Pictured: In the wharf of Torshavn having a walk along the waterway

The weather in the Faroe Islands can be tricky, and we had a mix of beautiful sunshine, as well as some light sprinkles. Our trip was cut short because of travel delays, but we made the most of it and drove around to at least 6 different islands. The city of Torshavn was unsuspectingly charming.

Pictured: Sipping on welcome cocktails at our glamping site in Saqqaq, Greenland

We had originally planned to spend more time in Greenland, but with the weather and plane instrument dependencies, our trip was cut short almost 2 days. Either way, we cranked out all the activities one could fit in an entire day, including paddle boarding past ice bergs, walking through the local towns and seeing the Inuit way of life, rib boat rides through pack ice, and having a BBQ on the shores of an abandoned coal mine.

Pictured: Standing outside our monster vehicle just outside Katla Ice Caves

We've taken a few trips to Iceland now and have done a good amount of mostly the central and south coast areas. It's funny that you don't get sick of seeing new and beautiful waterfalls over and over again - they just never get old. The weather is tempermental and you have to be prepared for both sunshine and torrential downpour all in one day. We'll be back to Iceland again, someday soon!

Pictured: Taking a break from walking along the promenade in Baku weeks before the Formula 1 Race

Baku is a bustling modern city that amazed us in many ways. The food was incredible, the modern buildings were uniquely designed with purpose, and Old Town Baku was as charming and preserved as one could hope. The 4-storey winding slide in the Deniz Mall made us feel like kids again.

Pictured: Talking a walk on the boardwalk in front of our hotel on the south side of Cyprus near the city of Limassol.

Cyprus was such a relaxing time! The Four Seasons hotel was a wonder, the spa was absolutely serene, it was a bit warm outside, but we did manage to get a nice long walk along the boardwalk on the beach. The Cypriot food and culture are something to appreciate and we left feeling the warm hospitality of the locals.

Pictured: Taking a rest at the Unesco World Heritage Site, Giants Causeway

There is so much to love about Ireland. We've now been twice, but we already have more trips planned to go back. Admittedly, the Giants Causeway was such a startling and beautiful surprise - between the Causeway and Dromoland Castle - it's a toss up to choose which one was our favorite!

Pictured: Aboard the Royal Scotsman train in the Scottish Highlands (Kyle of Lochalsh) after a visit to Plockton.

Scotland commands such a deep respect and the allure of their strength makes you fall quickly in love with their culture, cities, and everything in between. From the highlands to the city of Edinburgh, there's so much to love about this incredible and unique place.

Pictured: Posing for a picture after lighting some candles inside the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

It felt like every day we were in Estonia we got almost 20,000 steps in. The Old Town of Tallinn is so charming and you can lose yourself in the winding and narrow streets (and forget about your feet). The food in Estonia was shockingly amazing and we didn’t have one bad meal (thanks to Max’s detailed research!).

Pictured: Standing next to a locally curated art installation outside the Nativity of Christ Cathedral

Latvia has beautiful scenery, incredible food, great cocktails, and so much character! We missed our opportunity to see a Russian ballet at the opera theatre (just next door to our hotel), but we made up for it in exploring all corners of their capital, Riga.

Pictured: Making our way towards the Trakai Island Castle located about an hour way from Vilnius, Lithuania.

Lithuania is so peaceful and beautiful. We spent a good amount of time walking around the main area, Gediminas Avenue, in Vilnius and driving around the country to see attractions like the Trakai Castle and the Hill of Crosses.

Pictured: Standing in front of the Weiner Rathouse during the Christkindlmarkt time in Vienna

Our love for Austria continues to grow! The summertime beauty is classic and unparalleled, and the wintertime romance makes the city sparkle with glamour! Vienna blew us away, even if we were frozen to the bone.

Pictured: Outside the Schimbarea Orthodox Cathedral located on Saint Stephen The Great Boulevard

Moldova is a beautiful country with many historic remnants of their war torn history. Across the city you can notice markings on buildings that share insight into the inner struggle the country has between respect for the old world way of life (Soviet Union) but also a hope for a brighter and much different future than was their past. 

Pictured: Riding scooters in front of Amager Bakke; the modern incineration plant in Copenhagen

The highlight of our trip to Copenhagen was definitely having the much anticipated meal at their number one restaurant, Noma. We’ve been around the world at this point, and eaten at plenty of high rated restaurants. Noma, without a doubt, has been our favorite. The rest of Copenhagen does not disappoint and we feel like our “to do” list kept growing with each day that we stayed.

Pictured: Posing in front of the Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway

Norway has so much to offer and we look forward to going back and exploring more. The locals call Oslo a small city, but it felt big to us; it has a royal palace, opera house, bustling harbor, buzzing with locals and tourists, and plenty more in the countryside. 

Pictured: Walking across the Skeppsholmsbron Bridge to make our way across the water to the Vasa Museum, ABBA Museum, and Grona Lund.

Of all the cities visited in the Scandinavian countries (so far), Stockholm has been our favorite. It’s no surprise that we like to be near the water and the nautical life that surrounds the city makes it feel both old school and modern all at once. With so much to do, we tried our best to see it all in our limited time; we visited 3 museums and 1 roller coaster theme park. We will be back!

Pictured: Sauna bath at Loyly waiting for locals to warm up to the bone inside before jumping in the ice cold water below. Rinse and repeat.

The furthest north on the planet we’ve been to date was Helsinki, Finland. We lucked out with great weather and were able to walk around all the main highlights of Helsinki in a full day; including partaking in the sauna-to-polar plunge ritual that many Finnish people regularly do. There’s much more to explore in Finland than the capital city, and one day it might be nice to see more of the countryside.

Pictured: VSOE Train in Romania

Climbing aboard the Orient Express is historic from the moment you spot it at the train station. We loved getting to know fellow YPO International and learning more about the worlds around them. We haven’t had an experience quite like the one we did aboard the Orient Express, but we’re glad we were able to be a part of its ongoing history. Watching people snap the trains picture as we traveled along the [mile] journey also helped remind us of the incredible experience we were embarking on.

Pictured: Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava

We had a great short stay in Slovakia. The town of Bratislava has so much to offer and the city was buzzing with people. There was a promenade style street where art exhibitions were set up, and we were also surprised with a mini classic car show at the end of their Main Street. The watering holes we drank at were creative and delicious and we feel like we only scratched the surface of what Slovakia has to offer.

Pictured: Lake Bled

Slovenia won our hearts over quickly with the incredible capital of Ljubljana. The city felt like a castle itself, surrounded by a beautiful river with tour boats constantly going up and down. The visit to the castle itself was also a dream, remarkably remodeled (we haven’t seen another one like it) and has an entire culture and nightlife of its own. Spending time in Lake Bled was the highlight; no other lake town has a small naturally built historical island in it, with water so clear you can see fish swimming 20 feet away. Lake Bled stole our hearts and gave us the right of relaxation that we needed.

Pictured: Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade

Serbia was one of our favorite large cities to visit in the Balkans. It had it all, both historical and eastern elements as well as modern and western influences to it. The city of Belgrade was so vast and expansive that we didn’t feel like we got to explore it all properly. Belgrade is hailed as the most lively of the Balkan cities and you can see it easily when walking past the many different mom and pop restaurants, bars, and local shops.