If you didn’t see Susan and Rich Elder sitting out back by their firepit on the seventh fairway in September it’s because they were traveling for three weeks to some amazing areas of the World-not your typical travels, for sure!

The three-year-long Red Tail residents traveled through Scandinavia and the Baltic Region. They spent four days in Copenhagen, Denmark, and then boarded the Norwegian Dawn and traveled to Oslo, Norway; Schwerin, Germany; Gdansk, Poland; Klaipeda, Lithuania; Riga, Latvia; Tallinn, Estonia, Helsinki, Finland; and ended in Stockholm, Sweden. 

They had never traveled to Scandinavia, so they were very interested in seeing and experiencing this part of the world. While they had traveled to Poland and parts of Germany in the past, they had not been to any of the other Baltic countries that they visited on this trip.

The countries offered a different cuisine than what is offered here in the States! In Poland, they, of course, had to have pierogies, especially since Rich is half Polish. In Germany, they had the very best “kosich” — bratwurst, good German potatoes, apple sauerkraut and a nice Duckstein beer!

There was plenty to do during their three weeks of travel! In every port, they visited museums and sites. One memorable one was the Cold War Museum in Lithuania, which is situated on a former Soviet nuclear missile base deep in the heart of the Zemaitija National Park. The highlight was the chance to poke around inside one of the former underground bunkers, complete with multimedia displays on the Cold War, ominous music, and displays of weaponry and mannequins in Russian military attire. Another highlight was visiting the Kon-Tiki museum in Oslo, which showcases Thor Heyerdahl, who was notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he drifted 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean in a primitive hand-built raft. Their trip ended in 
Stockholm where they visited the Viking Museum; the Vasa Museum, which houses a Swedish warship, which sank on her maiden voyage in 1628; and the ABBA Museum, which was an absolute thrill for Susan who is a HUGE ABBA fan!

The local culture was a little different from country to country, but an overarching similarity is the Scandinavian and Baltic citizens are a much more homogeneous citizenry than we are here in the U.S. The Elders also learned that the Baltic citizens are on alert and live their lives prepared for the possible invasion of their countries by Russia.

Rich and Susan were pleasantly surprised when they boarded the ship to find an invitation waiting for them from the captain of the ship to a reception in honor of Rich and the other U.S. veterans who were on board. Although it was hard to pinpoint their favorite part of this long trip, they really loved both Copenhagen and Stockholm, which is where they spent more days. The Elders would definitely go back to each country, and especially Norway, as there is always more to see and experience.  

They would always recommend that novice travelers work with a travel agent or an experienced travel operator. They can help take some of the stress out of planning and logistics. They also advise traveling to Europe in the fringe seasons — early fall or late spring — which is a great time to travel as the crowds are not as heavy.

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Thank you, Susan and Rich, for sharing your amazing adventures through Scandinavia and the Baltic Region!