• Utrecht Railway Museum

      19. helmikuuta, Alankomaat ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

      Utrecht had a well-renowned railway museum, and we found the reputation was well-deserved. The main building was a former station that had been refurbished to show what a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Klasse waiting room was like, and even the royal waiting room. The tracks behind the station and the hanger beyond were then full of trains and carriages from the oldest in the Netherlands to the modern day. The English guidebook was especially useful as we wandered through carriages and around the trains. There was a particularly interesting display regarding the Holocaust and the role of the railways. It was, of course, full of small children! But nonetheless, we had a fabulous time.Lue lisää

    • Utrecht

      19. helmikuuta, Alankomaat ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

      A short train-ride further east, Utrecht was a much larger city despite photos of canals and gothic architecture. The Domkerk and tower were very impressive from the outside, although the cathedral was surprisingly relatively small inside (albeit with incredibly high ceilings).

      After visiting the Railway Museum, we dropped into the Taphaus for a drink. Pre-loaded a card with some cash, we then got a glass and could pour as much of any of the beers that we wanted from the dozens on tap! All good, except a terrible blue concoction that tasted like dish water.
      Lue lisää

    • Cheese Shopping in Gouda

      19. helmikuuta, Alankomaat ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C

      First stop of a packed day as we disembarked in Gouda. This quaint town was rather sleepy as we ambled through streets and canals towards the main square. The 15th Century stadhuis and 17th Century Weighing House dominate the square, with Sint-Janskerk towering in the background. Stopping at 't Kasswinkeltje, Ben tried an unreasonable number flavoured Gouda cheese like a kid in a candy shop!Lue lisää

    • Rotterdam

      19. helmikuuta, Alankomaat ⋅ ☁️ -1 °C

      Once again in Rotterdam this morning. A crisp - read "bloody cold" - early morning walk to the station, aiming for new stops to us of Gouda and Utrecht. We're ported overnight here, so we might pop to Amsterdam to see it at night, but we'll see.Lue lisää

    • North of the Frisian Islands 🌊

      18. helmikuuta, North Sea ⋅ 🌬 2 °C

      From Hamburg back to the North Sea is about 100km along the Elbe, but as we didn't depart until early evening it was dark which rather spoilt the views.

      A bit of an odd day at sea, following a 3am in-cabin medical emergency announcement, which was the cabin next to ours. Starting to feel rather too au fait with middle-of-the-night emergency announcements on P&O; maybe it's us?!

      The ship's pace was positively lackadaisical as we headed west through the day. At one point, we weren't sure if we were moving at all. I finished Onyx Storm and Ben finished Iron Flame, and we relaxed in the cabin with beautiful, crisp sunshine outside.

      The evening was the only black tie night of the cruise. We enjoyed a free prosecco and lovely dinner before preparing for Rotterdam tomorrow, where we plan to catch a train to Gouda and Utrecht.
      Lue lisää

    • Lubeck

      17. helmikuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☀️ -3 °C

      Much discussion was had over what to do in Hamburg. In port from 7am-7pm but the port was 90mins walk/30 min shuttle bus from the town. We could get a train from Hamburg but that's another 15min walk from the shuttle drop-off...and then, a train to where? Or, do we stay in Hamburg...and do what? Last time we were here we did much of the city and weren't that impressed.

      We settled on a shore excursion to Lubeck. This was a mission in itself as we couldn't book it through the app, shore excursions was closed and their iPads for booking all froze!

      Our fabulous guide narrated the hour-long journey with lots of information about East and West Germany, culture, life and beer, before we arrived in "the Hanseatic town of Lubeck", on an island between two rivers.

      The architecture drew us to the town and didn't disappoint. Despite substantial damage in WWII, the combination of what survived and what was rebuilt was very impressive. The picture postcard look was aided by crystal clear skies and snow underfoot.

      Purportedly the home of marzipan, we stop by the Niederegger Cafe as we wandered the old town and it's many cobbled alleyways. The Willy Brandy Haus also housed interesting exhibits about the man and a piece of the Berlin Wall.

      We wandered the Hanse Museum's buildings although didn't go in due to timing - our guide was very clear the bus would be *leaving* at 1.40pm! So we stopped for a beer instead and enjoyed a slice of cake.
      Lue lisää

    • Off the coast of the Netherlands

      16. helmikuuta, North Sea ⋅ 🌬 2 °C

      A day at sea meant a day reading. Ben finished Iron Flame and I finished What the River Knows. Both of us had strong feelings about our books! After a few games of crib, we had an early dinner slot in the Olive Garden again. The freshly cooked food means a leisurely dinner, a pleasant way to spend a day a sea. Although the itinerary for the day was unexciting, we were treated to an unscheduled aerial show in the evening as we approached the mouth of the Elbe.

      We are picking up the pilot around 11.30pm to sail down the Elbe to Hamburg, where we have a trip to Lübeck booked for what looks to be a VERY cold but very clear day.
      Lue lisää

    • From Southampton

      15. helmikuuta, Englanti ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

      So, here we go again. Back to the Iona, back to northern Europe. But it's half term and it fits. The travel down was a bit chaotic - delays on the M1 were compounded by match day in Southampton which saw us go eight miles in an hour. Nonetheless we arrived in time to have a drink at the Dancing Man before boarding.

      A few drinks and games of crib in Andersons, we grabbed a spot in the fabulous Olive Garden for dinner (as the main restaurant menu wasn't super exciting) as we set sail for Hamburg.
      Lue lisää

    • Best of Barbados

      28. joulukuuta 2024, Barbados ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      We had a pint at the Sunset Bar on Deck 16 last night (no lifts though) to finish our holiday as we'd begun it. A container ship next to us began unloading and it was really fascinating to watch the port at work.

      To make the most of our last day in Barbados, we booked an excursion. We don't meet for the flight until 4pm, but had to be out of the cabin by 8am and didn't want to just be "waiting" all day. After a final breakfast on the balcony, a bit of organised chaos ensued in the port as we found our excursion, but were soon wending our way through the streets of Bridgetown and off into three of the eleven parishes of Barbados.

      Sunbury Plantation was the first call, a restored plantation house full of antiques and carriages. As ever, we were treated to a complementary rum punch, which was a bit of a surprise given that it was before 10am.

      Further north on the island, we stopped at Tropical Gardens, one of six botanical gardens. The fabulous orchids here hang on the trees but can effectively grow on anything. A little hummingbird fluttered about as we were given another rum punch too.

      Final stop was Gun Signal Hill, one of six signal stations on Barbados fully restored. Not only was this an interesting historic stop, it also gave fabulous views out over the flat southern part of the island all the way down to our ship.

      Our guide (Italian, but living on Barbados for 29 years, so quite a strange accent!) took us back to the port, so we could grab lunch and a drink on the ship before getting ready for our 4pm meet.

      Post-lunch, we had an unexpected entertainment as the cargo ship we'd watched last night departed, only to get a few metres from the dock to be pushed back in by a tug. We never quite got to find out why as we had to leave. So we endured the chaos of people being oblivious as we got a bus to the airport where we now sit awaiting a flight. The Caribbean was great, and we think we did it justice, but also for that reason don't think we need to come back again soon. (That's not to say we're ready to go back to work though!).
      Lue lisää

    • Carlisle Bay, Barbados

      27. joulukuuta 2024, Barbados ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      With nothing else planned, we walked further on to Carlisle Bay and the beach. My goodness it was busy. The weather was fabulous, but the beach was teeming with people in the sea, on boats, and on sunbeds. We splodged along the front and back, before heading back to the ship in the sweltering heat. Suspect there'll be some very pink people returning to the ship later this afternoon.

      Oh! And Ben saw a turtle in the water on the way back to the ship 🐢
      Lue lisää

    Hanki oma matkailuprofiilisi

    Ilmainen

    QR code

    FindPenguins iOS-ohjelmistoilleFindPenguins Androidille