Star Collector: Legends of Scandinavia & the Baltic

Estonia’s history is sprinkled liberally with long stretches of foreign domination, beginning in 1219 with the Danes, followed without interruption by the Germans, Swedes, and Russians. Only after World War I, with Russia in revolutionary wreckage, was Estonia able to declare its independence. Shortly before World War II, in 1940, that independence was usurped by the Soviets, who—save for a brief three-year occupation by Hitler’s Nazis—proceeded to suppress all forms of national Estonian pride for the next 50 years. Estonia finally regained independence in 1991. In the early 1990s, Estonia’s own Riigikogu (Parliament), not some other nation’s puppet ruler, handed down from the Upper City reforms that forced Estonia to blaze its post-Soviet trail to the European Union. Estonia has been a member of the EU since 2004, and in 2011, the country and its growing economy joined the Eurozone. Tallinn was also named the European City of Culture in 2011, cementing its growing reputation as a cultural hot spot.

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The spires of 14th century churches soar above fashion-forward cafés, restaurants, and shops within the stone walls of Tallinn. Medieval Old Town is the well-preserved – and thriving – center of town, where you’ll find impressive guild houses, St. Olav’s Church, and other architectural treasures. Beyond Old Town lies Peter the Great’s Baroque masterpiece, Kadriorg Palace – and sunny Pirita beach.

Stockholm is a city in the flush of its second youth. Since the mid-1990s, Sweden’s capital has emerged from its cold, Nordic shadow to take the stage as a truly international city. What started with entry into the European Union in 1995 gained pace with the extraordinary IT boom of the late 1990s, strengthened with the Skype-led IT second wave of 2003, and solidified with the hedge-fund invasion that is still happening today as Stockholm gains even more global confidence. And despite more recent economic turmoil, Stockholm’s 1 million or so inhabitants have, almost as one, realized that their city is one to rival Paris, London, New York, or any other great metropolis.With this realization comes change. Stockholm has become a city of design, fashion, innovation, technology, and world-class food, pairing homegrown talent with an international outlook. The streets are flowing with a young and confident population keen to drink in everything the city has to offer. The glittering feeling of optimism, success, and living in the here and now is rampant in Stockholm.Stockholm also has plenty of history. Positioned where the waters of Lake Mälaren rush into the Baltic, it’s been an important trading site and a wealthy international city for centuries. Built on 14 islands joined by bridges crossing open bays and narrow channels, Stockholm boasts the story of its history in its glorious medieval old town, grand palaces, ancient churches, sturdy edifices, public parks, and 19th-century museums—its history is soaked into the very fabric of its airy boulevards, built as a public display of trading glory.

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Experience your own private Stockholm as you explore the interlacing canals and 14 tiny islands that surround this magical city. Renowned for its progressive nature, Stockholm offers avant-garde design, and trendy fashions. Visit the UNESCO sites of Frottningholm and Skogskykogarden, and the Södermalm neighborhood to discover charming old homes and picturesque main streets lined with unique shops, art galleries, and entertaining nightclubs.

Stockholm is a city in the flush of its second youth. Since the mid-1990s, Sweden’s capital has emerged from its cold, Nordic shadow to take the stage as a truly international city. What started with entry into the European Union in 1995 gained pace with the extraordinary IT boom of the late 1990s, strengthened with the Skype-led IT second wave of 2003, and solidified with the hedge-fund invasion that is still happening today as Stockholm gains even more global confidence. And despite more recent economic turmoil, Stockholm’s 1 million or so inhabitants have, almost as one, realized that their city is one to rival Paris, London, New York, or any other great metropolis.With this realization comes change. Stockholm has become a city of design, fashion, innovation, technology, and world-class food, pairing homegrown talent with an international outlook. The streets are flowing with a young and confident population keen to drink in everything the city has to offer. The glittering feeling of optimism, success, and living in the here and now is rampant in Stockholm.Stockholm also has plenty of history. Positioned where the waters of Lake Mälaren rush into the Baltic, it’s been an important trading site and a wealthy international city for centuries. Built on 14 islands joined by bridges crossing open bays and narrow channels, Stockholm boasts the story of its history in its glorious medieval old town, grand palaces, ancient churches, sturdy edifices, public parks, and 19th-century museums—its history is soaked into the very fabric of its airy boulevards, built as a public display of trading glory.

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Experience your own private Stockholm as you explore the interlacing canals and 14 tiny islands that surround this magical city. Renowned for its progressive nature, Stockholm offers avant-garde design, and trendy fashions. Visit the UNESCO sites of Frottningholm and Skogskykogarden, and the Södermalm neighborhood to discover charming old homes and picturesque main streets lined with unique shops, art galleries, and entertaining nightclubs.

Rīga has an upscale, big-city feel unmatched in the region. The capital (almost as large as Tallinn and Vilnius combined) is the business center of the area while original, high-quality restaurants and hotels have earned Rīga some bragging rights among its Western European counterparts. The city also doesn’t lack for beauty—Rīga’s Old Town (now a UNESCO World Heritage site) is one of Europe’s most striking examples of the art nouveau architectural style. Long avenues of complex and sometimes whimsical Jugendstil facades hint at Rīga’s grand past. Many were designed by Mikhail Eisenstein, the father of Soviet director Sergei. This style dominates the city center. In many ways, the wonder of Rīga resides less in its individual attractions and more in the fabric of the town itself. In the medieval Old Town, an ornate gable or architrave catches the eye at every turn. The somber and the flamboyant are both represented in this quarter’s 1,000 years of architectural history. Don’t hesitate to just follow where your desire leads—the Old Town is compact and bounded by canals, so it’s difficult to get totally lost. When the Old Town eventually became too crowded, the city burst out into the newer inner suburbs. The rich could afford to leave and build themselves fine fashionable mansions in the style of the day; consequently, city planners created a whole new Rīga. Across the narrow canal, you’ll find the Esplanāde, a vast expanse of parkland with formal gardens and period mansions where the well-heeled stroll and play. Surrounding this is the art nouveau district. Encompassing avenues of splendid family homes (now spruced up in the postcommunist era), the collection has been praised by UNESCO as Europe’s finest in the art nouveau style. The best examples are at Alberta 2, 2a, 4, 6, 8, and 13; Elizabetes 10b; and Strēlnieku 4a. If the weather permits, eschew public transport and stroll between the two districts, taking in the varied skylines and multifaceted facades, and perhaps stopping at a café or two as you go. The city has churches in five Christian denominations and more than 50 museums, many of which cater to eclectic or specialist tastes.

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A major port at the mouth of the River Daugava, Riga has a UNESCO-listed pedestrian-only Old Town and a famous Central Market. It is also known for its art nouveau architecture, wooden buildings and delightful shops and restaurants at busy Livu Square.

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VENTSPILS, Latvia

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Gdansk’s Old Town was lovingly reconstructed after World War II. Take your time admiring massive red-brick churches and searching for the perfect memento in amber shops. This is also the home of the Solidarity movement, the beautiful Lake District, and Malbork Castle, Europe’s largest gothic fortress.

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This beautiful island is Denmark in miniature, complete with fertile fields, forests, craggy cliffs, and bleach-blond beaches. Admire the massive medieval fortifications of Hammershus, bricks still red after all these years, and sample some smoked herring, smoked locally for generations.

By the 11th century, Copenhagen was already an important trading and fishing centre and today you will find an attractive city which, although the largest in Scandinavia, has managed to retain its low-level skyline. Discover some of the famous attractions including Gefion Fountain and Amalienborg Palace, perhaps cruise the city’s waterways, visit Rosenborg Castle or explore the medieval fishing village of Dragoer. Once the home of Hans Christian Andersen, Copenhagen features many reminders of its fairytale heritage and lives up to the reputation immortalised in the famous song ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’.

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This historic city of palaces, canals, and copper spires casts a sense of enchantment upon all who walk its cobbled streets. Little wonder that Copenhagen’s favorite son, Hans Christian Andersen, was inspired to write some of the world’s most beloved fairy tales here. Stroll the 17th century Nyhavn waterfront where Andersen once lived, complete with colorful row houses and historic tall ships. Enjoy world-class shopping on Strøget, the world’s longest pedestrian street. Or find your amusement at world-famous Tivoli Gardens where tree-lined pathways lead to theaters, open air stages, restaurants, cafes, and over 80 attractions.

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Haugesund offers the best of Norway with a fjord, waterfall, impressive coastline, city culture, unique Viking history and idyllic islands, all in one place. Situated between Stavanger and Bergen, between the sea and the mountains, this port lies in a scenic area of lush landscape, towering mountains and the energetic sea and is the starting point for exploring the Folgefonna glacier.

The coastal town of Ålesund is the commercial capital of the Møre og Romsdal district. But more important, it is noted for its characteristic Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) buildings, which some claim make Ålesund one of the most beautiful towns in Norway. This Art Nouveau style emerged when the town was completely rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1904 destroyed nearly 800 buildings and left 10,000 residents homeless. It is said that the fire started by a tipped oil lamp. Rebuilding was carried out with the help of many young, foreign architects who added their own flourishes to the architectural blend of German Jugendstil and Viking roots. Today, narrow streets are crammed with buildings topped with turrets, spires and gables that bear decorations of dragonheads and curlicues. As one of the few remaining Art Nouveau towns in the world, in 1998 Ålesund was awarded the coveted Houens National Memorial Prize for the preservation of its unique architecture.

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At the entrance to spectacular Geirangerfjord, Alesund has been voted the most beautiful town in Norway, and not only because of its location. The town burned to the ground in 1904 and was rebuilt in Art Nouveau style, with a few added elements from Nordic mythology – a longboat here, an image of Thor there.

One of Scandinavia’s oldest cities, Trondheim was the first capital of Norway, from AD 997 to 1380. Founded in 997 by Viking king Olav Tryggvason, it was first named Nidaros (still the name of the cathedral), a composite word referring to the city’s location at the mouth of the Nidelva River. Today, it’s Central Norway’s largest (and Norway’s third largest) city, with a population of 150,000. The wide streets of the historic city center remain lined with brightly painted wood houses and striking warehouses. But it’s no historic relic: it’s also the home to NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and is Norway’s technological capital.

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TRONDHEIM, Norway

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Frøya, Norway, is a picturesque island located in the Trøndelag region, known for its stunning coastal landscapes and vibrant fishing communities. The island offers a serene escape with its rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, and crystal-clear waters, making it a haven for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Visitors can explore charming villages, enjoy fresh seafood, and experience traditional Norwegian culture. Frøya is also a gateway to the beautiful Frøya archipelago, perfect for boating, fishing, and wildlife watching.

See the aqua blue ice of the Jostedal Glacier cascading down the stunning Oldedalen Valley, as you navigate the spindly fjords of Norway. Feel your breath catching in your throat, as you sail into this world of wonder, and the dramatic fjord scenery and interlocking valleys inspire you. The village of Olden opens up some of Norway’s most majestic natural wonders, from the glacier – which is mainland Europe’s largest – to the sloshing waterfalls that run off it, and the bowing forests that sway all around it. A visit to picturesque Olden is all thrilling panoramas and hikes through wildflower sprinkled trails. The Briksdalsbreen arm of ice, reaches out from the main glacier, and sits around an hour’s stroll from the village of Olden itself – regular busses can also take you there. Snaking through steep-sided valleys, you can enjoy a walk close to the foot of the ice, and feel the spray of the waterfalls that plummet nearby, as you breathe in some of the freshest air you’ve ever tasted. The crisp glacial meltwater is so clean and pure that it’s bottled up to be sold across Norway.

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The pleasant small village of Olden is located at the inner end of the 66-mile long Nordfjord, the sixth longest fjord in Norway. Long known for tourism and industry, it is now also famous for contemporary design. With fewer than 500 inhabitants Olden is an ideal destination for people who enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, and is the gateway to Jostedal, the largest glacier on the European mainland. If you can, find a bottle of Olden Mineral Water, as close as you will get to a glacier on tap.

Surrounded by mountains and sparkling fjords, the waterside city of Bergen has a spectacular setting. There has been a settlement here since medieval times and the colourful waterfront buildings of the Hanseatic wharf, known as Bryggen, are testament to its fascinating history of trade. As Norway’s best known medieval settlement, the Bryggen is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Our comprehensive selection of excursions allows you to discover the many sides of Bergen, such as the fish market and narrow cobbled streets, as well as stunning views of the city from the summit of Mt Fløyen. Alternatively, those who have visited the city previously may like to experience one of the tours that travel further afield. Just 300 yards from the main piers, you will find the Fortress Museum (Fesningsmuseum), which has an interesting collection of objects related to World War II.

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Colorful Bryggen, Bergen’s Hanseatic quay and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is so delightful you may find it difficult to explore further. But do. Watch the Huldras (forest nymphs) dance at Kjosfossen Waterfall, wander the narrow smau between the old buildings climbing the hillside.

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From the Firth of Forth, a UNESCO site, to the Royal Mile, Edinburgh is steeped in history. Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Botanic Gardens. The UNESCO site of Old Town. The wonders of Edinburgh are never ending. From one of Europe’s best-preserved castles to the world’s longest herbaceous border, a riot of color and culture pervades. In this city as old as Scotland itself, you’ll find the perfect blend of historic tradition and natural beauty