We are leaving today for our trip to Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark – leaving on Lufthansa airlines. Newark airport has been having so many problems…we are hoping we get off the ground on time. Fortunately, we are spending a few days in Latvia, so if we happen to be delayed, it won’t be a big problem.

We are looking forward to learning about the indigenous traditions of the Sami people in Swedish Lapland and hope to have hands-on encounters with a reindeer herd to discover their importance to the Sami people’s way of life. And in Norway, we’ll learn about the controversial topic of whaling, which is a traditional and hotly contested practice. And…we might even visit Santa up in the North Pole (but he might still be vacationing in Bermuda. Who knows).

We’ll spend a day with a community in Swedish Lapland and learn how they raise huskies and hopefully enjoy some hands-on activities. We’ll also join a Swedish family in the mining town of Kiruna for a home-hosted dinner for a taste of home-cooked cuisine.

C’mon along as we travel to a unique part of the world.

PS Recently I was speaking to some of the folks who read my blog (all 5 of them) and they were amazed when I told them that I compose all the posts on my iphone – and usually at night – after a long day of touring. I don’t bring my iPad nor a computer with me, so I just depend on my iPhone to type on. It isn’t the easiest since many of my posts are lengthy, so please excuse any misspellings, etc. that might be apparent, (although Allan does a great job proof-reading for me and he is invaluable to my blog, as is my son Jamie, who set the blog up for me and does a fantastic job whenever I have a problem with it).