Sunday, 19 June, Amsterdam: arrival
SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2017; AMSTERDAM: ARRIVAL
Movenpick City Hotel
The hotel is elegant but definitely not central despite a sigh which says '6 minutes of walk to the city centre'. We have no choice and start our holiday with a walk to the Central Railway station and from there along the canal. it is a long walk but the sun shines, people -there are a lot of them- smile, there are flowers all around, so we are happy.
We end or walk in the asian district where we sample some food and meet a local cat (of course).
MONDAY, JUNE 20; AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam
Time to start our city tour in earnest. at the tourist bureau we buy tickets for everything Amsterdam has to offer - boat rides along canals, tickets to museums and food. We get on the boat -surprisingly, empty (maybe it is still early for tourists), sail along old and beautiful houses with pointed roofs, listen to the commentary (Rachel sleeps) and get off at the Rijk to admire paintings. It is good to see them again, they are always enchanting, even for Rachel. Her favourites though -interesting- are not the most famous.
We cross then to the cafeteria and eat some bizarre sandwiches-I have never had whole nuts as a filling. Then we go to the Van Gogh museum. Lots of paintings are in Melbourne but they are not missed here. The exhibition is a feast of shapes and colours-as only Van Gogh could create
Oriental lady
irises
We miss our return boat and have to take the tram ...as the last time.
TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017; AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam Museum, Beguinage
The Amsterdam Museum is a must, says The Guide. We all go there, I follow obediently the historical path from settlement to modern times but Naomi and Rachel have discovered a fashion exhibition on the site...
The highlight of today though is the Beguinage, set up after the Crusades to house the widows of the crusaders. There are stylish houses set in a manicured garden. We walk, admire, take photos, speak in whispers (we have to maintain the silence) and study the old plaques which have been saved from old buildings; they indicate ownership in a graphic way -so much more fun than a number or name.
new visitors
We discover outside
In the evening we go for a canal ride in the dark, to see the city lights. It looks so diffrent from
daytime.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21,2017, AMSTERDAM
Anne Frank house for Naomi and Rachel and walk along the canal for me. Lunch at 'Prince'-specially recommended for 'the atmosphere'-it is an old pub carefully maintained. The walls are lined with wooden panels and decorated with portraits of the town's mighty (of old).
Just sandwiches, but who cares about the food.
So, Naomi and Rachel climb the Westerwerk tower to get a view of the town
The sun still shines so we go to visit the Cat Bot where Amsterdam keeps its stray cats. people are encouraged to adopt a cat and, for a small donation, they get a well cared for cat complete with vitamins and vaccinations. There are also some permanent residents.
Our last day in Amsterdam Naomi and Rachel go down paddling and I plan to visit the Dam square. whereI read- i can visit the Royal Palace, some imposing church, Madam Tussaud, a big hotel, street performances, etsc.. I find it all disappointing. The Royal palace is closed and for the rest- too many people and too little to see. We have though a memorable diner at the Kerkwijk restaurant (recommended)
We go back to our hotel in the rain. The weather has finally broken just as we are about to leave
FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017, ROTTERDAM
We decide the visit The Windmills -UNESCO heritage site- so we take the ferry and enjoy the sailing. There are views of the city and coffee and apple pie too. Pity we can't spend more time on the island of the windmills , we have time to visit just one. We climb the narrow stairs, look at the room- fully furnished as is people were still living there- and try to imagine ourselves
in this place. Then walk
SATURDAY, JUNE 24 ,2017, ROTTERDAM (SHIP) HAL
All HAL ships are alike, so I find myself at home: there is the Lido, the theatre, library, but there are differences; there is no Cruise Leader to let us know that he (or she) is here to help, no information about the places to visit, no talks about the region and planned excursions. As for entertainment, either absent or por, movies nobody wants to see, third rate performers, ...all very disappointing.
What will Naomi and Rachel think.
MONDAY, 26 JUNE,2017; EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
We reach Edinburgh in stages. Walk path, climb stairs (lots), take train, walk to Castle
Wait in queue (a long one) for tickets.
This is not The Castle I remember. When I first came here I walked along The Royal Mile and came before the magnificent entrance to a magnificent stronghold. This time we are met with a long ticket queue.
We try to ignore the many tourists and imagine the old Scottish kings and queens greeting us.
Once we enter the appartments there are fewer people so we can commune with the spirit of mary the tragic queen and her family. The jewels attract the most attention but I prefer the furniture, paintings, embroidery; all well maintained (or replaced with a faithful copy).
Walking down the Royal Mile was a flawed experience too; the buildings were there , old and grey, and the 'closes', those little mysterious passages opening on the side of the main street, but the whole spoiled by stall selling junk.
TUESDAY, 27 JUNE,2017, INVERGORDON (INVERNESS), SCOTLAND
We land at Invergordon but are advised to take the bus to Inverness. it is raining, but we still admire the white sheep and green pastures. at inverness we go past the tourist shops and arrive at the centre of the town; a building combining coffee shop, museum, gift shop and facing The castle (with views). Remembering that this area is rich in stone age and more recent relics; there are some real skeletons! we spend some time at the museum (after having coffee and cake). The exhibits are beautifully displayed against charts and diagrams. There is even-this is Scotland- a real kilt to try on and a mirror to admire oneself.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28,2017, KIRKWALL, SCOTLAND
'Nothing to see there', is the expert advice of our 'Travel Guide', Claudia. 'Take a bus and go for a ride around the countryside.' The wether is fine, but we have seen enough sheep and greenery so we go to the Tourist office and get some guidance from the locals. We find a small town with streets lined with houses hundreds of years old, carefully maintained, a big cathedral richly decorated from the 1200's, complete with cemetery and old headstones. The town had benefitted from trade and the church has many plaques and paintings to remember generous donors. The imposing Bishop's house across completes the picture.
Then there is the Museum, like the one in Inverness displaying a collection of local archeological finds and some 17th and 18th cent. furniture and paintings.
Pity of have no time to see it all at leisure.
The garden surrounding it is so beautiful in sunshine, with strongly perfumed flowers.
It is Rachel's favourite sight.
Even the tourist shop is tempting (not to mention the Real fish and chips)
FRIDAY, 30 JUNE30, 2017, REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
perhaps because of the long dark nights and freezing weather Icelanders love colourful houses and blooming gardens; the flowers are magnificent and have a strong perfume-possibly because they benefit from the long hours of sunlight. We take a walking tour with guide Eric-a true Icelander he describes himself, counting among his ancestors robber Vikings and many other folks.He takes us through the most meaningful parts of the town -treasured old wooden houses, a'closed' cemetery, public buildings, the tourist place with Iceland a huge map.
How little I know about Iceland. We learn from Eric that it is such a small nation, little over 3 million, without an
Of course, we would like to spend more time here but thanks to Eric we feel we have learnt a lot about Reykjavik and Iceland.
SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2017, REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
'Golden Circle'
Overpriced tour but we have to go because it takes us to see the original 'Geyser'. apparently New Zealand and Yellowstone ones are only imitations.
This is a long tour so we watch the views- lots of green pastures and some forests too; clearly at least some trees have grown back after the thoughtless Vikings have cut them down to build their ships. I would like to watch the views in silence but our guide insists on talking. Her English is so poor that it leads to misunderstandings about such issues as meeting places and leaving times. I try to concentrate on THE VIEWS
It looks green and empty. Hardly any populated areas. We see some isolated dwellings and wonder how they manage to live. But the aim of the tour is to show nature and it does; we see deep valleys,
craggy mountains with snowy peaks, and huge, huge waterfalls. The views are overwhelming but what a delight to see some friendly ducks as if posing for us.
Geyser(the original)
Later on we visit an electrical power station. We are impressed how all this free and clean energy is used for healthy living.
SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017, ISAFJORDUR,ICELAND
VIGUR ISLAND
We are told that there is only one family living on the island. They have some help from other family members during the tourism season but for the rest of the year arctic terns, puffins, ducks and other feathered creatures are their only company. As soon as we land we are given sticks to hold above our heads; apparently the arctic terns are very violent and we need to protect ourselves from their beaks and wings. They might have inspired Hitchcock's 'Birds'
The eiderduck
MONDAY, JULY 3,2017,AKUREYRI
WHALE WATCHING
We have booked a Whale watching tour direct from reykjavik so we enjoy it without bemoaning the cost. We think we are lucky with the weather because the sun shines ; we try to forget that it is freezing. So we rug up and get on the boat. They make Rachel wear a safety jacket; perish the thought...
After a while we arrive at a place where the captain (sitting comfortably inside a warm cabin on a high chair) starts spotting whales. We see them too but it is hard to take photos, they move so fast.Above are some of my efforts:
AKUREYRI
Akureyri is built on a height overlooking the ocean so most houses have magnificent views of the harbour and water. We discover a bookshop with a coffee shop (serving the most delicious drinks with cream which-Naomi says- must come from contented cows. The bookshop is huge and sells books in many languages. We leave Rachel reading and decide to climb the steps leading to The Cathedral and botanic garden. Pity it starts to rain and we can only manage the climb. We admire the view and the pretty houses, have a quick look at the Botanic garden and come down the steps of the Akureyrarkirkja (the church)
Across the bookshop
The Church from below
TUESDAY,JULY 4,2017,DJUPIVOGUR, ICELAND
This little town? village? is built on the most beautiful harbour(they are everywhere here). We take a nature walk guided by Odin (he really looks like the original Viking god). As we follow him along the rough path he talks to us about nature preservation; we mustn't step upon moss, points at flowers:
Djupivogur; view
pretty, but bad; introduced;
and tries to explain why this tiny, isolated place is beloved by many. People must leave here to study or learn and trade but come back to raise families. So we follow him along country lanes, listen to his stories and lean a bit more about Iceland rural life.
In the end, despite my misgivings about visiting a country 'on cruise' we have learned about Iceland more than i expected. I have seen enough to know that I would like to see more of its mountains and waterfalls and spend more time in the towns. even in winter, if it means seeing the Northern lights
THURSDAY, JULY 6. 2017. BERGEN, NORWAY
I visited Bergen some years ago. It was April but cold and raining. Today the sun shines . It is busier, there more tourists and the market where I ate my fish and chips is now full of pricy restaurants.
We take a walking tour which starts at The Museum where we are showed a Viking ship and then to a meeting house of the Hanseatic traders. We can see those rich and powerful merchants getting together, smoking pipes and making deals. Then we go to the Hanseatic museum; these are the original rooms where young boys lived and were taught the trade. The rooms are small, not very well kept. beds narrow...still, the boys were fed (well, judging by the dried fish they ate, maybe they didn't enjoy their food) and educated. Some would become very rich.
We also see some of the old shops; they are UNESCO heritage, well maintained and selling tourist junk.
Stove (huge) in the Meeting House
We then take the cable car and admire The View.
SATURDAY,JULY 8, 2018, ANTWERP, BELGIUM
Our hotel, Holiday Inn backs onto the waterfront. We walk along and come across the huge MAS building. It is a museum but we are interested in the view it offers. Superb; we seem to have all Antwerp at our feet (at least the old part)
We continue walking towards the main square and Rachel discovers the shop offering the ultimate chocolate experience. Very tiring.
SUNDAY,JULY 9, 2017, ANTWERP, BELGIUM
The highlight of our visit to Antwerp is the Plantin museum. This is the house where Plantin and his family lived, worked, worshipped (there is a 'prie-Dieu' in the main bedroom) and changed the world through printing. we follow the process of early book production and browse through grammar books and dictionaries in various languages and scripts. it was the Plantin's conviction that better understanding would promote trade and prosperity. They deserved their wealth and fame.
The garden
MONDAY, 19 JULY, 2017, GHENT, BELGIUM
Hmm. It turns out that the hotel is somewhat out of town. it is very elegant though, and comfortable, but we decide to leave in the morning, place the luggage at the railway station, visit Ghent and leave straight after. . Good decision. We meet three lovely big-hearted young people -Seb, Fiona and Saskia- who help us use the complicated public transport and get to the Main Square. They take a look at Rachel and suggest we visit The Castle. So we walked along the bridge, admire the brave people who have taken a canal trip in the rain, looked at St.Bavo's cathedral and visited Gravensteen, the original medieval castle. It is complete with the torture chamber which-so she said, interested Naomi-and dungeon. it looks very authentic. People walk through the dark, gloomy rooms, wonder at the torture tools, climb the narrow staircase and admire the view
How to take a canal trip in the rain
Gravensten, the Castle
the Lion
NeptuneTuesday-Wednesday, 11-12 July, 2017; Bruges
Ah. Bruges! Wonderful place. it is what people say when they hear bruges mentioned. They are right; Bruges is old, beautiful and unspoiled by modernity. The city has grown around the old settlement without changing it. So, we walk around the Market Place, climb the tower (not me0, admire the view and take a conducted tour. This is probably the best we had; we listen with delight to our guide (a true Brit) who knows much about the history and culture of Holland and makes it sound like a thrilling tale. Guided by her we we walk away from the Markt through dark, mysterious alley and discover the Burg, with the 14th cent. Stadhuis (Town Hall), the newer, Renaissance 'Landhuis van het Brugue Vrije (liberty of Bruges). It is used as the justice and administrative building, very impressive. We follow her to the Beguinage, like the one in Amsterdam built originally for Crusaders' widows. We walk along old houses and learn about the owners from the many plaques.
We feel as if we have travelled back in time, but them she takes us to a chocolate shop-cum-museum and are back in our world.
At the end of the tour I buy a book on the history of Holland
It rains but we decide to take a canal trip anyway
must be fun to look out of the window straight into the water
We finish with a visit to St.John's Hospital where paintings are displayed along with medical instruments. And a Harp Concert
Memling's haunting portrait of A Young Girl
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