Seven miles outside of historic Athens, the Greek coastal city of Piraeus lies upon the sparkling waters of the Aegean Sea and is the largest passenger port in Europe, servicing nearly 20 million passengers per year.

The "Big Easy" invites all to eat, drink and be merry, especially during Mardi Gras, its famous late-winter bacchanal.

This mountainous archipelago offers magnificent views of stark white glaciers and snowfields, which cover a vast stretch of the region. Arctic flora and fauna fascinate; catch a glimpse of polar bears, reindeer, arctic foxes, and walruses amongst the mossy tundra and icy coasts. In the summer, visitors will witness the rare splendor of Svalbard’s midnight sun.

Latvia is a republic in northeastern Europe. Riga, the capital and largest city, is also the country's chief port. The climate is dominated by marine influences in the west, with cool summers and mild winters; more continental conditions and greater climatic variation exist in the east. In Latvia, snow covers the ground from two to more than four months of the year. Summers are frequently hot, with average daily temperatures exceeding 25° C (about 80° F).

This 2,000-year-old city, where the Teutonic Order founded one of its first commanderies in the 13th century, lies on the convergence of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers.