jul. – ago. 2024

Northern Europe 2024

We begin another wonderful trip. We will experience Norway, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Paris. We'd lo
ve for you to come along. Leia mais

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Northern Europe 2024
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Dia 21
segunda-feira, 12 de agosto de 2024 20:37
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 7 pés
Países Baixos Leidseplein 52.362661, 4.88803652°21’46” N 4°53’17” E
Amsterdam Culture - No shock
12 de agosto de 2024, Países Baixos ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Today, we visited the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum (National Museum). We've created separate footprints for these for you to peruse as you wish.

We covered a lot of Amsterdam today, mostly just enjoying the city and the canals. It is really pretty.

Observations of the Day: The more you see of Amsterdam, the more you say to yourself, "I could stay here a while. I wonder how much that canal home costs?"Leia mais
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ViajanteWhat do they typically cost in US dollars??
13/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajantePrices on the main canals — Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Singel — average about $6,600 to $12,000 per square meter, or $613 to $1,115 per square foot.
13/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Northern Europe 2024
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Dia 22
terça-feira, 13 de agosto de 2024 20:56
☁️ 23 °C
Altitude: Nível do mar
Países Baixos Oud West 52.366703, 4.86836352°22’0” N 4°52’6” E
Holland
13 de agosto de 2024, Países Baixos ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
A visit to the Netherlands might make you think of tulips and windmills. No tulips in August, but today we took a bus out to see windmills. We haven't used the name Holland before today, but Amsterdam IS in the region still known as Holland. (Netherlands is the country, Holland is actually 2 regions in the country. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands). It was fun seeing the windmills up close. The blades were turning in the breeze, and they are massive! The cheese shop was also a hit. Gouda is king here!

Public transportation is so easy to use here and will take you anywhere. We were back to the city by early afternoon and had fun getting on and off trams to stop for a late lunch and then back on to find more neighborhoods, Bill guided us to Rudi's Original Stoopwafels! Made as you watch! Billed as best in Amsterdam, and they had a long line to validate it. Delicious! We have one more day in Holland. ☺️ 🇵🇾

Observations of the Day: While we have thoroughly enjoyed Amsterdam, it is a big city with their share of litter, unlike Scandanavia.

Second Observation: Are they fit because they all ride bikes or do they all ride bikes because they're fit? Doesn't really matter because they're all fit.Leia mais
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ViajanteI enjoy seeing all the art and pastries, food, and shareing your travels.
13/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteI'm so glad you are enjoying our travels. We think of you whenever we see paintings. We forgot to mention that in one painting by Van Gogh, he told someone he used so much paint to create the stormy sky that it took a month to dry!
18/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Northern Europe 2024
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Dia 23
quarta-feira, 14 de agosto de 2024 15:43
☁️ 23 °C
Altitude: 13 pés
Países Baixos Museumplein 52.360085, 4.87801252°21’36” N 4°52’41” E
Amsterdam
14 de agosto de 2024, Países Baixos ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Our last day in Amsterdam has been greeted by rain and overcast skies. Today we simply wandered the wonderful city. We took in some highlights, dancing houses, but mostly just enjoyed the liveliness of the streets along the canals. We took the ferry across the Amstel River to an area just north with a number of museums like This Is Holland. We just wanted to see the city from another viewpoint, so we had lunch in the Eye Filmmuseum overlooking the canal and the city.

Observations of the Day: Unlike in the US, cars are probably the third most used form of transportation. Bikes are king, followed by public transportation. Amsterdam has a metro system, but it is their trams that rule the public transportation realm. We used them frequently and efficiently, never using the metro. They're far better than the metro because you get to see the city and they seem to go EVERYWHERE. We'll take another tram tonight as we head back to De Hallen for dinner.Leia mais
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ViajanteWere you tempted to rent bikes at all?
16/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteNot in Amsterdam. Too many bikers and they go so fast. Doing a bike tour in Antwerp today.
17/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Dia 24
quinta-feira, 15 de agosto de 2024 18:56
⛅ 25 °C
Altitude: 79 pés
Bélgica Galeries royales 50.848921, 4.3551550°50’56” N 4°21’19” E
Welcome to Belgium & Brussels
15 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
We are in Brussels at a very special time. It is the biennial Flower Carpet Belgium celebration. They use the square in front of the City Hall, called the Grand Place, and create a huge blanket of flowers in beautiful designs.

Today, in addition to seeing the Flower Carpet we went to the Atomium. This is a very large structure meant to look like an atom. It was originally built for the 1958 Worlds Fair. Inside is a museum of sorts about the building of the structure and nuclear power.

Observations of the Day: We are definitely Central California coast people. We are so accustomed to mild weather. It has been warm, 80s, with high humidity for a few days, and it drains us. Hate to end our trip in 9 days, but the California coast weather sounds really good.

Second Observation: Frites (French fries) are served with everything here. I had a lage bucket of mussels for dinner, and it came with fries. One frites shop had a long line just to get French fries.Leia mais
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ViajanteDo they speak Dutch in Belgium, wondering what they spoke because i wanna learn German and see where it takes me
15/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteWell there are 3 official languages in Belgium. Dutch (Flemish), French, and German. But here in Brussels (capital of Belgium), we hear French more than anything. Most also speak English.
16/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteOnly about 1% of country speaks German. 🤷🏻‍♀️
16/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteObsessed with the view from your Airbnb. Both day and night is 🙌❤️🙌. Also the carpet of flowers is so beautiful!!!! 😍
16/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Dia 25
sexta-feira, 16 de agosto de 2024 19:03
☁️ 22 °C
Altitude: 72 pés
Bélgica Galeries royales 50.849099, 4.35509650°50’57” N 4°21’18” E
2
Brussels
16 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Rainy day today, but we're still having fun. It was a good day to not be outside, so we went to the Musical Instruments Museum. It exceeded my expectations. Free headphones let us listen to pretty much every musical instrument ever made. There were flutes made from finger bones from 18,000-12,000 BCE.

Of course, we had to buy some Belgian chocolates. They lived up to the hype. Also, we had the frites again with our lunch. Well, the Belgians are also wild about mayonnaise. So much so that they serve it with the frites. Oh my, it's good together. The frites are cooked in beef fat and are crispy, and the mayo is flavored with something. The end result is REALLY good.

Observations of the Day: Before coming we were of the impression that Brussels was not a great tourist town. We're finding it to be a fun place.Leia mais
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ViajanteYour last trip it seemed like you had pizza everywhere you went, now this time it’s fries 😀
16/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
Viajante What is this building??? Love it!
16/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteIt's a famous bar, but we just stumbled on it
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Northern Europe 2024
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Dia 26
sábado, 17 de agosto de 2024 12:45
⛅ 23 °C
Altitude: 43 pés
Bélgica Antwerp 51.217484, 4.40264751°13’3” N 4°24’10” E
Antwerp Bike Tour
17 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Today was our bike tour in Antwerp! We were excited to finally get on bikes with a guide and a less crowded city. What a fun ride! Our guide was so full of information about the history of Antwerp. We planned an early start. That meant an 8:30 train from here in Brussels, but well worth it to be on bikes before the crowds joined us! Afterward, we found an Italian restaurant 😊 and loved our seafood pasta and a conversation with an Italian family sitting next to us. They liked the way Bill used his bread to eat all his sauce. "Just like an Italian! We say scarpetta. Means little shoe. "

Observation of the day: We wanted to experience the local people wherever we traveled. But there are far more people of other nationalities than Belgians here. I think when Marc traveled the world 30 years ago, travel allowed you to meet local people. We now seem to be one mixed people. But the architecture, history, and nature stay the same.

Second Observarion: While Europe is notorious for their narrow, winding stairs, they do make for some cool photo opportunities.Leia mais
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ViajanteI will be really interested in knowing your opinion of Antwerp. There were two places I regret not visiting on that first trip; Antwerp and St. Petersburg. Great view from your patio/lanai. Well worth the trip up the stairs I imagine.
17/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteViews pretty great would be a good reading spot
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Northern Europe 2024
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Dia 27
domingo, 18 de agosto de 2024 13:34
☁️ 23 °C
Altitude: 135 pés
Bélgica Katholieke Universiteit Leuven / Godsgeleerdheid 50.879468, 4.70396950°52’46” N 4°42’14” E
1
In Love With Leuven
18 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
We took the day to tour Leuven. After a quick breakfast at our apartment, we caught a 9:00 express train and were there in no time. Leuven is one of the prettiest towns you can find. Nearly every street is cobblestone. Leuven University is the oldest university in Belgium. Sadly, the city was bombed in both WWI and WWII. The university library (Bibliothekken) was completely destroyed in both wars. Today, we admired the rebuilt icon.Leia mais
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Viajante The detail on this building is incredible. So beautiful.
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Northern Europe 2024
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Dia 27
domingo, 18 de agosto de 2024 19:46
☀️ 20 °C
Altitude: 85 pés
Bélgica Galeries royales 50.84887, 4.35511550°50’56” N 4°21’18” E
Sunnier Brussels
18 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
After coming back from Leuven, we had to see the Flower Carpet again. This time, we went up to the Town Hall balcony to get a more bird's eye view. Well worth it. We could see the entire arrangement before us. Beautifully done.

For dinner, we both had Flemish stew, a Belgian classic dish. It tasted just like my mom's stew.

Observations of the Day: This is our 27th day of this trip. We are both bone weary, and yet, we're both regretting having to come home on Saturday.Leia mais
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ViajanteLove the photos with the sun in the background
19/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Dia 28
segunda-feira, 19 de agosto de 2024 04:37
🌙 11 °C
Altitude: 1.581 pés
Luxemburgo Doncols 49.975596, 5.84369749°58’32” N 5°50’37” E
Luxembourg
19 de agosto de 2024, Luxemburgo ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
Went to Luxembourg to have lunch and visit another country. Unfortunately, the restaurant we planned to go to was closed on Mondays, and there was nothing else there without driving a lot further. Nice try.Leia mais
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ViajanteI wanna go to Luxembourg it’s one of the micro countries to check off the list and is pretty rich actually
21/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteWe didn't have enough time to explore, but I'd like to go back sometime. Maybe when we do Switzerland.
22/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Dia 28
segunda-feira, 19 de agosto de 2024 09:13
☀️ 13 °C
Altitude: 272 pés
Bélgica Dinant 50.259181, 4.91305950°15’33” N 4°54’47” E
Dinant
19 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
We were running late after having to fix a flat tire, so we did not stay long. But, the diversion to Dinant was well worth it.
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Dia 28
segunda-feira, 19 de agosto de 2024 23:49
☁️ 17 °C
Altitude: 85 pés
Bélgica Galeries royales 50.848906, 4.35513650°50’56” N 4°21’18” E
WW II
19 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Today's road trip took us to Bastogne and their WWII museum. This entire area was part of the Battle of the Bulge. Margie's father was with a tank corp that came in immediately behind the initial battle. They were the 84th Infantry Division, fighting in what was also known as The Battle of the Ardennes. It was an emotional morning, knowing he was one of the courageous men who was there during that bitter cold January 1945.

Bastogne, Belgium was at the epicenter of the Battle of the Bulge, the largest and bloodiest engagement of WWII, with more than 90,000 U.S. casualties. Immediately after the war, private Belgian citizens constructed the Mardasson Memorial as a tribute to all of the American forces who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Afterward, we made a quick run into Luxembourg and then went to the spectacular little town of Dinant where we had the worst meal of our trip. 😊 The town is wonderful, the restaurant, not so much. Dinant is the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. The town gives much tribute to him. We loved the Adolphe Sax bridge!Leia mais
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Dia 29
terça-feira, 20 de agosto de 2024 21:52
🌙 17 °C
Altitude: 36 pés
Bélgica Kerkebeek 51.200197, 3.22491551°12’1” N 3°13’30” E
On to Brugges
20 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
We arrived in Brugges, our last stop in Belgium, under dark skies. Most of the day was filled with heavy rain. However, by early evening, it cleared enough to go exploring. Already, we can see this may be our favorite spot in Belgium. It is so old world. If you allow yourself, you can imagine you are walking around in the 17th century.

We went out of the hotel for dinner and found this small mom/pop restaurant where we had excellent salmon. We finished off the meal by finding a waffle house, making everything from scratch even with fresh fruit. The perfect Belgian desert, although they called them Liege waffles.

Observations of the Day: Train travel lets you see a myriad of sites relatively efficiently. However, it can create its own angst as it isn't always clear if you're trying to get on the right train. Yesterday, our train was running behind so we almost took the wrong train leaving when ours was supposed to. We actually boarded, then jumped off.Leia mais
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ViajanteLooks like hogwarts in some photos
20/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
Viajante👍 It really does! 😊
21/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteThese are my favorite type of European cities; smaller, quaint., and full of old world charm. I will definitely remember Bruges the next time I'm in the area.
22/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Dia 30
quarta-feira, 21 de agosto de 2024 17:14
☁️ 20 °C
Altitude: 43 pés
Bélgica Kerkebeek 51.200099, 3.2247651°12’0” N 3°13’29” E
Brugges
21 de agosto de 2024, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Brugges has been a wonderful stop. There are canals everywhere. But, unlike Venice, there are lots of bridges, so no running into dead ends. We did a canal tour today. The sites were beautiful, but it didn't slow for pictures, and the people were too crowded in for pictures, anyway.

Tomorrow, we reluctantly leave Belgium. We have thoroughly enjoyed this small country.Leia mais
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ViajanteI want to go here 😍
25/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteLike the horse and churches
25/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteWe thought of you when we saw these!
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Dia 31
quinta-feira, 22 de agosto de 2024 21:12
☁️ 22 °C
Altitude: 220 pés
França Jardin du Palais-Royal 48.866524, 2.33561248°51’59” N 2°20’8” E
Oh Parie
22 de agosto de 2024, França ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Final stop, Paris. Margie had been concerned about what Paris would be like following so closely after the Olympics. Her fears were founded. There are still barricades in most of the most scenic areas. In many cases, you simply can't even get to them, or once you get close, you are barricaded from getting through. We were forced to retrace our steps a number of times. On top of that, Notre Dame Cathedral is still under construction. We thought they were finished.

Still, we saw a lot of the City, including some areas we missed when we were here 30 years ago.

Observations of the Day: Our first couple days here, every time we got a water or soda, I would unscrew the cap and have to twist it to get it all the way off. It always left a dangling, sharp piece of plastic. THEN, I realized, you don't remove the cap, you smply fold it back. Their caps remain attached, so you never drop or lose the cap. It's kind of ingenious.Leia mais
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Viajante“We’ll always have Paris”
22/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajantePerfect! 👏👏
23/08/2024Responder
ViajanteBut have you had a Nutella crepe or macaroon yet 😀???
23/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteOui, oui! We had a Nutella crepe after dinner tonight!
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Dia 32
sexta-feira, 23 de agosto de 2024 21:01
⛅ 23 °C
Altitude: 167 pés
França Palais Royal 48.864381, 2.33498748°51’52” N 2°20’6” E
3 2
Montmartre
23 de agosto de 2024, França ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Today, we spent most of the day in Montmartre, known for Moulin Rouge (red windmill) and debauchery. However, it is most noted for all the famous artists that have spent part of their lives there, including Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, and on and on and on.

Our tour guide was a young man from India who has lived in Paris for 7 years and in Montmartre for 5. He is a photographer who is documenting the 80 and 90 year old artists currently living in the area. He said he has a show scheduled next year. He brought Montmartre to life for us!

Afterward, we went into Sacre Coeur Basilica. It sets on the highest point in Paris. Then it was on to the Eiffel Tower where we went to the top. Breathtaking views to the city! We tried finding all the places we had been in just 1 1/2 days.

We ended our night and our trip with a delicious meal at an outdoor cafe, finishing with a Nutella crepe! What a fitting Parisian ending.Leia mais
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Viajante "There is nothing more truly artistic than loving people." Quote by Van Gogh where he ate meals with other artists.
24/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
Viajante Love this! I want a poster of this.
25/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteI'm sorry you can't see her well, but above the wall is an image of Rita Hayworth. The words translate to "Love is a disorder (mess), so let's love. "
25/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Dia 33
sábado, 24 de agosto de 2024 15:37
☀️ 24 °C
Altitude: 236 pés
Estados Unidos Crow Canyon 37.691284, -122.06010137°41’29” N 122°3’36” W
Best of Northern Europe
24 de agosto de 2024, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
It's always good to end a trip by planning the next one. So ...Ecuador? Argentina? Vietnam? 🤷🏻‍♀️ We know for sure that this trip was everything we hoped it would be. New country experiences, time to explore the fjords, new languages, and cultures. We agreed our favorite language was Norwegian. Our favorite city was Amsterdam. My favorite activity was our bike tour in Antwerp, and Bill's was the Loen Skylift. We were healthy except for 3 days in Norway. We ate delicious food and walked miles. It was even more fun because we shared it with many of you. Until our next journey, goodbye, farvel, hejdå, qtot ziens, au revoir, ❤️

Trips like this make you appreciate the different cultures around the world, even if Europe isn't nearly so different than us. You also appreciate home a bit more. We loved every step of the journey. Norway was amazing with the fjords and waterfalls, but every city and country offered new sites and experiences. We hope to continue our goals of experiencing the rest of the world, and as Margie said, it makes it even better to share it with you. Until the next adventure, adieu.Leia mais
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ViajanteThanks for sharing your journey, I enjoyed every picture and post!
28/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
ViajanteThis will stay with us for a long time. We're so glad you followed us! ❤️
28/08/2024ResponderTraduzir
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Final da viagem
24 de agosto de 2024