So it started out in Italy...

The story goes: We had SUCH a wonderful time sweating through the infernal heat of Rome one August many years ago with Lisa and Clarke, that Lisa invited us up to the Northern Climes this summer. And CLIMBS it will be for recently-turned expert-mountaineer-Clarke with his mere 8 pounds of tent, sleeping bag, parka, pack and food. He'll be accompanied by sister Lauren in Iceland and then head into the unpronounceable "Land of the Giants" while Lisa pursues her artist-in-residency program near Helsinki.
Chuck,Lauren and I arrive early to do "Norway in a Nutshell" then we all five meet up for an all night ferry ride (think lotsa vodka) arriving in St.Petersburg in the morning. No hangovers for us Pushkin lovers, we'll be off to see "The Venice of the North" on foot and stand in awe of The Hermitage Collection. Lisa also has some quirky museums lined up for us. They do have other museums there AND a Paper Arts Exhibition.
On this trip, I'm determined to find at least one bit of laundry, two babushka ladies, three laughing children, four onion churches, five oz. caviar, six stoly vodkas, seven sad madonnas and a least one pair of nose-up Norwegian trolls.