19-Nights A President's Journey by Air, Land and Sea

Copenhagen

Wonderful Copenhagen is a city of bridge-spanned canals, copper-roofed buildings and manicured parks. This famous Baltic seaport is one of Europe’s loveliest capitals and the seat of the oldest monarchy in the world. Copenhagen is a focus for commerce, culture, industry and cosmopolitan atmosphere. The locale of Hans Christian Andersen’s enchanting tale of The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen is known as Denmark’s fairy-tale city. Its impressive theaters, museums and churches are of interest to many visitors; the best-loved attractions include the world-famous Tivoli Gardens, the Langelinie Harbor with its Little Mermaid statue and the busy shopping promenade known as Strøget.

Helsinki

Often referred to as "Pearl of the Baltic," this neat city is known for impressive architecture, wide boulevards, and beautiful harbor. Grand Senate Square, dominated by exquisite Tuomio Church and onion domes of Russian Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral, is an example of neo-Classical, Empire-style impressive architecture. Visit the lively harborfront market and Temppeliaukioa Church (Rock Church), which was created in the 60's from man-made and natural materials. Finland’s musical heritage comes alive in great Finlandia Hall, designed by renowned architect Alvar Aalto. Finland’s beloved composer, Jean Sibelius, is remembered by a beautiful monument on Helsinki’s outskirts. Helsinki has good museums displaying everything from art to architectural design. Open-air Museum - the small wooded island of Seurasaari - has a collection of vernacular buildings assembled from all over Finland which provide insight into how country folk lived until recently. Suomenlinna Fortress is the largest in the world and often called Gibraltar of the North.

Reykjavik

The fire, frost and water symbolized by the red, white and blue of Iceland’s flag are manifested in this land. Reykjavik, or Smoky Bay, was so named in 874 A.D. by Ingolf Arnarson when he sighted the numerous hot springs on the Seltjarnarnes Peninsula. Today this remarkably pollution-free city is wrapped around a sweeping bay and has managed to retain its charming Old-World atmosphere. A pastiche of red-blue-and green-roofed houses together with the tall gray tower of Hallgrim’s Church dominate the skyline. In Old Town, many of the wooden buildings have been lovingly restored and stand side by side with modern timber and concrete structures. There are fine museums and art galleries; historic pubs present activity in late afternoon. The beautiful countryside outside of Reykjavik includes such natural wonders as volcanoes, geysers, glaciers, mountains and spectacular waterfalls.

Tallinn

Tallinn's many occupations over the centuries have resulted in a cultural mix and unique ambiance of this maritime city. Old Town's cobbled streets and 13th-14th century buildings attract thousands of visitors annually who admire the city’s heritage of medieval buildings, the imposing City Hall, the Orthodox Cathedral, Toompea Castle and Oleviste Church. See former guild houses, including the Great Guildhall of the medieval Hanseatic League. Other attractions include impressive Town Hall Square with 15th century Gothic Town Hall, and numerous Gothic churches including Toomekirik. Toompea Castle has fine views over Tallinn. In Hirve Park, Estonians have rallied recently in protest of foreign occupation. "Tall Herman" and "Fat Margaret" are two towers among the remnants of the original defense walls. The "Fat Margaret" tower now houses a Maritime Museum on Tallinn’s history as a busy port. Other museums include: The House of Knights on Toompea Hill which displays Estonian art from the 19th and 20th centuries; the Museum of Decorative and Applied Art.

Greenland

Greenland remains a land of fantastical and semi-mythical proportions, with aurora borealis, the vast tundra, glittering columns of ice, monstrous glaciers that calve icebergs into the sea and the proverbially tight-lipped Inuit. Ever since 15th-century explorers returned from the distant north with wild and woolly tales of a remote region of brutish hairy pygmies, unicorns, mind-bending visions and citadels of ice, Ultima Thule has been the fantasy of all fantasies. Poets from Virgil and Pytheas to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow have celebrated it in verse; the Weimar Republic used it as a template for one of their mythic Nordic-Germanic societies; and big-haired '70s rock bands, with a penchant for heavy feedback and fuzzy guitar solos, have used it as a clarion call to youthful rebellion.

Edinburgh

Dominated by the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle, this picturesque city offers shopping on Princes Street, the grandeur of the Royal Mile, St. Giles Cathedral and historic Palace of Holyrood House, where Queen Mary lived and many Scottish kings were wed. Or venture across the moors to marvel at the scenic Highlands.

Lausanne

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