Editor's Note: Kaitlin and Thomas Gertz of San Diego are on a 16-month around-the-world trip in which they plan to visit 50 countries. They are sharing the experience with North County Times readers every month. Visit their stories online at http://www.nctimes.com/travel/.

Day 68-76: Russia

Coming into Russia, our most challenging country so far, we chose to take a semiguided tour so we could see everything that we wanted. English was hard to find, and the Cyrillic alphabet made the language difficult to decipher. Our first stop was Moscow, where we took the famous metro, with its impressive statues and murals, to the legendary Red Square. Although our tour leader was a native Muscovite, we were disappointed that we were able to find out more about the sites from our slim guidebook and fellow travelers. St. Basil's Cathedral is probably the most photographed sight in Moscow, and its colorful onion domes are truly impressive up close.

We also walked around the GUM department store, once the largest source of Soviet "consumer goods" with its infamously long lines. Now it's a posh mall.

The highlight was visiting the walled Kremlin, the geographical and historical center of the city that tourists couldn't enter until the 1960s. We were able to step inside a couple of impressive churches crowned with golden onion domes and also saw the 200-ton Tsar Bell, the largest in the world. The Armory inside the Kremlin was extraordinary, holding one of the most opulent displays in the world of royal coronation gowns and carriages in addition to the legendary Faberge eggs.

We then left Moscow for Suzdal, a small town in the heart of the Golden Ring, a ring of cities northeast of Moscow. It soon became clear that we were in the most foreign destination of our lives. Our guide told us how religion was outlawed during the atheist communist government, but the many onion-domed churches of Suzdal were preserved and are now again used after the fall of the Soviet Union.

After briefly visiting Vladimir, another town in the Golden Ring, we took a long, crowded and potentially arduous overnight train ride to Pskov, a town close to St. Petersburg. When we travel, the difference between a miserable and a great time is often about what we choose to make of the circumstances. We ended up having a great night and realized that a few icebreakers transcend seemingly all languages and cultures -- things such as sharing a game of cards, music or a drink.

In Pskov, Kaitlin's stomach started to lose its long battle with the questionable food and water in Russia, though we had been careful with what we consumed. We were still able to walk around the old city walls and churches and appreciated their unique beauty, a contrast in style from what we had seen in Western Europe.

St. Petersburg felt much different and more like Western Europe. It had a plethora of canals and gorgeous buildings, and we were surprised to find more English spoken. We got tickets for as little as $15 to the wonderful ballet "Romeo and Juliet" at the world famous Mariinsky Theater.

The next morning we braved cold showers in our relatively expensive three-star hotel and took a short tour of the city, passing highlights such as the colorful Church of the Bleeding Savior. Our tour ended next to the Hermitage in Palace Square, originally the palatial residence of the Tsars when St. Petersburg was the capital and the spot where Lenin's Bolsheviks seized power in 1917. Our jaws dropped at the vast, ornately decorated palace rooms and the priceless art inside them.

As we said goodbye to our new friends, we were amazed at how quickly a true friendship can develop. Russia was a taxing destination, and we were disappointed to find overall the most unfriendly and inflexible people so far. However, it was a lot safer than we had expected. Russia requires many sacrifices of time, effort and money to visit, and we would recommend it primarily to the veteran traveler. However, it will reward you; perhaps its constant struggle to find stability is what makes it such an interesting destination.

Day 77-79: Helsinki, Finland

The crossing from Russia was slow and painful, but we were happy to be coming back into a relatively easy, more Western country. We found it amusing that our college dorm hostel was nicer than our three-star Russian hotel.

We enjoyed writing and relaxing, and were excited to enjoy a Mexican restaurant with a live band. These two native Californians miss Mexican food! Something we are not missing is the excess weight in our backpacks. We have gotten into the habit of shipping home souvenirs and other unnecessary items. After one shipment a month, we have now dropped more than 15 pounds of clothes and other miscellaneous extras that initially seemed nonnegotiable. Our backs and hips appreciate the decision, and it is amazing how little you really need when traveling.

Helsinki is best known for its architecture. It boasts many modern structures amid neoclassical buildings. We enjoyed one park called Esplanadi in the center of town: It is about four city blocks long, surrounded by great cafes and rows of 20 bronze sculptures of women. The only downside of Helsinki was the cost, with food that doubled U.S. prices. We quickly realized that we would have to brace ourselves and our budget for the Scandinavian countries.

Day 80-85: Stockholm, Sweden

The easiest way to get from Helsinki to Stockholm is by ferry. We were surprised when we boarded to find out that it was like a small cruise ship. The 17-hour journey was a nice change of pace and served as a bracket separating us from the previous 2 1/2 months.

As we disembarked, we saw Kaitlin's cousin, Mike, for the first time in about four years. He now lives in Sweden with his partner, Stina, and their two adorable kids, Stella and Sam. We were amazed that the children were already mostly bilingual in Swedish and English. It felt like no time had passed as we fell into conversations about childhood, the family, and our travels.

Stina's parents were out of town on a summer holiday and had generously offered us their place for the week. It was great to have a real home to break the routine of hostels and pensions.

Stockholm has many architectural highlights, and Stina is a tour guide at one of the most well-known, Stadshuset, the City Hall. It is famous for hosting the Nobel Prize reception dinner, and we were lucky enough to have a private tour with her.

Stockholm is definitely a walking city, filled with cobblestoned streets juxtaposed with large modern buildings, and water in every direction. The Gamla Stan, or Old Town, is a particularly charming part of the city. We also went up to the Sodermalm area, high on a cliff, for panoramic views of the city. Beautiful ships crowded the harbor, and when we saw a sign for the "Tall Ships Competition," we joined in the huge multinational party filling the streets.

The Vasamuseet was a truly unique museum to discover. It contains the Vasa, probably the best-preserved warship ever unearthed. The ship was resurrected after lying on the bottom of the bay in Stockholm for more than 300 years after sinking on its maiden voyage.

When plans for Norway came to mind, we realized that we didn't have any! We had been so focused on making our way through Russia and relaxing in Sweden that we completely spaced out on planning our upcoming two weeks in Norway. For us, Norway was the toughest budget destination in Europe. We found that it is often a logistical nightmare to get around, and we were visiting in its busiest time of year. Oh yes, and we were supposed to leave the next day.

After a full day of intense planning, we were able to enjoy a final day with the family at Skansen, a huge outdoor museum and zoo. The kids enjoyed a glass-blowing demonstration, a few fun rides, play areas and a nice array of local animals, such as reindeer and moose.

Day 86-92: Southern Norway

Norway was an epic destination that we had been looking forward to for quite some time. It proved to be our most expensive destination so far, and we kept thinking that our currency conversions were incorrect when we saw hamburgers for $30 and Cokes for $8. However, there are always creative ways around problems: We ate virtually every meal from things we could find in the grocery stores.

Our first stop was Bergen, where the rain did not let up and we were forced to wait it out. We have learned to allow roughly twice as much time in locations with potentially bad weather. Without the rain, the natural beauty and plentiful waterfalls would not exist, which is paradoxically exactly what we came to see. We took a funicular up a nearby mountain, Mount Floyen, for a good view and explored Bryggen, Bergen's well-preserved medieval district.

Our initial venture into the surprisingly accessible fjords took us into Hardangerfjord to the small town of Eidfjord. The very definition of a fjord (a glacially carved valley alongside the ocean) helped make us instant fans. We enjoyed the steep valleys, raging waterfalls, and high glaciers, but what makes the Hardangerfjord truly unique are its endless picturesque towns and fruit orchards. We also found the multiple 600-foot waterfalls of Voringfossen Waterfall impressive.

We next went to the town of Balestrand, tucked into a particularly dramatic corner of the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in the world. Upon arriving at our "hostel," we saw breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains along the ocean in all directions from our balcony. The next day's boat ride through Fjaerlandsfjord was quite scenic. At the end of the Fjaerlandsfjord lies Fjaerland. This town has a magnificent backdrop of parts of the Jostedalsbreen glacier, which we were able to take a bus ride to visit.

The sun finally came out the next day, and we felt very lucky to witness beautiful Balestrand and Sognefjord. The hiking trails above Balestrand gave a completely different perspective on the area. Several different fjords became visible, snaking in between sheer valleys dropping 3,000 feet to the ocean from large glaciated mountains.

Next, we went east to Flam and the nearby Naerofjord, which proved to be the most dramatic of all. It was as narrow as a couple of hundred meters in some places, and the iridescent water produced amazing mirror images of the waterfalls and snow-capped mountains. We took the famed Flam Railway to Mrydal on a vintage train up the steep valley. We were stunned at how the tracks were carved into the vertical cliffs, and how the train climbed about 3,000 feet in only 12 miles. We could easily return to this land and spend many more weeks seeing its countless other natural wonders.

Day 93-97: Northern Norway

We traveled for 36 hours to get north of the Arctic Circle to the Lofoten Islands. We thought being in continuous motion for this long on eight separate rides for almost 1,000 miles would exhaust us, but we enjoyed it. The more we travel, the more we realize the impact our mental state has on our physical state. We have also recognized the importance of enjoying the transition between destinations, as it helps us understand each place upon our arrival.

Speaking of trains, one of the best ways to save money if you are doing a lot of train travel in expensive countries is to get a Eurailpass. For an average of $17 a day each, we got unlimited travel on rides that would cost more than $100 each.

Arriving in the tiny fishing village of A (pronounced "Oh"), we felt in the middle of nowhere -- the town consisted of some old fishing shacks dwarfed by large mountains. The Lofoten Islands are near the top of Norway, and the darkest it got was a dusklike glow. We ventured out for a hike on the nearby tundra surrounding a lake, and then went on a great boat trip. We caught cod and coalfish using only a simple line attached to a small wooden plank and spoke at length to our guide, a fourth-generation fisherman who had lived his entire life in this remote destination.

That night at our hostel, we cooked some of the fresh fish we caught, and sharing a table with people from four countries prompted a great conversation. One of the most amazing things about traveling is the people you meet, the stories you hear, and the stories that you will tell in the future. It was rewarding to meet others who agreed a journey like ours is a life-changing experience. We also discussed how European countries maintain a similar standard of living to the U.S. while taking more vacations, and how a healthy balance between life and work can actually lead to more productivity.

It struck us that we are entering a time where almost no destination in the world is untouched by some form of tourism. This promotes global understanding and helps the local economies, but the very experience of exploring the unbeaten path that many people want is thus being taken away.

One day we basked in 70-degree sunshine, and the locals said they haven't experienced a summer this warm before. This has been a common theme on our trip: The spring in England was one of the warmest on record. And across Central Europe, people repeatedly mentioned experiencing very mild winters recently and how the glaciers have been retreating at record paces.

Our exit from A all the way to Denmark presented one of our less than brilliant moments. We planned to take the train straight to Copenhagen and set our cell phone alarm clock for 9 a.m. after a late night, but awoke instead to a knock on the door. We looked at our cell phone to see it was showing an inaccurate time of three hours earlier, since it was not accurately programmed for latitudes this far north!

We have found contingency plans harder to come by the more remote the destination, and after a lot of stress, we finally settled on Plan E and took the ferry to nearby Bodo to spend the night (Plan F was a combination of swimming and walking). The next day, we took the train to Trondheim but encountered another snag. The overnight train to Oslo was full, and the ticket office said we would be stuck there for the night. We made the bold decision to stow away on board, and with a little bit of seat-hopping we even got a little bit of sleep.

Best Places to Stay:

Kringsja Hotel and Youth Hostel, Norway -- Simple rooms and breakfast, but unbeatable location with 180-degree fjord views from your balcony. Phone # 55 57 69 13 03; www.kringsja.no.

Best Ballet Hall:

Mariinsky Theater -- Famous ballet hall in St. Petersburg, Russia. Phone #8 812 326 4141.

Hints:

Eurail Pass --- www.eurail.com. Take time to research what it would cost for individual rides and then compare that with the different options for the Eurailpass.

Motion Sickness Wristbands -- Eagle Creek. Great for helping anyone who gets seasick or motion sick. We tested and have proved that they worked for us. Available at most travel or camping stores.

-- For more photos, visit the Gertzes' Web site: www.mytripjournal.com/gertzaroundtheworld.