Leaving on a Jet Plane . . .

The concept for this trip evolved from a 2014 trip in Spain and Portugal:

http://lnewmanmadridtolisbon.blogspot.com

Having completed the Spain-Portugal trip in October, John proposed we consider a 2015 trip. Both John and Stuart like to add to their countries-visited tally, and John observed: "It's nice to be able to converse with the locals." Hence, the Nordic countries, plus Copenhagen and Stockholm have good air links. I've always been intrigued by the Baltic states, and even more so with Mr. Putin drawing global attention to the region. John then posed: "Why not add Finland?" and we discovered Aland Island, Swedish-speaking Finnish territory. 

So, here's the plan:

• Start in Copenhagen
• Bike to Stockholm
• Take a ferry to Aland Island
• Overnight ferry to Tallinn, Estonia
• Bike to Riga, Latvia
• Return from Riga to the USA via Copenhagen

Our general approach is to book lodging at arrival and departure points, book other lodging as we find it, and use trains to meet booked travel connections on ferries or planes. 

Bike and Luggage. The bike is in the case. On arrival, I remove and assemble the bike, convert the gray case to a towable trailer, and the red duffel/backpack bag rides in the trailer. Given the 50# weight maximum, the challenge is to use an approximate bath scale to remain within weight limits by transferring items between bags and avoid placing TSA-banned items in the carry-on.

My Tour Companions 

John K: Banker, ret. GPS operator, Pigeon Falls, Wisconsin

Dan W: John's son-in-law, MD with a house pass, and approximately 25-30 years younger, La Cross, Wisconsin

Stuart B: Logistician, ret. Westminster, Maryland

Larry N: Consultant, 50% ret. as of July 1 on my gradual-fade plan, Bozeman, Montana

GPS

I bought a Garmin Edge Touring GPS in January, hoping to become a marginally competent user before our tour. Apparently, not to be. Bad news: Something was defective, so after much struggle, Garmin agreed to replace it on Tuesday of last week. I returned my unit the following day via USPS. Garmin notified me that they had received my return this morning. Garmin's replacement, shipped via DHL and USPS will arrive Tuesday (perhaps), so no GPS for me. Good news: Garmin's service support is based in the US (KS) and over 5 calls, they answered 4 immediately; only one required a 10-minute wait. All agents were courteous, and Meagan was particularly kind this morning. So, we will rely on maps, iPhones, John's Garmin, and locals. 

If you're not lost at least one per day, then you're not trying.

Outbound

We booked flights in January. Even 6 months in advance, frequent flyer seats were not available. Collecting miles is mostly a fool's ploy, as seats are seldom available and every airline, including Delta, repeatedly devalues miles by increasing ticket requirements and reducing available seats. So I purchased my ticket.

Delta sent a 6 am text that my outbound flight is delayed, eliminating the Minneapolis-Amsterdam connection. Then, the iPhone flight app is "down." The standard flight number is entirely computer voice activated and proved useless. Automated phone hell. Fortunately, Delta also has a Medallion desk with live agents that are prompt, courteous, and helpful. With well over 2 million lifetime miles on Delta, coping with this type of change is typical, and I should arrive the same day as planned, just 4 hours later. No worries, as my plan is to visit with colleagues in our Shipley Nordic office before the others arrive. 

Dog of the Day

Eli. 9.5 year old Standard Poodle, one-half of an Intermountain Therapy Animals team, with 5-years experience as a Longfellow School, Bozeman, MT,  R.E.A.D. dog.

http://www.therapyanimals.org/R.E.A.D.html