Reset search
Netherlands & Scandinavia
  • Timothy Tol

Netherlands & Scandinavia

A 27-day adventure by Timothy Read more
FollowInsightsCalendarShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Trip start
    June 5, 2017
    Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 1: Amsterdam -Our Adventure Begins

    June 5, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We finally arrived in Amsterdam this afternoon after our day long journey to get here.

    Our journey started in Loxton at around 1pm on Sunday. Missy dog was picked up by Murray and Trudy for her holiday with them in the morning and we have said our good byes to Oscar cat who is being looked after by Charmaine who is house sitting for us. We drove to Murray Bridge and caught up with Jay, Fiona and the kids for a coffee and cake and then headed to mum and dads for tea. Fliss and Charlotte joined us for a traditional Dutch meal prepared by mum which was a fitting start for the holiday ahead.

    A highlight while at the airport was running into Graham Gates, he was seeing his son off who had been over from London to visit him. We only got to chat for a few minutes but I was rapt to catch up with him as I have hardly seen him since leaving Coorong 4 years ago. I have utmost respect for Graham and will make a point of catching up with him when we return.

    The first leg of our flights took us from Adelaide to Dubai and took about 12 hours. It's a long flight but we did manage a few little sleeps. We were both over sitting down by the end and enjoyed wandering around Dubai airport during our 2 hour stopover. We did find some new bottles of Jameson's which we may purchase duty free on the way home.

    The next flight from Dubai to Amsterdam took 6 1/2 hours and was much easier than the first leg, especially as the last hour or two the excitement levels increased substantially as we closed in on the end of the flight. The red wine and jack Daniels probably helped with this as well.

    On our flights we do choose to sit at the back of the plane. We don't feel so crowded in and it does provide the opportunity to easily stand up for a while which is good to stretch and get some movement happening. We also enjoy meal time on the flights, not only was the food very good but meal times break up the monotony and are something to look forward to on the flight. They also had Vegemite with the breakfast so we have kept the two small sachets we got so Amy can satisfy her craving for Vegemite during the trip.

    We took the train from Schiphol airport to Centraal and found our way to the Tulip Inn which is our lodgings for the next few days. The hotel is a bit old and dated but is very comfortable and in a fantastic location, we are very happy with it. Our room has a roof window and a few beams which I need to be mindful of and enough space for our bags and belongings. Given Amy's recent sore back it's probably a blessing that we are not staying in our favourite B&B down the road as we don't have the 5 flights of vertical stairs to contend with.

    After a shower and freshen up we set out to reacquaint ourselves with my favourite city, remembering past adventures, checking out the wonky old buildings and enjoying a beer at a couple of favourite watering holes. Unfortunately our favourite Chinese restaurant in Chinatown no longer exists and is now a Mexican steakhouse. We were really looking forward to enjoying our duck fried rice but we settled for a plate of bittenballen, kroketten, frikandellen, wings with frites and mayo, all very yummy! I will probably enjoy bittenballen everyday we are here.

    We were very tired from our trip so decided to have an early night, I think we were in bed by 8pm. Anyway, we are now up and about early this morning fully refreshed and ready to attack the day. First stop will be the Rijksmuseum one of our all time favourite places in Amsterdam.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 2: Amsterdam - We love this city!

    June 6, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. Not only do they have good scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages they also have an excellent selection of pastries, hams, cheeses, bread and rolls, not to mention hagelslag, or chocolate ants. This Dutch treat always reminds me of Oma who would feed us this whenever we were at her home. Anyway, we loaded up with a big breakfast to give us the energy to take on the day, which has been quite a big one.

    It started at the Rijksmuseum where we got there a bit before 9am ready for it to open. It was great to get in there early and almost have the place to ourselves for a bit, but this didn't last long and within 1/2 an hour the place was filled with people and was very busy by the time we had been through. We love the Rijksmuseum and it always leaves me inspired and better for the experience it provides. We also enjoyed a very nice hot chocolate, coffee and cake at the restaurant.

    We also bought our museum cards at the Rijksmuseum which gets us into 100's of museums and churches around the Netherlands. We recommend if you have more than a few days in the Netherlands and if you enjoy museums then the card is a must, will save you quite a bit of money and will bring experiences you may not have expected.

    After the Rijksmuseum we then wandered across the road to the Diamond Museum. This was quite interesting. The diamond industry has been established in Amsterdam for over four centuries, the city has called itself the 'City of Diamonds since its heyday in the mid 18th century. The weather started getting quite windy and wet so we took the tram back to the hotel to get some warmer clothes on. We had to get off the tram a few stops early as there had been an accident further down the line so on our walk we visited the Royal Palace on Dam Square, last time we were here we did a very quick visit so today we took a bit more time to enjoy the palace. The palace was built in the 17th century as a city hall but later became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon. The palace is still used by the Dutch royal family for entertaining and offical receptions. The decor is quite impressive and is well worth a visit.

    Next to the palace is the Niewe Kerk where they have a press photo exhibition on. This was on last time we here as well. This exhibition is always moving, some of the photos captured were amazing but generally show the cruel and dark side of our human story of war, conflict and oppression. But despite the despair these images invoke there are also some very positive images and messages. One quote on display from Desmond Tutu that I was taken by said "Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." If we all lived by this then perhaps the world would be a much better place for everyone.

    After getting some warmer clothes on it was onto another tram and a bit of a walk (only had to duck under cover once due to the rain) to the Scheepvaart Museum which is a maritime museum. The place was full of school children who were having a great time as the museum has many interactive elements. Moored outside the museum is a replica of the Amsterdam, an 18th century ship that sailed between the Netherlands and East Indies. In some areas of the ship I was constantly ducking under something, they were either quite short in those days or had hard heads.

    We then walked through some residential areas before stopping for a snack of kroketten and frites outside the Artis Zoo. It was great sitting at this shop and watching all the school kids riding home, or getting a lift on a bike home. Then it was onto a tram to Rembrantplein where we got off and took a short walk to the Katten Kabinet which is a 17th century canal house filled with images, sculptures and paintings of cats. There were also two guards cats sleeping on a couch (photo attached), they didn't even stir when we gave them a pat. A bit more walking and we found ourselves at the flower market. We had to occasionally drop into a shop to get out of the rain but there were enough breaks in the weather for us to keep moving.

    We wandered into the Beginhof, which is a courtyard with houses that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries however the area dates back to the 15th century but the original houses were destroyed by great fires that occurred in 1421 and 1452. The word Beginhof was mentioned for the first time in 1389. Beguines were pious catholic single women who performed good works similar to nuns. It is still a residential area that is only inhabited by woman who rent the homes. It's a great little part of Amsterdam that I love to visit. We then wandered into the Amsterdam Museum however it was about to close, it was almost 5pm. So we then wandered back to the hotel to put the feet up for a bit, glad we did as the rain has got much more intense since we got back.

    Dinner tonight was at the Sichuan Chinese Restaurant. The food was delicious and we were lucky to get the window table.

    Today was a great day, despite some ordinary weather, we had a lot of fun.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 3: Amsterdam & Haarlem

    June 7, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We got going fairly early again today despite the weather being wet and windy. Our mission this morning was to visit Haarlem, a town about 1/2 hour from Amsterdam. I have always wanted to visit Haarlem but hadn't done so on my first two trips to the Netherlands.

    So we took the train and got there around 9am. It's a beautiful little town but the weather was not being too kind to us so we had to occasionally take cover from the rain and wind while walking around the town. First stop was the Great Church or St Bavo's. it's a magnificent church located in the main town square and it is the most dominant building in Haarlem. The floor of the church consists entirely of gravestones, 1500 of them, the oldest dating back to the 15th century.

    Needing a hot drink to warm us up we dropped into a cafe for a coffee and hot chocolate. Our drinks were also served with some of the most awesome ice cream, not that we needed something cold. This also served to kill some time as the museums in Haarlem didn't open until 10am.

    The first museum we visited was the Frans Hal Museum. Apparently Frans Hal is hailed as one of the three greatest painters of the Golden Age along with Rembrandt and Vermeer. I was particularly taken by the links between China and the Netherlands as portrayed at the museum. The Dutch greatly admired Chinese knowledge and skills such as the production of porcelain, which surpassed European ceramics at the time.

    We then wandered into the Haarlem Museum which was very interesting. The guy behind the counter was also extremely helpful and friendly. Our experience of this museum started with a film about the history of this town which was very good. We learnt that the earliest inhabitants of this area were hunters from the Gooi dating back to 3600 BC. In 1245 Haarlem was granted town privileges and from that moment Haarlem was no longer a village but a city with its own council. Some of the interesting facts about Haarlem include:
    - For centuries Haarlem was one of the biggest and most important cities of brewers in the Low Countries. In 1640 there were about 52 breweries, 50% of the cities income came from beer taxes.
    - Haarlem was known as a city of printers from back in the 1480's. The Haarlems Dagblad is the oldest paper in the world.
    - Haarlem is also known as the city of flowers. Until the 20th century Haarlem was famous for its bulb growing industry.

    We learnt much more about Haarlem and I recommend a visit to the Haarlem Museum. There is also a section about Hanis Schaft who is a famous Haarlem woman from the Dutch resistance during WWII. I have become more interested in the stories of these brave people especially after reading the book by Miep Gies who hid Anne Frank and her family as well as remembering some of the stories Oma used to tell from her time during the war. I may go back to the Resistance Museum and learn more about this time in Dutch history.

    After walking around a bit more of Haarlem we caught the train back to Amsterdam a bit after lunch. The weather was still a bit ordinary but we decided to grab a tram and visit the Museum Van Loon. The Van Loon family have over 400 years of history that is closely related to Amsterdam. It was Willem Van Loon who in the beginning of the golden age developed his talents in the business world as co founder of he Dutch East India Company in 1602. The house where the museum is located was built in 1672.

    After visiting the Museum Van Loon it was time to put our feet up for the afternoon so we enjoyed a cider and a snack at a bar at the Rembrantplein before walking through the flower market and catching another tram and having another cider at the Leidseplein. The sun has finally made its appearance and the skies are clearing a bit. Let's hope this continues for the rest of our visit.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 4: Amsterdam and Utrecht

    June 9, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Another earlyish start today, our mission this morning was to take the train to Utrecht, a city located in central Netherlands and about a 1/2 hour train trip from Amsterdam. Utrecht is one of the Netherlands oldest cities with a compact medieval centre set around canals that are unique to the Netherlands as there is a lower level where warehouses were located in the 13th century giving the canals a split level character.

    We found our city map at the train station. Similar to Haarlem, this map is useful and includes a city walk which takes in most of the sights of the town. So we roughly followed the red line on our map but as we are want to do we occasionally find ourselves wandering down some other alleyway and doing our own tour. Our first stop was at the Dom Church (St Martins Cathedral). The Dom Church is the one church in the Netherlands that resembles the classic gothic architecture style as developed in France. It has one tower, the Dom Tower which has been the symbol of the city since it was completed in 1382 (the first stone was laid in 1321) and is the largest church tower in the Netherlands.

    We then wandered a bit further around the town, it is very beautiful, and made our way to the Centraal Museum. We had picked out the Centraal Museum as a place we wanted to visit before we started our holiday and it did not disappoint. The museum contains some very interesting and unique art work and paintings and also depicts the history of the town. We really enjoyed this museum and its art work and story.

    Utrecht has a very long history dating back to before Christ when a roman fortress was built on what is now the Dom Square. In 695 the Catholic Diocese of Utrecht was established. The town survived two civil wars in the 1400's and in 1636 the Utrecht University and library was established. Utrecht was the location of the peace talks of 1713 where the European powers of the time signed a peace treaty to end nearly 200 years of war. This also marked the end of the Golden Age for Holland as the French negotiator reminded the hosts that "We negotiate in your country, about your country, without your country".

    In the 17th century approximately 45% of the cities population came from elsewhere, consisting mostly of religious refugees. Today almost 1/3 of the population are of foreign descent. Utrecht has always been somewhat of a melting pot of new ideas and art work. Anyway, we really enjoyed our sojourn to Utrecht with its medieval centre and interesting history.

    We found our way back to Amsterdam in the afternoon so we could visit the Poezenboot, it is only open from 1 to 3pm so we got there in good time. The Poezenboot is a refuge for stray and abandoned cats set on a houseboat in Amsterdam's canal belt. We loved it and made friends with most of the cats however one which is in the attached photo was not a friendly cat, he was the 'boss' cat and stayed on the highest ledge not letting anyone give him a pat.

    The weather cleared today and this afternoon was a peach so we took advantage of the better weather and strolled through the Jordaan district of Amsterdam. This is one of my favourites areas of Amsterdam, it is very picturesque and is away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist orientated centrum area. We enjoyed a saucijzenbroodjes (a Dutch sausage roll) at a little shop as well as a few beers at a couple of bars on the way around. We had wandered a fair distance so to rest our weary feet we grabbed a tram back to centrum so we could get ready for our canal boat tour which we had booked. However we did have time to have another drink at one of favourite bars opposite the Oude Kerk. I can never get bored with the regular chiming of the bells of this church, it's such a wonderful part of the ambience and character of the old centrum area.

    The canal tour would be my fourth and second wine and cheese one. We enjoyed a wine and cheese canal tour with mum and dad last time we were here and decided to do another this time around. The canal tour is one of the best ways to explore this magnificent city and is something I would do every time I visit the city. The cheese and wine was very good as well.

    It was 10.30pm by the time we finished the canal tour and it was still daylight. Despite this it was time to call stumps on another sensational day in the Netherlands.

    Tomorrow we are off to Enkhuizen to stay with Rosemarie and Maikel for a few nights. Looking forward to it.

    Tot Ziens!    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 5: Amsterdam to Enkhuizen

    June 9, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Today started quite slowly partly due to the persistent rain outside but also as we decided to take advantage of the 11am check out and have a slow morning getting ready to head off on the next leg of our journey which is in Enkhuizen.

    Thankfully the rain stopped about 5 minutes before we had to walk to the train station and then it stopped in Enkhuizen just before we arrived, our timing was impeccable. Rose & Maikel were waiting for us and it was great to see them again, they have made us feel so welcome in their home. We also met their new cat, Pucky, who we have made friends with immediately. Rose made us some lunch and then we headed off for a drive to Hoorn. Hoorn is not far from Enkhuizen and also the town where my Opa is from.

    Before I get into our activities in Hoorn I must mention Maikel's new car. It's an electric car and it sounds like the Netherlands is advancing quite quickly with regard to setting up parks where these cars can be charged up. He gets about 150 miles from a full power up so this is fine for driving around the Netherlands however we would need to power up the car during a drive just between Loxton and Adelaide. The car is really comfortable and has a fair bit of grunt but I'm not sure how I would go driving on the right hand side of the road. I have often wondered why it is that English countries such as Australia drive on the left and the rest of the world on the right. I would have thought the Romans when they were building roads all over Europe and England would have dictated what side of the road everyone should travel on. I will look into this quirk of history later, but anyway I digress.

    We walked around Hoorn taking in this beautiful city, its harbour and the Hoofdtoren (a 16th century tower) and made our way to the Roode Steen (the main city square) where we visited the Westfries Museum. This museum tells the story of Hoorn during the 17th century, at the beginning of the 17th century Hoorn was one of the most important cities in Holland and became wealthy because of trading with almost every country in the world. Hoorn was one of 6 Bases for the Dutch East India Company. I have also learnt that after Amsterdam and Haarlem, Hoorn is the third monument city of North Holland, so we have now visited all three this trip.

    After our visit to the museum we had a drink at the bar across the square. I should mention that the weather cleared up this afternoon so we were able to enjoy some sunshine while sitting at the bar as well. After a bit more walking around, including seeing the shop Rosemarie works in we headed back to Enkhuizen, taking the tourist route as we drove along a dyke seeing some wind surfing along the way. We also visited the supermarket in Enkhuizen, I love visiting supermarkets around the world and looking at the differences of what is on the shelves.

    Rose cooked us a delicious dinner of sauerkraut, sausage and a bake she does with sweet potato, mince, bacon and cheese. After tea we walked around to Riets and Jan (Rosemarie's parents house) where we shared a strawberry cheesecake. It was great seeing Reits and Jan again and we are going back there for tea tomorrow night, apparently for kroketten, can't wait.

    Anyway, it's time to head to bed, it's 11pm and the sun has only just set. We have a bit of a tour planned tomorrow and then we head into the city of Enkhuizen to enjoy a jazz festival that is on this weekend. I'm really looking forward to that.

    Tot Ziens.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 6: Enkhuizen - Jazz Festival

    June 10, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    This morning we headed to Hoorn again, however this time Amy, Rosemarie and myself boarded the historic stoomtram (steam train) that runs between Hoorn and Medemblik. The train was very popular today with many people on the train and we were lucky to get the seats we did. Along the way the train stopped at Wognum where we had a go at the stilts. I think I need to work on my balance as I was not good on them.

    At Medemblik we stopped for lunch before walking to catch a boat back to Enkhuizen. We were very lucky to get the boat, in fact we were the last to board, as we zigged when we should have zagged after lunch and ended up at the wrong spot to get on the boat. Anyway, after a very quick walk back through Medemblik we got there just in time.

    The boat trip was very good however it was a bit windy and cold and there were a few spots of rain. The highlight was seeing Enkhuizen from the water and it was also great to see the Drommedaris in all its glory, it was being renovated last time we were here. The Drommedaris is a historic gate in Enkhuizen and is one of its most prominent landmarks. We took some photos of it later in the day and they are attached.

    Once back in Enkhuizen we met up with Maikel and then headed into the city to enjoy the Jazz Festival. There were many people in town enjoying the Jazz and the sun came out to add to an enjoyable afternoon. We spent some time sitting at a bar enjoying a drink and watching the people go by. People watching is one of my favourite pastimes. The music was quite good and everyone was in good spirits. We wandered through the festival and ended up at the Drommedaris prior to heading over to Riets and Jan's for dinner. We enjoyed kroketten in bread, frites, nasibal and bamibal finished with advocaat and ice cream. We ate way too much but all the food was delicious.

    This afternoon invoked the feeling of gezellig, both when spending time in Enkhuizen at the Jazz festival with Rosemarie and Maikel but especially sitting in Riets and Jan's front yard enjoying their company, the food, the beer and the beautiful setting of their home and garden.

    We are now back at Rosemarie and Maikel's relaxing after another sensational day in the Netherlands. We are really enjoying our time here and loving being in Enkhuizen again and looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

    I must also mention that Maikel has been helping me learn Dutch. He has typed up some cheat sheets for me this morning and we went through a bunch of words and numbers. I am determined to be able to hold a conversation in Dutch next time I am here but it will be quite a challenge as it will take some time to get my head around the intricacies of this language.

    Tot Ziens.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 7: Enkhuizen - Road Trip

    June 11, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today we did a massive road trip starting in Enkhuizen in the north to Neeltje Jans in the south (with a few places in between) covering a distance of over 500 kilometres.

    Our first stop was near Schiphol Airport to charge the car up. This was a short 20 minute stop but we had time to relax in the sun and enjoy a stropwafel. We then headed to Den Haag, the political capital of the Netherlands where the government sits, there are also several international courts there as well.

    After parking the car we wandered through the Parliament House courtyard which is quite impressive and made our way to the Mauritshuis. The Mauritshuis is officially known as the Royal Picture Gallery. It has a collection of almost 800 paintings dating from around 1400 to 1800. The majority however are Dutch works dating from the 17th century, this was the Dutch golden age and boasted famous painters such as Rembrandt, Jan Steen and Vermeer. We were amazed at some of the paintings and really enjoyed this museum. The painting I most enjoyed was 'Apelles painting Campaspe' by Willem van Haecht, the detail in this painting is amazing. We also saw Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', this is a very famous painting but it didn't do much for me. I guess it's a bit like the Mona Lisa which I also thought was unimpressive when I saw it as well. They are both very famous paintings and obviously mean a lot to people who know much more about art and painting than I do so I will defer to their expertise and be happy to have seen such famous art works even if I don't really understand their significance.

    We enjoyed lunch in the town square opposite the Mauritshuis and then wandered a bit more around the town finishing up at the Noordeinde Palace which is one of three official palaces of the Dutch royal family. This was another impressive building. When we walked around town Maikel pointed out the Dutch coat of arms located above several shops around Den Haag, this means those shops supply goods and services to the king. Something to be very proud of I'm sure for these shop owners.

    We then drove to Deltapark Neeltje Jans which is located at the foot of the largest storm surge barrier in the world and tells the story of the construction of this amazing piece of engineering. The Delta Works were built to keep everyone safe and to prevent a recurrence of the 1953 flood disaster which resulted in 200,000 hectares of land being flooded and the death of 1835 people and the evacuation of 72,000 people.

    We saw a film as well as wandered onto the storm surge barrier itself to gain an insight into the construction methods and investigations that went into this major project that by the time it was completed in 1986 cost around €2.5 billion. One of the fascinating aspects of the Netherlands is its management of water through the reclamation of land from the sea. The first dikes were built in the 11th century and the techniques and extent of dike building continued throughout the following centuries culminating in an extensive and complex system of water control and management. The most elaborate project being the storm surge barriers. Without this water management and the system of sea and river dikes around 65% of the Netherlands would be under water. It's an amazing feat by this country and the worrying thing for the future will be the potential effects of sea level rise due to climate change not to mention the fact the land is actually falling at a rate of 1.5 centimetres each century due to tectonic movements. Im sure the Dutch will come up with an ingenious solution to this issue just as they have for almost a thousand years already.

    It was starting to get late in the afternoon when we left Neeltje Jan's and we needed to charge the car up to get home problem was there isn't many charging points in the south of the Netherlands. But Maikel had planned it to the centimetre as we got to the closest charging point with no kilometres left in the battery. We cut it very close indeed but thankfully the car was able to be charged up and we were able to continue our epic road trip.

    A few of the things that really stood out for me during the road trip was firstly the number of wind towers, they are all across the countryside as well as in cities and towns. They are everywhere. I loved them, Maikel not so much, but we did agree on the need for more solar energy and better technologies for battery storage. We also chatted about the electric car technology and the fact many car manufacturers in Europe are already making electric cars or planning to do so. You can only envisage the technology for these cars getting better very quickly.

    Another thing I noticed across the Netherlands was you get to see every shade of green, everything is green, this is a nice change to the Australian landscape. I must also mention how great the road and highway network is and the fact on many roads the speed limit is 130km/h (however many cars appeared to be going in excess of 150/160km/h). I have been advocating for higher speed limits in Australia for ages (especially since our nanny state seems to be slowly pulling back speed limits across the country) and you can see in the Netherlands that it certainly can occur and is safe, if the Dutch can drive at 130 on roads much busier than some of our country roads then surely we can too. Anyway, I will get off that soap box for now.

    The day was certainly a long one and finished with a late tea at Purmerend before getting home to Enkhuizen. Another great day in the Netherlands thanks to our excellent tour guides Rosemarie and Maikel.

    Tot Ziens.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 8: Enkhuizen - trip to Apenheul

    June 12, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today was our day to enjoy the surprise that Rosemarie and Maikel had planned for us. Our surprise was a trip to Apenheul Primate Park in Apeldoorn which is about 70 kilometres to the south east of Enkhuizen. Apenheul is a zoo that specialises in apes and monkeys and was the first zoo in the world where monkeys could walk (or swing) freely in the forest and between visitors. There are more than 30 different primates including the bonobo, orangutan and gorillas.

    Amy and I love watching primates, especially gorillas and we had talked about how we wanted to go to Apenheul when Maikel and Rosemarie had visited us in Loxton and it was very thoughtful of them to remember this and organise today, it was a great surprise, although Amy did have her suspicions this may have been the surprise awaiting us, but we very much appreciated today and loved our time at Apenheul. The highlight was seeing the gorillas, I loved watching them. This is the second time I've seen gorillas close up, we saw gorillas at Artis Zoo in 2014 as well and both times it's been the highlight of the day.

    We had a great time at Apenheul and many thanks to Rosemarie and Maikel for taking us there, we really enjoyed it.

    The drive to Apenheul was very different to yesterday, the countryside this time was forest for much of the trip as we drove through the Leuvenumse Bos a national forest. It was very beautiful. We also saw Maikel's workplace in Lelystad, he has about a 25 minute drive across the dike between Enkhuizen and Lelystad each day.

    In the afternoon Amy and I enjoyed a walk around Enkhuizen heading up to the Main Street to do some shopping as well as visit a few of our favourite places such as the Drommedaris, Davidstraat where Dad was born as well as Tante Marie's old home. I could never get sick of walking around this beautiful town, not only do I love the scenery and amenity it is also a great feeling being in a town and walking the same streets that Oma and Opa and the previous generations of our Dutch family lived in, and still live in. It's hard to describe the feeling I get but I know it's good for the soul.

    Rosemarie prepared another delicious meal for us tonight, she and Maikel have been spoiling us and their hospitality is second to none. Our meal was topped off with olliebollen for dessert, this was a little naughty given we are supposed to eat them at New Years, but I guess being together with such great family and friends from opposite sides of the world is a celebration worthy of these tasty morsels. I couldn't resist sending a photo of them to Dad just to stir him up as I know how much he would have enjoyed eating them too.

    So that was our day, another enjoyable one. The next leg of our holiday is fast approaching (only 2 more sleeps) which we are looking forward to but at the same time I don't want my time here in Enkhuizen to end.

    It's time to call it a night.

    Tot Ziens.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 9: Enkhuizen and Venhuizen

    June 13, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Today is Amy's birthday and everyone made sure she had a special day. It started with pancakes for breakfast with Rosemarie and Maikel who had also decorated their house to celebrate the day. We had a fairly slow start to the day as Lia and Piet came around at 10.30am to pick us up and take us to their home in Venhuizen.

    It was great to see Lia and Piet again and they made us feel very welcome. They drove us around some of the small villages around Venhuizen and we stopped at Schelliakhout and walked around an old church and courthouse and onto the dike. We also noticed an old windmill that was operating nearby so we drove over and checked it out. Apparently a man lives in the windmill and it was great to see it in operation. We then went over to Blokker and dropped in on Jan and Hortens Tol who were very happy that we came to see them and it was great to see them again.

    It was then back to Venhuizen for lunch and a walk around the town. We visited the Historische Vereniging Suyder Cogge or the Venhuizen History Club of which Lia is a member. The club was started by Klaas Tol, Lia's father back in 1992. Klaas also wrote a book that details the history of the Tol family. It was great to hear Lia describe what the club does and how they are collecting and collating photos and stories of Venhuizen's history. She is obviously very passionate about this and we found it extremely interesting and also somewhat proud given we are also part of that history. It reminded me how important it is to have passionate people in our community who volunteer their time to do these things to keep history and the stories of the people and towns alive. If not for their efforts much of these stories may be lost forever.

    after visiting the history club we continued our walk around the town, bumping into Eline, Lia and Piets daughter, and her kids. We also saw Chris Tol who was riding his bike back from work. It was great to meet Chris again as well as meet Eline for the first time.

    Our time in Venhuizen today was really interesting and made special by Lia and Piet. We really appreciated the time they gave us today, their hospitality, our conversations and especially Lia's passion for history which gave us further insight into the history of the Tol family and Venhuizen in general.

    Tonight we had Amy's birthday tea at the de Mastenbar in Enkhuizen with Rosemarie and Maikel and Riet and Jan. We also later found out it is Rosemarie's and Maikel's wedding anniversary today as well so it was also a celebration for that as well. We all enjoyed a delicious meal and had a fantastic night. It was a fitting end to a most sensational day.

    Once we got home Rosemarie showed me a photo album she has put together of Tante Marie, it included many old photos of Oma and several of Opa.

    Today was not only a day celebrating Amy's birthday but also very much a day of reflection on my Dutch family through our time with Lia and Piet in Venhuizen as well as enjoying a meal with Rose, Maikel, Riet and Jan. We can't thank them all enough for how they have made us feel so welcome and ensured we have had such an enjoyable time. Special mention has to be made to Rosemarie and Maikel who have done so much for us over the last five days, they are such wonderful people and I feel privileged to not only have them as family but also as great friends.

    Tomorrow the next stage of our holiday begins when we fly to Copenhagen but until then, Tot Ziens!    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 10: Netherlands to Copenhagen

    June 14, 2017 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    It was an early start this morning as we needed get to Schiphol Airport to catch our flight to Copenhagen. Rosemarie drove us to the airport and we had a dream run with the traffic. It was sad to say our goodbyes this morning but we are also excited for the adventures we have in front of us in Scandinavia.

    Two things I always notice at airports. One is watching the pilots walk through the crowd, they always look assured and confident (which is reassuring) and really are the top of the tree when it comes to drivers, I guess only astronauts would be higher in the pecking order but they don't transport people or goods per se. The other observation is the people who insist on getting on the travellators and just stand there. Why? I thought the point of them was to assist people get to the flight quicker. We watched one couple who stood next to each other and had about a dozen people backed up and waiting behind them, they appeared oblivious to the situation they had created. It reminds me of a story Henry Rollins tells about this phenomenon at airports but he puts it in a much more eloquent and funnier way than I can.

    We arrived in Copenhagen at around lunch time and found our way to our hotel which is just a 5 minute walk from the Copenhagen Central station. Our room is very nice and in a great location in the Vesterbro district. After a quick lunch and a beer we wandered off to familiarise ourselves with the city. We walked past the Tivoli Garden (we will visit this tomorrow), the Glyptoteket and National Museum before wandering into the Christianborg Palace.

    The palace was quite impressive but didn't really interest me that much.

    After the palace we wandered through the Stroget, which is a pedestrian car free shopping precinct and saw the Copenhagen Town Hall which was an impressive building. We were feeling a little tired so went back to the hotel to put the feet up and recharge the battery prior to heading our for tea. We ate at the Meat Packing district which is a short walk away. It was full of people enjoying the evening sun and a meal. There was people from all walks of life which made the people watching quite interesting.

    Amy is planning our activities for tomorrow and we are enjoying an earlyish night.

    Godnat.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 11: Copenhagen - Peach of a day!

    June 15, 2017 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    "To travel is to live" Hans Christian Andersen

    We had a slow start to the day today and enjoyed a very yummy breakfast at our hotel. The bread is not as good as in the Netherlands but the Danishes were very good as expected.

    Our first stop was the National Museum which is the largest museum of cultural history in Denmark. We got there at 10am and there were already several school groups ready to enjoy the museum as well. We looked through three of their exhibits, the first being the Danish Prehistory which detailed the story of the first humans in this area. The first humans arrived in Denmark around 14,500 BC. We found this section to be particularly interesting as it told the story of humans in Denmark up until the Viking conquests. I am fascinated by our human journey and It was great to learn about the Danish experience. The next exhibit detailed Denmark through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and then we looked through the stories of Denmark 1660-2000.

    After the museum we wandered back through the Christiansborg Palace and went up to the tower, Which is Copenhagens highest tower, and checked out the city from this vantage point, being able to look over a city always helps get your bearings. We were lucky as when we walked past the tower there was no queue so we got up the lift quite quickly but there was a lengthy queue yesterday when we walked past and as we left there was a lengthy queue again. Our timing was impeccable today.

    After viewing the city from its highest tower we then caught a canal cruise and viewed the city from the water. This was an enjoyable trip and the tour guide was very informative telling us about the landmarks and a bit of the city's history as we cruised around.

    It was time for lunch so we wandered up to the Stroget and found an Irish Pub. Lunch was accompanied by a couple of drinks as we sat there for quite a while enjoying the people watching and great weather.

    After our extended lunch break we wandered along the Stroget, bought some souvenirs and then found the Hans Christian Andersen Fairytale House. I wasn't that keen on visiting this but Amy was however I was pleasantly surprised and found it quite interesting, it's also where I saw the above quote. I would encourage everyone to get out and see the world and I am very thankful I have the opportunity to do so myself.

    It was then time to check out the Tivoli Garden which turned out to be the highlight of the day. It's a sensational place that has many rides, side show alleys and shows for all ages of kids, bars and restaurants for the adults and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We enjoyed watching the kids on the scary rides, they were having a ball. We also came across a band called 'Blondage' that was playing on a small stage, they were very good and the female singer had an amazing voice. We listened to several songs before continuing our exploration of the garden. We loved the Tivoli Garden and would rank it as a must visit for anyone coming to Copenhagen, it was lots of fun. After an ice cream it was time to head back to the hotel to put the feet up for a while and write this blog.

    The weather today was perfect, very sunny but not too hot and we have had an excellent day. To be honest my first impressions of Copenhagen yesterday was not that great (perhaps my expectations were too high) but today has more than made up for that and I am really enjoying this city.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 12: Copenhagen - Start of the Tour

    June 16, 2017 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Another slow start today as we enjoyed a sleep in. Our check out for our hotel was at 12 noon so we set off for a walk away from the city this time to see a bit more of Copenhagen. We decided to do a big circle and end up at the Tycho Brahe Planetarium. At the planetarium we watched a film on a massive 180 degree dome. The film gave us a trip through space, the solar system, the Milky Way and the broader galaxy. It followed with a film about hump back whales which was also excellent but we had to leave before it ended so we could get back to the hotel by 12. This filled in our morning and we headed back to the hotel to collect our bags and head off to our second hotel where we will meet up with our tour.

    Our second hotel is the Quality Hotel Airport Dan. We grabbed a bus to get here which was the last thing we did on our 48 hour Copenhagen Card. Getting this card was a great thing and meant we didn't have to pay to visit any of the museums, attractions and activities we did and also didn't have to pay for any public transport. We certainly got our money's worth from the card. Our new hotel room is very comfortable and quite spacious and we have an excellent view of the coast and airplanes flying in to the airport.

    We had a few hours to kill this afternoon so I took the opportunity to read my book for a couple of hours. I'm reading 'Age of Discovery' by Goldin and Kutarna, I heard one of the authors be interviewed by Phillip Adams a few weeks back and decided to buy the book as it sounded extremely interesting. The book explores the idea that the world is on the brink of a new Renaissance and asks how do we share more widely the benefits of unprecedented progress, how do we endure the inevitable tumult generated by accelerated change and how do we thrive through our current uncertain times. I remember reading 'Confronting the Future' by Charles Birch 20 years ago and he was advocating for a new Renaissance which appeals to me as I think we need to rethink our whole political, social and environmental paradigm. Anyway, maybe a bit more on these thoughts as I get further into this book but so far it's very thought provoking and an interesting read.

    We also wandered through a couple of local supermarkets this afternoon, this is one of my favourite things to do abroad, checking out what's on their shelves. I have found out that beer is cheaper than coke here and wine is very cheap (so long as you buy it in the supermarket), we also found some Aussie wines. We enjoyed a danish with custard and icing from a local bakery which was very yummy.

    Tonight we had the start of tour dinner. We have 45 people on the tour, the majority are Aussies with a couple of poms and 3 Americans. We sat with Bec and Luke from Melbourne who were very friendly and I suspect we will get to know them much better during the tour.

    Tomorrow we will have a bus trip around Copenhagen, probably retracing some of our steps from the last couple of days but we will also be touring the castles of Zealand which we are looking forward to.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 13: Copenhagen - Castles of Zealand

    June 17, 2017 in Denmark ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Today started with a bus tour around Copenhagen. We visited Christianborg Palace, Amallenborg Palace, Gefion Fountain and the Little Mermaid before returning to the Town Hall/Tivoli Gardens for some free time in the city. Our free time was spent walking through the Stroget to the Irish Pub we went to on Thursday to enjoy a Magners and some people watching. The city was very busy today so there were lots of people about.

    In the afternoon we went on a tour of the Castles of Zealand visiting Fredericksburg Castle where we wandered through the Museum of Natural History. The museum has been housed at the castle since 1878 and was founded by the brewer JC Jacobsen as a separate department of the Carlsberg Foundation and contains portraits and historical paintings that depict Denmarks history from the 1500's to today. Our next stop was Fredensborg which is the Queens summer palace, there was an additional number of guards there today as the royal family must have been in residence. Our last stop was at Kronberg Castle which is the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. They were also setting up for an international iron man competition in the town which will be occurring tomorrow so there were many competitors and other people there preparing for the race tomorrow. We got a great view across the Baltic Sea to Sweden from the castle. Our return journey to Copenhagen was via the Danish Riviera where we saw many expensive houses and the beautiful the coastline. The coast and countryside of Denmark is beautiful and similar to the Netherlands we get to see every shade of green.

    Our tour guides today were extremely informative and we learnt much about Denmark. I was really taken by the fact that some of the large businesses in Denmark donate large sums of money towards art and culture. Apparently 55% of all profits from Carlsberg goes towards arts and culture and Carlsburg supports the restoration and up keep of the Fredericksburg Castle and Museum as well as the Glytotek Museum in Copenhagen. The Copenhagen Opera house was donated by the AP Miller and Chastic McKinney Noller Foundation, AP Miller was a co founder of Maersk, Maersk being the largest container ship operator in the world. The opera house cost $US500 million. I am also taken by the social security system they have here which provides free health care for all citizens. The tax rates are quite high but the community is also well supported with health care, aged care and pension system and education. I would have no qualms paying more taxes at home if I knew the money was being invested wisely for the greater good of all our citizens.

    Tonight we hung out with Bec and Luke who have become good friends. After a beer at a local cafe we wandered over to the Chinese restaurant. After sussing out their menu and buffet we thought that perhaps pizza many be a better choice for tea, which it turned out to be as they were very tasty. We grabbed some pizza from a local take away and some wine from the supermarket and enjoyed the evening at a little outdoor area at the hotel. It was a great evening and a perfect way to finish off the day.

    Tomorrow we are off to Frederikshavn which is in the north of Denmark.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 14: Frederikshaven - Bus Trip

    June 18, 2017 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today had been a travel day heading north from Copenhagen to Frederiskshavn. The journey has taken about 6 hours plus stops. We stopped at a town called Odense which has a population of around 190,000 and is the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. We wandered past his first home and also checked out the town centre where we had a very delicious smoothy. The town was very nice and easy to walk around however they are doing some major earthworks in the middle of town. Not sure what they were building. It it was quite substantial. We have noticed a lot of construction in Denmark. In Copenhagen they are building 17 new metro stations and a new metro circuit for the city. This meant the main town square was half blocked off for the construction works.

    Apparently there are over 30 million pigs in Denmark and there is an abattoir that is fully automated which slaughters 20,000 pigs per week. We also drove past the Vestas Plant, Vestas is the first manufacturer of wind turbines starting in 1979 and the very first one is located next to their plant. Denmark manufactures 1/3 of the worlds wind turbines and 40% of Denmark's energy comes from the wind turbines that are located all across the country.

    Denmark is also a world leader in insulin production and produces 1/2 the worlds insulin.

    These are just some of the interesting facts we learnt during the trip.

    We have found the countryside to be very beautiful, it is undulating but there are no mountains, the highest elevation is only 150 metres above sea level.

    Along the drive we crossed the Great Belt Bridge which is the Third largest suspension bridge in the world. It's total length is 6.8 kilometres with the longest span being 1.6 kilometres. It's a very impressive bridge. It's expensive to travel over, the toll is 240DKK or about $50.

    When we arrived at Frederickshavn we'd had enough of the bus and wanted to have a beer so we adjourned to the Old Irish Pub next door. Bec, Luke and Adrian joined us for a couple of pints. The beers were the cheapest so far on the holiday so we took advantage of that prior to heading to dinner. Dinner was part of the tour and it was tasty but not really substantial but I guess we've eaten too much over the last couple of weeks so a smaller meal was probably ok.

    We have an early start tomorrow, bags out at 6.15am as we need to get to the ferry to Oslo so we've pulled stumps on the day.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 15: Oslo - Ferry Ride

    June 19, 2017 in Norway ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Today was an early start from Frederikshavn as we had to catch a ferry to Norway. We drove for about 50 minutes to Hirtshals and boarded the ferry at about 8.30am. The ferry left at about 9am and arrived at Langesund in Norway at 1.30pm. The ferry ride was very relaxing and we had some great seats at the front of the ferry so we had a great view of where we were heading. It was quite exciting watching Norway getting closer in the last third of the trip. While aboard we enjoyed a beer, cocktails and bubbles, a delicious sandwich and the Great company of our fellow travellers.

    Upon arrival we had about a 2 hour bus trip to Oslo. The thing that we noticed immediately once we were in Norway was the different countryside compared to Denmark. It is much more mountainous and forested and very picturesque. It's a beautiful country and we are looking forward to seeing more of it over the next few days. We learned some facts about Norway along the way including that Norway is one of the biggest exporters of oil in the world following the discovery of oil in the North Sea in 1969, despite this Norwegians actually pay some of the highest prices for petrol in the world. What I also found interesting is the Norway government have also implemented a range of tax concessions and waiving all tolls for electric and hybrid cars resulting in about 5% of all cars being hybrid or electric, about a 1/3 of all new cars bought being hybrid or electric and Norway aims that by 2025 all vehicles will be electric. I find these types of policies and aims to be inspiring.

    The discovery of oil has made Norway a very affluent country that has no debt and has created a sovereign fund that invests overseas to ensure the country continues to reap the benefits of the income from its oil reserves well beyond there exhaustion. Wouldn't it be great if our government had done, or would do, something similar with all the mining royalties that we are missing out on and nor investing for the greater good of our country. Norway also has a very comprehensive welfare system for its citizens.

    The affluence of Norway also means it is one of the most expensive places to live so we are expecting to pay quite a lot for food and drink.

    One of the first things I noticed about Oslo is the amount of construction going on in the city, I counted at least 20 cranes in the sky within a kilometres or so radius of the city centre from the vantage point of the roof of the opera house, which incidentally cost some $700 million to build. Norway is also undertaking the construction of new tunnels across the country to improve its road and transport network. Another great thing they have done in Oslo is to build tunnels for its highways within the city taking them out of the cityscape.

    After sussing out the roof of the opera house with Amy, Luke and Bec it was time to go back to the hotel to shower up and get ready for tea, the weather was also starting to get gloomy so it was best to get indoors. Apparently it rains in Oslo 2 out of every 3 days so it would be very lucky to be here and not have at least some rain.

    Dinner was at Voksenaasen a hotel at Holmenkollen which is the highest part of Oslo. We dined with Marcia and Sally Anne, they are both retired and from Sydney and we enjoyed their company. The view from the hotel was also spectacular and we were lucky that the skies cleared after our meal so we could have a great view of Oslo. I was also impressed by the library at the hotel and found several books I will look up when I get home.

    On the way to dinner we also had a look at the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, this was very impressive and it would be great to see it in action during winter but today it was mainly being used by people exercising running up and down the many steps.

    Anyway, today was a great day, very relaxing on the ferry, exciting to be in Norway and topped off with a great meal. We are looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

    God natt.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 16: Vradel - Peach of a day, No.2

    June 20, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Today's weather has been perfect, an absolute peach of a day. We had a bus tour around Oslo this morning and visited the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The parklands there were stunning and the sculptures quite interesting. The park is the result of the artistic obsession and a lifetime of work by Gustav Vigeland. We worked for 20 years on the sculptures and donated them to the city of Oslo.

    The highlights of the park include the fountain which consist of 60 individual bronze reliefs representing the circle of life. There is also the monolith, which is the focal point of the park consisting of 121 intertwined human figures. It took him 14 years to complete. It's an amazing piece of art and the park was very popular with tour groups and school groups enjoying it today.

    We were dropped off at the Town Hall and decided to leave the tour group and join Adrian to visit the Viking Ship Museum. We are really interested in learning more about the Vikings and so far we haven't seen a lot other than a small section of the National Museum at Copenhagen. To get to the museum we needed to catch a ferry across the fjord and then walk up a hill for about 700-800 metres. The ferry ride was excellent as we got a look at the city from the water and the perfect weather made the trip a great experience.

    The time of the Vikings was from the beginning of 700 to 1050. They were outstanding ship builders and skilled navigators, their ships were fast and well suited for long sea journeys. Many Norsemen settled in the lands they had invaded and the Vikings were the first Europeans in North America. The Viking Ship Museum houses 4 Viking ship burials from the Oslo Fjord area, found at Oseberg, Gokstad, Tune and Borre and were excavated between 1852 and 1904. Three of the graves contained ships that have survived to this day, the Oseberg ship was built in 820, the Gokstad ship shortly before 900 and the Tune ship in 920. From the ship at the Borre grave only iron nails remain today. The three ships had been at sea for several years before they were pulled ashore and used as burial ships. The museum also had a movie which was a pictorial depiction of their history and was played over three walls and the ceiling, it was excellent and was a great experience to end our visit to the museum.

    We took the ferry back to the city and still had an hour until we had to meet up with the tour bus so we walked up to the Akershus Fortress and looked around it before grabbing a bite to eat for lunch and purchasing the obligatory fridge magnet as our momento for visiting this interesting and picturesque city. We have really enjoyed our short stay in Oslo and would be happy to return to explore more of it in the future.

    This afternoon we have had a 4 hour bus trip to the Telemark Area. The scenery has been excellent and just kept getting better and better the further into the mountains we got. Apparently the scenery gets even more breathtaking tomorrow so we are looking forward to that. We found many shades of green in the Netherlands and Denmark but Norway is just another level entirely, what a beautiful place.

    We are staying at the Quality Straand Hotel in Vradel which is very nice, it's a ski resort during the winter and in a spectacular setting between the mountains and overlooking a fjord. Tonight's meal was a buffet with many delectable offerings meaning we all ate too much. We dined with Bec and Luke, Adrian, Shamick (from the USA) and Bob and Doris (from Canada). It was an delicious meal made all the better by the company we shared it with. After dinner Bec, Luke, Adrian, Amy and myself enjoyed a few drinks in the bar with Shamick joining us later. It was one of the best nights we've had so far on the tour and it's been great to get to know all these people who are now very much great friends.

    We have an early start in the morning and we have a long travel day by bus and ferry to Bergen where we will be for the next two nights. Its time to call stumps on another terrific day.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 17: Bergen - How's the Scenery!

    June 21, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Today was a long day of travelling through the spectacular scenery of Norway. We left Vradel at 7.30am bound for Bergen. Our first stop along the way was at the Vemork Museum. The museum is located within an old hydro electric power plant. The 60MW Vemork power station was the worlds largest power plant when it opened in 1911. It was constructed to power a factory producing artificial fertiliser and was also the site of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage by Norwegian saboteurs during WWII. During the German occupation of Norway the heavy water production plant at the site was sabotaged to prevent the Germans from producing nuclear weapons. We have learnt many stories regarding WWII during this trip especially involving resistance movements in Netherlands, Denmark and now Norway.

    Some of us took the opportunity to walk up the steep hill to the plant from where the coach dropped us off instead of taking the minibus. It was a great walk and blew the cobwebs out from sitting on the bus this morning.

    Our next stop was at Haukeliseter fjellatue for lunch. After travelling through mainly forested mountains this place was surrounded by bare mountains and and ice. It is approximately 1000 metres above sea level and quite cold, especially for those of us in shorts.

    We then proceeded to the western side of Norway which is even more rugged than the eastern side where we came from. The scenery just kept getting better and better with lakes, fjords, winding valleys, rugged gorges and towering snow capped mountains. We also saw our first ever glacier but I can't remember what it is called and I didn't take a photo but it was breathtaking to look at, even from a long distance.

    We arrived at Utne to get the ferry across the Hardangerfjord to Kvanndel. When we arrived there were already several trucks and cars waiting for the ferry so we had to wait an hour in Utne for the next ferry. This was a blessing in disguise as it gave us an opportunity to explore this little town and get out of the bus and stretch the legs.

    Our next stop to break the final leg of our journey today was at the Steindalsfossen Waterfall which was another opportunity to capture some great pictures as well as stretch the legs as we were able to walk up the hill and behind the waterfall.

    We arrived at Bergen at around 7.40pm and first impressions is this is another beautiful city. Apparently the baton as the most beautiful Scandinavian city is between Bergen and Stockholm. We finish our tour in Stockholm so we will make our own judgement then.

    We dined with Adrian, Bec and Luke and Maria and Paul (from Perth) at the restaurant next to the hotel. It was another enjoyable evening with great company and delicious food, we may head back there tomorrow night. After tea we wandered around the city, it was still daylight at 10.30pm with many people still out and about enjoying themselves. I think we will have fun in this city.

    Today was a very long day of travelling but we saw some amazing scenery along the way and also managed to walk over 11,500 steps and climb the equivalent of 42 floors. We will sleep well tonight.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 18: Bergen - A Beautiful City

    June 22, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Today started with a look around this beautiful city and learn't more about its history and the culture of Norway. After travelling around the city we visited Bryggen which is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings along the eastern side of the Vagen harbour in Bergen. The buildings facing the harbour all lean to the right due to a massive explosion on the harbour during WWII. We also visited the Hanseatic Museum which tells how the German merchants in Bergen lived from around 1360 to 1760's. The museum is one of the best preserved timber buildings at Bryggen.

    After the morning tour we wandered around the city visiting Lille Lungegardsvann, a lake in the centre of the city, the fish market and also wandered in some shops and bought the obligatory fridge magnet.

    In the afternoon we joined the tour to the museum and house which was the home of Norways most famous composer, Edvard Grieg. I'm no aficionado of classical music but he composed some music that we have all heard, likely on TV ads, such as Morning Moon, Piano Concerto in A Minor and In The Hall of the Mountain King. Apparently he was the Michael Jackson of his time from the 1860's to 1900's. I think I would have liked Grieg if I was alive in these times, especially given he apparently was critical of authorities, criticised the established church, religious pietism and all forms of dogmatism but he did marry his first cousin and that's just wrong/odd in any era. To be honest, I wasn't really into the visit to the museum and house, we had learnt about Grieg (and listened to some of his music) during the bus trip yesterday and that was enough for me. All we really wanted to do to this afternoon was take the funicular up to Mount Floyen to check out the city from this vantage point. Especially as the skies looked threatening today and we wanted to get up the mountain before the rain arrived. Anyway, we got up to the mountain just as the mist started to roll in so whilst we got a good look at the city the surrounding mountains were obscured by the misty rain. Anyway, it was a bit disappointing and in hindsight we would be better off doing our own thing today or taken Bec and Luke's lead and not doing the afternoon tour. But we are all geniuses in hindsight and we had a good day overall.

    After being up the mountain it was time to enjoy a quiet beverage at the Irish Pub, Bec and Luke joined us as they fortunately wandered past just after we grabbed a drink. The funniest moment occurred when my chair decided to collapse under me which gave the others a good laugh. I thought the chair felt dodgy and when I leaned back down I went.

    We went back to the hotel to drop off some things (this has been the best hotel so far with regard to location, comfort and the breakfast is awesome), on the way back out we ran into Adrian. There also happened to be some terrorist training drill happening outside the hotel at the same time with police running around with guns drawn on a truck that they intercepted, it was all a bit surreal until it clicked that it was a drill.

    We had tea at the same restaurant as last night with Adrian, Bec and Luke, this time I had the wings and ribs, delicious! After tea Amy bought a Viking drinking horn as a souvenir of our trip, it will look good on our wine cabinet.

    We love Bergen and had a good day overall.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 19: Fegernes - Time for an Aquavit!

    June 23, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    After another awesome breakfast we headed off through Norway again. The weather had become quite wet so thankfully we were in the bus this morning. Our first stop was at Voss where we enjoyed a cup of coffee and tea and one of the best vanilla slices we've ever had. It was raining at Voss so we didn't much else but hang out in the cafe.

    We then ventured to the Sognefjord to catch a ferry from Gudvangen to Laerdal. Whilst the scenery was breathtaking the weather was not good so we needed ponchos to protect us from the rain. I enjoyed the ferry ride but some on the tour didn't, I guess the tour guide need to be god so he can control the weather as well. You have to make the best of it and at least we didn't get sunburnt!

    After the ferry ride we continued our bus trip into the eastern side of Norway passing by the highest mountain range in Scandinavia.

    We arrived in Fagernes at around 6pm and went for walk around town prior to dinner. Dinner was buffet and the food was ok but they did run out at times due to the number of people in the restaurant. It was disappointing seeing people on our tour blaming another tour of Asians for this when we were eating just as much if not more than them. It was the kitchen that wasn't keeping up and as it turned out the people who were late and patient probably got the best of the food.

    After tea Amy and I, Bec and Luke and Adrian decided to adjourn to the bar and try Aquavit, the local drink. We ended up trying three types as well as a few jacks and Jameson's and had a bit of a night out in the bar. We had a lot of fun and have souvenired some shot glasses to remember the night. The drinks were expensive so it's the least we could do! Ha!

    A great fun night was had and we are enjoying our holiday very much however the tour is quickly coming to an end. Only three more sleeps left.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 20: Karlstad - Made it to Sweden!

    June 24, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today was a travelling day, our first stop was at the Lillehammer Ski Jump which was used for the 1994 Olympics. Unfortunately we were held up at the shop so we could only take the chair lift up and back and not spend much time up the top. The views were great all the same and the highlight was seeing three ski jumpers training, these guys are amazing and we got a video of one of the jumps they did. I could have stayed and watched them for ages.

    The countryside has changed completely again, no longer are we in the mountains and the terrain is undulating with large forests and farm areas again. The weather today has also been perfect which has added to the great experience. We stopped for lunch at the Norwegian and Swedish border, our last taste of Norway.

    Today Andre our guide told us his life story, his time in the Soviet army and in particular what he had to do to seek political asylum from the old USSR. His tenacity, work ethic and courage was inspiring. He has worked hard since getting out of the USSR and made a great life for himself and his family. I could only think during his story of how many Andres are sitting in Manus Island right now or the other inhumane refugee prisons we have created. Just people wanting a new chance in life yet we decide to treat them deplorably, it's a disgrace.

    We are now in Sweden for the last leg of our Scandinavian tour. Tonight we are in Karlstad. It's another beautiful city that is easy to walk around. We walked for well over an hour this evening checking out the city. We are loving these cities that are so pedestrian and bicycle friendly. I wish our cities back home were similar, I believe it would create so any opportunities and improvements to our lifestyle and perspective on the world.

    Apparently all Scandinavians are celebrating the mid summer holiday this weekend which means many people have left the cities for the countryside so we pretty much had the place to ourselves tonight. Tea was enjoyed at a local Italian restaurant and I can say is Swedish Calzone's rival those that I have enjoyed back home.

    It's an early night tonight catching up on the sleep we didn't get last night.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 21: Stockholm - Swedish Meatballs!

    June 25, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Today we headed for Stockholm. On the way we stopped at a village called Mariefeld, it's quite idyllic. It started raining when we arrived but it didn't last long and the sun came back out which was fortunate as we dressed expecting warmer weather and it was a bit fresh for a while there. At Mariefeld we visited the Gripsholm Castle which dates back to the 1380's, walked around the parklands and into the Main Street. It was quite a relaxing little place and good break for the trip to Stockholm.

    Once in Stockholm we checked into our hotel which is opposite the Bromma Airport and then headed into the city. Stockholm is definitely one of the most beautiful cities I've visited. I loved walking around the old town which is one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centres in Europe. I think it may have the edge on Bergen for the mantle of most beautiful city in Scandinavia but it is hard to compared as they are so different.

    For tea tonight we dined at a restaurant called Kaffegillet in the old town. The food was quite good and of course we had to have Swedish meat balls however I especially enjoyed the onion soup, and we managed to eat way too much, again. I feel Iike I've doubled in size this holiday.

    Tomorrow we will explore some more of this beautiful city and also visit the Vasa Museum which we are looking forward to.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 22: Stockholm - The end of the Tour

    June 26, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Today was our final day on the tour and whilst I have enjoyed seeing so much of Scandinavia over the last 12 days or so I am happy to have completed the tour so we can do our own thing again. Our tour director, Andre, was excellent, extremely knowledgeable, always went beyond the call of duty with assistance and has the patience of a saint dealing with some of our fellow tour members. We have made some great friends, namely Luke and Bec and Adrian and have some wonderful memories to take away. Some of the group were very friendly and genuinely nice people and some were very well travelled so it was interesting to listen to some of their stories and gaining insights and ideas for future holidays. However there was an element of our group were just rude and some who were just snobs and looked down their nose at us but I did find it funny how one in particular reminded me of the Kath and Kim alter egos, Prue and Trude. I am also always confounded how oblivious some people are to their surroundings and to what is going on around them. Anyway enough about the tour group but overall we ended the tour and happy to have met and made friends with some great people.

    We saw some more of Stockholm today and was particularly impressed by the City Town Hall and the Vasa Museum. At the town hall I learnt that they have 101 elected members and they meet every fortnight. I think I will be thankful we only have 11 at home. The Vasa Museum was amazing and I'm glad we were recommended to go there.

    Tonight was our final meal with our new friends from the tour. It was an enjoyable night and we are all excited for the next phase of our respective holidays.

    We leave Stockholm tomorrow but would be happy to return one day, it's a beautiful and interesting place.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 23: Amsterdam - Back Again!

    June 28, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I can now say that i have flown KLM, I've always wanted to fly with them. Our flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam was excellent, getting the emergency exit row was a bonus and we enjoyed the extra leg room, wish we could get these seats for the long haul flights back to Australia.

    Anyway, we have arrived back in Amsterdam and I am very happy to be back in my favourite city. Whilst I enjoyed visiting Scandinavia I just love being in this city. We enjoyed a few drinks, some people watching and wandered around the centrum area taking in the sights before returning to our now favourite Chinese restaurant, Sechuan which is just around the corner from our hotel for another Peking banquet. Our timing was impeccable as we also managed to get the window table again as well.

    There appears to be be a lot more people in the city today compared to 2 weeks ago which has added to the vibrancy of the city. There is also the ever present smell of pot, it seems many of the English tourists prefer to smoke outside than in the coffee shops. All to their own I guess.

    We are very happy to be back and also happy we have a much better room at the hotel which is a bonus. We are having an early night and look forward to relaxing over the next few days while enjoying this sensational city.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 24: Amsterdam - Lekker!

    June 28, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    All I really want to talk about today is the food I ate, it was lekker! But before I do that perhaps an overview of what we did today is in order.

    After a delicious breakfast, where I enjoyed some hagelslag, ham, cheese and boiled eggs, see it's all about the food today, better get to the story. So we had breakfast and decided to wander over to the Amsterdam Museum and get there when it opens. We almost had the place to ourselves for a while which was a good change to last time when the place was packed. Anyway, we enjoyed looking around and found some exhibits we hadn't seen before. We then decided to tram it across town to the De Gooyer Windmill, the tallest windmill in the country. The windmill was quite impressive and next door is the Breouwerij't, a small brewery, unfortunately we were too early to try the beer as it didn't open until the afternoon.

    It was time to grab another tram and head towards the bridge where you can see 15 bridges in the centre of the city. We walked down Utrechtsplein and then back up along Spiegelkwartier where there are several arts aimed antique stops. This was a fun neighbourhood to walk around with many people and cyclists about. Some more trams rides and we found ourselves at the Waterlooplein Markets. It was here that we enjoyed lunch from a small van. Kroketten in bread with friets and mayo the fare. I was in heaven, but I digress, back to our travels.

    While at the markets it started to rain so we needed to seek some shelter, we came cross the Rembrant House Museum which Is the location where he spent most of his life. It was quite good but we weren't there long so had to fill some more time looking through some shops. When the rain cleared enough it was back onto a tram to Rembrantplein to stop for a drink. Another tram and we were back in Dam Square where we did a bit more souvenir shopping.

    We circled around for a while prior to heading out for tea. We decided to eat at the 'The Pantry' in Leidseplein to have a Dutch meal. We must have been very lucky to get a seat as we only got a table if we could be out in an hour, this seemed OK, I was happy to eat as quickly as they could get the food out, and many people were turned away while we sat there. It seemed to be a very popular restaurant and after sampling their fare I can see why. I had the pea soup followed by a combo of hutspot, zuurkool-en boerenkoolstampot with a meatball and vlaflip for dessert. Amy had the Dutch steak and poffertjes. It was all washed down with a Dutch red wine. It was a sensational feed, I highly recommend the restaurant.

    After dinner it was time to put the feet up and relax over a few ciders at Leidseplein and later at Stones, a bar around the corner from our hotel.

    We were not going to do much at all today but as it turned out we did in excess of 20,000 steps and many kilometres of tram rides zig zagging around the city, it is so easy to get around. I just love being here and exploring the city, finding new spots I haven't been to and revisiting other favourite spots and to top it off we had some lekker Dutch food to boot. What a sensational day.    Read more

  • Timothy TolNetherlands & ScandinaviaTimothy Tol

    Day 25: Amsterdam - Our favourite city!

    June 30, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today started slowly as we did some souvenir shopping in the morning before heading out to the Jordaan area for a walk around, this is one of my favourite areas of Amsterdam. We enjoyed being in Jordaan wandering the streets and admiring the buildings, watching the people and meeting the local cats. We stopped at a favourite little shop and got a sausage roll and some chocolate. We tried to visit the Poezenboot but there was a line up so we kept wandering some more.

    We then decided to head over to Voldelpark which is another of our favourite places. Another tram trip and some more wandering and it was time to put the feet up and relax on our last night in our favourite city.

    So this afternoon and evening was spent enjoying drinks at some of our favourite watering holes around the Oude Church.

    It was a late night but loads of fun.    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice