mei – jul. 2019

Europe2019

May - July 2019 Meer informatie

Volgen Overzicht Kalender Delen

Footprints
Foto’s

Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 28
- woensdag 19 juni 2019
- ☁️ 19 °C
- Hoogte: Zeeniveau
- Nederland Spaarne 52.38739, 4.6462252°23’15” N 4°38’46” E
Haarlem, Amsterdam
19 juni 2019, Nederland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We caught a train to Haarlem, about 20kms from Amsterdam. We arrived just as a huge storm was covering the whole of Harlem. Luckily it passed and we got to see Harlem's cobbled streets and winding waterways, ancient buildings, Grote Markt, the square and Grote Kerk, a Reformed Protestant church and former Catholic cathedral, and lovely inviting cafés and shops before heading off to hire bikes.
We rode a loop trail that took us through a small section of the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and through kilometres of sand dunes spotting a few highland cattle along the way before stopping at two beaches, Strandslag Parnassia and Bloemendaal where we had lunch. Bloemendaal is a busy beach. There are a couple of permanent restaurants right on beach and hundreds of temporary sheds and activities set up for the summer holidays - impressive. We then had a short ride back to Harlem. It was a great 20km ride!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 29
- donderdag 20 juni 2019
- ☁️ 17 °C
- Hoogte: Zeeniveau
- Nederland Zwethkanaal 52.01158, 4.3570752°0’42” N 4°21’25” E
Delft - Amsterdam
20 juni 2019, Nederland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Today we took an hour's train journey to Delft, where we visited Royal Delft, the only remaining, original Delftware manufacturer from the 17th century. Donna and I toured the Royal Delft museum and factory while Alan and Wayne explored the city centre. Both choices were enjoyed respectively. Donna and I still had time to see the beauty of the city centre and all the wonderful canals and bridges along the way. The square of Delft is called 'de Markt' and the day we were there was market day so there was cheese, fish, vegetables, bread, nuts, and other foods as well as clothing, leather bags, bicycle accessories, electronic gadgets and much much more.
The Nieuwe Kerk, a Protestant church is located on the Square opposite to the City Hall Stadhuis), a Renaissance style building. We climbed the Church Tower's 376 stairs for fantastic views of Delft. Around the market, pubs and open-air terraces are plentiful and they are very friendly. We loved Delft so much, we stayed for dinner before returning to Amsterdam on the train.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
0 likes
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 31
- zaterdag 22 juni 2019
- ⛅ 20 °C
- Hoogte: Zeeniveau
- Nederland Gogerpolder 52.21443, 4.6402752°12’52” N 4°38’25” E
Oude Wettering
22 juni 2019, Nederland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Today we started our bike barge adventure travelling Amsterdam to Brugge. We were expecting to be two Aussies out of a group of maybe 30 cyclists from all over the world - we are two of 11 Aussies...and that is the whole group! They are a lovely group so it should be a great eight days together. We only travelled a short distance before stopping at our first night's destination - Oude Wettering. On this short trip we went through many lochs and raised bridges - it was Saturday and half of Amsterdam were out enjoying the water - such a relaxed lifestyle here. We went for a practice 12km ride after dinner just to iron out any bicycle issues before the bigger ride tomorrow. It was an uneventful but pretty ride, everyone happy with their bikes and keen for tomorrow.
The boat we are on is very comfortable and the crew of three are welcoming and friendly.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
ReizigerI hope your Lycra shorts are padded 😜
24-06-2019Reageren
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 32
- zondag 23 juni 2019 om 09:00
- ☀️ 19 °C
- Hoogte: Zeeniveau
- Nederland Gouda 52.01152, 4.7104652°0’41” N 4°42’38” E
Gouda, Netherlands
23 juni 2019, Nederland ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Destination Gouda! A 45km ride from Oude Wetering! We set off at 9am and arrived at 3pm. Our first ride of the trip was wonderful. It was a perfect day around 27°-30° sunny and blue sky. We had a very relaxing ride stopping often to take in the beautiful surroundings.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 32
- zondag 23 juni 2019 om 20:00
- ⛅ 26 °C
- Hoogte: Zeeniveau
- Nederland Gouda 52.01152, 4.7104652°0’41” N 4°42’38” E
Gouda
23 juni 2019, Nederland ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
We walked around Gouda after our dinner tonight. Gouda is known for its namesake cheese and seasonal cheese market, regularly held on the medieval Markt square. Anchoring the square is the 15th-century town tall, a Gothic building with red and white shutters. Also on the square is the 17th-century Goudse Waag, once a cheese-weighing station and now home to the Gouda Cheese Museum.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
2 likes
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 33
- maandag 24 juni 2019 om 10:00
- ⛅ 25 °C
- Hoogte: Zeeniveau
- Nederland Kinderdijk 51.88374, 4.6330951°53’1” N 4°37’59” E
Kinderdijk Netherlands
24 juni 2019, Nederland ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Today started with a short sail before disembarking for a short ride to Kinderdijk famous for its iconic 18th-century windmills. Its water-management network features 19 mills and 3 pumping stations, plus dykes and reservoirs that control flooding in the polder (low-lying land). Waterways, footpaths and bike trails crisscross the area, leading to the main visitors centre where we got to go inside a preserved working windmill. This was our main stop today as we had about 50kms to ride by 3:30pm to where our boat was waiting to set sail again to reach our final destination for the night - Willemstad.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
2 likes
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 33
- maandag 24 juni 2019 om 17:00
- ⛅ 30 °C
- Hoogte: 12 m
- Nederland Willemstad 51.69195, 4.4379151°41’31” N 4°26’16” E
Willemstad Netherlands
24 juni 2019, Nederland ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
We had a chance to walk around Willemstad after dinner. It has a beautiful port with a lot of expensive boats - our barge fitted right in....well almost!
Zie vertaling
2 likes
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 34
- dinsdag 25 juni 2019 om 09:00
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Hoogte: 29 m
- België Torhout 51.06498, 3.1015751°3’54” N 3°6’6” E
Torhout / Antwerp, Belgium
25 juni 2019, België ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Today we rode from Willemstad to Antwerp, a port city on Belgium’s River Scheldt. It was an unbelievably hot day reaching 37°. It was a long hard 50kms to our destination but we made it....a little later than planned because we lost one rider along the way! Luckily his wife noticed he was no longer with us. A panic-stricken tour guide and the only other two men set off in various directions to find him. About an hour later he was found! For the men this expedition added a few kms to what was already a very exhausting ride - for the women, it was a very welcome pitstop to relax and revive!
We had an almost unnoticed crossing of the border from Holland to Belgium until our guide pointed out a big insignificant concrete block at the side of the path!!
Our lunch stop today was Kasteel Ravenhof (Ravenhof Castle), a castle in the centre of Torhout, West Flanders. The city's park surrounds the castle which now serves as a museum and tourist centre. The promise of Belgian waffles at the café here kept everyone in high spirits....and they didn't disappoint. They were by far the best waffles ever tasted - light and delicious!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 34
- dinsdag 25 juni 2019 om 20:00
- ☁️ 27 °C
- Hoogte: 11 m
- België Antwerp 51.21945, 4.4024651°13’10” N 4°24’9” E
Antwerp
25 juni 2019, België ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
The Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe. The city is also known for its diamond industry and trade.
We walked into the city after dinner to look around. We went to the top floor of the Museum aan de Stroom for some great views of Antwerp.
We continued into the old town and into the main square, the Grote Markt, with its extravagant city hall (which was sadly covered up while being renovated), its 16th century guildhalls, and many restaurants and cafés. We picked a nice pub in the square and had a drink before heading back to the boat. Antwerp old town is a very easy to walk around.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 34
- dinsdag 25 juni 2019 om 21:00
- ⛅ 24 °C
- Hoogte: 11 m
- België Antwerp 51.21925, 4.4022551°13’9” N 4°24’8” E
Old Town Antwerp
25 juni 2019, België ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
It was very quiet when we were in the old town!
Also threw in a picture of the Museum aan de Stroom to show some modern architecture - this is the building the previous photos were taken from - 10th Floor.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 35
- woensdag 26 juni 2019 om 14:00
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Hoogte: 12 m
- België Vondelbeek 51.02548, 4.1019551°1’32” N 4°6’7” E
Dendermonde, Belgium
26 juni 2019, België ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We left Antwerp via its 572 meter long tunnel, which is located 31.57 meters below the ground, and is called the Pedestrian Tunnel by Antwerp residents. Since 1933 it has connected the city with the Left Bank , in other words the older with the newer Antwerp. Both sides have a lift for 40 people or a maximum of 3,000 kg, and two authentic wooden escalators. It was a very "cool" experience (sorry, I couldn't think of a better word!). Our ride today was a mere 52 kms (look who's getting cocky now!). A beautiful day of about 24° which was such a welcome change from the previous day.
Today's destination is Dendermonde. We made great time due largely to it being about 10° cooler but also because we travelled mainly on a dedicated bike trail. We had time to stop often for coffee and tea and still got to Dendermonde ahead of schedule.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 36
- donderdag 27 juni 2019 om 14:00
- ☀️ 22 °C
- Hoogte: 8 m
- België Kanaal Gent-Brugge 51.05434, 3.7174251°3’16” N 3°43’3” E
Gent (Ghent), Belgium
27 juni 2019, België ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Today is our last riding day! We rode from Dendermonde to the old city centre of Ghent, about 43kms, where we locked up our bikes and walked around the old town for about three hours.
Ghent is a port city at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. During the Middle Ages it was a prominent city-state. Today it’s a university town and cultural hub. Its pedestrianized centre is known for medieval architecture such as 12th-century Gravensteen castle and the Graslei, a row of guildhalls beside the Leie river harbour.
Our three hours disappeared - there was so much to take in. We did, however, make time to enjoy a piece of warm apple pie and cream which is a specialty in Belgium - it was delicious!
We then rode a further 7kms to the boat where we said goodbye to the bikes that had taken us on this journey - some 260kms over the past 6 days. I will miss the riding and camaraderie but perhaps not the aching backside!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 36
- donderdag 27 juni 2019 om 17:00
- ☀️ 22 °C
- Hoogte: 8 m
- België Kanaal Gent-Brugge 51.05434, 3.7174251°3’16” N 3°43’3” E
More of Ghent
27 juni 2019, België ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 37
- vrijdag 28 juni 2019 om 09:00
- ⛅ 15 °C
- Hoogte: 8 m
- België Het Brugse Ommeland 51.20935, 3.224751°12’34” N 3°13’29” E
Brugge (Bruges), Belgium
28 juni 2019, België ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
The cycling part of the tour is over so today we have a free day in Brugge. Our guide got us there by bus and train, after which the day was ours to spend as we pleased.
It was a sunny 25° with clear blue skies. We had a lovely day wandering Brugge's cobbled streets, admiring its medieval buildings, and crossing its many bridges and canals. We took it easy as we were returning here on Saturday for a couple of days so it wasn't necessary to race around like a mad tourist.
Just a sample of Brugge in this group of pics...more to come!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 38
- zaterdag 29 juni 2019
- ☀️ 28 °C
- Hoogte: 8 m
- België Het Brugse Ommeland 51.20935, 3.224751°12’34” N 3°13’29” E
Brugge
29 juni 2019, België ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Today, we farewelled our fellow cyclists on the bike barge tour - four headed back to Amsterdam, one to Ghent, and the remaining seven of us shared a taxi to Brugge. It was a scorching 34° in Brugge yesterday! Plans to climb the 366 steps of the Belfry of Bruges and cruise the canals were postponed to tomorrow understandably. We had a very relaxing day keeping cool. There was a triathalon in Brugge today...of all days! We watched a little of it earlier in the afternoon and then watched the end. Even at 10:30pm when the last competitors staggered in, it was still about 30°!!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 39
- zondag 30 juni 2019 om 10:00
- ⛅ 20 °C
- Hoogte: 11 m
- België Het Brugse Ommeland 51.20985, 3.2315251°12’35” N 3°13’53” E
Brugge
30 juni 2019, België ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Today is our last day in Brugge. It is a very pleasant 21°-23°. We woke up to bells ringing and it wasn't long before the canal tour boats started cruising past our windows. Our accommodation is right on the canal - water lapping at the windows and the ducks paddling by, sometimes stopping for a biscuit crumb from Alan. The Belfry of Bruges - 366 stairs up and 366 stairs down was our first challenge for the day after which we cruised the canals. Both gave us a different perspective of the landscape of Brugge. We then revisited the Wall of Beer so Alan could drink one of the 1,915 varieties of beer they have. Beer aside, this is a fantastic place. It has about 6 break-off rooms where they sell associated items such as cheese, souvenirs, bicycle gear, specialty liqueurs and other alcohol, and tin tin and smurfs merchandise (both created by Belgians), plus plenty of space to sit and drink including a beer garden on the canal with great views.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 39
- zondag 30 juni 2019 om 17:00
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Hoogte: 8 m
- België Het Brugse Ommeland 51.20935, 3.224751°12’34” N 3°13’29” E
More of Brugge
30 juni 2019, België ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
More pics....
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 40
- maandag 1 juli 2019 om 21:00
- ⛅ 16 °C
- Hoogte: 11 m
- Denemarken Copenhagen 55.6761, 12.5683455°40’34” N 12°34’6” E
Copenhagen, Denmark
1 juli 2019, Denemarken ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We are in Copenhagen for two whole days, three nights. As we have been here before, we decided to pick some places away from Copenhagen but managed a few hours walking to see buildings and places we had not seen before...or we had forgotten! Temoeratures here are surprisingly cold - a high of 17° and very windy - back into the jeans and jackets!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
Roslyn BrownA little more sunshine than the day we got drenched in the rain
03-07-2019Reageren
ReizigerEnjoy your trip and have a memorable time
01-08-2019Reageren
3 likes
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 41
- dinsdag 2 juli 2019 om 10:00
- ⛅ 14 °C
- Hoogte: 12 m
- Zweden Västra Hamnkanalen 55.60498, 13.0038255°36’18” N 13°0’14” E
Malmo, Sweden
2 juli 2019, Zweden ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Day 1 We took the train to Malmo which means crossing the amazing Öresund Bridge to Sweden. The bridge is a combined railway and motorway across the Øresund strait between Sweden and Denmark. The bridge runs nearly 8 kilometres from the Swedish coast to the artificial island Peberholm in the middle of the strait. The crossing is completed by the 4 kilometre Drogden Tunnel from Peberholm to the Danish island of Amager. It was as cold and windy here as in Copenhagen! We didn't venture far - just looked around the city centre. There happened to be a bicycle race on so we cheered on the riders until the finish, took refuge from the wind in a coffee shop then got back on the train. Short and sweet!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 42
- woensdag 3 juli 2019 om 11:00
- ⛅ 15 °C
- Hoogte: 32 m
- Denemarken Elsinore 56.03079, 12.5921356°1’51” N 12°35’32” E
Helsingør, Denmark
3 juli 2019, Denemarken ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Day 2 We took the train to Helsingør, also known as Elsinore, a port city in eastern Denmark. Staff at Central Station recommended this trip to us. It was a lot bigger than we expected. Overlooking the Øresund strait, the 15th-century Kronborg Castle provided the setting for Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Nearby, the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark illustrates 600 years of Danish seafaring history. On the pier is “Han,” a polished steel sculpture of a man. Lots of clothes and jewellery stores and cafés - lots of tourists too, but not enough to be uncomfortable. It is a beautiful port and well worth the visit. It has a regular ferry service to Sweden which we were tempted to take but we thought you probably needed to show passports and we didn't have ours with us. It only takes about 15 minutes to get to Sweden - you can see it from the port. It was a lovely day for our last day in Denmark, cold and windy again, but lovely!
Tomorrow, we make our way to the Cruise Terminal to begin our 9-day Baltic cruise.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 42
- woensdag 3 juli 2019 om 14:17
- ⛅ 16 °C
- Hoogte: 32 m
- Denemarken Elsinore 56.03079, 12.5921356°1’51” N 12°35’32” E
2
More pics of Helsingør
3 juli 2019, Denemarken ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Roslyn Brown I see Al has another friend!
03-07-2019Reageren
Reiziger They have very similar builds 😜
04-07-2019Reageren
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 42
- woensdag 3 juli 2019 om 23:00
- ⛅ 13 °C
- Hoogte: 11 m
- Denemarken Copenhagen 55.6761, 12.5683455°40’34” N 12°34’6” E
1 1 1 1 1
Al in Denmark!
3 juli 2019, Denemarken ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Roslyn Brown And more friends🤣
03-07-2019Reageren
Roslyn Brown And now yet another darling friend😅
03-07-2019Reageren
Roslyn Brown And more
03-07-2019Reageren
2 meer opmerkingen
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 43
- donderdag 4 juli 2019 om 17:00
- ⛅ 14 °C
- Hoogte: Zeeniveau
- Denemarken Stubbeløb 55.71417, 12.6196355°42’51” N 12°37’11” E
Copenhagen
4 juli 2019, Denemarken ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
It has been a rainy start to our cruise but we are happy to just sit back and relax. We have two days at sea before arriving at St Petersburg, Russia, and there is plenty to do on board this enormous 16 storey ship! It will take us two days to find our way around! There are approximately 4,000 passengers and 1600 crew on board. The logistics of feeding that many people is mind-boggling! Alan is happy because he has located the two ice-cream self-serve bars! Life is good!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 45
- zaterdag 6 juli 2019 om 18:00
- ⛅ 15 °C
- Hoogte: 12 m
- Rusland National Library of Russia 59.93428, 30.335159°56’3” N 30°20’6” E
St Petersburg, Russia
6 juli 2019, Rusland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Arrived St Petersburg, Russia around 6pm Saturday night. It was a long process to get through the Russian Immigration process when we left the ship for our first shore trip. There was no smiling from any of the officials - very serious business! However, all went without problems!
We went to a Russian Folklore Extravaganza that night where we were treated to very energetic dances of Don Cossacks and Russian, Ukranian and Gypsy songs. I enjoyed it but it was a little too repetitive for Alan. Unfortunately, we couldn't take photos.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
2 likes
Beverley Smith Europe2019
- Reis weergeven
- Toevoegen aan bucketlistVan bucketlist verwijderen
- Delen
- Dag 46
- zondag 7 juli 2019 om 09:00
- ⛅ 14 °C
- Hoogte: 12 m
- Rusland National Library of Russia 59.93428, 30.335159°56’3” N 30°20’6” E
St Petersburg
7 juli 2019, Rusland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Today we joined a "Rasputin, Romanovs and Spilled Blood" tour. It started with a canal tour, then went to Yusupov Palace, one of 57 palaces in Russia (four in St Petersburg and were owned by Felix Yusupov). It was in this palace that Grigory Rasputin was assassinated. After a very tasty Russian lunch we visited the magnificent Cathedral of Resurrection (or Cathedral on Spilled Blood built on the spot where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. If the exterior is not amazing enough with its distinctive cupolas, the interior is decorated with different marbles and several thousand square yards of mosaics. Sad that we only had one short day here but we managed to see quite a lot, especially on the canal tour.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
1 like