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Since it was too early to check into my hotel, I stashed my bag in a locker at the train station and went off to explore. I started with the Maritime Museum, which was a decent museum, but a little overpriced for what it has. I checked out the main library which was recently built in a big multistory building. It had a pretty good selection of English books. I also did a boat cruise of the canals which took roughly an hour. I then grabbed my bag and walked to the hotel to check in and have a short nap. In the evening I did a Rick Steve's audio walking tour of the red light area with the windows with ladies in them. To be honest I found this disappointing as probably 80% of the windows were unoccupied. September 10, 2018 - Monday Amsterdam Netherlands I was up early to go to the Rijksmuseum. I have found that being at a museum right when it opens and rushing to the main attractions is best since they are uncrowded then. This was no exception, the top floor holds the major paintings so I did this first and then went back to see the other exhibits. Before I left I returned to the top floor and it was packed. I choose well. In the afternoon I did another audio walking tour, this time of the main part of the city. I also tried herring and a Stroopwafel (caramel syrup between two wafers) which I enjoyed very much. September 11, 2018 - Tuesday Amsterdam Netherlands For my last full day in Amsterdam I went to the Van Gogh museum (pretty good) and did another walking tour, this time of the Jordan area of the city. I also did a quick walk through their main green space, Vondelpark. However the weather was starting to turn so the remainder of the day was mostly spent at the hotel. September 12, 2018 - Wednesday Gdansk Poland Today was mostly spent traveling (by plane) to Gdansk Poland, where in the evening I joined my tour group (Intrepid this time). We had the best meal on the trip at a local restaurant (I had salmon tartar for one course which was amazing). One negative thing about the tour was that I was the youngest person on it. September 13, 2018 - Thursday Gdansk Poland Full day in Gdansk. We started with a boat trip over to Westerplatz, which was where World War II started. We then did a walking tour of the city, which included St. Mary's church and tower climb, and the Amber Museum. I found Gdansk to be a nice small city. September 14, 2018 - Friday Wigry Lakes Area Poland We went by van to see Malbork Castle, which is a massive, intact, and amazing castle. The audio tour was probably the best I have ever had and the castle itself is top rate. After here we went to Wolf's Lair, which was the bunker complex that Hitler used to run a large part of the war. It was pretty damaged but you could see how massive these bunkers were. Next we went to a hotel in the Wigry Lakes area (near Augustow). September 15, 2018 - Saturday Wigry Lakes Area Poland The day was spent in this area and we did a boat ride and went to a monastery. September 16, 2018 - Sunday Vilnius Lithuania We boarded the van and drove in to Lithuania for two nights at the capital, Vilnius. We did a walking tour the first day and had group lunch and dinner. I also climbed the university church tower. September 17, 2018 - Monday Vilnius Lithuania The second day was free to do whatever you wanted. I went to Trakai Castle (not worth it, don't go), walked around the old town, and went into several churches. September 18, 2018 - Tuesday Riga Latvia Our next stop was Riga, which is the capital of Latvia. We did a walking tour of the central market and tried several different foods. After we did a walking tour of the old town. September 19, 2018 - Wednesday Riga Latvia Again we had the second day free, so I did the Latvian War Museum and walked around a bunch. Bought a pair of locally made wool socks. September 20, 2018 - Thursday Saaremaa Estonia We went to the island of Saaremaa which is part of Estonia. Arriving on the island we did an open air museum which was quite enjoyable. We then drove to our homestay, which was on a farm. Our meal that night was cooked by the lady that owned the farm, and many of the ingredients came from the farm. It was pretty good.  September 21, 2018 - Friday Tallinn Estonia We left the island and went to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. We did a walking tour and then had a final group dinner as the tour ends. September 22, 2018 - Saturday Tallinn Estonia I stayed another day. The morning was spent at the Seaplane Harbor Museum, which was excellent, especially for a smaller country. They had a submarine you could go into, but the highlight for me was an ice breaker that could you could go on and walk around. I found it very interesting since up until now almost all the ships I have visited were warships, this was the first civilian type ship. I also visited the Health Museum, which is geared a little bit more towards kids, but was still interesting. September 23, 2018 - Sunday Tallinn Estonia I flew home. This trip added 4 countries to my list - Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
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