Since I am apparently always chasing the next adventure, I decided that for June 2026 I needed to go big or stay home.
Apparently, my definition of “going big” was leaving the country.
Actually, leaving the continent.
This wasn’t exactly my first time deciding that getting on a cruise ship was a reasonable solution to needing a vacation. The Out to Sea adventures had already taken me through the Caribbean and, most recently, to Bermuda.
But this one felt different.
After entirely too much time looking at cruise itineraries, I found one that immediately caught my attention: a nine-day Baltic cruise aboard the Norwegian Sun.
There was just one small detail.
It left from Copenhagen, Denmark.
I had never been to Denmark.
Actually, I had never been to Europe.
So naturally, I booked it.
This trip was definitely outside my comfort zone. Unfamiliar airports, different languages, public transportation, foreign cities, and a collection of countries I had never visited before.
But that was also the point.
Cruising had become familiar.
Europe wasn’t.
I can be an anxious traveler, but I’ve learned that some of my best experiences happen when I go somewhere completely unfamiliar and force myself to figure it out.
This would be my biggest test yet.
Maybe A Weekend Goes Intercontinental ✈️
After months of planning, researching, second-guessing, booking flights, hotels, and excursions, the day finally arrived.
Another early morning at the airport.
Another adventure waiting on the other side of the boarding gate.
Except this one was a little farther away than usual.
Maybe A Weekend was officially going intercontinental.
After a very long travel day, I touched down in Europe for the first time.
Copenhagen, Denmark.
There is something strange about stepping off a plane on the other side of the world and realizing:
Well, I guess I have to figure things out from here.
Luckily, figuring things out is half the fun.
Copenhagen, Denmark
I gave myself a couple of days in Copenhagen before the cruise, partly because flying across the Atlantic and arriving the same day the ship leaves sounds like the opening scene of a travel disaster.
Previous cruises had taught me that getting to the departure city early isn’t wasted time.
It’s part of the trip.
Those extra days also gave me time to explore my first European city.
First challenge:
The Copenhagen Metro.
Coming from Arizona, where driving everywhere is basically a way of life, navigating public transportation in another country felt intimidating for about five minutes.
Buy a ticket.
Find the correct line.
Make sure I’m going the correct direction.
Try not to look completely lost.
Simple.
Probably.
Once I figured it out, the Metro made Copenhagen incredibly easy to explore.
So naturally, one of my first European adventures took me to…
A mall.
I made my way to Field’s, a massive Copenhagen shopping center.
Maybe not the ancient European cultural experience everyone was expecting, but I actually enjoy doing completely normal things in unfamiliar places. Even wandering through a mall can tell you something about everyday life somewhere else.
Plus, apparently I can travel thousands of miles from Arizona and still somehow end up at a mall.
Copenhagen Side Quests
The city also provided a few things I hadn’t planned.
I somehow wandered into Pokémon GO Fest Copenhagen, surrounded by people exploring the city with their phones out.
I had not traveled to Denmark looking for Pokémon.
Apparently Pokémon had other plans.
Then there was Cykelfest.
It took approximately five minutes in Copenhagen to realize that bicycles are serious business there.
Bikes everywhere.
Bike lanes everywhere.
And one American tourist repeatedly reminding himself:
Do not stand in the bike lane.
Cykelfest turned that cycling culture into an event, complete with a bike race through the city.
Neither event had been part of my carefully researched plans.
I just happened to be there.
And that’s one of my favorite things about traveling.
You plan the big adventures.
Then the random side quests become some of the best stories.
All Aboard the Norwegian Sun 🛳️
After a couple of days exploring Copenhagen, it was finally time to board the Norwegian Sun.
By this point in the Out to Sea series, boarding a cruise ship wasn’t exactly new territory.
There is something comforting about that.
New country.
New continent.
Completely unfamiliar surroundings.
But once I stepped aboard the ship?
Okay. I know how this part works.
I made my way through the terminal, boarded the ship, dropped off my stuff, and naturally headed outside to enjoy that classic embarkation-day moment.
That may have been a mistake.
It was cold.
And windy.
Very windy.
My previous cruising experience had mostly conditioned me for warmer destinations. The Caribbean certainly hadn’t prepared me for this, and even my recent Bermuda trip hadn’t convinced my Arizona body that this level of wind was acceptable.
I walked onto the deck expecting to admire Copenhagen and take some photos.
Instead, the Baltic wind slapped me directly in the face.
Walking around the deck, I genuinely felt like I might blow off the ship.
Not voluntarily.
Just…
WHOOSH.
Man overboard.
Cause: Arizona tourist underestimated Northern European weather.
For a moment, I started reconsidering some choices.
Maybe June didn’t mean what I thought it meant over here.
Eventually, I retreated inside before Denmark had the opportunity to claim me permanently.
Still, I was aboard the Norwegian Sun, halfway around the world, about to spend nine days exploring the Baltic.
Cold, windblown, slightly questioning my life choices—and absolutely loving it.
Oslo, Norway
After embarkation day, I woke up slightly concerned that the entire Baltic was going to feel like an industrial fan inside a refrigerator.
Then we arrived in Oslo.
Blue skies.
Comfortable temperatures.
Beautiful weather.
What a relief.
Maybe I hadn’t made a terrible mistake after all.
One of the highlights was visiting Holmenkollbakken, the massive ski jump overlooking Oslo.
I had traveled from Arizona to Denmark, sailed overnight, and now I was standing beneath a giant ski jump in Norway.
Previous cruises had taken me to tropical islands and beaches.
This was definitely not that.
And I loved it.
Sometimes traveling requires stopping for a second and appreciating the absurdity of where you are.
Holy shit, I’m actually here.
Apparently the Sun Doesn’t Believe in Bedtime ☀️
Another unexpected part of this trip was the daylight.
I was traveling around the summer solstice, and at these northern latitudes the days seemed to last forever.
Coming from Arizona, I’m familiar with sunshine.
But eventually our sun gets the memo and goes away.
Around the Baltic?
Apparently not.
Late into the evening there was still light in the sky. It was surreal finishing dinner, having a few drinks, looking outside, and thinking:
Why does it still look like daytime?
This was another big contrast from my previous cruises.
I was used to watching tropical sunsets from the ship and seeing darkness settle over the ocean.
Here, the evening just seemed to keep going.
As a photographer, I loved it.
More daylight meant more time outside, more time watching the coastline, and more opportunities for photos.
The only problem was convincing my brain that I still needed sleep.
It’s light outside. Surely it can’t be that late.
Flawless logic until tomorrow’s excursion starts early.
A Day at Sea 🌊
After Oslo came one of my favorite parts of cruising:
Absolutely nothing.
A sea day.
This was one part of cruising that required absolutely no adjustment.
By now I knew exactly what to do.
Read.
Find a quiet spot.
Have a few drinks.
Stare dramatically at the ocean.
Nap.
Repeat as necessary.
My Caribbean trips had already taught me the value of a good sea day, and the lesson still applied in the Baltic.
Travel doesn’t always have to mean running from attraction to attraction.
Sometimes you need to sit down and appreciate the fact that you’re floating around somewhere in the world with nowhere else to be.
Germany
Next came Rostock and Warnemünde, Germany, followed by a ride on the historic Molli train to Kühlungsborn.
Historic train?
Baltic Sea beach?
Currywurst?
German beer?
Solid day.
There was something wonderfully ridiculous about traveling halfway around the world and finding myself riding an old train through northern Germany.
Exactly the kind of side quest I enjoy.
Poland
Next up: Gdynia, Poland.
From there, I hopped on a bus that eventually led me to a pirate ship—which apparently was part of the itinerary—and sailed toward Gdańsk.
As one does.
I explored Gdańsk on a walking tour, took entirely too many photos, learned some history, and then rewarded all that educational activity with Polish food and a Polish beer.
At this point, a system was developing:
Explore foreign country.
Take hundreds of photos.
Learn something.
Eat local food.
Drink local beer.
Return to ship.
Repeat.
It’s a pretty good system.
Lithuania
The adventure continued in Klaipėda, Lithuania, with another stop in Palanga.
We had also crossed another time zone, putting me about ten hours ahead of Arizona.
Eventually you stop trying to figure out what time your body thinks it is.
Lithuania also continued another theme of the trip:
Cobblestones.
So many cobblestones.
European cobblestone streets are beautiful.
My ankles strongly disagree.
Riga, Latvia
The weather had treated us remarkably well since leaving Copenhagen.
Then we reached Riga.
Rain.
Luckily, I had packed an umbrella.
We explored the city on another walking tour, giving me plenty of opportunities to photograph Riga’s architecture before visiting the Latvian National Museum of Art.
The museum also reinforced something I was starting to appreciate about this trip.
These cities weren’t simply beautiful backgrounds for photographs.
Every place had its own history, art, culture, and perspective.
I wasn’t going to become an expert during a few hours in port, but even that brief exposure made me want to learn more.
Then, almost perfectly timed, the sun returned.
Umbrella away.
Camera back out.
And eventually…
Bar located.
Balance.
Well… So Much for Sweden
Stockholm was supposed to be next.
Travel had other ideas.
Our stop was canceled.
I was disappointed because I wanted to explore Sweden, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a tiny bit of relief.
I had enjoyed a rather late night, and the eight-hour excursion I had booked was beginning to look ambitious.
Would I have done it?
Absolutely.
Would I have complained internally the entire morning?
Also absolutely.
Instead, we received an unexpected sea day.
Sun.
Nap.
Recharge.
I also made it back to the Solo Travelers Meet & Greet, where we managed to get a group photo.
This is something I’ve really come to appreciate about cruising solo.
My earlier cruises had already started teaching me this lesson, and the Baltic reinforced it:
Solo travel doesn’t necessarily mean traveling alone.
I met people from different places, swapped travel stories, shared meals and drinks, and occasionally explored with people I hadn’t known a few days earlier.
Then, when my introverted battery needed recharging, I could disappear for a while.
Basically, ideal.
Cruising has turned out to be particularly good for that balance.
I can spend hours by myself with my camera and then walk into a solo travelers gathering or sit down for dinner with people from completely different parts of the world.
Every cruise has introduced me to people I never would have met sitting at home.
This one was no different.
Tallinn, Estonia
After the unexpected sea day, we reached Tallinn.
The weather was perfect for walking through Old Town Tallinn, surrounded by historic streets, buildings, towers, and—of course—more cobblestones.
Tallinn was one of those places where simply walking around felt like the attraction.
Every corner seemed to offer another photo.
And another reminder of just how much history I was walking through.
Naturally, I also found time for an Estonian beer.
Or two.
I’m committed to research.
And Just Like That…
Eventually, the Norwegian Sun returned to port and my nine-day Baltic cruise was over.
Countries visited.
Excursions completed.
Beers sampled.
Cobblestones survived.
New people met.
Several thousand photographs taken.
Another Out to Sea adventure was almost in the books.
Almost.
Because apparently I hadn’t had enough yet.
Helsinki, Finland
I had booked two additional days in Helsinki before flying home.
Because after crossing an ocean and spending nine days bouncing around Northern Europe, apparently my solution was:
You know what this trip needs? More trip.
And apparently getting off a cruise ship didn’t mean I was finished with boats.
I took two boat tours around Helsinki and its surrounding archipelago.
Because after nine days aboard the Norwegian Sun, clearly what I needed was more time on the water.
Honestly, it was perfect.
The islands, boats, waterfront buildings, and seemingly endless scenery gave me another perspective of the city while allowing me to finally slow down.
After more than a week of walking tours, buses, trains, excursions, and cobblestones, sitting on a boat with my camera felt pretty good.
Apparently I had traveled all the way to Europe to confirm something I already knew:
Put me near some water and I’m probably going to be happy.
Back on land, I found an open-air market.
And then I spotted something familiar.
Reindeer sausage.
The last time I had eaten reindeer sausage wasn’t actually on a cruise.
It was during my Alaska adventure.
So finding it again in Finland felt like an unexpected callback to another trip on the opposite side of the world.
Naturally, I ordered some.
Apparently my international culinary philosophy is:
If I don’t normally see it on a menu back home, I should probably eat it.
And it was good.
Eventually, though, I had to return to the hotel and face the saddest travel activity of all:
Packing.
Until Next Time, Europe
And just like that, my first European adventure was over.
When I booked this trip, it was well outside my comfort zone.
That turned out to be one of the best parts.
The Out to Sea trips had already taught me a lot.
The Caribbean showed me just how much I enjoyed using a cruise ship to bounce between completely different destinations.
Bermuda showed me that I could slow down a little, enjoy the ship, and let the destination unfold without needing every minute scheduled.
And now the Baltic had pushed everything farther.
Different languages.
Different transportation.
Different histories.
Different cultures.
Different perspectives.
And a completely different part of the world.
Cruising was familiar enough to give me a comfortable home base.
Everything outside the ship was new.
That turned out to be a pretty great combination.
Traveling somewhere completely unfamiliar forced me to pay attention.
I had to figure things out.
Ask questions.
Talk to strangers.
Try different food.
Listen to guides explain histories I knew very little about.
And experience cultures and perspectives that I couldn’t fully understand from photos, videos, or articles back home.
A few hours in a country obviously doesn’t make me an expert on its culture.
But it gives me a glimpse.
And sometimes a glimpse is enough to make you curious.
Enough to make you want to learn more.
Enough to remind you how enormous the world is—and how small your own little piece of it can be.
That’s something I want more of.
I want the famous places, but I also want the random side quests.
The history.
The food.
The landscapes.
The conversations.
The people.
The moments I couldn’t have planned.
And yes, probably the local beer.
This trip also reinforced something my previous cruises had already started teaching me:
I really enjoy traveling solo.
Solo doesn’t have to mean lonely.
It means I can wander around with my camera for three hours without worrying that someone else is bored.
I can change plans.
Take a nap.
Sit at a bar and talk to a stranger.
Meet other solo travelers for dinner.
Spend an afternoon completely alone.
Then meet people from around the world that evening.
Some conversations last five minutes.
Some last all night.
Some people simply become part of the story of that particular trip.
And that’s okay.
This was another successful solo adventure.
It won’t be my last.
It was also another reminder that getting outside my comfort zone doesn’t just make me more confident.
It makes my comfort zone bigger.
When I started these Out to Sea adventures, I was exploring the Caribbean.
This time I crossed the Atlantic and spent nearly two weeks exploring Northern Europe.
Who knows where the next one will lead?
There are too many places I haven’t seen.
Too many cultures I haven’t experienced.
Too many histories I know too little about.
Too many people I haven’t met.
Too many foods I haven’t tried.
Too many photographs I haven’t taken.
And probably far too many local beers requiring extensive cultural research.
So yes, Europe.
I’ll be back.
And as for solo travel?
We’re just getting started.
Until next time…
