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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Copenhagen, Denmark

We were finally on solid ground for a week in the capital of Denmark after dismebarkingthe ship around 9am. Grabbing a taxi we stuffed our luggage long with our friends, Tom and Debbie and their luggage and took off to the apartment we were staying at. Tom did some homework and found a great two bedroom apartment in the heart of the city. The first day we got settled, unpacked and took a stroll down the canal that was next to our apartment. The area is called Nyhaven which means New Harbor, but is really the oldest harbor in the city. It used to be a "naughty" place where sailors would take shore leave to drink, eat and "other activities" (wink, wink). Now it's a posh place to meet friends, have dinner or a drink and live. The next day we met our host couple Karl was emailing through his police connections. Rene and Marjbritte were great hosts and showed us many places in Copenhagen, how to get around town on the buses and what we should see while we were there. They took us on a walking tour and gave us a great introduction to this wonderful city. It's a mixture of old and new and seems to be a very vibrant and clean city. The following day we walked to the Rosesnborg Palace which is now a museum, but was once the summer home of the royal family. The rooms are furnished with items from the fisrt king, Christian IV to Frederick VI. Plus the crown jewels are stored there. In fact, one of the displays for the royal christening outfit was out because the Queen's grandchild is being christened this Sunday.
The weather was on and off most of the time we were here, but it didn't deter us from exploring. This day we went on a bus tour of the city called the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus. What a way to see a city! It takes you around most of the important sights and lets you get off to visit for a while and then catch the next bus and continue on your tour. We were taken to the harbor where one of the most recognizable symbols of Denmark is - The Little Mermaid. This poor girl has had her head cut off three times and her arm once. Thank goodness they still have the original mold so that they can remake whatever body part is taken.
I'm sorry, but I had to take a picture of something very unusual to us, but seems common place to Europe- a public bathroom! That's right - a bathroom underground in the central plaza. Go figure!
Okay, on with our tour. Did you know that Sweden is only 17 miles from Copenhagen? We didn't either until we found out that it is connected by a tunnel and a bridge! Well guess where we went? You got it - we went to Sweden for the day. The cute town of Malmo is just across the channel and we had a wonderful time walking the streets and seeing the old buildings and the outdoor restaurants. We had a great Japanese lunch in one of these places and were very warm and comfortable because they have heaters between the tables and blankets on the chairs for us. Our final day we went with Rene and Marjbritte to the coastal town of Dragoer, prounounced Drower. It is a quaint fishing village that hasn't changed in many years. Fishing boats still sail out of the harbor for their daily run and bring the day's catch back to the shoreline so that they can sell the catch fresh. Houses are still thatched roofed and the streets are still small and cobblestoned. In fact the houses aren't really big either.
Well,folks, we are traveling back to the USA tomorrow. I hope you have enjoyed taking this journey with us and maybe we have peaked your inner travel bug. Our next adventure will be June of next year when we go back to Ireland for a motorcycle tour with the Blue Knights.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Land of Fjords

On our information sheet that Princess always gives us the night before we get into our next port, they wrote this about Norway – SIZE: 125,020 square miles, slightly larger than New Mexico. Kinda nice to see your state mentioned since most of the time we are forgotten about.
Anyway, today we sailed into the beautiful land of Oslo. Oslo sits on the edge of a fjord and was first inhabited by seafarers since the 8th century. It was actually “founded” until 1048 by Harald Hardrade, the half-brother of St.Olav and is Scandinavia’s oldest capital. It is a beautiful city, very clean and orderly. There is a little graffiti, but not like Amsterdam.
We boarded our bus for the 90 minute ride to the Hadeland Glassworks to watch the master glass blower do his work. The pieces are absolutely stunning, but very expensive – too expensive for me. Plus they are so heavy it would put our luggage weight over-limit. And to ship it would cost around $100. So I was contented to just brose.
Our next stop was the Viking Ships Museum where there are three ships that were found in places called burial mounds. The most intact one was found in 1905, dated to be built in 900 and was the burial ship of a queen. There was a legend of such a ship with a lady buried with it, but no one looked for it until a farmer saw a piece of wood about 1 foot long sticking up out of his field. They found the skeleton of a woman in the burial house on the ship and realized what they had found. It was in great shape because of where it was buried the ground was mostly clay and compacted around the ship and kept it protected from the air. Our next stop will be Copenhagen where we are based for a week then we will be flying home.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

City of Bikes

Our ship docked in Rotterdam, Netherlands this morning, but we were off early to drive to Amsterdam for the day. Amsterdam is a very interesting city and reminds me of what Venice would look like, since I have never been there. Canals are all through the city and they use it like we use streets. Taxis can take you everywhere you need to go. And bikes? OMG, bikes are everywhere! I heard that there are 10 million bikes in this city. And beware if you are walking anywhere. Bikes (and scooters) have their own path, but don’t care if you are in their way or not – they will run you over.
Our first part of the trip took us on a canal ride through the town. We saw many beautiful architecture and houses in bright colors and VERY close together. There was one house which claims to the be smallest in the city. It was 4 stories tall and only as wide as a picture window that we have in the states. Along the trip we went by Anne Franks’ house where she was in hiding for more than 18 months. The lines are usually hours long, but today it was only about a block long. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to go back to visit since we only had about 2 hours on our own. On the canals there were many houseboats – some really nice and others, well, let’s just say that they could improve them by taking them out of the canal and burn them. When we returned to the launch point we took a bus tour of about 45 minutes to see the city from the street side. Then we were on our own. Our first stop was for some lunch. Three of our party of four had the famous split pea soup. The fourth (me) didn’t want any part in that. Can’t stand it at home and didn’t want to eat it out. Our next stop was in the red light district per instructions from my son. “Mom, make sure you stop in and see.” Well I did and I was surprised. It’s like shopping for a piece of clothing – you look in the window to choose what “kind” of girl you want. Then we walked a little farther and came upon the famous “coffee houses”. You don’t drink the “coffee” there, but you do go and smoke weed instead. In fact they have stores that see “vision seeds” for you enjoyment. Most of the coffeehouses you can stand in the doorway and just get high from the smoke coming out of the store. But remember, prostitution and drug use is legal there. Unfortunately the city is full of graffiti because of how open they are.
Now for some trivia - just remember these and impress someone – Dutch windmills use to number over 10,00. Now there are only about 900 left and of those only 600 really work. Take a look at the blades on the mil – if they are in the + position it’s not working at the moment. If it’s in the X position that mill is out of commission and isn’t working anymore. The next day we are at sea steaming towards Oslo, Norway which is good because we need a day of rest.

Londontown

We woke up this morning to the beautiful white cliffs of Dover. Unfortunately because of the sun’s position we really didn’t get the full effect of the white chalk cliffs. They were more gray than white. But you can get the idea of what they would look like white.
We took a two hour bus trip into London to spend most of the day. I had been there more than 20 years ago, but wanted to see it again to see if anything changed. Nope – not a lot. The one thing we did do that I didn’t back then was take a river cruise. It was a great way to see some of the sights that you really can’t see from the land. It took about 2 hours and was a great time. One of the newest things was the “London Eye” which is a HUGE ferris wheel type thing. It has pods that holds about 30 people and turns very slowly so that you can see London from above. It takes 30 minutes to do a full revolution. It was built for the English millennium by British Airways.
As we were waiting on the boat to start the cruise I was lucky enough to get a film clip of Big Ben ringing the noon hour right above us. For those that don’t know – Big Ben is the bell in the tower of the Parliament building. Many think that the whole tower is called Big Ben. Again, we were too late to witness the changing of the guards . Here are the things we were able to see on our cruise: 1. Tower of London, which was built in 1078 as a fortress, royal residence, arsenal and prison. On the river is a now blocked entry gate to the tower called the “traitor’s gate.” If you went in most of the time you didn’t come out. 2. Tower Bridge, opened in 1894 which many people mistake for London Bridge. 3. The Mayflower (replica). The real Mayflower moored outside the building still in existence prior to sailing to America with the pilgrims (one of which was my ancestor). 4. Prospect of Whitby. One of the oldest pubs in London. Karl and some friends drank there when they were on a cruise and he was excited to see that it was still there. It was built in 1520. Tomorrow we are off the ship in Amsterdam.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Jolly Ol' England

Today we tendered into Falmouth, England for the day. That means that we went from a really big ship to a tiny lifeboat to get to shore. And on very rough seas, I might add. Anyway, Falmouth is in Cornwall, which is the far southwestern tip of the country. In fact they have an area called Land’s End because the land really does end there. And if you look at the shops around the area most of them are named “The First and The Last” whatever – store, restaurant, shop, etc. We were supposed to meet a friend of Karl’s here, but at the last minute he had to cancel and all the tours were sold out, so we decided to spend the day walking around the town. It is a very nice little harbor town with small streets and a LOT of pasty shops. Now don’t go pronouncing it as pastie with a long a sound. It’s pasty with a short a sound – past-tee. It is like a turnover filled with meat, onions, cheese, turnips and other things, depending on your desire. Then you can pick it up in your hands and eat as you walk. It was created by the miners of Cornwall so that they could eat their lunch in the mines. Falmouth really came into it’s hayday when smuggler’s used the harbor for their comings and goings. It became a rather lucrative business. Also, if you are familiar with the name of Admiral Nelson, Falmouth was the first place to hear of his death and the victory at Trafalgar in 1805. Even before the government of England knew.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Path of theTitanic

We landed at Cobh (pronounced Cove), Ireland early this morning and I felt like I returned home again. I was here over 20 years ago and knew that I wanted to come back, but doubted that I ever would. It hard to describe how I felt to others, but Ireland calls to me and I feel like I belong here or that I am welcomed here by long ago ancestors. I didn’t feel the same way when we were in England, Scotland or Wales. If you felt the same way you can understand. Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic before it started across the Atlantic and met it’s fate on April 12, 1912. There are the remains of the dock passengers used to board the tenders to be ferried out to the ship. The old White Star Line office is now a gift shop. The old railway station is still used for commuter trains to Cork, a trip of about 20 minutes. But it also is a museum that is commemorating the town’s shipping harbor as well as a special exhibit on the Titanic. Cobh is a small shipping village with quaint houses, shops and restaurants. Of course, being in Ireland we
couldn’t pass up getting a pint in a local pub! It is on the southern coast of Ireland in County Cork. Cobh is also famous for being the port city the Lusitania was headed to when it was torpedoed by a U-boat two years after the Titanic. Many of the survivors were sent to the Commodore Hotel which is still standing today. Most of the deceased were buried in a mass grave in the cemetery about 2 miles out of town. With disasters like these it’s easy to see why Cobh wasn’t a cruise liner port for a while. Tomorrow we are disembarking for Falmouth, England for the day. This port is in the area called Cornwall which is on the very end of England on the southwest. But don’t call the people from Cornwall English! They are Cornish and always will be!

The Chef's Table

Where do I start on this one? Firstly, if you are ever fortunate enough to take Princess cruise , as soon as you are in your room, you should immediately call the purser’s desk and ask to go to the Chef’s table. Ours cost $95 per person, but what you get is UNBELIEVEABLE!
After donning lab type coats we were escorted, by the maître d’hotel to the galley and were introduced to the head chef of the ship. He took us on a tour of the galley where we saw how meals were prepared for the passengers. Then we were served 4 (yes 4) different appetizers with champagne in the galley. Our next stop we were escorted through one dining room where we were stared at by other passengers sitting down for their dinners. After returning our coats we were escorted to another dining room and seated at the gorgeously decorated table for our party. Then started the feasting. Everything was prepared by the chef especially for us. Our next course was a pasta dish, asparagus risotto with lobster tails and claws. Then our pallets were cleansed with lemon sorbet with lemoncello marinated strawberries. Our entrée consisted of roasted veal shanks and beef tenderloin in a green peppercorn sauce with vegetables and mushroom potatoes (potatoes shaped like mushrooms). And this was followed by baked camembert cheese with pine nuts in a port wine reduction and walnut bread. Are we done yet? Nope. Of course we are so stuffed by now that we can only attempt small bites of everything. The funny thing during all this is that we were a party of 9 and the chef’s staff serving us were an army of 8! It was mass confusion during serving. Now on to the dessert section. Yep, more food. This time chef brings out his pastry chef with him as they serve an absolutely stunning work of art. Everything on the plate was edible! It was a passion fruit dome cake (light as a feather) with whiskey soaked raspberry soft center and covered with a mango glaze. OMG! Finally coffee or tea with chocolates. And the final touch – a rose for the women and a cookbook for the men. It was unbelievable. Would I do it again? Only if I was with our own group. We started at 7pm and didn’t leave the table until 10:15pm.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Land Ho!

After 5 days at sea we are finally on terra firma. But I have to say that for our first transatlantic crossing this has been a very smooth and enjoyable trip. The seas have only gotten up to the moderate stage which is 4-7.5 feet. Most of the time it’s been in the slight category which is 1.5-4 foot swells. It’s like sailing on a lake. But today we have reached the Azores, pronounced a-ZORS (short a, accent on second syllable). We are on one of nine islands in the chain, San Miguel, in the town of Ponta Delgada and about 800 miles from Lisbon. The Azores belong to Portugal and was discovered in the 12th century by Arabian geographers. It wasn’t until 1432 when Gonzalo Velho Cabral claimed them for Portugal. The main crop is pineapple and I am told that it has a very different taste than the Hawaiian variety. And to this day they provide air and naval stations to the NATO alliance. We walked the town instead of taking a tour and enjoyed a great time with our friends
(from our group of 9) sitting in the town center and having a local cerveza. Almost all of the streets are cobblestone and arranged in designs that treat the eye. Unfortunately it does make it a little slick walking. Streets are narrow and one way only and you don’t see large cars as in the US. Tonight we set sail again for two days until we land in Ireland. We are told that the seas may be a little rough tonight, but will get better as we sail north.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

2012 Cruise In The beginning......

Our new adventure takes us on a repositioning cruise from Ft. Lauderedale to points east. We will touch The Azores, England twice, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway (not in that order). As with all trips going east we always arrive a few days early to start acclimating ourselves to the time change. So on April 23 we flew to Ft. Lauderdale. While there we took time to sightsee a little of the area. On the 24th we took a ride north to visit the Butterfly World in Coconut Beach. This park contains hundreds of species of butterflies from all over the world and are contained in an open aviary so that you can walk among them and try not to step on the ones on the walkway (a little hard to manage). There are also hummingbirds,parrots and lorekeets. Plus bugs and insects of all kinds. After spending a few hours there we traveled down Route A1A which follows the beach. But like most ocean cities this was covered by hotels, condos and houses. But as we entered Ft. Lauderdale proper, what a surprise! There is an actual beach that isn't obscured by buildings. We parked for a few minutes and watched some unsuccessful paddle boarders. That night, as we were discussing what to do the next day, I discovered that Karl had never been to the Everglades or taken an airboat ride. I know, hard to believe. So.... On the 25th we drove south to Miami and visited Everglades Park where crocs and alligators were up close and personal. The one hour airboat ride took us back into the park where we were greeted by birds, turtles, and of course the crocodiles. On the 26th we boarded our ship at noon and now are on the high seas for 5 days steaming to the Azores Islands. What a life!!!