We headed over to Finland on a huge ferry that was only filled at 25% capacity (450 passengers against room for 2000) and enjoyed a second breakfast brunch on the ship since our tour would start immediately after we docked. Helsinki was the last Xmas market on the tour, and based on the fact I…

For all the hype on the Tallinn Christmas market pre-tour, I had high expectations and a long shopping list to get through once we arrived. I was underwhelmed with the 2025 version. The Tallin Christmas market was directly across from the oldest pharmacy in EU and was only slightly bigger than the last two. More…

Unlike other cities we have visited, Tallinn’s Old Town is at the top of a hill and you wind your way down to newer parts of the city. On the way there, we saw the St. Bernadette monastary, which was built in the 1400s. As we drove, the tour guide shared some late December/New Year…

On the way to Old Town, our city tour stopped at the International SongFest grounds in Tallin. Many famous singers have participated over the years, such as Tina Turner and Lady Gaga. A statue of the song festival founders watches over the ampitheater and still enjoys each concert. The tour guide walked us through the…

As our final “Christmas present”, our local guide had secured tickets to hear an organ concert just around the corner from the Christmas market. The organist is considered one of the top musicians born and bred in Riga and he played a short selection of four pieces. The concert only lasted 20 minutes so I…

The first of our Christmas excursions was to the Black Magic Black Balsam shop. Black Balsam is a popular liquor and figures prominently throughout town as well as the Christmas Market. They also sell custom chocolate hand made in the same storefront. The top floor has the alchemy materials used to invent the liquour and…

Bright and early, we met our Polish/Latvian guide for walking tour of the old town. Unfortunately, my “whisper” headset malfunctioned so I didn’t catch a lot of the commentary. I still wanted to post pictures to give a taste of Riga. Our bus dropped off at a small turret that guarded Riga many centuries ago….

We arrived in Riga last night and checked in to the tallest of the 7 Radisson Hotels in the city. A 10 minute walk up the street led to a statue, paid for by the citizens of Riga, that commemorates the first liberation from Russia. On the way back, I stopped to admire the ice…

After more than 2 hours of walking, our group landed at the first Christmas market of the tour. We got there right at noon and were given an hour to shop but given how small it was, I was done in about 20 minutes. Unlike German Christmas markets, this one did not have any hot…