Europe 2025

We combined the Zurich to Paris Viking River Cruise with the Rick Steves Scandinavia tour. We also included an extra couple of days in Paris so we can finally see Versailles. Mary celebrated her birthday along the way! Meer informatie

Volgen Overzicht Kalender Delen

Footprints
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Dag 16
zaterdag 5 juli 2025 om 10:32
☁️ 59 °F
Hoogte: 14 m
Zweden Stockholm Municipality 59.324795, 18.0967759°19’29” N 18°5’48” E
Stockholm - The ABBA Museum (1)
5 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
OK, so it is a bit cheesy, but we decided to visit the ABBA Museum. It was cloudy on the walk to the museum and raining when we left. The museum was entertaining and fun. We probably learned more about ABBA than we really needed to know, but it was worth the time.Meer informatie
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Dag 16
zaterdag 5 juli 2025 om 11:10
☁️ 59 °F
Hoogte: 15 m
Zweden Stockholm Municipality 59.324863, 18.09664359°19’30” N 18°5’48” E
Stockholm - The ABBA Museum (2)
5 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
The costumes and the creativity of the music was fun to see. Of course, the dynamics of two marriages and the resulting break ups added a bit of sadness to the group.

We walked back to the hotel in the rain. But we had a delightful lunch along the way that gave us a brief reprieve from the rain.Meer informatie
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Dag 17
zondag 6 juli 2025 om 10:48
☁️ 63 °F
Hoogte: 29 m
Zweden Stockholm Municipality 59.326113, 18.09993359°19’34” N 18°5’60” E
Stockholm - Skansen Open Air Museum
6 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
We had a day with little rain, so we made the time to visit the Skansen Museum. This is an open air museum that has acquired homes from around Sweden from different eras. I was amazed that it was started in 1891 and has been in operation since then. We spent 4 hours there and enjoyed it immensely.

We had lunch in the open air food court. Then they put on a campy short musical about life in the 1950's. The extolled the virtues of DDT to kill insects and how lead improved gasoline. The depiction of traditional roles was also over the top. The satire was rich!Meer informatie
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Dag 17
zondag 6 juli 2025 om 18:57
☀️ 70 °F
Hoogte: 37 m
Zweden Stockholm 59.314881, 18.07421159°18’54” N 18°4’27” E
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RS Day 1 - Walk and Group Dinner
6 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
We began our Rick Steves Scandinavia Tour with a short walk and group dinner. The dinner was traditional Swedish fare, including herring and Swedish meatballs. I am not a huge fan of herring, but they gave us several different versions.Meer informatie
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Reiziger Looks awesome 🤪
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Dag 18
maandag 7 juli 2025 om 09:57
☁️ 66 °F
Hoogte: 29 m
Zweden Stockholm 59.32515, 18.07200159°19’31” N 18°4’19” E
RS Day 2 - Walking Tour of Stockholm
7 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
We had a local guide, Hakan, who showed us around the old town of Stockholm. He had great insight into the city and the culture. One of our stops along the way was at his flat in the old town. His building is from the 1600's. We learned much about the political system in Sweden, which is unicameral. They were among the first to include women in their democracy.Meer informatie
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ReizigerLooks like you had a great walking tour!
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Dag 18
maandag 7 juli 2025 om 14:05
☁️ 68 °F
Hoogte: 11 m
Zweden Stockholm Municipality 59.328058, 18.09190559°19’41” N 18°5’31” E
RS Day 2 - Vasa Museum
7 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
Following the walking tour we took the ferry to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a 17th century war ship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 after traveling about 1300 meters. The king had the ship built to his specifications and it was top heavy. A gust of wind tipped the ship over and it sank in the harbor. It was not recovered until it was located, in tact, in 1956. It was raised in 1961 and preserved in polyethylene glycol. The museum tells the story of the construction of the ship and the story of the salvage operation. It was worth the visit.Meer informatie
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Dag 18
maandag 7 juli 2025 om 17:05
🌧 59 °F
Hoogte: 34 m
Zweden Stockholm Municipality 59.335254, 18.08062559°20’7” N 18°4’50” E
RS Day 2 - Durham Univ. Choir Concert
7 juli, Zweden ⋅ 🌧 59 °F
After dinner at the hotel we went to a concert at the local church that has been converted to a concert venue. It was a choir from Durham University in the UK. The organist was amazing.
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Dag 19
dinsdag 8 juli 2025 om 08:45
☁️ 54 °F
Hoogte: 10 m
Zweden Stockholm Municipality 59.327438, 18.05413159°19’39” N 18°3’15” E
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RS Day 3 - Stockholm City Hall Tour
8 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
Before taking the high speed train to Copenhagen, we visited the Stockholm City Hall. The banquet for the Nobel Prize winners is held here every year.
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Reiziger Interesting...the mosaic on the sides go off too as if the artist miscalculated these too...
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ReizigerHaving just been at the Nobel Center in Oslo, this was especially interesting.
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ReizigerWe didn't get to the Nobel Museums in Stockholm or in Oslo, but we enjoyed seeing your pictures inside the Nobel Peace Prize Museum in Oslo.
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Dag 19
dinsdag 8 juli 2025 om 15:46
☀️ 64 °F
Hoogte: Zeeniveau
Zweden Bunkeflostrand 55.565804, 12.8884455°33’57” N 12°53’18” E
RS Day 3 - Travel to Copenhagen
8 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
We took the high speed train from Stockholm to Malmö. We transferred from the train to a bus for the rest of the trip to Copenhagen. We crossed the bridge over the strait between Malmö and Copenhagen, called Øresund (Danish) or Öresund (Swedish), also known as The Sound in English.Meer informatie
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Dag 19
dinsdag 8 juli 2025 om 16:30
⛅ 66 °F
Hoogte: 9 m
Denemarken Copenhagen 55.679612, 12.59087755°40’47” N 12°35’27” E
RS Day 3 - Arrival/Dinner in Copenhagen
8 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
We had a lovely view from our hotel in Copenhagen. We had a brief orientation walk around our hotel. Prior to our group dinner, we had a visit from an actor portraying Hans Christian Andersen. He gave a great talk on Andersen's life and writings.Meer informatie
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Dag 20
woensdag 9 juli 2025 om 11:18
☀️ 66 °F
Hoogte: 12 m
Denemarken Copenhagen 55.674921, 12.57670755°40’30” N 12°34’36” E
RS Day 4 - Walking Tour of Copenhagen
9 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
We had lovely walking tour of Copenhagen in the morning. The opera house has a roof that they use for a diving competition. Even the power plant is designed to be used as a ski slope and a climbing wall.Meer informatie
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Dag 20
woensdag 9 juli 2025 om 14:51
☁️ 68 °F
Hoogte: Zeeniveau
Denemarken Copenhagen 55.689836, 12.60105255°41’23” N 12°36’4” E
RS Day 4 - Canal Tour of Copenhagen
9 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
It had been threatening to rain most of the day, but we decided to give it a go anyway. We got absolutely dumped on! We were soaked through and through. Our guide was a trooper through it all. It cleared up a couple of times in the hour long tour, but just opened up as we made a mad dash to our hotel after the tour.Meer informatie
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ReizigerYou managed to get some good pictures in spite of the rain.
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ReizigerThese photos are beautiful!
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Dag 20
woensdag 9 juli 2025 om 21:17
☁️ 64 °F
Hoogte: 20 m
Denemarken Copenhagen 55.674821, 12.56572355°40’29” N 12°33’57” E
RS Day 4 - Tivoli Gardens
9 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
Our guide, Nina, got us tickets to Tivoli Gardens. We had dinner there and walked around for a short time. A jazz festival was taking place in Copenhagen and we listened to one of the bands.
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ReizigerLove Tivoli!
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Dag 21
donderdag 10 juli 2025 om 10:15
☀️ 66 °F
Hoogte: 7 m
Denemarken Copenhagen 55.685753, 12.57737355°41’9” N 12°34’39” E
RS Day 5 - Tour of Rosenborg Castle
10 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
We had a tour of Rosenborg Castle. The castle was used mostly for ceremonial events and banquets. It was never a residence. The castle houses the crown jewels. We took a group photo after the tour.
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Dag 21
donderdag 10 juli 2025 om 16:25
☀️ 72 °F
Hoogte: Zeeniveau
Denemarken Copenhagen 55.692877, 12.59923855°41’34” N 12°35’57” E
RS Day 5 - Walk to the Little Mermaid
10 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
We had the afternoon free after our tour of Rosenborg Castle. After lunch we walked to the statue of the Little Mermaid. It was a warm and sunny day in Copenhagen, so many people were swimming in the canals. We had dinner at a very busy market with Scott, Christa, Paul, and Terri, along with two Danish guys.Meer informatie
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Dag 22
vrijdag 11 juli 2025 om 10:33
🌬 68 °F
Hoogte: 8 m
Denemarken Roskilde 55.650957, 12.08160555°39’3” N 12°4’54” E
RS Day 6 - Roskilde Viking Ship Museum
11 juli, Denemarken ⋅ 🌬 68 °F
On our way to the island of Ærø, we stopped in Roskilde to visit the Viking Ship Museum and the Roskilde Cathedral. The remains of the six viking ships were less intact than what we saw at the Vasa Museum. These ships had been sunk intentionally to block a passage into the harbor during an invasion.

We ate lunch at the museum - their "viking platter." It was interesting.Meer informatie
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Dag 22
vrijdag 11 juli 2025 om 12:14
🌬 68 °F
Hoogte: 24 m
Denemarken Roskilde 55.643358, 12.07966755°38’36” N 12°4’47” E
RS Day 6 - Roskilde Cathedral
11 juli, Denemarken ⋅ 🌬 68 °F
The Cathedral in Roskilde houses the tombs of all the royalty of Denmark. It has been the mausoleum of the Danish royal family since the 15th century.
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Dag 22
vrijdag 11 juli 2025 om 18:22
☁️ 72 °F
Hoogte: 14 m
Denemarken Ærøskøbing 54.887959, 10.4112754°53’17” N 10°24’41” E
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RS Day 6 - Ferry to Ærøskøbing
11 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
We drove from Roskilde to Svenborg where we caught a ferry to Ærøskøbing on the island of Ærø. Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restored to retain the character of the olden days. Most of them are one story tall, and the oldest ones date back to 1645. The island was a major smuggling / trading center. Ærøskøbing is often called a fairytale town. The town almost died out, but it has become a major destination wedding site. The wife of our guide, John Maloney, started a wedding business as part of the effort to revive the island's economy. And it is working.

We shared an apartment with Scott and Stephanie. We had only one bathroom, but we had a lovely room and a beautiful living room. This is the first time we've ever had to share a bathroom on a Rick Steves tour.

After dinner we walked down the the harbor. There was a light mist and we got to see a beautiful rainbow and an incredible sunset.Meer informatie
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Reiziger Great photo - and love the sky!
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Reiziger And this sky too!
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Dag 23
zaterdag 12 juli 2025 om 12:14
🌬 66 °F
Hoogte: 15 m
Denemarken Vindeballe 54.866116, 10.33485454°51’58” N 10°20’5” E
RS Day 7 - Bus Tour of Ærø
12 juli, Denemarken ⋅ 🌬 66 °F
We had a relaxing morning before going on a bus tour of Ærø. We stopped at a church on the island and had lunch at a place that only prepares lunch for Rick Steves tours. We had smørrebrød, a traditional Danish open-faced sandwich, characterized by a slice of buttered rye bread topped with various meats, fish, cheeses, spreads, and garnishes. It was delicious. We also went to a scenic overlook.Meer informatie
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Dag 23
zaterdag 12 juli 2025 om 14:36
🌬 66 °F
Hoogte: 10 m
Denemarken Ærøskøbing 54.897757, 10.40331354°53’52” N 10°24’12” E
RS Day 7 - Afternoon Walk and Happy Hour
12 juli, Denemarken ⋅ 🌬 66 °F
After we returned from the bus ride we visited the local distillery and I sampled some of their whiskey. Then we walked out to the badehusene pa vesterstrand, the bath houses along the beach. And Nina hosted a happy hour before dinner.Meer informatie
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Dag 24
zondag 13 juli 2025 om 13:48
☁️ 70 °F
Hoogte: 3 m
Denemarken Elsinore 56.039848, 12.62179256°2’23” N 12°37’18” E
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RS Day 8 - Helsingør and Kronborg Castle
13 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
After breakfast we left Ærø and took the ferry to Svenborg. Then we drove to Helsingør (Elsinore) where we had lunch and a short visit to Kronborg Castle, immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The lunch venue was a quirky warehouse / food court, with eclectic furniture all over.Meer informatie
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Reiziger Nice childhood memories
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Dag 24
zondag 13 juli 2025 om 14:36
☁️ 70 °F
Hoogte: Zeeniveau
Denemarken Elsinore 56.035894, 12.64541256°2’9” N 12°38’43” E
RS Day 8 - Ferry Ride to Helsingborg
13 juli, Denemarken ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
We had a short (ca. 20 minute) ferry ride from Helsingør, Denmark, to Helsingborg, Sweden. It was a lovely day.
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Dag 24
zondag 13 juli 2025 om 17:09
⛅ 73 °F
Hoogte: 10 m
Zweden Varberg 57.108736, 12.24882957°6’31” N 12°14’56” E
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RS Day 8 - Varberg
13 juli, Zweden ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We drove from Helsingborg to Varberg. We stayed at Hotel Gästis in Varberg. It is owned by a staunch Leninist and has classic posters and art work from the former Soviet Union. And there are books everywhere! The place is classic Rick Steves accommodations.

We did a short orientation walk and then Mary and I went for a long walk along the coast. We found a folk group singing Irish music along the way.Meer informatie
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Reiziger I like these statues - very whimsical
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Dag 25
maandag 14 juli 2025 om 10:45
☁️ 72 °F
Hoogte: 15 m
Zweden Tanumshede 58.701391, 11.33634358°42’5” N 11°20’11” E
RS Day 9 - Vitlycke Rock Carvings
14 juli, Zweden ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
We drove from Varberg to Oslo and made two stops along the way. The first was to the bronze age rock carvings at Vitlycke. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The outlines of the carvings have been enhanced with a natural pigment to make them more readable. One of the carvings shows up on the Swedish 50 K note.Meer informatie
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Dag 25
maandag 14 juli 2025 om 11:51
⛅ 73 °F
Hoogte: 6 m
Zweden Grebbestad 58.697237, 11.21923358°41’50” N 11°13’9” E
RS Day 9 - Lunch at Everts Sjöbod
14 juli, Zweden ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We ate lunch and had a boat ride at Everts Sjöbod Bed & Breakfast in Grebbestad. The lunch was a delicious mussel soup, along with bread and butter. The boat ride took us among the off shore islands. It was a beautiful day and the boat ride was refreshing. This area is one of the warmest areas in Sweden because of the current that circulates along the coast.Meer informatie
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