Oslo

More people met my gaze within three hours of arriving in Oslo, than in three months prior travel across Europe.

Stockholm

I was in Stockholm some 30 years ago on business. It was fall, the weather was bleak and I remember walking through slush. Still, old town was magically romantic with its narrow streets, old buildings and small shops. I remember liking the fact that people lived on the floors above the street level shops. I imagined that environment to be ideal. I dreamed of returning in summer to see how much better the city might look in sunshine. I wanted to come back and stay at that youth hostel on the sailing ship moored just opposite the castle in old town.

Berlin

I came close to visiting Berlin 15 years ago while traveling in Belgium, but after driving a couple hours in fog I turned around. On this visit I was blessed with several days of temperate sunshine. The good weather coincided with a weekend, so I got to see how Berliners enjoy leisure time in the city.

Krakow

Krakow, Poland, 7/29-31/2012
I came here specifically to visit Wieliczka Salt Mine. I had no expectations about the city itself. I was charmed. The size of the old quarter is manageable on foot and the old buildings and monuments are well maintained, beautiful to see. There is a nice feeling about the place. It seems as if the original layout has not changed much.

Graz

Graz, Austria, 7/24-25/2012
After my stop in Switzerland, I slowly made my way toward Scotland, spending a few nights at cities along the way I was curious to see. I liked so much of what I saw of Austria earlier in the summer, I was anxious to see more of that country. I decided to check out Graz, a small city, capital of the southern region of Styria. Might it be a hidden gem?

England

I met my Mom and her sister at Dover, England. We drove from there across the southern lobe of England to Port Isaac, then back to Bath, up through the Cotswolds and ended in London. We enjoyed stopovers in Weymouth, Port Isaac, Bath, Winchcombe and Hammersmith.

Berchtesgadener Alpen

I used the Via Alpina website to research and plan a ten day hike over twelve stages of the “purple trail” that runs through the Berchtesgaden area. Since these are some of the lowest elevation mountains, I expected they would be the earliest opening. But the day I headed out to my start point, I got a late response from one of the mountain huts saying they wouldn’t be open in time to accept my reservation. Hmmm.