What to do beyond Iceland? I can't just do an 8 day tour, I have too much vacation to use up.  I considered Scandinavia, I considered the Baltics?  I considered another tour, I considered going on my own. I considered going after Iceland, I considered going before Iceland.  

I was worried about flights with the eclipse so I booked my flight from Helsinki to Reykjavik a couple of months ago. I figured, not matter what I decided to do and where I decided to go, I could end up in Helsinki on Aug 11.  

I decided to go before Iceland (at the request of Robynne, my coworker) to the Baltics (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia), adding in Poland at the front end and Helsinki at the back end.  On my own.  

My friend Joe gave me a Baltics guide book.  I have not read it.  But I might.  

I have booked hotels up the Baltic coast.  I kind of stole the G Adventures tour with some variations and extra days for diversions.  I really considered going with a tour but after the 5 stans and not having any agency to add in side trips, I decided to just make my own tour and do my own thing.  

Here's my current itinerary.  All hotels are cancellable but the prices are already going up so that is unlikely at this point.  It's pretty cheap at the moment. 

July 20-24 Krakow Poland 70s Hotel

July 24-27 Warsaw Poland Apartament na Koszykowej w perełce architektonicznej

July 27-30 Vilnius Lithuania Užupio apartamentai Nemokamas parkingas

July 30-Aug 1 Klaipėda Lithuania Dangė Hotel

Aug 1-4         Riga Latvia Studio in the city center

Aug 4-6         Jūrmala Latvia Sunset Hotel

Aug 6         Pärnu Estonia (Stop over, just for the day)

Aug 6-8         Tallinn Estonia Taanilinna Hotell

Aug 8-11         Helsinki Finland Unity Helsinki - A Studio Hotel

Aug 11-12 Reykjavik Iceland Guesthouse Sunna

I've had a look at trains/buses between towns.  Options seem much like my Europe trip last year, cheap and plentiful.

Now I just have to figure out what to do in each town.  The guidebook perhaps?  TBD.  

I also had to figure out flights.  Oh my, there were a million options.  Out of Vancouver, out of Victoria, which European city for the layover.  Everyone goes to Poland with their own country as the layover, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, even Chicago (umm, no!). I just went with Air Canada so I could add on Victoria.  And having finally learned my lesson about booking a too short layover in Europe, with the border control and the HUGE hub airports, I have a five hour layover at Frankfurt on the way there (I guess I am going Lufthansa) , and I think  five hour layover in Montreal on the way back.  And by booking with Air Canada, when they screw up the Montreal to Victoria hop, they have to deal with finding me a hotel room (mark my words!).  

So, the bones of the trip are definitely in place.  

How this all started: