Vikings & Baltic Shores

Elegant is the word that will come to mind.

As you take in the Danish capital’s rich history and traditions. With castles and crown jewels, galleries and museums, cathedrals and canals, the sightseeing ranks among the best in Europe.

The Strøget is a series of pedestrian-only streets which make strolling and shopping a pleasure. And be sure to visit Tivoli, a unique combination of picture-perfect flower gardens, lakes, theaters and restaurants with more than 100,000 colored lights.

Edinburgh, (èd´n-bûr´e) capital city (1991 pop. 421,213) of Scotland and royal burgh. The city is divided into two sections: the Old Town, on the slope of Castle Rock, dates from the 11th century; the New Town spread to the north in the late 18th cent. Edinburgh is a government, finance, and tourist center. Most industry, which includes brewing and distilling, publishing, and paper milling, is situated near the city’s port, Leith. Edinburgh grew up around its 11th-century castle and became Scotland’s capital in 1437. It blossomed as a cultural center in the 18th and 19th century, with such figures as David Hume, Robert Burns, and Sir Walter Scott. It remains a cultural and educational hub and hosts an annual international arts festival.

Your welcome to the most northerly town in Europe than the latitude would imply. Located at 70*40 North, Hammerfest has continuous daylight from may through July.

Graceful design, imaginative architecture the Finns have long been admired for their beautiful buildings, gardens and parks. You’ll enjoy visiting them too, as you pass all styles of centuries past and present, from medieval to neoclassical, as well as the superb ultramodern creations by Aalto, Saarinen, and other Finnish masters.

This is the town where north was invented. That’s right no village in the entire world is further north than Honningsvag, Norway. How far north is it? It is so far north the sun doesn’t even think of setting from mid-May until the end of July-which seems like an awful lot of work, and that could explain its need to set and stay set from late November to late January. (This period is especially difficult if you have a night job.) Honningsvag is the gateway to the North Cape, but hey, if you want to head that direction, you’re on your own.

From the northernmost point of Scotland, either at Dunnet Head or John O’Groats, board a boat to the Orkney Islands, and the capital of Kirkwall. Its a picturesque little town with a distinct Viking flavor and impressive red sandstone cathedral.

Kristiansund is a town facing the North Atlantic, on the west coast of Norway. Both its history and geographical position are unique. It is not a big town and does not have a large population, but the friendly attitude of the people who live here and their way of life, makes it a town with a big heart. Its business centre is close to green parks and small forests. The beautiful view of the surrounding mountains completes the picture. Kristiansund has excellent hotels, many attractive shops, historical attractions and an abundance of activities for you to take part in. Kristiansund is also an ideal starting point for trips to other places of interest in the region.

Situated at the head of a 60-mile fjord, Oslo, Norway, one of the oldest of the Scandinavian capitals, is beautifully framed by a vast expanse of woods, moors and lakeland. A blend of 19th- and 20th-century architectural styles, Norway’s capital is known for the wood carvings and colorful frescoes that decorate its buildings and public spaces.

Wasn’t Leningrad here a minute ago? Maybe a few years ago, but since the fall of Communism this shining jewel of a city has reverted to its original name, St. Petersburg, named for Peter the Great, who built it as a fortress in 1703.

Elegant facades, glorious cathedrals and grand residences were built along the city’s canals. Construction flourished under Catherine the Great, and the city gained new splendor with elaborate palaces, lovely parks and magnificent squares designed by French and Italian architects. St. Petersburg is the most European city in Russia, and the most
spectacular.

Founded as a fortress in the 13th century, Stockholm eventually grew to become the capital of Sweden. It is a city of remarkable beauty with numerous parks, tree-lined squares and boulevards, and pleasant water vistas. To grasp the full character of Stockholm, visitors must hop from island to island, each of which boasts its own personality. Sergels Torg, a central square located in Norrmalm, serves as the focal point for modern Stockholm. On Helgeans Holmen, the tiny island
immediately south of Norrmalm, sits the Riksdagshuset (Parliament Building), followed by the medieval Gamla Stan (Old Town) island and then the large Sodermalm, a bohemian enclave in a former blue-collar quarter.

Across the Strommen (the Current) lie the two scenic islands of Skeppsholmen and Kastell-Holmen. Farther east, Djurgarden Island houses a number of city museums and connects to the northern Ostermalm, a pricey residential neighborhood that adjoins Norrmalm sprawling across 14 islands, the Swedish capital has always enjoyed an ideal
commercial location at the confluence of Lake Malaren and the Baltic Sea. As a result, a forest of high-rise office buildings and condominiums has grown up beside the medieval castles that once guarded Sweden’s strategic waterways. Founded in the mid-13th century, this former outpost developed into a vibrant capital in the 17th century, when landscapers and architects began to build elegant parks and squares that rivaled those in the finest European cities.

Today, picturesque Stockholm boasts a stunning combination of man-made gardens in its center and natural scenery on its outskirts, where sun-lit lakes shimmer in the pine-clad countryside.

The capital and largest city in Estonia, Tallinn is located on the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, Finland. It offers an interesting blend of modern, Western atmosphere with well preserved medieval buildings, walls and narrow streets. It is very popular with artists and has numerous galleries, museums and cultural festivals.

Torshavn means Thor’s Harbour, Thor being one of the old Nordic Gods. First occupied by Irish monks in 727 a.d. the town was actually founded about 825 a.d. by Norwegian settlers called Landnamsmenn. Today Torshavn’s population is around 15,000. There are many sites such as government buildings, private buildings, monuments and churches worth exploring and visiting here.

The world’s northernmost university – only one institute of higher learning may boast of that distinction, and at the moment anyway, that institution is the University of Norway at Tromso. Situated about 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Tromso has continuous sunshine from late May to mid-July. Nearby is the city of Narvik, known for mysterious lightning that occurs every August.