SCANDINAVIA & RUSSIA

Surrounded by the sea and rugged Nordic landscape, Scandinavia offers an incomparable mix of scenery, history, and trend-setting urban design. Norway is a ruggedly beautiful country of mountains, fjords, and glaciers.

Summer in Norway is a season of enchantment, a time to enjoy hours of endless light, with the deepest part of evening a mere twilight. Explore the unspoiled fishing villages and rich historic sites including Viking ships and medieval churches. Explore the incredible treasures of this far-north region on a journey that takes you from Oslo’s castles to Helsinki’s Rock Church. Finally, peruse the Hermitage, home to one of the world’s greatest art collections.

This afternoon we depart from DFW Airport and fly to Oslo via Frankfurt aboard Lufthansa German Airlines. Bon Voyage!

Later this morning we arrive in Oslo, Scandinavia’s oldest city. We will be met at the airport and then brought to our hotel, with the remainder of the day free to relax and acquaint ourselves with our new surroundings.

Today will be a full-day sightseeing tour of Oslo with our local guide. The tour will include entrances to the Norsk Folk Museum, Resistance Museum (Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum), Vigeland Sculpture Park, and the Viking Ship Museum.

The Norsk Folk Museum

Imagine a museum where you can 'tour' much of Norway in a day. At Norsk Folk Museum, you can get a glimpse of traditional Norwegian culture and history. The open-air museum features 150 authentic buildings from different regions, including one of the country's oldest structures, the Gol Stave Church. See also folk dancing and traditional arts and crafts. The museum is also the site of a restored pharmacy, bank, post office, dentist office, and a newly restored Oslo apartment building from 1865. A 20th century barn from Trøndelag is currently being restored.

The Viking Ship Museum

The exhibits at the Viking Ship Museum are the finds from the great ship burials at Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune as well as from the chieftain grave at Borre, Vestfold county. The three ships, considered the best preserved Viking ships in existence, were found in large burial mounds in the Oslo fjord region. These burial ships contain rich furnishings of wood and textiles dating back to the Viking Period, which are rarely found well preserved. The exhibits feature some of the finest examples of art, craftsmanship, and objects of daily use made in Norway 1,100 to 1,200 years ago.

Early this morning our motor coach transfers us to the Oslo train station. We will board the train and travel 'over the roof of Norway' from Oslo to the village of Flam, nestled between two cliffs streaked with waterfalls. From Flam, we travel by motor coach to Stalheim via Voss, and upon arrival, transfer to the Stalheim Hotel.

Early this morning we drive to Gudvangen and take a boat to Kaupanger (fjord crossing). Then we drive from Kaupanger to Fjaerland, where we will visit the Norsk Bremuseum.

The landscape in Fjaerland has been shaped by glaciers through successive ice ages during the last 2 1/2 to 3 million years. Towering mountains and U-shaped valleys surround large delta areas that resulted from the accumulation of sediment supplied by the glacier rivers. The glaciers Bøyabreen and Supphellebreen come down to the valley floor in Fjærland. These are branches of Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier on the European continent (487 km). The ice falls of the glaciers move about 2 meters per day—among the fastest in Norway. The lower Supphellebreen, at an elevation of 60 meters, is the lowest laying glacier in Southern Norway. Parts of Fjærland lay within Jostedalsbreen National Park. The national park covers 1,230 km and is characterized by great variation within short distances, from fjords and lowland, to mountains and glaciers.

From Fjaerland we take a ferry to Balestrand (fjord crossing), and upon arrival we check into the Kvikne’s Hotel.

Today we take a morning drive to Dragsvik, and then travel by boat to Vangsnes (fjord crossing). Then we will motor coach to Vik, where we visit the Hopperstad Stave Church.

The original church was built in 1130 AD in Vik, Norway. This replica is constructed on the site of the Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center, home to a replica Viking ship. It was made possible by contributions of money and services by many people and companies, including Millennium Tours. The Viking builders developed and refined construction techniques using wood columns and planks (staves) along with ornate carvings to fashion the inspiring places of worship for converts to the newly introduced Christian religion. In addition to a museum, the replica building serves as a special events chapel in the summer months.

From Vik we drive to Bergen City, the capital of Western Norway and gateway to the fjords. Upon arrival in Bergen this afternoon, we will enjoy a sightseeing tour of the medieval Rosenkrantz Tower, which offers a stellar view of the mountain-encircled city. We will also visit St. Mary’s Church, Bergen’s oldest building, and the inspirational lakeside home of Edvard Grieg, Norway’s greatest composer. Grieg lived and worked here during the last 22 years of his life. After our sightseeing tour, we check in at the Scandic Hotel in Bergen.

This morning we leave Bergen and drive to Lillehammer to visit the Maihaugen Open Air Museum. Maihaugen is one of Scandinavia's largest, earliest, and most interesting open-air museums. The museum contains the life's work of dentist Anders Sandvig, who came to Lillehammer in 1885.

Situated at the entrance of the Gudbrandsdalen valley, Lillehammer is best known as the host of the 1994 Winter Olympics. As a result of the games, the town has the best sports facilities in Norway, and during the ski season is the place to be, with excellent slopes and cross-country tracks. This vibrant town has kept a 19th Century provincial appearance and is a popular resort year-round.

We then continue our journey to Hamar, and upon arrival we will be transferred to the First Hotel Victoria.

Our motor coach journey today takes us to Stockholm via Marbacka and Karlstad on Lake Vanern, the largest lake in Sweden. In Marbacka, we will visit the Minnesang. The world-famous Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf was born in 1858 at a farm in Marbacka, in Värmland. When her father died, while she was working as a teacher, the estate was sold. Following her international success as an author, she was able to buy back her old home and, later, the estate. Now it is a charming museum, unchanged since her death in 1940.

In the afternoon we continue through a landscape of forests and sparkling lakes to reach the Swedish capital, Stockholm, known as the “Venice of the North” for its many islands and peninsulas. Upon arrival in Stockholm, we will transfer to the Elite Palace Hotel.

Today is a full-day sightseeing tour of Stockholm with a local guide. See the 'Changing of the Guard' and visit Storkyran, Skattmaren, Vasamuseet, and Skansen. We will take an exciting walk through the narrow streets of the Old Town where our guide will take us through Stortorget (Main Square), share stories about the Stockholm blood bath of 1520, and recount the legend of St. George and the Dragon. We will also stroll through the courtyards and lanes of the city’s oldest section.

Our day will include a visit at the City Hall of Stockholm where the Nobel Prize banquet is held every year. Experience the spectacular Golden Room, named appropriately for its gold-leaf interior.

The Golden Room

The Golden Room walls are covered with a sparkling gold-leaf mosaic interior of about 18.6 million pieces, making it the largest mosaic decoration of modern times.

The Blue Hall

The Blue Hall is a magnificent festival hall with a piazza in the style of an Italian Renaissance palace. It is the venue that holds the Nobel banquet each year.

The Wasa Warship

The Wasa ship, raised from the sea bottom 333 years after sinking, is now the centerpiece of the museum.

A local guide will give the group all the facts and stories enroute.

Today we will take a full-day sightseeing excursion to Uppsala and Drottningholm with a local guide who will explain and show us the beautiful towns. Our day will include entrances to Domkyrkan Cathedral and Drottningholm.

Uppsala Cathedral

Drottningholm Castle

On an island in Lake Mälar in a suburb of Stockholm is the Royal Domain of Drottningholm. With its perfectly-preserved theatre built in 1766, and its Chinese pavilion and gardens, the Drottningholm Castle is the best example of a northern European 18th century royal residence. The castle was inspired by the model of the Palace of Versailles.

M/S Silja Symphony

Later in the afternoon our motor coach will transfer us to the Stockholm port where we board our overnight ship to Helsinki. Sail through the archipelago surrounding Stockholm, across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki. Enjoy a fabulous buffet dinner and entertainment on board, followed by an overnight stay in a comfortable seaside cabin on the Silja Line ship.

Enjoy breakfast on board while sailing into the harbor of Helsinki. This morning we arrive at Helsinki port and begin the day with a half-day city sightseeing tour with a local guide. The tour includes an entrance to Rock Church and a Harbour Cruise.

During the city tour you will experience the unique and beautiful sights of Helsinki center, the capital of Finland. Helsinki enchants visitors with its wealth of architecture. Among them are the neo-classical Senate Square, the National Opera, the National Theater and National Gallery, the Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum, the Parliament building, the National Museum, the world renowned Finlandia Hall, and the Sibelius monument.

The Rock Church

Last but not least, see the famous Temple Square Church or the 'Rock Church,' which was built into solid rock with a celing faced with copper wire.

The tour will include the Market Square, located by the waterfront where fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and handicrafts are for sale. We will also visit some of the finest parks of Helsinki and the Masa shipyard building area.

Sightseeing by boat—Helsinki Under the Bridges: The route will take you through Helsinki’s oldest districts, famous historical buildings, churches, monuments, enormous ice-breakers, exquisite villas by the sea, and the largest naval fortress in the world. Learn about Helsinki’s intriguing past: the fascinating story of Suomenlinna naval fortress and the formation of the archipelago after the last Ice Age.

In the afternoon, transfer to the Helsinki train station for a train to St. Petersburg, arriving at the St. Petersburg train station at 10:15 p.m. We will be met and transferred to the Hotel Moscow.

St. Petersburg – a full day of sightseeing with a local tour guide. The day includes entrances to the Peter & Paul fortress, the Tsars/Tsarinas tombs, and a one-hour canal cruise. In the afternoon, hydrofoil to Peterhof and visit the Cathedral and Peterhof.

The Peter & Paul Fortress

When Peter the Great re-conquered the lands along the Neva River in 1703, he decided to build a fort to protect the area from possible attack by the Swedish army and navy. The fortress was founded on a small island in the Neva delta on May 27, 1703 (May 16 according to the old calendar) and that day became the birthday of the city of St. Petersburg. The Swedes were defeated before the fortress was even completed. For that reason, from 1721 the fortress housed part of the city's garrison and rather notoriously served as a high security political jail. Among the first inmates was Peter's own rebellious son Alexei. Later, the list of famous residents included Dostoyevsky, Gorkiy, Trotsky, and Lenin's older brother, Alexander. Parts of the former jail are now open to the public.

Tsars and Tsarinas Throughout its history, the ultimate source of the life and magic of Tsarskoye Selo is found in the Romanov Dynasty. The town's lifeblood was the Imperial Court and for centuries its rhythms and cadence moved according to the Imperial calendar. Tsarkoye Selo was the summer home of the Tsars and Tsarinas of Russia. Here they relaxed, as much as they could, from the pressures of the throne, surrounded by beautiful palaces and lush parks to distract them from the realities of life. Eventually, some of them fell into the delusion that Tsarskoye Selo was a real place and this seductive dream cost them their lives.

Although there are echoes of English country estates and the splendours of Versailles in Tsarskoye Selo, the town is completely Russian in its color, mood and passionate attachment to the land.

Peterhof (in the second half of the 20th century known also as Petrodvorets – 'Peter's Palace') is one of the most magnificent European palace-and-park complexes of the 18th and 19th centuries, and is situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, 29 km outside St Petersburg. Its beautiful gardens and parks, its splendid palaces and exquisite pavilions, and particularly its picturesque fountains and cascades, are famous the world over. The origins of Peterhof are closely connected with the consolidation of Russia on the liberated Slavic shores of the Baltic after her victory in the Great Northern War, and with the building of St. Petersburg, the new capital of the Russian state.

This morning begins with an exciting sightseeing tour to visit the Hermitage Museum and St. Isaac’s Cathedral.

The Hermitage Museum: The State Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St. Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble, formed in the 18th and 19th centuries, is extended by the eastern wing of the General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the recently constructed Repository.

Put together throughout 2 1/2 centuries, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. Today the Museum is creating its digital self-portrait to be displayed around the world. Computer technologies enable the State Hermitage Museum to provide people from all over the world with wider access to information about the Museum and its treasures.

The afternoon is free to explore St. Petersburg, a city of outstanding architectural beauty, which is famous for its magnificent palaces, cathedrals, fountains and bridges.

This evening we will enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant and then see a ballet performance. Transfers and a local guide are included.

Early this morning we will reluctantly bid farewell to St. Petersburg, as our motor coach transports us to the airport to board our Lufthansa Airlines jet for the flight home. We will arrive in Dallas via Frankfurt this afternoon from our wonderful tour of Northern Europe.

WELCOME HOME!

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