Hubby and I are just back from two weeks in Northern Europe. In fact, we’re still getting over the epic jet lag that comes with flying over the polar route.
It was a ridiculous trip; six countries in two weeks. Kinda of the “if it’s Tuesday it must be Copenhagen” trip I swore I’d never take.
It turned out to be great. We were able to get a taste of each country and now know which ones we want to revisit.
High on the list are Finland, Estonia and Sweden.
I loved Helsinki, with its friendly people, fresh air and modern design aesthetic. I really wished we’d had more time there. We took a food tour with a local resident - transplanted from Tasmania - which gave us a peek into everyday life in Finland.
We visited grocery stores, big and small, spent time in a walk-in refrigerator in a small corner shop, and tried local food starting with rice pudding for breakfast in an open air market and ending with Finnish coffee and tea at an outdoor cafe.
Estonia was completely charming. A highlight of the trip for me was attending a medieval music concert in a centuries old church in Tallinn. I mean, pinch me. Did that really happen? Wandering around the old town with its many shops and markets was magical.
We had very little time in Stockholm, hence our need to go back. What we did see we really liked. I’d love to explore the coastal areas in Sweden as well as revisit the city.
We spent two days in St. Petersburg. There’s so much to see, much of it way over the top. You’ll have no confusion about why the peasants revolted in 1917 after visiting the opulent homes of the Tzars. Hubby told me that if you were to spend a minute looking at each item in the Hermitage, it would take seven years. We had two hours, but in that time I’d had my fill of gold filigree and mosaics.
We did have great fun with our tour guides, Irina and Jacov, attaching padlocks to a bridge near the Church of the Spilled Blood (a very romantic thing to do) and learning the proper way to drink vodka. Quickly, if you were wondering.
There were very few down moments on the trip – most notable, though, was in Berlin, where I took a tumble over some cobblestones, breaking my new camera and bruising my hip quite badly. Hubby, after a number of days of consideration, decided to name this event The Berlin Fall. Funny guy.
The best thing about traveling is getting to see how people live in other parts of the world and creating some memories. I’ll never forget cycling in Copenhagen or listening to a church choir in St. Petersburg. It was all definitely worth the 10-hour flight to Frankfurt. I can’t wait to go back.
