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| Scandinavia, Northern Paradise I:
Finland & Sweden
July 11 - 19, 2003 for the
ALL-INCLUSIVE PRICE of $3080
Single Supplement $195
Begin in beautiful Helsinki, the capital of Finland, a city filled with stunning neo-classical & Art Nouveau architecture, contemporary art museums & marvelous shops. Visit beautiful Senate Square with its lovely domed 19th c. Cathedral, walk along the tree-shaded Esplanade with its engaging public sculptures. Stop in the old Market Hall, to sample Finnish delicacies. Explore two of Helsinkis largest islands, Suomenlinna Fortress (WHS) & Seurasaari, now a charming Open Air Museum with old homes, farm buildings, churches & schools brought from all over Finland, with authentic traditional furnishings. Drive into the lush green countryside, passing birch forests & old noble estates, to visit Ainola, the home/museum of Finlands most famous composer, Jean Sibelius. Return to Helsinki to visit the Sibelius Monument & the unique prize-winning Church in the Rock (Temppeliaukio Church).
Board a ferry, a floating luxury hotel, for an overnight crossing of the Baltic Sea, to arrive in Sweden for breakfast. Cruise through the lovely archipelago of thousands of islands to arrive in Stockholm, the "Venice of the North". Considered one of the worlds most beautiful cities, it is set between the Baltic Sea & lovely Lake Malaren, on 14 islands connected by dozens of splendid bridges. Tour Stockholms Gamla Stan, one of the most charming Old Towns anywhere, & the Royal Palace, where youll arrive just in time for the Changing of the Guard. Cross the bridge to Kings Island (Kungsholmen) to tour the splendid Stockholm City Hall, site of the annual Nobel Awards Banquet. Visit Skansen, a delightful Open Air Museum of traditional buildings, & the National Museum of Art.
Travel north to Uppsala, known for Scandinavias first University (1477) & delight in the Garden of Carl Linnaeus, father of botanical classification. Visit Old Uppsala with its three huge pre-Viking burial mounds, site of a pagan temple, & tour its impressive Cathedral (largest in Scandinavia). Tour the charming village of Sigtuna, Swedens first capital, founded in 970AD. Take a lunch cruise across Lake Malaren to lovely Drottningholm (WHS), the Swedish Royal familys island summer palace, noted for its rare Baroque Theater. Return to Stockholm through the countryside, stopping at a picturesque 17th c. country restaurant for a delightful Farewell Dinner.
Scandinavia, Northern Paradise II: Denmark & Norway
July 18 - 27, 2003 for the
ALL-INCLUSIVE PRICE of $3480
Single Supplement $400
Enjoy Copenhagen, a charming seaside city, with its centuries old Nyhavn (harbor) with old wooden sailing ships & seamens inns. Tour its public squares, royal palaces & gardens, historic buildings with unique copper towers & turrets. Take a delightful Canal Boat Cruise, past the charming 17th century port of Christianshavn, under bridges & along the colorful canals of the city, passing landmarks such as Gammel Strand, the old fish market, Christiansborg Palace & the Stock Exchange. Dine in famous Tivoli Gardens. Excursions into the delightful Danish countryside include guided visits at the Frilandsmuseet Open Air Museum; the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, with world-renowned sculptures by Arp, Calder, Ernst, Giacometti, & others; Rungstedlund, the seaside home/museum of Karen Blixen, author of "Out of Africa"; magnificent Frederiksborg Castle, set on 3 islands & filled with art treasures & royal furnishings; & the massive fortress of Kronborg Castle (WHS) at Helsingor (Elsinore in Shakespeares Hamlet). Stop at charming kro (pubs) for lunch & visit a Danish home, to enjoy conversation, homemade Danish pastry & a traditional elderberry drink.
Board your ferry, a huge floating luxury hotel, and enjoy an overnight cruise across the North Sea from Copenhagen up the fjord to Oslo, Norway. Tour the landmark City Hall, set at the harbors edge, & site of the annual Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony. Visit the Viking Ship Museum (with Viking ships found in the fjord), the Norwegian Folk Museum, & the museum of artist Edvard Munch. Take one of the worlds most spectacular train journeys, the famed Flam Mountain Railway, an engineering masterpiece. Travel through valleys with magnificent mountain scenery to arrive at beautiful Aurlandsfjord. Lunch at an old inn overlooking the fjord, then cruise on the mighty Sognefjord (King of Fjords) & the narrowest fjord in Norway, the Naeroyfjord. Disembark in Gudvangen & drive up the mountain to the stunning "Eagles Nest" of Stalheim, overlooking the mountains, the fjord & valleys beyond. Continue on to charming Bergen, enjoying a guided walking tour through the ancient buildings of the Bryggen (WHS). Visit the Hanseatic Museum & Assembly Rooms & the Fish Market, still in active use. Travel into the countryside, stopping at the Fantoft Stave Church and lovely Troldhaugen, the composer Edvard Griegs former summer home/museum. Return to Bergen and meander through this picturesque town, with its lovely gardens & parks, old traditional wooden houses, busy harbor with many colorful old wooden sailing ships & shops. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner in an historic 18th c. harborside inn. |
