Here's to Grand Circle travellers, May our tours never cease.
Keep your eyes on your wallets,
Don't let your humor cease.
Arrive in Helsinki; meet Helena.. what a thrill!
Sit and sleep and eat and sit; We had 5 hours to kill.
Arrive in St. Petersburg, 27 strong.
See the glitz and glamor of tzars who all went wrong.
See "Carmen" or a ballet; see fountains by the score
See the Amber Room, the Hermitage: Rembrants, Picasso and much more
Dine with Russians-hear them talk
Stay close to Larissa wherever we would walk.
Fly back to Helsinki; yes, we flew in a grand loop.
With Helena beside us to meet the rest of the group.
The harbor town was lovely, the herring was so sweet.
After Russia, this city was incredibly neat.
The energy level was fantastic to feel and to see
And the church in the rock and the general were quite the sights to see.
Then on to fairy tale Copenhagen which was small but many spired
The palaces and gardens were lush and we were all inspired.
The bicycles came at us furiously and fast
And the mermaid was whole again, not like in the past.
The Strojet amazed us and seeing Tivoli too,
Especially the pantomime which was a Fosse review!
Home hosting took us through the town
The food and conversation never let us down.
Except a slight misunderstanding left one host to assume
That a veggie menu meant mushroom, mushroom, mushroom!
We also met Mama and Leonard stopped by...
Helena looked blissful and we all knew why.
With a song in our hearts and exercises in the park
We hurried on board the ferry before it could depart.
Docking in Oslo after sailing all night
We saw Vigeland's sculptures which gave Norwegians quite a fright.
With shops closed for the holiday, we went as team
To the grand art museum to see Munch's "The Scream".
We tried ferries and cafes and shops too, of course
But the prices were rising, much to our remorse.
Then off to see mountains and fjords that kept us under their spell.
By bus,
trains, and boat-"Norway in a Nutshell"!'
Did you count waterfalls or tunnels as we went on our way?
It was a simply spectacular trip all the way.
Who could guess that Bergen would be quite so quaint?
And that the funicular's altitude could make you faint?
Need more souvenirs? Or maybe a sweater?
Go home to Macy's and Marshalls -the prices are much better.
Away from Bergen,
we flew like a flash
To Helena's Stockholm which she said was a smash.
Though the hotel area was a bit bleak
Roaming through Old Town could take a whole week.
We found the Vasa, the proud Viking ship.
Ate meatballs, sang "Hell and Gore" and gave Orrfors the slip.
From every corner of the states came 38 people strong.Most of long.
We saw palaces and churches and ,oh, the food we ate.
Said "skoal" and made discoveries for 18 whole days straight.
Helena led our merry band-she's an early morning riser.
She had us exercise and drink strong stuff
And thus we all grew wiser.
Most of us shared a secret we wouldn't tell out loud
It always kept us smirking amongst our happy crowd.
So now we leave to go back home
We leave with fond memories of where we've roamed.
We should keep in touch bye-mail or stealth
And I wish us all happiness, peace and good health.
Fond good wishes,
Robbie Fishman
reciting her poem
during the farewell dinner
in Stockholm City Hall Restaurant (6/8/04)