Brugge or Bruges
Quiet day for JEllen. Did some trip planning in the morning, then took a UBER to the train station. Bid goodbye to Brussels for now. The other side of the tracks looked like a framed picture Hopped on the train…
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Brussels’ Last Gems
Today we hit the last places on our list. We started to see what the lil Pis man was wearing & arrived just in time for his dressing. Time for a cafe stop… Lots to take in, including the Banksy…
Brussels Belgium
We have plans to see the city sights and walk the streets to explore the architecture, beauty and history. First stop must be the 15th Century old Manneken Pis (translated to Lil Pissing Man) Countries, dignitaries, royals and creative designers…
Pure Joy
You know when you have a very special person in your life & seeing them again fills your heart with love. When I was visiting my sister in Italy 35+ years ago I was immersed in her beautiful Italian life.…
Antwerp Belgium
We made plans to meet friends today. Something new; we took a train but a short one to a lovely city. Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world. But first waffles When stepping off the train you’re greeted with…
Belgium Country #6
We left Germany this morning and happily arrived In Bruxelles and it’s HOT with no AC. We found the local tram & it had to be 150 degrees inside. We only had 2 stops and walked to our AIRBNB. Tomorrow…
Bremen Germany
Hmmm interesting, that humans here are much more stoic and not quite as warm, fuzzy & engaging as our Scandinavian friends. A few memories popped in my mind from previous travels to Germany “you touch NUSSING!!!” and being told to…
Train Travel Day
The Danish engineers are so smart. I had to put one last photo of the pram with a footstool and seat for the kids not in the carriage. It is brilliant. Another thing they do is take babies out and…
Copenhagen last day
An amazing city. Fabulous people and I adore Denmark. When people meet visiting friends and family at the airport or train station or whatever, they wave the Denmark Flag to welcome them. What a cool tradition. 🇩🇰 I love the…
Copenhagen Day 3
Up and ready to walking to the DAC and BLOC to learn about Danish Architecture. They are all about the environment, the future for generations to come and repurposing everything from old buildings to homes to revitalizing villages lost. The…
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…
Day-13 A New Friend
Ok, it’s Sunday June 1, 2025; our bags are all packed and set outside our door at the hotel for 9:00am pickup. It’s just a short walk to board the bus that will take us to the ship. You can…