EUROPE 2022, HERE WE COME AGAIN!

We are very happy to be able to travel to Europe again now that COVID rules in Australia no longer mandate isolation following overseas travel! Ian has planned a three month trip in France (Paris, Avignon and Chartres), Iceland (Reykjavik and a ten-day cruise), Berlin, a seventeen-day cruise around the Baltic Sea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Tallin, and then Switzerland, London and Edinburgh.

 

I intend to write a daily blog to capture our experiences and I hope you enjoy it too.

319 June 2022: Melbourne to Singapore to Paris

Off at last – finished off the packing this morning. Either I'm getting older or my case is getting heavier, as it is definitely harder to lift and carry than it was in 2018.

Got away on time – tram to the city and then Sky bus to the airport, but then hit our first snag at check in. Despite spending over an hour online check-in  and apparently jumping through all of the required hoops on Thursday, the Singapore Airlines check-in rep told us that we had also to fill in an online EU digital passenger locator form. This took over an hour with the full-time assistance of another Singapore Airlines  rep. Thank God we arrived four hours ahead of our flight’s departure!

Relaxing in the Sheraton Silverkris Lounge now, having taken the obligatory selfies,  enjoying a well  earned glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream.

It could be very easy to get used to travelling Business Class:

• shorter queues and priority boarding  

• much roomier seating

• champagne  to start the flight

• lying flat for sleeping

to name some of the benefits. I had an excellent fillet of beef in green peppercorn sauce after taking off at 3.40pm but it was a little strange to see Robyn tucking into lobster thermidor at about 4.00 o’clock in the morning, Melbourne time.

We didn’t have much luck with the phones in Singapore  66but we will see how we go in the morning in Paris after (hopefully) a good night’s sleep.

Sleeping on a lay-flat bed is definitely better than an economy class seat, but still not easy to sleep so I watched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. (I had reintroduced to DC Super Heroes by Lachie in Port Douglas during our February holiday.)

Arrive in Paris and settle into our apartment

We landed on time a bit before 8.00 am, and proceeded through Customs and Immigration with a minimum of fuss – nobody checked our prescription medications at any stage of the trip, and once our vaccination certificates had been checked in Melbourne that was it – the only things checked on our arrival in Paris were our passports! /storage/emulated/0/Documents/19 June 2022 - Melbourne to Singapore.docx

Taking the train from CDG Airport to Chaeĺet Les Halles and then the Metro to Bastille convinced us that we are now too old to use public transport from the airport to our apartment – hauling 20kg suitcases plus backpacks up and down stairs (there are many stations without lifts) is now beyond us – it used to be acceptable but no longer!

We met Bruno at our small loft style apartment in the arty Marais District. He showed us over the apartment and then left us to it as he and Brian (our hosts) were off to Tanzania on safari. We had a scratch meal and set off to walk to La Sainte Chapelle. Immediately Ian suffered a disaster when one of his teeth seemed to break on a Mintie. Closer inspection revealed that it might not be too bad – the crown may have come off an implant and he had no pain.

We attended a wonderful classical music concert at Sainte Chapelle – beautiful stained glass windows, soaring ceilings and great music, including Pachelbel’s Canon, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

As we walked home we encountered the evening’s second disaster! We saw a girl at an intersection wearing a very light and flimsy black lace dress. I was thinking how vulnerable it looked when a gust of wind lifted it well over her waist. Only got a quick rear view but I think that she wearing a gee string. We finished walking home and collapsed from the day’s exertions.

PORT DOUGLAS DIARY 2022

Monday 7 March 2022

We met Chris, Kristie, Lachlan, Ash and Hannah at the airport for our 10:20 a.m. flight to  Cairns where we picked up our car. Chris, Hannah and Ash came with us, and Kristie and Lachie took the shuttle up-to-date to Sheraton Mirage Resort, all arriving about 4:30 p.m. After settling in, Ian and I did some supermarket shopping including dinner (roast chicken, salad and ice creI did did ams). Then we settled in to watch some TV including Raising Dion on Netflix before bed.

 Tuesday 8 March

We started today with a walk with Chris, Ash and Hannah along the beach and through the Sheraton Resort. In the afternoon we all had lots of fun in the Sheraton pool.

Wednesday 9 March 

Chris cooked some delicious pancakes for our breakfast and then Ian and I went for a walk on the beach with Kristie, Chris and Hannah. Kristie and I enjoyed decorating some sandcastles we made. Following our walk, we all had a swim in the lagoon pool next door in the Sheraton Mirage. 

After lunch we had a quiet afternoon before venturing out for dinner at Hemmingway'sI'm Brewery.  We sat outside, looking over the marina and  enjoying the view.               

Thursday 10 March

We spent an enjoyable morning at Wildlife Habitat, starting with Breakfast With the Birds in the cafe. 

Chris, Kristie and the children caught up with some friends and we had a quiet afternoon.

Friday 11 March

We started the day with a late breakfast at The Little Larder in town.

In the afternoon we hired a boat and had a relaxing trip up the estuary. Everyone except Ian and me had turn at driving boat, even Hannah! 

After dinner, we all (except Hannah) had some fun playing Pictionary!

Saturday 12 March

Chris, Kristie and the children visited some friends 

The last day in Copenhagen and the trip home: 4-6 October

With only a couple of hours to spare before we needed to make our way to the airport for our return trip home, this morning we decided to visit the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, which was near by, and have a look at the art collection from the Danish Golden Age. To access that area of the gallery we crossed through the Winter Garden which was an attractive courtyard enclosed in a glass dome.

Passing Tivoli (and Nimb)

The Glytotek Winter Garden

We spent an hour or so enjoying works by famous Danish artists, in particular HE Freund.

'Thor' by HE Freund

'Mother Denmark' by E Jerichau-Bauman

'Recumbent Lion' by Peter Funder

'CF Hansen' by HE Freund

'The Beach at Posillipo' by JC Dahl

From there, we caught the train to Copenhagen Airport and, after lunch, we took the 3.35pm Emirates flight to Dubai.

On arrival in Dubai at around midnight we were collected by a representative from the Dubai International Hotel who took us to a lovely spacious room where we spent the night.

We had a wake-up call at 6am and, after showers, we found our way back to the airport departure lounge to board the flight to Singapore, feeling quite refreshed to continue on our way.

The final leg of the trip was Singapore to Melbourne arriving around 7.30am on Saturday 6 October.

So ends another of our overseas adventures! Once again Ian's planning was impeccable and between us we chose some great places to visit – some for the first time and others we enjoyed returning to. Thank you for reading this blog and sharing the trip with us!

Copenhagen - National Museum and City Hall: Wednesday 3 October

On our last day in Copenhagen (for this trip!) We visited the National Museum twice and enjoyed a tour of the Copenhagen Radhus (City Hall).

Statue of St Absalon, outside the Radhus

Statue in the Radhus square

We spent the morning in the museum and then, since there was still plenty to see, we returned after the city hall tour. It describes itself as 'the largest museum of cultural history in Denmark' and it certainly covers a wide range of eras and cultures.

Some of the highlights were:

Stuffed lynx

Mary and the Saints c.1425AD, North German altarpiece

St George c1500, Danish

Drinking horn c1500

Griffins, found in southern Italy, 600-550 BC

After lunch in the museum cafe, we adjourned to the Radhus where we joined a group for a very interesting tour.

The Radhus was built in 1905 and our tour started in the Main Hall before progressing upstairs through the Reading Room with Denmark's oldest toilet (male only!), the kitchen and the council chambers. The building is decorated with ceramic friezes, statues, portraits and mosaics, and was well worth a visit.

In the Main Hall of the Radhus

After our return visit to the National Museum we had a much needed rest in our hotel before enjoying dinner at the Brasserie Royal.

Nimb Brasserie: 2 October evening

We have just come back from a very special meal at Nimb Brasserie, which is one of the Tivoli  restaurants.

Where we were seated we had a lovely view of the Tivoli lights but were cosy inside.

I had the most delicious whole fried lobster with salad and Ian had pepper steak with caramelised onion and ginger, and pate. Quantities were small but the food was magnificent.

For dessert, Ian had vanilla creme brulee with fresh raspberries and I had a dessert with three different kinds of chocolate and blueberries.

This evening was certainly one of the highlights of our whole trip!

Skagen to Copenhagen: Tuesday 2 October

We were off to an early start this morning, leaving our apartment at 7.15am for a 7.47am train to Aalborg. We arrived there just in time to board the 9.59am train to Copenhagen, which we reached at 3.08pm.

Some scenery from the train today:

For the next two nights, we are staying at the Scandic Palace Hotel which overlooks the city square in the middle of Copenhagen.

We went for a short walk after we arrived and renewed our acquaintance with some of the statues and other landmarks close by the square.

Hans Christian Andersen

We are looking forward to dinner tonight at Nimb Brasserie, where I am hoping to have a whole roasted lobster!

Vikings at Lindholm Hoje and a wander through the town of Aarlborg: Monday 1 October

We took an early (7.47am!) train to the town of Lindholm this morning and walked 2kms to the Viking Burial Grounds at Lindholm Hoje. Although the museum is closed on Mondays, we were able to explore the outdoor burial site and there were very comprehensive information boards at each viewing point.

In the Viking Age, Lindholm Fjord was a departure point for raids to England and other parts of Europe. This site was probably settled in the ninth century AD and deserted by 1100AD due to storms which caused sand drifts to cover the fields. It was rediscovered in the 1890s and excavated in the 1950s. Several warriors’ graves were found – circular mounds of earth with a circle of large stones and the surface covered in flint blocks. Warriors were usually buried with their swords and often their dogs as well.

There were great views across the hills and the whole site was very evocative! There were several other visitors there as well as us and everyone was very respectful of the site.

We walked back to the station and caught a train to Aarlborg where we spent the rest of the day. Aarlborg is the fourth largest city in Denmark and is on the Limfjord which cuts through Jutland. We enjoyed a walk around the town and down to the waterfront.

We don't know why these bras were hanging here!

Latinergyden church (anno 1506)

Pulpit

We had a delicious lunch at Penny Lane café before catching the train back to Skagen.