Europe 2023 September 13th/14th - Days 41 & 42 Return to Oz

 Up with the alarm this morning, ready for the flights home. Had some breakfast as usual downstairs and then waited for our taxi to arrive at 8.30 am. He actually turned up 10 minutes early but we were already downstairs and waiting, however he was early because he popped in to get a coffee, leaving to car parked in the street, blocking the road. Many horns later from upset drivers, he returned un-fussed, waved to the waiting cars and we were in and off to Schipol Airport.

Our flight was for 11.10 am, so once through check-in and luggage drop we went to the lounge and waited. All on time and got into our seats and a very comfortable twelve and a bit hour flight to Singapore with Singapore Airlines. Excellent service as usual with plenty of food as always. Jane had some sleep but I didn't as trying not to sleep on the way back to try and beat the jet lag, so got through a couplle of Guy Ritchie movies.

Arrived in Singapore around 2am Singapore time and made our way to the Krisflyer lounge as we had a bit over four hours to kill. Jane had a bit of a nap while I just walked around a bit or sat and surfed the net. Mind not in  the space to do another blog.

The flight to Brisbane (back in cattle class now) was pretty un-eventfull except for the boarding. We were in the second row ( 42 window and aisle ) and there was a couple in front carrying two children (new born and under two down syndrome boy) who were in the window and middle, with an American guy in the aisle. Extremely large woman got on and of course had the ticket for the window. Apparently the couple had been allocated the middle seats in both aisles, not together which was a bit silly.  In the end I moved to the middle next to Jane, and the guy moved back to our row to accommodate the woman, so the couple could stay together. The staff thanked us and I made a flippant comment saying thats OK , just a whiskey later will be fine.

The flight went well ( except the guy next to me who woudn't shut up when he was awake, continually whining about the pain of his knee). Jane slept off and on and I watched more films, until one of the cabin crew came after dinner with a very nice plate of cheeses and fruit, along with a 15yr old Whiskey for me. Gotta love the service of Singapore Airlines. 

Finally got to Brisbane on time at 7.15pm and after stopping at Duty Free we were out and soon in the car as Isabel had come to collect us. 

An excellent trip with some unexpected nice surprises. Now to start planning for the next one when the bank balance improves a bit. Europe is certainly an expensive place to visit at the moment with the Australian dollar so weak. Pound was basically one to every $2 AUD and the Euro was about $1.70 AUD. Oh well can't change it and we did have a most enjoyable trip.

Europe 2023 September 12th Day 40 - Red Light and Van Gogh are a good match.

This morning we awake with the 8 am alarm again and once more downstairs for breakfast. A new lady was there this morning and she was a little flustered as it appeared that everyone had the same idea for breakfast his morning.

It was then off on the trusty No. 12 tram into the city and we did a self guided tour of the red light district with a downloaded app Jane got through Viator. This was actually very good and took about an hour with excellent commentary and very good directions. It used the phone GPS to pinpoint where you were and then automatically started the commentary when you arrived at the next location. Obviously a number of window sights but also a bit of history about the area, origins and buildings.

We continued to walk around after the tour ended, finding the Beurspassage with its gorgeous mosaics on the roof and walls and finally stopped for a coffee and a slice of carrot cake. It was then off to the Museum district and the Van Gogh museum for our 1.45 pm time slot, preceded by a little lunch (loaded fries and fried cheese sticks) in the park across from the museum.

The museum was excellent and certainly a highlight of Amsterdam, even saw a Munch there as well to match the Van Gogh at the Munch museum in Oslo. We stayed till a little after 3.30 pm and then headed back to the hotel for a late afternoon nap. I think we are all holidayed out now and looking forward to getting home.

This evening we went for a walk around our hotel location in the opposite direction and came across the ArtZuid Bienalle Sculpture exhibition of 50 sculptures by internationally renowned and Dutch artists in the leafy parks of Apollolaan and Minervalaan. 

There was even a Hockney and Wurm on display (https://artzuid.nl/en/).

We tried to get somewhere to eat but everything was booked out so in the end we got back on No.12 tram for about 4 stops and found a Greek taverna of all places for lamb and fish kebabs. It was then about a 30 minute walk in the twilight back to the hotel to complete another 15 km plus day, stopping at the supermarket for a half bottle of red (very nice Valpolicella Ripasso) and downstairs in the hotel to consume before retiring for the night after booking our taxi to the airport in the morning. An 11 am flight so no need to rush.

Europe 2023 September 11th Day 39 - Amsterdam, walking and Rembrandt

Up again at 8 am this morning with the alarm and into another excellent shower. That''s all one needs when travelling, good bed, comfy pillow and a good shower. This shower was one of the smaller cassette type but again excellent water pressure.

We went down to breakfast to be greeted by cold eggs, bacon etc, as obviously the bain-marie hadn't been switched on. This was corrected and the lovely young lady cooked up new food and threw the cold stuff out, good service.

Out and about quickly jumping onto the No.12 tram into the centre of the city. We booked an 11 am canal cruise and in the meantime went for a small walk around the streets passing massage shops, cannabis outlets etc and canals before returning for the cruise. 

The cruise was fun and a good little run down on the history of Amsterdam,the canals and houses.

After this it was coffee and cake time, apple strudel and apple cake, very nice.

This was followed by more walking, including totally in the wrong direction by me and google maps (totally missed Anne Frank house) before stopping around 1 pm for a cold drink as it was 29 degrees but felt hotter than that. After the drink we then walked to the Rijksmuseum for our 3pm booking to take in Rembrandt and the Dutch Masters. An excellent museum and art gallery that took us all of nearly two hours before having a coffee and chocolate brownie on closing time.

It was back to the hotel to collect the last little bit of  laundry to do ( little miscalculation on the smalls requirements for the last few days) and it was back in the direction we came from to a self serve laundromat. This one just happened to be next to a bar so we sat outside in the shade enjoying a cold beverage with fries and peanuts whilst waiting for the washing to complete.

It was then a thirty minute walk back to the hotel and a freshen up after a rather hot day and approx 18 km of walking. 

We didn't go far for dinner tonight, just popping across the road to a cafe where we had some croquettes, (beef, cheese and shrimp) washed down with another beer and wine. It was then back to the hotel where we just sat downstairs enjoying a glass of wine purchased from the supermarket. A young couple also came and sat in the room to eat takeaway and we gathered from the little bits of conversation we overheard they were in Amsterdam for the porn fest.  9.30 pm and we were off to bed after what a appeared a very long day.

September 10th Day 38 - Bergen to Amsterdam and Fog

Just the usual morning procedures, alarm at 8am (another damn good sleep), breakfast downstairs in the old stock exchange hall with everything one could hope for except a decent coffee 😆.

This morning was, as seems the norm in Norway, fog everywhere. We finished our packing and checked out before having a small walk around the area. It was very damp from the overnight rain and the mist in the air added to this. We made our way to the modern light rail that connects the city to the airport (Bergen Luthvausan) . Cost was 80 kroner for both and about 45minutes compared to 700-800 kroner for a taxi 25-30 minutes, the Norwegians certainly have public transport down to a tee.

Arrived at the airport and a simple self checkin and through to waiting area for a coffee (or huge bowl of fish soup and bread for Jane) and sit down to await KLM plane departure. Couple flights coming in so shouldn't be an issue with fog then. Was a bit of a delay, only 20 minutes and we were off in the KLM Embraer City Hopper which was a quick 90 minute flight. Sat in seperate seats (10F & 14D) as we were a little slow with the checkin. Landed into Amsterdam airport and had to do the bus transfer to the terminal as heaps of construction work being done. Once off a small wait for luggage and then we looked for the 397 bus to our hotel stop close to the Van Gough Museum. It was about 14 degrees warmer in Amsterdam than Bergen and thankfully the bus didn't take long. As we went to jump on a couple quickly gave us their bus passes as they were leaving Amsterdam, we jumped on and on our way. Took a couple of stops before we realised the stops weren't matching; lady behind us must have realised our confusion and asked where we were going. Oops , right bus, wrong direction 😂. We jumped off at the next stop, crossed the road and waited for the 397 going in the correct direction. Only took 7 minutes and we were on our way in the correct direction and it only took another 20 minutes with running commentary from a young woman named Tina to a guy about her porn acting career, angel number etc, etc before we arrived at our correct stop. A five minute walk to the Muse Hotel and booked in. Not as good as Bergen, but prices were ridiculous in Amsterdam at the the moment and apparently in part due to the Sex and Porn star convention that was on in town. ( No we were not invited). Dropped our gear and headed out to get acquainted with the area before finding a little Spanish restaurant for some tapas and a cold beer.

Spoke to a couple from Oregon seated next to us who were travelling Europe to see their son rapper Harry Mack perform. Back to our hotel via the supermarket for some lollies and wine before sitting in the rest area with the wine and chillin for a while before heading to bed. Booked tickets for Van Gogh for Tuesday (closed Monday) and for the Risjkmuseum tomorrow Arvo.

Europe 2023 September 9th Day 37 - Voss to Bergen

Wish I could shake this damn cold but a couple more Panadol and she'll be right. Slept very well last night and didn't wake until the alarm at 8am. Quick shower and down for another great breakfast, along with the masses. I am certainly amazed at how many people are staying here and it seems the turnover is almost daily. 

Back to the room and packed for our bus trip to Bergen this morning after the train cancellations. It was once again foggy with not much visibility and due to the rail cancellations there were a number of people waiting at the designated stop. A number of train, uniformed persons were standing around but not really doing anything. A couple of buses arrived, and went but supposedly not ours, this was not the Norwegian efficiency I had grown accustomed to. Finally a bus turned up about 15 minutes after our departure time and this was the on for Bergen.

Of course lining up didn't seem to matter and when we finally got on the bus there were only single seats left because all the youth had rushed on a and taken all the window seats. We sat behind each other a couple of rows from the back and had to listen to the drone of a young woman from the back seat for the 90 minutes the trip took ,who dominated the conversation by talking incessantly and louder than everyone else. Got to Bergen bus stop and with the aid of google maps walked to our hotel, about 15 minutes away.

It was only 1pm but our room as ready so we dumped our gear and headed off to look around the waterfront. It is still very much an active port but retaining the old parts from the 1700's which are very touristy. I even found the house that Armauer Hansen was born in (the man who discovered the cause of leprosy in 1873 ).  There was a good market on and we just wandered for a few hours before finally stopping for a small bite and drink. 

There was a funicular here as well, ( I wonder why Hobart haven't thought of something like that for My Wellington, as every city here has one and seem extremely popular) so we went to the top and had a glorious view of the city and harbour just as the mist and rain were starting to settle in. We headed down and back to the hotel for a short relax and nap.

The Bergen Bors Hotel was the old stock exchange and was a step up from where had been staying and appeared to have been renovated only a couple of years ago, didn't have a harbour view but very happy with the room.

The evening was still damp so we ended up at a very nice Tapas bar where we had a bench table in front of the window, so got to eat and people watch at the same time. Food was brilliant with a couple of wines before we headed back to the hotel and settled with a final wine in the restaurant lounge area before heading to bed a little after 10pm. Not too late as off the our last stop tomorrow, Amsterdam.

Bergen was a beautiful place as well as clean, tidy and so easy to get around. We would both definitely return here for a little more time and to use as a base to  venture into the countryside and do one of the cruises that originate out of Bergen.

Europe 2023 September 8th Day 36 - Bus, Boat, Train, Train and Cable Car

Up at a reasonable hour and still feeling head coldy, so couple of Panadol and down for breakfast as busy day and bus to catch at 10.10am for 'Norway in a Nutshell' self guided tour. Massive restaurant in the hotel which was packed with people ( average age 70 plus I'm tipping). Was an excellent spread and left to catch our 10.10 bus to Gudvangen in what can only be described as quite a dense mist, hopefully the day will improve if the last few days have proven. 

This tour is self guided and uses some local transport including the bus, really more a coach. We stopped at the Stalheim Hotel for a 10 minute view of the valley below, with the fog now clearing as hoped for and the scenery was magnificent.

Dropped off a couple of locals at various stops on the way before arriving at Gudvangen on the Fjord. Grabbed a coffee and pastry in the bakery before hopping on board the boat to do the scenic cruise to Flåm. A two hour cruise once again amongst magnificent scenery, the mountains arise dramatically from the water and a couple still had some snow/ permafrost on them. There were a couple of stops to drop off mail and locals before arriving at Flåm.

A small village , mainly touristy now where we had two hours to kill before our 4pm railway trip to Myrdal. Had a small look around the railway museum which was focused on the construction of this small 20km section between 1923-1940 that connected Flåm with the main line at Myrdal at a gradient of 1:18 makinyit one of the steepest in the world. Got in a bit of lunch (reindeer sausage for me) and then popped into the local Flåmsbrygga micro brewery where we shared a flight five beers, the Hefeweizen was excellent. 

It was then onto this scenic railway for 45 minutes, stopping to view a beautiful waterfall with a crazy woman in red dancing around (supposedly a nymph to capture wayward men) before getting into Myrdal for our change over the the same train as yesterday, for the final 50 minute leg back to Voss and the hotel. Weather was brilliant after the foggy start this morning and the views were just magnificent.

After dropping a few things in the room we went out to take the cable car to the top of which in winter must be a hive of activity with nine ski slopes, left's etc. Jane did well as not the best with heights .

Once down the bottom we went for another walk around Voss before settling down in little bar/cafe for a beer, wine and pizza. Then back to the hotel to sit in the lounge, reading and blogging with a glass before settling down for the night. It was very busy as there was a 50 year school reunion for Voss being held here, so plenty of walkers and canes around 😂