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Adventure Time
  • NZtoWherever
sep. – dec. 2017

Adventure Time

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    Ludlow - View from St Laurence's Church Tower
    Ludlow - St Laurence's ChurchLudlowLudlow - Ludlow CastleLudlow - Ludlow CastleLudlow - View from Ludlow Castle

    Lovely Ludlow and Castle Ruins

    26. september 2017, England ⋅ 🌫 14 °C

    After a nice breakfast, our gracious hosts showed us the town of Ludlow and its castle. A lovely little town (almost on the border with Wales) with picturesque streets and cute wee shops. A lot of history there.

    We saw the magnificent parish church of St Laurence. Absolutely beautiful building and a delight to wander through. Amazing stained glass windows - more recent than the full, old history but they were stunning.

    Alma ascended the numerous steps to the top with us - quite a height and a quite narrow staircase! A glimpse at the bells inside and then 360° views of the town and countryside. Fantastic time.

    Then it was off to morning tea at the Ludlow Castle tearooms. Radi had delicious coffee while Wade tried the dandelion and burdock juice (kind of like cola but more aniseed-ey). Not bad.

    Refreshed and vitalised, we marched on to Ludlow Castle. Wow. Just wow.

    Imagine an old, semi-ruined ("they should have the roof mended") castle, nestled in the rolling hills, the horizon shrouded in mist. Or just look at a photo below. Anyway, really great to wander through in the steps of so many people who would have been there centuries ago.

    Apparently they used to do outdoor Shakespeare plays in the castle. Would have been an amazing backdrop and setting! Oh and they still do have jousting tournaments and battle renenactments! (Not when we were there sadly).

    The castle has a lot of history. King Arthur (the king before his younger brother Henry VIII) spent time there and also subsequently died there, and it was also where those two princes were taken from to The Tower of London. Chris and Alma were of course fantastic guides and explained so much more (including pointing out the where guns were arrayed during a siege).

    Loved the castle and would highly recommend. Next stop, Crofts Castle (a different type of castle).    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Herefordshire - Croft Castle
    Herefordshire - Croft CastleHerefordshire - Croft CastleLudlow - Food CentreLudlow- The CliveLudlow - The Clive

    Croft Castle and Culmington Cuisine

    26. september 2017, England ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Had lunch at Croft Castle - one of many historic homes maintained by the National Trust. Some of the Croft family still live there. A large manor house that kinda looks like a castle, with a small church and stables. A lot like Olveston, but with no guided tour, just information and things.

    A very interesting mix of old and new (new meaning 19th or 20th century or so). Interesting fact - they built a wall by the servants' quarters so the servants couldn't look down on the family through the inner courtyard. Lots of history of the family members, including a room on the wars and their involvement. Also a square piano and a creepy clock. And cool exhibits to show the effects of touching on gilt wood and fabric.

    Lots of interesting things and a great time. Also bought second hand books. There's an old Roman hill fort up the hill but didn't walk up there this time.

    Followed our trip to Croft Castle with a quick call into a local supermarket in Ludlow (very nice). Also popped into the only church in Britain with a metal spire.

    Had a lovely dinner at The Clive, followed by some much missed QI!    Læs mere

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    London - Earls Court
    London - Earls Court (Korean for dinner)

    So about that accomodation in London...

    27. september 2017, England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Lovely breakfast and goodbyes to Chris and Alma (sad face). Then train to London. Arrived 3ish and figured out the tube to get to our Airbnb and pick up the key at 4pm...

    Slight problem.

    Massive water leak that morning and apartment uninhabitable. But our host was nice enough to let us stay in another place. Unfortunately the other place was next to a train line, noisy, small and generally not what we were after (or paid for).

    So it was on to airbnb to find somewhere else. We managed to find what looked like a great place, then did some sorting out with airbnb to get most of a refund (we decided to spend one night in the train side place). Airbnb was quite helpful in this regard (although having a phone with credit was also useful)!

    Wandered around Earls Court that evening to look for some dinner and finally settled on Korean. The kimchi pancake was delicious! The place also had karaoke which we briefly considered doing. Instead we decided to eat Snickers ice creams and watch Power Rangers. One of those things was great.    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    London - Hampstead
    London - Leicester SquareLondon - Leicester SquareLondon - Lion King (Lyceum Theatre)

    Homely Hampstead and Lion King

    28. september 2017, England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Caught the tube to Belsize Park (Hampstead) to our new Air Bnb place. As we arrived early, went to a cute place for what turned out to be a yum breakfast and great coffee. Then onto our new flat.

    The new Air BnB host was so lovely and helpful and let us check in early. Chatting to him we found out that he'd only listed the place the morning that we booked it (explains how we managed to get such a great place on short notice and for our dates). Very lucky.

    Then tube into Leicester Square to pick up show tickets. Also bought some for Matilda for tomorrow night.

    Wandered. Went to Lion King. Amazing.

    Had ice cream and macarons. Home. Sleep.    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    London - The West End
    London - The West EndLondon - The West End (Cambridge Theatre)London - The West EndLondon - The West End

    Marvellous Matilda

    29. september 2017, England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Wandered around West End for a bit before we headed to Matilda today. The show was amazing. So so good. Incredibly talented kids who did a lot of singing and high paced dancing. The girl playing Matilda was unwell at half time so the other one stepped in. Both were amazing.

    Really really good production and so glad we went (thanks for the recommendation Trent and Renee!). Hopefully the Auckland one is good for those who go?

    Followed the show with some late night strolls. Came across a band performing rock covers - they were awesome!    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    London - Camden
    London - Camden MarketLondon - Camden MarketLondon - Camden MarketLondon - Camden MarketLondon - Hampstead

    Camden Market

    30. september 2017, England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Walked to Camden market (30min walk). Was a large market. So many people and shops. Lots of the same kind of things, but there were a few cool unique shops. Had Dutch pancakes (yum) and pondered some cute prints and a lovely coat.

    Wandered further through Camden then decided to call it a day as rain loomed.    Læs mere

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    London - Natural History Museum
    London - Natural History MuseumLondon - Science MuseumLondon - HarrodsLondon - Harrods (Christmas Shop)London - Harrods (Toy Shop)

    Les Musées and Les Misérables

    2. oktober 2017, England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Big day. Natural History Museum in the morning and Science Museum in the afternoon. Both were really good. Only saw parts of each as they're both massive so hopefully will get back later.

    Natural History was great - saw dinosaurs (including lifelike moving roaring T-rex). Saw mammals as well and some human biology exhibits. Some were a bit dated but still very good.

    Science Museum was also great. Steam engine exhibit surprisingly interesting! Never knew it was so important to Britain and that James Watt was revered as a hero so much. Enjoyed the exhibits on space and the exhibit on the changing relationship between humans and technology through time. There was also an interesting if rather sobering exhibition on medical advances that developed from World Wars 1 and 2. Mini documentary at the end of the War Wounds exhibition was moving.

    Then a stroll to Harrods to make us feel poor. Success. Most stuff pretty pricey and fancy but got some nice donuts (typical us). Then upstairs to the Christmas shop - Radi was pretty happy. Walked away with a little ornament. Stopped through the toy store part - not as magical as I remember but probably more enjoyable when you're 7. Still good though (note their board game selection was poor - can't win em all I suppose).

    From Harrods a quick trot to West End. Ate at C & R Malaysian restaurant (thanks to Em for that suggestion). Yum. Then a short stroll around the district and into the M & M store. Pretty cool but out of our pay bracket.

    But then, wandering to the show, who did we see but Samwell Tarly of Game of Thrones in the flesh! (Or at least the actor who plays that character). Very cool.

    Then Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. Old theatre and not amazing seats (back of dress circle so top of stage cut off, but not too bad - although for future, closer seats better as you can see the emotion more). But the show was fantastic!

    Valjean was great, as was Gavroche and Marius. Javert good but not perfect. Eponine OK but not quite right (though Radi ended up liking her)? Cosette didn't quite get it - one of those weird warbling opera voices that just jarred with the other voices. But overall very very very good show. Rotating set and barricades were really well done and music of course great.

    Then home to bed and ready for another day of adventuring!    Læs mere

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    London - London Tower
    London - London TowerLondon - Tower BridgeLondon - Sky Garden BuildingLondon - Sky GardenLondon - Yauatcha Soho (restaurant)

    The Tower, Skygarden and Book of Mormon

    3. oktober 2017, England ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Late start and tube to the Tower of London. Similar to Edinburgh Castle in a way. Lots of history - good displays and plenty to see.

    Saw the crown jewels. Sparkly, but we're probably not distinguished enough to appreciate that all the gems are diamonds and rubies etc. (rather than fake gems which look just as sparkly to us).

    Few school groups there but not too crowded. Cool displays and learnt some history. Battlements were nice. White tower in the middle was good - 3 levels of displays. Store for armaments so had lots of guns and swords and armour.

    Learnt about two daring escapes. One ended in a drop from the tower and a heavy, fatal impact (beheading from the fall). One ended in him getting clean away thanks to his canny Scottish wife, her hand maidens and some cross dressing.

    Ate our packed lunch at the Tower. Then headed onwards, pausing to enjoy the sun and view of the River Thames and Tower Bridge, then on to Sky Garden to see Em and TK (and Em's cousin).

    Sky Garden was cool - free but you book online in advance and then line up for 10 or 20min or so. Very tall building (with a curve that used to melt cars - slight design flaw) with a garden (and cafes) on top. Really great views over London.

    After that, tube to Leicester Square to get more show tickets - settled on Aladdin for the two of us on Wednesday.

    Em and TK (and Debbie) had put their names in a lottery draw for cheaper Book of Mormon tickets for tonight (the show does a draw for every show). So we went along to watch the draw at 5.30PM. Arrived early so Debbie said we should put our names in. And a stroke of luck as we both got our names drawn out for two tickets each! Radi was very excited as she never wins anything.

    Very lucky for us so all four of us got to go. Tickets were normally around £50 at least for single seats way up the back - good seats would've been £100 or more. We got ours through the lottery for £20 each. A steal.

    Off to dinner at the popular Bao London (place that normally has a line outside going down the street). Another stroke of luck with the only table available when we arrived was for 5 people. Had delicious bao buns and a taro white Russian (prompting Radi to loudly exclaim "I don't usually like white Russians!").

    Then some delicious small fancy desserts from Yauatcha Soho (and a frozen Snickers bar from a dairy - we introduced TK to them and he concurs that they are delicious).

    Off to Book of Mormon and where are our seats? Front row in stalls - almost close enough to touch the actors. Fantastic. And the show itself fantastic. Very crass at times, but without crossing the line. Really well done and lots of laughs (and good songs, dancing and acting).

    Overall a really great day!    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    London - Harry Potter Studios (Model of Hogwarts)
    London - Harry Potter Studios (Potions Class)London - Harry Potter Studios (Buckbeak in the Forbidden Forest)London - Harry Potter Studios (Riding Hagrid's Flying Motorbike: Radi as Hagrid, Wade as Harry)London - Harry Potter Studios (Post Death Eater Battle)London - Harry Potter Studios (Ride to/from Studios)

    A Day of Magic

    4. oktober 2017, England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    After a bit of confusion at Euston, we managed to get on the right train to Watford junction, where we met up with Em and TK. Finally got to go on a double decker bus (our ride to the Warner Bros Harry Potter studios).

    What an amazing amazing tour (with lots of interesting extra info through audio guides). Gave us a real appreciation of the sheer magnitude of people, talent and work involved in creating the movies. Very very impressive.

    Real props, sets and costumes. Photo opportunities galore. Took part in a battle with death eaters (hilarious and fun). Wandered through the Forbidden Forest and jumped on the Hogwarts Express. Of course we tried some Butterbeer too (yum but very sweet, one glass too much for one person).

    Giant and overwhelming gift shop at the end. Got a souvenir guidebook (freebie). 

    Overall a magical experience!

    Then headed home, for a quick rest and an early dinner before heading into town for Aladdin.

    Went to Aladdin at the Prince Edward theatre. Cheap seats but glad we didn't pay more. A good show and nothing wrong with it, but not up to the level of the other shows.

    They wouldn't even give us a booster seat as apparently they're for "children only" - note: Radi is still shorter than me on a booster seat. Speaking of children, two delightful kids behind us (under 5?) - talked through a lot of it (kind of understandable with them being kids). One kept coughing and kicked us once or twice which was delightful. Parents sadly weren't much better and were shushed by the usher. Thankfully got better towards the end (after some firm but polite words from Wade).

    Overall was OK - quite old school Disney and American. Genie was really really good though - Aladdin and Jasmine were average. Story was a bit simplistic, with average dancing and acting and cheesy humour. Kids seemed to really enjoy it though so that was good. Genie's main number definitely improved things. As did "A Whole New World"; it was stunning with the flying carpet and stars (still unsure how it was suspended) - looked real!

    Overall enjoyable (especially once the people behind us became a bit more considerate of others), and was good for making us appreciate the depth and talent of other shows more.    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    London - British Museum
    London - British MuseumLondon - British MuseumLondon - British Museum (Rosetta Stone)London - WickedLondon - Wicked

    British Museum & Wicked

    5. oktober 2017, England ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Late start today (again) but managed to squeeze in some British museum viewing. It's so massive. Quite good though. Only scratched the surface but enjoyed the Roman, Greek and Vikings exhibits (lots of information and weapons and armour). Japan section also interesting (with some intriguing artworks).

    They have random objects on a LGBTQ trail where they look at things from that lens - bit different and quite interesting (didn't know that the Emperor Hadrian a.k.a "Wally" had a male lover).

    Saw the Rosetta stone - pretty cool. Oh yeah, pretty sure most of the exhibits and artefacts were probably stolen (not explicitly mentioned but you can connect the dots).

    Even had some Maori items in there. Overall a really good museum.

    A bubble tea then Thai with Em, TK et al. Rosa's near the Apollo Victoria. Quite a nice meal.

    Then off to Wicked with Em and TK (our final musical of this trip). Very good! Loved the story/plot (might be not as good if you already know the story?). Seats were good and relatively cheap. Few good songs (our favourite was Defying Gravity) - though no real punchy finale. Would make a good movie.

    Our final musical ranking based on ones we've seen:

    1) Les Miserables
    2) Book of Mormon
    3) Matilda = Wicked
    4) Phantom of the Opera (seen in Wellington)
    5) Lion King

    6) Aladdin    Læs mere

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    London - Hyde Park
    London - Hyde ParkLondon - Hyde Park (Princess Diana Memorial Fountain)London - Hyde Park (Princess Diana Memorial Fountain)London - Science MuseumLondon - Mourning the loss of our cookie

    Friday Fun and Farewells

    6. oktober 2017, England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Later start, did some laundry in the morning (exciting times). Met Em and TK at the Science Museum. Walked to Hyde Park and had picnic lunch. Then saw the Serpentine Pavilion and gallery. The pavilion changes each year and is designed by famous architects (TK explained more about each). Quite cool!

    The gallery had an exhibition by some Wade guy and it was about the level of my art. Sounded really cool but went over our heads. Had some laughs though - though perhaps uncontrollable fits of laughter at a fancy art museum not quite appropriate.

    Also saw the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain which was nice. Saw squirrels and birds and stuff. More laughs.

    Round 2 of Science Museum - wanted to try the milkshake bar but it was closed. We wanted to try one of the flight simulators (including a 360° flipping one) but lines were big and then when we came back, they were sold out. Flight exhibition interesting but no mention of Richard Pearse sadly. Interesting to note that the development of flight was so slow starting due to humankind's obsession with a 'flapping technique' for so long.

    Wrapped up there, had dinner at a "natural" fast food place (Leon) - nice enough. Then cookies from Ben's cookies. Radi dropped one and it was tragic and hilarious. We ate the rest thankfully.

    Got TK's luggage (him and Em were nice enough to take some stuff home for us ☺). Said goodbye (😢) and home early (for a change) to get organised packing.    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    London - London Bridge
    London - Borough MarketsLondon - Borough Markets (Paris Brest)London - Borough Markets (scallops)London - Namco FunscapeLondon - Hampstead

    Borough Markets, Sightseeing and More

    7. oktober 2017, England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Borough markets for lunch. Cool but intimidating and so so many people. Had nice scallops though. Had a roast pork roll (really good), juices to quench thirst following pork, followed by Paris Brest (creme doughnut thing) for dessert. All yum - bit pricey but not too bad.

    Tube to Westminster. Saw Big Ben (under construction but still plenty of gold on it) and some other buildings from outside.

    Went to Namco Funscape (arcade like Timezone). Not as large as I remember? Played basketball game and then left (too many people).

    Then tube to Hampstead and wandered around. Browsed through little antique markets.

    Then tired so went home. Time to pack properly!    Læs mere

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    Paris - Republique
    Paris - RepubliqueParis - La Massara (restaurant)ParisParis - La Massara (restaurant)Paris - Republique

    Bonjour Paris!

    8. oktober 2017, Frankrig ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Flew to Paris (as the Chunnel is closed for maintenance on one day per year and that day was today). Lounge at Heathrow was nice for lunch and drinks (although had a small wait as was packed). Also had another go at playing one of the tiny board games we got in Frankfurt (Orc). Flight was 50min long so nice and quick.

    Customs etc in France was quick. Train in to Paris took a bit longer (ages to leave station and confusion around which train we were meant to be on). Eventually arrived and greeted by our host, who was lovely and gave us some recommendations of restaurants etc.

    Then had pizza for tea at one of the recommendations, La Massara. Really good pizza and wine and dessert in a lovely romantic setting. Then back home to do some planning for our short stay here, and an early ish night.

    Two full days in Paris so will need to get cracking tomorrow!    Læs mere

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    Paris - The Louvre
    Paris - Breakfast Croissants and CoffeeParis - The LouvreParis - The Louvre (portrait by Balthasar Denner)Paris - The LouvreParis - The Louvre

    The Louvre

    9. oktober 2017, Frankrig ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Croissants and coffee for breakfast. Yum. Half hour walk to the Louvre and then saw the massive line. So bought tickets online to save heaps of time for about 4 dollars extra (yay for smart phone and data - 1.25GB per month working out so far).

    Then skipped the queue and we were in. Went in the secondary entrance which was a happy mistake as saw sculptures and paintings without huge crowds who go in directly to see Mona Lisa.

    Saw some Northern European painters and quite liked some. Balthasar Denner and someone else did these super lifelike portraits (almost like photos) - very cool. Lots of sculptures - really interesting.

    Then moved through other parts of the museum which weren't as captivating. Lots of Egyptian stuff (yeah, mostly stolen probably). Some interesting art objects and other random things. They had some good placards in multilevel languages that were really useful - learnt about a series of old tapestries (or old copies of them) about Scipio and his defeat of Hannibal and life etc. Cool.

    Got lost a little but eventually made our way to the obligatory Mona Lisa visit (were almost going to buck the trend and not see it at all). But never fear, we saw the mass of people shuffling in to see it. As expected and forewarned, we were suitably underwhelmed.

    After that, stomachs rumbling we moved off through the Jardín des Tulieres (cursing ourselves for forgetting our sunglasses - the sun was blazing), and then strolled to Latin Quarter to find lunch.

    Overall impression of the Louvre? Great. Worth exploring off the beaten track - more enjoyable crowd wise and you see some gems. Didn't see the need for audioguides - lots in English and our basic French reading helped in other parts. Beautiful building - at times it outdid the artworks and artefacts on display.    Læs mere

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    Paris - The Seine
    ParisParis - BakeryParis - Notre DameParis - Museum of the ShoahParis - line for Ober Mamma (restaurant)

    Museum of Shoah & Ober Mamma

    9. oktober 2017, Frankrig ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After the Louvre (and lunch), we strolled around the Latin Quarter some more. Then went onwards to the museum, saw outside of Notre Dame on the way. Beautiful. Then had a crepe, continued walking and window shopping.

    Ended up at the Museum of the Shoah (Holocaust). Great museum. A brass monument outside with names of camps on it representing a chimney stack. And a wall of names of the 76,000 Jews from France who were sent to Germany (most of whom died). Lots of details and personal stories - quite sobering and touching exhibits. Also had a special exhibition of how the Holocaust was dealt with in comic books which was very interesting.

    After the museum, went to the host-recommended Ober Mamma. Opens at 7pm with no reservations so we turned up at about 6.35pm ... to a line of about 25? And 25 more joined after - a very popular one... and for good reason. A very delicious meal of truffle pasta and ham, mozzarella, mushroom and truffle pizza. With wine and cocktail, and two desserts to follow - a tiramisù and a lemonemisu  (very hard to say while trying to speak French!). So good!

    A great night out and home to bed.    Læs mere

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    Paris - Eiffel Tower
    Paris - Eiffel Tower (view from top level)Paris - Eiffel Tower (view from second level)Paris - Eiffel TowerParisParis - Saint Sulpice

    Eiffel Tower and a Christmas Hunt

    10. oktober 2017, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Early start - bread and croissants for breakfast and metro to the Eiffel Tower just before opening. Used west entrance and didn't have to wait long. Amazing view from the very top. Really enjoyed it. Walked back down - glad it wasn't up.

    Strolled to Rue de Cler markets. Not much to see so walked over to Disney store and grabbed a sandwich on the way. Disney store was one of many potential Christmas decoration stores but sadly did not measure up. A small tree of ornaments but nothing good. They had Mulan but put her in a random pink dress with a gift in hand instead of armour and a sword as she wore for most of the movie. Disappointing!!

    Walked around down the Champs Elysees and past Place de la Concorde. Took metro to St Germain to investigate three other Christmas stores. Two only have them at Christmas time, and one was completely shut down. Sad face for our Christmas ornament search. But at least got to see Saint Sulpice Church (beautiful) on our wanderings and try some more Parisian baking.

    Metro home, relaxed for a bit. Then turkish for dinner (OK) followed by lemon tart and eclair from Yann Courveur Patisserie (both delicious but pricey). Off to Amsterdam tomorrow!    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Haarlem - Statues of Kenau & Ripperda (resistance heroes from the Eighty Years' War)
    Paris - Utopie (bakery)Amsterdam - Double Decker train to HaarlemHaarlemHaarlemHaarlem - Supermarket

    The "Haarlem Globe Trotters"

    11. oktober 2017, Holland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    To the bakery (Utopie) to get breakfast (black bread and coffee), lunch on the train (sandwiches), bread and dessert for later (coffee eclair and lemon tart). Yum.

    Then packed (in 15 minutes - talk about efficient/we'd barely unpacked to begin with) and to Gare du Nord station via the metro. Isses with collecting the tickets (currently grumpy with Westpac) but managed to make the train thanks to very nice and helpful staff.

    Nice train ride and 3 hours later we arrived in Amsterdam. Struggling with the language but most people speak good English anyway. Semi figured out the transport system so decided to buy their OV card (contact-less Oyster/Snapper equivalent). They last 4 years so let us know if anyone is going to Amsterdam and wants to borrow them for transport!

    Then a short ride (15min) on a double decker train to Haarlem. Looks pretty cute so far. Found the airbnb place, lovely hosts! An older retired couple - wife a talented artist and husband a local music event organiser. We were shown her art studio (very intricate work with heat and vacuum equipment - gave us a whole new appreciation for how much work is involved in restoring old paintings). Also told us a bit about his NZ family connection and a bit on the history of the house.

    The place is very old (16th century), and when they were refurbishing it they discovered a cellar with a door to the street (despite being below street level). After a bit of investigating, they found out that the cellar is from when the street was a canal and barges used to deposit their goods here. Very interesting - plus the house is definitely charming (with some steep stairs)!

    Did some groceries, then settled in for a quiet evening. Looking forward to speculoos spread and exploring Amsterdam tomorrow morning!    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Amsterdam
    Amsterdam - FOAMAmsterdamAmsterdam - Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market)AmsterdamAmsterdam - Secondhand English Bookstore

    Flowers, Photography and Books

    12. oktober 2017, Holland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Relaxed start, but trained in to Amsterdam for midday. Lots of tourists (and there's presumably more in the main season). Bit overwhelming at first but nice streets and strolls. Overall did feel relatively touristy and there were more tourist traps than normal places (at least where we walked).

    Had some frites (fries) with sauce in a cone - yum. Then continued strolling and ended up at the flower market. Pretty. Stopped at the Christmas shop (so much easier than Paris). Nice shop and some nice ornaments. Undecided yet on what we'll get. They have some ones by Jim Shore (famous-ish?) - but most are on pricey side (although better than Harrods which were pricey but average). Saw lots of the Royal Blue Dutch things - quite pretty.

    Wandered over to FOAM - a photography art gallery. Bit expensive for the size but still nice - and nice having a break from the masses. Had exhibits from a bunch of young talented photographers from all over the globe, and an exhibit on André Kertész, a Hungarian photographer born in 1894 (some beautiful black and white photos).

    Some of the young ones were cool - particularly an Iranian taking photos of petrol smugglers (a dangerous profession caused by low petrol prices in Iran and low employment, with demand for petrol in Pakistan high).

    Also one by a Polish artist who used typical American Suburbia 1950's photos of happy people and then distorted them in humorous ways to change the meaning entirely.

    Also one by a Mexican woman who felt that in the early days of photography, women were the subject of the lens versus the photographer. She also explored how the image of women were male-defined. She took the photos of these women through the ages and tweaked them to strengthen  and unobjectify them. Very interesting!

    Finished up, ate sandwiches and continued walking. Found a used bookstore with heaps of levels and lots of English books. Not dirt cheap, but still fine, and great to discover the unexpected 4 levels (and with alphabetical sorting). They even had a Juliet Marillier book (Dunedin/Australian writer who went to OGHS)! Got ourselves a couple of books and went on our way back to Haarlem - train easy to use so far.

    Home cooked meal for us tonight! Bolognese which was good and some real Italian wine (even managed to de cork it more or less properly).    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Amsterdam
    Haarlem - ShopAmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam - so many bikes!!!!

    Anne Frank Huis

    13. oktober 2017, Holland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Midday train to Amsterdam again (after brief stops at souvenir and board game shops in Haarlem - which we will be back to).

    Walked to Anne Frank House - bit early so had large, thin Dutch pancakes at the nearby (imaginatively named) Pancakes. Seemed like it would be a tourist trap, being next door to Anne Frank, but was quite nice.

    Pancakes were yum - especially (and surprisingly) the savoury mushroom, bacon, capsicum and cheese one. The ingredients are baked in rather than being a topping, which was rather good. Lemon and sugar one was also quite nice. Wade may have added icing sugar, cinnamon sugar and syrup to his half (and also eaten the lemon slices whole). There was an 80c charge for toilets (with coin operated barrier arm) but they refund you later if you're eating there. They also give you a little blue and white clog key chain each as a memento.

    Then on to a longish wait in line for the Anne Frank museum (despite having online pre booked tickets). Got inside and went through with audioguides. Was definitely strange shuffling through the house and seeing the cramped quarters the family had to manage in. The having to stay there and be quiet - including the restricted bathroom use - was a stifling  reality, but then much better than the alternative of being in one of the concentration camps. Reminded Radi of the first time she read the book, and how she was so absorbed that she forgot that she could actually make sounds and use the bathroom when she'd finished reading.

    Overall glad we did it, though the tourists all packed in took away some of the sobriety. Even more so when some of the tourists are just complete nincompoops who think it's appropriate to giggle lots and rush through without looking at what you came in and see - even better when one did take the time to check herself out in the mirror (the family's bathroom mirror in the annex) and fix her hair. Very distracting French tourists who clearly had no clue. No photos inside the house.

    After that, more wandering. Tossed up seeing the Maritime Museum (with a life size replica ship) or doing a canal cruise but ran out of time (will do a cruise in Haarlem anyway hopefully). Did some shopping then caught the train back. Had a quick wander through Haarlem, looking forward to exploring tomorrow!    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Haarlem - Church of St Bavo
    HaarlemHaarlem - Grote Markt (kibbeling bites)HaarlemHaarlemHaarlem

    A Great Market in Grote Markt

    14. oktober 2017, Holland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    What a wonderful day. Started with a relaxed stroll to the Grote Markt - the main square in Haarlem that also hosts a street market on Saturdays. A perfectly cute little market - mix of fresh fruit and veg, random goods and delicious food.

    Saw some cute little leather booties and a bag but resisted temptation. Did not resist the temptation to have some deep fried kibbeling fish bites. Yum Town - population us. Strolled some more through cute cobblestone streets and picturesque canals. A lovely wee town.

    Also saw a Christmas and candle shop. Sorely tempted but the usual lack of packing space stymied our plans. Amazing candles though.    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Haarlem - Teyler's Museum
    Haarlem - Teyler's MuseumHaarlem - Teyler's MuseumHaarlem - Teyler's MuseumHaarlem - Teyler's MuseumHaarlem - Teyler's Museum

    A "Teyler-Made" Experience

    14. oktober 2017, Holland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Next stop, Teyler's Museum. Recommended by our hosts and one of the top attractions in Haarlem - and we can see why. A magical little gem. We gather this Teyler chap had a museum back in the day, and then left his collection to the city. So it's been preserved as an old school museum, while still making it accessible and enjoyable for visitors.

    Relatively cheap, and audioguide included - which was necessary as most writing was only in Dutch. An eclectic collection of many different things, in buildings that are themselves interesting. First two rooms were fossils, then gemstones/rocks and old telescopes and other inventions, followed by paintings and some temporary exhibits.

    Fossils were super interesting - what we were expecting from the Natural History Museum in London (which didn't really deliver). Also basically no crowds and you could get right up close. Fun fact - the amonite was a sea creature that lived in its spiral shell, made up of chambers. It adds chambers as it grows and lives in the biggest one. The other chambers are used to fill with air and water to make the amonite sink or float and move through the water. They grew up to the size of car wheels, but are now extinct - although their closest living relative, the nautilus, is half as small. The amonite was around for a relatively short period so they used to use its fossils as a way of dating different rocks!

    They also had examples of some "lying stones". These were fossils that someone wrote a huge paper on until he later discovered they'd been fabricated by his rival to discredit him. Kind of funny - especially as the supposed fossils were convex on the rocks instead of being indented into them.

    The room with rocks were cool - organised in an odd way, and surrounded by old school instruments and stuff.

    Also enjoyed the paintings - some were really well done and just drew you in.

    There was also a random film and an electricity exhibit, but mostly in Dutch so didn't stay as long. Apparently the Netherlands had a huge push to do everything with electricity when it first came out.

    After the museum, strolled some more along the canals, before our final stop, the board game shop (of course).    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Haarlem
    Haarlem - Christmas OrnamentsHaarlem - Christmas OrnamentsHaarlem - Boardroom (boardgames cafe)Haarlem - Boardroom (boardgames cafe)Haarlem

    Games Galore!

    14. oktober 2017, Holland ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    After the museum, walked to a souvenir shop to buy a Christmas ornament (resting temptation to buy many other cool knick knacks). Ended up at the Boardroom - a board game café  (like Counter Culture in Wellington). Heaps of fun. They use a Catan-based difficulty rating - from 0.5x Catan up to 3x Catan. If you're not familiar with Settlers of Catan then this scale would be relatively meaningless.

    Had some beer (NZD$4), including a nice dark bock beer. And popcorn and tea and hot chocolate. We played Elder Sign first - a cooperative survival game with a Cthulu/H.P. Lovecraft-type horror theme. Vaguely dice rolling based. Intimidating at first, with a big rulebook (3x Catan) but we figured it out without too much bother and had a blast. Managed to beat the easiest monster (with only minimal cheating). Yay.

    Then moved on to Ascension - yet another deck building game like Marvel or DC (1x Catan). Wade had played on his phone, but was good to try in real life. Good fun and easy to learn.

    After that, a quick stop at the supermarket for supplies (including a gluten free beer for about $1.60).    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Haarlem - Canal Cruise (view of De Adriaan)
    Haarlem - Canal Cruise (our ride)Haarlem - Canal Cruise (view of St Bavo Cathedral)Haarlem - Canal CruiseHaarlem - Canal CruiseHaarlem - Canal Cruise

    Cruising the Canals

    15. oktober 2017, Holland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Another fantastic day in Haarlem. Kicking ourselves for not spending an extra day here - one long day in Amsterdam would have been enough. Definitely want to come back though!

    Beautiful and sunny, today was definitely the day for a canal tour. On our walk to the canals, briefly perused a cloth market at the Grote Markt.

    Then opted for a tour on an open air small group boat. Guide was lovely and spoke English to our group of 9 total (others on tour were Dutch and Spanish so all understood English perfectly). He pointed out lots of interesting facts and it was great to learn more about the history.

    For example, in the olden days, there weren't any addresses so people distinguished their house by adding decorative gable stones (like an elephant for the Elephant and Castle brewery). He also pointed out some intentionally crooked houses (they lean forward so that the rain drains well and any weights being raised from the top bit wouldn't risk damaging the lower floors).

    It was also just lovely sitting in a small open boat in glorious sunshine and slowly making our way around the cute canals and the river. Very relaxing - a beer wouldn't have gone amiss.

    Saw lots of sights - including Grote Kerk or Saint Bavo-kerk (originally built as a Catholic church in 1245, turned Protestant church in 1578) and the cathedral of St Bavo (built much later from 1895 to 1930) which is much newer and Catholic and huge. The delay in a Catholic church being built was due to a massive ban of Catholics following the 80 years War of Independence of Netherlands from Spain - very interesting. Substantial numbers of Flemish men immigrated here to get work after the conversion of power to Protestantism - as Flemish Protestant labourers were in demand as many of the Haarlem men had died in war.

    He pointed out the block where textile and leather industries were once located - in the east so winds carried away the smell away from the city and residents, and surrounded on all sides by canals due to the fire risk. Haarlem used to have lots of breweries - but they came into conflict with the (Flemish) textile industry over water use (breweries need clean water while textile industry pollutes it). The result - the hundreds of breweries dwindling.

    Saw the windmill (De Adriaan)- very cool. And still in operation (although has been somewhat reconstructed since a fire).

    A lovely canal trip through Haarlem and would highly recommend.    Læs mere

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    Haarlem
    HaarlemHaarlemHaarlem - Bitterballen for lunchHaarlem - Chocolate CafeHaarlem - Boardgames Cafe

    Sunday Fun Day Continued

    15. oktober 2017, Holland ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    After the canal tour, wandered a bit. Had a drink and tried some bitterballen (kind of like arancini risotto balls but with quite a firm, deep fried, breaded outside). Served with purple-ish mustard. Nice enough but haven't had enough to really pass judgment.

    Next up, a stop at the Chocolate Company cafe for cake, apple pie and coffee. We were tempted by the Hot Choc spoons, but decided no (basically a wedge of chocolate on a spoon in a bunch of flavours that you then submerge in hot milk). Also reluctantly decided against chocolate fondue option.

    Then what better way to finish our day (and our time in Haarlem) than a drink and nachos (delicious) at the board game cafe. This time we tried TIME Stories, billed as a mix of board and role playing game. Not sure it really succeeded at either. Fiddly to set up and play and just wasn't particularly enjoyable. Also less replay value than normal. But hey, might be OK one day - just not high on our list.

    Ascension was fun though - played again and this time Radi won (convincingly).

    Then home to pack for the train to Berlin! We'll miss you Haarlem!    Læs mere

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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure TimeNZtoWherever
    Berlin - Brandenburger Gate
    Berlin - German History MuseumBerlin - German History MuseumBerlin - German History MuseumBerlinBerlin - Topography of Terror

    Big Day in Berlin

    18. oktober 2017, Tyskland ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    After a relaxed first day in Berlin, it was time to do some sightseeing. Got a 48 hour Welcome card with discounts and free travel.

    Navigated the S-bahn to the German History Museum. Found a really nice Christmas shop on the way. Very tempting. Museum was really good - covered events from early days to today. Seeing that span of history made us realize the sheer number of wars (and that's wars, not battles) that have happened. Crazy.

    Then a currywurst and fries with a beer in the sun. Such a nice day!

    Walked to see the Brandenburger Gate and Reichstag. Continued on. Missed a memorial which we'll come back to tomorrow hopefully.

    Stopped for oven fresh pretzel (soooo good) and then some delicious ice cream (loving the pistachio flavour).

    Then took train to the Topography of Terror - where the Gestapo headquarters (and etc.) were housed.

    They estimated that, in the end, 400,000 Germans were involved with the Nazi regime. The result of the regime (apart from the wider war) was a massive death toll (6 million Jewish, 500,000 Romas, and so many Polish prisoners of war, mentally ill or physically disabled German citizens), families torn apart and people displaced. Sobering.

    Especially sobering when you realize how many Nazi's escaped justice and how many served only a small fraction of their sentences (eg. just 3-4 years) - even if they were personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. Some even went on to have positions of power again....

    Interesting to see a German perspective - many Germans in the post war years saw the trials as "victor's trials" - basically a chance to judge them on the basis that they had lost the war vs the actual crimes against humanity that had been committed. Because if it had been the latter, then the people responsible for the bombings of Dresden (killing so many German civilians) and other atrocities would also have had consequences to face.

    Was also interesting to see how the general German populace shifted the blame to officials when faced with the reality of Nazi regime, and were more preoccupied with their own sufferings - especially in East Germany. Though culpable ownership of that terrible history is clearly taken now.

    Then a trek to find a board game shop. This one with a big collection and also the ability to rent games for €3/$5 per day. May have gotten a bit lost (Wade's bad) but got there in the end. Then metro back to home and had some delicious and cheap Turkish (has been one of our favourite foods so far in Germany - not that we've had a particularly large range).

    Then we played the rented board game (Ascension expansion) and had another beer ($1 for 500ml from the supermarket!). A good if rather long day.    Læs mere

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