NORWAY: Oslo – Eighty Countries Visited!
My entry into Scandinavia on this trip was met with two different credit cards being compromised. My beloved Charles Schwab debit card and my Citicard AA Skymiles card. Luckily I managed to pull $500 out of my Schwab account in Oslo the night I arrived before they canceled the card. Everything should work out fine […]
FINLAND: Helsinki – Midsummer’s Eve
The trip on the ferry to Helsinki was pretty pleasant. It was more like a small cruise ship with a large glass enclosed entertainment lounge in the bow, restaurants, bars, duty-free shops, slot machines etc. Upon arrival, I realized that something was rotten in the state of Denmark even though I had most assuredly arrived […]
ESTONIA: Tallinn – Another Baltic Beauty
Tallinn, being my third and last Old Town residence in the Baltics is by no means the least impressive. It is still surrounded by much of its 2.5 kilometer defensive wall, and its Town Hall Square with pastel buildings from the 15th. to 17th. centuries are lorded over by the only surviving Gothic town hall. […]
LATVIA: Riga – Paris of the Baltics?
Riga is a real charmer and a contender to be the Paris of the Baltics. I know people fall all over themselves about Prague and how it is the Paris of Eastern Europe, but don’t give Riga short shrift since it has exceptional architecture, restaurants, cafes, parks, and pastry. In fact, you won’t really need […]
LITHUANIA: Vilnius – Free At Last
Lithuania has fought hard for its freedom throughout the 20th. century. Germany occupied it in WWI, and then the Soviets took their turn at the beginning of WWII until they were expelled by the Nazis in 1941. Then the Soviets took it back from 1944-1990 when the people of Lithuania at long last gained their […]
POLAND: Warsaw – Bombed Heavily in WWII – Some Gems Survive
As I have often mentioned, I am far more fond of smaller cities, but being in a plush hostel with a reasonable private room on the finest street in Warsaw, right next to the Old Town, makes this the right way to do this town. I am in desperate need of a dental cleaning as well […]
POLAND: Krakow – Old World Charm For Less
I pulled into the Greg & Tom Hostel only to encounter the nicest receptionist ever. Anna immediately put a positive spin on the hostel and Krakow. I got my bottom bunk, unpacked, and headed out to poke around a bit to get my bearings. Krakow dates back to the 7th. century and has traditionally been […]
AUSTRIA: Vienna – World Class Museums & Music
Always sad to leave Salzburg behind, but there is much that awaits in Vienna. There are so many worthwhile museums that it is impossible to cover the best of them in one visit. It seems that the more you visit the more you uncover to be done. From the palatial Museum of Natural History to the […]
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