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Europe 2023

September - October 2023
A 35-day adventure by Chris Read more
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  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 3

    Frankfurt am Main

    September 10, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Thanks to the kindness of Vladimir Putin it took fourteen-and-a-half hours to fly to Frankfurt am Main from Tokyo, Russian and other Ukraine-affected airspace being off-limits. It was nice, though, to get glimpses of Alaska, Greenland and Iceland on the way.

    Truth be told, Frankfurt was never on our to-do list, seeing as now we don’t work for the European Central Bank or attend any trade shows. We just spent a few days here because that’s where the flight took us. Nevertheless, it does have some attractions.

    Neue Altstadt - the New Old Town (!!) - is a rather small area reconstructed out of what was left after the allies dropped their bombs in World War Two. It incorporates the Romer, a restored medieval building that has spent a mere 600 years or so as the city’s town hall. Small size notwithstanding, it’s quite an atmospheric area, nestled between the river and the upmarket shopping in Hauptwache.

    A short distance away is the Eiserner Bridge, pedestrians only (and covered in padlocks - it’s a wonder it hasn’t sunk into the river) and leading across the River Main to the Sachsenhausen area. We wandered through the narrow streets full of Apfelwein bars, the inevitable Irish pubs and a statue of Fraa Rauscher - a 19th-century alcoholic - that spits at its audience every minute or so.

    We also walked along the river past the museum quarter, with a number of worthwhile (but unattended by us) museums and galleries, and enjoyed the scenic river views, but not so much the stench of duck and swan shit.

    Finally, we took a cruise up and down the river. Possibly this was overreaching in terms of things to do, but it was interesting in some small way the see the docks, the power station and the metal-recycling plant.

    Next stop on our not-such-a-major-tourism-centre tour will be Rotterdam.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 4

    Rotterdam

    September 11, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Our two days in Rotterdam were spent seeing some marvellous, different sights and architecture.

    We travelled thirty minutes or so to The Hague, with its imposing Binnenhof (parliament) and streets of most elegant buildings.

    We also took a look into the Mauritshuis, the 17th-century home of the art-loving (and slave-trading) Prince John Maurice. Filled with Rembrandts, Vermeers, Reubens and the like, it was an impressive collection in a wonderful building. Still, you can only see so many “still life with banana” or “portrait of a nobleman” or “collection of nymphs and slightly chubby bare-breasted ladies” before it’s time to move on.

    The Peace Palace, built in 1913 and housing the International Court of Justice, was funded by the master-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to the tune of $US50 million in today’s money.

    Back on the train, passing through typical green, canal-crossed, sheep- and cow-studded Dutch countryside, we returned to modern, quirky Rotterdam.

    We went to the Markthall, a futuristic giant blimp of a building, with market stalls inside and expensive apartments inside the walls.

    Then we walked down to the Cube Houses, a collection of strange-looking apartments, with hexagonal interior rooms that simply can’t fit regular furniture. Designed in 1977 by architect Piet Blom, they very much invite the question: why?

    This led us to the old port, a canal basin filled with old barges and ships that have mostly been converted to residences and was a pleasant and interesting contrast from the ultra-modern design of most of the city.

    For another change we ventured over to Delfshaven, another historic canal area that has retained some of its charm, and is reached by walking down a street containing kilometres of exactly identical apartments.

    In all, we had a great time in Rotterdam and surrounds. An easy ride on the Metro took us to Hoek van Holland and the ferry to Harwich and the next stage of our journey.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 8

    Norwich

    September 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    The good ship Stena Brittanica took us from Rotterdam to Harwich, and the train to Norwich, where we met up with the Brickwoods and spent three pleasant days.

    More specifically, we have been at Costessey (pronounced “Cossie”, naturally, just as Wymondham is pronounced “Wyndham”) at the home of Kim’s Aunt Sally - a lovely lady and a veritable octogenarian Energiser Bunny!

    We took a turn around the pleasant city of Norwich, through the fancy area around Elm Street, alongside the River Wensum, then back up past the 13th-century cathedral and the 11th-century castle.

    The following day we drove out to Wroxham and took a boat cruise onto the Norfolk Broads. This was a great day out!

    We cruised past the exclusive multi-million pound houses in the town, then down the River Bure to Wroxham Broad, and thence to Salhouse Broad, both of which are extensive lakes formed when the land flooded into areas from which peat had been dug. The bird life was plentiful and the broads a tranquil place but for the five hundred or so boats on the river that day.

    From Wroxham we drove out to Greater Yarmouth, and found a cold, windy, faded seaside destination with lots of children (and adults) high on junk food and not much parking (and, from what we saw, not much else).

    We also drove up and along the north coast, stopping first at Blickling Hall, a National Trust property.

    The current Jacobean building and its formal gardens were constructed in 1616 by Henry Hobart, an ancestor of the fellow for whom Hobart, Tasmania is named. The previous Tudor house was the birthplace of Anne Boleyn. Kim Brickwood’s dad worked on part of the restoration of the building before coming to Australia.

    But enough name dropping.

    The Long Room (37.5 metres, in fact) was a highlight, an indoor sports room in 1616 and a library of over 10,000 books by 1745.

    Cromer, on the north coast of Norfolk, was crowded even on a miserable, windy, rainy Sunday afternoon, with queues outside the fish-and-chip shops and even some intrepid souls playing mini-golf on the wind-swept cliftop.

    Finally, we popped into Wells-next-the-Sea, another picturesque coastal town. Much of the fleet was high and dry when we visited, though, so it probably should be called Wells-next-the-Mud-and-Sand.

    Next stop, Glasgow.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    4
    Day 12

    Glasgow

    September 19, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    We had a quick visit to Glasgow on the way north, and found some really good things to see.

    We walked the attractive Kelvingrove Park (admittedly in the rain), then caught the cute little Glasgow Subway - with carriages so small you wonder how all the people will fit - to the city centre.

    George Square, with statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert mounted in twin equestrian poses at one end, and a pantheon of famous Scots at the other, is a magnificent civic space.

    Just down the street was the Gallery of Modern Art, mostly famous because the Glasgwegians insist on keeping a traffic cone on the head of the statue of the Duke of Wellington that sits outside, a long-standing tradition.

    From there we went to the Clyde River, where we visited the Riverside Museum, full of interesting things (from locomotives to fashions and a lot in between) and interesting stories of the social impact of many of them.

    Outside the museum is the tall ship Glenlee, steel hulled and built on the Clyde in 1896.

    Our final stop - other than a few pints and a curry for dinner - was the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

    Housed in a stunning building dating from 1900, we barely skimmed the collection. There were paintings by Rembrandt and Monet, to name just two diverse geniuses, along with Scottish masterpieces and installations galore.

    That was just the top floor. The eclectic collection on the ground floor included a hall full of life-sized stuffed animals apparently being strafed by a Spitfire hung from the ceiling.

    We felt like we packed a lot into our single day in Glasgow; after a well-earned rest we are now getting lost on the motorway system en route to the Isle of Skye.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    2
    Day 15

    The Isle of Skye

    September 22, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    We travelled north from Glasgow and stopped for a look at Balloch, and the southern tip of Loch Lomond.

    Even in cold and rather threatening weather, it was still very attractive, with the imposing Ben Lomond rising into the most in the distance. There were very few people around, but, judging by the acres of car parking, it must be packed in summer.

    Then we spent the night just south of Fort William before catching the ferry from Mallaig to Armadale, on the south of the island.

    Actually, this glosses over an episode of incompetence by the boys in the party, who between them couldn’t get the **$$@&!! car into reverse gear! Calls to the rental company and a wait for roadside assistance - who then kindly showed us what to do and, more kindly, didn’t laugh out loud - meant our drinks at the local pub were well-earned.

    We arrived on Skye in the rain, and made our way to the Fairy Pools. Cascading blue and green pools, they say. Gushing, grey-brown water oozing out of every pore of the countryside is what we found, so damp was everything. It was still rather special, although the cold wind and sporadic showers of rain made it a bit uncomfortable.

    The following day we drove north-east to a series of fascinating landmarks, the countryside largely treeless and covered in heather and other low, hardy plants. Hills are steep, with numerous watercourses tumbling down their slopes. Each glimpse of the sea is another beautiful vista, even in the grey rain and mist.

    In between sojourns in the car, we piled out, rugged up, paid handsomely for parking and walked up to another landmark.

    The Old Man of Storr and The Quirang are basalt pinnacles towering over the surrounding area. Kilt Rock is a 105-metre ocean cliff and Mealt Falls drop straight off the edge of the island into the ocean.

    Then there’s Lealt Falls and the Fairy Glen, which was very picturesque, although there were no fairies about. There was quite an amount of fairy droppings on the ground, though, so we could tell they had been there.

    The driving between many of these locations was on single-lane roads, with passing places every fifty or hundred metres apart. It was a little nerve wracking, with oncoming traffic emerging from blind crests and curves, a little too much speed and plenty of oversized camper vans taking up space.

    Our final stop on Skye was Dunvegan Castle, quite nicely preserved and filled with stories of the local Lairds and assorted tenuous connections to royalty.

    That concluded a busy few days. We stayed in a very remote bed and breakfast, with wonderful sea views but certainly not walkable to anything except more hills, so are looking forward to finding a pub in Inverness in the next chapter.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    1
    Day 16

    Inverness

    September 23, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    The weather was clear for the first time as we left Skye, casting a completely different light on the scenery, with the grass and heather gleaming with dew in the early morning sun.

    Not to worry, though, it soon got grey and windy, although the rain stayed away for our drive to Inverness.

    And what a drive! We decided to go the long way, via Applecross and Torridon, part of the heavily promoted North Coast 500 drive around the north of the country.

    Soon after we turned off the main road we encountered Bealach na Ba - the Pass of the Cattle - and, according to the sign, not recommended for learner drivers, trucks, caravans or slightly nervous people.

    The pass took the Skye concept of the single-lane road to a new level, with even narrower roads, steep climbs, hairpins and quite a few unfenced vertical drops. It was an astounding piece of road.

    Arriving in Inverness, along what was, by comparison, an airport runway, we took ourselves for a walk through the islands on the River Ness, the body of water through which Loch Ness drains into Moray Firth.

    Then, in the morning, we went monster hunting. Well, not exactly. We drove down to Drumnadrochit, where the Loch Ness Centre is located, in the former hotel where Mrs Aldie Mackay , the manager, reported seeing the monster when driving back from Inverness with her husband.

    The Loch Ness Centre is obviously keen to perpetuate the mystery of the monster, but does present some factual debunking as well, all done in quite an entertaining way.

    Then we took a cruise on Loch Ness, which is a quite amazing body of water with or without its rumoured giant, slimy inhabitant. We didn’t see a monster, but we did enjoy an hour or so cruising on the lake, down past the picturesque ruins of Urquhart Castle.

    Inverness itself is a very attractive town, and was buzzing on the Saturday night we were there, so much so that we had trouble finding somewhere to eat. It all worked out, though, but no one thought we would end up doing shots with four rather drunk thirty-something women. All part of the fun of travel, I guess.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 19

    Macclesfield

    September 26, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    This is the first of two posts from our time on the narrowboat cruising up the Macclesfield Canal. Apologies - it’s a bit long.

    We left Inverness and, after three hours in the car, two in the train and a short walk, we checked in to a quite fancy guest house in Carlisle. We had a quick look at the castle and the cathedral, but to be honest Carlisle and its people seemed a little down-at-heel and one afternoon was enough for us.

    It took a good part of the following day to get to Stoke-on-Trent and the marina at Etruria, where we got our orientation and set off on the good, if narrow, ship, Mollie.

    We cruised off confidently, and didn’t bump into a single thing during the few hours of our first day’s sailing. We also, though, completely failed in the find-a-pub stakes, and had to eat on the boat for our first night.

    The following day we faced our first nautical challenge - the 2.6 kilometre Harecastle Tunnel. We went through in a convoy of about five boats, and spent just over half an hour seeing nothing but the lights on our boat and the ones immediately ahead or behind.

    It was cold and wet - the tunnel roof was frequently dripping - and steering straight enough to avoid the tunnel walls was near impossible. Hopefully, the boat company have plenty of spare paint.

    We spent that night in Congleton, a short climb up some stairs from the Queen’s Head pub, and celebrated the tunnel in style. Actually, we seem to be celebrating everything in style on this trip!

    The Bosley Locks were next on our route.

    The narrowboat guidebook described the Bosley Locks as like waiting for a bus - you see none for hours, and then a whole lot turn up at once - and this was the case for us. We had only done one lock before the Bosley flight, then suddenly we were faced with twelve in a row.

    Fortunately, there were Canal and River Trust volunteers on hand to help with the gates and paddles, and we were through mostly without incident, other than a few more scratches to Mollie’s sides.

    Except, that is, for the very first lock. Chris at the helm cruised confidently out of the lock, only to meet a boat going in. Steering to the right, it passed safely, but the narrow canal pound, coupled with the sharpness of the entry turn to the following lock, meant he suffered the indignity of having to push the boat back on course with the pole.

    We also had a couple of opening bridges to contend with before yet another stylish celebration, this time at the Old King’s Head pub at Gurnett Aquaduct.

    Day three on the boat was much less eventful, cruising through attractive rural countryside, and in sunshine. This was exactly the sort of canal trip we had thought about.

    We cruised on past all shapes and sizes of narrowboat, old mills and farms, up as far as High Lane, where, after another stylish dinner, we went back to the boat to think about the consequences of running out of water and therefore not being able to flush the toilet - something we perhaps should have thought of earlier.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    2
    Day 25

    Stoke-on-Trent

    October 2, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Well, it was all a bit strange. The water situation, mainly because the toilets wouldn’t work without it, was a bit dire. Ironically, though, it was pouring with rain.

    We drove through the rain for two hours until we found a water point. Don and Chris filled the water tank, standing in the rain, quite cold, drinking a beer. At the same time, Sharon and Kim had hot showers (while still at the water point, so as not to deplete the supply) and warmed the boat to dry the clothes out.

    We chose a good canal - the Macclesfield - to cruise along. It was quiet, although there were quite a few boats moored along the banks (some a bit derelict, it appeared). The rural scenery - green pastures, sheep, farm buildings, even the occasional re-purposed mill - was beautiful on the sunny days (that is, once), and wonderfully atmospheric on the wet ones, even when your socks were wringing wet from the rain.

    We did have quite a lot of rain on our way back to Stoke-on-Trent, and another toilet situation (collectively, that is, not personally).

    Being extravagant with our water, and - truth be told - our alcohol consumption, it soon became odorously apparent that we urgently needed a pump out. More rain-soaked driving ensued, before we reached the nirvana of the pump-out station, where a friendly, apparently olfactorily challenged, man removed the offensive material from the boat.

    Armed with beers purchased from the boat yard, we tackled the Bosley Locks with gusto, pleased to se the rain subsiding and that there were people on the canals even more inept than we. The rain was easing, but the ground remained saturated as we made our way down from locks one to twelve.

    The following day (after another stylish celebration, this time at the Church House Hotel in Congleton) we strolled through the final lock and, after another half-hour of exhaust fumes in the Harecastle Tunnel, made our way back to the marina and returned the boat.

    Wet weather notwithstanding, the whole narrowboat experience was great. By the end of the trip we were steering the boat like pros, barely hitting anything (not too hard, at least) and giving other people tips on operating the locks and good pubs to visit.

    We have now said our fond goodbyes to Don and Kim after a great few weeks, and are en route to York to start the next stage of our trip.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 26

    York

    October 3, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Our first stop after the boating adventure was York, just a few hours away by train.

    York has a fair bit going for it - Viking heritage, city walls, narrow winding streets and a magnificent cathedral - York Minster - where we kicked off our exploration.

    Most likely, this will be the only church we will visit on this holiday, but it was well worth it. Completed a mere 551 years ago, it is a massive stone structure plonked in the middle of otherwise low-rise York. We spent a bit of time admiring the interior, particularly the windows, as well as wandering around the outside.

    We also enjoyed The Shambles, the nearby cluster of medieval narrow, twisting streets abounding in retail opportunities for every manner of souvenir.

    An unexpected surprise (for us, at least) was the beauty of the River Ouse and the Museum Gardens, complete with some medieval ruins, that lie close by.

    Somewhat to the south was the remains of York Castle, and Clifford’s Tower, named after Roger de Clifford, who gained immortality-of-name when he was executed for treason and hanged in chains from the tower walls.

    We largely skipped the walls, the Viking stuff and the justifiably renowned Railway Museum, as we had visited them previously. Actually, Chris did go to the the railway museum, but it had closed early due to a private function. Waited 23 years and travelled 20,000 kilometres to go there again, but no bitterness here!

    We also took a short train ride to Bradford, and visited the Bradford Industrial Museum, built in 1875 as a worsted mill, and now housing all manner of engines, looms, spinning machines and other assorted gear. The machines were interesting, but the human and social impact of the inventions was what we went for.

    It was, in fact, reassuring to know that children under nine have been prohibited from working in factories since 1819, and that the same, enlightened, legislation prevented children from 9 to 16 from being forced to work more than a 12-hour day.

    We are heading next to Whitby, on the North Yorkshire coast, and hoping that the rain takes a break.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 29

    Whitby

    October 6, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    We hired a car in York and made our way to the coast, emerging, via some incredibly narrow roads, at Robin Hoods Bay (or, at least, at the Pay-and-Display car park at the top of the hill).

    Today, it takes five hours to travel from Sherwood Forest to Robin Hoods Bay by public transport, and presumably it took quite a bit longer in the 14th century, when Robin Hood was actually (or, maybe not actually) alive. So it’s probably safe to assume the place doesn’t have much to do with him or his merry band of outlaws, other than a name.

    It was, though, a picturesque tangle of narrow streets leading down to a small cove with a few fishing boats, a couple of pubs and a heap of shops selling all manner of twee nick-nacks.

    Whitby, just up the coast, was different. Bigger than we expected, and a bit brasher - it has Pleasureland, Funland and Fun City all in a row on the waterfront - it was good fun.

    We walked up the hill to Whitby Abbey, part inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula tale, and window-shopped for Whitby Jet. Jet is a black gemstone, apparently now largely forgotten beyond Whitby, related to coal and made popular by the original influencer, Queen Victoria. It’s not every gemstone that will burn if you set fire to it.

    Friday evening in Whitby was pretty hectic, and we enjoyed a few drinks watching the sun go down over the beautiful and historic - yet bustling - old port.

    Our last Whitby experience was a day out on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

    We travelled from Whitby to Grosmont, where we had a look around, then walked about six kilometres to Goathland on a track following a previous railway alignment. It was incredibly peaceful walking through some wonderful scenery for a few hours.

    With moorland topping the hills above us, black-headed sheep dotting the lush fields, a multitude of small bubbling creeks all around, and the occasional walkers with their dogs, it was all rather quintessentially English.

    Goathland was the fictional town of Aidensfield in the television series “Heartbeat”, and the magnificent Goathland Railway Station has featured in the Harry Potter movies and a host of other productions.

    We continued our train experience on to Pickering, enjoying the varied countryside all the way, then returned to Whitby.    Read more

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