 2019. “But the timing of the formation of this group was important, because we started in the early part of 2019, and then George Floyd was murdered in May of 2020.”

The group wasn’t formed out of crisis, Brewington said, but rather to address an existing systemic issue. Floyd’s murder, which created a massive outcry in Minnesota and globally, became a sort of “testing ground” for the committee, he said.

“That experience taught me that the department was serious about building relationships,” Brewington said. “It wasn’t just something to check off the box, something to put on the website.”

Muna Abdi, a Somali-American Minnesotan who joined the committee in 2020, said it is an opportunity for community members to have a seat at the table.

“I feel like it’s a place for me to come and advocate for community members and actually build trust with law enforcement,” Abdi said.

MAC impact

Committee members are involved in new officer hiring processes whenever possible, and more than 20 officers have been hired with use of the members’ input, Posel said. Committee members separately interview potential hires with their own set of questions, which allows the department to evaluate candidates through different lenses, Posel said.

“What I appreciate is tangible outcomes as a result of us coming together,” Brewington said.

The MAC doesn’t operate under one leader but rather as a collective, through facilitated conversations led by community member Shawn Sorrell. They meet in community spaces like the YMCA, Hero Center and the Public Safety Department, and are always asking the question “Who’s not represented?” Brewington said. Posel said this can include seniors, youth, additional multicultural communities and the LGBTQ+ community.

During the meetings, the committee will cover things from community programming to law enforcement training to traffic stops, development, policy and practices, Posel said.

“But sometimes, something’s happening in the world and we change our agenda so we can talk about what’s happening,” Brewington said.

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Members are not shy, either, Brewington said – if something is impacting them and it’s not being addressed, they’ll make it known. Right now, conversations for the committee surrounding immigration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are front and center.

Posel said the department has discussed what their role is in federal enforcement, and that Woodbury’s focus is to “enforce state law and to work with the community to address issues,” which has provided clarity to the volunteers on the role of officers. Brewington said, from the community perspective, members have shared information to help people know what their rights are, where to go if they need help and what resources are available to them.

“There’s a lot of this mutual sharing that happens during our discussions,” Brewington said.

Why it matters

Brewington said being a part of the committee has given him an appreciation for how complicated the role of an officer is and an understanding of how necessary it is for officers to have good moral values, to understand their prejudices and dispositions and not allow them to impact how they treat people.

He said it’s shown him that most officers want to come to work, do a good job and serve their community.

“In the past, my tendency has been to put everybody in the same group,” Brewington said. “Now, I don’t want that done to me, but I do that to officers. This has been an experience for me to see beyond the uniform.”

Abdi said she remembers her first ride-along with officers after joining the committee, which is something each volunteer is encouraged to do at least once a year, according to Posel. Abdi spent four hours observing how officers interacted with her community.

“Seeing the practicality of the work, it was really mind-blowing,” Abdi said. “When you see an officer who’s handling the work with care and respect, it’s really amazing.”

Everyone in Woodbury wants to feel safe and respected and experience fair treatment, Abdi said, which is why she’s involved to advocate for others. Committee volunteers often feel as though they are ambassadors for the community, Brewington said, and their experiences carry with them in conversations with family and friends.

“The history of distrust between the police department and communities of color, it’s always present, and this group works to restore that relationship,” Brewington said.

Fear is what brought the members to the table, Brewington said, and unfortunately, while he feels safe, seen and valued in Woodbury, that doesn’t necessarily translate outside of the community. Woodbury’s is one of the few departments in the state to have a Multicultural Advisory Committee, according to the department.

“I still get that nervous feeling when there’s an officer behind me or within eyesight of me as I’m driving around (outside of Woodbury),” Brewington said.

An amazing place to live

Woodbury is an amazing place to live, Abdi said, a place where she feels at home and safe.

Brewington added that he believes Woodbury is a great place to live because of leadership from the mayor, city council, police department and other entities that focuses greatly on community engagement.

As the parent of a child with special needs, Brewington said he’s long been concerned with how officers would interact and misinterpret his child’s unwillingness to abide by commands, a fear he said many parents of neurodivergent children have.

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Now, because of what he knows of the training and resources of the Woodbury department, “if something happens with my son, I feel comfortable calling the department to come and provide aid,” he said.

It’s important to engage the community in building relationships with law enforcement and creating solutions together, Brewington said, which is as important now as it’s ever been, he said.

“This is our proactive antidote to what’s trying to divide us,” Brewington said.

Other Minnesota cities that have similar committees include Roseville, Maplewood, Coon Rapids, Hopkins, Columbia Heights, St. Louis Park, Bloomington, Edina and more.

Woodbury Multicultural Advisory Committee

To learn more about the committee or get involved, visit woodburymn.gov/881/Multicultural-Advisory-Committee.

August is full of distractions, from vacations to back-to-school plans to the Minnesota State Fair. Yet the month is traditionally one of the busiest when in comes to arena concerts in the metro.

This year is no different, with a dozen acts stopping by St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center and Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. But not all are created equal in terms of ticket sales. Here’s a look at the hot shows and, well, the ones not exactly setting the world on fire.

Hot: Nine Inch Nails

Not too long ago, it looked like Trent Reznor was ready to ditch Nine Inch Nails in favor of continuing to create terrific film scores with his longtime collaborator Atticus Ross.

That changed when the pair announced they were recording the soundtrack to the upcoming film “Tron: Ares” — as Nine Inch Nails — and released the new single “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” last month. The accompanying tour earned rave reviews in Europe this summer and is set to hit these shores this week. It features a main stage where Reznor is playing his hits and a second stage for deep cuts, acoustic renditions and remixes by German producer Boys Noize, who is also NIN’s opening act.

Tickets are nearly gone for the band’s local tour stop, which will be the first time Nine Inch Nails performs live in the metro since 2013. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 17; Xcel Energy Center)

Not: Linkin Park

Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong of Linkin Park perform at Barclays Center on September 16, 2024 in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Friends Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson began performing together as California high school students in the late ’90s. They played for several years with varying lineups before taking on vocalist Chester Bennington and landing a deal with Warner Bros. Records under the Linkin Park moniker.

The band’s 2000 debut “Hybrid Theory” topped 12 million in sales, making it one of the best-selling albums of the ’00s. It also gave the band their first of a long stream of rock radio hits with “One Step Closer,” “Crawling,” “Papercut” and Linkin Park’s breakthrough smash “In the End.”

In 2017, Linkin Park had toured South America and Europe in support of their album “One More Light” when Bennington died by suicide on July 20, a week before the planned start of the North American leg. The group canceled all shows and, that October, held a tribute show to Bennington at the Hollywood Bowl.

After taking an extended break, the band returned to action last year with a new lead singer, Emily Armstrong. While their first run of 11 tour dates sold out — including a two-night stand in Brazil that drew more than 96,000 fans — sales for the summer outing are struggling. It doesn’t help matters that they’re touring on an in-the-round stage that opens up seats throughout the entire arena. The majority of the upper deck at Target Center remains unsold. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 27; Target Center)

Hot: Benson Boone

Benson Boone performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Friday, April 11, 2025, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

A Washington state native, Benson Boone’s first experience performing was when a friend asked him to play piano and sing in their high school’s battle of the bands. After graduating in 2020, he briefly attended Brigham Young University before dropping out to pursue a career in music.

Boone made it onto the 19th season of “American Idol” in 2021, but withdrew from the competition after making it to the top 24. He focused on posting his music to TikTok and won the attention of Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, who signed Boone to his Night Street Records label.

His 2021 debut single “Ghost Town” went platinum, as did 2022’s “In the Stars.” But Boone’s career really took off with last year’s “Beautiful Things,” one of the year’s biggest hits on the planet. It reached No. 2 in the States and topped the charts in 19 other countries.

While Boone’s singles from his sophomore album “American Heart” haven’t found the same success, his current tour is a hot ticket and it kicks off right here in St. Paul. (8 p.m. Aug. 22; Xcel Energy Center)

Not: The Offspring

Dexter Holland of The Offspring performs live on stage during day one of Lollapalooza Brazil at Autodromo de Interlagos on March 22, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Guitarist/vocalist Bryan “Dexter” Holland and bassist Gregory “Greg K.” Kriesel formed what would become the Offspring in 1983. Guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman joined the following year and the band released their first single “I’ll Be Waiting” in 1986. They went on to sign to a small label and issue their self-titled debut before inking a deal with emerging punk label Epitaph Records.

The Offspring didn’t take off in a major way until their third album, 1994’s “Smash,” found success in the wake of Nirvana and Green Day bringing punk to the masses. Fueled by the singles “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem” and “Gotta Get Away,” “Smash” topped six million in sales and stands to this day as Epitaph’s biggest selling album.

With a newfound and large audience, the band jumped ship to Columbia Records for 1997’s “Ixnay on the Hombre.” For the next decade, the Offspring maintained a strong presence on both rock and alternative radio. They only released one album in the ’10s, but continued to tour.

Their current tour supports the band’s 11th album, “Supercharged,” but despite high-profile opening acts Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory, ticket sales have been sluggish for their local tour stop. Maybe longtime fans are happy to have caught the Offspring at last summer’s inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club Festival? (7 p.m. Aug. 15; Target Center)

Hot: Tate McRae

Tate McRae performs at The Greek Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Canadian pop star Tate McRae began dance lessons at the age of six, when her family was briefly living in Oman due to her father’s job. Two years later, she returned to Canada and furthered her studies at the training school for the Alberta Ballet Company. She went on to perform with various American dance troupes and, in 2016, made it to third place on “So You Think You Can Dance.”

The following year, McRae began posting her own original songs on her YouTube channel, which was previously devoted to dance videos. Her track “One Day” earned the attention of nearly a dozen record labels. She signed with RCA in 2019 and released her breakthrough single “You Broke Me First” the following year.

In the time since, McRae found further success with “You,” “She’s All I Wanna Be,” “10:35,” “Greedy” and “Exes” as well as the trio of singles from her most recent album, “So Close to What.” (7:30 p.m. Aug. 13; Xcel Energy Center)

Not: Deftones

Chino Moreno leads Deftones, whose summer tour will bring them to Minneapolis’ Target Center on Aug. 29, 2025. (Courtesy of Clemente Ruiz)

Childhood friends Chino Moreno (vocals), Stephen Carpenter (guitar) and Abe Cunningham (drums) began jamming together in 1988 when they were in high school. They brought a diverse group of inspirations — hardcore punk, post-punk, new wave and heavy metal — to form a unique sound that straddled alt-rock and metal.

After some lineup changes, the group adopted the name Deftones and signed with Madonna’s Maverick Recordings in 1993. They released “Adrenaline” two years later and toured heavily to support it. In 1996 alone, Deftones played 7th Street Entry, First Avenue, Target Center twice (opening for Ozzy Osbourne and Pantera) and the Dinkytown McDonald’s parking lot.

They scored their first hit in 2000 with “Change (In the House of Flies),” which landed at No. 9 on Billboard’s mainstream rock chart, the group’s first of a dozen times they visited that chart’s Top 20. The following year, Deftones won their first Grammy, a best metal performance nod for “Elite.”

Three decades into their career, the band has booked their largest local arena show to date. But soft sales suggest Deftones may downsize to the Armory, which they filled in 2022. (7 p.m. Aug. 29; Target Center)

Hot: Billy Strings

Born William Lee Apostol in a household plagued by drug abuse, Billy Strings earned his stage name from his aunt, who recognized the young man’s talent playing a number of bluegrass instruments.

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Strings’ stepfather, an accomplished amateur musician, introduced him to traditional bluegrass acts like Doc Watson, Del McCoury and Earl Scruggs, while Strings explored classic rock (Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead) and metal (Black Sabbath, Def Leppard).

After spending four years performing with mandolin player Don Julin, Strings went solo in 2017 and turned heads from the start, with Rolling Stone pegging him as one of its top 10 new country artists to know that year. He signed to Rounder in 2019 and his sophomore effort “Home” went on to win a Grammy for best bluegrass album.

Thanks in part to his heavy touring, Strings has built an ever-growing cult following. His local arena debut follows a string of shows at the Turf Club, First Avenue, the Palace Theatre, Surly Brewing Festival Field and the Armory. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 9; Target Center)

St. Paul threw what was then its biggest party ever to mark the opening of Highland Park in August 1925.

The seven-hour celebration, which boasted free barbecue and band concerts between speeches from local officials lauding the potential of the city’s newest park, drew more people than opening day at the Minnesota State Fair a month later.

“They called it a monster picnic,” said Charlie Evans, a St. Paul Public Works designer who has researched Highland Park’s history.

“It was pretty primitive when it first opened,” he said of the park. “Even so, they still had 30,000 people show up.”

Highland Park would eventually become a jewel of St. Paul’s park system, helping to spur the development of the surrounding neighborhood that shares its name. But in 1925, it was just 244 acres of swampy fields more than three miles from the city center.

Many St. Paulites didn’t see the value in this far-flung piece of property, and park backers hoped to win them over with an afternoon of free food and entertainment.

A new park

The early decades of the 20th century were transformative for St. Paul’s parks.

While they had long been oases of natural beauty where residents could escape the noise and pollution of urban life, parks also came to be viewed by St. Paulites and city officials as venues for “active, organized recreation,” local historian Andrew J. Schmidt wrote in 2002.

The peaceful lakes and manicured gardens of Como and Phalen parks soon found themselves sharing the landscape with golf courses, tennis courts and baseball fields. Park-goers flocked to these new amenities.

When the Ford Motor Co. bought up land for a factory on the city’s southwestern edge in 1923, officials instantly recognized that the surrounding farmland would soon be developed into housing for auto workers. And they would need a park of their own.

Highland Park was conceived with active recreation in mind from the start. In addition to golf, tennis and baseball facilities, it would be equipped with a swimming pool, a football stadium and a toboggan slide.

As the price tag for this new park grew, parks commissioner Herman Wenzel asked the city council to fund its purchase and development by taxing surrounding property owners in a sprawling assessment district, which stretched from the Mississippi River in the west to Dale Street in the east and Summit Avenue to the north, Evans said.

Wenzel’s plan faced stiff opposition from taxpayers. One of his co-workers later wrote that the commissioner’s wife “received telephone communications to the effect that she would probably be a widow if the agitation for the park continued.”

The party on Aug. 9 was billed as a chance for skeptical St. Paulites to see what they were paying for.

“Many do not know where the park is,” the St. Paul Daily News editorialized on the eve of the celebration. “Others think it inaccessible. It is to acquaint people with their new park that the monster community picnic has been arranged by the park department and four community organizations for Sunday.”

‘Monster community picnic’

The party began at 2 p.m. with a series of sporting events that pitted picnickers against each other for donated prizes in everything from sack races and tug-of-war to horseshoes and kittenball — an early version of softball.

One of the wildest events was a motorcycle hill climb, in which riders zipped up a 300-foot hill in about seven seconds.

“There was a near panic when one of the motorcycles in the hill climb broke through the thickly massed crowd near the top and started back down,” the Pioneer Press reported. “The broad line of spectators on the south side of the track got away like a football backfield.”

Fortunately, no one was injured.

Dinner was served after a series of speeches from Wenzel and other officials. St. Paulites “consumed floods of pop and acres of ice cream cones,” according to the Pioneer Press.

The festivities were capped off with a fireworks display in the evening.

The picnic seems to have swayed some — but certainly not all — Highland Park skeptics. When the city council met in October to vote on Wenzel’s $452,000 assessment proposal, several hundred taxpayers showed up to testify on both sides of the issue.

“You know what you’ll get for this,” one outraged property owner shouted during the hearing. “You’ll get a kick in the anatomy.”

The council ultimately voted to approve the assessment.

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For two weeks in June, I never saw the night sky.

I did, however, see soaring mountains sinking into impossibly blue fjords, vast glaciers, historic urban centers, beautifully manicured gardens and too many waterfalls to count.

A group of Pioneer Press readers and I toured Scandinavia, which was everything I hoped it would be and more. We visited Sweden, Denmark and Norway, getting glimpses into cosmopolitan cities and remote wilderness. And we were there during the summer solstice, during which the sun sets after 11 p.m. and rises before 4 a.m.

Here’s a rundown of our trip, which was hosted by Collette Tours and co-sponsored by the Pioneer Press.

Sweden

Colorful buildings in Stockholm, Sweden’s old town. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

We began our trip in Stockholm, the stunning capital of Sweden, which is essentially 14 islands connected by 57 bridges.

Approximately one million people reside in the city proper, which is a blend of historic buildings and contemporary architecture. All the bridges make the city extremely walkable, despite all the water.

Our tour manager, Mattias Andersson, is from Sweden, so he was full of quick facts about his home country. A few things Sweden is known for: IKEA, meatballs, shrimp toast, Pippi Longstocking (author Astrid Lindgren is Swedish) and Abba.

After getting to know Andersson over those two weeks, I’d also venture to say that Swedes should be known for fierce loyalty to their country (he loved to spar with our Danish and Norwegian motorcoach drivers over which Scandinavian country was the best) and goofy senses of humor. Believe it or not, Andersson even tells Ole and Lena jokes!

For our welcome dinner, we had some of those famous meatballs, which were bigger than the IKEA version, but honestly pretty similar in flavor, complete with as many lingonberries as we could scoop onto our plates. It was tasty, but I preferred the toast skagen, which is a creamy salad made with tiny, briny shrimp, piled onto buttery toast.

The Gold Room in Stockholm City Hall. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

Stockholm is also the birthplace of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite who founded the Nobel Foundation and its prestigious prizes.

All but the Nobel Peace Prize (which is awarded in Oslo, Norway) are presented in a lavish ceremony in Stockholm, at the breathtaking Stockholm City Hall, completed in 1923.

On the morning after our arrival, we toured the building, hearing from a guide about the beautiful Blue Room where the main ceremony takes place. It’s much smaller than I expected, especially because around 1,300 people attend.

The architect, Ragnar Östberg, intended the blue tiles in the ceremony space to represent the abundant water surrounding the city. He also worked and re-worked the staircase leading to the room to accommodate women in long dresses and high heels. He didn’t want any of them tripping or having to look down as cameras clicked away.

After the Nobel ceremony, guests dance in the Golden Hall, which is adorned with mosaics comprised of more than 18 million tiles, the majority of which are made with inlaid gold leaf. The mosaics tell the story of Swedish history, and it’s an excellent idea to have a guide to help interpret them.

After our visit to City Hall, we wandered through Stockholm’s quaint old town, squeezing through its narrowest street, Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, which is just 35 inches wide, and peering into shops selling hand-painted dala horses, hand-knitted sweaters and other crafts and souvenirs.

A cinnamon roll and coffee in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

Our noses led us to Grillska Huset, a tiny bakery on the main square, where we ordered some strong coffee and the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever tasted — its crisp edges and silky filling still live in my memory. I spent the entire trip trying to find a better one and failing, but the hunt was still delicious. From now on, every time I smell cinnamon, I’ll think of Sweden, where fika, the word for a coffee break that often involves pastries, is a way of life.

In the afternoon, we were offered the choice between two Stockholm museums: Abba and the Vasa Ship Museum. Though it was a tough decision (I’m a Gen Xer who grew up on Abba’s disco-adjacent stylings), I went with the ship museum.

I’m glad I did. The museum is built around a fully intact, 17th-century ship that sank just 1,400 yards into its maiden voyage in 1628. The ship was discovered in a busy shipping harbor in the 1950s, and brought up out of the water in 1961, with her hull largely intact.

The ship was one of the most heavily armored ever built. Sweden’s King Gustavus Adolphus commissioned the vessel to go to war with Poland-Lithuania, and he ordered her to be ornately decorated and armed with bronze cannons as a show of Sweden’s military ambitions.

Unfortunately, Vasa was dangerously unstable, with most of her weight residing in the upper decks, and she sank when the first breeze hit her.

Due to the conditions of the heavily polluted, muddy waters in the harbor, shipworms and other microorganisms that generally break down wood were absent, leaving Vasa remarkably intact.

To preserve the ship after she was gently lifted from the water with large pontoon boats, she was sprayed continuously with polyethylene glycol for 17 years, then allowed to dry very slowly until around 2011.

The stern of the Vasa ship in Stockholm, Sweden. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

All of this is very interesting, but the ship itself, with its ornate, intact wooden sculptures that adorn the entire stern and bow, would be incredible to look at even without knowing its history. Those sculptures were painted in bright colors that have since worn away. You can see a model in the museum of how Vasa looked when she set sail, but in my opinion, the natural wood is much more captivating.

From left, Amy and Steve Anderson, Gloria Bogen, Jess Fleming, Julie Krueger, Tim Bell, Ann Spinner, Roger Spinner and Carey Bell at the Icebar in Stockholm, Sweden. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

That evening, a group of travelers and I popped into Icebar, an indoor bar made entirely of ice. They even give you cute ponchos to wear inside, and you drink your cocktail (mine had lingonberry juice in it, naturally) out of glasses made of ice. You could tell we were the only ones in there from a northern climate, because none of us used our hoods (and one of us even wore shorts!)

On our way to Copenhagen, we stopped in Gothenburg, Sweden for a night, where we had a lovely meal in a French/Scandinavian brasserie before retiring for the night. Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and has a lively, cosmopolitan vibe. I wish we had more time there, but other places called.

Smoked salmon at Sofiero Palace in Sweden. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

The next morning there was one more stop, at Sofiero Palace, a former seaside summer home for Swedish royalty that boasts the largest collection of rhododendrons in Scandinavia. Unfortunately, they had already bloomed for the season. But the rest of the gardens, meticulously planted by  Prince Gustaf Adolf, future King Gustaf VI Adolf, and his wife, Crown Princess Margaret, in the early 1900s, are worth a wander. I especially loved the long hedge with square windows cut into it, which served as a place for early 20th-century speed dating! Men stood on one side, women on the other, and they moved from window to window trying to find a love connection.

We were treated to a fantastic salmon lunch in the palace’s charming, airy restaurant, which has beautiful views of the gardens and the sea.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Colorful harborfront houses in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

After leaving the gardens, from which we could see one of the islands of Denmark, we said goodbye to Sweden, arriving in Copenhagen in the afternoon.

Many of us headed straight for the harbor, which is dotted with colorful, multi-story buildings, most of which have restaurants on the first floor.

We hit a patio for a tasty Carlsberg beer, soaking up the sun and sea air while watching people stream by. The harbor here has been used since the Vikings ruled in the 10th Century, when the city was first established.

A hot dog in the harbor in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

We were on our own for dinner that night, and I happened across a hot dog stand near the harbor. All my research told me that I had to have one of these spectacular sausages, which come slathered in mustard, mayo, ketchup, fresh and fried onions, bacon and fresh pickle slices. It was, bar none, the best hot dog I’ve ever eaten. The sausage was well-seasoned and snappy and all the toppings worked together in perfect harmony.

The rest of the group decided to sit down for dinner, but all of them made a beeline for the same stand the next day and everyone agreed that it was a killer dog, and a cheap lunch at just about $5. I loved it so much that I had another one when everyone else did.

Before lunch that day, we wandered this clean, elegant port city, walking through secret gardens, marveling at the Baroque and Neoclassical architecture, and crossing the many bridges that connect the two islands upon which Copenhagen is built.

We took a short ride to the city’s most-photographed statue, the Little Mermaid, which is perched on a seaside rock. The four-foot-tall bronze statue is a tribute to the story by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and is considered a symbol of Denmark.

Later that afternoon, some of us took a canal tour, getting glimpses of the amazing architecture and canal life, with many houseboats and restaurants lining the way. Locals swim in the canals, and we saw some on floating rafts, having happy hour with patio chairs and tables perched on top.

A building in at dusk in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

We took a quick walk (and a Carlsberg break) in the third-oldest amusement park in the world, Tivoli Gardens, before heading back to get ready for dinner. Tivoli is a true delight: There are restaurants, bars, shops, stages, rollercoasters and even a casino — in short, something for everyone. When I return, I’ll plan to spend more time here. We did take an after-dinner stroll through the park for a nightcap, and it’s even more beautiful at dusk, as all the buildings and attractions are blanketed with colorful lights.

Snail toast at Mark Bistro & Bar in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

Copenhagen is a notoriously amazing culinary destination, so choosing a restaurant for dinner was difficult. I finally settled on Mark Bistro & Bar, which was a short walk from our hotel and offered both a la carte options and a tasting menu. A few travelers opted to dine with me, and we loved every bite — from familiar spring flavors like rhubarb, kefir and snap peas (all in one dish) to toast topped with snails and edible flowers, two things I’m somewhat leery of, but were startlingly delicious in this chef’s hands.

On our way out of town, we visited the National Museum of Denmark, where most of us spent the majority of our time in the Viking Sorceress temporary exhibition. The spellbinding exhibit starts with a walk through the fantastical world of a Viking Sorceress and ends with a hall full of artifacts from the time, many of which show what everyday life was like for those who lived in the Viking era.

It’s here that I should reveal that I was born in Green Bay, Wis., and therefore a die-hard Packer fan. When I’m traveling, one of my favorite traditions is to learn the equivalent of “cheers!” from the region and use it often when clinking wine or beer glasses with guests.

In all of Scandinavia, it’s, you guessed it, the Minnesota Vikings’ annoying rallying cry, skol. And yes, I begrudgingly said it more times than I care to recall.

Oslo, Norway

On a drive through Norway’s countryside, squat, red wooden houses punctuate the blanket of evergreens. The houses may look different from those in the Midwest, but the same firs and birch trees, even the same wildflowers and lilacs add color to the landscape.

There’s a reason so many of us have roots in Scandinavia. Our harsh winters and gorgeous summers reminded our ancestors of home.

My great-grandfather made the solo voyage from his hometown of Tromsø, Norway, to the U.S. in 1901 at the tender age of 15. He created a life for himself that included a long marriage and nine children. When he died in 1979, I was one of 53 of his great-grandchildren.

I was excited to see the land from which this part of my family originated, even if I wouldn’t get to see Tromsø, which is above the Arctic Circle and about 900 miles north of the northernmost point of this tour. (Norway is a long country!)

And from the pine-forest smell to the easy, reserved nature of its inhabitants, Norway did indeed feel like home.

We left Copenhagen via overnight ferry, waking up to glimpses of the harbor in Oslo. This big cruise ship is a pretty slick way to travel a long distance, and much more comfortable than any airplane.

A statue in Frogner Park in Oslo, Norway. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

Oslo, we quickly learned, is a cosmopolitan and growing city. There’s a stunning, modern harborside arts district, but also plenty of historic buildings mixed in with the new. Public art is abundant as well, with Frogner Park being one of the best examples. The picturesque park, which is a few minutes’ walk from the city center, is a must-see when you’re in Oslo. A local guide helped interpret the hundreds of bronze and granite statues by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, who worked on the installation for more than 20 years. The statues depict naked humans in various stages of life, many of which show intense emotions ranging from glee to despair.

We lunched at Gamle Raadhus, one of the oldest restaurants in Norway. The building, constructed in 1641, was originally the town hall. The restaurant opened in 1856 and has been operating nearly continuously since.

Our whitefish and cabbage-wedge entree was preceded by a silky, nutty cauliflower soup. Both were excellent, and the 1920s-era interior provides a great atmosphere.

“Anxiety” by Edvard Munch, from the Munch musuem in Oslo, Norway. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

I also recommend the Munch Museum, dedicated to the works of Edvard Munch, whose most famous painting, “The Scream,” resides in the building. Munch spent most of his life in Oslo, and the building is an imposing, leaning box on the harborfront.

Munch was much more than just that painting, though many of his works explore despair, depression and anxiety. He struggled with his mental health throughout his life, but he lived to the ripe old age of 80, succumbing to pneumonia in 1944.

The works in the museum span the painter’s rich life — including a few versions of “The Scream,” created in 1894. Munch made many different versions of the celebrated work, including one painting (tempera and oil on cardboard), one drawing (crayon on cardboard) and six lithographs. Because of the fragile materials (cardboard degrades much faster than canvas), only one of the versions is on display at one time, and they are all housed in a darkened area within the exhibit. The paintings swap out every 30 minutes, though, so if you time it right, you can see a few.

Afterward, it’s worth popping up to the rooftop of the building for a drink or a snack, as the views of the harbor are spectacular.

Flåm, Loen and Bergen, Norway

The Borgund Stave Church in Norway. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

On our way to Flåm, where we stayed for a night before boarding the famous railway for an hourlong tour of the mountains and fjords, we stopped at the Borgund Stave Church, one of the best preserved of its kind in Norway. Of about 2,000 original stave churches, only 28 survive.

Borgund is an old one, too — it was built around 1180, using pine timber preserved with charred pine tar, giving the structure its characteristic dark color.

The interior is also dark, due to the scarcity of windows, but it’s easy to imagine worshippers crowded inside, listening to masses in Latin, which none of the locals spoke. These stave churches are adorned with dragons and other Viking motifs, likely in an effort to attract followers who were wary of Christianity.

Should you be lucky enough to visit Norway in the summer, be sure to stop at a grocery store or farmers’ market and grab a pint of strawberries. Because the long summer days offer extra time for ripening, they are extraordinarily sweet and juicy. They make the perfect motorcoach or train snack!

Two foods notably absent, though, are lefse and lutefisk. One traveler in our group, who is of Norwegian heritage, said she never had the guts to try lutefisk in Minnesota, so she was bound and determined to find it in Norway. She did not succeed. According to the locals, the lye-cured fish is a fading tradition that only shows up during the holidays.

It’s the same with the Norwegian food I most remember from my childhood — lefse. I imagined all grandmothers in Norway making floppy rounds of the potato-based flatbread and serving it to their grandchildren slathered in butter, cinnamon and sugar. However, I was told that families who make the time-consuming bread do it mostly around Christmas time. I did find a packaged version in a grocery store, which was fine, but not what I had hoped for.

The Kjosfossen waterfall on the Flåm railway. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

After a restful sleep at the gorgeous Fretheim Hotel in Flåm, it was time to board the historic railway for an out-and-back trip that takes several hours and winds through 20 hand-excavated tunnels. Between the darkness, the train passes soaring peaks, picturesque farms, bright blue fjords and rushing waterfalls. The train makes one stop, outside the massive Kjosfossen waterfall, where visitors can stand in the waterfall spray and take photos. Norwegian folk music permeates the air, and an actress playing Huldra, an elusive forest spirit from Norse mythology, dances on a cliff next to it. It might sound hokey, but the whole experience is magical.

After the train ride, we took another motorcoach ride with impossibly beautiful views from every angle, ending in the village of Loen, where we would catch the Geirangerfjord cruise.

Less of a cruise and more of a fancy ferry, the boat took us past the Bridal Veil and Seven Sisters waterfalls, some of the best-known in the fjord region.

Afterward, Andersson suggested we take a private mountain highway for more spectacular views, and all of us heartily endorsed the idea.

The harrowing, hairpin-turn-filled drive up Dalsnibba Mountain ends at a parking lot surrounded by a skywalk that juts out over a valley and offers sweeping views of the nearby snowcapped peaks. It’s worth a few Kroner to get up there, if you’re lucky enough to have someone willing to drive.

The Seven Sisters waterfall on Geirangerfjord in Norway. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

We stayed two nights at the Alexandra Hotel in Loen, which has a nice spa and indoor and outdoor pools. We spent some time in the outdoor pool on a warm afternoon, marveling at the views and our good fortune at being in this beautiful place. I only wish the pools stayed open longer, because as much as I value my sleep, a swim under the midnight sun would be an amazing experience.

On the way to Bergen, we stopped at the outdoor Nordfjord Folkemuseum. The facility consists of a visitors’ center and a few acres of historic homesteads, schools and other buildings, ranging from the 16th century to the end of the 19th.

We learned from a guide about how rooftops covered with turf kept heat in during cold winters, and how different buildings in a community had different uses — from a kitchen to storage to sleeping. Communities worked together for the good of all, which seems like a good lesson in these times. Though I could do without the death door at the back of the oldest houses, which is how dead bodies were taken out of the home. It was thought to prevent their spirits from returning.

Bryggen, the colorful wooden row houses on the harbor that comprise a UNESCO World Heritage site in Bergen, Norway. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

Before coming to Norway, I knew very little about the west-coast city of Bergen, known as the gateway to the fjords. The second-largest city in Norway, it is nestled between the mountains and the sea. It doesn’t freeze much due to its proximity to the sea, but it does rain. A lot. Like, 300 days of the year.

Locals, armed with quality rain gear and sturdy umbrellas, take the rain in stride. Patios on the harbor offer glass roofs to let the daylight in and keep the rain out. Every little shop along the harbor sells brightly colored raincoats and umbrellas.

We stayed at the Radisson Blu, which is located in Bryggen, the colorful wooden row houses on the harbor that comprise a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our local guide helped us understand the structures, which have burned down many times since the district was established around 1050 A.D. The current buildings, rebuilt to the same specifications as those before them, are from 1702.

A goat in the park on Mount Fløyen in Bergen, Norway. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

With a local guide, we walked through the narrow alleys between the houses, learning about the lives of German merchants who were exporting massive amounts of dried cod, timber, furs and more. For 400 years, no women were allowed to enter the district. Between that and all the dried cod, I couldn’t stop thinking about how awful it must have smelled. Also, because of the wooden buildings, fires weren’t allowed in the row houses. It must have taken a lot of wool blankets to sleep during the colder months!

If you visit Bergen, a ride up the city’s charming funicular is a must. The lightning-fast ride takes you to the top of Mount Fløyen, where there’s a pretty park to walk around — including a pack of resident goats — and a long walkway with wonderful views of the city below.

Down in the harbor, the city is well-known for its indoor and outdoor fish market, established in 1200 as a gathering place for locals and fishermen. There’s an outdoor segment that includes tents for dining at some of the stands, and lots of beautiful, fresh fish on display.

It was cold and rainy on the day we had there, so we chose to dine inside the gorgeous, modern indoor market, where I had some of the freshest mussels I’ve ever tasted, even introducing a few travelers to them, because the portion was enough to feed an army.

Leaving Norway was tough — I felt like we had barely scratched the surface. I know I’ll return someday, though, to see Tromsø, the place my Norwegian ancestors called home.

And no, I won’t be saying the word skol again until then.

Pioneer Press readers and other Collette travelers in the fjord region of Norway. (Courtesy of Mattias Andersson)

Want to travel with Jess?

We still have a few spots in our 2026 travel lineup — Ireland in May and a European River Cruise in September.

We are holding an in-person presentation about both trips at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 4, at Bad Weather Brewing, 414 W. Seventh St., St. Paul.

For more information, the Ireland website is here: https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1293829. We will present that trip first.

And the website for the cruise down the Rhine and Moselle rivers is here: https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1302938

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