15 nights by car in Scotland with Mikelyn and Kevin

 

A trip of a lifetime with our best friends Mikelyn and Kevin. We followed Rick Steves’ suggestion through the Scottish Highlands by starting in Edinburgh and making a loop going counterclockwise northward. Our first stay was Edinburgh that is home of the Royal Mile, a historic road stretching from the castle down to the palace, lined with museums, pubs, and shops. We loved Edinburgh Castle and royal residence complete with crown jewels, and the Romanesque chapel. Then, Glasgow is a city destination with top-notch museums, and a unique flair for art and design. It's also offers some of Scotland's best scenery, that we loved. We drove narrow, twisty roads wind around Skye in the shadows of bald mountains.  Then we headed to the port town of Oban with its many of its lush islets just offshore. Oban is home of one of Scotland's best distillery tours (YES, I toured it), Oban is a basket of Scottish traditions. The Scottish Highlands are filled with more natural and historical mystique than people. The Highlands are the most mountainous, least inhabited, and — for many — most scenic and romantic part of Scotland. Lastly in St. Andrews we visited “The Old Course” which is the first golf course on the planet, attracting golfers from around the globe. St. Andrews Cathedral a ruined church once housing the relics of St. Andrew, with a cloister, cemetery, humble exhibit, and climbable tower.

Traveling westward through Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo before going to Edinburgh.

 We had 11 nights in Scandinavia (Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo) which barely scratch the surface of everything there is to do in this spectacular part of the world. In each capital city Pam and I took walking tours which introduced us to the beautiful capital cities, exploring these historic cities by land and sea. Marvel at incredible design in Helsinki, experience Swedish fika in Stockholm, wander Oslo’s bright harbor, then strolled along its bustling streets. We got lost many times wandering the cobblestone streets, drinking in the beautiful gold facades, and enjoying the lively atmosphere. Between cities we traveled through the beautiful landscape, passing mountains and valleys, glaciers and streams, waterfalls and forests, farms and little villages.

Helsinki

Stockholm

Oslo

Baltics states, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia

Pam and I were in the three Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia for 10 days traveling by bus from one capital to the other.  We learned there are few areas in the European Union that have been explored less by international visitors than these three countries.

Tallinn, Estonia and Riga, Latvia have cruise ship ports which means during mid-day there’s lots of people, however the rest of the Baltics remain relatively quiet and off the beaten tourist trail. There is so much to see and experience in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that we really enjoyed over our ten days here. While the capitals are lovely, we loved the smaller cities and towns the same. They all have incredible castles, old towns and Soviet history. We learned following the collapse of the Soviet Union that the Baltic countries went through a process of reinstating their national language as the official language of their country and using the Euro. Travelling through the Baltics was wonderful, and a rewarding experience that was a delight for us.