7月 – 9月 2017

Three months in Europe

Brad and Mandy Pearceによる88日間のアドベンチャーもっと詳しく

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旅行の開始
2017年7月4日
Three months in Europe Brad and Mandy Pearce
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日1
2017年7月4日火曜日 18:45
🌙 19 °C
海抜: 20 m
オーストラリア Brisbane Airport -27.40341, 153.1098727°24’12” S 153°6’36” E
1
Ready, set....go!
2017年7月4日, オーストラリア ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Well, departure day has finally arrived. Spent the day doing all the last minutes things that could have been done days ago, but ah well, that's the way we roll.

Toby dropped us at the airport and all the while I have this sneaking feeling that we have forgotten something (we have - our toothbrushes - but that is something we can easily buy). We have all the crucial documents like passport, credit cards and tickets so that's the main thing.

Flight is not until 10:30pm and we are still waiting for check-in to open so in the meantime had nachos from Mad Mex and I don't know if we were insanely hungry but they were really tasty.

Well, here is my first post on the new travel blogging platform - first stop Abu Dhabi.もっと詳しく
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Woohoo have awesome time. Stock up on the toothbrushes on the plane until you can go to a shop. Shari
2017/07/04返信する
Love the ( ) part hahahaha I'm sure he will love this photo haha. Shari
2017/07/04返信する
Yay!! Can't wait to keep up with this blog x Larz
2017/07/04返信する
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日2
2017年7月5日水曜日 22:30
🌙 33 °C
海抜: 8 m
アラブ首長国連邦 Al Waḩdah 24.47115, 54.3746724°28’16” N 54°22’29” E
Hot, hot, hot- did I mention it was hot!
2017年7月5日, アラブ首長国連邦 ⋅ 🌙 33 °C
Snapshot
Where - Abu Dhabi, Grand Millennium al Whadi hotel
Weather - HOT! Min 32 Max 45
Steps - 11600 steps or 7.4km

After a long and uneventful flight, we arrived at Abu Dhabi at 6am where the temperature was already 32°C. Brad managed a decent amount of shut-eye, I not so much (maybe 2-3 hours), but I did manage to watch 3 movies and a couple of tv shows.

Arrived at the Grand Millennium Al Whadi hotel where we were able to check in immediately (at 7.30am). He did try and upgrade is to a junior suite (for more $$ of course) because our choice of a non- smoking room would not be available until later, but we settled for the smoking room as we just wanted to freshen up. Room isn't bad, has a great view which would be better if it wasn't so hazy.

Checked out the mall next door to the hotel. Just crossing the undercover carpark and the heat hits you like a sledgehammer. Massive with shops on 3 levels and meticulously clean... but there did not seem to be many people actually in the shops - still quite early I guess. Had lunch and by this time I was pretty tired (remember I only had a few hours rest on the plane), so caught up another few hours back in the hotel.

Tomorrow we have a city tour organised which includes a visit to the huge mosque we saw on or way in from the airport, so hopefully more photos then.もっと詳しく
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日3
2017年7月6日木曜日 20:00
🌙 34 °C
海抜: 8 m
アラブ首長国連邦 Al Waḩdah 24.47112, 54.3746524°28’16” N 54°22’29” E
We came, we saw, we deleted the photos
2017年7月6日, アラブ首長国連邦 ⋅ 🌙 34 °C
Snapshot
Where Abu Dhabi - Half day City Tour
Weather - Hot... 46°C - gasp!
Steps - 11000 or 7km

After a good breakfast we were picked up from the hotel to firstly visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Before even entering, there are very strict rules regarding dress (although it really only applied to women who had to be covered had to toe with head scarf, long sleeves and long pants/ skirt - men only had to have their legs covered). So, I'm fully kitted out with black scarf and black dress because it was considered my 3/4 shirt and pants were not long enough (yet the guide had a t-shirt on). Brad did take one photo of me wearing all this garb, but unfortunately, due to a mishap when we were trying to transfer the photos from the camera to the tablet, all the pictures were deleted off the SD card. Who did that shall remain nameless (it was Brad), but it was a lesson learnt and we won't do it again. Apart from the photos of the mosque, any other pictures we took today were not really keepers anyway and we figured we could always revisit here when we stop on the way back. Have included some images from stock photos.

Anyway, back to the mosque. The mosque is the largest in the UAE and was only completed in 2007, taking about 11 years to build. The mosque is large enough to accommodate over 40,000 worshippers, while the main prayer hall can hold over 7,000. It boasts the world's largest hand knotted carpet, made by approx 1200 Iranian women and took 2 years to finish. There are seven imported chandeliers from Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier is the second largest known chandelier inside a mosque, the third largest in the world and weighs about 12 tonnes (and cost around USD$8 million, as did the carpet) . The thousand odd columns that line the courtyard are made from marble that is inlaid with semiprecious gemstones such as amethyst, mother of pearl and lapis lazuli in floral designs. It really was a beautiful place.

After the mosque we visited a date market (who knew there were so many varieties of dates), followed by the cultural centre where we learnt about the development of Abu Dhabi from a small, poor region only 50 odd years ago to one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Finally we visited the Heritage Centre which demonstrated what the area was like before the discovery of oil and the source of their wealth.

This ends our visit to Abu Dhabi, tomorrow we fly to Amsterdam to commence our European trip.もっと詳しく
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Thank heavens for stock photos, Ian
2017/07/06返信する
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日4
2017年7月7日金曜日
⛅ 22 °C
海抜: 海水位
オランダ Oosterdoksdoorgang 52.37708, 4.9048352°22’37” N 4°54’17” E
Hello Europe, we have arrived
2017年7月7日, オランダ ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Snapshot
Where - Amsterdam (Hilton Doubletree Centraal hotel)
Weather - Fine / light clouds - max 24°C (much more comfortable than Abu Dhabi)
Steps - 14,850 or 9.4km (not bad considering 7 hours was spent sitting in a plane)

It's been a long day - up before 6am, airport by 7.30am, flight at 9am and arrived in Amsterdam at 3pm. We caught the train from the airport to Centraal Station (much more economical than a taxi) and from there it was only about 500m walk to our hotel. We have a room on the top (10 th) floor with a great view over the river.

As is our usual custom we went for an orientation walk down to the cruise ship terminal where we join our cruise on Sunday. It is only about 15 mins walk but to do it with luggage is probably not a good idea as it is mostly paving stones and would probably wreck or bags... so taxi it is! Then we wandered back to central Amsterdam where Brad wanted to take some (what he believes to be) iconic photos of Amsterdam. So we have a picture of Centraal station (yes it does have a double a) and agreed, this is iconic architecture of Amsterdam as are the ba-zillion pushbikes parked near the station. However he insisted that shops selling wacky-tobaccy seeds and smoking implements was also iconic Amsterdam but I have my doubts. Anyway, tomorrow we shall do the hop-on hop-off bus tour so hopefully get some typical Amsterdam photos then.

Might call it an early night tonight - it's about 9.30pm and the sun still hasn't set but our body clocks say it is 11.30pm Abu Dhabi time)もっと詳しく
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One of my favourite European cities! So beautiful. larz
2017/07/07返信する
Brings back some memories, Ian.
2017/07/07返信する
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日5
2017年7月8日土曜日
⛅ 21 °C
海抜: 海水位
オランダ Oosterdoksdoorgang 52.37708, 4.9048352°22’37” N 4°54’17” E
1
Big day out in Amsterdam
2017年7月8日, オランダ ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Snapshot
Where - Amsterdam Hop on, hop off bus
Weather - mild / warm - 22°C
Steps - 24,000 or 15.3km (Wow, no wonder my feet are tired)

It has been a very busy day exploring the main sights of Amsterdam , particularly the ones we didn't get to see last thing we were in Amsterdam about 5 years ago. Starting with the first HOHO bus at around 9am we did the loop first (about an hour), before visiting the Dutch Resistance Museum, Rijksmuseum, the I amsterdam sign and Vondelpark plus a couple of other things. We wanted to visit the Anne Frank museum but when we got there the queue had to be 250-300m long to get in so we decided to give it a miss.

The Dutch Resistance Museum was very interesting and dealt with how the Dutch Resistance assisted the Jews during the Second World War. The Rijksmuseum had some fabulous artifacts and reknowned artists such as Rembrandt and van Gogh but we were intrigued with some of the furniture there like writing desks. Outside the Rijksmuseum is the much photographed I Amsterdam sign, although today there were so many people in front of or climbing all over it, that it was difficult to get a good photo. Finally we wandered around Vondelpark with about a million other people before getting back to the hotel at around 6.30pm.

We leave Amsterdam tomorrow on our cruise and this may be the last blog for a couple of weeks depending on Internet charges (usually very expensive at sea) or whether I can pick up WiFi in port.もっと詳しく
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You didn't really miss out on much as there is limited internal access and not a lot to actually see! Ian
2017/07/09返信する
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日5
2017年7月8日土曜日
⛅ 21 °C
海抜: 海水位
オランダ Oosterdoksdoorgang 52.37708, 4.9048352°22’37” N 4°54’17” E
2
Rijksmuseum pics
2017年7月8日, オランダ ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Just a few extra photos from the Rijksmuseum including a Rembrandt and van Gogh and some of the intricate furniture.

Also, our cruise ship arrived into port this morning- sailed right past our window.もっと詳しく
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I've got this one in my house - yours must be a copy! Ian?
2017/07/09返信する
Brad and Mandy Pearce Actually, Brad said something very similar- apparently we have all the originals hanging up in our shed. If this is the case, I wonder why we are travelling economy class.
2017/07/09返信する
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日7
2017年7月10日月曜日
☁️ 22 °C
海抜: 3 m
オランダ Bimhuis 52.37861, 4.9142652°22’43” N 4°54’51” E
Sail away to Norway
2017年7月10日, オランダ ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Boarded the Koningsdam and left Amsterdam on a warm and sunny afternoon with temperatures in the mid 20's - quite hot for northern European standards. Very happy with our cabin, nice verandah and everything is clean and modern (well, the ship is only a year old). The first day is a sea day as we travel towards Norway but we spent our time attending information sessions, watching movies, going to the show in the evening... and eating. No photos but I have attached the cruise route. First stop - Stavanger.もっと詳しく
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日8
2017年7月11日火曜日
🌧 11 °C
海抜: 8 m
ノルウェー Stavanger Domkirke 58.96998, 5.7331158°58’12” N 5°43’59” E
Pulpit Rock..... where are you?
2017年7月11日, ノルウェー ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
Snapshot
Where - Stavanger, Norway
Shore excursion - Lysefjord: Pulpit Rock Cruise
Weather - Wet and cool, 14°C
Steps - 11500 or 7.4km

We docked in our first Norwegian port of Stavanger to a bit of a grey morning with a few light showers. The town itself is quite pretty and we wandered around it for an hour or so until the showers became heavier. We had booked a tour to view Pulpit Rock from the fjord but unfortunately by the time we got there the rock was covered in cloud and mist and we really couldn't see a thing. I guess we should be grateful we did not choose to hike up to the rock because that would have been just miserable , hiking for 2 hours up just to see a square flat rock but no view to the fjord below. On a clear day, this would have been spectacular. Oh well, you cannot control the weather and we had some nice waffles and coffee so that was ok.

Saw a show this evening - an Italian born Australian who works in Las Vegas (typical casino style entertainment I imagine but he certainly could play the electric guitar). He wasn't too bad if you like that sort of thing. It's 10.30pm and the sun has only just set and still light. Tomorrow we dock at Eidfjord and the weather is predicted to be better than today thank goodness.もっと詳しく
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日9
2017年7月12日水曜日
☀️ 13 °C
海抜: 8 m
ノルウェー Vik 60.46663, 7.0685260°27’60” N 7°4’7” E
Eidfjord - Idyllic Norwegian village
2017年7月12日, ノルウェー ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Snapshot
Where - Eidfjord, Norway
Weather - Cool / few showers - 14°C
Steps - 18500 or 12km (and 46 storeys)

Brad chose to wake early this morning so he could get a picture of the ship sailing under the Hardanger bridge which only has about 1 metre clearance. I preferred to remain in bed.

We did not have any excursions organised so the day was ours to do as we wished. We set off to explore the quaint little township of Eidfjord nestled amongst the huge mountains. Exploring meant a lot of walking, particularly uphill to get some great view points so the legs are a little tired tonight.

Some of the sights we saw was an old stone church built in 1309; a sod roofed house where the roof is made of grass/ flowers on a birch lined base; and a robotic lawnmower which we and some Americans found interesting but apparently is quite a common sight in places like Germany

All in all it was quite an enjoyable day - the photos really don't do it justice.もっと詳しく
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日10
2017年7月13日木曜日
⛅ 11 °C
海抜: 16 m
ノルウェー Brunholmen 62.47223, 6.1494862°28’20” N 6°8’58” E
Alesund - sunshine at last
2017年7月13日, ノルウェー ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Snapshot
Where - Alesund, Norway
Weather - cloudy then sunny - 19°C
Steps - 14,500 or 9.25km

Finally Norway manages to produce a nice day without the liquid sunshine they say is typical of Norwegian weather. No shore excursions organised so we took the HOHO bus to see the sights. Great view from the lookout - this really is a pretty town, very colourful. Apparently the main city centre had to be rebuilt in the early 1900's after it was destroyed by fire which is why all the homes have a similar architecture. We walked down the 420 odd steps from the lookout to the town centre.

Later we visited an open air museum which was like a village from the 14th century. I reckon everyone must have been below 5 foot or else they constantly had bad headaches from hitting their heads, the ceiling heights were so low.

Next stop - Trondheimもっと詳しく
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日11
2017年7月14日金曜日
⛅ 11 °C
海抜: 11 m
ノルウェー Østre Kanalhavn 63.43051, 10.3950563°25’50” N 10°23’42” E
The Viking capital
2017年7月14日, ノルウェー ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Snapshot
Where - Trondheim
Weather - Cool and cloudy then sunny - 14°C
Steps - Fitbit had an error - said we walked 30000 steps or around 20km - this is not right but I do think it was around 22000 steps and 14km. Either way we did a lot of walking.

Trondheim in North Western Norway was once the capital of Norway during the Viking age up until around 1200. No shore excursion organised so we wandered into town. Trondheim is known by is colourful wharf buildings and cathedral which was started in the 9th century. They also the first (only?) bike lift in the world which was a bit of a novelty.

Sea day tomorrow followed by Honnigsvag and the North Cape which is the most northern part of Norway.もっと詳しく
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日13
2017年7月16日日曜日
☀️ 16 °C
海抜: 海水位
ノルウェー Sørvågen 70.98229, 25.9702170°58’56” N 25°58’13” E
We're on top of the world... almost!
2017年7月16日, ノルウェー ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Snapshot
Where - Honnigsvag / North Cape, Norway
Weather - Clear and sunny, 19°C
Steps - 8200 or about 5km

We have crossed the Arctic Circle where the sun will not set at this time of year. Brad woke at about 3am and it was broad daylight. We arrived in the town of Honnigsvag and from there we had a 45min bus ride to the North Cape or Nordkapp, the most northern part of Norway (maybe the world..not sure).

Fortunately the day was fantastic weather wise with mostly clear sunny skies and the temperature quite mild. Rather barren landscape with no trees but it was quite spectacular. Saw some reindeer but a bit hard to get a good photo from the bus. The North Cape has great views but would be pretty bleak on a cold winter day. The centre itself had the usual souvenir shop and cafeteria plus an interesting panorama film of the area and several other displays regarding the history of the area.

Upon return to the town we were gonna to go to the Arctic Icebar but at around 150 Norwegian Kroner ( or about $25 each) so decided to give it a miss (May change our mind in Bergen, particularly if we need to get rid of some Kroner as we don't need it after the cruise. )

Two sea days as we head back south again before our next port - Geirangerfjordもっと詳しく
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日17
2017年7月20日木曜日
☀️ 21 °C
海抜: 17 m
ノルウェー Maråkvika 62.10084, 7.2058962°6’3” N 7°12’21” E
This is Norway!!!
2017年7月20日, ノルウェー ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Snapshot
Where - Geirangerfjord
Weather - PERFECT!!! Not a cloud in the sky - 23°C (although a little chilly to start)
Steps - 11500 or 7.4km and 32 storeys (& 17km bike ride)

You know when you see the travel brochures of a destination taken on the very best day of the year.... well, this was it! The most beautiful day in the most beautiful fjord in the world - Geirangerfjord.

After 2 sea days, we sailed into Geirangerfjord and Brad woke early (5am) to take photos of the waterfalls we would be passing. It was cold at this time of the morning though- about 4°C.

We had booked a shore excursion - SKY TO FJORD BY BICYCLE - where about 40 fellow passengers donned helmets, bike gloves and hi-viz vests and were bussed up to Djupvasshytte Lodge, about 17km away and 1200m above sea level. There we picked up our bike and rode back - downhill all the way. Great fun and great views...a little hairy at times and I'm glad the brakes worked because the road was steep downhill with hairpin bends (and sharing with usual tourist traffic, buses, cars and motorhomes)

After our bike ride we took the waterfall walk which consisted of quite a few stairs to get to the top of the falls but it was nice. Probably the best day we have had so far on our trip. I'm sure the photos won't do it justice. I hope the weather continues in Bergen and Flam, our next stops.もっと詳しく
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日17
2017年7月20日木曜日
☀️ 22 °C
海抜: 34 m
ノルウェー Lille Lungegårdsvannet 60.39126, 5.3220560°23’29” N 5°19’19” E
Bergen
2017年7月20日, ノルウェー ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Snapshot
Where - Bergen
Weather - MAGIC! Warm and 24°C
Steps - about 12,000 or 9km

Bergen is known to be one of the wettest places in Europe, with rain over 250 days per year....but not today! Once again we had picture perfect weather - how lucky are we.

Our shore excursion included atour of the town plus a furnicular ride to Mt Floien for some great views of Bergen. Our clever guide "call me Ishmael" (sounds like a line from Moby Dick - haha), decided to take us up the furnicular first to avoid the crowds and this was a good call because when we returned the queues waiting for the furnicular were lined up halfway down the street. The views at the top were fabulous as I hope the photos show.

Next back in town we walked to the Bryggen Wharf, which if you Google Bergen, is the scene usually used. These middle-aged style wooden buildings were the site of Bergen's shipping and commerce and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site - despite being burnt down completely 3 times in the 1400's, 1700's and 1900's.

We went to the fish market and bought some fish and chips for lunch which was nice but at about 160 Kroner each (about AUD$25 ), it was a tad expensive. Norway is not cheap. The rest of the day we wandered around taking in the sights and enjoying the lovely weather. Glad to get back on the ship though as this trip has involved a lot of walking and it was time for a LLD (little lie down).

One final stop on this cruise - Flam (pronounced Flom).もっと詳しく
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日18
2017年7月21日金曜日
⛅ 18 °C
海抜: 49 m
ノルウェー Fretheimshaugane 60.86077, 7.1117960°51’39” N 7°6’42” E
Scenic Rail Journey
2017年7月21日, ノルウェー ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Snapshot
Where - Flåm
Weather - cool and overcast but no rain @ 16°C
Steps - about 11,500 and 7km

Flåm is a small township nestled at the end of a fjord and pretty much accessible by boat or train and the tourist choice is to do the Flåm Railway - one of the world's most scenic train journeys (at least that is what it said on the side of the train). The trip is only about 20km, takes an hour and climbs from sea level to almost 1000m through 20 tunnels.

We stopped near the top to view a waterfall and while there, the Norwegian version of a siren or mermaid called a Hyrude made an appearance in an attempt to lure the men away to join her. Brad took a photo of her and upon close inspection I thought it was a man dressed in drag ( and apparently it was). Next stop was near the top for waffles and jam and cream before heading back to Flåm.

As it was our last stop in Norway we needed to use up the last of our Norwegian Kroner so bought some small souvenirs - only about 10NOK left or less than $2AU

On the ship we had booked dinner in the Culinary Arts Centre with a specialised 4 course menu where the food is prepared in front of you. It was excellent - all the dishes has so much flavour- the Masterchef judges would be impressed.

This ends our Norwegian party of the holiday. We arrive back in Amsterdam on Sunday where we pick up the car and make our way to Berlin.もっと詳しく
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日20
2017年7月23日日曜日
⛅ 19 °C
海抜: 78 m
ドイツ Hamelin 52.10625, 9.3576952°6’23” N 9°21’28” E
The Road Trip Begins
2017年7月23日, ドイツ ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Snapshot
Where - Amsterdam to Berlin
Weather - Sun and showers...we are driving - who cares!
Distance - 720km

Wow, what a day, so many unknowns we had to deal with but it all worked out. First the ship arrived in port almost 2 hours later than scheduled which meant we were late disembarking but that really was not of too much concern. Then we had to meet up with a shuttle at the airport that was taking us to our vehicle... all went as planned. Picked up our car - a Peugeot 308 diesel - brand new. Then we had to work out the GPS and also filling up with fuel before we even start on the open road.

The funny thing about Europeans is that they think a 3 hour trip is a long way. Our plan was to drive to Berlin via Hamelin (the town of the Pied Piper fame), about 700km. All was going fine until the GPS decided to take us on a little detour to look at...what? It did this to us twice, once to a golf course area and the 2nd time to a McDonalds carpark. Anyway, we are awake to that now.

We arrived to Hamelin around 5pm, had a bite to eat, some photos and then headed to our Airbnb accommodation in Berlin. First the GPS didn't want to recognise the address (Germans have some funny letters in their alphabet). We found something that was kinda similar so we were hoping for the best. The autobahns are pretty good but we generally were only in the slow or middle lane - the fast lane was for the seriously scarey speedsters who would zoom by at something close to 200 km/hr. Anyway, we made it to Berlin and we found the address of our accommodation (don't know how but we did) so all is good. Tomorrow we start to explore Berlin.もっと詳しく
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Three months in Europe Brad and Mandy Pearce
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日22
2017年7月25日火曜日
🌧 15 °C
海抜: 45 m
ドイツ AquaDom & SEA LIFE Berlin 52.52001, 13.4049552°31’12” N 13°24’18” E
Berlin the Wall tour
2017年7月25日, ドイツ ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Snapshot
Where - Berlin
Weather - fine and sunny, 24° C
Steps - 16,450 or 10.4km

Our first day in Berlin we picked up a 2 day pass for the Hop on hop off bus. Today we chose the tour that deals with the Berlin Wall. It is hard to imagine that this city was divided into East and West and people were still being shot if they tried to escape from the East not even 30 years ago. Thankfully the wall came down in 1989/90 but the reminders are still there. Of course it now becomes a major tourist attraction for the city.

We also visited the Memorial to the Wall which showed remnants of the wall plus the death zone. Quite sobering.

The city itself has some beautiful architecture, but everywhere you look there is construction going on. It would be hard to imagine what it would look like with all the scaffolding gone and the streets opened up etc. There are still remnants of buildings that were bombed during World War II in amongst the modern structures.

It was a long day, plenty of walking, and I dare say the same again tomorrow.もっと詳しく
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Three months in Europe Brad and Mandy Pearce
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日22
2017年7月25日火曜日
🌧 15 °C
海抜: 45 m
ドイツ AquaDom & SEA LIFE Berlin 52.52001, 13.4049552°31’12” N 13°24’18” E
Berlin- the Traditional tour
2017年7月25日, ドイツ ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Snapshot
Where- Berlin
Weather - wet then overcast 18°C
Steps - 16500 or 10.5km

Bit of a wet start to the day but only as we were catching the bus into the city. Today was the traditional tour on the HOHO bus checking out the main sights such as The Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Siegessäule (victory column), plus a couple of war time / cold war sights like Checkoint Charlie and the Memorial for the Jewish Holocaust.

The Reichstag was bombed and almost totally destroyed in the war but you wouldn't know it today. I couldn't work out why the victory column had some pieces missing from the relief work like a head or leg removed from a soldier but then we saw the bullet holes in the marble and in the reliefs and realised that is why they were removed.

Checkpoint Charlie was the place where people could pass from the west to the east. You could get your passport stamped but of course there is a cost associated with that. (In Europe there is a cost associated with everything - even costs you 50 € cents to use the toilet)

The Memorial to the Jewish Holocaust was rather unusual with 2711 concrete columns of various heights arranged in narrow alleyways. Not sure how this was meant to represent murdered Jews because we didn't go into the museum to find out, but it looked interesting anyway.

This ends our trip to Berlin - probably one more day we could have looked at another few things but I think we hit the main points. Off to Copenhagen tomorrow.もっと詳しく
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Three months in Europe Brad and Mandy Pearce
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日23
2017年7月26日水曜日
⛅ 18 °C
海抜: 32 m
デンマーク Baldersbrønde 55.65067, 12.2263155°39’2” N 12°13’35” E
Copenhagen, here we come
2017年7月26日, デンマーク ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Snapshot
Where - Berlin to Copenhagen
Weather- raining in Germany, fine in Denmark 22°C
Distance - 420km plus ferry crossing

Today was another travelling day from Berlin to Rostock, ferry crossing about 2 hours then on to our accommodation near Copenhagen. We were stressing a bit because the airbnb accommodation we had booked had not been confirmed with the host so I'm busy trying to contact airbnb to sort it out. One of those little hiccups you get occasionally. Anyway, all sorted and we have a place to stay.

The only place we visited was an area called Stevns Klint which is a white chalk cliff that is a world heritage UNESCO site because of fossils there from the Creataceous period. There is an ancient stone church perched right on the cliff edge that has fantastic views, and a very steep staircase down to the stony beach - yes, we climbed down it.

After that it was an easy drive to our accommodation - a quiet home in the suburbs - ready for a big day in Copenhagen tomorrow.もっと詳しく
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日24
2017年7月27日木曜日
⛅ 19 °C
海抜: 11 m
デンマーク Inner City 55.6761, 12.5683455°40’34” N 12°34’6” E
Beautiful, Wonderful (wet) Copenhagen
2017年7月27日, デンマーク ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Snapshot
Where - Copenhagen
Weather - started fine, then wet - 22°C ( then 16°C)
Steps - 13,500 ~ 8.5km

We started the day early mainly because Brad was concerned about one of the tyres on the car where he misjudged and hit a kerb made of rough cobblestone, taking a chunk out of the side. The tyre people assured him it was not a problem so we continued on our journey.

We caught the train into the city - the Danes have some very nice trains. We were in a carriage that was a silent zone - no talking allowed. We were in the city in 15 mins as it was an express train. First thing was HOHO tickets and we are on or way to exploring Copenhagen. So what do we know about Copenhagen? Not much it seems. It has a maritime history and was the home of Hans Christian Andersen of The Little Mermaid fame (and of course Princess Mary).

First stop Statue of The Little Mermaid - quite small really, then the changing of the guard at the royal palace - not quite Buckingham Palace but the same principle. We took a boat ride through the canals which was quite enjoyable and took us to Nyhavn, an area of colourful houses along the waterfront. After that the rain started and we decided to abandon our walk around some attractive gardens and make our way back to our accommodation.

I think Copenhagen is an attractive city but unfortunately we did not see it in the best light - i think it rains a lot in Denmark. Tomorrow we make our way towards Hirtshals where we are catching the car ferry to Faroe Islands then to Iceland.もっと詳しく
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Three months in Europe Brad and Mandy Pearce
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日26
2017年7月29日土曜日
🌧 17 °C
海抜: 14 m
デンマーク Aalborg 57.03904, 9.9114157°2’21” N 9°54’41” E
Driving day towards Hirtshals
2017年7月29日, デンマーク ⋅ 🌧 17 °C
Snapshot
Where - Copenhagen to Aalborg to Hirtshals
Weather - showers, 18°C
Distance - 470km

The trip to Aalborg ( about an hour from our ferry departure point ) was only about 4 hours drive and we had all day to do it. The journey meant crossing to a large middle island of Denmark across an 18km bridge (toll was 240 Danish Kroner or about $50AUD)

To break the journey we visited The Funen Village which is an open air museum from Hans Christian Andersen times. It was very interesting - a bit like Australiana Village I visited as a child ( can't remember if this was the name of it). We spent a few hours here.

We stayed at Aalborg and our Airbnb was a quirky place, fully self contained and private which had nearly everything we needed (except we couldn't get the WiFi to work). The next day we drove to Hirtshals where we had time to visit the bunker museum which part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall and consisted of installations for cannons, machine guns, radar, beach obstacles and mines. Quite interesting (probably more so for Brad than me).

That afternoon we boarded the ferry. Holds up to 800 vehicles. Our cabin is basic but really not that much different than the interior cabin we took on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Next stop - Faroe Islandsもっと詳しく
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Three months in Europe Brad and Mandy Pearce
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日28
2017年7月31日月曜日
⛅ 13 °C
海抜: 6 m
フェロー諸島 Álakeri 62.00564, -6.7739262°0’20” N 6°46’26” W
Faroe Islands - Part 1
2017年7月31日, フェロー諸島 ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Snapshot
Where - Tórshavn Faroe Islands
Weather - blah! Misty rain on and off 15°C
Distance - 300km

After about 30 hours crossing the North Atlantic (remarkably smooth too), we arrived at Tórshavn, possibly one of the world's smallest capitals, at about 11pm. This is where the fun started...tried to type in the address of our hotel into the GPS and guess what!! No maps for Faroe Islands!! And... my phone wouldn't pick up any reception either. So there we were, armed with a tourist map of Tórshavn, in the middle of the night, trying to read signs of street names that must be required to have a minimum of 10 letters per name and are impossible to pronounce in English, and not even sure what street we were in, in the first place. By this time Brad was getting a bit antsy (...no, not a bit, read VERY antsy). We eventually found our way after asking some random people who were wandering the streets in the middle of the night. Then, the hotel room (which is fine), could not get further away if it tried and down a couple of flights of stairs and no lift, so when it's nearly midnight and struggling with heavy luggage, our stay on the Faroe Islands was not of too a good start.

In the morning, a heavy misty fog had rolled in and could not see very far so the Faroes were failing to impress us yet. However, we started to explore, and this place is AMAZING!! I have never seen countryside like this. Brilliant green grass covered mountains, waterfalls everywhere, plenty of rocks but NO trees anywhere (except a few in the villages). We travelled out to the north eastern islands today which meant travelling under the sea through a sea tunnel and through several long tunnels, some of which are only single lane tunnels with areas to drive into if you met oncoming traffic. These roads were pretty freaky. The villages are so idyllic, the scenery fantastic, this place is beautiful. Unfortunately, the heavy misty fog rolled in again so we couldn't appreciate fully some of the areas we went to, so we called it a day and hoped the weather would be better tomorrow.もっと詳しく
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Had a little giggle reading the start of your trip with no gps. I could only imagine how annoying it would be. HAHA
2017/08/01返信する
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Three months in Europe Brad and Mandy Pearce
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日30
2017年8月2日水曜日
⛅ 11 °C
海抜: 194 m
フェロー諸島 Húsareyn 62.01006, -6.8192962°0’36” N 6°49’9” W
Faroe Islands - Part 2
2017年8月2日, フェロー諸島 ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Snapshot
Where - Faroe Islands
Weather - mostly cloudy / part sunny - around 20°C
Distance - 200km Steps - about a million (not really, but it was about 20000, 12 km and 90 storeys climbed)

Today was a much better day weather wise and we saw some of the most incredible scenery. We drove to a beautiful village where a waterfall tumbles into the ocean, overlooking some spectacular rocky crags rising out of the ocean...it looked wonderful.

We were following routes on the tourist map called the Buttercup Drives as these were the ones that were most scenic. However, I think buttercup may be code for treacherous skinny one lane roads that may or may not be sealed. The reward at the end though was usually worth it with picturesque villages offering stunning vistas. It seems that it doesnt matter how small the village, there was always a church.

Farming practices here see like very hard work. At one of these secluded villages there were a couple of farmers who are cutting the grass by hand (scythe I think), raking it up and collecting in large bags, rolling them down the hill and loading them into the Toyota. I spoke with them to ask what they did with it. It is used for fodder to feed the sheep in winter. Not dried like hay, he said compressed so I imagine a bit like silage. The sheep have to be brought in for winter and they would have to do it on foot - too steep for motorbikes or horses. I'm not sure but I think the sheep have tracking devices around their necks, otherwise I don't know how the farmer would find them. The sheep are used for meat as there is no money in wool (about 2 Danish Kroner per kg or about 40c)

We had a lovely 3 days on the Faroe Islands and found it a very interesting place. Very lush and green but that would be because it rains all the time. We catch the ferry to Iceland next for a seven day trip around the country. I imagine it may be quite similar to Faroe Islands.もっと詳しく
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Three months in Europe Brad and Mandy Pearce
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日31
2017年8月3日木曜日
☁️ 10 °C
海抜: 280 m
アイスランド Reykjahlíð Airport 65.64285, -16.9101365°38’34” N 16°54’36” W
Iceland - Day 1
2017年8月3日, アイスランド ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Snapshot
Where - North East Iceland
Weather - Chilly @ 15°C
Distance - 350km
Steps - 10,500 or 7km and 45 storeys

So Iceland is not the same as the Faroe Islands - it is much more open and some very different landscapes. We have been following quite a detailed route that has been prepared for us by the company we bought the self drive tour through. Or journey today led us through a lunar landscape, totally barren - a believe Neil Armstrong did some training in this area.

After that we turned toward Dentifoss - Europe's most powerful waterfall. Unfortunately, this meant travelling over what turned out to be 50km of gravel road full of potholes and corrugations. BRAD DOES NOT LIKE DRIVING ON DIRT ROADS! So I had o endure comments every few minutes such as "this had better be worth it" to swearing at the road in general, to hurling abuse at other drivers who dared go past us at more than a snails pace. We did finally make it and the waterfall was quite spectacular (but not in the same category as Iguassu Falls that we saw last year.)

Moving on we visited another smaller waterfall, then a rather unusual horseshoe shaped canyon with a peaceful pool at the bottom. We followed the northern coastline through the whale watching town of Husavik which looked quite attractive but we had a big day of driving and walking so made or way to our accommodation (a farm converted into a guesthouse).もっと詳しく
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日32
2017年8月4日金曜日
⛅ 11 °C
海抜: 50 m
アイスランド Glerá 65.68849, -18.1261765°41’19” N 18°7’34” W
Iceland - Day 2 - Geothermal day
2017年8月4日, アイスランド ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Snapshot
Where - Akureyri - Northern Iceland
Weather - sunny / cloudy 🌤
Distance - 215km
Steps - 22000 or 14km and 60 floors

I call today our geothermal day because we visited areas where there was/is geothermal activity. First we walked around an area near Lake Myvatn that had some pseudo lava craters, formed when molten lava flows over water. We walked around the lake accompanied by millions of gnats - fortunately not the biting kind.

From there we went to an area that has a kind of lava labyrinth with strange lava formations which was quite nice to walk through. Then we drove to the Myvatn Nature Baths which is a smaller version of the more famous Blue Lagoon near Reykjavik, a hot mineral spring, but we didn't go for a swim because basically all it is is a heated swimming pool that costs a fortune to use (as does everything in Iceland - it's a very expensive country)

Over the hill and round the corner and we came to the solfataros of Námaskrõ which has boiling mud springs and smelly steam vents. Reminds me a lot of the Thermal Wonderland near Rotorua New Zealand. Then onto the Krafla area where there were craters and lava fields. Seemed to me that we had to walk an awful long way to look at something that really wasn't that interesting, but Brad thought it was OK.

Final stop of the day was Gođafoss waterfall or waterfall of the Gods. Nice waterfall... but aren't they all! Made our way to accommodation- very nice view overlooking a fjord- where a couple of cruise ships (Cunard - Queen Elizabeth and a small Princess ship) were making their way out.もっと詳しく
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