April 28, 2023

Today we visit  a new country on our journey, Scotland. We anchored in the bay at Portree on the island of Skye. Skyye has a population of 13000 , where almost 2500 live in the capital of Portree. The island is very rugged with rolling hills and is  mainly used for grazing sheep, with the odd cow farm. Today’s visit is very special for Carol, as both her ancestors came from Scotland. For today we had to take the tender boat to the pier. We caught the 10:00 AM tender to shore to check out the City before our 1:30 bustour. There were a variety of little shops and a few restaurants. We stopped by the bakery  for scones and coffee. Before we headed on our bustour we stopped for a bowl of soup in the local pub. After the lunch we walked back to the pier to catch the bus. The road towards the pier pick-up point was very narrow and filled with tourists, and on top of that a local truck pulled in to unload beer at an establishment on the pier road totally blocking the road for half an hour. When the truck finally left, the bus could pull in. After we loaded everyone into the bus we set of on our tour towards the north end of the island. The views were spectacular looking out over the ocean on the one side and the rugged inland mountains on the other side. We stopped at a few locations for photos opps. Eventually we arrived at a museum site consisting of old stone buildings with thatched roofs, called black houses. The houses were heated by burning peat. It was basically showing us how families used to live in the old days. After this stop we headed back towards Portree. We arrived back approximate half an hour late, but the ship was still there waiting for us. Sometimes it is worth booking your excursion through the ship, that way you’re assured that the ship isn’t leaving without you.

Cheers

April 26, 2023

This morning we sailed into Bergen Norway, The second largest City in Norway. it is an international center for aqua culture and it is also the center for the offshore petroleum industry. It is one of the main stops for cruise ships in Europe with over 300 calls a year.  For today Carol booked us on walking tour of the City with a visit to the icebar for a drink. 9-30 sharp, we left the ship we had about 25 people in our group. Our tour guide stopped now and then to tell us about the history of certain buildings and the City. I think she could have shortened her stories to maybe 10 minutes at a time instead of twenty. The weather was not ideal to stand around, with hail falling down on us and a temperature of 4 deg celcius. Bergen is a very attractive old city with numerous colorful old buildings. After our walk through the downtown area, we set out for the Magic Ice Bar. On arrival in the lobby we were given Polar jackets and gloves. When we got inside the bar, where the temperature was a balmy -5 deg celcius. We were greeted by numerous ice sculptures and the seats and even the bar was carved out of ice. We were served an cranberry tasting alcoholic beverage that did warm up our bodies. After having taken several pics, we exited the bar, ready for our walk back towards the boat. One thing we noticed is that the red telephone booths are used to make telephone calls and they also house an used book exchange. During our walk back we got snowed on, now we pretty well had all different weather precipitation in one morning. After arriving back at the boat, we went for a nice hot lunch at the Lido( chicken in hot peanut sauce).We really enjoyed the scenic sail out towards the North Sea. It looked a lot like the west coast of Vancouver Island, very rugged. 

Tomorrow is a sea day as we are heading for Scotland. It also will be Orange Day on the ship, celebrating King Alexander’s birthday. This will mean people dress in orange and lots of Dutch foods will be served. (yummy)

Cheers

April, 25, 2023

After been in the sickbay (my cabin) for 2 days with a bad cold, today was the day to set foot on shore again. We woke up on the end of a fjord in a small town called Eidfjord. It was a very picturesque town with mainly white colored houses spread out over the hillside. The population of the town was around one thousand. The town is situated at the end of an 70 mile inlet with mountains on either side scattered with small towns. I noticed also numerous fish farms on the inlet. We set of for a walk through the town. It is a
very clean town. Nice homes with tidy yards. There is apparently a large hydro dam on top of the mountain, what partly explains the wealth in the town. There were signs of numerous vacation rentals around town. In the summer it is very popular with campers and hikers. on our walk we had to do a little cold weather clothes shopping. Surprisingly the prices were very reasonable. The temperature today was only 4 deg celcius and there was snow on the mountains in every direction you looked. Stopped at a small coffee shop for a nice late. By 1 PM we headed for the warmth of the ship with a fresh supply of fisherman’s friends cough drops. We had a nice hot lunch on the ship. Later that afternoon we really enjoyed sailing out the very scenic fjord towards the Atlantic ocean on our way to our next stop Bergen Norway.

Cheers

April 22, 2023

After a scenic Voyage this morning,we arrived in Oslo the Capital of Norway. I didn’t sleep very well last night and developed a nasty head cold and decided to stay in my room today. As we are docked very close to the City, Carol decided to venture out on her own. Below find her take on the City. Oslo is a beautiful and very modern city. They love their statues and they can be found everywhere. I walked past the Nobel Peace Center but unfortunately it was temporarily closed. Alex Bialiatski from Belarus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for the promotion of democracy and human rights in his country. He was in prison when he received his prize.There were many people outside enjoying the sun, sunbathing, swimming and some very athletic people working outside a gym close to the ship. I must say that I lingered there for a bit.

Cheers

April 21, 2023

We arrived at Copenhagen around 7 AM. This morning I was up early and managed to see the sunrise over Sweden. I didn’t realize that Denmark and Sweden are located so close together, just a narrow strip of water in between. We had a shore excursion booked for 1 PM. First we were thinking taking the shuttle into town in the morning, but cancelled that idea. That would be a little too rushed, instead I decided to do some paperwork, like paying bills and taxes. By 1PM we got on the bus and it took us for a drive to Tivoli Gardens, an 180 year old amusement park. Disney Land Ind the USA got its roots from Tivoli. We were given an hour and a bit to spend at the park. This was basically just enough to buy an icecream cone and a souvenir. There was not enough time to go on any rides. For a park this size you need a whole day to see everything. After the park visit we did some site seeing from the bus and made stops at the Opera house and the Little Mermaid. The Opera house was build in 2005 at a cost of 370 million USD. Apparently people jump of the roof into the ice cold water of the harbour, an 27 meter drop. The Little Mermaid is a statue sitting on a rock in the harbour. On 2 occasions in the past vandals cut her head off.After the Mermaid stop,  we returned back to the boat. During the sail-away we enjoyed the spring sunshine and sipping on a glass of wine.

Cheers 

April 18, 19, 2023

Amsterdam, Day 1

I woke up this morning when we were already cruising through the North Sea Canal between IJmuiden and Amsterdam. I rushed upstairs to the Lido dining room to witness this. it was interesting to be so high on the water of the canal compared to the land behind the canal dike what’s is nearly 10ft below the water level. It took us nearly an hour before we moored at the Piet Hein Kade close to the Central train station. Today is Family Day.My brother Johan and his partner Helma came by the ship to pick us up around 9 AM. We Drove towards Purmerend, slightly detouring and drive by our old farm in the Purmer. After arriving at Johan’s house, we did coffee and also met up with my brother Jan and his wife Carla. Johan and myself set out on foot to see our uncle Co He is the last living sibling from my dad’s side. Uncle Cor is 86 and had a stroke last year September. He currently is in a Care Home. It was hard to see Uncle Cor in this state, very difficult to communicate with him. I left the Care home with a heavy heart, not knowing if I see him again. After lunch we headed for my sister  Lida’s house in Grosthuisen.  Here we were meeting up with my sister Lida and my other sister Ada who was flying in from Phoenix. After having sat around for a while we headed all for the cemetery in Monnickendam to place a stone on the grave of our youngest sibling Renee, who tragically past away Dec 29 the day we started our cruise. After all 5 of us siblings joined by Lida’s husband , Johan’s partner  , my wife Carol and Jan’s son had arrived at the cemetery, we walk over to grave of Mom and Dad and added the stone for our brother Renee. Thank you Ada for the kind words.After this sad event we drove to Renee’s place in Volendam and spend a few moments remembering him. Afterwards we decided to have some dinner in Volendam. During this dinner my sister Lida received a phonecall that her son Michael and his partner Kim received a newborn girl named Luna. This was the good news we all needed after otherwise a sad day. We even got a phone call from my niece Cynthia ( to bad we couldn’t meet up with her). After dinner Johan and Helma delivered us back to the ship.This evening there were the celebrations for The 150 year anniversary of Holland America at the Lido pool on the ship. There was a speech from the HAL President. The best part Heineken beer and cocktails were free for the night.

Amsterdam Day 2

For today we had arranged for my sister Lida and her Husband Hans to tour the ship. We did the tour with them and finished with a coffee at the Crowsnest deck. After Coffee we met up with my other sister and brother and walked towards the center of the City. We wandered through the Kalverstraat and Niewedijk looking at stores and stopped at one of our favorite eating places in Holland named the Febo.By 3 pm we headed back towards the ship, dodging bicycles on the way back. After saying goodbye to our family we boarded the ship. We just had put our feet up for a rest, when I got a text from my cousin Linda,  that she was at the Cruise Terminal and asked if there was time for a hug. we basically ran for the Cruise Terminal because the ship was about to leave. After a quick visit and exchanging a few hugs, we just made it back onto the ship on time. The sail out of Amsterdam was spectacular, cruising through the North Sea Canal and through the locks in IJmuiden into the North Sea on our way to Copenhagen.This was the end of a very successful visit to the old Home Base. A very big thank-you to our family for hanging out with us.

Cheers 

April 17, 2023

We arrived early this morning in Zeebrugge. this is the second largest seaport in Belgian after Antwerpen. For today we had booked a tour to Brugge about 30 min down the road.We boarded the bus at 9:00 AM on our way to Brugge. We got off the bus on the outside of the City, because the streets are to narrow to get a tour bus through it. After we got finally off the bus, we started walking towards the center of the town. It was obvious that the North American travelers aren’t used being around this many bicycles on the road. There were a few close calls of pedestrian being run over. It’s going to be interesting when we hit Amsterdam with many more bikes, and they are moving a lot faster. Walking through the downtown of Brugge we truly enjoyed the old buildings, many dating back through the 12th Century. Another danger on the streets are the many horse drawn carriages, they are really moving along and have no intention stopping for pedestrians, so you better pay attention to them. Our first stop today was at a local chocolate factory. Here they showed us the process of making the different kind of chocolates. There was also an opportunity to buy chocolates. After our stop, we had some free time to check out the stores. The streets are lined with many eateries and chocolate shops. We helped ourselves to some outstanding flemish frites with mayo. (So Good)We walked by the Zotte Brewery, they actually have a 2km long beer pipeline running to their Bottling facility in the industrial park. By installing the pipeline, they keep the large transport trucks out of the small streets downtown. By now we had started wandering back to the bus pickup. On the way back to Zeebrugge we traveled by huge holding areas for vehicles to be distributed from here to several other countries. Zeebrugge is a large distribution hub for vehicles, parts and equipment. Later this afternoon we left pretty well on time on our way to my birth country the Netherlands.

Cheers

April 15, 2023

Yesterday we were informed of a port change, Le Havre in France was subject to a port strike, so the decision was made to give this port a miss. Instead we were going to Dover tomorrow. Today’s stop is Portland in the UK. We arrived yesterday afternoon in front of the harbour, but there was no place to dock till tomorrow morning 6 AM.  After our passport check, we were allowed to get off the boat onto the tourbus to take us to Salisbury to visit the cathedral and the city. The 2 hour drive up there was very scenic, driving through farmland with its rolling hills and green pastures. After arriving in Salisbury we walked up to the Cathedral. The inside was very impressive for a building build between 1220 and 1258. after our church visit we went into the old town and checked out the old buildings and had á pint in an old English pub.After getting back to the bus, we took off to our next stop, Stonehenge. After arrival at the large parking lot, we were to board a shuttle to take us to the stones, but the lineup for the shuttle bus was so long ,that we decided to walk the 2.5 km to the stones. We walked most of the way through a cow pasture till we noticed the stones sticking up in the air. There were a lot of people out today to visit the stones, taking advantage of the sunny spring weather and it being a Saturday today. After looking at the stones for 20minutes and taking several pictures, we walked back. This time we took the shuttle back to the visitor center. We just had enough time to get ourselves one of those English steak & onion pasty’s. (They hit the spot.) Shortly thereafter our bus left for the trip back to Portland. Before we got back to the boat, the bus took us to the top of the hill in Portland to enjoy the view. Before we sailed away we were blessed by a performance from a local lady’s choir putting on a performance on the pier. To top it off we got a 3 cannon shot Salud by 3 fellows, what looked like an episode of Monty Python.

Cheers 

April 12, 2023

We sailed into “A Coruna” around 7:30 this morning. It was barely daylight, so we decided to take our time with breakfast. We didn’t book any tours for today, but decided to walk into the town. The ship was anchored only 400 meters from the old town. Coruna is known for its many historical buildings and is also nicknamed the glass city because of its many glass enclosed balconies on the front of most buildings. This part of Spain is called the Galicia area.There was a variety of activities going on in the harbour and several ships being unloaded by large cranes.We set of on foot through the City. Our first stop was to locate a post office and buy stamps, so we could send another series of cards to the grandkids. We continued our journey through the small streets and located several of the historic buildings. In the last old city’s we visited , we noticed they all have their own style of cobblestone they use in the streets. My guess is, whatever is readily available in the local rock quarry. This time of the morning it was not very busy in the small streets. Most cafees were still shut. We did find one open for a coffee. This time we decided to sit inside, as the weather was the coldest we had encountered so far on our trip. Only a high of 14 celcius today. After our coffee break we headed out to discover more of the City. By lunch time we sat down at a small street patio outside an Irish Pub for some fish & chips. After lunch Carol did a little shopping before we hadden back to the ship.Back on the ship we got the message that our next port of Brest in France was cancelled because of bad weather and high seas. Instead we were leaving today’s port not till 11 tonight and sail towards our next stop of Portland in the UK. We were warned that tonight’s and tomorrow’s sail would be a bumpy ride. The theory is, in the rough weather, the captain has to keep the speed up above 10 knots in order to deploy the stabilizers and ultimately keep it somewhat comfortable when crossing the Bay of Biscay.For dinner we met at the Pinnacle restaurant for dinner to celebrate our friend Joan’s birthday.We ended the day with another gathering of the Dutch at the Billboard bar on the ship. They seem to be the only people who stay up after 10PM to socialize.

Cheers

April 10, 2023

Around 10:00 this morning we arrived in Lisbon. It was quite scenic sailing towards the port on the Tagus river. Lisbon is the Capital of Portugal which has a population of 11million.Lisbon has a population of 600,000 and the total for the metropolitan area is nearly 3 million. Lisbon is after Athens the second oldest City in Europe.

As we were docked very close to the old neighborhood of Alfama, we decided to explore on foot. The streets were very narrow made out of cobblestone. The streets were lined with ancient buildings and many of them had beautiful tile on the outside. Right a way the grade of the narrow streets got quite steep. Once in a while we had to take a breather, as it was warming up fast in the morning sun. There were small cozy sidewalk cafees nearly on every corner and numerous small mini markets. Finally we made it to the top. Towards the top there are old street railcars being used for public transportation. When these cars pass by, you have to back yourself against the wall on the sidewalk to let them pass by. At the top we stopped for a coffee and and a famous Portuguese custard tard called pastel de nata. They are delicious. You should check your local bakery if they’re available? After the coffee break we visited a very old church and stopped at a couple viewpoints. On our way down through the narrow streets we stopped for a light lunch and a cold beer at one of the many patio restaurants lining the street. When we arrived near the bottom of the hilly part we hired a TucTuc for an hour to show us a different neighbourhood. The Tuc took us to Baixa neighborhood, the downtown area with shopping streets and many hotels. We made the odd stop to take a picture or two and enjoyed the ride. our final stop was at the pink street where the young generation hangs out at night at the clubs. Our final stop was right in front of the ship where the Tuc dropped us off. By now we were ready to put our feet up for an hour or so before dinner. For tonight there was a Portuguese dinner on the boat This was a great stop in a beautiful old City. We could’ve easily spend another day here.

Cheers