Disclaimer…………..This post is going to be long………..it may take a while for all the photos to load……..there will be a quiz at the end…………..just sayin”. But, oh my, what a year I had!

To say the last few months year has been jam-packed would be an understatement! Now, I am never too sure what day it really is, either. My travel posts from last year are waaaaaaaaaaaay behind and I could be on my next vacation before I even get done with 2019’s travels………and soon it will be spring-like and I will be eyeing the garden again. My, I am thankful I live a life so full! So, what did we do last year?  Let’s do a little review!

January……..we decided the old garden fence had to go………..

and new plants had to be planted…….

We spent a lot of time in the Spring in the Garden……….

Finally, in April it was time for the new fence to go in……..

There was a problem, so the new fence was torn out and put in AGAIN! I won’t go there with all the details, let’s just say it was a tedious time………..

But, the new garden around the fountain turned out spectacular, the first time……….

And our resident snake approved………

And, all the plants took off despite all the disruption along the fence line……….

So, we left in May to go to Atlanta to see their botanical garden……..

In July we went on the Seven Seas Explorer for a cruise of the Baltic’s for a month.

The Explorer is just FANTASTIC……….

and our suite was the bomb!

We started out in Stockholm, Sweden…….

And we sampled the food………

Then in Tallinn, Estonia, I did something on my phone (how we take all our Photos now) and this photo turned out in pastels! I love it! I just wish I knew how I did it!

Estonia untouched in this photo!

And, then we needed a snack when we got back on the ship……….

We toured St Petersburg, Russia, for three days…………

and had to taste the goodies at the Faberge Museum………

One evening we went to the Russian Ballet………

and one day we went to the Peterhof Museum……..

Now, for the cities I have yet to write and post about…………Helsinki was one of my favorites. There will be lots more on Finland!

where you could shop for reindeer meat at the fish market.

and take a stroll down a narrow lane when we got to Porvoo, Finland.

Don’t let these fella’s fool ya, Riga, Latvia had a lot to offer and see.

One of the things we did in Palanga, Lithuania was go to a splendid garden. Lithuania was heavenly!

Then we sailed to Klaipeda, Lithuania where we had the best time in a bar and more!

Back to the ship and another dining room!

Then off to Warnemunde, Germany, where I went to a villager’s house. I love the personal, small tours that are offered. One of my favorite, favorite things to do is to visit the homes of the folks that live in the places we visit. I learn a lot about the people, their traditions and many times their hardships.

I really liked Warnemunde! It is a little village along the sea, perfect in every way!

In Copenhagen, Denmark we got off the ship and did our own thing…… It started off to be a nice sunny day…….

It eventually poured, and I mean cats and dog pouring, but we had a very nice taxi driver, who took us by cab to all the “Not to Be Missed Stuff” in Copenhagen! He couldn’t have been nicer! And we got some great photos!

Back on the ship and off to Norway!  There was color, color everywhere, in Kristiansand, Norway.

In Bergen, Norway, we toured the composer, Edward Grieg’s villa/hut, high up on a hill!

and got rained on at the Hanseatic Wharf…………

When we crossed the Arctic Circle, there was a Blue Nose Party for all!

and boy did we celebrate! This was just part of the dessert table!

The villages were getting smaller and smaller and very far apart in Norway! Here we  are in Harstad!

They like to ski here and have racks and racks of skis in their homes……

This small farm, miles, and miles and miles from nowhere, had a chapel on the property!

and a restaurant. I had to take just a taste to be polite, right? Ha ha!

A first look at Bodo, Norway!

and the dock in Alesund, Norway. Is the sky blue, blue, and blue, or what?

The sky matches the water……….

These were our new friends in Geirangerfjord, Norway……I can’t wait to share this place with you in a full post…….IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

In Flam, Norway, we met the goats……….

And in Haugesund, Norway we had the dearest village guide……    I had to share a flower photo………

In Gothenburg, Sweden it was all uphill to this church…….

When we debarked in Oslo, we were ready and excited for four days here!

and of course I had to taste the goodies offered………..in the coffee houses!

But, finally we came home in September and started a demolition and re-model of our kitchen……This is the old………

During the kitchen re-model we needed a break. We took a trip to Atlanta to see our friends….and tour the Oakland Cemetery. This special tour at night is called, “Capture the Spirit.”

 Finally, after months with no water or stove in my kitchen on December 19th, it was done enough (all but five finish uppers) that I could have Christmas here with the family! YEAH!

I am sooooooooo thrilled with my new kitchen……….

And, I had time to do a Christmas Alphabet Chalkboard too………….

So, for my New Year………my mantra is……….

And, now on to re-modeling the living room! That started yesterday!

Whew, we’ve been at it this year!  I hope you will look forward to all the posts that I didn’t get done, that will soon be posted. There was so much to see and do and I know you will enjoy reading more about the Baltic countries! Look for more (and shorter Thursday Doors!)

Until then!

Look here to see what others are doing for Norm’s Doors!

It’s easy to do Norm’s Doors. Photograph some doors and post them to Thursday Doors on Thursday!

PS All photos were taken on our IPhones …….we are traveling lighter!

And one more thing……..the quiz….. How many doors did you count? Let me know!