Trip Review: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Estonia, Scandinavia, St. Petersburg, Bergen, Copenhagen, Trondheim, Oslo, Alesund

I am well travelled, and this was one of the absolute best trips of my life.  The travel agent and her team at this travel company spoke with me to get a good understanding of the type of trip that my wife and I (both 69 years old, in good condition) wanted to experience.  This was a month-long vacation for my wife and me throughout Scandinavia, which we had never toured before.  Although such a trip lends itself nicely to a cruise, we did not want to be part of a large group, did not want to miss experiences in the interior of the country (away from the ports), and wanted to enjoy the experience of eating all of our meals locally, rather than on a boat.  We also wanted superior accommodations, but not necessarily "luxury" where the pricing isn't worthwhile.  The travel company was fantastic about recommending terrific accommodations and upgrading in many instances.  Our hotels (and our designated rooms within the hotels) almost always were on water, which was a joy.  Arrangements were made for tour guides at the beginning of our stay in each large city (and every day while in St. Petersburg, Russia) - the tour guides were all first-rate and the amount of time with tour guides was spot on. 
The favorite part of our trip was driving for 8 days in Scandinavia, from Bergen to Trondheim, with fantastic stops in between.  This was completely at the suggestion of the tour company, for which we will forever be grateful.  We got to see gorgeous, pristine parts of Norway, far away from the crowds.  We went several days without even seeing a single stoplight!  The driving was relatively simple on roads in excellent condition.  We went through dozens of tunnels, saw hundreds of waterfalls, pastures, snow-capped mountains, endless fjords, etc.  A couple times, we had to stop because herds of goats were blocking the road.  We could stop at various places to hike trails in gorgeous countryside.  Our Norway hotel was an absolute dream - incredible accommodations at a hotel that has seven unique cabins, overlooking rapids, etc. 
There were dozens of logistical arrangements with hotels, tour guides, ferries, etc.  Every single one worked out perfectly.  Although we opted for a land trip instead of a cruise, it was balanced nicely with several boat rides of 1 - 2 hours so that we also had the experience of seeing waterfalls and countryside from the fjords, and not just from the road.  It was perfect!!!