Norway! 6/27-6/28 2024

 

I'm not sure if this is a first, but it is noteworthy -- our hotel manager called a taxi for us to get to Amsterdam's airport, and the guy showed up dressed in a proper suit and in a fine, new Mercedes-Benz electric car ... and this was 8:20 in the morning!  Can I tell you we rode in style to the airport!  And air-conditioned, as well. 😀 

We flew KLM to Bergen, Norway (hour-and-a-half) and at lunchtime we were served an actual sandwich!  It was good, we were hungry, and we appreciated it.  No dinky pretzel baggie.

Our Flybussen was waiting for passengers directly outside the airport exit, and dropped us off at our hotel.  Oops, no not the Clarion we thought.  Our Clarion was across the harbor, so danged if we didn't haul those suitcases filled with stinky clothes over cobblestones one more time, to the correct Clarion.  I mean, how many Clarions does one town need?

OK, once installed in the right Clarion, we set off on an explore.  Tomorrow we'd board our cruise up Norway's fjords on the Hurtigruten line.  We had the rest of today -- and the days are long here in summer -- to look over Bergen.  We've seen so many iterations of bicycles in the past week, including the one above.  The child sits in a sort of wheelbarrow (wrong word) in the front.  Or groceries or a dog or whatever.  We saw many of these.

Bergen's funicular, Fløibanen, which goes to the top of Mount Fløyen, was around the corner from our hotel, but when we checked, the line was long and in full sun.  So, we walked a bit and then picked an outdoor dinner spot (yummy food), and upon leaving the restaurant, we saw no line at all.  I suggested we go and Jimmy was like, what, now?  What the heck, it stays light till late late late!  So we did.  Up we go, above.

We were in shorts, it was that warm.  But you see it was a fantastic view.  Apparently the funicular has been transporting folks up here for over 100 years.  Lots of people were up this evening. 

Always fun to see.

Nice-looking kids from America,

in Bergen, Norway!

Another nice-looking kid, er, grown-up goat

overlooking Bergen, Norway.

Sun rays.

After Jimmy visited with this gnarly gnome guy,

we both enjoyed an ice cream cone.

The ride up takes about eight minutes, with several stops to pick up or drop off passengers.  It's quite the winding road.  You see a small section, above.

That's me on the platform.  Wow!

The next morning, we found the Apotek (pharmacy) and I bought some cold medicine.  They don't offer Tylenol Cold and Flu or any kind of NyQuil, but the pharmacist suggested an all-plant elixir called Bronwel Comp, which I started taking immediately.  Hope it helps.  Jimmy got some local chapstick.  We continued walking around the city.  Our boarding didn't take place till 3/ish.

And so we strolled about the harbor, along with throngs of other tourists.  Looked at all the different kinds of fishies offered at the fish market, bought nothing, of course.

Along the way, we discovered this old and obviously sturdy building:  Rosenkrantz Tower.  Imagine my surprise when I looked it up online and learned it's regarded as the most important Renaissance monument in Norway -- the Tower was the residence of one of Norway’s most significant kings, Magnus the Lawmender, in the 13th century.  Hoy!  It's been this and that and is now primarily used as a museum.

By this time, rain was beginning to fall.  We returned to our hotel and sat in the closed bar area till we could hail the Flybussen.  We were dreading dragging our luggage over the wet cobblestones to the bus waiting area, but -- YAY -- a bus appeared just as we arrived, and we didn't get wet a'tall.

Aha!  Here's the ship, Nordkapp, our home from today, the 27th to July 4th, however many days that is, my brain's gone tharn.  Jimmy and I and Bernice and Ibby had booked this Hurtigruten trip along the Norwegian coast back in 2020.  Well, that didn't happen, nobody went anywhere, except home for the next one-to-two years.

While we will miss our friends who can't join us this year, Jimmy and I are really looking forward to this addition to our Summer 2024 trip, sailing in Norway.  

Amsterdam! 6/25 - 6/26 2024

 

It's big.  It's busy.  It's bike crazy.  Full of canals.  Amsterdam.  We're staying inner-city at the Hotel Nes, where it's all of the above, plus hot.  Real hot, as in mid-80's.  Unusual for this region.  Because this is an historic area, the buildings have no A/C.  So, take in everything you've read so far and you'll realize I'm pretty uncomfortable!

Egyptian Geese, with lots of kids.

We left the ship Tuesday morning, hopped on the free ferry to cross the river, and schlepped our suitcases a couple of kilometers over the cobblestoned streets and walkways to the Hotel Nes.  Then we did it again, minus the luggage, to retrieve our black folder that holds all my travel information.  Yes, we were sweating by the time we got back to the hotel the second time.  By day's end, we had over 18,000 steps on the ol' fitbit!

Along the way, we spotted a small dredge in a canal and assumed it was clearing away dirt and debris.  Nope, it was picking up dead bikes from the bottom of the canal!  How they got in the water in the first place is anybody's guess, but they were hauled out onto the barge and taken to the dead bike cemetery.

Very picturesque.  I can't say which canal this is, but they all have names.  The late 16th and early 17th Century canals that helped drain the swampland using a system of canals in concentric arcs and filling in the intermediate spaces, are listed on the UNESCO heritage site.  Our hotel is in this circle.

Notice some of the old buildings are leaning!  Above and below.

Every which-a-way!

Jimmy and I walked and walked and walked.  We looked and pointed and looked some more.  Boats of all sizes plied these canals, many of them touristy.  Houseboats parked alongside the land.

The reflections!

We decided to eat dinner at a cafe next to our hotel.  I ordered pizza and Jimmy had a calzone.  The pizza was good, but tasteless if that makes any sense.  Inside it was too hot to sit and outside is where the smokers were.  And smokers are everywhere in Amsterdam, leaving the city streets and paths a mess of dead cigarette butts.  My sinuses objected to the smoke.

Trying to sleep was a nightmare.  Too hot to have the windows closed in our tiny 3rd floor room and way too noisy to have them open.  We did both.  This is a young person's town with whoopin' and hollerin' into the wee small hours.

New take on The Thinker.

The next morning, Wednesday the 26th, I woke up with a fierce sore throat and the kind of nasal congestion that means a lot more than mere allergies.  Phooey, several friends on the boat/bike tour had come down with colds just before we all departed.  My turn.  But, what the heck, who cares?, and since we may never come back this way again, we had two objectives today:  The big market (Albert Cuyp Market) and the Rijks Museum.  Jimmy bought The Perfect New Cap at the market.

We knew where we wanted to go and made a few detours along the way, but after our market foray, we got to the museum and in time for lunch! 

I lifted the photo above from the 'net -- the museum building itself is a stunning work of art.  Inside we'd see works by the Old Masters and more.  I took a few pics, amazed that photos were allowed.  Was it crowded?  Not too bad, I'd say; the place was large enough to accommodate everyone.

But first, a bite to eat.  Hi Jimmy! 💗

Every single thing about this museum is magnificent.  These windows (there were four or five) are several stories tall.

As you might imagine, here was the busiest spot:  Rembrandt's The Night Watch.  I was astonished at the size of this painting:  12' x 14.5' -- it's huge!

Rembrandt painted this in 1642.  Working up to 500 years ago!

Wonderful hallway, with art installations, right and left.

Breitner's, The Singel Bridge at the Paleisstraat in Amsterdam, 1896.

"A Windmill on a Polter Waterway, Known as 'In the Month of July.'"  1889 by Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriel, which was one of my favorites, since we'd recently seen the windmills.

Aha!  More art!

Jimmy before a Model of the William Rex, 1698.  Wowzers.

Vermeer's "The Milkmaid," 1660."

"Still Life with a Gilt Cup," Willem Heda, 1635.

Amazing.  The detail ...!

I took more pictures, but this post is already long.  If you're going to Amsterdam, you need to visit the Rijks Museum, good gosh, it's a dream come true.

With over 15,000 steps today, our feetses were hot and tired!  Dinner was at a small restaurant with small dishes, and then on to the Hotel Nes.  Today was hotter than yesterday and a loud, happy party was in full swing at a large hotel patio across the canal.  Not much sleep to be had this night!  Not every single thing/place can be a winner, and, besides, I pretty much felt like dookie by now, and would be glad to fly to Bergen, Norway tomorrow.  Hope it's cooler.

We've been, we saw, we conquered.  On to the next chapter of our adventure.

Into Amsterdam! 6-24-24

Today is our last day -- today we bike into the big City of Amsterdam.  We'd all heard about the millions of cyclists using the dedicated bike paths in and around the city ... it could be a sort of bike pandemonium.  But that's getting the cart before the horse, or the journey before the bike.

During breakfast, the ship cruised to Breukelen (think: Brooklyn), where we disembarked to start our final day of cycling.  Sitting on the top deck, we relaxed and enjoyed watching The Netherlands go by, as you see above.

Bridges!  And more bridges.

Other boats, and even an airplane.

Ready to ride!

We rode along the Vecht River which is famous for its beautiful mansions, impressive houses and their sumptuous gardens.  Tis the season for Hydrangeas to bloom, and many of us have ooohed and aaahed as we passed colorful displays.  Truly.

We pedaled to the Village of Nigtevecht (I don't try to pronounce any of these words) and a traditional cheese farm.  When we descend upon an area, we take up a lot of space.  Hi Jimmy!

After tasting several different cheeses, we bought one small wheel and hope to goodness it survives the rest of our journey!  This was such a nice spot for lunch, being entertained by the nesting White Storks.  Also on the grounds were apple and pear trees heavy with fruit, sheep, and friendly dogs.

Continuing on -- Zwaanwijck.  We allowed as how if all 40 of us went in on its purchase we might be able to afford it.  Then we decided, nah, not even then!  Absolutely stunning place.

Muiden Castle, currently a national museum, located at the mouth of the Vecht River, roughly nine miles from Amsterdam.  We walked around it, but didn't go inside.  Like many castles in Europe, this one has a long history, beginning in 1280.

This was fun to watch -- two small boats, each going in a different direction, passing through the lock. 

Fisherman.

Even the canoe had to pass through the lock.

Now it was time to get serious.  Peter was sort of directing us as we honed in on the city.  The path was wide here to accommodate heavy bike traffic.  We had to cross major streets, too.  I kept my eyes on the person in front of me.  We made it to our boat without incident, but everyone was relieved to be safe onboard.  We've never seen so many bikes.  We rode about 20 miles today.

Both Belgium and The Netherlands have an extensive network of interconnecting bikeways with a map showing each and every one, like a road map for cars.  To an American, this is incredible.  I wish we had more bikeways like what we've seen here.  I know our country is an entire universe compared to these two small dots in Europe.  At intersections, their roads have separate traffic signals for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.  We had to learn how to cross the street!

Ahhh, back at the ranch, we gathered on the rear deck.  Our guides, Peter, Marleen and Irene were going to rehash a few trip highlights and give out some *awards*, all in good fun.  We laughed a lot.  Do you see Jimmy?

Marleen announced that we'd biked 300 kilometers in our six days.  You'd have to subtract a few kms for me and Jimmy's short bike day, so I figured he and I biked somewhere around 160 miles.  Not bad for old farts about to turn 80 in a few months.  Eh, right?

Captain Paul had the center stage at this point.

Great guides and great crew.

I handed Cap'n Paul my camera and asked him to take a pic of the whole group at our "last supper."  He kept backing up and finally stood on a chair to get us all in. 😉  Dinner was fabulous.

We said our goodbyes the next morning, sad to go, but happy we signed up for this trip  Really.  Now we were on our own to tackle Amsterdam!