We awoke early and had a quick FaceTime with Babcia and Bla before navigating our way into the main harbour to catch our Viking Line ferry. We began by taking a tram from the front of our building but once we were in the city decided to jump in a cab for the rest of the way. It was about 9:30am (we had to check in 90mins before) and the sun was just rising over the Baltic, making the views from the cafe in the ferry terminal quite attractive.

At just after 11:30am we began boarding along with the rest of the herd (well that’s what it felt like). Scott managed to find us some seats in the middle of the 8th floor near the children’s section, but more importantly, nice and close to the bar. Beverages were ordered and we settled in for our 2 hour journey. About half an hour in, Teresa noticed an empty table near the window so we were able to relocate and enjoy the view as we progressed toward our destination.

As we approached Tallinn, Estonia, the skyline was quite amazing as the contrast between the old town and the more modern Estonia was starkly evident. We also noticed the vast difference between the speed of the meter in the taxi from the Ferry port to our AirBnb, much slower than in Helsinki!

We met Signe at our apartment, she was very inviting and briefed us about events in Tallinn and housekeeping details. We were touched that she had also gone to the effort of leaving us champagne and gingerbread cookies decorated with our names. An afternoon nap was in order, so we organised the sleeping arrangements and rested our weary heads for an hour.

We awoke at 5:30pm. The sky outside was pitch black. Michele, Teresa and Scott ventured out in search of a supermarket where we could buy snacks and alcohol. Great news…no weird rules here, the supermarkets are open until about 11pm and you can buy alcohol until 10. It was an easy and short walk to the shops from our apartment. We spent a fair amount of time in the grocery store admiring the wares and guessing what each item contained.

We made our way into the old town, past Freedom Square, where festivities were building. Signe had informed us that the 100 year anniversary of independence was also happening in the next week, so big celebrations were in order. We were a little late for our 8pm reservation at Rataskaevu 16 but our table was waiting. Deesi was our waitress for the evening. Where do we start? The service was outstanding. The menu was extensive but not overwhelming. The building was authentic 13th century architecture. It was a wonderful way to bring in the new year.

For entree Scott and Michele had salted salmon and Teresa had fried herring fillets. Main course was lamb rump, again for Michele and Scott, braised elk roast for Teresa and slow cooked pork belly for Irene. We also had the most amazing complimentary bread and butter for the table. Drinks were mulled wine, gin & tonic, and… of course, vodka.

After dinner we ordered coffees and our lovely waitress wrote personal affirmations for each of us on the doilies underneath the cups. We were very impressed with her attentiveness and enthusiasm and were sorry to say goodbye. She gave us two piccolos of sparkling wine as parting gifts. We made our way back to the apartment through a crowded Freedom Square. Sleep did not come easy, as the fireworks exploded around us for hours, but alas we were content. Happy new year. Head ööd!

Poor Irene woke up with a chest cold so she decided that a day of rest was in order (little did she know that, due to the difficult door, she would be locked in the apartment until we got home much later). Michele, Scott and Teresa set out to explore the city. We followed the shoreline of the harbour and admired the juxtaposition of nature against the Helsinki sky. A shortcut through a tree lined park conjured images of scenery from the Lord of the Rings, with dark green grass and mossy rocks laid out around us. The light sprinkle turned into rain and sleet as we got closer to the main harbour so we stopped in at a cafe called Robert’s Coffee for a breather. Michele’s boots had begun to invite water into the toes so the break was welcome. Here we ordered Irish coffees and snacks. On the next table was a little Scottish dog called Elvis who had a little collar that was lit up so he could be found in the dark afternoon.

We continued our journey and found some markets, where Michele found a furry cossack-inspired headband to warm her freezing ears. The weather had cleared up and Scott showed us the building where he had been standing when The Hoff had appeared and spoken to him on a previous trip. Teresa decided that she would shout her children a ride on the Helsinki SkyWheel, essentially a big Ferris wheel. The views of the city were picturesque and we were amazed to peer down and see people swimming in the open-air heated baths just next door.

After about 4 rotations we alighted the Ferris wheel just as dusk was setting in…at around 2:30pm. We had a quick refreshment in a coffee shop before catching a family photo on the expansive steps of the cathedral. Scott was feeling peckish…..again… so we walked into the main part of town and found a mall. Here we found a Thai restaurant and shared Pad Thai and vino. Commercialism then presented itself and we found a Myer-esque department store to get lost in. Michele bought a new coat with a hood to finally protect her salon-straight hair.

Our intentions were to go straight home and we had messaged Irene this (at around 4:30) but the weather had other thoughts. We attempted to walk in the heavy rain/snow but had to stop into a Sportsbar for a beer and let it subside a little. We did not realise that Irene had tried multiple times throughout the day to leave the apartment, to no avail, so she was at home eagerly awaiting our return. We finally arrived back just after 6pm and made it a priority to go and get some wine. We found that the kiosk across the road only sold beer and cider and that we had to walk a further half kilometre to the Alko for anything stronger. We found the Alko and tried the doors…. they would not open…and then we read the sign that informed us that the Alko shuts at 6pm on Saturday nights. Apparently you need to plan your drinking much earlier in the day or go out. Instead, we settled for more beer and then set out in search of dinner.

The recommended Finnish restaurant that we had intended to go to was closed on arrival so we decided to take a chance and see if there was a table at the seafood restaurant on the water. We were in luck and the restaurant, although on a limited menu for this time of year, did not disappoint. We began with a round of gin and tonics, made with Finnish gin, apparently the best rye gin in the world. Entree was escargot in garlic butter and mussels in blue cheese…..delicious! For main Michele and Teresa had traditional Finnish creamy salmon soup, Scott had boulliabaise and Irene had half a kilo of shrimp. We washed this down vodka, tonic and dill cocktails.

Our meals and drinks were well enjoyed and we bid our friendly and informative waiter adieu. Time for rest as tomorrow brings another country. Next stop, Estonia. Hyvää yötä!

We awoke early and made our way to Frankfurt Flughafen to catch our flight to Helsinki. The time in the air was about 2 1/2 hours and we passed the time by having a little plane party. Teresa was sitting in an aisle by herself so she didn’t get to partake.

The taxis in Helsinki already have about €7 on the meter, unless you call one, so the trip from the airport cost us about €70. Our Airbnb was right across from the water, but in an area that appeared to still be under development, so there were lots of buildings around us with scaffolding. We picked up the key from a friendly man in the supermarket across the road and made our way to the 6th floor. The front door was a bit of a struggle to open (it took Michele a day to work it out and Teresa & Irene never managed to master it) but once we were in, the apartment was clean, spacious and boasted lovely views. That said, we wouldn’t see the full extent of them until the next morning as it was about 5pm and the sun had set at about 3:20pm.

Scott and Irene had a room each and Teresa & Michele were sharing one with two single beds. Once we got ourselves established we had a drink and planned where we would eat dinner. Our Airbnb host had suggested a couple of restaurants and we decided to try a Russian restaurant about 20mins walk away.

Walking into our private room in the restaurant was reminiscent of an 18th century Russian aristocratic house. The walls were lined with dark blue velour and decorated with pictures of Finnish Prime Ministers. The table was laden with gold-plated cutlery and bohemian crystal glasses. Our very enthusiastic waitress explained to us that the King of Sweden had dined in this very room. We began with a round of vodka cocktails with sweet pickles and an amuse bouche that was in the middle of the table waiting for us, which we later found out was bear salami with sour cream and horseradish.

Michele ordered an entree of borscht and Scott & Teresa had vorschmack, which was minced lamb with anchovies. When they came the waitress informed us that should we need her we could just press the “vodka button” and she would come back….very handy! We took advantage of this button and ordered a round of vodka tasting, which is essentially four shots of different types of vodka (Russian standard, Stoli, Belevedere and Zubrowka).

Our main courses consisted of a platter of Shashliks, which were like skewers of meat served on a sizzling plate with accompaniments of sauerkraut, swede, mushrooms, carrots and potato. Irene & Scott shared deer with creamy mushroom sauce (Irene didn’t enjoy the strong, gamey flavour of the deer) and Teresa had chicken with garlic butter. Michele’s main was piroshki, the Russian version of pierogi, filled with lamb. Dessert was a baked Alaska shared between Irene, Scott & Michele while being serenaded by a guitar playing musician. He played us Kalinka and we sang along to “Those were the Days”.

A brief taxi ride back and we decided to grab a bottle of wine from the supermarket before heading up to our apartment. Here we found that all alcohol sales stop at 9pm…..hmmmm….luckily there was beer at the apartment! We would have to stock up tomorrow. Until then hyvää yötä!

We awoke at around 7am to 1 degree temperatures in this beautiful city and set out to find Winkel, the cafe that Michele and Teresa had eaten in on a previous visit in 2014. The streets were dimly lit and empty, since the sun really doesn’t rise until around 9am, and people in the European Winter are usually yet to get out of bed. After Michele’s phone took us on a big detour we found Winkel and enjoyed a breakfast of croissant, toasted sandwich and omelette (Scott had decided to remain resting at the hotel).

After breakfast it was time to find a hair salon! We met up with Scott and walked the increasingly busy streets, holding our breath as we passed the various “coffee shops” until we found a place that would cater for our needs. Amsterdam is packed with Europeans shopping at this time of year because of the holiday season. Michele got an appointment within half an hour so she stayed in town while Teresa and Irene walked back to the hotel to check out (with Teresa managing to find a blow dry on the way back).

After becoming salon ready, Michele met Irene and Teresa back at the hotel bar where we enjoyed expresso martinis and veal and prawn croquettes. Once again we had a cheeky but very attentive bartender called Richard. Scott had met Selenka and another one of his friends, Kristie, for lunch so we were meeting him afterwards for the drive back to Frankfurt. We had checked out of our room prior to lunch but were reluctant to leave. The Ambassade is a highly recommended hotel, perfectly situated, friendly and comfortable. Scott has vowed to only stay here in the future.

We broke up our drive back with a stop in a McDonald’s. It’s always interesting to check out the menu in a different country….not much difference really. Scott tried to make up for lost time by speeding up on the autobahn, but road works along the way slowed cars down to 120km/hr and even 80km/hr (crawling!).

Scott dropped us back near our hotel after 9pm and we looked forward to getting into our room and resting. The two men on the front desk smirked at us as we walked into the lift. At the room Teresa tried her key…..it didn’t work…..Irene tried her key……it didn’t work……Michele tried her key…..no avail. Teresa went back downstairs to find out that she can’t count, she had booked for 6 nights when we were really in there for 7 (cue eye roll). Luckily the hotel staff had anticipated this and had left our luggage in our room and just reserved us another night. Thanks Excelsior!

We finally retired to our room for our last night. Tomorrow Helsinki. Guten Nacht!

Our last minute decision to visit Amsterdam was on account of Scott’s friend, Selenka, being in the Netherlands. Michele and Teresa had been here before and we all jumped at the chance to show Irene this beautiful and unique city.

The 4 1/2 hour drive was mostly in the rain but we were lucky enough to drive through a section of Germany that was dusted with snow. Irene was happy that she finally got to see this. Another great surprise was finding a Marchè on the side of the road. This is a roadhouse that Scott, Michele and Teresa had previously enjoyed in Slovenia, which specialised in freshly prepared food of all kinds…a far cry from the fast food stops we get in Australia. We all purchased pretzels with ham and cheese and washed it down with coffee.

Once back on the autobahn Irene and Teresa watched the countryside flash by from the back seat as Scott reached speeds of just over 200kms an hour in our Audi station wagon. We reached Amsterdam just after midday but it took us another hour to get to our hotel on account of the heavy holiday traffic. The Ambassade hotel is situated right on the Herengracht canal amongst the beautiful old traditional buildings of Amsterdam. The city was just as beautiful as we remembered. We checked into our hotel rooms, Irene and Michele in one and Scott and Teresa in another. The rooms were beautifully appointed with luxurious furnishings and accessories.

It was time to find some refreshments and we explored the streets until we found a little cafe that was not too touristy. Here, up a very steep and narrow set of steps, we enjoyed nachos, tomato soup and a club sandwich washed down with beer, prosecco and coffee. The weather was very drizzly and the darkness had begun to set in. There were still a lot of Christmas lights decorating the crowded streets and residences, which added to the atmosphere.

Selenka and her hubby, Dan, were due to meet us at around 5pm so we found a bar to wait for them in and ordered a round of gluhwein and amaretto shots. The bar was situated in a cosy little alcove with heaters and blankets that kept the cold at bay. Selenka and Dan joined us after a short while and we moved on to dinner. Dan had booked us into a traditional Dutch restaurant and when we arrived we were grateful because there was a line of people wanting tables. Despite being very busy, the service at the Haesje Claes was fast and our Venezuelan waitress was friendly and hilarious. Michele, Scott and Teresa chose a traditional Dutch dish, hutspot, which was sauerkraut in mashed potatoes and carrot, served with sausage, bacon and a meatball. Irene ordered a beef steak with bernaise sauce and Selenka had boiled mussels in broth. Dessert was apple pie and cinnamon ice cream with raisins in egg liqueur.

We said our goodbyes after dinner and Michele, Irene, Scott and Teresa retreated to the hotel bar for a last drink. Here we were met with a very cheeky barman called Jelmer. We have noticed that the Dutch enjoy the same sarcastic sense of humour as us and we enjoyed the banter. We managed to stay up the latest yet in our holiday, but by around 10:30pm bed was calling. Goede nacht!

We awoke in our hotel and looked out to find a giant fireball in the sky……we had not seen this since our arrival in Germany! Rest assured it did not last long and the clouds once again took over. Our morning was a bit of a lazy one, we had breakfast at 6:30am…and then again at 10. The restaurant staff didn’t seem to mind. Then we headed over to Scott’s place. Michele’s friend Bettina (who lives in Canada) had flown home to Germany for Christmas and we had arranged to meet her near her home town of Mannheim.

We originally were going to catch a train but when we researched tickets we found that 4 return would come close to €200. This is about the same as a hire car so we decided on that instead. Scott then looked up whether we could take a Car2go and we found that we could hire one for 24hours for a flat price of €109…..bargain!

Following a brief stopover in Heidelberg, a very picturesque but touristy town by the Neckar River, we met Betty and her sister, Eva, in Schwetzinger. The car park we parked in even had spaces for UFOs. The town was very quaint and clean with a large Summer castle. Apparently the area is famous for its asparagus, even featuring a statue depicting this. We caught up with Betty and Eva over lunch and beers in a brewery pub. Michele had flammkuchen, a type of German pizza with super thin pastry. Scott had rouladen and Teresa had goulash. Betty and Eva had been fed lunch at home so they joined us in a drink. The conversation flowed and it was so lovely to catch up.

After filling our bellies we crossed the road to check out the castle. We did not pay to enter the gardens but we got to look in from the gate. The vast landscaped gardens were quite impressive and are often used to host festivals in the warmer weather. We walked around the streets a little more and then said our goodbyes.

After a drive back to Frankfurt we face-called with Amadeusz and Irene finally revealed that she was with us. He was bowled over and very excited to see her. After that we walked home and had an early night in preparation for our early start the next morning. Next stop….Amsterdam! Guten nacht!

The hotel that we are staying at is called The Excelsior. The rooms are small but very adequate. The free minibar includes juice, water, beer and soft drink (only two bottles of each though) and is replenished daily. Breakfast is open from 5-11am and then there is a table in the lobby that serves complimentary tea, coffee and cake. The hotel is situated across the road from the main train station and there are always taxis out the front should you need to go somewhere else.

We made our way to Scott’s place on Christmas Eve morning where he cooked us perogi for breakfast. It was a store-bought variety filled with mushrooms and sauerkraut and he fried them up with butter and pieces of speck, yum! Then we got down to business….making more perogi! This was a fun family affair enjoyed while drinking kir royales and listening to George Michael.

We had tried to find a leg of ham to bake for dinner when we’re in the Rewe the previous day but were informed (by a lovely lady who took pity) that it was not a tradition in Germany, and it would be difficult to source. We settled for a nice roast pork instead, with extra thick fat….hello crackling! The day was filled with singing, dancing, food and laughter. Topped off with traditional apfel strudel served with hazelnut liqueur ice cream. Scott was a very good host who made sure a glass was never empty and a belly was never rumbling.

The weather on Christmas Day was still overcast and around 6 degrees. We had a lazy morning, going back to the hotel room for showers and then returned to Scott’s place where he cooked up leftover roast pork, bigos and perogi. Then we grabbed a Car2go and drove to the other side of the bridge to the old town. The streets were once again cobblestone lined and the buildings dated back to the 1400s.

The afternoon slump had hit so we decided to stop somewhere for a coffee. There were not a lot of places open but we managed to find a cosy little Italian restaurant with a most welcoming hostess. We ordered beer, coffee, minestrone and tiramasu. The restaurant was loud with people celebrating and there was a kind little dog called Jarna running around stealing scratches. Once our batteries were recharged we explored some more and then set off for home. It had been a short, 10minute drive there but somehow Scott got lost on the way back and it took 3 times that long! We got to see some beautiful buildings along the way.

When we finally returned, the sun had set and there were quite a few people now out and about on the streets, which we weren’t expecting on a cold Christmas Day. we noticed an Australian bar on Scott’s street called Kakadu’s. We decided to humour ourselves and stop in for a drink. The place was decked out in photos of Australian flora and fauna and the menu featured kangaroo, emu and crocodile…no vegemite though. We ordered a round of cocktails and a fried finger food platter with onion rings, calamari, jalapeño poppers, fried chicken and tiny potato wedges. Nothing spectacular. After we went back to Scott’s for a couple of drinks before retiring for the night.

We awoke in our hotel 5:30-6am and headed down for breakfast. The buffet was filled with every type of breakfast food you could name: meats, cheese, pickles, sausages, eggs, noodles and cereal to name just a few.

Next we adventured out into the grey and cloudy day to explore the river. The weather was about 9 degrees again so not too cold, and the dreariness of the day just added to the European experience. The river was just beautiful. The path running alongside it was lined with these amazing trees with branches and twigs that grow out and then straight up. There were also some cute little birds among them.

We made our way to Scott’s apartment and demanded more brot and żurek before heading off to our salon appointment. Walking out with our blow drys, we were finally photo-ready! Scott had hired a Car2go, which is basically a car-sharing business that you use through an app. You locate and book a car that is near you and then once you have found it, it is unlocked using a special code that the app gives you. The car is keyless and you are charged €0.34 per minute. When you are done, you park it wherever you want within the CBD and then use the app to say you’re finished. Such a genius idea!

Our car was a white Mercedes. Scott drove us to Kronberg and showed us the building that he works in (when he goes in, he mostly works from home). He also took us through the little cobblestone streets of the old town. The houses here were traditional German houses built in the 14th & 15th century. After a bit of a search we found a quaint and rustic little restaurant within one of these buildings. The owner told us that it was 400 years old. Scott and Teresa ate schnitzel with pepper sauce, and Michele had the most amazing pork neck with fried onions, potatoes and paprika dip. All washed down with a Bier of course! There was a couple sitting next to us who had two little dogs, which was a welcoming sight and we made sure they got lots of pats. The atmosphere at this restaurant was so homely and welcoming, and the owner insisted on giving us a complimentary schnapps on our departure. A quick stop at Rewe (a local supermarket) for more Christmas supplies and then we set off for home.

Scott had booked us into a nice restaurant for dinner, called Klosterhof. The place was extremely heated when we first arrived so we ordered cold Bier and asked for some English menus to peruse. Michele and Scott both ordered two entrees as mains: goulash soup and dumplings with cheese, ham, onions and shallots (it ended up being very similar to macaroni and cheese). Teresa ordered beef roulade with braised red cabbage….the clear winner of the night. We had eaten so much throughout the day and the servings were so abundant that even Scott had to admit defeat (doesn’t happen very often!). We skipped dessert and Scott walked us part way back to our hotel room before we went our separate ways. Our bodies were still adjusting to the new time zone and sleep could no longer be delayed. Tomorrow we feast. Gute Nacht!

Finally boarded our flight to Frankfurt at 8:30am Friday morning. We met with some of our newfound friends at the airport so the wait was not so bad. Once we boarded the flight we realised that this time we had the very first (cattle class) seat, as opposed to the last flight in which we had the very last (number 71).

Breakfast on the plane was a choice of omelette or seafood noodles. Teresa had the noodles… and Michele had two bread rolls with butter. Michele’s personal tv screen was broken so we called for air staff to help. We were left waiting for 20 mins before finally flagging someone down who reset it. Again it didn’t work so after another long wait and having to flag someone down again it was once again reset. We found the lack of service pretty disappointing actually but hopefully this was just a minor set back. After about 5 hours in the air we once again managed to flag down an air hostess and asked when the next meal would be. She told us not for another 5 hours. We were dumbfounded. Teresa explained to her that because of our delay we really hadn’t eaten that much and the lady took pity and snavelled us some pretzels (which were going to be served with drinks in a hour) and some pastries from first class. This then triggered a wave of other people wanting pretzels…and who could blame them really. Michele’s tv screen finally started working about 6 hours into the flight and we just battled it out trying to sleep.

We reached Frankfurt at around 2pm local time. Scott was watching for us and we were all happy to have the family together again. Our hotel was a short train ride away. The weather was drizzly but unseasonably warm at 8 degrees. Scott then walked us to his apartment, only 5 mins from where we are staying, and provided us with amazing nibbles. We began with local brot (bread) with schmaltz (pork fat with fried bacon, apple and red onion), followed by a traditional Polish rye soup, żurek ….it was sour and delicious. All was washed down with German reisling and apfel wein (apple wine). Next stop, Christmas markets!

The markets were brightly lit and packed with people. This was the last night and everybody was getting one last fix of gluwein, a delicious mix of red wine, cloves and spices served warm. We filled our cups and walked around looking at the stalls selling everything from Christmas ornaments to chocolate covered fruit and hot nuts. As we continued to fill our cups and take in the sites, the crowd grew. The gluwein took effect and we may or may not have broken into song a couple of times…Maria Carey would have been proud of our rendition of “All I Want For Christmas”.

On the way back to our hotel we went through the pink Christmas markets, which was the LGBTI version. As you could imagine this was fabulously decorated and lit, with a wonderful atmosphere.

The combination of gluwein and jet lag set in and we retired to our hotel room for our first night in. Guten nacht!

We arrived at Hong Kong airport to find that our flight to Frankfurt had been delayed….by 10 hours! After a couple of hours waiting around to see what our fate was to be we managed to befriend a group of people in the same situation. At least we were able to laugh together in frustration. We finally were told that we would be put up in a hotel room and shuttled back for our flight the next morning. After waiting around for another 40 mins we were finally given our hotel vouchers and told that the last shuttle would leave at 12:50am. This was told to us at just on midnight Hong Kong time…the race was on! After a quick shuttle to immigration we filled out our cards and joined the looooong queue. Time was ticking but we finally made through and got to the shuttle with minutes to spare. A short drive to the Marriott and we checked into our 12th floor room…not too shabby! After 13 hours of traveling it will be nice to be horizontal in a bed for a few hours at least. Adventure continues tomorrow, Wǎn’ān!