More Cologne History
I wanted to add a bit more history that I found today concerning the Jews who’ve lived in Cologne. We talked about these brass markers in the sidewalk I found the night we arrived. Well, today wandering around the Dom,…
Mt. Pilatus
Hey, it’s Jeff here! I hope I didn’t scare anyone off the couch :). It isn’t everyday that my brain is still functioning after we get back from our daily outing. But, since Ellen is feeding me, the least I…
David and the Duomo
After our walk around Florence yesterday, and seeing the crowds around the Duomo, we were glad we paid for the ‘skip the line’ tours for David and the Duomo. We started early with another easy bus ride down into Florence…
Amalfi Coast
We spent the day exploring the Amalfi Coast. It started early, we got picked up at our hotel at 8:15. For our ride to Nerano on the coast for a seaside ride up the Amalfi Coast to Amalfi where we…
Tenby
We were a little apprehensive about today. Mostly because it was a 3hr train ride each way. That meant it was going to be a long day and what if it didn’t live up to the hype. Everyone we talked…
Evening in Inverness
Welcome to our Rick Steves Tour! Day one of our Scotland tour didn’t start until 4:00pm, so we had a leisurely morning packing up and transferring to our hotel which is part of the tour. It was only about a…
We Are Ready To Go!
With only a couple days until departure we are pretty much ready to go. After packing and re-packing, sorting and resorting, and pulling things out putting things in that we forgot, I believe we have everything in our carry-on roller…
And Now, The Rest of the Story…
Yes, it’s time for the rest of the news from our trip. I’ve been struggling with this. Its hard for me to write this. We (and by that, I mean me, Jeff), had a bit of a scare while in Quebec City for…
Jeff’s Family History
The ‘raison principale‘ for our trip to Quebec City was to visit the site where Jeff’s family ancestors first came over from France. The ‘Furnia’ name is the anglicized version of the original French ‘Fournier’. It turns out that one…
Elbows UP, We’re Off Again!
That’s right, after spending 6 months on the road in 2025 (May-Oct), we’ve already got itchy feet. It’s time to get our ‘go-in drawers’ on and get outta town!!! We’re not even waiting for the new year to show up…
Caen; Our Last Day In Normandy
Our stay in Normandy came to an end today. We did a (self guided) walking tour of the major sights throughout the city center. But first, breakfast! Ellen found us a wonderful cafe with outside seating serving eggs Benedict that…
Copenhagen Day 2
It’s the Capital & most populous city in Denmark; one of the happiest places in the world. It holds a staggering number of 15 Michelin Star restaurants. It’s also one of the most bicycle friendly cities. There are 250 miles…
Travel Day to Copenhagen
We found out yesterday there are no trains to Copenhagen but we can take a bus to Falkenburg then a train to Denmark. We took a cab to our deluxe city apartment on the 5th floor with no elevator. I’m…
Göteborg Day 2-3
We’re combining two days because yesterday we had a minor injury timeout and only managed a partial day. I’m only calling it a ‘minor’ injury because it is connected to a preexisting injury. Ellen tweaked her knee yesterday simply by…
Göteborg Arrival Day
We left Stockholm on the fast train this morning. We were a little concerned about the clocks on the platform though. We are getting better at finding our seats… It is a fabulous way to travel, find your seat get…
Day 3 Stockholm
Summer solstice in Stockholm with close to 19 hours of daylight and Happy Mid Summer celebrations continue. We took a walk to the city to get a few people free pics. and then hopped on the #82 ferry to Djitgarden,…
Day 2 Stockholm
Early rising in the land where the sun never sets is easy to do. We were walking the city before any locals were up. It’s a holiday weekend after all “Happy Mid Summer.” After a mildly confusing walk to the…
Stockholm
We took the train from Oslo to Stockholm this morning. New language, new currency, just new. Nice ride and they welcomed us to Sweden. Kermit cheered. The announcements were louder and more detailed in Swedish, than in English – “next…
Day-29 Last of Oslo
A beautiful summer day in Norway. We have been so lucky. We started a nice walk through the city to catch the Ferry out to the museums. Our first stop was the Fram Museum Tales of the Polar Explorers on…
Day-28 Alone in Oslo
It’s raining and our travel buddies are gone…waaaaaaa We’ve reached the end of our pre-planned part of our adventure. So much for knowing where we were going and what we were doing (although, in Jeff’s case, that could be debatable).…
Day 27 Oslo
Last day with our travel buddies Linda & Tony. We had a fabulous breakfast buffet at the Radisson Blu. We had to get our own cappuccino; it’s our new reality. Off to one last Viking Excursion around the city. Our…
Day-26 Oslo
Up early to catch the train to Oslo. The trip took 8 hours through the most interesting and ever changing terrain. From Bergen to Oslo We had one more 2500 competition and Tony got the assist but Linda finished strong…
Day-25 Bergen
After a lovely breakfast we spent the morning walking the colorful streets of Bergen, Norways second largest city. The city has about 300,000 residents and lots of tourists. We had to say goodbye to our awesome Viking friends. We had…
Day-24 Geiranger
Called the “pearl of the fjords” Geiranger is nestled in the towering peaks of Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO world heritage site and gateway to the most magnificent natural treasurers. This morning we all were on the top deck at 5:00am to…
Day-23 Sailing the Inside Passage
The Norwegian Inside Passage is a protected shipping lane that eventually ends in Siberia. The channels are protected with beautiful bays, islands and islets (very small and often unnamed.) In the morning we passed Torghatten, a granite dome on the…
Day-22 Leknes (Lofoten Islands)
The jagged peaks and the crystal clear lakes of the Lofoten Islands stretch 118 miles into the Norwegian Sea from Norway’s coast. The midnight sun continues to illuminate the magic of Norway. We headed out on a cruise through the…
Day-21 Narvik
June 10, 2025. Wow, sailing the fjords is way better than ocean sailing. The water is so smooth, if you don’t look out a window you wouldn’t know you’re even moving. We had an early (8:30) narrated bus excursion through…
Day-20 Tromsø
The gateway to the Arctic and still boasting the farthest north something. Norway has an elongated shape, one of the longest and most rugged coastlines in the world. Norway has 239,057 islands and 81,192 islets. We took a private tour…
Day-19 Honningsvåg, Norway
Sunday June 8, 2025. After another day at sea following our time in Svalbard, we landed the next morning in Honningsvåg located on Magerøya Island. Long known for its fishing and Sámi population (a semi-nomadic people who are known for…
Days 15-18 Two Days at Sea; Two Days in Svalbard
Our two days at sea from Ísafjördur to Svalbard, Norway were, thankfully, uneventful; as in we had smooth sailing and nobody got seasick!:) Our two days in Svalbard were great! Located about half way between Norway and the North Pole…