Germany & Scandinavia 2000 - 2007

In Munich, where locals specialize in good living, we visit boisterous markets and go-for-Baroque palaces...while office workers surf in the Isar River. Heading into the foothills of the Alps, we tour the fairy-tale castles of "Mad" King Ludwig and climb to the highest point in Germany, the Zugspitz. Then we cross into the Tirol to conquer a desolate ruined castle.

Cruising the Rhine River, we dodge riverboat traffic and the legendary Lorelei. After climbing castles and descending into dungeons, we relax with Rhine wine. We tour Burg Eltz, a lived-in castle where the noble lady still puts out fresh flowers. Then we enter the walled town of Rothenburg for Germany's best wood carving, a vivid dose of medieval punishment, and a tour with the night watchman of the town's lamp-lit ramparts.

Rick teams up with his wife and kids to appreciate the Gothic artistry of Cologne's cathedral. Then it's time to enjoy the good life, dipping into a classy mineral spa, trying our luck at a fancy casino, devouring chocolate-cherry cake, and exploring Germany's most romantic forest.

Berlin is back, resuming its place as a great European capital. We climb the Reichstag's new glass dome, sway at a modern-day cabaret, and pop a few chocolates in the now thriving eastern sector. Along with Germany's finest art, complicated Berlin also has hidden remnants of its fascist and communist past. In a city that's rebounding and rebuilding, we crane our necks at Potsdamer Platz, Europe's newest Times Square.

A highlight of Scandinavia, Denmark's Copenhagen welcomes visitors with remnants of Viking days, cosmopolitan flair and a high standard of living. We join the locals — lunching, biking and then boating through old Copenhagen. Our city tour ends in the world famous carnival, Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park. For a glimpse of 17th century Denmark, we board a train, then ferry to Aero Island where a bike ride among thatched cottages, "snooping mirrors," and cobbled alleys reminds us of the world of Hans Christian Andersen.

We find that Norway's seafaring past lives on in Oslo as we boat across the harbor and explore remnants of ocean adventure from Viking Eric the Red to Thor Heyerdahl of Kon Tiki fame. The Nazi Resistance Museum chronicles Norway's brave stance in World War II and a mammoth ski jump beckons the super-skilled. We ride the scenic rails over Norway's mountainous spine and cruise a fjord as part of the "Norway in a Nutshell" route. Finally, in Bergen we stroll the Hanseatic quarter, discovering links to the city's past.

We check out sleek Stockholm as an opener to a tour that winds up in Helsinki, Finland. In Sweden's capitol, we browse in the old town, see an opera at the baroque Queen's Theater, get close to an unlucky 17th century warship and sample earlier centuries of Swedish life in a lively open-air museum. Then we board a ship for a scenic overnight cruise through the Baltic Archipelago to explore 19th century sights in modern Helsinki, Finland.