Travels in Europe - 2016

We left Phuket on June 14^th at midnight. After flying and a 4-hour stopover in Dubai, we arrived in London at noon local time. We checked in to our hotel and then walked around our community until 7:00pm when we met up with two friends from London who took us out for dinner.

On July 15^th we caught a train to Edinburgh, about a 6-hour journey. Traveling by train is so much nicer than air. No 3-hour wait, no line ups, no jet fuel smell, no cold airports and airplanes, and no bumps. Trains have larger seats and more leg room, are quieter, smoother and have a nicer view. For the rest of this trip until our last leg we will be travelling by train, boat, bus, bicycles, and cars. The weather was drizzly so we checked into our hotel and had dinner on site.

On July 16th we went on a 9-hour bus tour to St. Andrews with stops on the way there and back. We did not golf there but did walk the 18th hole and watched people not get any hole-in-ones.

On the 17^th we hiked around our local area and up to Arthur's Seat. Loretta was nervous since it was quite steep and the trail was slippery but without being encouraged by me she persisted to the base of the seat. We did not do the last bit since the weather had closed in and the view would not have been any better from where we were. After reaching the bottom we were soaked, cold and went back to our room to dry our clothing and have a hot shower. At the end of our time in Scotland Loretta said that even though she was nervous, Author’s Seat was the highlight of her tour.

On the 18^th we did a 12-hour tour to the Highlands and to see Nessie. We told the bus driver we did Author's seat yesterday and he told us someone had fallen down last week and died. It’s good that Loretta didn’t know before our hike. The weather was much better today and the view at our numerous stops and during the ride was spectacular. Unfortunately the weather was not conducive for Nessie to show herself, so we did not get a chance to see the infamous Loch Ness Monster.

The next two days were spent touring Edinburgh by the Hop On Hop Off bus and hoofing around. It is incredible to see buildings over 2000 years old still standing. Housing prices in Edinburgh are even higher than Vancouver.

On the evening of the 20^th we headed to the airport 2-1/2 hours before our flight. We knew this was going to be our worst travel day. Our flight was to depart at 21:30 and arrive in Oslo at 00:15. The last train to Oslo city center was at 1:00 so we knew our connections were going to be tight since we had to clear immigration and customs. Our backup plan was to catch a bus which took 55 minutes, twice as long as the train. A taxi was not an option since it cost 1400 krone which is about 260 CAD. Our flight was 45 minutes late to board which eliminated our preferred option unless the pilot could make up some time. As we were waiting to board the plane we noticed a family with two young children waiting for the same plane. The younger of the two had quite a bad cough. This is where I began praying for seats at the opposite end of the cabin. I later discovered I should have been very happy to have them directly beside us. Once we were all onboard with this young family about 3 seats away we heard the father say "we need to make a decision now". After the doors were all closed but before we left the gate the father said "that is it, we are getting off the plane". It took another 45 minutes to offload the family and their luggage from the hold. Needless to say we were now going to be taking the bus if the bus was still running when we arrive. At 11:45, I looked out the window and it was still light outside. We arrived around 1:00 and cleared immigration in minutes. Customs were not even around so we just walked through. We missed the 1:00 a.m. train and bus so the next bus was at 2:00.  By the time we got into our hotel room it was 3:30 and it was already starting to get light outside. I reminded Loretta that the impetus for being in Norway at this time was to be here for the Summer Solstice. What more could we ask for but to see the sun set and rise within just a few hours.

On the 21^st we had an easy day and visited a few nearby sites such as the Opera House and Train Station. We walked the main tourist street and found the best ice cream I have ever had, caramel chew chew.  Yummm.  Note to file: must remember this place to return to before leaving Oslo.

The 22^nd was another full day. We caught the 6:45 train to Myrdal and transferred to one of the most scenic train rides in the world, the Flam. Wow, what a view while this train dropped from 2800 feet above sea level with an average gradient of 18 degrees. Snow at the top and waterfalls all over the place as we descended. We then hopped on a 2-hour boat ride through the fjord where we caught a bus that took us through hairpin turns to Voss where we caught a 5-hour train back to Oslo. What a day. We had read somewhere that anyone who travels to Norway and does not do this tour should have their passports revoked. We can now agree with that statement.

The 23^rd was spent touring Oslo via the Hop On Hop Off bus. Norway in my opinion is very similar to Canada. Their homes are wood frame and the city's infrastructure is same same. The major difference is the price of everything. A hamburger is 190 kroner, about 28 CAD. We avoided restaurants and ate on the cheap.

We then took the train to Stockholm, Sweden, where we visited friends whom we met in Phuket.

On June 24^th we arrived in Stockholm and were greeted by our friends, Linda and Otto, at the train station. After a short tour of the city and some of the 10,000 islands which Stockholm and surrounding area are scattered on, we went to their condominium. This was the first day of Sweden's biggest annual holiday, Midsummer Festival. It is a four-day holiday and almost everything is closed so that the locals can all go to their summer homes or boats. Because of our late arrival we stayed at our friends Stockholm residence rather than their summer home. That evening we enjoyed a traditional Midsummer Festival meal which included a variety of herring, potato, and cheese dishes interrupted by a song quickly followed by a shot of schnapps which we washed down with non-alcoholic beer. Because it is still light here at 2330 we were able to go for a walk before hitting the sack.

The next day, June 25^th, we enjoyed the nicest weather since leaving Phuket. It was sunny and 28 C. Our friends took us on a tour of the outlying area of Stockholm where we hopped from island to island via bridges and ferries. What a beautiful area, somewhat like our Thousand Island region in the St. Lawrence River but 10 times more (10 × 1000 = 10,000). Loretta and I both agreed that if we lived here we would buy another boat. But until climate change eliminates the snow and cold temperatures in Sweden we do not have to think about it. At one of our numerous stops we had a picnic lunch - baked salmon. Yumm. I should mention that we had ice cream cones before we had lunch. Apparently this is perfectly acceptable here in Sweden (and to us too of course).

The forecast for the 26^th was warm, but with showers, so we stayed home in the morning and did a couple of loads of laundry. After eating another traditional meal we walked to a nearby museum which had exhibits of the Swedish history starting with the Vikings and spent three hours going through it.

On June 27^th we went on another tour with Linda and Otto to their summer home and from there we stopped at the King and Queen's palace. Unfortunately the King and Queen were away so we just walked around their grounds and had ice cream. Then we went to a marina on an island located on a freshwater lake for a delicious lunch. From there we made our way home and then later walked down to the waterfront and had an evening drink. We got home and into bed around 2230, long before dark.

On June 28^th, Loretta and I spent the day doing tourist activities. We walked down to the water and did a 2-hour river tour that took us under 12 of Stockholm's 57 bridges, through 2 locks and past many historic sites. We then jumped on a Hop On Hop Off bus and saw the rest of the cities highlights. Our highlight was walking around "old town" and of course eating ice cream.

On June 29^th, we arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark in the afternoon. We exchanged our leftover Norwegian Kroner and Swedish Kronor into Danish Kroners. We have found that the Scandinavian countries are close to being a cashless society. Even to buy a coffee for 30 Kr ($5.00) is commonly paid for by card. As a matter of fact, one vender sold their service for about 5% less if paid by card. We then took a bus/walked to our hotel and after getting settled went for a walk to explore this new country.

On the 30^th we walked to the city center and bought tickets for the Hop On Hop Off bus and a boat tour. The bus tour had three different routes varying from 30 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes and the boat tour was just over an hour. Out of all our previous boat tours, other than CanKata's, it was by far the best. The boat went through narrow canals and under many very low and ancient bridges. The bus tours took us to all of Copenhagen's highlights including the place where Carlsberg beer was invented in 1847. We have never seen a city with so many bicycles and an excellent infrastructure to accommodate them. Part of the reason for this is because there is a VAT tax of 180% on cars.

We booked a castle tour on July 1^st where we visited three different castles in the nearby countryside of Copenhagen. These castles were constructed in the early 1800's and it was incredible to see the condition they are still in today. One of the castles had the world's oldest organ, 400 years old, in it.

July 2^nd was mainly a travel day. We caught a morning train and prepared ourselves for a 5-hour train ride. It was Loretta's birthday so I surprised her with a carrot cup cake. The most interesting part of this trip was when the train boarded a ferry for a 45-minute crossing before landing on German soil. After checking into our hotel, which was literally right across from the train station, we did our usual walkabout to familiarize ourselves with our new community. 

On July 3^rd we walked from our hotel to the Hamburg Rathaus, city hall. From there we joined a walking tour which lasted about two-and-a-half hours and covered many of the historic sites in the downtown area. It was only the second time we did a walking tour (our first was in Victoria many moons ago) and we found it very informative and entertaining. We will try to do another in Prague since some people we met from Malta just did one there and said it was very good. We then walked back to our hotel with stops on the way, one of which was for ice cream.

We took the Hop On Hop Off bus on July 4^th and from it were able to view the buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1842 and the fire-bombing in 1943 during Operation Gomorrah of WW II. For the first time in all of our travels, we found a number of facilities which had signage we could not easily read because they were only in German. During our time in Hamburg we discovered a number of interesting facts.

   - Many of the old buildings were destroyed by the great fire, reconstructed, and then again once destroyed by the fire-bombing. Some were reconstructed for the 3rd time.

   - 42,600 people were killed by the fire-bombing which is more than the 25,000 killed in Dresden.

   - Hamburg has more than 2500 bridges within the city. So much for Saskatoon being the city of bridges.

   - There are more than 45,000 millionaires living in Hamburg which is evident by the number of luxury cars driven here.

   - People who live here are pleased to be called Hamburgers.

   - Apparently, the term hamburger was introduced by a person from Hamburg who had a food outlet in the States and by accident served his clients a chunk of ground meat on a bun. This claim is subject to dispute. 

Following the bus tour we hoofed around downtown and then walked back to our hotel via the same ice cream shop as the day before.

On July 5^th we caught a train to Berlin and then later another to Dresden. We were only in Berlin's central train station but it is very nice and modern compared to the others we have been in so far. Only problem, we did not come across an ice cream stand.

We arrived in Dresden early enough to jump on the Hop On Hop Off bus (after having an ice cream cone) to take one of their four tours and see some of the reconstructed buildings which were destroyed by the fire-bombing at the end of WW II. Actually, the most fascinating building I noticed was the Volkswagen manufacturing plant which is transparent due to the exterior walls being all glass. I am not sure but I think I saw them tinkering with the emission control system. We sauntered back to the hotel just in time for an unexpected downpour.

After breakfast on July 6^th we walked to city center and acted like tourists taking in all the old architecture which we thought was constructed some 200 to 300 years ago. We then joined a guided walking tour and spent the next two-and-a-half hours learning about the buildings we had previously observed. All of these buildings had been almost entirely destroyed by the fire-bombing at the end of the war. It took Germany up until the late 1900's to reconstruct the buildings, most of which followed the original design. It is amazing to see these buildings which look so old and some of which were just reconstructed 30 to 40 years ago. Once Loretta heard this she felt she was walking around a Walt Disney theme park. Following our walking tour and having ice cream we hopped on the Hop On Hop Off bus and continued from yesterday's tour. By the end the bus tour and some hopping off-and-on, the day was done, or at least we were.

On July 7^th, we arrived in Praha (Prague), Czech Republic at around noon. We walked to our hotel about 20 minutes away and the Czech-in was very quick. As we left the desk the man said "we will talk after you see the room". As we rode the elevator to the 5th floor we pondered as to what was meant by that statement. We unlocked the door which opened into a short corridor with 4 doors off it. Loretta hesitated at the entry and I immediately thought "oh no she wants me to carry her over the threshold". But she was concerned that we went into the wrong room. Her concern was legitimate since some of our previous rooms were so small that to change your mind you had to go outside. But this room has a laundry room, large bathroom, and larger kitchen complete with all the cooking appliances and a dishwasher (no not me) and a living room with a large bedroom off of it. After unpacking, starting a load of laundry and cleaning up, we returned to the front desk where we were told that we had that suite for one night only. But the room we booked wasn’t bad at all. We then grabbed a map and walked into old town. Prague is another amazing city with lots of old structures but unfortunately a lot of graffiti defacing these wonderful buildings. After eating a Czech meal and walking about we made our way back to our large and very comfortable suite.  And yes Czech ice cream tastes just as good as our previous locations.

The weather for July 8^th was to be good in the morning with rain and thundershowers in the afternoon. To optimize the weather conditions we did a 2-1/2 hour walking tour of Old Town starting at 1000. The tour ended at 1245 and the weather was still looking great so after having ice cream we did a 3-hour tour which included a tram ride and a tour of the castle which ended up being a 4-hour tour. As we experienced previously, these two tours were really informative and we saw buildings and other items we may have missed if on our own. We got back to our hotel just before 1900 and rested our dogs during the evening. We never did get any rain showers, and as a matter of fact I spent most of the time in the shade to avoid a sunburn. The highlight of the day was sharing a beer. Even though we don't drink alcohol we could not resist since beer has been made here for over a thousand years and in many restaurants it is cheaper than water.

On July 9^th we had ice cream. Sorry I had to get it out of the way. We had a tour booked but we almost missed it since the pick-up van came early and just as we arrived in the lobby, about eight minutes before the scheduled pick up time, the desk attendant asked if we were going on a tour. We told him yes and he said go quick you may have missed them. As we arrived on the street, the van was just pulling away. Not sure where the breakdown was but what I told the owner was "what we have here is a failure to communicate". Anyway it all worked out fine for us. There were to be four of us on the tour but the other two never showed up so we had a private tour. We went to Budvar where a now-famous beer originated in 1245. From there we went to Chesky Krumlov which is a couple of hours out of Prague. After having another popular Czech lunch (this time I had goulash), we visited the castle and afterwards the quaint village alongside. On the way home we picked up a couple who were on the tour yesterday but opted for an overnight stay. They live in Beaumont, Alberta which was our Canadian address up until a year ago. Not only that, the lady teaches at the school our granddaughter attended.

July 10^th was another day with beautiful weather. We had a free day, no tours or bus tours, just a day to loaf around and take in the beautiful sites of Prague. We walked to, and across, the Charles Bridge which was built in the 14^th century. The king at the time thought raw eggs would help the cement stick to the aggregate so according to the locals here the bridge is partially edible. After walking and having our daily dairy treat we sat at an outdoor restaurant for our last Czech meal. Today Loretta had the goulash after having tasted mine yesterday, and I had pork knuckle - yummy! By the way, a tip for all you guys, when you travel with your wife you should encourage her to pack her suitcase to the brim. I can't tell you how many times I have heard Loretta say "Oh I wish I had room in my suitcase so I could buy ....” We really enjoyed our time in Prague and would recommend it as a place to visit.

July 11^th was mainly a travel day but it offered us a bit of excitement none the less. Our train trip from Prague to Frankfurt consisted of us catching a bus, which is run by the train company, to Nuremburg and then a train for the remainder. Last night I noticed we had about 11 minutes to get from the bus and board our train. Up to this point, with one exception, we have been amazed how prompt the trains are. We often watch the train leave right as the second hand on the nearby clock strikes 0. Well, only a few miles out of Prague we ran into very slow moving traffic due to road construction. I hoped that this would not pose a problem but, when we passed the next highway sign, it indicated 224 km to Nuremburg. By doing a quick calculation I knew our arrival time would be very tight. As we got closer to our destination I calculated we would have to average just over 100 kph to get there in time. I knew that would be near impossible since the train station was in city center. As we approached Nuremburg we ran into another traffic jam. That was when Loretta and I started considering Plan B, i.e. catch a later train, or spend the night in Nuremburg. We arrived 5 minutes after the time our train was to depart. I sent Loretta into the station so she could take a look at the board with the train times and gate numbers. Meanwhile I stood around the door to the busses’ luggage hold to try to get ours as soon as it was handed out. I got 2 of the 3 pieces quite quickly but the third was beneath two very large backpacks that were trying to have sex with one another. Their straps had gotten tangled and the driver could not get them free. He ended up tossing the two pieces out as one letting the owners do the untangling. Then he handed me mine. By the time I got into the station, Loretta was back with good news. The train was 20 minutes late. When the train employees told Loretta the train was to be late and she gasped a sign of relief they said "It is not too often when people are happy about a late train". We made it to the gate with 3 minutes to spare. After taking the tram to our hotel we walked the area and found a section of Little Italy in Germany so we sat and had a pizza and then ice cream for dessert.

On July 12^th, the weather was to be nice until midafternoon so we decided to do a self-directed walking tour of the old part of Frankfurt. There are numerous buildings constructed, or at least started, in the 15th century. Loretta said she wanted to do a tower today to get a panoramic view of the city. We decided to climb up the 328 steps in the Frankfurt Cathedral Tower so we could walk around the observation deck which is 66 meters high. We knew we could do it since we climbed the stairs at our condo on the 28th floor in Ottawa (okay that was 16 years ago but what can change in that short amount of time). Well we made it and I don't think we were breathing any harder than any of the youngsters who were doing the same. At 2:30 the weather was still nice so we took one of the Hop On Hop Off bus tours and then walked back to our hotel. It was an unusual day in that we had no ice cream.

July 13^th was our last day in Frankfurt. We did the remaining Hop On Hop Off bus tour (actually twice since it was raining when we were supposed to get off) and then had lunch. We then walked to the area where there were a number of museums and snooped around them before returning to our hotel. 

July 14^th -- Even though Loretta and I are honest people and try to follow the rules, one would be right to question our honesty today. After packing our suitcases ... Let me stop here for a bit. Neither Loretta nor I have actually unpacked either of our suitcases except for when we reached Prague and the weather warmed up. Normally we have worn the same clothes and laundered them as necessary. So essentially our suitcase has been filled with unworn clothes. I think we should call them "justincase" instead of "suitcase". So getting back to today’s events ... After packing or suitcases and checking out of the hotel we headed to the tram station. When we got there we went to the vending machine to buy our tickets to get us to the train station. Loretta punched in the details and when finished she noticed the cost of the 2 tickets was cheaper than when we bought them to get to the hotel from the train station. We thought it was maybe due to a time difference or a different day, but our tram was coming so I put in my Visa card and paid for the tickets. After getting to the station I looked at the 2 tickets and noticed one was for an "erwachsene" which I knew was adult in German from buying a number of train tickets and the other ticket was for a "kinder" which I knew meant child. We were glad we were not inspected because I don't know which one of us would have been more appropriately the "adult".  

We boarded the first train and enjoyed our second-most scenic trip during this tour. The train followed the river through the Rhine valley and it was filled with quaint villages, castles and vineyards. We switched trains in Koblenz and for this last leg we did not have seats assigned. The ticket agent told us the seats were unassigned. We hopped on the closest car that stopped next to us and once we got on we noticed that there was an upper level. We thought it would be a better view from the top level so why not. The car was in beautiful shape with large leather seats and loads of leg room. There wasn't anyone else in the upper level so we had our choice of seats. Even after the train left the station we had the upper level to ourselves. Loretta thought we were perhaps on the wrong train but I could see a few other people seated outside the enclosed upper level and down in the lower level. We sat in extreme comfort and enjoyed the view. About an hour later Loretta went to the WC. When she returned she said "I think we may be sitting in the 1st class area". She thought this because the seats outside of our area and in the lower level were not leather or as spacious as ours. We expected the conductor would be coming along at some point, as they always did, and if we were in the wrong area we would move. Well about an hour later the conductor did come to check our ticket and when I showed her our tickets (2nd class) she just smiled and said thank you. We enjoyed the last hour of our ride but were a bit disappointed that there was not a meal served in the 1st class section, ha ha.

Luxembourg, the country, has a population of under 600,000 and the city has a population of just over 100,000. Even though development began in the 900s we found Luxembourg has less to see than any of our previous stops. We made the most of it by walking into old town and then taking two Hop On Hop Off tours. The first one was actually a small train that meandered through old town. Up until now we have avoided taking these small train tours since they look uncomfortable and very bumpy. But because the large bus is not permitted in old town it was our only option. And yes, these small trains are uncomfortable and bumpy. The large bus took us to the main highlights outside of old town. We tried to find an ice cream shop but were not successful so we are unable to provide a rating.

July 16^th was primarily a travel day to get from Luxembourg to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Of all our train ticket bookings this leg was by far the most confusing. When I made the booking I simply entered the departure location, Luxembourg, and the destination, Amsterdam. Before leaving Phuket I printed all the train and plane and ferry tickets. As we approached Luxembourg I noticed that the train ticket for us to depart did not provide the same information as all the others, i.e., departure and arrival times, train number, wagon or seat numbers. When we arrived at the train station I asked the ticket agent about the ticket and she said it is an open ticket so we just hop on a train of our choice which is heading to our destination. She told us that there were trains leaving Luxembourg to Brussels every hour on the day we were to leave. And, once in Brussels, we hop on another train heading to Amsterdam, which again leaves every hour. This seemed too simple but I thought I would confirm it online. The web site for this train line was quite confusing and after doing a few searches for our route I gave up and returned to the same ticket agent the next day, but different person. We were told by this agent that we could not do this trip on two trains, we would need to change 3 times therefore it would take 4 trains. We accepted this and planned to take the train out the next day.

When we arrived at the station the next morning I noticed yet another agent at the ticket booth. We went in to verify that we needed to take 4 trains and after she went on their web site she told us we could do it with 3. She printed out the itinerary for us which showed the 3 different trains with the 2 changes. We got on the 1st train and had a nice smooth ride to Brussels, even though it wasn't in 1st class. In Brussels we got on the next train which according to our printed itinerary was to take us to Rotterdam for the next change. But I was a bit confused because the sign at the train station indicated the train was to go to Amsterdam. I asked the lady sitting in front of us if the train was going to Amsterdam or Rotterdam. She, as well as the lady sitting across from us said the train was going to Amsterdam via Rotterdam. We relaxed until both of these two ladies disembarked at the next station. We decided to just wait and see what happened when we reach Rotterdam. If the train terminated there we would follow the printed itinerary. If it continued we would stay aboard and hope it went to Amsterdam and that we would not find out that our tickets are not the correct type. As it turned out, we did reach Amsterdam on the second train which means the 1st ticket agent's information was correct. Overall it was a very pleasant trip although we were surprised to see a number of armed military men in the Brussels station.

July 17^th was spent with us doing a self-guided walking tour. We walked from our hotel to the central train station with a number of stops to take photos and take in the beauty of Amsterdam and its numerous canals. We ventured down a number of the narrow streets which directed us to a variety of surprises. One such surprise was when we accidentally landed in the infamous "red light district". We knew of it and intended on going there but we were both surprised when we walked past a few glass doors where some female professionals were advertising their wares. In some cases the advertising paid off right in front of us. We were also reminded of how many bicycles are in this city whenever we mistakenly strayed into a bike lane. Another surprise was that most people on motorcycles were not wearing helmets. I thought that was an Asian and New Hampshire (live free or die) thing. Marijuana is also legal here so to smell it when walking around was not unheard of. We meandered our way home at the end of the day and stopped at some museums and flea markets.

On July 18^th we were booked on an all-day excursion to Bruges, Belgium. It gave us an opportunity to see some of the countryside outside of Amsterdam since it was 3 hours there and back. Bruges itself is a quaint little town that offers a lot of character. I took so many photos my camera battery died so Loretta was in charge of photos for the end of the tour. We had two of the popular meals of Bruges, mussels and rabbit. We also had to sample one of their 65 types of beer and finish it off with Belgium chocolate. Here are some interesting facts we were reminded of during the tour:

   - The country that Amsterdam resides in is the Netherlands, not Holland (Holland is two of 12 provinces within the Netherlands)

   - Netherlands is about 120 miles wide by 200 miles long

   - Population of Netherlands is 17,000,000

   - About 50% of Amsterdam is either below or within 1 meter of sea level. They rely on a complex water monitoring system interfaced with a water pumping system to avoid floods.

July 19^th was our last day of our winter tour 2016. The forecast called for a heat wave with the temperature reaching 28, which is 8 degrees above the norm. What a nice send-off. We walked to center town and did a two-and-a-half hour canal boat tour. Then we had a short break before hopping on the bus for a one-hour tour. We stopped for lunch and then to finish it off we did the last tour which was another canal boat tour. We found Amsterdam and area to be a very interesting city and it concluded our vacation on a very positive note.

A number of people have asked us if we were tired after what they thought was a very busy vacation. Neither Loretta nor I felt we did too much. It was a wonderful time and now we are looking forward to returning home (the land of no more ice cream and beer).

Hope you enjoyed the read.