We pulled into a cloudy Helsinki, Finland at approximately 8am and were fully disembarked by 9:30am. At the ferry terminal, we caught a taxi to take us to our nearby hotel, Glo Hotel Kluvvi, just off Helsinki's main pedestrian thoroughfare, the Esplanadi. I had figured that at this point in the trip, we would all be tired of sharing the same room in such close proximity. So for our final destination, we all got our own separate rooms! It was still too early in the morning to check in so we dropped our bags at the hotel and set out to explore. We walked over to the nearby Helsinki Cathedral, one of the most visited sites in Helsinki. This Lutheran church is well known for it's tall green dome which is very distinctive in Helsinki's skyline. ... read more

We awoke this morning hoping that we would be so fortunate as to see the sun today. My first look out the window this morning shattered those hopes. It was another drizzly morning as we ventured back over to the Gamla Stan with a plan of checking out the Nobel Museum. As soon as we got off the metro stop, we noticed a free tour gathering so with no concrete plans, we decided to join in. Our free tour guide was a Ukranian girl living in Stockholm for a few years and as we all opened up our umbrellas, we were off on our walking tour of Stockholm. We walked through the Gamla Stan heading towards the Parliament House. With it's impressive architecture, and beautiful surrounding gardens, the Parliament House lies right in between the Old ... read more

Flying out of LAX, we flew non-stop on Norwegian Airlines to Stockholm. Norwegian Airlines is one of those budget airlines where you pay for everything in order to try and keep the fares as low as possible. We chose to not pay the $40 for 2 meals so we had to endure a 10 hour flight with just the snacks we brought for ourselves. Arriving in Stockholm, we took the Arlanda Express for the quick ride to Stockholm's Central Station. From here, we caught a taxi to our nearby hotel, the Best Western Kom Hotel. We settled in and freshened up before heading out to do a little exploring. Using public transportation, we rode the Metro to Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town. It was almost 4pm and upon arriving, the first thing we did was grab ... read more

Today was going to be a full day of driving with the goal of heading as far as Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Driving down Highway 11 towards the southern end of the Big Island, we made our first stop along the side of the highway in Naalehu to stretch our legs and enjoy the views. After the quick break, it was a short drive to the most famous black sand beach on the island, Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. Created by the erosion of volcanic rock, the first thing you notice about the black sand is that it is very hot to walk on. Like most sandy beaches, I thought it would be easier to walk barefoot but I quickly had to put the flip-flops back on. We walked over to where a crowd had formed to ... read more

Today's plan was to make our way over to the eastern and wetter side of the island with the highlight of the day being zip-lining. Driving along Highway 190, we made our way up the slopes of Mt. Hualalai and through the barren landscape of the interior. After the town of Waimea, the landscape quickly transformed to verdant and lush vegetation. Making our way down the Hamakua coast of the island along Highway 19, we made a quick stop at Akaka Falls State Park. It was a relatively quick half mile hike along an uphill trail through the rainforest shaded in wild orchids, bamboos, and draping ferns. The trail eventually leads you to one of Hawaii's most famous waterfalls, Akaka Falls which plummets 442 feet into the gorge below. We soaked in the view before continuing ... read more