Finnsness

Small port, short stop. Hard to b believe from the scenery that we are well above the arctic circle, near 70º North latitude.
Tromso

Largest city in northern Norway. Two "cathedrals." The Domkirke which us the only cathedral in Norway built of wood and the so-called Artic Cathedral with one oftge largest stained glass mosaicsLes mer
Finnmark

Northern most county in Norway. Today it looks and feel more like the artic, at least on the water. Walking in Honningsvag today in shirt sleeves at 71º North latitude in September is I'd unusual.Les mer
Finnkirche

Unique natural formation on the north coast of Norway that resembles a church. We we're told that this was a site for sacrificial worship for the ancient Sami people. The pics are hard to see as theLes mer
Nordkyn

Northernmost point of land in continental Europe. Amazingly stark and barren. As soon as we past the Nordkyn, the Barent Sea became a lot rougher, more like the reputation I thought it had
Rovaniemi

Small town in North central Finland. Administrative center for Finnish Lapland. Labels itself Santa's home town. I didn't visit any of the Santa stuff, though there is plenty here. Pics are of theLes mer
Oulu

City at the north end of the Gulf of Bothynia, the body of water between Finland and Sweden. The Market Patrolman statue stands outside the central market and has become a symbol for Oulu. The cityLes mer
Tampere

A few pics around town. Including the first signs of fall I've noticed
Turku

More interesting city. Former capital, seat of the Lutheran church in Finland. Major cultural center.
Turku cathedral

13th century building. Largest Lutheran church in Finland and mother church for the nation. There are pics of the ceiling and some of the frescoes in the chancel. Notice that the crucifix is headless.Les mer
Sibelius Museum

Great place. Listened to a lot of Sibelius' music. They also have a large collection of collection of musical instruments from around the world. I spent a couple hours here. This doesn't do justice,Les mer
Turku castle

Best castle I've seen. Took me 2 1/2 hours and that included short changing some stuff. The tour is in 3 sections--the medieval castle, the renaissance castle and the bailey. That is basically theLes mer
St Isaac's cathedral

Another church. From the outside, this looks more western than Russian. But inside it is clearly Russian Orthodox.
Saint Petersburg

This is one beautiful city. 6 pics can't do justice to this. So there will be lots of posts. In this one, the first is the building where I'm staying--a 19th century, tsarist building. Not bad, andLes mer
Church of savior in the spilled blood

This is the most Russian place I've seen so far in this highly European city. All of the art--walls and ceiling-- is mosaics, except the altar screen and a couple icons. The last pic is aLes mer
Peterhof

While the building is stunning, the real stars of this place are the fountains. I hope all the gold stands out in the pics. The grounds are huge. I walked for almost 2 hours and didn't come close toLes mer
St Isaac's colonade.

This is around the outside of the dome and is supposed to be the only place to get a view over the city. I was uncomfortable with the height, especially when the wind cane up and was buffeting meLes mer
Hermitage

One of the world's great museums. Shown are a DaVinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, phoenix clock and a venus. The Winter Palace is now part of the Hermitage. Spent 2 1/2 hours, and barely scratched theLes mer
Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul

Located in the fortress of the same name and is how St. Petersburg got started--when Peter the Great decided he needed a seaport on the Baltic. Both Greats--Peter and Catherine--are interred here (theLes mer
Yaroslavl

Ancient city (founded 1010) at the confluence of the Volga with a major tributary. Part of the Golden Circle around Moscow. Pics are of the park at the confluence (If you've been to Pittsburgh, thisLes mer
Uglich

Be sure to pronounce it OOg-lich. Another old tow with important history. Ivan the Terrible came here during his brief abdication. Pics are the palace of crown prince Demitry, the TransfigurationLes mer
Yaroslavl 2

The former governor's palace, now a museum. All the young women guides present themselves as daughters of the governor (using real names and costumes, staying in character). Here we were met my aLes mer
Folk Show

Cossack dancing. Good show. Excellent Russian singing and energetic dancers
Catherine's Palace

Summer palace of the czars, built by Catherine I. (Catherine the Great was Catherine II. She remodeled part of this.) Spectacular (maybe even gaudy) palace used only in the summer. Some of the gardensLes mer
mandrogui

Mandrogui is really more of a living museum. Only a few folks live here, mostly local artisans.. It features a collection of old wooden houses that have been moved here, to show what a traditionalLes mer