Scandinavian Tour and Riding Holiday Itinerary:
Cost: $4,850

Day 1

Fly into Stockholm’s Arlanda airport and take about a half hour ride on the high speed train to arrive in downtown Stockholm. Take a taxi to the First Hotel Reisen where we will meet you. This is a four star hotel located just by the water in the Old Town of Stockholm - next to the Royal Palace. The hotel is celebrated for its high standards in service and its accomplished marriage of classical interiors and modern design.

We will walk a few blocks through Old Town to enjoy a delicious traditional dinner at the quaint, ancient Fem Små Hus (Five Small Houses) which is a classic Stockholm restaurant, situated in the Old Town, close to the Royal Palace. Here you have the opportunity to taste Swedish cooking at its best and enjoy the historic charm of Stockholm Old Town.

Day 2

Tour of Stockholm –

We’ll start the day by meeting my good friend, Major Hans Augustin, at the headquarters stables and barracks of the King’s Royal Mounted Palace Guard and Royal Mounted Band. Hans is witty and charming while still being a very proper officer and gentleman. He was formerly the Major of the Guard. Hans will be our tour guide throughout most of the day. Hans is a career solider and also a scholar of history. He will share with us many interesting stories and facts about Swedish and military history.

After tea in the officers lounge which is opulently decorated with fine furniture, rugs and full length oil portraits of past commanders of the regiment, we will be escorted by Major Augustin for a private tour of the Royal Guard stables and a tour of the Royal Muse which houses the King of Sweden’s personal horses, his personal indoor riding arena and the carriage house where the exquisite state coaches and harness are maintained and stored. You will have the special treat of seeing the beautiful carriage featured in Crown Princess’ Madeline’s wedding as the royal couple was transported through the streets of Stockholm after the wedding in June of 2010.

The Regimental Headquarters and Stables and certainly the Royal Muse are not open for public tours but because of our friendship with Major Augustin he has obtained permission to conduct a private tour of these beautiful facilities especially for our group.

The Regimental Stables feature three brick barns with 30 stalls each housing the 90 Swedish Warmblood geldings of the regiment along with various rooms for tack, farrier, offices and classrooms. In traditional military fashion the stables are spotless with carefully polished saddles and brass. During our tour we will probably be observing as the soldiers prepare their horses and tack for the day’s Changing of the Guard Ceremony held at the Palace courtyard each day at noon.

After our tour we will be transported to the Royal Palace to watch the very precise and impressive Changing of the Guard ceremony which is complete with the mounted Regimental Band playing traditional military marches.

After this we will enjoy lunch at one of the quaint sidewalk cafes on the square of Old Town. After lunch we will have an interesting tour of the Royal Armory Museum which houses the royal collection of elaborately decorated antique royal coaches, suits of armor, weapons and wardrobe of Sweden’s past monarchs and royal families including the women and children’s casual and formal clothing and accessories.

In the late afternoon we will be transported with our luggage to the harbor where we will board our ship for our overnight cruise to Helsinki.

After settling into your comfortable, private cabin you will want to come up on deck to watch the skyline of Stockholm drift into the distance.

As we sail from Stockholm we will be cruising through the thousands of small islands that make up the Archipelago. You may enjoy a walk or sitting on the upper deck to view this beautiful and interesting ecosystem. Dinner will be on board ship from their extensive buffet with an amazing variety of delicious offerings. After dinner you are at your leisure to enjoy shopping on board, nightclubs and professional stage show entertainment.

Day 3

After a restful nights sleep lulled by the gentle movement of the ship, we arrive in downtown Helsinki. We will be transported to the rail station where we will put our luggage into secure storage during our walking tour of Helsinki with lunch at the famed Kappeli Restaurant in the central park of Helsinki.

You will have an opportunity to take advantage of some great shopping at the booths of local craftsmen and artisans set up in a bazaar along the waterfront. In the late afternoon we will board the train for a five hour trip to Ylivieska Finland. Dinner will be served on board the train. Upon arrival in Ylivieska our Tourism Bureau hosts from Kalajoki will pick us up at the train station and transport us about a 40 minute drive to our hotel in Kalajoki. You will be staying at the Hotel Sani located in the heart of the Kalajoki sand dunes resort. The hotel will provide you with modern yet warm accommodation with a sea view over the dunes and evergereens. As part of your stay you will also have access to the 25m swimming pool and separate spa area complete with 3 different types of sauna and various spa treatments to relax your body after a glorious day of horseback riding.

Day 4

After breakfast at our hotel we will go to the local Riding Hall where we will meet our horses. The morning will be spent in a casual riding clinic in order for you to become comfortable with your horse and confident that you have good communication with your horse. During the clinic you will achieve quality of control of all the horse’s body parts along with control of speed and direction.

Lunch will be at the hotel buffet followed by a beautiful and thrilling afternoon ride on the sand beach and out into the Baltic Sea. The sea in this area is usually calm and quite shallow for some distance from the shore featuring sand bars to which you may ride out in the sea. Those who wish to gallop along the beach with the wind in their hair may do so as we divide the riders into groups of gallopers, trotters and walkers.

A delicious traditional dinner will be catered by our hosts at a lovely cabin located on a beautiful small wooded peninsula out in the sea. You may choose to enjoy the prevalent tradition of social time in the wooden steam sauna followed by a brisk walk down the short boardwalk and a plunge off the dock into the frigid sea. This is a unique cultural experience not to be missed! Gender groups will be segregated. Clothing is optional.

Back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Day 5

After breakfast at the hotel we will be transported about a half hour by car to a forest area where we will mount our horses for a full day ride on the forest trails which wind along a majestic wilderness river. We’ll stop at a scenic location for a traditional Finnish picnic lunch of grilled sausages and other local foods.

At the end of our ride in the late afternoon we’ll go back to our hotel to rest and freshen up for dinner at an acclaimed local steak restaurant.

Day 6

This is a free day so you may choose to sleep in or rise for breakfast at the hotel. Today you have your individual choice of the following options:

• Private riding lesson with Ed
• Kayaking on the river with picnic lunch
• Relaxing on the beach
• Bicycling or four-wheeling along the beach paths
• Repeat of the beach ride
• Spa & Sauna
• Golf

Lunch will be provided at the hotel buffet or on your own at one of the local restaurants within easy walking distance from our hotel. We’ll all meet for dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 7

After breakfast at the hotel we’ll meet our horses for an enjoyable and scenic ride on the sandy trails of the nearby evergreen forest. The forest is along the beach and offers some beautiful views along the rolling sand dune trails. The sandy trails make for easy riding and a fun place to canter for those who have a need for speed! A picnic lunch in the forest will be followed by more riding in the afternoon.

After freshening up and resting at the hotel we will have dinner at a local restaurant then visit a fun, hip nightclub on the beach which is owned by our friend, Hanna.

Day 8

Breakfast at hotel then we bid you farewell as you are transported by car about two hours to the city of Oulu for your flight back to Helsinki and on to the US.