June 18, my birthday trip to Saaremaa The strong winds and rainy weather that challenged Heli's plans had subsided and we woke to brilliant sunshine for our one hour drive to Virtsu to catch the ferry to the little island of Muhumaa, or Muhu, "the island where time rests." Heli planned a very special three day trip on the islands of Muhu, Saaremaa and Abruka with Dave, her grandson Markus and me to celebrate my birthday and introduce us to the wonders of Estonia. The road to the ferry was nearly empty of cars and the countryside was mostly unoccupied forest with an occasional farmhouse. About 45 minutes north of Parnu the road widened to double the width for about a mile. Heli told us that during Soviet times this strip of road was used as ... read more

ESTONIA Estonia is a small country with a coastline of more than 3700 km on the Baltic sea with a population of 1.34 million people, a large number of them living in Tallinn, the capitol of Estonia. We will be in Estonia for the annual celebration of Victory Day (June 23) and Midsummer Day (June 24). Estonia is proud of its technological advances. Skype was developed by Estonians and Wifi, usually free of charge, is very popular throughout Estonia including buses, trains and even in outdoor areas in the country. Estonia has a strong environmental ethic and is making an effort to become paperless. Estonia was one of several countries under the control of the Soviet Union. In 1990 I, along with several others from New England, was privileged to be a Bridges for Peace Delegate ... read more

June 6, the beginning of our Viking River Cruise: Mandrogi On the evening of June 5 we sailed up the Neva River into Lake Ladoga, the first of the connecting waterways taking us on our river journey through Russia. Lake Ladoga, located in northern Russia near the border of Finland, is Europe’s largest freshwater lake and the 14th largest lake in the world and an important link in the system of waterways connecting St Petersburg to the River Svir, Lake Onega and the White Sea to the north. At the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga our ship floated by the restored stone Oreshek Fortress that glowed a warm burnt Sienna orange in the late evening light. This fortress is where Ivan the VI and Lenin’s brother Aleksandr Ylyanov met their untimely ends. I ... read more

July 16 Puffin Day! We left our motel room in Machias at 6:15am for the half our drive to Cutler Harbor and the Bold Coast Charter Company. Fifteen eager photographers and members of the Massachusettes Audubon Society plus myself were met in a little dingy by Captain Andy Patterson who explained the days procedures. The tide was out (all seventeen feet of it!) and the boats in the small classic New England harbor were moored near large seaweed covered boulders or on long lines attached to tall piers that were exposed by the low tide. The weather was perfect for our half day excursion to Machias Seal Island, the largest puffin colony ten miles off the coast of Maine! All sixteen of us were well bundled in layers except for Andy who was in shorts and ... read more

July 6 Martha did not tell us about the train. Or the very squeaky, creaky door that opened and closed by itself in the night. After getting up to close the windows and lock the door I managed to get to sleep in the charming and comfortable bed. In the morning, Sandra, our hostess, prepared a lovely breakfast of fresh strawberries, yogurt and scrambled eggs and when her back was turned we watched one of her cats climb up to lick the yogurt container. Sandra made our stay special with her eclectic art collection, antiques and animals. We left early for Prince Edward Island and were pleased to see sunshine greet us over the 8 mile Confederation Bridge to the island. Looking at the map and reading the materials I thought it would be good to ... read more