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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Back to Southampton

    21. februar, England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    A very wet final sail away from Zeebrugge, and a bit of roll on the ship as we sailed through the English Channel. One last dinner in the lovely Olive Grove, a few episodes of Ru Paul, and then packing in the morning. We departed amongst a faff of people for a 'Spoons breakfast with Mum and Kev who are joining the Iona for their own cruise next week!Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Á la Becasse

    20. februar, Belgia ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    We tried to grab a metro back to the centre, which was a mission to try and pay for, and then as we trekked back to the platform I fell down the final step and whacked my knee off a nobbled tile.

    In centre of Brussels, we headed for Á la Becasse, a bar we found last time and fell in love with. Down a fairly hidden alley and looking like something from The Witcher, we had lambik beer in a porcelain jug. Ordering a small tasting flight and a Zot for Ben, the waiter thought I also wanted just a tasting of the Zot...when we laughed and I asked for a big one for Ben, he bought us a massive drink! Brilliant bar with fab staff.Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Natural History and the EU Parliament

    20. februar, Belgia ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Up earlier than is reasonable on a holiday this morning, so we could grab breakfast before our bus to Brussels. The guide on the bus was knowledgeable but not hugely engaging. We briefly stopped at the Atomium outside of the main city. Having done the excursion before, we knew the walk in would include a mini-guide, so we asked if we could leave and grab a metro.

    At the Natural History Museum, we may have been the only adults there without children! But we came to see dinosaurs. That seemed like a reasonable and achievable goal, but clearly the museum designer had different ideas. The map is marked 1 to 18, you enter at 6, each number could be on any floor, and apparently numbers don't mark galleries but crossings...what?! The exhibits were great but the map was mental. We took in lots of dinosaurs, including iguanadons that were stood upright and had been in the gallery since 1901, with an explanation that newer science had them on all fours.

    Just outside the museum was the EU Parliament, and we wandered through the campus before planning our return to town.    Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Koozie Proverij, Rotterdam

    19. februar, Nederland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    Back in Rotterdam, we decided to venture back to the Koozie Proverij cafe from yesterday as they stocked Noordt Brewery beers and we didn't get to try them yesterday. And we got to try them all! A Dubbel, Tripel, grapefruit, blonde, wit (white), bok, 10 hops, and IPA. They were brilliantly labelled with EBC and ICU on the side, and made for a great impromptu tasting paddle. Ben also finally got to try bitterballen, before heading back to the ship in time for departure towards Zeebrugge.Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Nobel's Brood

    19. februar, Nederland ⋅ ❄️ 2 °C

    In an attempt to get warm and out of the increasingly sleety weather, coffee beckoned. Nobel's Brood sits in the medieval streets next to the Grote Kerke, so we pulled up a high chair in the backroom. It was a fabulous little find, and we opted for Tea for Two, with coffee and four different cakes (brownie, madeleine, pastal de nata, and apple cake, plus a bonus lemon cake on the coffee saucer!). Absolutely delicious, and we couldn't have found a better, more atmospheric place to stop. As we tried to order, speaking no Dutch, the waitress shyly remarked that her English wasn't great either, and then proceeded to describe the cakes to us flawless English, utterly putting our language skills to shame!

    Taking a slightly different route along another canal, we passed by more wonky houses on the way back to the Waterbus stop.    Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Dordrecht

    19. februar, Nederland ⋅ ❄️ 1 °C

    We awoke today to big, chunky snow falling over Rotterdam. Thankfully, the wind and temperature was not as cutting as it has been as we crossed Erasmusbrug to the Waterbus stop. The Waterbus took us an hour further inland, past the UNESCO Kinderdijk windmills (which were 100% not visible in the weather!) down the Meuse to Dordrecht, the oldest city in the Netherlands having gained city status in 1220.

    We braved the slippery paths to wander the canals of the medieval town. The architecture and houses were beautiful, and not a one of them was actually straight! They all look like they'll end up tumbling into the street one day. The Grote Kerk tower was similarly wonky, we have come to believe is the aesthetic of Dutch and Flemish architecture!    Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    A brewery tour of Rotterdam

    18. februar, Nederland ⋅ 🌬 2 °C

    Heading back out into Rotterdam, we identified some of the best spots for a beer and planned a route. We started at Proeflokaal Reijngoud, De Gele Kanarie Cafe, and finally Bokaal, trying their own brews where possible, or local drinks failing that. De Gele Kanarie had a beautiful view over the Laurenskerk, one of the few buildings that remained somewhat intact after the bombing of Rotterdam in 1940, which led to us reading about the destruction and reconstruction of the city. We got back to the ship just in time for dinner as Ben racked up 20,000 steps for the day.Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    A morning stroll in Rotterdam

    18. februar, Nederland ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    After Hamburg, we spent a day at sea doing very little in the best sense - we watched a lot of on demand TV and chilled out in the cabin. By the end of the day though, the wind has picked up and the roll on the ship was very noticeable!

    Into past the Hook of Holland, it all calmed, and we sailed by night into Rotterdam. A lazy start with breakfast in the restaurant before heading out for a walk along the Maas river to towards the old port. We crossed the Willembrug onto Noordereiland for the first time, for a spot of coffee at Koozie Proeverij. We crossed back towards the ship, admiring up close the Koningshavenbrug. I had a webinar for the National Research Conference in the early afternoon, so from my cabin and sounding like Macy Gray, I spoke for a short workshop on quantitative analysis!    Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Lüneburg

    16. februar, Tyskland ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C

    A ship-run excursion to Lüneburg for the morning, with the most eccentric guide ever. She's really interesting and knowledgeable, but you tune out for 10 seconds and then have bugger all idea what's going on! She's sung the Hamburg anthem, talked about Danish submarines, John La Carre, the Greater London Authority, corruption in Ukraine, and hunters hunting a boar and salting meat.

    The medieval town was rather picturesque dusted in snow, but it was also bloody cold. It was interesting to see the streets that had entirely collapsed, having been undermined for salt, and to see yet more churches with wonky spires (starting to doubt the architects of this part of the world). The restored houses of Lüneburg were a far cry from the red-grey covered buildings that were apparently prominent in the 1970s. The bell tower of the town hall has beautiful porcelain bells, but which don't ring in the cold winters for fear of shattering them. We managed the cobbles without breaking any bones, and with the 45 minutes of free time, we managed to find a bar serving a lovely local beer, before heading back to Hamburg.    Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Hamburg Port

    16. februar, Tyskland ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C

    Arriving under cover of darkness, we hadn't realised we were ported for the first time in a different bit of Hamburg - typically we've ported on the south, so it's handy for once to be ported north, on the side of the town. We anticipated cold, but not necessarily snow, which was a pleasant surprise.Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Relaxing at Sea

    15. februar, Tyskland ⋅ 🌬 -1 °C

    The first of two sea days was hampered by the horrible cough I'd caught in the last week of school (which sounds like a fork in a washing machine, according to Ben!). That said, it didn't keep us from much; as it is a half term cruise, the itinerary is very geared towards children. So we watched some TV in the room, and grabbed a few beers to watch a spectacular France smash Wales in the Rugby. Today was the only black tie night of the cruise, so we enjoyed another complementary drink before dinner, in which the promised petit fours were sadly lacking! The pilot to guide us down the Elbe joined us about 11pm. It's a shame the journey in and out are both in the dark, as it would be great to see the 70 mile journey inland in the light.Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    Into the Channel

    14. februar, England ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Our cabin on the Iona is on Deck 16, just a few cabins back from the bridge. It made for a breath-stealing start, as we don't use lifts on cruise ships (something at least to try and stave off the calories) which meant an eight-deck climb with our luggage! With views out over Southampton city centre, we grabbed a beer and watched England play a pretty terrible match of rugby against Scotland. The departure into the Channel gave us fantastic views of Portsmouth, despite nightfall. We spent some time booking up dining reservations for the week before heading to Anderson's for a complementary welcome drink and Aqua for dinner...and then climbed nine flights of stairs back to the room - ouch!Les mer

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  • Northern Europe for half term

    A traditional start

    14. februar, England ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    We'd be forewarned by P&O that there were roadworks on the way down, so we set out early. A good job we did - the engine splash plate on my car had come loose with all the roadworks and potholes around our house, so we had to come back and change to Ben's car. That aside, the run down in our direction was actually very clear, although we sadly passed a big accident on the other carriageway. So clear was the run, that we got to the Dancing Man Brewery twenty minutes before it opened! We grabbed our traditional pre-cruise pint before heading to Ocean Terminal for boarding.Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Homeward bound

    29. desember 2025, England ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    After a leisurely day at sea spent drinking, playing crib, and eating, we hit port in Southampton. We spent almost the whole of yesterday making the laziest approach ever through the English Channel, and heard the final talk from the Governor about HMP Belmarsh. And now we're home, its definitely gone too quickly!Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Kaapse Brewery

    27. desember 2025, Nederland ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Grabbing a tram back to the heart of Rotterdam, we stopped at the "Santa Claus" statue, which looks rather more risqué than the supposed Santa holding a Christmas tree! I found a fabulous shop selling local artists work before a tram took us back to the ship. On the harbour behind the ship was the Kaapse brewery, which was our final stop of the holiday where I had a sour that made Ben screw up his face! He rather preferred his session.

    After dinner on the ship, we popped into the silent disco before grabbing our Christmas Day gin present from P&O and watching the late night sailaway from Rotterdam.    Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Delfshaven, Rotterdam

    27. desember 2025, Nederland ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    The fog that rolled in over breakfast was incredible, transforming the clear Rotterdam skyline into nothing! So we decided on a more leisurely day today, and trammed across Rotterdam to historic suburb of Delfshaven. Looking more like canal houses of the Netherlands than we were used to for Rotterdam, it was a beautiful place to visit, complete with iconic windmills. Apparently it was the place the Speedwell left from with the Puritans headed for America, but the ship only made it as far as Cornwall, whilst the Mayflower carried on. The Pelgrims Brewery there has tasty beers named after this event too.Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Rotterdam

    26. desember 2025, Nederland ⋅ 🌙 1 °C

    As dusk fell, we walked back through Rotterdam to the ship via the Cube Houses, the Markthal, and a beautiful sunset from the Erasmus Bridge. 24km walking, three cities, and only one beer...time for a drink!
    (Photos of Erasmus Bridge were from the morning)    Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Delft

    26. desember 2025, Nederland ⋅ ☀️ 2 °C

    A quick diversion on the way back Amsterdam to see Delft, its canals, and its very wonky church. Alas the brouhuis was not open so we couldn't even have a beer to warm us up!

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas
    1

    A cold morning in Amsterdam

    26. desember 2025, Nederland ⋅ ☀️ 1 °C

    Rotterdam was a balmy -1° air temperature as we shivered our way through to the station as the sun came up. Amsterdam wasn't much warmer but the sun was out in a bright blue sky. We walked the western canals past the beautiful canal houses and to the flower market, before a brief shopping stop at the Delft store. We past the narrowest facade in Amsterdam on the way, barely wider than the front door! More canals took us through the red light distract and past the Oude Kerk. In trying to find a pub, I clearly conducted the same Google search as when we were here last time as we ended up in the same bar on the western canals! Of all the stops, Amsterdam has been the least clean, and the smell of cannabis hangs frequently in the air. However the canals are pretty and the beer is good!Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Christmas at Sea

    25. desember 2025 ⋅ 🌬 6 °C

    A lazy Christmas day at sea, with a bucks fizz breakfast to start. A few games in Anderson's, a talk from The Governor about women in prison, a bit of cabin time, and a fabulous Christmas dinner. We even stopped by Carmen's to watch Headliners Theatre Company perform for the evening, and they were very impressive. However, we are both now SO full!Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Holmenkollen, Oslo

    24. desember 2025, Norge ⋅ ☀️ -4 °C

    A 40-ish minute walk from Frogseteren led us to Holmenkollen and the massive Olympic ski jump over Oslo. Passing along tree-lined footpaths, the Holmenkollen area gives stunning views down the Oslofjord, not least on a such glorious sunny day. The train back was less than half and hour, seeing us easily back in time for all aboard at 1.30pm.Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Frognerseteren, Oslo

    24. desember 2025, Norge ⋅ ☀️ -4 °C

    After a restaurant breakfast, we grabbed a metro up the hills of Oslo to Frognerseteren. A swift 35 minute journey saw us out of the city and surrounded by snow-covered trees overlooking the Oslofjord. The sun came out on our journey and by the time we reached the fjord was bathed in beautiful sunshine. The Øvresetertjern Lake at the top was completely frozen barring a small hole at the bottom of the ladder on the dock. Whilst I sent Ben off so I could take a photo he was joined by a native Norweigan who promptly stripped off and got into the freezing water!

    Following a footpath to Holmenkollen, we were graced with blue skies, snow crunching underfoot, and beautiful forests.    Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    Oslo Rådhus and harbour

    23. desember 2025, Norge ⋅ ☁️ -1 °C

    Walking towards the waterfront, the Oslo Rådhus was a surprising find. We came upon thr building from the west, and circled it to get to the impressive main facade. The courtyard contains 16 wooden friezes by Dagfin Werenskiold showing scenes from Norse mythology and the Poetic Edda. Inside, the building is a riot of colour and murals, and is both beautifully kept and freely accessible. Over the road, the Amundsen Bryggeri was a micro-brewery, and so we swallowed the Norweigan prices for a lovely lunchtime beer. We had planned on visiting the nearby National Museum, but feeling we'd seen plenty, we passed this by and the Nobel Peace Centre, visiting the more-than-700-years-old Akershus Fortress which has never been taken by a foreign enemy. Although Quisling was both proclaimed "Minister President" here during World War II, and subsequently shot as a traitor to Norway here after the war. The fortress had beautiful views over the Oslofjord. Leaving via the 17th Century drawbridge, we finished our 12km walk as we headed back to the ship only an hour or so before darkness falls at about 4pm.Les mer

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  • Scandaweigian Christmas

    The city of Oslo

    23. desember 2025, Norge ⋅ ☁️ -1 °C

    We sailed north overnight from Copenhagen, through the Oslofjord to the Norweigan capital city. An early breakfast up in the Pennant Bar meant we could watch the sail in as the dawn broke. Whilst we are overnight in Oslo, most things are closed tomorrow as it it Christmas Eve, so we had to plan our day more carefully. Starting our from our port at the Opera House, we passed some saunas and, horrifyingly, a chap leaving the sauna in shorts and diving into the icy water beyond despite the 0° temperature!

    The walk towards the Royal Palace passed the Oslo Cathedral with its 1500sq.m. decorated ceiling. The architecture is quite different to Copenhagen which had more Georgian-style buildings against Oslo's starker and more modern buildings with cleaner lines. We stopped at our second Parliament of the trip, the Stortinget, and down into the nearby Christmas market where open fires were welcomed by frozen hands. Beyond, the 19th Century Royal Palace was an opportunity to take some fabulous photos of the royal guards.    Les mer

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