This was planned over a year ago, but DH and I took a cruise to some of the countries on the Baltic sea. This was his third cruise and my second. We paid for everything associated with the actual cruise ahead of time so no big surprises. 

I've been to England, but no where else in Europe. DH has never been overseas. It was both exciting and scary for us. We started in Stockholm. We did spend money there going through the ABBA museum and a museum for a Swedish sailing vessel that was made in the 1600s and went down 15 minutes into its maiden voyage. And of course our meals while there. But other than that, once we were on the ship, our meals were taken care of. We did pack some granola bars and carried those on excursions and a bottle of water to save money.

It was both exciting and scary to hear the guides in some of these countries talk about how they were under Russian rule and how much better life is, even if things are getting more expensive. There was some fear in their voices as they quietly discussed what is happening in Ukraine and how they are also fearful that it could happen there. Most were old enough to be around before 1991 and their country getting their freedom, so they don't want a repeat.

It was an amazing trip. I'm Christian and I love old churches and cathedrals and we went through quite a few. In Poland, one cathedral even did a short organ recital for our excursion group. The food on the ship was fantastic and I'll admit it, I over ate. 

Was it money well spent? In my mind, yes. Did we have the money to spend? Yes, we've been saving it just for this purpose. So, it was big spending, but now back to trying to save.