Well, I must say that all of the planning that I did for my Baltic Sea trip paid off. Fortunately for me, every part of my planning worked out…I did not miss a single transportation option, the hostels were comfortable and convenient, and most importantly, I was able see the main sights that I wanted to see. I found that spending approximately two days in each of the seven capital cities was plenty of time.
My Feet In Tallinn’s Town Hall Square
What usually happened for me was that on my first day in each city, I would see about 75% of the sites on my priority lists. Yes, I was quite busy on these first days. But, I never felt hurried or rushed, and I saw some amazing and interesting things. I think that because most of the sites in these cities are generally within walking distance of each other, and that the hostels and transportation options were also generally within walking distance, it made it possible for me to see quite a lot. My second day in each city was less busy, fitting in the last of the sites, and getting myself to the next transportation, as needed, getting me to the transportation for my next city.
I lit a Travel Candle for Myself in a Church
I should mention here that aside from all the transportation options mentioned previously, my main mode of transportation in all of the cities was my own two feet. Needless to say, I did a lot of walking during my Baltic Sea adventure. And I mean, a lot of walking…
Here is a summary of some of the sights, food, and experiences I had in each city:
Stockholm: Old town. The Royal Palace. Royal Cathedral. Royal Armory. Royal coaches and carriages. Changing of the Guards. Swedish meatballs. Churches. Narrow alleys and cobblestone streets. Viking ships. Skansen open-air museum. Town of Malmo.
Cobblestone Streets and My Shadow
Helsinki: Market square. Several cathedrals and churches. Suomenlinna Fortress on island. Toy Museum. Paper Doll Museum. Seurasarri open-air museum. Salty salmon. Apple danishes. Side trip to town of Porvoo. Smoked salmon pasta.
Tallinn: Old Town. Lots of churches and cathedrals. Chocolate rum balls (like my Grandmother used to make). Royal Palace. Church Bell Museum. Coats of Arms Museum. Stained glass. Dominican Monastery. Bread with onion, olive, anchovy. Cobblestone streets. Town Hall Square. Old gates and towers. Children’s artwork. Kadroig Palace.
Vilnius: Old Town. More churches and cathedrals. Great Synagogue. “City Days Festival” with local music, food, crafts. Potato latkes. Jewish ghettos. Coats of Arms Museum. Amber Museum. Crepe with salmon and mushrooms. Hike up hill for views of city.
Potato Latkes
Riga: Old Town. Cobblestone streets. Riga Synagogue. Yet even more churches and cathedrals. Chiming church bells and organs playing. Meat dumplings and potatoes. Jews in Latvia Museum. Large outdoor Central Market. Freedom Monument. Porcelain Museum. Coats of Arms Museum.
Oslo: Viking Ship Museum. Maritime Museum. Kon Tiki Museum. Fram Polar Ship Museum. Norwegian Folk Museum. Holocaust Center. Resistance Museum. Historical Museum. Akershus Castle and Fortress. Royal Palace and park. Pedestrian shopping streets. Churches.
A Boutique in Helsinki with my Name
Copenhagen: Bicycles. More churches. Organ pipes in churches. Church towers with clocks. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum. Pedestrian shopping streets and restaurants. Round Tower. Botanical Gardens. Amalienborg Palace. Rosenborg Castle. Flea markets. Three types of herring. And, finally….The Little Mermaid (just to say that I saw it)…
Me and The Little Mermaid
So, from concept to planning to successful completion, I decided that if Jules Verne’s characters could go around the world in eighty days, could journey to the center of the Earth, and could descended twenty thousand leagues under the sea, then I could circumnavigate the Baltic Sea visiting seven capital cities in 15 days!!
Sweet Travels!