7 countries in 12 days. Now that’s exactly the kind of tour Americans are ridiculed for. And yet here we are doing exactly that.

It has been hectic. There has been no time to write the blog, no time to tell you in words all that we have seen. But we have been to some truly beautiful cities and so maybe I can be excused for taking a short cut and telling you about them very briefly in pictures, with just a sentence to put them in context.

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Loved it! World class museums plus the King’s castle . A very walkable city. And spotlessly clean.

KARLSKRONA SWEDEN

Tiny workers cottages have become all the rage. All painted red with fabulous gardens

VISBY, SWEDEN

A small island off the coast of Sweden. Very popular place for the Swedes to take their vacations. And I don’t blame them!

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

A majestic capital city

HELSINKI, FINLAND

An architectural dream – full of wonderful art nouveau interiors and exteriors and striking modern design

TALLINN, ESTONIA

World famous for its beautiful old town, but I found it disappointing. Ruined by tacky shops and dingy bars aimed at the throngs of tourists. And a bit run down.

RIGA, LATVIA

The first big surprise of the cruise. A wonderful city packed with fabulous art nouveau buildings. And not yet ruined by tourism. The Fabulosity meter loved it.

GDANSK, POLAND

An even bigger surprise. Yes, it is all rebuilt since the war, but it is still a beautiful city. But the graffiti and unfriendly locals are a big detraction. It might be just me, but there is something unsettling about being in Poland

Gdansk after the war (no, I did not take this photo!)

And today – taken by me!

ROSTOCK, GERMANY

How do you know when you are in Germany?

When the coach driver polishes the wheels while you are off the coach

And when the gardener does his weeding with a blow torch

And that, dear Readers, brings us to the end of the blog for this trip.

See you in Sri Lanka in February!