Scandinavian/ Russian Cruise

This was my third cruise but first time in Europe. I got to visit historical sites and the modern with the old in Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Talinn, and Riga, as well as spending an extended lay over (8 hours due to delays) in the Copenhagen airport.

Stockholm, Sweden:
Beautiful, modern, and sunny. Summer in Stockholm was so pretty, but many of the items and services were overpriced. (We payed 520 SEK, about 74 USD, for a taxi to take us to the airport, which was approximately a 30 min. trip.) I would love to go back to Stockholm and spend more time there. We toured Old Town and saw the royal palace and a cluster of buildings for nobility, as well as a huge mall that I did not get a chance to shop:( and the place where the Nobel Prizes are awarded. I stayed in the Courtyard, which was very modern and probably one of the nicest hotels that I have ever stayed at. It was only about a 1.5 mile walk to Old Town, and the walk was along a park and the water, so it was very scenic!

Above: With my brother

Charlotte Russe Sunglasses

Juicy Couture Blazer

Forever 21 Peplum Top

Helsinki, Finland:
Similar climate to that of Stockholm, and amazing shops! I browsed through the H&M, as well as looking at leather bags. I did not end up buying anything, but I passed so many beautiful stores that I wish I would've had time to shop. I did not have enough time to check out Annikki Karvinen, which is a Finnish design house. I did see some beautiful sites, such as the Lutheran Cathedral, and was able to eat Finnish ice cream while listening to a local band play in a park. While enjoying our ice cream in the park, a bird swooped down and took a chunk of ice cream from my brother's cone. I now know how the Finns came up with Angry Birds. :)

I wish I had the money to shop at these stores!

St. Petersburg, Russia:
The architecture was beautiful here. I loved the classical and baroque style buildings. I visited Catherine's Palace (Pushkin), which was stunning, and saw other Russian monuments, such as a few Russian Orthodox Churches and the Winter Palace, and we were able to experience the Midnight Sun! I really wanted one of the fuzzy hats, but I got a Russian nesting doll and an ornate egg instead.

I really wanted one of these :)

Talinn, Estonia:
Like the previous cities, Talinn also combined old with new. Their Old Town was lovely. We went through the Old Town, visiting various churches, as well as visiting the site where they have their Music Festival every 5 years. Near our port, there was a cute market that was selling fur hats, which were adorable, although they were expensive, so I did not buy any.

Old and new come together!

Riga, Latvia:

When we stopped in Riga, we traveled to castles outside of the city and ate at a Restaurant that served local cuisine. We got to take a tour of part of the town, back in Riga, and saw beautiful, important buildings such as the House of Blackheads. We also passed another shopping center with H&M and Zara. (Oh, how I wanted to shop!) 

Copenhagen, Denmark:
While I did not get to see any of the city, sadly, I did spend a lot of time (8 hours) in the airport. The airport was highly unorganized and the operation of it was a mess, but this was made up for by the shopping it offered! There was a two story H&M store, a Marc Jacobs, a Hermes, and a Burberry among others. I could have spent all day there! Why can't airports in the US have such wide offerings for shopping? They would make a lot of money. Especially in the airport in Newark, where I was stuck at for 6 hours flying back.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer!