Text Box: covering 2,500 acres. After touring many lavish rooms in the Grand Palace, we came out to the Grand Cascade which has three waterfalls and an avenue of 64 fountains and 37 guilded statues. It was stunning, impressive and beautiful. On our long walk back to our bus, we passed many fountains and parks with colourful flowerbeds. At the end of this two-day tour of this city, I began to ponder about the plight of the ordinary citizens of that era while the imperial family enjoyed such a lavish life. Helsinki, Finland is often called the “White City of the North” because of the gleaming pastel buildings. The city has a variety of architecture (modern and neo-classical), green islands, parks and forests. Our guided tour took us to the Senate Square, one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. In this square, we saw the famous Lutheran Cathedral built in neo-classical style. This white building with green domes was standing high under the beautiful blue sky. Then, we travelled to Sibelius Park where we saw a monument constructed of 527 steel pipes honouring the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was a stunning unique structure. The last stop was Rods church, an underground church, known as Temppeliaukion kirkko, also used for concerts and seminars. The church, built to a circular design and carved out of the granite rock, has a huge dome formed by stripes of copper and glazed concrete pillars. The next capital city was Stockholm in Sweden. It was founded as an island fortress in the mid-13th century, and grew into a town that gradually spread to nearby islands and peninsulas. The city is full of parks, fine squares and boulevards.We visited Stockholm’s oldest quarter, Gamla Stan, strolled along the cobblestone streets and came to the Royal Palace, with baroque architecture. Then we came to the Stortorget Square, home of the Text Box: Stock Exchange, where the Swedish Academy meets each year to decide the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Our bus took us to Milles garden, the home and studio of Sweden’s famous sculptor, Carl Milles. The estate is beautifully arranged on terraces in a series of small gardens overlooking the Baltic Sea. Each sculpture was so impressive, unique and beautiful. No one visiting Copenhagen in Denmark would wish to miss the statue of the little mermaid, as well known and as loved as Hans Christian Andersen himself. The little mermaid was smaller than everyone expected. But she was a centre of attraction for the tourist. Everyone took at least a couple of pictures. Oslo in Norway, the last Scandinavian capital we visited, is one of the greenest and beautiful cities in the world, with its many trees and parks. Our guide took us to Vigeland Sculpture Park. For 30 years, the Norwegian sculptor Gustov Vigeland worked on this astounding assemblage of human beings and animals cast in stone, iron and bronze. It was very different and very impressive. Then we enjoyed an one hour scenic drive to Hadeland Glassworks. There, we had the opportunity to see a glass blowing demonstration. It was amazing to see him transform sand and molten glass into beautiful works of art. Next stop was Queens Viewpoint, with its spectacular outlook over Tyrifjorden, Norway’s fifth largest lake. It was a breathtaking view. After enjoying a delicious lunch at a local restaurant, we travelled along Halsjord and through the scenic Lier Valley en route to Oslo. Back on board the “Norwegian Dream”, we enjoyed good food, lavish entertainment and most of all, we were blessed with exceptionally fine weather during this whole trip. Text Box: Travelogue ... -continued from Page 26