We are coming close to completing our 2025 Europe travels with a 12-night Northern Europe cruise starting in Copenhagen and ending in Southampton. This was our third leg in Europe visiting 26 cities over four mouths. We are spending the Holidays with family and will start again in January.
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.
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
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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.
We are coming close to completing our 2025 Europe travels with a 12-night Northern Europe cruise starting in Copenhagen and ending in South...
